After reading through all those lines, Lonis wanted nothing more than to find a coffin and crawl right inside.

But there was no way she could sneak off.

Not only that, she still had to follow behind Elucia in this cute girl’s body, her breasts bouncing as she walked, wearing this pretty little dress like a maid.

If she so much as fell a little behind…

“Let’s see… What kind of training should I put you through next? Sitting posture? Maid etiquette?”

“D-Don’t…”

“Hehe, Lonis~ If you don’t make sure I’m nice and comfortable, you’re the one who’ll suffer, you know?”

“!”

After being bullied like this by Elucia, Lonis regretted everything. If only she’d known, she never would’ve saved that black-haired sadistic girl!

There was still a long journey ahead, and who knew what weird ways this girl might come up with to punish her?

“All right, weapon rack. Hurry up and summon the Red Lotus Hammer for me.”

“Ugh…”

Lonis had once been a Hero. When had anyone ever treated her like this?

But she could only come when called and summon the Red Lotus Hammer.

…

…

But Lonis hadn’t expected…

The Red Lotus Hammer smashed open the frozen doors, revealing an enormous factory beyond.

It looked like the place had once been used to process some colossal object. Steel beams several meters thick stretched overhead, and massive metal pipes and hooks were scattered everywhere.

Several enormous gears, each five or six meters across, stood off to one side. They looked like they hadn’t been used in a long time, but their surfaces were still perfectly smooth, with no sign of wear.

While Lonis stood there in awe, Elucia tugged at the collar fastened around her own neck.

“Hehe, you masochistic maid. I bet you want to know what this place is for, don’t you?”

“Huh…”

“Just let me train you one more time, and I’ll tell you~”

The black-haired girl wore a scornful smile, as if she were certain that Lonis, the masochist, would agree.

But Elucia’s smile stirred up Lonis’s boyish competitiveness. She couldn’t do anything about being forced, but at least she could keep her dignity this time, right?

The silver-haired maid widened her eyes and said:

“Hmph. Then don’t tell me. It’s not like I’ll die if I don’t know.”

“Fine. Now get inside that cage.”

“Inside the cage…?”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“!”

Lonis’s heart skipped a beat. Elucia was pointing at a pitch-black cage. It was about one square meter in area and two meters tall, just big enough for one person to stand inside.

Normally, Lonis would’ve made sure she knew what was going on before stepping inside. But now she was already in too deep, so she could only grit her teeth and go in.

“I-I’m in. Now what?”

“Now… stay in there!”

Elucia walked over and snapped the iron cage shut.

Now Lonis was like a pet locked up in a cage, unable to get out no matter what she did.

“Elucia, w-what are you going to do?!”

“Oh? Who was it just now that said, ‘Then don’t tell me’?”

“Ugh…”

“It’s not too late to beg for mercy.”

“I’m not begging! Absolutely not!”

Lonis’s pretty face flushed. She knew Elucia was only teasing her.

The black-haired beauty might be a sadist, but she’d never actually go too far… Just like at the Flame Abyss Temple: even when she pierced Lonis’s palm, it had been to purify the corruption.

So as long as she worked up the courage, there was nothing to be afraid of~

…

“Fine, fine. Just as you wish~”

“Huh?”

But Lonis hadn’t expected Elucia to simply leave after hearing her decision!

Without another word, she walked away in silence.

Lonis was stunned…

The factory looked enormous, but it was silent and completely empty.

Only the dim sunlight slanted in through the ruined roof.

Visibility inside the factory was poor. Some corners were so shadowy that she couldn’t see a thing. A faint, creeping chill spread through Lonis, and she hugged herself without thinking.

(D-Did I make Elucia angry? I mean, I’m a maid now. I’m supposed to serve her…)

(But even so, she didn’t have to lock me in a cage, did she?!)

(Hmph! W-Who’s scared? Just you wait.)

…

A quarter of an hour passed. There was still no one around.

…

Half an hour passed. The place remained silent, save for the lonely sound of the wind.

…

An hour passed. The surroundings were still just as cold.

…

Lonely. Desolate. Dead silent.

Only the howling wind outside spoke of the eternal song of the snow-covered mountain.

As the sun sank, visibility grew dimmer and dimmer, and Lonis was overcome by a strange sense of despair.

It was as if the world had been abandoned by the light.

(Wait… abandoned?)

Lonis froze. Then a possibility struck her:

D-Did Elucia abandon me?

Did that girl decide I was too much trouble, leave me here, and go off on her own?

…

Though she knew it probably wasn’t true, Lonis couldn’t stop the thought from taking root in her mind.

After all, a girl’s body was so fragile. Even the slightest sound could trigger an instinctive fear.

…

…

And finally…

Lonis couldn’t take it anymore.

“Elucia, what are you trying to do?! Get out here, now!”

Lonis pounded on the iron cage, but in the empty factory, only her own cries echoed back at her.

“Damn it! How can you treat me like this?! You two-faced, sadistic, perverted beauty! I’m a Hero! I’m the Hero who helped this country! You can’t treat me like this!!!”

Lonis didn’t dare stop shouting. The moment she did, an inexplicable fear crept into her heart.

So she kept calling out, begging Elucia to answer her. Even if all she got in return was an insult, she didn’t care.

…

…

Just as Lonis was desperate to escape the cage,

a tremendous noise rang out from deep inside the factory.

“KABOOM!”

It sounded like something had slammed into something else.

“Clang, clang…”

It sounded like a conveyor belt starting to move.

“Glug, glug…”

It sounded like lava spreading.

…

Then, to Lonis’s horror, the giant gears nearby began to turn.

A huge metal sphere swayed along the overhead metal beams, and before long, it had reached the spot directly above her.

“W-What’s going on?”

Lonis stared up in shock. The metal sphere hanging above her was about a meter in diameter and, by a conservative estimate, weighed nearly a ton…

If it fell straight down, she’d be turned into a pile of mush.

Even with her ability to recover, injuries like a splattered brain and shattered bones would probably take quite a while to heal, wouldn’t they?

“Elucia, help! This machine—it’s moving!!”

In that moment of crisis, Lonis completely forgot about her dignity. She pounded on the metal cage, trying to get out. “Elucia, you’re the one who locked me in here! If I die, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!”

Lonis didn’t even realize her voice had started to break with tears.

And just then,

Elucia’s voice called out from far away…

“You idiot! That’s a magic magnet. It won’t crush you to death!”