"Well, isn't that just because you're a follower of Garnalava?"
As I stood there, stunned by the man's absurd claim, Lowell interjected on my behalf. Demuad's only response was a heavy, weary sigh.
"Look, it’s only natural for you to think that. However, I absolutely do not worship Garnalava. If anything, I hate the Evil God more than anyone else does. That thing sends these bizarre demands into my head every chance it gets. It’s beyond annoying—it’s a goddamn nuisance!"
With that, Demuad began to vent his grievances against the Evil God. He must have been sitting on a mountain of pent-up frustration, because he launched into a machine-gun delivery that didn't leave a single opening for us to speak.
Beside me, Lowell’s face was twisted in a grimace. He probably felt like he’d stepped on a landmine.
"Um, okay, I think I get it. You hear a voice, but you aren't actually one of the cultists. Is that right?"
"Ah—yeah, that’s it. Sorry, I let my grumbling get away from me."
"No, it’s fine. But do you have any idea why you’re hearing this voice in the first place?"
"Who knows. My parents were followers of Garnalava, so I’ve always assumed it was because of them..."
From there, Demuad told us more about his past. He had been born in Aingurna to a couple who were members of the Evil Cult. It was a stroke of luck—though I wasn't sure if that was the right word—that his parents were often away from home on instructions from Garnalava. Because of their frequent absences, Demuad had managed to grow up without being indoctrinated by the cult’s teachings.
"The voice started about ten years ago, I think. Right around the time my parents never came home. They probably died during some failed mission. After that, the Evil God must have set his sights on me as a replacement pawn."
Demuad's tone was cold as he spoke of his parents. Considering they had been so devoted to their god that they completely neglected their own son, his bitterness was only natural.
"So that's the story. In that case, purification might be impossible," Lowell murmured.
"Probably," I replied in a low voice.
Living with the voice of an Evil God in your head when you didn't even want it there... I could only imagine how mentally exhausting that had to be. If there was a way to help him, I wanted to find it, but the "voices" implanted by Special Individuals seemed to be different from the direct telepathy the Evil God used on his followers. At the very least, when I’d used Clean on Godfee, I hadn't been able to dispel the malice.
Still, I figured it was worth a shot.
I was about to suggest it when the guard standing behind us cut in.
"Look, it’s basically just a normal Clean spell," I argued. "For the most part, it just gets rid of dirt and grime. Basically."
"Um... when you emphasize 'basically' like that, it makes me even more uneasy," the guard replied. "Besides, we can't have anything unexpected happening. Magic use on prisoners is strictly prohibited. Not that it matters—there’s a Magic-sealing Barrier active in here, so I doubt your spell would even trigger."
So they had a Magic-sealing Barrier. I suppose that made sense for a prison; if a prisoner happened to be a mage, they could just use their power to break out.
If I asked Guster, he might give me permission to at least try the spell... but there was probably no point in going that far. It likely wouldn't work anyway.
"Hey, you lot. What’s all this about purification and Clean?"
Since we’d been talking right in front of him, Demuad had obviously overheard everything.
"You know the light magic spell Clean, right? Well, I can use a slightly special version of it. It’s capable of dispelling malice."
It wasn't a secret worth keeping, so I explained it to him. Since simply telling him it "dispelled malice" wouldn't mean much without context, I gave him a brief summary of what had happened back in Aingurna.
"So that’s what happened in Aingurna. And that old geezer Godfee finally got caught, huh? Good riddance."
Demuad had apparently left Aingurna about six months ago, so he’d been completely in the dark regarding recent events.
It seemed he had spent most of his life trying to distance himself from the cultists, which meant he didn't know anything about their grander schemes. He’d only had a vague sense that something was brewing based on the instructions he received from the Evil God.
"Well, based on what you just said, using that special Clean of yours on me probably won't do much to stop the voice. That’s a shame, but I can't say I'm surprised."
Demuad seemed to have reached the same conclusion we had regarding his own purification. However, it looked like he wasn't finished yet.
"I know I have no right to ask this of you, but... could you try that purification on my companions? If it's them, there might be a chance they'll come back to their senses."
By "companions," he was clearly referring to the two girls who had claimed he was an apostle. Since undermining the cult's influence aligned perfectly with our goals, I didn't have any reason to refuse.
"Sure, but... what exactly is your relationship with them, Demuad-san?"
"Them? They are... I don't know, what would you call it? I never officially adopted them, but I suppose they're like my daughters."
The girls were twins named Aura and Kira, whom Demuad had been looking after in Aingurna. Their parents had been adventurers and friends of his, but they had passed away two years ago. Demuad had taken them in after that.
Even while he was raising them, Demuad had worried that it wasn't good for them to be associated with him. Because he could hear the Evil God, the cultists were constantly trying to pressure him into cooperating, and he was terrified the girls would be dragged into that mess. When he finally left Aingurna six months ago, his plan had actually been to leave them at an orphanage for their own safety.
"But then, out of nowhere, they started claiming they could hear the Evil God’s voice, too. They said they’d been instructed to stay with me. If what you said is true, then they must have been brainwashed."
That was the real reason he was desperate for us to purify Aura and Kira.