Rebirth in Another World as the Undead Queen

Costume Play

”Hehehe...”

”What... what are you trying to do?!”

”This is the price you pay for deceiving me yesterday.”

As she spoke, tethys stepped closer bit by bit. Serea edged herself to the very rim of the shell bed. With nowhere left to retreat, tethys grabbed Serea into her arms.

”What a perfect body. Now, let’s finish what we didn’t complete yesterday.”

Before Serea could react, tethys had already obtained all of her body information.

”I’ve roughly got your measurements, so let’s start with this one first.”

With that, tethys retrieved a pure black gown from the racks of clothing.

Tethys’ Evening Dress (Purple)!

It was actually a purple-grade item!

Serea looked again at all the racks.

Tethys’ Loungewear (Purple), tethys’ Alchemist Robe (Purple), tethys’ Diva Dress (Purple)...

And the brightest piece hanging at the top of the cave—a golden garment—Tethys’ Tailor Set (Gold)!

”This is...!!!”

”Amazing, right? I sewed all of these myself, you know.”

”So, the reason you brought me here was...”

”To make you my model and try these outfits on. If you agree, I’ll tell you how to turn back into a human. Hehehe, I bet you can’t refuse.”

Tethys looked at Serea as if she had her cornered. But upon hearing the girl’s terms, Serea just replied:

”That’s it?”

”Yup.”

”I agree. Bring them over.”

Serea had been expecting some difficult demand, but it turned out to just be changing clothes.

”You actually agreed!”

Yet, seeing how easily Serea accepted, tethys looked genuinely shocked.

”I mean, it’s just changing clothes. What’s the big deal?”

”Eh? Don’t you think these clothes are ugly or too old-fashioned?”

Tethys leaned in closer and asked, while Serea gave the clothes another once-over.

”Not at all; both the style and the quality are top-notch. How could they be ugly? Uh... why are you making that face?”

As Serea spoke, tethys began to shed tears of something called ”being moved” upon hearing her assessment.

”That’s wonderful!”

Tethys dove onto Serea, crying loudly and rubbing her face into Serea’s chest.

”Nora always complains that my clothes are ugly and never wants to wear them. You’re the first to say anything like this.”

Seeing her so emotional, nora scratched her head and said,

”It’s not that they’re ugly, really, it’s just that some of them are a bit... embarrassing to wear...”

After calming down, tethys stood up and picked up the evening dress from before.

”Well then, let’s not waste any time. This will be the first one.”

”Wait, you want me to put on all the clothes?”

Tethys nodded at this.

”It hasn’t been easy to finally find someone willing to try them on. I need to see how they all look, with my own eyes.”

”Uh... can’t you find another model?”

”That’s... a bit difficult.”

As Tethys said this, a subtle sadness flashed in her eyes.

Seeing this, Serea looked at Tethys and Nora...

This girl only had Nora by her side. That must be what loneliness looks like. No wonder Tethys reacted so strongly after Nora disappeared.

So...

”Fine, I’ll try all the clothes, but don’t forget our agreement.”

”Mm, mm, mm!”

Tethys nodded vigorously, then Serea picked up the evening dress.

Long gloves, black evening gown, ribbon headband, and a black mermaid tail accessory.

Tethys’ Evening Dress (Purple): Charm attribute +1, 10% damage reduction, magic damage increased by 20%.

Damage boost!

It was a powerful piece of equipment, and even Serea felt quite tempted.

Sitting on the shell bed, Serea prepared to try on the dress. Meanwhile, tethys thoughtfully wove a curtain of water around the shell bed for privacy.

While waiting outside, tethys took out an image-recording crystal and hid it.

”It’s ready.”

A voice came from behind the curtain. Hearing this, tethys pulled down the water curtain just as Serea finished tying the ribbon headband and swept her long hair up. The girl’s alluring figure caught Tethys’s attention, and she hurriedly took a picture with the crystal.

In that instant, the girl’s breathtaking beauty was captured inside the image crystal.

One shot!

”So beautiful!”

Nora admired from the side.

”It would look even better with a different pose.”

”A pose?”

”Like this.”

Tethys helped Serea pose elegantly, then—

Second shot!

”That’s enough, isn’t it?”

”How about another pose?”

”Eh?”

Third shot!

Three minutes later...

”That has to be enough by now.”

Serea spoke shyly, feeling that these poses were getting increasingly questionable...

”All right, next outfit.”

With that, tethys pulled out a black and white dress.

Tethys’ Maid Outfit (Purple): Increases the effect of life skills by 50%, and grants the skill ”Head Maid’s Pride.”

Head Maid’s Pride (Purple): Selects a ’master’ (cannot be changed). When the ’master’ is nearby, both wearer and master gain 10% increased damage and 10% damage reduction.

The powerful effects of the dress made Serea’s eyes light up, yet if she wore this on herself...

”T-this one isn’t really necessary, is it?”

”It’s all of them.”

”....”

If she wanted to exchange this for the chance to turn back into a human...

”F-fine.”

Serea compromised, consoling herself internally that she was only wearing women’s clothes in order to gain more power.

A few minutes later, a blushing mermaid maid appeared on stage.

”So pretty! Serea-chan, can you call me ’Milady’?”

”Give it up, that’s never going to happen...”

”What a shame. Well, let’s switch poses then.”

Fourth shot, fifth shot... up to the tenth...

For some reason, the maid outfit had a special kind of charm, so it took longer for the candid photos this time.

Next up were...

Tethys’ Loungewear (Purple), tethys’ Diva Dress (Purple), tethys’ Dancer Outfit (Purple)...

Each subsequent dress made Serea feel more uneasy, the amount of cloth decreasing bit by bit. She couldn’t shake the sense that she was being drawn into some sort of trap.

But somehow, her body just couldn’t stop. Had she really become someone who would do anything for ”strength”?

Now Serea began to understand why Nora had refused to try them on—these clothes really were just way too...

Record image!

By now, she’d lost track of how many shots had been taken, but this time, after one more, the crystal glowed faintly.

”Was I too absorbed? The image-recording crystal is almost full.”

”Almost full?”

Serea asked, to which Tethys quickly waved her hand.

”N-no, it’s nothing. I meant it’s almost done!”

”Finally, almost done~”

Serea let out a breath of relief, her cheeks flushed red. As Tethys looked at the black fishtail and Serea’s black long hair on the shell bed, she murmured to herself.

”Really does look like that person...”

As she spoke, tethys pressed the image-recording crystal to her chest.

If it were my lady, she wouldn’t lose to Serea-chan when wearing clothes like this... if only...

Sadness flashed across Tethys’s face, as if Serea’s black fishtail had triggered certain unhappy memories.

But then she shook her head forcefully and forced a look of determination.

Maybe it’s time to fill that regret—with this, yes!

”The last one, Serea-chan.”

Tethys spoke, glancing toward Nora.

”Go open that one.”

”Miss, are you really going to bring out that one?!”

”Yes.”

”Miss, that’s unfair, letting someone else wear what you never let even me touch.”

Although Nora grumbled, she still walked to the cave wall, where a cloth curtain was hanging. Nora grabbed the string of the curtain.

”I’m going to open it.”

”Go ahead.”

Tethys agreed, and Nora slowly pulled the string down. Seeing how serious they both were, Serea became even more curious about what earth-shattering attire might be hidden behind the curtain.

The knot came undone, the curtain fell, revealing a clothes rack with a gorgeous black diva dress.

At first glance—

So beautiful!

Serea was genuinely stunned.

A black crown and hair bow, a gorgeous short formal dress, a pair of black gloves, and a refined black fishtail accessory.

Rhythmic Black Mermaid Princess (Gold): Magic damage increased by 30%, summoning skill effectiveness increased by 20%, grants the skill ”Princess’s Knight”; has two remaining fusion enchantment slots.

Princess’s Knight (Tier 5): When equipped, all friendly units within 1000 meters gain +5% to all attributes; this increase rises to a maximum of 10% as they approach the wearer.

A gold-tier item! And focused on summoning, truly powerful cloth armor!

As Serea stared in astonishment, tethys took the dress from the rack and handed it to her.

”The last one.”

”....”

Serea took the dress somewhat dazedly, and the water curtain was raised once again. Stroking the smooth cloth, she couldn’t help but feel attached to it, as if this gear were made just for her.

”Miss Serea, please hurry up~”

”All right...”

Serea replied, regaining her composure, and began putting on the outfit.

Five minutes later, the curtain fell, and Serea, clad in the black diva dress, sat on the shell bed with her fishtail to the side. The moment she appeared, nora exclaimed:

”Super super beautiful!”

Unlike Nora’s intense reaction, seeing Serea in that dress triggered both sadness and joy in Tethys’s expression.

Feeling the suit’s powerful buff, Serea said nothing.

”Come on, try a different pose.”

With a strained smile, tethys spoke, but there was only one shot left in the image-recording crystal. With that final slot, she secretly captured Serea’s most beautiful moment.

”All done, mission accomplished!”

Tethys clapped her hands, pulling Serea out of her thoughts. Glancing at the dress she wore, then at Tethys, Serea asked:

”It’s over now, right? What about what you promised me?”

”I’d never forget.”

As she said this, tethys walked up to Serea.

”Hand over the Deep Sea Relic.”

”You want this back?”

”There’s no reason for me to keep it. Just let me borrow it for a bit if you want to change back.”

Hearing this, Serea hesitated for a second, but in the end, she handed the Deep Sea Relic to Tethys.

With the relic in hand, tethys took Serea’s hand and pricked her finger lightly with a sewing needle.

Blood welled up, and Tethys pressed a drop onto the Deep Sea Relic, murmuring words under her breath.

The Relic began to glow. In Serea’s mind, a notification chimed.

System: Skill acquired: ”Deep Sea Will.”

Deep Sea Will (Tier 2): After use, consumes mental power to enter mermaid form, and costs one fear crystal.

”All right, now Serea-chan is a true mermaid.”

She placed the Deep Sea Relic back in Serea’s hand. Serea glanced at her pricked finger and the relic and muttered to herself,

”A real mermaid, huh...”

”But Miss Serea, you’re a bit special. You won’t need water like we do. More precisely, you’re a human with mermaid powers.”

”I see.”

Something occurred to her, and she asked,

”Wait, aren’t you taking back the Deep Sea Relic?”

”That’s something I was going to throw away anyway, why would I take it back?”

Shaking her head, tethys continued,

”And now that it’s found its owner, I’ll give it to you as thanks for helping Nora, and also to make up for a certain regret.”

Those seemingly meaningful words made Serea repeat,

”To make up for regret...”

So, there really was an untold story behind it.

But that wasn’t Serea’s concern for now. What she really needed to think about was how to use the Deep Sea Relic to unlock the ”fear altar”. So...

”Well, since you gave this to me, you should at least undo the seal on it, right?”

”That kind of thing, I have no idea.”

”Really?”

”Really, or else I wouldn’t have given it to you.”

”All right...”

Serea felt a bit disappointed.

But obtaining ”mermaid form” was already quite the gain. As for the seal—since it existed in this world, there had to be a way to break it.

Now that hope had appeared, she would simply have to wait.

Thinking this, Serea looked at the ”Deep Sea Will” skill she just acquired.

This skill seemed to be similar to ”Blood Frenzy” and ”Death Decay.”

As for the exact effect...

Activate ”Deep Sea Will”!

System: Skill used. You may choose between mermaid form (Deep Sea Mermaid skills +20% effectiveness) and human form.

Although mermaid form granted a buff, it wasn’t convenient on land, and right now Serea wanted to see if she could turn back.

”Human form.”

As soon as she voiced the command, black light enveloped her fish tail, and then a pair of fair legs appeared—she really had transformed back.

But suddenly, Serea remembered something.

She’d turned into a mermaid in the middle of the night, wearing only a nightgown. If she turned back now, wouldn’t that mean...

”Wait!”

On the fish tail, a shimmer appeared.

(To be continued...)