Charles V sighed. His plan of uniting with Henry and Francis had fallen through. Now, they were all under the rule of that devil, who proclaimed herself to be a demon. However, he didn’t regret it or feel it was lamentable. Even if they had united, the devil had a special ability that was simply a nightmare for monarchs like him. She could enter their comfort zone from anywhere, strike at any time. It was impossible to defend himself without rest, and any defenses he could’ve mustered wouldn’t have worked anyway. Now, all he could do was build ships, gather crews, and pray for the devil to achieve her goal. That way, she’d finally leave this realm. Of course, he secretly hoped the devil encountered the god that had decimated his men in the New World.

“Are all the ships ready?”

“Jesus Christ!” Charles V jumped up. Behind him, there was a portal leading to the devil. Speak of the devil, and so shall she appear; however, he didn’t even speak of her! He only thought about her! Was thinking a crime now!? After composing himself, Charles V exhaled and fixed his clothes. “Your Excellency, the ships are ready to sail, and I’ve recruited the finest navigators and crew. Also, I’ve given them your summoning materials, so if they encounter any mishaps on the way, they’ll be able to call you to save them. That way, the mission’s chance of failure will be greatly decreased.”

“Great,” Tafel said. “How long will it take for them to get to the New World?”

“Around a month and a half,” Charles V said. “That’s already the fastest they can go; if they encounter any troubles, it may take even longer.”

Tafel pursed her lips. “A month and a half is too long. I was told it’d take roughly that long to travel somewhere by horse once, and I shortened that trip to a day.” Her eyes lit up. “Where are the boats?”

“They’re at the harbor,” Charles V said. “I’m not experienced with such matters, so I can’t tell you why they’re delaying, but I imagine they’re waiting for the right conditions to appear before leaving. Perhaps the tide or the wind, but if Your Excellency opens a portal there, I imagine you can catch them before they set sail.”

Tafel hummed and furrowed her brow. “If I haste a boat, will that work?” she muttered to herself while opening another portal. Charles V saw glimpses of the harbor through it before the portal connecting him to the devil disappeared. She didn’t even say goodbye or signal that he was dismissed. Another sigh leaked out of Charles V’s mouth, and he shook his head. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to think about her and accidentally summon her again. He had done everything he had to do, and if things went well, she’d be gone. Then, he could focus on reclaiming his power. The devil had taken a giant stick to the world map and mixed the countries together as if they were ingredients for a soup. Even the Ottomans were claiming to be part of the Holy Roman Empire now.

Meanwhile, Tafel didn’t care about Charles V’s thoughts at all. She was standing on the deck of a boat with a terrified crew around her. It was a shame they couldn’t understand what she was saying, and she couldn’t understand what they were saying either. It seemed like only the upper echelons of society knew more than one language like Suleiman and Charles V. Well, it didn’t matter. Once the boat sped along at thirty times its normal speed, they’d understand what she did to it. As for whether or not they could handle that kind of speed, Charles V did say they were made up of the finest crew and navigators, right?

***

In the fields of green deep inside of Vur’s soul, there was a meeting going on between various kinds of spirit animals. All the animals that Vur had eaten were sitting in a neat formation, paying attention to one animal ahead that sat on a rock. It was the rabbit. The rabbit squeaked and squeaked while waving its paws up and down. Its ears wiggled from side to side, and it even hopped up and down a few times, squeaking all the while.

The other animals nodded and let out murmurs of agreement whilst the rabbit did its thing. Once the rabbit was done, a deer stood up, the same deer that had been introduced to Vur by the spirit bear—which, coincidentally, was sitting next to the deer. “I agree,” the deer said. “We have to protect our people. It’s impossible to influence the invaders’ dreams. However, I don’t agree with your methods; there should be other ways to deal with the invaders that aren’t so bloody.”

The rabbit tilted its head towards the sky and sniffed once, its nose twitching.

“Okay, fine,” the deer said and lowered its head. “I see what you mean, but still! If we can find some way to communicate with them, we could establish a positive relationship. The invaders have very advanced technology: their armors, their boats, their weapons. Perhaps they could teach our people how to construct and use them.”

The rabbit thumped its hindleg against the rock it was standing on.

The deer sighed. “Is that really the only way?” she asked and looked around at the crowd of animals sitting in the formation with her. “Do none of you object to this?”

None of the animals said anything. After a while, a spirit buffalo stood up. “I have a question,” it said and glanced around before clearing its throat. “How come the rabbit is our leader?”

The rabbit rolled its eyes and exhaled out a deep breath, its chest deflating. It jabbed up at the sky with its paw before smacking it down onto the stone.

“Well, I suppose that’s a fair point,” the buffalo said and nodded before sitting down. “I concede.”