The cathedral of Vaitas was located on the Temple of the Gods street in the city of Gloridaine. The city’s military forces were hesitating, unable to dare enter the Temple of the Gods.
“So, what’s going on? Heretics or Inquisition Officers?”
“Doesn’t seem like there’s much difference…”
“Shh! You wanna die?”
The soldiers had surrounded the Temple of the Gods street. Each parish had officially declared ‘silence until the central military forces are dispatched’ and entered a state of lockdown.
Intruding into the locked temples could cause serious problems under religious, international, and kingdom laws. Therefore, the mayor of Gloridaine had no choice but to wait.
The cathedral’s prayer room was dimly lit by candles. Fernandez, with tired eyes, limped and barely managed to open the sanctuary door and enter.
“Stop, brother.”
“Wow, were you resting here? I thought I’d have to flip the city upside down to find you.”
“Hahaha.”
Zephis sensed the lingering aura of a demon from Fernandez. However, there was no sign of corruption in his eyes or actions. Zephis finally relaxed his expression.
“The operation name was really well chosen. Whose idea was it?”
“It was my idea. How was the real sewer cleaning?”
“It was fun.”
Seeing a demon after a long time, and exploring a dungeon after a long time, were all enjoyable memories in their own way.
At the moment of facing a demon, some lose themselves,
At the moment of confronting a demon, some gain a nightmare that will last a lifetime,
At the moment of contact with a demon, some even become minions of hell.
But to Fernandez, demons were like bad friends. Long, and bad friends. It wasn’t so much a sense of familiarity as it was just being used to them.
“What did you see?”
“I killed a bishop of the Cult of Demdrizard. And the demon they worshipped.”
“Was it Demidrako?”
“A real one. A four-headed bastard.”
“Did you defeat him?”
“No?”
Zephis swallowed hard. If Fernandez hadn’t killed him, the mission as Diemonica wasn’t over. He grabbed his sword and stood up.
“I brought him with me.”
Fernandez took out a green blade fragment wrapped in a rosary from his pocket. He carefully placed the blade on the table. The wooden table began to rot with a sizzling sound.
“How?”
“Magno Superlaudo (Praise with all your heart).”
“…Alright. I won’t ask how. What do you plan to do with that?”
“Understanding the enemy completely is the same as destroying them completely, right?”
Fernandez grinned and tapped the blade fragment.
“I want to conduct an experiment.”
“The Liber Maleficarum (Book of Demons) will be enriched. Well done.”
The Demidrako of Gloridaine was destroyed, and all related individuals were dead. Cleaning up the remaining remnants wasn’t Diemonica’s job. Heretica and Enmagika would be dispatched here.
Gloridaine will now submit to the influence of the Vaitas Church. The mayor and city magistrates will now be judged as heretics by the Church and replaced.
So, Diemonica’s mission is over. The Inquisition Officers, always deployed to the most intense places, have no reason to stay in a battlefield that has now relaxed.
[Operation Report: Sewer Cleaning]
Operation Area: Gloridaine City Slave Market
Operation Summary: Identification of heretic cults in slave supply sources, tracking and rescue of local Inquisition Officers, purification of suspected demon areas, handling of related individuals and witnesses.
Operation Progress:
1) Destruction and annihilation of the cult group [Cult of Demdrizard]
2) Elimination of medium-sized demon entity [Demidrako]
3) Execution of demon worshipper Bailer Sebastian, patrol captain
4) Heretic judgment by the city administration, request for Heretica support.
Operation Task Force Team:
1) Diemonica, Zephis Siravast – Returned
2) Diemonica, Fernandez Sernerd – Returned
3) Heretica, Laurencio Devecini – Presumed dead, missing
Burn the demons, heretics, and witches.
Operation Leader: Diemonica Zephis Siravast.
The spirit messenger summoned by Zephis flew out the window, carrying Zephis’s report in its mouth. Fernandez became interested in the magic technique that left no trace of magical energy.
“Can I learn that?”
“It’s not a personal technique.”
Zephis took out a small thurible. It was a small bead rosary that could be worn on the wrist.
“It’s a sacred artifact issued to the alpha of the task force. Seeing how you’re doing, you’ll get one soon.”
A relic that allows magic to be cast without magical energy, semi-permanently. Fernandez licked his lips. He wanted to take it apart. But there was something he had to do right now.
‘Do you know what I like most about being an Inquisition Officer, Faijashi?’
-What?
‘That I can experiment on demons.’
Fernandez chuckled as he wrapped the rosary around the blade fragment. Faijashi laughed along with him. The blade fragment trembled slightly.
Inquisition Keep. Dragonspine Fortress. St. Bartholomew Monastery. Not [No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel], but [Heretic for Unauthorized Entry], a deep and dark fortress…
Located in the most gloomy valley of the Dragonspine Mountains. The cradle of modern-day Inquisition Officers in the cold city.
-Whoosh!
“Again! You can do it!”
“Gloryyyy!!”
-Whooosh!
Here, Diemonica members are enthusiastically practicing deadlifts! Fernandez passed by them with a large wooden sword on his shoulder.
“Ah, brother, aren’t you joining the morning hymn?”
“I have an appointment with Heretica brother.”
“Oh, diligent. Sword training?”
Fabiano threw down the barbell and stood up, brushing off his hands. The heavy barbell dug into the ground.
“Ah, yes. Since it’s come to this, I might as well learn something properly.”
“A role model for the brothers!”
“Magno (Praise).”
“Magno Superlaudo (Praise with all your heart).”
Fernandez nodded to Fabiano and quickly left. The [Practical Hymn Hall] in the sanctuary of Religiosa Diemonica (Demon Hunters) seemed to bring about a kind of mental pollution.
‘I must not become like that…’
It had been two weeks since Fernandez started learning swordsmanship from Heretica Allen.
Allen was a 2nd-class Inquisition Officer. That is, he had risen to the point where he could step back from the duties of training or educating newcomers.
But when the higher-ups say jump, you jump. If they say teach, you teach… Allen frowned as he recalled Zephis’s request.
Recently, he had a concern.
-Crash!
‘Diemonica Fernandez’ is a person who achieved a tremendous feat of defeating, no, capturing a demon from his very first mission.
There are occasionally people like this. Like Zephis, Marco, Beorn. People who seem born to hunt demons and heretics.
Moreover, this young man is currently the center of attention in the entire Church. ‘Saint Fernandez’ is the first person to be canonized in 30 years since the Temple of the Gods was sealed.
“Good, much better.”
Allen crossed his arms and nodded. The power distribution was quite even, and the offense had gained elasticity. Though I don’t know why he insists on using a two-handed greatsword.
“A two-handed greatsword is not a weapon wielded by strength, Brother Fernandez. It requires a higher understanding of swordsmanship than even longsword techniques. Watch.”
Allen took Fernandez’s wooden sword and quickly spun it around. From top to bottom, the wooden sword drew a smooth curve as it fell. Without hesitation, the trajectory of the wooden sword now slid horizontally.
“Watch the change in the wrist. Hold the hilt crosswise and spin it, the greatsword is a weapon that kills the enemy with strength…”
