The Game Difficulty Is Crazy
Several days had passed since the inquisitors visited the Wordsworth estate.
The tension that had hung over the mansion had now faded quite a bit.
Because of that, the servants’ conversations gradually shifted away from the inquisitors and toward Edgar and Glen.
“So, what’s going to happen to the eldest young master who was taken away by those people?”
“I heard he’s being put on trial in the capital. They say the judges are priests with authority higher than most nobles.”
“My goodness… will he be safe?”
“Well, since the master is also in the capital, maybe he’ll bring him back?”
At first, they showed signs of worrying about Edgar, but soon their true feelings slipped out.
“Well, it’s his own fault.”
“Hey, what are you saying—”
“Honestly, don’t you think so? No matter what, reporting your own blood brother like that is just wrong.”
“That’s… true.”
“Tsk, no matter how much power or status he wanted, selling out your own family is unacceptable.”
Talk about position and power within the family was something that only really mattered to nobles.
The servants, who did not fully understand such things, might understand Edgar’s actions, but they never defended him.
“Sigh, what kind of family is this, anyway? How can there not be a single normal son?”
“Seriously. The master and Lady Triss must have it hard.”
“We’re the ones having it hard. There isn’t a single peaceful day in this estate.”
The servants’ sighs increased noticeably.
Around that time, an unexpectedly interesting topic began circulating among them.
It was about the remaining second son of the Wordsworth family, Glen.
“At least it’s a relief that the second young master turned over a new leaf.”
“Turned over a new leaf? To me, he still doesn’t seem right in the head.”
“But isn’t he much better than before? He almost never does crazy things anymore.”
“More than anything, in this incident, he stood up for Lady Triss so strongly. He even asked for mercy for the eldest young master.”
Of course, in Edgar’s case, the senior inquisitor politely rejected it.
Something like,
‘Even if it is your request as a brother, if God does not permit it, it is difficult for me to accept.’
Still, it was true that Glen tried to look after his siblings.
That alone changed the servants’ cold gazes toward him to some extent.
“If nothing else, it was nice to see him trying to help Lady Triss.”
“In the past, he wouldn’t have cared no matter what happened beside him.”
The first one or two times, they brushed it off, thinking that crazy fanatic executioner must have eaten something wrong.
But the time that passed was a full two months.
During that time, the executioner did not commit the same kinds of atrocities as before.
He lived alongside the trainee knights and earned their deep trust.
He purified the abandoned village, once filled with death, together with Triss.
And recently, he even endured the interrogation of the strict and frightening Inquisition, and at the end of it, his innocence and faith were acknowledged.
“Do you think he’s changed?”
“He is changing. In a good way.”
Of course, not all of their wariness had disappeared yet.
But unlike the past, when only one or two people noticed the executioner’s change, things were different now.
Most of the people in the estate had felt his change firsthand, and they were looking at the changing executioner with very different eyes than before.
That strange gaze might have been a rebound born from disappointment toward Edgar.
But one thing was certain.
Even if it was just a faint thread, expectations toward Glen were spreading through rumors.
Perhaps because he had vaguely heard those rumors.
For the past few days, Glen had clearly felt that the atmosphere around him had changed.
The cold stares he used to feel when walking through the corridors had softened noticeably.
The maids who used to turn away to avoid him now gave light bows and walked straight past him.
Of course, the servants treating him less coldly did not change anything fundamentally.
‘But it just feels good.’
Seeing people who had avoided and scorned him only two months ago begin to change was quite satisfying.
And that was not the only good thing.
After dealing with Edgar, who had been like a thorn in his side, the entire estate looked brighter, and his mind felt more at ease.
‘Before, I had to stay on edge, never knowing what that man might do.’
He had even been wary of the footsteps of guards patrolling the corridors.
But now, Edgar was no longer here.
Which also meant that there was no one left in this estate trying to slander or obstruct him.
‘Well, the family head is still around.’
But it would still take more than half a month for the family head to return to the estate.
Even if he heard about this incident and abandoned the holy war council to rush back, it would take a week.
Even if he hurried even more, five days at the very least.
That gave Glen a tremendous amount of free time, at minimum five days and at most fifteen.
With Fred the butler busy due to Edgar’s absence, Glen now truly had free time.
A smile formed on Glen’s lips.
‘Five to fifteen days is more than enough.’
Looking back now, Edgar really had been a very generous older brother.
He first gave him Robert as a sparring partner, laying the foundation for his growth.
The abandoned village assignment, which Glen had been wondering how to arrange, was proposed by Edgar himself.
And to top it all off, he even called in the Inquisition and helped him build connections.
Plus, as a bonus, an artifact.
Around Glen’s neck hung a red cross instead of the broken Ensir.
It was the artifact he had received from Judith, the senior inquisitor.
《Inquisitor’s Rosary》
《Rank》 : Advanced
《Type》 : Necklace
《Option》
: When infused with holy power, it fires a single red beam of light into the sky, recognized only by specific individuals. – No consumption
Only an advanced rank.
And a very simple effect.
Even so, the reason it was called an artifact rather than a simple item was simple.
‘The moment you use it, what happens afterward is artifact-level.’
A red signal shot into the sky.
The key point was that its original owner was a senior inquisitor of the Inquisition.
In other words, the Inquisitor’s Rosary was an item that summoned inquisitors active in the vicinity.
‘If my memory is right, the recognition range is about fifty kilometers.’
Inquisitors who recognized the signal would stop all duties and actions and gather.
Whether it took hours or days.
Truly artifact-level performance.
Now, Glen could receive the help of inquisitors anytime, anywhere.
Of course, if there were no inquisitors active within fifty kilometers, firing the signal would mean nothing.
And especially in the Wordsworth territory, a remote border region a week’s carriage ride from the capital, there would likely be fewer than ten inquisitors nearby, or possibly none at all.
But still, that was something.
He could summon powerful combatants ranging from four-star to seven-star.
Considering the demon army that would invade in two months, could there be a more reassuring force?
‘Thank you, brother. I will never forget this favor.’
Squeezing out crocodile tears, Glen bit down hard on his lower lip.
The artifact-level item Edgar left behind, and the five days of time.
Glen resolved to use them more effectively than ever before.
“Now then, let’s start with what needs to be handled first…”
Looking at the territory map spread across his desk, Glen rubbed his lips.
Then, suddenly, someone crossed his mind.
“I have something to talk about with my sister.”
It was Triss, who had not stepped out of her room for several days.
Glen went straight to Triss’s room and requested tea time.
Whenever she talked with someone, Triss always preferred to have tea and sweets, so she was unlikely to refuse.
After waiting briefly in front of the door, the maid Lucy came out and bowed.
“Please wait just a moment. I will prepare the tea and sweets right away.”
Fortunately, once she was ready, Triss invited Glen onto the balcony of her room.
“It feels like it’s been a really long time since I last saw you, Sister Triss.”
“Yeah. It does.”
Her hair looked slightly messy from hurried brushing, and her reddened eyes showed clearly what she had been doing while staying in her room.
