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Karna was usually a very pragmatic person when she went out shopping. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy just looking around and trying on various things. She liked the little things in life, and a bit of shopping was one of those little joys. However, she also often had many other things to do, so she’d developed an attitude of getting most things done quickly and efficiently. Quick and efficient were not words that could be associated with the current shopping spree Duskclaw was leading her on.

Karna had expected a burst of growth as a result of her Titan bloodline being awakened. She'd made rather precise calculations that resulted in some solid estimates about what the result of that burst would be. She’d even reserved some clothing for herself, as obviously the growth spurt would result in all her old apparel becoming useless. However, she had miscalculated. She’d forgotten an important detail. Despite her Titan bloodline, at the very base she’d always be a Godling, and Godlings also had a habit of growing and developing quickly, both physically and mentally, once they fully hit puberty. She had not expected that her Godling nature would mix in with the growth spurt coming from the bloodline, which resulted in her growing almost 30 centimeters in a few hours.

The other problem was that she’d also grown in other ways besides just height. The Titan bloodline would have likely just made her grow in height, but her nature as a Godling had other ideas. That meant even the clothing she’d reserved in case her growth spurt would be larger than expected didn’t fit. Duskclaw had taken a single look at her and given Karna some of her old clothes until they could get her something that actually fit. And then the eager beastwoman had dragged her into the high-class shopping district of the capital city despite the late hour.

The owner of the first shop they entered had simply clicked her tongue and taken them to the back to get her measured. “Who got you these rags?” The gnomish woman protested in obvious disgust. “They don’t fit you at all and they’re so old fashioned!”

“They’re her old ones actually.” Karna pointed at Duskclaw.

“Why? Why would you do something atrocious like this?” The shopkeeper looked at Duskclaw, horrified. “A pretty young girl like this shouldn’t be forced to wear some ill-fitting hand-me-downs!” Incidentally, Karna was still wearing the only piece of clothing that still fit her, the veil, so the compliment was partly out of politeness, and partly out of admiration for what could be seen.

“They were the only things on hand that came even remotely close to fitting her.” Duskclaw defended herself. She was a big believer in good and fashionable clothing, even if she had to wear the military uniform most of the time. Her penchant usually showed in what she wore under the uniform. “And I must defend myself further by pointing out that I brought her here without delay as soon as I was appraised of the situation!” This was the one type of slander she couldn’t tolerate.

“Hrmm. I’ll let it slide for now. I can see she’s obviously not your daughter and thus there might be circumstances, so I’ll give you a pass. For now.” Apparently the shopkeeper knew Duskclaw somewhat. “Though that raises the question, what happened to all her old clothes?”

“I had a growth spurt.” Karna shrugged.

“Don’t move!” The old gnome smacked Karna on the bottom. “I can’t get proper measurements if you move around. Now, I assume you’ll want to visit Tanglethread’s shop next?”

“Tanglethread’s?” Karna questioned with a glance towards Duskclaw.

“I said, don’t move!” The gnome smacked her again. There was no special meaning to her hitting Karna on the butt. It was just the part of Karna she happened to be measuring at that moment, so it was in easy reach.

“She handles underwear. And yes, you definitely need some bras now.” Duskclaw stated, looking at Karna’s chest judgingly. That had been one of the changes Karna hadn’t accounted for. Instead of a thirteen-year-old, she now looked more like slightly oddly developed fifteen. She also noted that this was an excellent opportunity to tease Karna and play a little dress-up.

"Oh, gods yes." Karna agreed. She was quite glad that particular invention had already either been made naturally or been brought over by other reincarnators, like many other clothing items. At least she didn't need to 'invent' bras this time. It was one of the banes of less developed universes. Fortunately, most of her previous handful of lives had been as beings that didn't need clothing.

“Right. So I’ll have to account for that in the measurements, which is why I asked. If you really had a growth spurt and –this- is all a recent development, then you probably don’t know the style you’ll be going for in that area either.” The gnome placed a heavy emphasis on the word ‘this’ and waved up and down towards Karna’s midsection.

“You would be correct," Duskclaw confirmed the gnome's suspicions. It wasn't the first time someone was on the receiving end of magical growth acceleration, so the shopkeeper wasn’t completely out of her depth. She was surprised, sure, but she could adapt quickly. “I suspect we won’t agree on everything, so I can’t even speculate yet either.” Duskclaw continued.

The gnomish woman grunted in resignation. “In that case, do me a favor and swing by back here once you’re finished there. I need to know. We wouldn’t want anything to clash.”

“You do realize that I’ll mostly be wearing Academy uniforms, right?” Karna pointed out with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t like she needed a huge wardrobe aside from the uniforms, and by the time other clothing became relevant again, she’d have outgrown any such clothes that used her current measurements.

“Yes, yes, and I’ll be making those as well. But you can’t always be in uniform. Even Duskclaw here knows to let loose on occasion. Besides, there are uniforms, and then there are actually decent clothing that fulfill the Academy’s standard for uniforms.” The gnome believed in the importance of her own field and was a good salesperson, Karna had to admit that.

As soon as the gnome was done with the measurements, she gave Karna something temporary to wear because she couldn't bear the thought of Karna walking around in something so ill-fitting. According to her, it would be bad advertisement for her shop if Karna were to step out of her store with something like that. "Are we going to have issues in the next shop?" Duskclaw asked ominously.

“Well, I don’t know. Are we? I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know you’d be so gung ho about this. I just need something practical as it’s likely to be relatively temporary.” Karna retorted.

“What do you mean?” Duskclaw asked with a frown, clearly not happy with what she’d just heard.

“Well, now that the rapid growth phase of a Godling has been triggered, I’ll most likely finish the rest of my growth in the next couple of years. There’s not much point in getting anything too fancy for now as I’m going to rapidly outgrow it anyway. Something that fits me today will likely not fit me in a month or two.” Karna explained her reasoning.

"I vehemently disagree," Duskclaw stated emphatically. "Did you bet on the results of the tests as we agreed?"

“Yes, but everyone is starting to get wise to my skills and there’s limited profit to be made in betting on myself.” Karna nodded. “And yes, I made sure to use my insight to also bet on the second and third place. Shaheera will be ranked second and Miralen third. The biggest profits will likely come from Rein getting fourth.”

“Regardless, my point is that you’re not lacking in funds. In fact, considering the fact that you don’t spend much at the Academy, you’re filthy rich, so there’s really no reason not to make sure your clothing remains both fitting and fashionable. You may have not realized it yet, but just because the things under your uniform are rarely seen, that’s no excuse to skimp on them! You’ll know, and that will affect your confidence. You also won’t be self-conscious and shamed in a situation where you do need to show what you have under your uniform. I will not give in on this. Cuteness is justice! I’ve held on for this long because you’ve spent very little time in public, but now we finally get the chance to display your assets! I’m using this opportunity to exercise my parental right to live vicariously through you!” Duskclaw made an impassioned speech.

Funnily enough, Karna didn't disagree. She was actually in almost complete agreement and knew the importance of self-confidence bolstered by being prepared. She had just thought it impractical in this case. But it seemed Duskclaw wanted to make this into a regular thing, and Karna certainly didn’t mind spending time with her, so she didn’t bother arguing. Spending a weekend every few weeks to go shopping with Duskclaw was a rather good way to relax anyway.

To their surprise, the owner of the Tanglethread’s was expecting them. “You sure took your time walking from next door.” The mirror image of the gnomish woman from the previous store greeted them with her hands on her hips. “My sister already sent word. I already have a rough understanding of what you need. Get into the fitting room. Now!” She commanded them with a stern attitude fit for a drill sergeant.

As soon as they arrived, they found a group of women waiting for them. The others were easy to recognize as workers in the shop by their attire that showed the store logo. They all also ran the gamut of races, shapes, and sizes. There was a slim and average height human standing next to another petite gnome, a tall and sporty beastwoman standing next to a lush dwarf, and finally the bustiest elf Karna had ever seen in at least this life, and maybe the others as well. They were all holding measuring tapes, pieces of material, a bunch of pins, and finally some example pieces they could test.

“Now git naked so we can see what we’ve got to work with.” The gnomish owner of the store commanded with a bit of an accent coming through due to her excitement.

Karna didn’t even have the opportunity to protest before the assistants descended on her like a pack of starving hyenas. Surprisingly they were aware enough to leave her veil on, but everything else was gone in seconds. “Couldn’t you have gotten the measurements from your sister?” Duskclaw asked with amusement as Karna feebly called for help.

“We could’ve, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun. It's not often we get to work with such great materials.” The gnome grinned. “Besides, the measurements we take are slightly different. My sister mentioned something about a potential issue with rapid growth?”

"Yes, she's likely to outgrow anything we get her quite quickly," Duskclaw explained.

“We could add an enchantment that would allow the clothes to change along with her, but…” The gnome looked at Duskclaw meaningfully.

“That wouldn’t be as fun. No thank you.” Duskclaw shot that down mercilessly. She was definitely enjoying Karna's suffering and intended to repeat the performance.

“Good. She has the best skin out of anyone I’ve ever seen, and I work with some really high ranking people. We’re going to enjoy trying everything on her. And we will. Everything.” The gnome and Duskclaw shared a sinister laugh.

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“Whaaat the fuuuuuck?” Rein asked loudly as Karna came to the meeting place. The standard group of four had agreed on meeting the day before the next semester began.

“Language! …Is what I would like to say, but I think what you said is quite appropriate in this case.” Miralen goggled at Karna as well.

They couldn’t really be blamed as before the break began, Karna had been among the shortest and smallest people in their year, only beating the shorter races such as gnomes and dwarfs. Now she was amongst the tallest female students, and she wouldn’t have been all that out of place among the males either. That wasn’t the only thing that had changed, but it was the most obvious change. The only reason they had even recognized her was because of the combination of blue-ish-white hair that was quite unique to her and the veil that was rather recognizable. That and there were still some things about Karna that were the same and rather unique to her, such as the way she carried herself and her Aura.

“What happened?” Shaheera asked, also shocked but hiding it better than the other two.

“I seem to have reached puberty.” Karna joked. She was taking the opportunity to wear one of her new attires instead of the Academy uniform, a rather simple but elegant sundress that complimented her quite well without being tacky.

"You don't say," Rein muttered with a tone heavy with sarcasm.

"I don't think you can blame puberty for this," Miralen said seriously. "You’re, what? At least thirty centimeters taller than a couple of weeks ago?”

“What can I say? Clean living and healthy diet have their upsides.” Karna stuck with the choice of tactics she had decided on. If you can’t explain something, don’t bother trying. Just rely on absurdity and humor to carry you through. Refuge in audacity as the saying went.

“Bloodline Awakening.” Shaheera suddenly said with narrowed eyes. He could sense that Karna had reached the third rank with Aura and he was smart enough to connect some dots.

“Very good.” Karna nodded towards the Leonin. His natural curiosity led to him having more knowledge on various subjects than most other people, so he often had these kinds of epiphanies.

“What kind of bloodline causes that?” Rein asked with a bit of frustration. He’d kind of enjoyed towering over Karna.

“That’s for me to know and for you to figure out.” Karna grinned behind her veil. She had almost reached the point where the veil was unnecessary, but not quite yet. As with the last time she had Awakened, the ability that all Godlings possessed to influence people around them had also grown in strength. Normally that would also come with increased control over the ability as well, but the problem was that the growth spurt had messed with her Godling heritage as well, which had caused the ability to grow a bit unstable. She could keep it under control for now, but it was better not to take any risks. She could leave off the veil in a few months when that part of her had settled down a bit more.

“Is that what happened with your skin?” Miralen suddenly grabbed Karna’s hand and ran a finger along her skin. “I’m so jealous. It’s like you have no pores at all. You always seemed to have the perfect skin, but this is…”

“May I?” Shaheera was polite enough to ask and Karna nodded in curiosity to see where this was going. The Leonin softly ran the tip of one of his claws along the back of her arm. “Hmm, Miralen is right. It’s so smooth that it’s like your skin is not skin at all, yet somehow it’s still soft, elastic, and warm at the same time.”

‘They’re unexpectedly sharp.’ Karna thought to herself.

Miralen seemed to have realized something. “Oh dear, it must have been a bother to purchase a completely new set of clothing. I doubt anything you had before would fit you now.”

Karna gave a small shudder. “You have no idea.” The flashbacks to the eager assistant at the stores they went to sent a small shiver down her spine. Many women of various races cultivated and used products ranging from pills to simple make-up to reach the sort of skin texture she now had naturally, and the shopkeepers viewed it as the perfect canvas to use to display their own skill. They also viewed it as a challenge.

“Enough about this. What have you been up to?” Karna shooed the others away and shook away her errant thoughts.

“Ah, before we get to that, my brother wanted to speak to you.” Rein pointed to the second floor of the dining establishment they were in, and Karna saw Siegfried leaning against the railing. Sieg noticed her looking and gave a gesture to invite her to come up.

“This couldn’t have waited until we get back to the Academy?” Karna voiced her thoughts.

“Apparently not.” Rein answered even though Karna had not expected one. “I heard that he’s been trying to reach you through father for several days now, but you guys have been busy with something else. Seeing you now, I guess there was a reason for that. He tagged along as soon as he heard I was going to meet with you.”

With a shrug, Karna went up the stairs to meet the older boy. She had nothing against Sieg, as he seemed nice enough and quite diligent, so she had no need to avoid him. “Your brother said you wanted to talk to me?” She asked.

“Would you mind?” Sieg gestured towards a room that had spells woven into it to make it private.

“Sure, but now you’re making me really curious.” Karna nodded and follow him inside. The matters must have some level of seriousness to warrant such privacy.

"You've certainly changed," Sieg commented as they sat down.

“Don’t start.” Karna sighed. “That’s not why you came.”

“True. I just thought it was polite to mention it at least.” Siegfried shrugged with a boyish smile. “But you’re correct. Let’s get the business out of the way first. Your room was broken into some time ago.”

“That wasn’t a question. You’re quite well informed. Remind me to smack Rein when we get back.” Karna grumbled. The Academy wasn’t going to advertise the issue, and the three others that knew about it were supposed to have kept their traps shut.

“Don’t let me stop you from beating some sense into my brother, but this time it’s not his fault. The reason I know about it is because I know who’s responsible. I also know why it happened. It was a test.” Sieg’s words managed to surprise Karna completely. It’s wasn’t the part about the whole being a test that surprised her, she had considered that possibility as well, but the fact that Sieg knew about the details was a shock.

“Test for what?” She asked, her expression becoming guarded. There were only so many reasons Sieg could learn about this.

“Many things. I have faith that you can figure out most of those on your own. However, the main question isn’t what, but why. Why were you being tested? The answer is that the first ranked student of every year gets tested. So do especially gifted students of later years. The exact method and numbers vary from year to year, but every ‘crowned’ person is tested in some ways. Your test was simply a bit more…shall we say criminal than others. If the person being tested is found wanting, then nothing ever comes of it. However, if the person passes the test, they are given an offer. An invitation.” Sieg explained.

“And you’re here to give that invitation.” Karna of course leapt to the obvious conclusion. The answer caught her by complete surprise though.

“Not exactly. I’m not part of the group we’re discussing. Or I should say I’m not a member anymore. I was for a while some time ago. A friend of mine is a current member though, and he knows they will make the offer once you return back to the Academy and told me about it. That’s why I wanted to meet you before you returned. Unlike what you might think, I’m not here to persuade you to accept. In fact, I’m here to persuade you to refuse.” Siegfried once again managed to surprise her.

"Well, now you have my full attention." She wasn't just saying that either. It wasn't odd for places of learning to have some exclusive groups that had odd ways of recruiting more members. She’d gotten similar pitches in her other lives. But this was the first time someone was actively making a pitch for her to refuse, and not just because they hated her. She wasn’t planning on accepting anyway as she wasn’t the type to join such shadowy groups without a good reason, but a warning like this was enough to make that into an almost certainty.

“The invitation is to join a sort of secret student council. There are several benefits to joining, including resources and the opportunity to make a difference in the way things are run at the Academy. On the other hand, power and rewards come with responsibility. I have no doubt you could handle those responsibilities. I was made a similar offer when I showed enough skill to compete for the crown once I became a third year.” Siegfried explained.

"So far so standard," Karna said curtly.

"Yes. Here's where things get a bit more complicated. For most students, I'd say this was a good opportunity, but I don't think the group has much to offer for you. In addition, my father revealed to me that some of the members of our group are tangled with the Shadow Council of the Magocracy, which is why I eventually parted ways with the group. And I don’t think you want to get mixed up with them either, especially considering who your father is. Even my presence in the group would’ve been a bit of an issue considering who my father is, but it would be a much bigger problem for you.” He finally got to the real crux of the matter. “Besides, I have a feeling you’ll have enough complications in your life even without adding to them with this. Not that refusal doesn’t come with its own share of complications, but those are much smaller in comparison. Mostly any issues with refusal are limited to the people who are in the group disliking you for turning them down and shunning them.”

“So why does the Academy tolerate them?” Karna asked the obvious next question.

“Well, I can’t really answer that fully. I’m not privy to that kind of information. However, if I were to speculate, then it’s because the group is useful. They also aren’t bad, even if their methods are sometimes questionable. They do quite a bit of good from what I’ve heard, though I have to admit my sources in that regard are limited.” Sieg admitted his lack of information.

Karna tapped her chin in thought. “I appreciate the warning. I’ll have to consider this carefully. Have a word with dear old dad as well.”

“That’s all I ask.” Siegfried seemed to feel much lighter after Karna gave her response. “Now. Tell me what happened to you? Can’t really call you shorty anymore.”

“I seem to recall you never did, and I recommend you keep it that way.” Karna shot back and allowed the conversation to turn back into lighter topics.