The Game Difficulty
Is Insane
Chapter 29
Three full days passed after the expedition meeting.
Each noble and high priest hurriedly gathered their troops, and nearly a thousand members of the expedition force assembled at the East Gate of Istirenne.
Honestly, compared to how strongly the Pope had declared it, the number was small.
However, since they were facing a holy war and were in a special situation where they had to march on the Black Cult’s headquarters as quickly as possible, they decided to be satisfied with this much.
‘Honestly, gathering a thousand people in just three days isn’t easy.’
Glen had already experienced just how difficult it was to gather troops from different factions into one place back in Wordsworth.
Moreover, the forces included in this expedition were very different from the half-baked troops from back then.
Just looking at the Inquisition and the Holy Spear Knights, weren’t they the top combat groups of the Papal State?
Even if both groups together were fewer than fifty people, in terms of combat power, they did not fall behind the remaining 950 at all.
‘Looking at it like this, mass human-wave tactics really look like trash.’
In a world where individual combat power could easily reach the level of modern tactical weapons, it was understandable, but still……
Anyway, if you added the individual strength of each commander, the power gathered here was enough to be called a full-scale legion.
‘It’s a good thing, though.’
They weren’t someone else’s troops. They were forces that would help him crush the Black Cult.
“……Therefore, we swear in the name of God that we will not stop until we overthrow the wicked heretics and their god!”
“Woooooooah!”
“We swear that we will not stop until we secure the peace of the Church and the people of the Papal State.”
“Woooooooah!”
Starting with the passionate speeches of the Cardinal and the Saintess, the expedition army marched out, receiving the enthusiastic cheers of the citizens lined up in front of the eastern gate.
“Being worshipped by so many humans… It feels good. Don’t you think?”
Riding behind Glen, Romina whispered in slightly roughened breaths amid the thunderous cheers.
He had noticed this before, but perhaps because she carried the blood of the Demon King, Romina really liked situations like this.
‘Well… compared to the original story, she’s pretty tame.’
Still, he wondered if it was really okay to let her develop such bad habits.
Of course, since she was growing steadily in strength just as Glen wanted, he decided to let it slide.
East of the Holy City, Istirenne.
After marching diligently for about four days, the massive Yuratio Mountain Range appeared, dividing the central and eastern regions of the Papal State.
The paths were rough, filled with rocky mountains and strong flying monsters, so aside from passing through designated gates, people rarely approached it.
And scattered throughout this vast and desolate mountain range were the headquarters and major facilities of the Black Cult.
Under the command of Cardinal Gracia and Saintess Luceria, the expedition force carried out a forced march.
By the evening of the third day, they were able to establish a camp at a spot slightly away from the base of the Yuratio Mountains.
Glen first moved to the command tent to attend the final strategy meeting.
There was nothing particularly special to discuss, since Glen had already explained everything in detail three days ago.
They were mostly just reporting the condition of the troops after the forced march.
“……That concludes my report.”
Considering the harsh march, the troops were in fairly good condition.
“If so, we should be able to arrive with plenty of time by noon tomorrow and assault the main base.”
“Yes. That should be possible.”
Cardinal Gracia, seated at the head of the table, nodded with her chin resting on her hand.
She was usually calm and showed little emotion, but her face now was slightly flushed.
As an inquisitor, she was probably feeling uplifted at the thought of finally severing her long-standing grudge with the Black Cult.
“This operation was planned based on information painstakingly gathered by the Inquisition and Sir Glen Wordsworth here. I ask each commander to carry it out without mistakes.”
In truth, the assault on the Black Cult headquarters was not particularly complicated.
They would simply divide their forces appropriately and strike the Black Cult headquarters, which were spread across seven or eight locations, simultaneously.
‘Of course, I’m the only one who can do that.’
Dividing forces appropriately meant knowing the enemy’s strength.
Even a simple-looking plan like this could only be created by Glen, the only person in the expedition who fully understood the Black Cult’s power.
‘There is the issue of credibility, though.’
That was solved by explaining it as top-secret information the Inquisition had gathered over decades under Cardinal Gracia.
‘Honestly, I didn’t expect them to support me this fully.’
Even though he had saved her life, Glen never expected Cardinal Gracia to trust him this much.
To be blunt, she could have suspected that all of this was a Black Cult scheme to cripple Istirenne’s forces.
‘…Well, whatever. If they trust me, that’s fine.’
Even if they hadn’t, he had planned to raid the Black Cult’s record archive beneath the capital plaza to secure proof.
For now, he chose to accept the positive fact that he didn’t need to go through that troublesome process.
‘I already have enough to think about.’
Glen shrugged.
Then he checked the maps and documents laid out on the long table.
The expedition force numbered about a thousand, and the Black Cult forces gathered at their headquarters would be similar.
However, while the numbers were close, the quality of the troops was worlds apart.
Aside from the top-ranking priests known as Prophets, the Black Cult members were little different from untrained civilians.
They did receive incomplete demonic power from their main god, Kalungod, but even taking that into account, they were roughly at one-star, maybe two-star at best.
‘Compared to that, even excluding commanders, the knight order ranges from two-star to around six-star. How is that even a fight?’
The assault starting at noon tomorrow would likely turn into a one-sided massacre by the Papal State.
Still, that didn’t mean the Black Cult had absolutely zero chance.
‘Since we rushed, our preparations aren’t perfect either.’
Because the expedition was formed in a short time, they would likely face difficulties in command and control.
For now, they were firmly united thanks to Cardinal Gracia and the Saintess, but once the slaughter began, people would inevitably let their guard down.
‘Well, even if they do get careless, they can still crush them overwhelmingly, so that’s fine.’
The real problem was the commanders’ battle, the main clash between the two sides.
‘That part is risky.’
In terms of power, Glen’s side was overwhelmingly superior.
The remaining six Prophets were mostly around seven-star, maybe eight-star at best. Glen, Cardinal Gracia, and Ignat alone could handle them easily.
Even if the cult leader, Forbinus, joined in, the outcome wouldn’t change much.
‘Lunatic is the problem.’
A variable even Glen couldn’t predict.
If he had to guess, the Lunatic Trial would appear again this time as well.
‘The question is how bad it’ll be.’
To end things quickly, there was no way to prepare any more than this.
If the Lunatic Trial appeared within the range Glen had anticipated, they could destroy the Black Cult without major complications.
‘I already planned for a wide range, including two demons last time.’
Still, the unease remained.
But Glen quickly decided to shake off those thoughts.
At this point, there was nothing more he could change. Fearing an imaginary tiger that might not even exist wouldn’t help at all.
“Still, being careful never hurts.”
Back in his personal tent, Glen opened his inventory and took out some papers.
They contained a handwritten, detailed summary of his combat power.
“Hmm…….”
Honestly, in terms of growth, it was hard to imagine things being better than this.
‘I’m roughly in the mid eight-star range. Even without using the Gray Ring, I can hold my own against most seven-stars.’
‘And my skill proficiencies are mostly high now.’
