Game Difficulty Is Insane
In the middle of a forest where silence hung heavy.
Left alone after Penelope departed, Glen silently cheered and punched the air.
His legs felt weak, as if he might collapse now that the tension had drained away, yet an even greater surge of joy filled his entire body with energy.
“Hoo……”
He had already been agonizing over how to escape this desperate situation ever since support from the main allied force had been delayed.
And then Penelope herself had come to him first and practically offered her neck.
He couldn’t have been more grateful.
Of course, while acting like an overwhelming powerhouse, his heart had been pounding in fear that Penelope might notice something was off—but in the end, the result was perfect.
Through his private meeting with Penelope, Glen had not only halted a war that was all but lost, but also obtained an extremely useful chess piece: the Eighth Legion Commander of the Demon King Army.
‘Could things get any better than this?’
The corners of his lips twitched upward.
At that moment, a familiar woman’s voice came from behind him.
“Hey. Can I come out now?”
“Oh. Yeah. Good work, Romina.”
“I didn’t really do anything though?”
With a slightly pouty voice, Romina appeared in front of him.
Glen shook his head.
“That’s what makes it good.”
Romina had always been insurance.
She was Glen’s final backup in case Penelope refused to believe his words.
If Penelope had doubted him, Glen planned to naturally reveal Romina—the daughter of the former Demon King.
That was why he had given her Lawern’s Blessing, an artifact that concealed one’s presence and appearance, and had her wait where Penelope could not sense her.
‘But since things went so smoothly, there was no need for Romina to step in.’
Glen shrugged.
Romina stepped closer and returned the deep blue cloak—Lawern’s Blessing—that she had borrowed from Glen.
“Good thing. From what I heard, it sounds like things went well?”
“Yeah. I got past the biggest hurdle just now.”
“You said she’d withdraw the legion, right?”
“Mm. By noon tomorrow, the Gray Wolf Knights should know too.”
“Hmmm… really?”
Romina touched her lips.
“But what if she doesn’t go back? She didn’t swear on her name or anything.”
“The reason I didn’t make her swear was to drill it into her head that I’m overwhelmingly stronger than she is.”
If he had demanded an oath on her name, Penelope, as a high-ranking demon, would have followed his orders.
But Glen had instead subtly emphasized the stance of a true powerhouse:
‘If you disobey, I’ll just kill you. I don’t need your promises.’
Romina nodded slowly.
“Ahh… I get it. Like, ‘Why would I need a grand oath when dealing with a worthless bug like you?’”
As expected of Demon King blood.
The way she lifted her chin and smiled arrogantly at an imaginary Penelope looked disturbingly convincing.
“Well… something like that. And even without her life being threatened, Penelope decided to trust me.”
“Why?”
“She thinks my existence is the only chance she has to change her rank as the lowest legion commander.”
Romina tilted her head slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s complicated.”
Explaining further would require revealing how he knew Penelope so well, so Glen cut it short.
“What matters is that we bought ourselves two whole months, right?”
More precisely, one month and a half.
With that much time, not only Glen but also Wordsworth Territory could fully prepare to face Penelope’s Eighth Legion.
Penelope stood far away from the forest where she had spoken with Glen, gazing at Ovenue Castle.
Her expression was complicated.
‘In the end… I didn’t learn anything.’
Her red lips trembled uneasily.
‘Just what… is that person?’
He had casually endured the magic of an 8-star witch.
He had used demonic energy—something humans could never wield.
And he had even spoken the Demon King’s name as if calling a friend.
The being she had faced was pure mystery.
To be honest, Penelope still doubted everything about him.
‘Can I really trust him?’
‘Is he even an ally?’
‘What if he’s just using me and will throw me away?’
Countless questions swirled through her mind.
But one thing was certain—he was far too powerful for her to oppose.
From the moment she faced Glen, she had no other choice.
Defying such a being would put her life at risk.
‘Still… this is a chance.’
—If my plan succeeds, all humans will perish, and demons will rule the land.
—If you follow my orders well… I may help you with your little rank game.
A strange light flickered in Penelope’s snake-like red eyes.
After all, the reason she moved her legion early was to raise her rank.
Receiving help from a mysterious powerhouse who even spoke the Demon King’s name casually would surely yield better results than struggling alone.
‘Besides, there was never any guarantee that destroying Wordsworth a day earlier would earn the Demon King’s approval anyway.’
And who knew?
If she followed Glen’s orders faithfully, she might someday find herself holding a higher rank among the legion commanders.
“Turning misfortune into fortune, was it?”
With that faint hope, Penelope clenched her lips.
Greed slowly bloomed in her crimson eyes.
Early the next morning.
A Gray Wolf Knight galloped in urgently from the border.
He was a member of the reconnaissance unit monitoring the Eighth Legion of the Demon King Army.
“The demons are retreating!”
“W-what?!”
Every commander in the command meeting room widened their eyes.
