Sera led him to the west. To Nathan’s surprise, there was a lake in the middle of the ground, with buildings surrounding it.
“An oasis?” Nathan frowned.
“Yes. According to the information, this is called Sand Dwell Village. They are the ones requesting help this time.” Sera nodded.
Nathan crossed his arms as if he were in deep thought.
“Is there something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. This is the first time I see an oasis, so I’m kind of surprised.” Nathan shook his head.
While walking to the village, Nathan couldn’t help but ask, “Since we are going to fight together, do you mind telling me your angel and fallen angel abilities? If I know what to expect from them, maybe we can work together better.”
“I don’t really mind. My fallen angel is mainly the one fighting in the front. She has a darkness spear ability and very high speed. Meanwhile, my angel has the power of light magic. He can send forth several holy spells, but they are most useful against the undead. There are some that can be used against normal enemies, but yeah…” She rubbed her cheeks, feeling embarrassed.
“I see. My jackal can heal while my wolf is a good close combatant.” Nathan briefly told her about his familiars, but he didn’t tell her anything about Nidhogg.
“I hope we can work together.” Sera nodded, thinking about the combination they could do when fighting together.
It didn’t take too long for them to reach the village. The temperature around the oasis was much lower, allowing Nathan to take a breather.
Still, the villagers were staring at him as if he were a rare animal. On the other hand, Sera was asking the villagers for the village chief’s location and ultimately led him to the house.
The village chief was a muscular, middle-aged man. He was sitting with his legs crossed on the floor while asking, “So, you are the only person who comes to our call?”
“Yes. My name is Serafina.” She nodded.
“Then who is the man next to you?” The village chief frowned.
“He is Nathan. A summoner that I happen to meet along the way. He is currently helping me.”
“I see.” The muscular man pinched the bridge of his nose before lowering his head. “As you can see, our village might still be good, but the sand bandits have been running rampant recently. Our village might be gone if they choose to attack us.”
Sera asked, “Do you know anything about them? Their numbers, their hideout… Any information is fine.”
The village chief contemplated for a moment. “We don’t know about their current number, but the bandits have been kidnapping a lot of our people. It’s said that they’re using them as laborers to construct their base.
“People who are kidnapped by them would face a terrible fate. That’s why please… defeat them.” The village chief lowered his head.
Nathan’s eyebrows twitched as if he didn’t like the response. The village chief didn’t seem to know anything. It was strange and normal at the same time, depending on how he viewed this matter.
Nathan asked, “How many people does this village have?”
“There are a total of 160 people in our villages,” the village chief answered in a confused tone.
“How about the oasis? Is there any other oasis or village nearby?”
“I don’t think so. We have been to a village that connects the Delevian City in the south and the Reletian City in the north. A lot of people are using this village whenever they want to use this desert as a shortcut.”
Nathan tilted his head left and right as if he were trying to figure out something. His behavior slightly concerned the village chief and Sera.
“Then, one more question. Do you have any maps for the desert? Where is the bandit stronghold? If we have the map of our current location, we can probably find them and scout them.”
“Map?” The village chief was confused and glanced at Sera for a second. “Oh, map! We don’t have the map, but if you go east of this village, you will find their stronghold.”
“No other information?” Nathan asked.
“Unfortunately.” The village chief shook his head. “My apologies. Even though we want to help you, we are too scared of them.”
Nathan nodded before saying to Sera. “I think we should scout the enemy’s stronghold. What do you think? You are the one asking me to join, so I need your opinion.”
“Scouting?” Sera tilted her head in confusion. “Can’t we just attack them and somehow lure the enemies?”
“If we don’t know where the enemy we should lure out, what are we supposed to do? It’s better to scout the area first and see what we can do.”
“People say I’m gullible, so I guess I will just follow your plan. It looks like you know what you’re talking about.”
Nathan let out a long sigh.
“Then, let’s go tomorrow morning.” Nathan turned to the village chief. “Do you know where the inn is?”
The village chief shook his head while saying, “Please stay in my house. Although it’s not much, I’ll definitely fulfill whatever request you have. This is the least I can do for the two summoners who go all the way here to help us.”
“We appreciate it.” Sera prayed.
The village scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.
Since they had received the accommodation from the village chief, Nathan chose to go around the village as if he were trying to satisfy his curiosity during his first visit to an oasis.
Nathan never expected that there would be a city prospering in such a harsh land. Still, the city felt empty. There weren’t any foreigners around, but what could he expect from a trial?
Meanwhile, Sera remained in the house. After getting beaten pretty badly, the only thing she wanted was sleep.
After he was satisfied, Nathan returned to get some sleep. This was probably the first time he had a roof above his head after entering this desert, so he had to get a good rest for an exhausting battle against the bandits.