Here we are. The third stratum of the Starswept Observatory.

Just like the last time I saw it, it was basically the lunar surface, only a soft, silver sand covered the ground we stood on.

"You ready, Theo?" I smiled at the kid.

"Yes, I am, Master!"

"Alright. As usual, stay close to me at all times. Who knows what kinds of monsters and traps will await us here?"

The third stratum was less of a chore to navigate than the second one for sure. There was nothing that blocked our view from scanning our surroundings in a complete 360 degrees angle. Finding the teleporter to the next floor should be a cinch.

The only problem was…

"Milord! More sharks coming from our left and right!"

"Got it!

The monsters.

First, there were these Silversand Sharks, B-rank monsters that would come in swarms at a time, ambushing us over and over with a ruthlessness only rivaled by Jaws itself. They could swim with ease through the silver sand and they would ruthlessly attack us any chance they got. And since only their silver fins were visible above the sand… yeah… they were quite stealthy as well.

Other times we would be ambushed by these sphinxes who would just jump out from the sand without any warning whatsoever. Mindcrown Sphinxes. A-rank monsters with the capability to hypnotize anyone unfortunate enough to look into their eyes. Once you were, they would make you fight your party members before killing yourselves. And they would make you do the latter immediately if they judged that you were useless to them.

And of course, there was the quintessential sandworm monster. And it was actually classified as an S-rank monster, albeit amongst the weakest. Lunar Worm. A massive worm that could swallow us whole in a second with its teeth-filled mouth. Also has the ability to spew acidic spit everywhere.

And, near every single floor teleporter we found, there would be a totem monster awaiting us. Another S-rank monster named The Devil's Totem, it could cast all sorts of powerful spells, around Advanced-level using the usual classification. It consisted of six cylindrical stones, each corresponding to an element. An angry-looking face was carved to each of them, color coded following the element.

It certainly was an expert at keeping you at a distance. Too bad my Boom Cannon's range was pretty large as well.

Now, changing topic away from the scary monsters, Tira as a fighter was certainly just as weak as she told she was. She was even weaker than her son now, a fact that promptly made her beg to train me as well. So now, one or two hours every night, we had a quick teaching session. I told her I didn't know much about spear play but she didn't seem to mind. So I focused more on her movement and dodging over specific spear techniques. Though technically, if I remembered Fiora's lecture, I could teach her the same Galahad-style technique I learned from her, even if she wielded a spear. It was just the basics after all.

Oh, I should mention how happy she looked every time she watched Theo and Tama enter their tent together, especially if it ended in the usual noises one would expect from a young couple. What an open-minded little mother.

Of course, she had her own tent. I don't think there are anyone in this world or the next that can have sex when their mother is sleeping right beside them.

---------

It took us a month to reach the final floor of the stratum. Sure, we had a few close calls: one where Theo got caught by a sphinx's hypnosis and when Tira barely dodged an acid splash from the worm. For the former, I killed the sphinx before it could give any orders and for the latter, other than some treatable burns, she didn't suffer any further injury.

Well, other than the fact that her clothes melted in the process, giving me a view of her naked breasts and her bare bottom.

And yes, I got an erection out of it.

Look, I wouldn't say I'm a lolicon, but when something like that happens to an extremely cute loli elf (who's also somewhat of a MILF), how can an otaku pervert like me not get aroused? Not to mention how she already had visible breasts and hips when she was still that young-looking. Bigger than Sherry's, for sure.

It wasn't the first time the elf gave me a view though. Her one piece dress was so short every time she bent over she would flash her panties to whoever stood behind her. Not to mention all the stray wind that would lift up said dress occasionally (yes, even though the stratum resembles the lunar surface, there's wind going around).

And so, I began calling her, Tama, and Felicia "the panty trio". All three frequently flashed their underwear one way or the other. If all of them flashed theirs at the same time, then it's a jackpot. Like when a wind lifted their skirts and dresses all at the same time.

"Ah…"

"Kyaaahh!"

"Oh dear…"

Theo was there to see it as well.

He was red for the next half hour. And judging by how he quickly put his hands in front of his shorts afterwards…

Yeah, this kid has the potential to be a great pervert. Just like me.

Might be nice, having a friend to do perverted things with.

To my surprise, I don't even mind him seeing Felicia's panties. Guess to me, he's not a stranger anymore.

And hey, I saw his girlfriend and mother's panties. I'm the one being unfair here!

------

The last night before we defeated the stratum boss, Tira suddenly came to me. It was my turn to take the first watch that night, and she just came out from her tent and sat across from me, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Hmm? Can't sleep, Tira?" I smiled at her.

Oh shit, I can see her panties from here. Better keep my cool.

"Something like that." She smiled back. "We're on the 300th floor, right? We should find the boss soon then."

"Yeah, tomorrow, most likely. In a place as wide as this, it should be really easy to find a giant monster. And thank goodness for that. A month in this place, seeing the same scenery every single day, I'm surprised you haven't complained at all." I chuckled.

Huh, she hasn't changed her white panties. That's the same pair she wore these past three days. Is she running out of undies to wear?

"Oh, Sir Hugo." She giggled, shifting her legs in such a way that I could see more of her underwear. "I was a traveler too, you know. I could take a month of walking for hours every day. With you protecting us, I have nothing to be worried about."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Suddenly, a thought crossed into my mind—and it wasn't related to her panties for once.

"Tira. I've been meaning to ask you this for a while. Why did you decide to go all the way to the Demon Continent? You came from the northern region of the Holy Continent, right?"

She nodded. "Well, I was offered a job here, you see. Or rather, I met someone who told me I should go here and work for Mr. Bartholomeous. He was a merchant friend of his and he told me he was looking for maids to work in his mansion. And he said he was a generous man who would pay me a lot more than the average maid."

"And you just took it and went all the way here? You knew nothing of the man! Not to mention how long you must have traveled."

"True, but, I felt it was the best opportunity that I had at the time." She smiled wryly. "I'm no good as an adventurer. I can only do easy quests that don't bring me much money. If it's just me, that will be fine, but I have Theo too. Raising a child properly takes a lot of money, you know."

Yep. She got a point.

"Still, is there really no other work you could've found?"

"Unfortunately, not much. Not with the conflicts happening all over the region. People don't trust strangers to be long term workers, unless you were a mercenary hired by the kingdom. I could only find decent work as an adventurer."

Oh, right, she came from the so-called Feuding States region.

She sighed. "Theo was a victim of said conflicts. The kingdom he was born in was destroyed by the flames of war. His mother was one of the many refugees seeking solace in our elven kingdom. But, she never made it. She was killed by an arrow let loose by the chasing army."

Well, this turns dark real fast.

I shouldn't be surprised though. This world is a cruel mistress to the powerless.

*To the end, she never let go of her baby. I was there chasing off the humans, and I decided to take the baby, disobeying my superior's wishes."

Pain was drawn on her face, to the point that I really wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be okay. What can I say? I'm weak to sad lolis, especially the elven kind.

"Wait, superiors? You mean, you were part of the elven army?"

"That's right." Her wry smile returned. "I was a new recruit. It had only been a month since I became a soldier."

"So, you abandoned your life, your own kind, just to raise Theo?"

She paused, a smile blossoming on her cheeks.

"I would do so again in a heartbeat."

This girl…

Theo is really lucky to have her as his mother.

To think that after this, I'll have to leave her behind.

I stood up and walked over to her. Taking a seat beside her, I gave her a well-deserved shoulder pat.

"How about working for me instead?"

"For you?"

"Yes, for me. I can use a maid once I settle down and marry Felicia. Won't be for many years though." I chuckled.

"Truly?" Her eyes lit up. "To be honest, I have a thought of giving Theo to you. He really looks up to you and I know he'll be happier being an adventurer with you than staying with me." A painful smile flashed her lips. "But, if this means I can go with him as well—"

"I have to tell you though, that we're going deep into the Demon Continent. We might spend a year or two just going through it. If you're okay with that—"

"Yes, I'm okay with that!" Suddenly, she grabbed both of my hands. "Thank you very much, Sir Hugo! I truly owe a lot to you!"

"R-right, about the salary—"

"I'll work for free if you want! As long as you keep mentoring Theo, then I'm fine with whatever pay you desire!"

T-too close! I can even smell her nice scent!

Her face was right in front of mine. Cherry red lips, mesmerizing amber eyes, and smooth white cheeks—she was a little beauty through and through.

N-no, Hugo, you're not going to add her into your harem. Not even when she grows up to be a sexy elf lady in the future.

--------

The next day, we found the stratum boss quite quickly, just like I had predicted. How could we not, seeing what kind of a monster it was?

T-that's… that's a living tornado, isn't it?

Swirling wind as tall as a skyscraper reached up to the sky, carrying the lunar dust from the ground, jettisoning them to all directions. I had to erect a Wind Wall to protect us from the sharp micro rocks, or else it could easily harm our eyes, skin, and everything else exposed to the air.

Let's see… can I see the core? No… not from here, I'm afraid...

I remembered reading about it. It's said that its true form was an ancient device capable of manipulating wind to its command. Unlike the monsters, it was a genuine artifact of the Precursors that had malfunctioned and went berserk over the ages. It was shaped like a round sphere, about the size of a human male.

"Let me handle this." I told the others with a smile. "Wind vs wind, I'm not going to lose."

"Of course, Milord." Felicia smirked. "Show it who the true master of the wind is."

“M-Master, be careful!” Theo said.

"Don't worry." I smiled at the kid. "This will be easy." Probably.

I broke off from the group, slowly approaching the massive living hurricane in the distance.

First, I'll have to find the core. Then, I'll have to destroy it. Destroying it is easy. Finding it is the hard path.

Can I counter that wind with my own? Not with my usual Advanced-level hurricane for sure.

No, I need to go further than that. I need it to be larger. More powerful.

The wind started to pick up massively. My cloak was now fluttering wildly, as well as my hair.

This should be close enough.

I took out my wand and aimed it towards the living hurricane. The monster was still far enough that it still hadn't noticed my presence, so I had a free first hit.

Modifying Air Sunder… make it stronger and bigger while maintaining its form and consistency…

I'll name it—

"Purging Storm!"

Swirling wind formed from the tip of my wand, growing bigger and bigger and bigger until it became a massive tornado. It still wasn't as big as the tornado the device created, however. Any bigger than that would be too risky, since I might just end up being swallowed by it. With my current level of control, I was still not confident enough to go all the way to the max. Still, this spell of mine was what I imagined a normal Master-level Wind spell would look like. It could raze an entire village or a district in a city with ease.

I then manipulated the tornado to circle around me, creating a shield for me to go inside the bigger tornado. Its counter-rotation was enough to slow down the wind speed to a manageable level.

It took me a good ten minutes of walking to reach the heart of the tornado. To my surprise, there were no changes at all in the tornado itself, even though the wind- manipulating should know I was here.

Guess it really is just a malfunctioning core. Though they really should not have called it a living tornado then. Or maybe it only attacks once it gets hit?

Well, whatever it is, I just found it, it seems. It's now floating up in the air without a care in the world.

Now, I just have to snipe it down without dispelling my tornado. Come on, Double Cast. Don't fail me now!

I lifted my left palm, aiming the center towards it. And then…

"Boom Cannon!"

I fired my other Master-level spell, knocking it out of the air all the way out to the distance, ending the tornado.

Just in time for me to fall to my knees, panting.

Whew, that took a lot of me. Maintaining a Master-level spell for ten minutes then firing a new one—not an easy task. Glad I keep up on my dual cast training.

I saw Felicia and the others running from a distance. Smiling, I let my body fall to the sand.

Third Stratum Clear!

------

???

"So they have reached the three hundredth floor…

"The boy is indeed powerful. However, is he powerful enough to brave the coming calamity?

"Her return draws closer day by day. And yet, the Astrolabe has yet to predict the occurrence of the next Cycle.

"If she does, then this world will return back to how it was, before the Liberation. Then only he can break the chains.

"Would he be willing to do so, however? To oppose the True Enemy, there shall be no peace for him until the end of his days. And his children. And his children's children.

"For the True Enemy will not rest until everything is under Her palm."

---------

Hugo

"So this is the Fourth Stratum…"

Starry Road. The name perfectly described the scenery I was looking at.

We were now in the middle of space, with thousands of stars surrounding us from all directions. The platform we stood on was translucent and it stretched on forward, forming a road. Looking at a distance, the road split into multiple branches, and I imagined those branches would split again. It was another maze stratum, only without walls.

And, if we were to fall, a massive black hole was ready to suck us all in.

And yes, there were no railings.

"Wow, this is amazing!" I heard Theo say.

"Yes. It's such a lovely sight, isn't it?" Tira replied with a giggle.

"The fourth stratum" Felicia smiled as she walked towards me. "I believe here is where we can start finding really rare objects from the chests we find."

"Really? That's great news then!"

Yeah, so far the chests we opened don't have anything that high value. We did get an upgrade for Theo's sword and Tama's daggers though. Felicia can sense dark energy so she can see whether they're cursed or not.

"Yes, if we're lucky, we could find your Dream Orb here." Felicia answered. "Really, I can't believe how rare it is." She huffed.

Yep. She's absolutely right. We've asked the Guild to look for it and they couldn't find it.

"Well, for now, we should find the return teleporter to go back to town. We're around lunch time now if I'm not mistaken, so why don't we all have lunch together? My treat, of course!"

"Yay, thank you, Master!" Theo cheered and clapped.

God, the kid really is easily excitable.

I don't blame him though. Being all excited is better than being a negative nancy all the time.

With our next course decided, we began our trek back to town.

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A/N: Next chapter is going to be a spicy one, boys.