Chapter 38

The Game Difficulty Is Crazy

Chapter 8

Ovenue Fortress.

It refers to a natural stronghold built beneath the massive mountain Libero, located at the southwestern edge of the territory.

At the same time, it is the place where the Gray Wolf Knight Order, called the greatest fighting force of the Wordsworth territory, is stationed.

So why did Glen insist on going to Ovenue himself, even though it took about two days by carriage from the estate?

It was to catch two rabbits at once: “defending the territory” and “Glen’s growth.”

First of all, as mentioned before, Ovenue Fortress is the frontline fortress closest to the Demonic Land, the territory of the demon race.

Since it is the place where the first battle with the demon race will break out, it is a location that must be defended more thoroughly than any other part of the Wordsworth territory.

Of course, since it is the frontline, they would naturally be well prepared for aerial attacks.

But—

‘Not enough.’

As is already known, the moment the Gray Eden scenario begins, the Wordsworth territory is destroyed by the demon race.

A territory whose destruction is guaranteed.

Because of that, preparations greater than usual were necessary.

Honestly, if it had been possible, Seong Yohwan would have started preparing for the demon race’s aerial assault from the very day he possessed Glen’s body.

‘There’s no rule saying the demon army won’t come with Lunatic difficulty.’

That was how important Ovenue’s defenses were to Glen.

Fortunately, now—when there was no family head to restrain his actions—was the perfect time to interact with the Gray Wolf Knight Order of Ovenue and prepare for the coming assault.

That was one of the two rabbits.

And the other rabbit, “Glen’s growth,” was a hidden piece.

‘Didn’t I say before that there were three hidden pieces in the Wordsworth territory?’

The skill book that had been in the abandoned village of Sildur had already been taken by Glen not long ago.

One of the two remaining hidden pieces existed near Ovenue Fortress, in the border region.

‘A hidden piece and a frontline fortress.’

At this point in time, it was hard to imagine a stronger motivation than this.

Of course, Triss, who did not know this information that only Glen knew, could not help but look troubled.

“Um, Glen…… if there isn’t a special reason, wouldn’t it be better if I went to Ovenue Fortress instead?”

Triss’s complexion darkened.

She was probably reluctant to have Glen face the Gray Wolf Knight Order directly.

“Honestly, I don’t think the Gray Wolf Knight Order will look favorably on you……”

The Gray Wolf Knight Order, the strongest force of Wordsworth and the terror of the demon race.

There were more than enough reasons for them to dislike Glen.

First, because they were wolves wearing the skin of knights.

‘Second, because I’m a lunatic.’

Glen let out a self-mocking smile.

To begin with, why were they called the Gray Wolf Knight Order?

They were called that because they were brave like wolves, full of wild ferocity, and strong.

At the same time, they were called that because they were beasts who would bare their fangs even at their lord if they did not acknowledge him.

If you threw a lunatic who wasn’t even their master into a den full of such beasts, the outcome was obvious.

‘I’d probably be torn to pieces.’

That was not just a metaphor—it could actually happen.

They had roots as mountain savages, and in the past, they had already bitten into the neck of a master once before.

Who was to say they wouldn’t do it a second time?

That was what Triss was worried about, which was why she suggested that she go instead, since she at least had some familiarity with them.

But—

“It’s fine. I’ll go.”

Glen was not someone who would give up the two rabbits he had mentioned earlier just because of fear like that.

“Do you even know what kind of place that is?”

“I do. I know very well.”

“And you still want to go?”

“Yes.”

Triss examined Glen’s face.

After confirming his calm and composed expression, she let out a deep sigh.

“Seriously…… that expression of yours is unfair.”

Whenever Glen wore that confident expression, something unbelievable always ended up happening.

Having experienced that several times already, Triss found it impossible to resist.

“Glen. Seriously. I’m sending you because it’s you. I said it earlier, didn’t I? I won’t just stand by and watch anymore. Normally, I wouldn’t allow this.”

Triss puffed out her lips.

Meeting her eyes, Glen smiled softly, his eyes curving gently.

“I know. That’s why I’m even more grateful.”

“You really know how to answer…… So when are you leaving? It takes two days just to get there, so are you leaving tonight?”

“No. Tomorrow morning.”

Triss tilted her head.

“That’s unexpected. The Glen I remember lately would’ve tried to leave even an hour sooner.”

“Well, you see.”

A sly glint appeared in Glen’s eyes.

“I’m planning to prepare a small bribe so they’ll look kindly on me.”

“A bribe?”

“Well. Nothing that big.”

The confusion in Triss’s eyes deepened further.

Deng—
Deng—

As always, the sound of bells announcing noon rang out from the cathedral’s bell tower.

“T-this sound is!”

A high-ranking inquisitor of the Inquisition.

Judith Rossfeld stopped walking down the corridor and rushed to the window.

Then, for no clear reason, she closed her eyes and began to savor the sound of the bells.

“Haaah…… Only after hearing this sacred sound can one truly say they’ve returned to Istirenne.”

Holding the holy scripture tightly to her chest, Judith fumbled over it with both hands and soon sank into bliss.

“Can you hear it? The sound of praising God spreading throughout the entire world?”

“It’s just a bell. One that rings loudly and annoyingly at fixed times.”

The long black-haired priestess walking with Judith clicked her tongue.

“Sister Katrin, your way of speaking is as rough as ever.”

With a gentle smile, Judith resumed walking.

“I don’t care how others speak. Ah! So noisy! Won’t one of the archbishops ever suggest tearing it down?”

“That will never happen, Sister. For your information, that Bell of the Sun has guarded the same place for nearly 700 years. It is truly God’s—”

“Bell of the Sun or whatever, just continue the report. We need to submit it to His Eminence the Cardinal quickly.”

Katrin brushed her hair back irritably and quickened her pace.

“So. Why did you escort the noble who reported someone, instead of arresting the noble you were told to capture?”

“The defendant was innocent, and the reporting noble had attempted to frame him. I merely uncovered the truth.”

When Judith smiled softly, Katrin snorted.

“Looks like that 700-year-old bell tower is about to collapse. Bishop Judith arresting people selectively? You were called a fanatic—guess there was some truth to it.”

“Some truth…? Of course not. His faith is on a completely different level from someone like me.”

Judith gently closed her eyes. Soon, a smile bloomed on her lips.

“I simply hope we meet again someday.”

“……”

Katrin’s eyes grew cold as she looked at Judith.

She had only asked out of curiosity what kind of person he was, since that crazy inquisitor had let him live.

But—

“If someone like you shows respect, he must be an unbelievably insane madman, even worse than you.”

“Well, I don’t even reach his toes.”

“Just what kind of man is he…… Anyway, forget it. Finish the report. Where is the noble you escorted?”

“Brother Ventilus should be holding him in confinement. He likely finished the procedures by now.”

“Ventilus? Ah, that capable assistant bishop of yours with the bad eye?”

“I believe only one eye has poor eyesight, so he wears a monocle.”

“Who knows. Maybe he just wears it for style… like himself……”

Suddenly, Katrin stopped walking.

The gazes of the two women turned toward the opposite end of the corridor, and the moment Katrin saw the noble standing there, she quickly turned around.

“Judith. Looks like you’re done reporting, so I’ll be going now. Good work. May God’s grace be with you.”

“Yes. May God’s grace always be with you as well, Sister Katrin.”

Only after politely seeing Katrin off with her usual gentle smile did Judith turn her head.

By then, the tall noble who had been standing far away was already right in front of her.

“It is a pleasure to meet the head of the Wordsworth family like this.”

Judith smiled brightly, her eyes curving.

She greeted him warmly, as if she did not know that the noble she had escorted was the son of the man standing before her.

“……It should take at least a week by carriage to reach the territory. Even riding hard, you returned quite quickly.”

“Our Inquisition moves faster than anyone when it comes to swiftly arresting and escorting sinners.”

The tall noble, Henry Wordsworth, frowned.

There was no mockery, no sarcasm, and no guilt in the priestess’s answer.

The gap between her words and her attitude felt deeply unsettling.

“……Bishop Judith Rossfeld. There is something I wish to ask you.”

“Ask as much as you like.”

“I heard that you arrested the eldest son who made the report, instead of the second son who was reported. What exactly happened?”

Hostility flickered in Henry’s eyes.

Yet Judith even had the leisure to feign surprise.

She was not easily frightened, and as someone who frequently interrogated and judged nobles, such situations were nothing unusual to her.

“Oh my. It seems the ravens of your household fly quite swiftly. To hear the news before I even arrived.”

“Answer the question.”

Henry pressed her.

Judith slowly lifted the corners of her lips.

“I cannot explain the details. What I can say is this: your second son was innocent, and he was declared not guilty.”

Henry’s brow furrowed deeply.

That was precisely the part he could not understand, which was why he had asked.

The second son, who had committed countless atrocities in the name of God.

The second son, whom everyone in the territory—including Henry himself—knew would be the most tempting prey for an inquisitor.

Yet the raven sent by the butler delivered a result completely opposite of what he had expected.

Originally, Henry’s concern had been how to cover up this disgraceful incident as quickly as possible.

But now, he was burdened with an additional worry: what to do about the eldest son, who would now face a high-level trial.

‘What on earth did the second son do?’

The result was so shocking that confusion was unavoidable.

And when he tried to calm himself and resolve the situation, he lacked the details needed to form any proper countermeasures.

‘And this woman clearly has no intention of giving me information.’

Henry silently ground his teeth.

If his heart had its way, he would ride back to the territory immediately to learn the full story.

But the holy war council was still ongoing, and he could not simply abandon Edgar, who had already been escorted to the capital.

It was enough to drive him mad with frustration.

“Hoo…….”

The second son aside, the foolish eldest son who had started all of this turned out to be such a painfully troublesome finger.

Still, the eldest was the eldest.

If he did not even attempt to save him, Henry himself would not escape the accusations of other nobles.

“When will my son’s high-level trial be held?”

His ashen eyes, their force weakened, stared at Judith.

“There is no schedule yet, so I cannot say.”

An infuriatingly vague answer.

Henry felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

As the sun set, yellow torchlight rose throughout the estate.

Having finished preparing in advance, Glen quietly left his room.

His destination was the storage warehouse behind the main estate building.

He planned to gather the “bribe” for the Gray Wolf Knight Order that he had mentioned to Triss earlier that day.

‘The storage warehouse…….’

The warehouse was a place with a certain connection to Glen.

Two months ago, at the moment Seong Yohwan possessed Glen, this was the very place he had been standing in front of.

Just before the possession, Glen had been setting the warehouse on fire.

And Seong Yohwan had opened his eyes amid the flames that swallowed the warehouse.

‘It was a ridiculous beginning.’

The family head’s flustered scolding.

Guards and servants hurriedly carrying buckets of water.

And the knights staring at him as if he were insane.

All of those unfamiliar scenes were still as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

A vivid past.

Yet ironically, two months had already passed since then.

‘Well, it’s only two months, but a lot really did happen when I think about it.’

Recalling that turbulent past, Glen let out a small chuckle.

After a short while, the newly rebuilt warehouse came into view through the dense trees.

Soon, the guard standing watch noticed Glen.

“Who goes there?”

Holding a torch taken from the wall, the guard approached.

Glen casually waved his hand.

“Oh, good work.”

“Second young master? What brings you to the warehouse at this hour…… Huh?!”

The guard froze mid-sentence.

Judging by his reaction, he must have remembered the incident where Glen set the warehouse on fire.

“What’s with that reaction?”

“Ah…… s-sorry!”

“It’s not that. Relax your face.”

“Y-yes…….”

The guard quickly bowed his head.

“But, young master. Why are you really here at the warehouse?”

“Just here to get something.”

“To get… what exactly?”

Confusion filled the guard’s eyes.

There was no need to explain further.

“Bring me a cart. A big one.”

“A cart, you say— Ah! Young master! You can’t just go in like that!”

But despite the guard’s attempts to stop him, Glen entered the warehouse without batting an eye.

“Y-young master…….”

“If I take the fire in your hand and throw it in here, hurry up and bring it.”

“Gah! Y-yes! Young master! I’ll be right back, so please wait here!”

The guard rushed outside in a panic.

Judging by how he ran like the wind, he desperately wanted to avoid leaving Glen alone in the warehouse at all costs.

Of course, Glen didn’t care.

“Now then…….”

Step, step—

Strolling through the vast warehouse, Glen slowly looked around.

Soon, his gaze stopped at the stairs leading down to the basement.

He shrugged once and headed straight down.

The already chilly air grew colder, and by the time he reached the basement, a sharp cold filled the space.

It was, after all, a storage area for food.

“Hmmm.”

Looking at the boxes labeled with various food items, Glen nodded.

“Second young maaaster! I brought the cart! Where are you?!”

It seemed the guard had returned with the cart above.

“Come down here!”

Soon, the guard came down to the basement.

He was panting heavily, clearly having rushed as fast as he could.

“Y-you called for me, Second Young Master?”

“Yeah. Now, watch carefully. Remember this. This one, this one, and this one…….”

Glen suddenly began pointing at boxes.

The guard followed Glen’s gestures with a dazed expression.

“And all of this too. Load them onto the cart and move them to the supply wagon. So they’re ready to take tomorrow morning.”

“……Pardon?”

The guard’s eyes widened.

“Why all this food all of a sudden…….”

“Just a courtesy gift. Something like that. Got it? Then see you tomorrow.”

Leaving behind a smiling glance, Glen left the basement warehouse.

Left alone, the guard stared blankly at the place where Glen had disappeared for a long time, completely bewildered.