Although Elucia had said she was taking Lonis to gain power, all she did was lead her around the temple once.
The temple held many braziers. Elucia used her phone to light them one by one… and in their glow, the orb at the center of the temple began to shine brighter and brighter.
“Mm, Flame Abyss has recovered quite a bit of its power over these hundred years, hasn’t it? But… with no one looking after it, a lot of impurities have gotten mixed in.”
Elucia stared at the red orb in the center, her expression unusually serious.
“Good thing I still remember how to get rid of them. Mm… just like this. There!”
Lonis had no idea what Elucia was doing,
but after the black-haired little girl fiddled with it for a while, the red orb underwent a staggering transformation!
At first, it was solid, with a uniform surface that looked like it wouldn’t change at all.
But when Elucia activated it, the red orb slowly came apart—it didn’t vanish. Instead, like a thousand-layer cake, it unfolded into layer upon layer.
The surface of each layer was hollowed out, covered in all kinds of bizarre patterns.
The layers stacked up from the outside in, and bright light seeped outward through the openings… It looked like the inside of an impossibly complicated clock, and Lonis could only stare at it, dumbfounded.
Elucia, on the other hand, acted as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. She simply beckoned Lonis over.
“Lonis, come here. Quickly.”
“Huh?”
“Put your hand on it.”
“Wah! Master Elucia, I’m afraid it’ll burn! I don’t want to do that!”
Lonis was on the verge of tears. Her pain tolerance only went as far as dripping wax; anything more intense just hurt, plain and simple.
But Elucia gave her a look of exasperated disappointment and snapped, “What’s wrong with you? Is your brain rusty? Flame Abyss is already activated, so it won’t burn you at all.”
“Huh?”
“Hurry up.”
“Okay…”
Once she heard it wouldn’t burn, Lonis quickly pressed her hand against it… And sure enough, the disassembled fire orb was like a giant lamp. It wasn’t hot at all—in fact, it felt warm and cozy.
“Do you see anything?”
“Anything…? Isn’t there just a fire orb in front of me?”
“I’ll say it again: it’s not a fire orb. It’s Flame Abyss. You stupid maid—are you asking for a kick in the butt?”
“Wah! I’m sorry!”
“Close your eyes, clear your mind, and hurry up!”
“Uu…”
Lonis wasn’t exactly eager, but she still closed her eyes.
And then,
a scene she had never seen before appeared before her.
…
…
This is fire.
It is also the origin of civilization, the beginning of everything.
It is the fire of hope that Prometheus stole from the dwelling of the gods and passed down to humanity.
By its very nature, it represents passion,
the warmth of life.
No matter how many times you try, don’t give up.
No matter how long you have to wait, don’t lose heart.
I have seen your courage, the courage that never looks back.
So,
in the name of the goddess maiden who symbolizes the beginning, the Crimson Flame Lotus,
I grant you…
the blessing of Flame Abyss.
…
…
The faint voice and vision vanished.
And three things slowly appeared in front of Lonis.
The first was a crimson gemstone. Though it was solid, fierce scarlet flames burned inside it, as if lava had been sealed within.
The second was a deep-red orb. Its structure was incredibly intricate, and it looked like a miniature version of Flame Abyss.
The third was…
“Waaaaah!!!!”
Lonis never imagined a gigantic warhammer would appear before her.
But that wasn’t all. The moment it appeared, it came crashing down on her. The enormous hammer looked to weigh well over a hundred pounds. Fiery patterns covered its red surface from end to end.
“Elucia, help! I’m going to get crushed to death by this hammer!”
“If you were crushed to death, how would you still be talking?”
“But…”
The hammer hadn’t hurt Lonis, but it had pinned her to the floor so she couldn’t get up. The poor silver-haired girl pleaded for help, but Elucia seemed unmoved.
“Hmph. This is the power of Flame Abyss, and the weapon it has bestowed upon you—the Red Flame Hammer. So, what’s wrong? Why don’t you grip it and fight back against me?”
“Huh?”
“Weren’t you just fantasizing about it? Sneaking up on me, knocking me down, and taking my place as master.”
“Uu!”
Lonis froze, then remembered… Elucia could sense the emotions of those around her.
Maybe Elucia had known about her little scheme all along.
Even so, Lonis tried to brazen it out.
“No, no! My most respected Master Elucia, you… you must have gotten the wrong idea. If I wanted to defeat you, I would’ve done it while you were asleep. That proves I absolutely don’t have any bad intentions.”
“Hmph. You were just afraid I’d turn the tables on you. You’re a frail girl who can’t even cut through beef jerky, and you think you can beat me? Don’t make me laugh!”
“Uu…”
“Still… since you make such tasty steak, I’ll let you off the hook this time~”
Elucia put her hands on her hips and pointed at the gemstone beside Lonis. “This kind of weapon is called a ‘shapeshifting weapon.’ You can store it inside that gemstone when you’re not using it.”
“Huh?”
“All you have to do to store it or take it out is silently recite an incantation.”
…
With Elucia’s guidance, Lonis found that the huge hammer really had disappeared.
Only the red orb and the red gemstone remained on the floor.
“What are these two things for?”
“Heh-heh. You don’t need to know. A slave maid’s things belong to her master, right? And of course, the master’s things still belong to the master~”
“Huh?”
“Well, I’ll be taking them… Do you have any objections, Lonis?”
“Uu!”
Elucia simply took both things away, and Lonis could only fume in silence.
Life as a slave maid was just too miserable.
She’d finally gotten something in the temple that seemed like a divine weapon, but before she could even enjoy having it, Elucia had taken it away.
If this girl hadn’t once been the princess who ruled over Flame Abyss.
If this girl hadn’t saved her several times.
Then even if she had to struggle until she was battered and bloody, even if she had to be tied up from head to toe, she would’ve fought that scheming little girl to the death!
“Oh? Lonis, you look pretty unhappy.”
“N-no, not at all!”
“If you’re not, give me a shoulder massage.”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, running all over the place to adjust Flame Abyss just now was exhausting.”
“Uu…”
Lonis had no choice. She had to lose both her belongings and her freedom, and start massaging Elucia~
