Splash! Rough waves crashed against the ship’s side, scattering white foam. The ship was more than half destroyed, and if not for the buoyancy unique to wooden ships, it would have sunk immediately, no different from a raft.
Mediocre ships refused to sail the open seas, and the massive ships capable of handling the open seas refused to approach the North Sea. Thus, Zephis and the Inquisition Officers had to board a small speedboat from the boundary between the open seas and the North Sea.
The fact that they managed to reach the northern coastline without losing their way or drifting was half a miracle, and the other half was thanks to Diemonica’s unique sense of direction and physical strength.
Ordinary rowing boats, speedboats, or longships also use wind power for long voyages. However, the Diemonica brothers could maintain their physical functionality even after three days without sleep, and their three days were not like ordinary people’s three days—it was three days assuming intense combat.
If they devoted all their time to physical labor with only short breaks in between, the Diemonica brothers could maintain the same level of physical ability for three days. Thus, Zephis and the Inquisition Officers could spend every moment until they reached the northern coastline solely on rowing.
“We’ve arrived.”
But even the Diemonica brothers couldn’t be completely free from fatigue. Especially when they had to guide a half-destroyed ship through rough waves with nothing but “will,” “spirit,” and “faith.” In the midst of this, Zephis’s blunt remark left the Diemonica brothers, who were preparing to jump off behind him, stunned.
“Praise be!”
Fabiano shouted cheerfully and leaped off. Thud! The moment he jumped, the ship shook violently, and a long crack formed from the bow to the waterline. Thud again! Fabiano, who had jumped onto the shore, rolled his stiff shoulders.
“Oh, praise be! We have finally reached the north, brothers. Come on, get off!”
“Calm down, brother.”
“Oh, brother.”
Zephis jumped lightly and landed softly. His thick woolen cloak fluttered and settled around him. Soon, the Inquisition Officers on the ship began jumping off one by one.
The last brother to jump landed on the shore with a priest screaming bizarrely on his back. The moment his feet touched the ground, the priest, who had been trembling on the Diemonica’s broad back, suddenly jumped off and vomited thickly on the coastline.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yes, I’m f-fine…”
“No need to answer. Brother, wait until you calm down.”
Zephis took out a scroll from his pocket and spoke. The journey might have been a bit rough for Enmagika. Their true strength lies not in their bodies but in their minds.
On the other hand… Zephis watched Fabiano, who was still cheerfully reciting prayers, and the Diemonica brothers who had already assimilated with him and were darting around.
Their true strength lay in their bodies, not their minds. That didn’t necessarily mean they had to make their minds lighter, but… Zephis sighed and pondered the Monastery Head’s orders.
“Select the best among you and go.”
If the operation proposal that the Great Demon’s appearance was imminent was to be fully trusted, no one other than the Diemonica brothers could be mobilized to such a region. Incidents where demons directly roamed the earth were solely the duty of the Diemonica brothers, and even they often lost their lives in such events.
Thus, Zephis had planned a task force composed entirely of Diemonica from the beginning. Including Enmagika was to counter the unknown magic that the unknown demon might use.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, yes, thank you, brother.”
Enmagika, Sarbelio, wiped the vomit from his mouth and panted. Zephis looked at him with pity for a moment.
Each Enmagika is a precious resource. They had to handle the Inquisition Office’s administration, which contained all sorts of secrets that could never be revealed to ordinary people, and they themselves had to master the Church’s sacred spells and be well-versed in demonic tricks and magic.
Literally, they were the Church’s top talents, capable of fully digesting knowledge in all fields, from engineering, mysticism, semiotics, law, and doctrine.
Zephis took enough time to pat the young Enmagika brother’s back until he calmed down and then handed him a scroll.
“Where are we now?”
“According to the Monastery Head’s map…”
Brother Sarbelio looked up at the night sky for a moment and hesitated. Well-versed in astronomy, he was performing complex calculations on the time it took to reach the North Sea, the speed at which they traveled, the distance derived from the relationship between time and speed, and the angle of the celestial sphere changing according to latitude.
After some time, Sarbelio looked at the map again. He carefully pointed to a corner of the map’s southern edge.
“Hazart Turan… It seems we’ve arrived near this coastline.”
“Hmm. We’ve come slightly further east than expected. We don’t have much time… Brothers!!!”
“Yes, brother!”
Zephis shouted to the Diemonica brothers, who had already gone far ahead and were rummaging through something. The Diemonica brothers quickly raised their heads.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes, brother! There’s a light about 3 miles away!”
“Good, brothers. Let’s move!”
No matter how simple they may seem, the Diemonica brothers are experts in demon incidents. They were spending half their time out of curiosity about the new continent and the other half looking for traces of nearby houses or travelers.
Zephis was about to run but clicked his tongue as he looked at the staggering Brother Sarbelio. It wasn’t his weakness but self-reproach for his own lack of consideration.
“Brother Sergio!”
“Yes, brother!”
“Carry Brother Sarbelio!”
“Yes!”
Soon, a giant Diemonica brother ran over and knelt with a loud thud. Sarbelio, startled by the momentum, stepped back.
“I-I’m fine, brother. Brothers! I’ll walk on my own… Ah!”
“It’s fine if you vomit on my back, brother!!”
As Sarbelio hesitated…
