Chapter 27 : Preparation

Upon arriving at the lord’s castle, everyone except the hero returned to their rooms.

The hero suggested that we rest while he spoke to the lord about today’s events on our behalf.

Accepting his considerate offer, I returned to my room and lay down with Reina, relaxing until dinnertime arrived.

After dinner, I prayed with Bliss and shared some stories about the day’s events, and before we knew it, time had flown by.

Before long, it was already bedtime.

Usually, I would have gone straight to sleep, but tonight, for some reason, I couldn’t.

Thinking I might chat with Reina, I sat up and glanced over, only to see her already fast asleep.

In the end, feeling a bit bored, I lay back down on the soft bed and decided to spend some time organizing my thoughts about today.

Among the many events, the most significant was probably the appearance of the Sandworm.

To my surprise, it wasn’t my expectations but rather a monster that had brought about Viln’s current state.

‘But why, of all things, a Sandworm?’

If it had been any other monster, I wouldn’t have cared, but a Sandworm was different.

Firstly, the Sandworm is an incredibly dangerous monster.

I began recalling information about the Sandworm stored in my mind.

To explain the danger of the Sandworm, I would need to start by explaining the essence of monsters.

Monsters are living creatures that harbor magic stones within them.

Their sizes vary, from small to large.

They differ from demons in that they don’t communicate well, and they carry a magic stone within them that acts like a heart.

Their intelligence isn’t particularly high, making them seem more like animals.

For this reason, we demons don’t typically pay much attention to ordinary monsters.

They don’t impact us enough to warrant concern, and we can control them to some extent if we exert power.

But as with everything, there are always exceptions.

Among monsters, there are four types so powerful that they can reshape the surrounding terrain, rendering them uncontrollable.

These monsters cause natural disasters and possess enough power to overturn a nation. 

Their presence resembles a catastrophe, leading some to even worship them as gods.

We refer to these monsters as the Four Great Monsters, and among them are:

The Snow Maiden, Glasia, who turns the northern region into an eternal winter.

A huge bird, Imber, that summons storms.

The enormous worm, the Sandworm of the Shurden Desert, which withers the land.

And the ruler of the seas, Leviathan, who incites tempests and tidal waves.

The monster currently present here is the Sandworm.

The Sandworm, the only one of the Four Great Monsters that isn’t a single entity, can’t be defeated alone.

The reason why it’s impossible to capture a Sandworm alone lies in its massive size, coupled with the hard carapace surrounding its body, which makes it resistant to swords.

Even if one were to pierce through the carapace and cut the flesh, it would heal quickly unless the body is completely halved, making any wounds meaningless.

Moreover, the most frustrating trait of this monster is that it can use dispel.

At the slightest impact, it lets out a terrifying shriek and dispels all the magic buffs placed on it, which is extremely lethal.

Not only that, but it seems to feed on mana, rendering magical attacks ineffective.

Looking at it this way, it almost seems like the monster was born specifically to kill mages.

From this description alone, it might seem impossible to kill a Sandworm, but there is indeed a way to defeat it.

The key is to target its weakness. 

There’s an X-shaped mark on the Sandworm’s head, and at the center of this X, the magic stone is covered by a thinner carapace. 

If a sword is thrust into this center point, the sword will reach the magic stone and kill the Sandworm.

However, this method is extremely difficult to execute because climbing onto the Sandworm’s head is no easy task.

If the Sandworm senses anything above it, it will immediately plunge its head into the ground as though diving underwater.

This behavior is the same even if a creature is flying above it.

If someone were to persistently cling to the Sandworm as it submerges, they would be dragged underground and become a living fossil.

This instinct, along with its overwhelming characteristics and physical prowess, is what makes it so challenging to capture a Sandworm alone.

But the situation changes if you have multiple people.

If someone can prevent the Sandworm from retreating into the ground once it emerges, it becomes a mere giant worm with an exposed weakness, making it much easier to kill.

Therefore, demons gather strong individuals to catch the Sandworm. 

When it surfaces, they hook it between the carapace plates, then pull it together to keep it from burrowing, while a nimble demon climbs atop it to strike at its weak point.

Without this method, capturing a Sandworm is nearly impossible.

I may seem weak for not being able to catch a Sandworm as a lord, but in reality, very few can handle a Sandworm alone.

There isn’t a human capable of it, and among the demon dukes, only Redros and Gawain have a chance.

Gawain, being a dragon, crushes the Sandworm’s head with his massive true form.

As for Redros, I’m not entirely sure. I once witnessed him defeat a Sandworm in the blink of an eye.

But that was when it was still an adolescent. If it were fully grown, even they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

An adolescent Sandworm’s mouth diameter may reach up to 5 meters, but a fully grown one in the Shurden Desert exceeds 20 meters.

To repeat, its mouth diameter alone is over 20 meters. 

As for its length, I’ve never seen its end.

Not even a centipede living for a thousand years would grow to this size.

And once it matures, the X-shaped mark on its head disappears, eliminating its weak point.

This immense size and strength lead desert-dwelling demons to worship the Sandworm as a deity.

Hearing the name “Sandworm” might sound trivial, but once you see its massive 20-meter mouth rising from the sand, words get swallowed back.

But don’t mistake the dukes as weak; it’s just that these Four Great Monsters are abnormally powerful.

Honestly, they are beyond the norm. 

No one, except for one individual, can truly control them.

The one fortunate aspect is that the Sandworm here isn’t fully grown yet.

So, with enough people, it should be possible to subdue it.

Now, the real question is…

“Hm?”

As I was deep in thought about the Sandworm, I suddenly felt a weight on my chest and looked down.

There was a crown of white hair.

I poked it lightly with my finger.

“Mmm…”

A tiny hand rose to cover the spot I had poked.

‘Is it Reina…?’

It seemed that Reina had rolled over onto me while sleeping.

“Sheesh… you should sleep properly.”

I gently lifted her off me and laid her back down. Then…

“Worm… leave me alone…”

She muttered sleepily.

‘I wonder what kind of dream she’s having?’

Curious about the dream causing such murmurs, I realized that I wasn’t a succubus and couldn’t see others’ dreams, so I simply lay her down and covered her with a blanket.

My thoughts, disrupted by Reina, faded away.

I considered whether to continue thinking about the Sandworm.

“Phew… what’s the use of thinking about it?”

I gave up.

To begin with, me, a demon, worrying about humans was meddlesome. 

Honestly, I’d rather watch from afar with popcorn, but given my current situation, I guess that’s not an option.

I plan to follow along with the Sandworm subjugation, but I’ll likely observe from a safe distance.

Anyway, that’s enough for today. 

I should get some sleep. 

I need a mental break after such a tiring day.

With thoughts of the next day, I laid back down.

And so, another day came to an end.

The next morning, Bliss and I headed to the church early.

Our first goal was to inform the papal office that a Sandworm had appeared in Viln.

The second was to request assistance from Paladin Artorius.

Fortunately, Artorius was at the church with Liam, and we approached them to explain yesterday’s events.

“A Sandworm? Why is that dreadful creature here…?”

Liam said, his expression shocked.

“Have you seen a Sandworm before, Liam?”

“Yes, when I first became an intermediate priest, I was assigned to the Shurden Desert. The sight of that massive creature tearing through the sand is still vivid in my memory.”

In response to Bliss’s question, Liam shivered as he answered.

After listening to our story, Artorius muttered quietly, trembling slightly.

“Sandworm… Sandworm… Sandworm… Sandworm!!!”

Suddenly, he raised one hand and shouted loudly, making sure his voice was heard in every corner of the church.

“Why are you suddenly yelling, Artorius? You startled me!” Bliss shouted, covering her ears.

“Apologies, Bliss! I couldn’t contain my excitement at the thought of fighting against the Sandworm,” Artorius replied with a grin, his teeth gleaming in the morning light.

“To face such a gigantic monster alongside heroes and knights—it’s like a scene from a fairytale! I can’t be left out of something like this!”

It seems he’s quite passionate.

“Bliss! I, Artorius, will surely participate! I shall devote myself to restoring the justice that Viln has lost to this evil creature!”

“… Sure, go ahead…” Bliss replied, looking at him with a slightly exasperated expression as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

“All for justice!” he exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to Bliss’s reaction.

After causing a commotion, Artorius headed to the church doors and declared,

“I can’t just sit here doing nothing. I need to warm up! Liam! I’ll be doing a lap around the church!”

With that, he threw open the church doors and dashed outside.

“Wait for me, Sandworm! Artorius is coming for you!” he shouted loudly as he disappeared.

Bliss, watching the door where he vanished, sighed and shook her head.

“Honestly, he’s an embarrassment. How did someone like him become a paladin? Truly, the will of the gods is beyond our understanding,” she muttered, turning her gaze away.

Liam, seemingly reminded of something, spoke up to Bliss.

“Bliss, don’t you need a weapon?”

“No, actually, I was just about to look for one.”

“Then feel free to check the armory here. I’ll guide you,” Liam offered, taking the lead.

Following Liam, we arrived at Viln’s church armory.

“Wow, there are so many swords here.”

“Reina, please don’t touch anything. You might get hurt.”

“Alright.”

Honestly, I was quite surprised.

Contrary to my assumption that the church’s armory would be lacking, it was actually well-equipped.

‘Greatswords, maces… is this a pair of knuckles?’

There was a wide variety of weapons, and their quality wasn’t bad at all.

‘So, this is what humans use.’

After taking a look around, I noticed Bliss swinging something.

Despite her graceful appearance, the weapon she chose looked quite fierce.

The weapon she was swinging had a long iron rod with a round, spiked ball at the end.

“What… is that?”

“It’s a weapon called a morning star.”

“Don’t priests usually use maces…?”

“But for some reason, this one appeals to me. Isn’t the name ‘morning star’ quite beautiful?”

Bliss smiled slightly as she stroked the weapon, sending a chill down my spine.

Earlier, I heard the sound of it whooshing through the air. If someone got hit on the head with that…

They’d probably turn into stars, just like the weapon’s name.

“… I see.”

“Ruina, wouldn’t you like to take a weapon as well?”

Bliss suggested that I take a weapon, though I was a bit hesitant.

Really? 

Can I actually take one?

As a Korean, it felt necessary to decline once.

“Oh, no, I don’t really need…”

“No, truly. I would feel more at ease if you had a weapon for self-defense, considering anything could happen.”

Nice!

“Alright then, just in case….”

I trailed off, pretending reluctance, but internally I was thrilled.

Until now, I couldn’t afford to buy a weapon and had resolved everything with my fists, so getting a decent weapon for free was great news.

Of course, if I returned home, there would be far better weapons available, but for now, a free weapon was a welcome bonus.

‘What should I choose? A sword? A bow? Or maybe a spear?’

After carefully browsing the armory, I finally made my choice.

“I’ll go with this.”

“A pair of daggers…?”

I lifted a pair of short swords.

“I’ve heard that handling dual blades is difficult. Wouldn’t it be better to choose something else?”

Inspecting the blades, I replied to Bliss.

“Oh, I have some experience with swords. Dual blades shouldn’t be a problem.”

From greatswords to dual blades, I can handle all types of swords.

“Swords, really?” Bliss asked, seeming curious.

‘The weight, the grip, everything feels right.’

I answered, swinging the sword lightly.

“Yes, I used them a long time ago.”

Technically, it’s true. I haven’t used a sword since I started infiltrating.

There was no sword to use or need to use one since my infiltration began. 

However, I kept up my swordsmanship skills by training alone with wooden sticks from time to time.

It’s been three years since I started infiltrating.

So, it’s been three years since I last used a sword.

“I don’t use them often now, though,” I murmured as I sheathed the sword.