The day after the banquet Guster had so abruptly organized, we sat down to talk with Demuad again. We were there to collect on the information he’d promised in exchange for us helping the twins. In the end, it turned out the girls hadn't actually been brainwashed, but I had used Clean on them just in case, and we’d worked hard to ensure they weren't sold off into slavery. Naturally, we’d earned the right to hear what he knew.
Incidentally, Demuad's debt had been wiped clean once it was determined he was the victim of a fraud perpetrated by the third son of a branch family of the Dolkis Clan. The bail money we’d paid for him was also returned to our pockets.
"The Evil God's Voice usually only tells me useless rubbish," Demuad began, "like imposing a trial on some random person or causing a ruckus here and there."
It seemed he mostly ignored the instructions he received and barely remembered the specifics.
"Lately, however, I’ve started receiving different kinds of commands. I have no intention of doing what that god says, but the instructions had a different flavor than usual. It piqued my curiosity enough that I found myself heading toward Zephyrson."
The specific instruction was to check on the situation near the eastern edge of the region. That was all the information he had; he didn't know what was actually out there. However, if the Evil God was concerned about it, it was worth investigating. It might even provide us with a way to fight back.
"I see. In that case, we’ll try heading east," I said.
"The place is supposed to be even further east than the city of Berhes. For now, making Berhes your first stop would be best."
"Thank you. What about you, Demuad? What will you do?"
"Me? I’ve... decided to stop listening to that voice. I’ve let myself be pushed around far too much, and I nearly got those girls killed because of it. I'll leave the investigating to you lot."
Demuad smiled as he looked over at Aura and Kira, who were currently chatting with Halfa and the others. It seemed he had finally decided to properly face the twins.
Since the number of evil cultists in Aingurna had been significantly reduced, I doubted anyone was left who would bother him. They would likely be able to live a much more peaceful life from now on.
That conversation had taken place about ten days ago.
As planned, we were currently on the road to Berhes. The only slight deviation from our original plan was that we’d been hired as guards for Guster.
It started when I happened to mention our departure to him. As it turned out, a gathering of Zephyrson’s influential figures called the Clan Council was due to be held in Berhes very soon. Guster was already planning to attend, and since we were heading the same way, he’d issued a nomination request for us to act as his escorts. We’d intended to take on a request for the journey anyway, so we were happy to accept.
The trek from Orcus to Berhes wasn't exactly a walk in the park, primarily because of the vast desert stretching between the cities. Carriages were useless in the dunes, so the standard method of travel was by camel.
None of us had any experience with camels, however. So, instead, I’d manufactured three Multi-legged Golems for our transport. We split into three groups—Shiroru and I, Halfa and Spira, and Lowell on the third. Because the golems had eight legs, their weight was distributed enough that they didn't sink into the sand... or so I hoped. I wasn't entirely sure of the physics, but they were performing perfectly so far. I hadn't even considered trying to ride a camel, so I was glad this worked out.
"Sandworms! Fan out!" a voice shouted from the front.
It was an attack. Sandworms were nasty things—massive desert earthworms with rows of jagged, vicious teeth. They usually lurked beneath the surface, waiting to ambush any prey that stepped over them. They were typically C-Rank, though they could apparently grow to a size equivalent to B-Rank as they aged.
"Alright, let's take them down!" I called out.
"Got it!"
While we were technically hired as guards, we were an eleventh-hour addition to the security detail at Guster’s request. We weren't integrated into the primary defensive formation, so our role was to act as a mobile unit and annihilate threats as they appeared.
The most troublesome thing about Sandworms was their tendency to target the camels from below. Losing your transport in the middle of a desert was a death sentence. Our Multi-legged Golems carried far less risk; they could keep moving even if they lost a leg or two, and I could easily repair them with Create Golem.
"Leave this area to us! These are golems, they can take a hit!"
"Oh! Much appreciated!"
The other guards stepped back, letting our three golems act as decoys. From there, it was simple work to finish off the worms as they latched onto the golems' legs.
They aren't very strong, are they? Shiroru sent.
"Well, no, not really."
They were ranked C-Rank based on the power of their initial ambush and bite, but they weren't particularly durable. Shiroru made short work of them with her Lightning Strikes.
We must have killed about thirty of the things. The attacks were finally starting to thin out, and I was just thinking that we were about to wrap things up when a scream echoed from the direction where Guster and the others had taken shelter.