The Game Difficulty
Is Crazy
“Keheok!”
A thick lump of blood burst out through Robert’s lips.
The huge body staggered left and right, then finally lost its balance and collapsed.
Thud—
“Th-this… makes no… sense…”
Robert trembled as he endured the pain.
Glen, who had been looking down at him coldly, slowly lowered his body.
“It looks like you thought you’d be fine as long as you didn’t fall for the same pattern as during our spar. That’s exactly why you failed.”
Back then, the only way to break through Robert’s holy armor during their sparring was the skill Piercing Madness.
But today was different.
A latent ability that broke through the limits of swordsmanship and allowed him to cut even formless power like holy power—Ringless Knight.
And on top of that, the experience he gained through real combat against the Gnoll group.
Unlike Robert, who had stagnated, Glen had grown more than twice as strong in less than a week since that spar.
“Well, expecting someone to change this much in just one week is unreasonable in itself.”
Honestly, Edgar’s decision to send Robert was fairly logical.
He just could not predict Glen’s growth, which far exceeded common sense.
“There’s only one reason you ended up like this. You chose the wrong side. Robert Zendrix.”
Glen let out a quiet sneer.
It wasn’t wrong.
If he hadn’t been Edgar’s guard knight, he wouldn’t have suffered the humiliation of losing to a trainee during a spar.
And he wouldn’t be lying here at death’s door either.
“Keugh…”
“Alright, let’s stop talking about your sad life and get to the point.”
“Th-the point…?”
“Yeah. If you defeat an assassin sent to kill you, what do you do next?”
Normally, you would find out who sent the assassin and what orders they gave.
Of course, who sent Robert and why was obvious.
Still, there might be some interesting details mixed in.
“So, let’s start with who sent you. It was my brother, right?”
“…I-I will confess everything, so please spare my life, young master.”
Oh?
Like master, like servant.
He was willing to sell out the master he served just to survive.
Thinking he was merely an idiot who picked the wrong side was foolish.
I thought he was just a fool with the wrong master, but I guess not.
Glen’s gaze turned icy.
But he soon hid that cold emotion behind a gentle smile and continued.
“I told you. Your only mistake was choosing the wrong side. Honestly, pointing a sword at me is unforgivable. But if you tell me everything about this incident, I’ll consider it.”
Robert slowly lifted the corner of his blood-stained mouth into a grin.
It was the typical look of an opportunist who barely found a way out in a crisis.
“Yes, yes! I will tell you everything I know… Master Glen!”
Well, isn’t that something.
Now he was calling him master.
His behavior was disgusting and vile, but Glen endured it.
I need to hear what he has to say.
Robert obediently confessed the entire truth of the incident on the spot.
As expected, the one behind him was his older brother, Edgar Wardsworth.
Recently, Edgar had not only been openly humiliated by the younger brother he used to look down on, but had also lost the heir’s proof, Ensir, which he received from their father.
Already wounded in pride, strange rumors began spreading among the servants, and the anger he had been holding back finally exploded.
At that point, Glen let out a snort.
“My brother really is emotional.”
Even in a world where brothers often shed blood over pride.
Edgar’s temper was excessive.
He’s bold too. If Sister or Father found out, they wouldn’t let it slide.
Anyway, what followed was exactly what Glen had expected.
Under Edgar’s orders, Robert secretly followed the trainee knights.
While waiting for a chance, he tried to kill Glen when Glen happened to leave the camp alone.
Of course, he failed.
Well, the attempt itself wasn’t bad.
It was just that the opponent was someone who had rotted away in Gray Eden.
If the body hadn’t been possessed by Seong Yohwan, Glen would have ended up as a cold corpse and become a fine dinner for beasts tonight.
If it were the original Glen, maybe this fight wouldn’t have even happened.
“…After harming you, young master, we planned to leave behind the bandits’ weapons we prepared and return.”
“Ah, to make it look like a bandit attack?”
“Y-Yes. Young Master Edgar ordered it. I only… cough!”
“I know, I know. You were just following orders. That’s what a knight is supposed to do.”
Glen nodded repeatedly as he slowly stood up.
“Thanks, Robert. I already expected most of it, but hearing it directly makes everything clear.”
“K-Kheh, I merely did my duty as a vass—”
Stab.
Robert stared blankly, unable to understand what had happened.
Then his gaze slowly shifted downward to the sword buried in his thigh.
“U-Ugh…?”
His pupils shook.
The next moment, the sword embedded in his thigh twisted sideways.
“GAAAAAH!”
A man’s scream echoed through the dark forest.
Glen frowned as if annoyed by the noise and pulled the sword out of Robert’s thigh.
Then, the opposite thigh.
Stab.
“Guhhh! Gaaah… huff!”
Robert struggled to breathe, then glared at Glen with bloodshot eyes.
But Glen’s gaze looking down at him was colder than ice.
“Huff… huff… why… why…!”
“Why what?”
“Y-You said… you’d spare me…”
“Did I say I’d spare you? I said I’d consider it if you talked.”
Glen took out a cloth and calmly wiped the blood off his sword.
That calmness was terrifying to Robert.
“You should be grateful this is all I did. If it were my usual self, you wouldn’t die until sunrise.”
“P-Please, show mercy…!”
Robert stretched out his arm, trying to grab Glen’s leg.
Glen answered by taking a step back.
“This is my mercy. Honestly, is there any reason I should let you live?”
“Th-that is…”
“There isn’t. Right? Thinking about what you’ve done to me, the word mercy doesn’t even fit.”
Robert swallowed hard.
During the spar, he had beaten Glen mercilessly.
This time, he pointed his sword at his life.
He had nothing to say.
“Forgiving you would just make me a fool. Don’t you think you have more than enough reasons to die?”
Glen turned around.
If he left like this, Robert’s fate would be one of two things.
Bleeding to death.
Or being eaten alive by monsters in the forest.
Either way, it was a miserable end.
“If you can, pray you die from blood loss. The monsters here like to tear their prey apart while it’s still alive.”
“W-Wait! It wasn’t me! E-Edgar! That bastard ordered it—! Ugh! Cough, cough!”
Robert screamed desperately, but Glen didn’t even look back.
“What nonsense. Whatever. I’m going to find the grass you trampled. Good luck.”
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
In the end, Robert was left alone, his face frozen in terror.
As the bright moonlight was covered by clouds, Robert’s figure was swallowed by the darkness of the forest and disappeared.
After that, Glen found the Girmo Grass and returned straight to the camp.
On the way back, he met Tris, who had come looking for him, and safely rejoined the camp.
But he said nothing about Robert or the assassins.
Nothing would change even if I told them.
Of course, informing the head of the family and having Edgar punished would be the best ending.
But the world rarely works the way you want.
Even if Glen had captured Robert alive and presented him to the head, Edgar would not be punished.
There was no direct link between Edgar and Robert.
Robert tried to harm Glen, but how could one prove it was Edgar’s order and not a solo act?
It would only make Edgar more cautious and worsen the situation.
As the saying goes, speech is silver, silence is gold.
For now, since he couldn’t grab Edgar by the collar, acting rashly would only be poison.
At least I didn’t just take it.
The damage was already done.
By eliminating Robert, Edgar’s right-hand man.
There was no need to entertain Edgar’s petty schemes any further.
Of course, Seong Yohwan never forgot what he received, whether praise or insult.
We’ll meet again soon, brother.
For now, it was time to grow stronger.
And before long, Edgar would clearly realize—
That what he had provoked was not a mere beehive, but the whiskers of a sleeping dragon.
The next day, as the sun was slowly setting, the trainee knights who had gone for outdoor training finally returned to the mansion.
“Miss! You worked hard!”
“Yeah. Thanks for coming out to greet us, Lucy.”
Warm welcomes from the servants followed.
The returning trainee knights shouted—
“Beds!”
“Baths!”
“Food!”
—while running through the front gate, releasing two days’ worth of pent-up desires.
“Hey now! You’ll soon be full-fledged knights. Acting so recklessly—!”
“It’s fine, Sir Gregory. Please let it slide just for today.”
Tris watched the trainee knights rushing into the mansion with warm eyes.
Soon, even the strict Gregory shrugged in defeat.
As Glen watched the scene with amusement, someone suddenly approached him.
“I thought you might drop out midway and return to the mansion, but you endured well.”
The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
Glen turned his head with the same polite smile he always wore.
“You even came out personally to greet us. I don’t know what to do with myself, Brother Edgar.”
“Hmph. I only came to greet Sister. So, was there any trouble?”
A strange glint passed through Glen’s eyes.
“No. Everything went smoothly without incident. It was very beneficial training.”
“…I see. Nothing happened?”
His reaction wasn’t much different from usual.
But the gaze looking at Glen was noticeably more cautious.
As if trying to read something from his face, a sharp light lingered in Edgar’s eyes.
Even that looked trivial.
“Yes. If I get the chance, I’d like to go again.”
Glen left no opening.
Despite the deadly battle with Robert the day before, he smiled gently as if nothing had happened.
“……”
Edgar, who should have continued the conversation, fell silent.
As the atmosphere grew awkward, Tris stepped between the two brothers.
“Oh my, Edgar. Did you come all the way to the front gate just to greet us?”
“Yes. You worked hard too, Sister. The trainee knights must have been quite troublesome.”
“No, no. They’re the ones who worked hard. Father is doing well, right? Actually, about this training—”
Tris excitedly poured out various stories to Edgar.
Edgar nodded and responded from time to time, but he couldn’t hide the uneasy expression unique to him.
“Brother, Sister. I’ll head inside first.”
“Alright. Good work, Glen.”
“……”
Glen headed straight into the mansion.
Edgar could only stare at Glen’s back with confused eyes.
How did he come back alive? Did Robert fail? But if so, Sister would know…
He had even prepared to cut off the tail just in case.
But judging from the situation, it was as if Robert never even attacked Glen.
His confusion deepened.
…Did that lowly thing disobey my orders and run away?
“Edgar? Are you listening?”
“Ah, sorry, Sister. I was lost in thought. You should go in and rest as well. Why don’t we talk after you’ve rested?”
“Hmm… that sounds good. Thank you.”
After Tris left, Edgar finally revealed his face.
A mixture of confusion and rage.
What the hell happened?! At the very least, the soldiers I sent with Robert should have returned!
He had even given separate instructions to one soldier just in case, but there was no news.
After causing such a mess, it felt like he was the only one being left out at the end.
Especially the sight of his younger brother returning unharmed and smiling as if nothing had happened.
Crunch.
Just thinking about those smiling eyes and that casually grinning mouth was enough to drive him insane.
If there had been a teacup beside him, he would have thrown it against the mansion wall.
“Hoo… hooo…”
A deep breath.
Suppressing the boiling anger, Edgar regained his composure.
Fine. He just returned today. By tonight, Robert or those trash soldiers will return and explain everything.
Still, one thing was certain.
He had failed to eliminate Glen.
Edgar acknowledged that fact and decided to wait for the next opportunity.
But the next day came, and neither Robert nor the soldiers returned.
That day, unable to contain his rage, Edgar threw five of his favorite cups against the wall.
