Chapter 29 : Companionship
After resting in the Flame Abyss Temple for about a day, both of them had completely recovered their health and were preparing to leave.
However, before leaving, Elucia didn't take anything with her. She just silently made final adjustments to the Flame Abyss and collected all the trash the girls had brought.
"Slave maid, come here."
"Wuu..."
Lonis walked over somewhat reluctantly. After recovering from her injuries, this black-haired little loli had bullied her quite a bit... making her massage shoulders one moment, making her grill meat the next, treating her completely like a servant!
Lonis thought Elucia wanted to bully her again, but at this moment, her expression was somewhat serious.
Elucia gripped Lonis's wrist with her left hand and tightly held a short sword with her right hand, striking down as if to cut off this silver-haired girl's palm!
"Elucia... don't... don't bully me."
"It's too late to beg for mercy now."
Rip, a cut was made on Lonis's palm... Dark red blood flowed out.
Although the first moment of being cut felt somewhat pleasant to Lonis, she quickly felt pain.
(It hurts!)
The silver-haired girl looked at the black-haired little loli with teary eyes. She wanted to cry out in pain, but her inner dignity wouldn't let her scream like a little girl.
In the end, it became...
"Elucia, what do you want to do to me?"
"Alright, now quickly drip this blood onto the Flame Abyss, then drop it on the torches at the four corners."
"Eh?"
"This is to prevent the power of the Flame Abyss from being contaminated by filth... After you're done, I'll give you a reward."
"!"
Lonis froze, suddenly remembering General Kuru and the Trickster Demon Lord behind him.
They were probably the main villains of this world, right?
They had been coveting the power of the Flame Abyss, and as a hero, she should protect the Flame Abyss Temple from invasion.
But even so...
It hurt so much!
Having her body's sensitivity raised to maximum had many benefits, but the drawbacks were also very obvious... The blood trickled down, making Lonis almost faint from pain.
Not to mention her amazing healing ability—the wound on her palm healed in less than 3 minutes.
Then it needed to be cut open again...
"Wuu wuu, Elucia, can't you just prick a small hole in my finger?"
"Hah?"
"Making such a cut on my palm really hurts too much."
"Don't you know your own body's characteristics? If I prick a small hole in your finger, it would heal in a few seconds. To drip enough blood, I'd probably have to prick it dozens of times."
"Dozens of times!"
"Lonis, didn't you say you were a hero in your previous life? Looking at you being so pitiful, you really are more suited to being a soft girl."
"Who says I'm scared? I was just pretending to be in pain! Watch now, it doesn't hurt at all."
Being stubborn to the end described Lonis's current situation perfectly: To drip blood, she had to cut her palm five times.
The blood that flowed out wasn't a full liter, but probably close to half a liter.
Moreover, this pain wasn't just mental, her body also reacted... Lonis felt like she was sweating profusely, and her steps became unsteady.
At the same time, she felt like she was drunk, her entire body immersed in a special feeling. Time around her seemed to become incredibly slow, then incredibly fast.
Only Elucia's voice could make Lonis's feelings return to normal somewhat.
"Just from bloodletting, you masochistic girl became this excited."
"I'm... I'm not excited!"
"But you did complete it. That's not bad for a masochistic maid... Come here, I'll give you a reward."
"A reward?"
Lonis blinked in confusion,
Only to see Elucia actually take out a candle from her Storage Ring!
Could Elucia's "reward" be bullying her?
(No... no... I don't want that kind of reward where I'm bullied like a toy!)
Lonis stepped back in fear, while Elucia stepped forward with interest, saying: "You masochistic soft maid, do you want your master to drip candle wax all over your body, covering you entirely in sticky candle liquid?"
"Wuu... wuu wuu."
"But unfortunately, today's reward isn't that, it's..."
Putting down the candle, Elucia took out a silver-white necklace from her palm.
Then she stood on her tiptoes and, like fastening a collar, put it around Lonis's neck.
"Eh... what is this?!"
Lonis didn't react, while Elucia wore a mocking smile and said lazily:
"From today on, you'll be my weapon rack. When I tell you to take out a weapon, you take it out."
"Eh..."
Only then did Lonis notice that at the end of this necklace hung a small red gemstone—this was the gemstone granted to her by the Flame Abyss Temple, with the ability to summon the Red Lotus War Hammer.
Could it be...
Had Elucia taken away the gemstone earlier just to make this necklace for her?
And the reward she mentioned was also to give this to her?
Just as Lonis's heart was moved, Elucia snorted coldly and said:
"What are you standing there for? Why don't you quickly thank your master?"
"Eh?"
"You don't need to kneel, just perform a spin in place for me."
After getting ready, Lonis and Elucia left the Flame Abyss Temple together.
After leaving, they first went to check the bottom prison... There was no sign of General Kuru in the lava, and the rotting smell that had been echoing in the air had dissipated considerably.
"Burned to ashes?"
"Not necessarily~ He might have struggled to climb up, bathed in skin that's been burned beyond recognition, searching everywhere for ways to kill us?"
"Eh?"
"While you were sleeping, he might have quietly snuck up, extending those black, withered hands toward your..."
"Wah ah!"
Elucia's description was so vivid, and her palm "perfectly timed" to grasp Lonis's chest, startling the silver-haired girl.
"Heh heh, so timid indeed~"
"Being... being touched there, anyone would be startled."
Although being caressed on the chest by Elucia made Lonis feel somewhat flustered.
But Lonis wasn't angry: because she was somewhat worried that Elucia had lived this way... After all, whether as a princess or in her later experiences, Elucia had always lived alone.
When sleeping at night, Elucia must feel somewhat uneasy, right?
So if she could stay by Elucia's side... wouldn't Elucia feel a bit more at ease?
......
(Hah...)
Lonis took a deep breath and looked at the lava before her.
She knew that no matter what happened, at least the time of being bullied and tormented by Elucia couldn't end in the short term.
Hero or maid,
Companion or master?
Thus, they embarked on their journey.