i also wished the author change this to something else but I can only express my opinion and please don't hate guys :P maybe she'll revert back at some point
i don't think it's just about racial discrimination the story is focused on but also what the protagonist wants which is familial love or something similar and yes the color change is quite distasteful , I just think it just shows how much pain she is in after the others completely turned a 180
if anyone wants to be ahead of the manga its chapter 165 in the light novel I think but it's best to start at chapter 135 where she re-encounter Alibaba the earth dragon