And so, Lonis spent the next three days studying.

She studied so diligently that, in a short time, she’d memorized almost all the common types of magic crystals.

Perhaps she’d finally found her motivation?

Lonis felt that even her maid duties were getting easier.

After all, servants weren’t all women. There were men whose specific job was to clean rooms, too… Once she thought of herself as a housekeeper, it didn’t feel quite so embarrassing.

Her chest was a little in the way, but as long as she didn’t have to kneel or get touched by anything strange, Lonis could put up with it.

Elucia also seemed busy during those three days. She didn’t have the time or energy to tease and bully Lonis.

That was because the magic airship needed someone to pilot it.

When she wasn’t piloting, the black-haired girl would sit quietly at a desk and read… Sunlight streamed through the window, shining on Elucia’s hair. At that moment, the sadistic beauty even had a hint of a literary girl about her.

Of course, that air didn’t last. The moment she noticed Lonis slacking off, she immediately started giving her orders. “Oh? Lonis, do you look like you’ve got nothing to do?”

“Ah… No, I was just about to…”

“Come over and massage my shoulders! You can stop when I say so.”

“Ugh…”

Lonis realized that Elucia was reading a technical book about magical artifacts. The contents were so abstruse that Lonis couldn’t understand a thing.

It was like someone who knew nothing about math trying to read advanced calculus.

So Lonis didn’t make a fool of herself by interrupting Elucia’s reading.

…

…

And so, the third day after they set sail arrived.

The airship had traveled roughly a thousand li through the sky when something unexpected happened.

…

“A storm? How could there be a storm in this region at this time of year?”

Elucia frowned as she looked toward the horizon.

A vast mass of black clouds covered the horizon. They churned thickly, as if they meant to swallow the sky whole. It was a terrifying sight.

“Could it be the Fallen Demons…”

After only a moment’s thought, Elucia made her decision. “Lonis, get to the cockpit and grip the steering wheel. Don’t let go.”

“Huh?”

“We have to make an emergency landing. We can’t keep going.”

…

Elucia reacted quickly, but the storm came just as fast.

At first, it was only a light drizzle. But soon, the rain was coming down in torrents.

Rain pounded against the airship in waves, splattering noisily.

Streams of water ran down the glass, and since the airship had no windshield wipers, the view outside quickly grew hazy.

Still, Lonis followed Elucia’s instructions and obediently sat in the cockpit, gripping the steering wheel.

(It’s fine. I’m just holding the steering wheel. I’m completely fine.)

Lonis could feel the steering wheel rocking from side to side in the wind and rain… If she let go, the airship might well go out of control.

As for Elucia, Lonis had no idea where she’d gone. She was alone in the cockpit.

The atmosphere was undeniably lonely. Visibility outside was so poor that Lonis couldn’t even tell how high the airship was… She was terrified that at any moment, the whole thing might crash into something and break apart.

(Stay calm, Lonis. You’re a Hero. There’s nothing to be afraid of over something this small.)

At this crucial moment, the optimism she’d gained as a Hero helped Lonis steady her nerves.

She didn’t scream like some little girl. Instead, she held the steering wheel with calm determination. Just as Lonis began to think everything would turn out all right…

…

Lonis spotted a grotesque monster through the downpour.

Its head was a cube, each face made up of twenty-five metal squares, like a 5×5 Rubik’s Cube.

Its body was made up of sixteen tentacles… It looked a lot like an octopus monster drifting in the deep sea, except no octopus monster would float in midair, much less in a shape like that.

…

Lonis froze in terror.

The monster seemed to have spotted a tasty meal aboard the airship. It stretched out a tentacle and slammed it down at Lonis.

Boom!

The entire airship shook violently. Thankfully, both the hull and the glass were sturdy enough that the silver-haired girl wasn’t snatched out by the terrifying monster.

But the airship couldn’t avoid tilting.

A powerful force pulled the steering wheel to the right. Lonis had to hold on with all her strength to keep the airship steady.

…

“Graaah!”

When the monster saw that Lonis was still resisting, it seemed to grow furious.

Several blue lights flashed on the cube that made up its head. Then the tentacles seemed to be wrapped in lightning, crackling with electricity.

“Oh no?!”

Lonis had nowhere to run. All she could do was watch as the monster raised its lightning-wreathed tentacles and swung them down hard at the airship.

Crackle!

With a burst of electrical discharge, every light inside the airship went out. Lonis felt a bone-chilling current surge through her body.

(Ugh!)

Pain raced through her body, and the girl’s muscles spasmed uncontrollably… An ordinary person would probably have passed out from a shock like that.

But Lonis didn’t.

That wasn’t just because her little skirt and high heels had blocked some of the current.

It was also because she’d endured far worse torment before.

(This pain is nothing compared to the Abyssal Tentacle Monster…)

…

Lonis clenched her teeth and did everything she could to keep the airship steady.

But when the monster saw that its attack hadn’t worked, it grew even more furious… Every light on the cube above its head lit up, and all sixteen tentacles crackled with electricity.

The dazzling light was so intense that Lonis couldn’t open her eyes. She knew an even more terrifying current was about to engulf the airship, subjecting her to agony worse than death.

But… she couldn’t give up!

She absolutely couldn’t let go of the steering wheel!

Though Lonis had become a girl, a trace of the pride she’d felt as a Hero still remained in her heart… It was one thing to be afraid of Elucia, but there was no way she’d cower before some mere monster!

“Don’t underestimate me, you wretched tentacle monster!”

Lonis shouted, her heart set on going down fighting.

…

Just as electricity was about to sweep across the airship, shocking Lonis from every direction,

a girl’s sharp shout came from behind her:

“Who said you could bully my slave maid?”

“Huh?”

“My masochistic maid is mine to toy with!”