Chapter 35

The game difficulty

is insane

In a fleeting moment, a conversation from a week ago flashed through Judit’s mind.

— Wardsworth, you say?

Bentilrus twitched one eyebrow.

Judit, standing opposite him, smiled with his eyes.

— It is quite a tragic matter, isn’t it? That something like this would happen in one of the top three sacred noble houses of the Papal State.

A noble accusing another noble… and not just anyone, but his own blood brother.

In truth, given the Papal State’s nature—where power struggles between children were fierce—such incidents were not rare.

However, for something like this to occur in a prestigious noble house like Wardsworth was rather unusual.

In families of Wardsworth’s stature, fraternal strife usually stayed within the territory and ended there. It was almost unheard of to drag inquisitors from the capital into the matter.

— Indeed. It seems misfortune has finally descended upon the family.

— But even this must be God’s providence. Glen Wardsworth… I wonder what kind of sin he has committed.

Judit slowly closed his eyes and hugged the scripture to his chest.

A sigh escaped him, filled with ecstasy.

As if accustomed to such perverse reactions, Bentilrus adjusted his monocle.

— From the rumors floating around, they say he’s a fanatical lunatic.

— A fanatic and a lunatic?

— Yes. They say he constantly spouts blasphemy about hearing the voice of God. It’s a mystery how someone like that has survived unharmed until now.

Judit tilted his head slightly.

It was a habit that appeared whenever he was thinking or found something interesting.

— A fanatical lunatic… how curious.

— Curious?

— Isn’t that what they call me as well?

Judit’s eyes gleamed.

Bentilrus frowned.

— You knew?

— People whisper it loudly enough around me. How could I not know?

— Ahem…

Seeing Judit always smiling without reacting no matter what people said, Bentilrus had assumed he was unaware.

— Well, I don’t mind. They simply lack faith and therefore cannot understand me.

— Would Glen Wardsworth be the same?

— Impossible.

A laugh escaped him, full of ridicule.

Judit slowly lifted his gaze to look at Bentilrus.

Then he pulled out the Cardinal’s order from his robes and showed it to him.

— This order is the holy will God Himself has bestowed upon me. As long as this is in my possession, why bother questioning whose faith is genuine?

Two men who shared the same nickname: fanatical lunatic.

Yet the means to justify their madness as faith were fundamentally different.

At the very least, behind Judit stood the Inquisition and the Cardinal—forces officially verified in matters of faith.

— After all, Your Excellency’s holy power is real.

Bentilrus straightened his crooked monocle with a firm gaze.

— In any case, as always, I will secure the evidence. So please, Bishop Judit, simply deliver judgment upon the sinner with that sword.

— I look forward to it, brother.

Judit curled the corner of his lips upward.

After that, just as he had expected, everything proceeded smoothly, as if guided by divine providence.

But at the very end, all of it shattered like glass.

Kkaaang—!

A deafening crash that shook the eardrums.

Judit’s sword, which had failed to sever Glen’s neck, clattered across the floor.

Judit fell backward onto the ground.

“Hu…h?”

The eyes that had been swirling with madness were now filled with confusion and doubt.

Everything he had believed to be certain had collapsed in an instant.

— I merely wish to help you realize who God truly stands beside… Bishop Judit.

— Today, you will witness yet another miracle shown by God.

Judit looked up at the boy.

Ash-gray hair fluttering in the wind, eyes of the same color, and a gentle, benevolent smile resting on his lips.

It was as if the boy could see through everything about him, as if he were calmly looking down upon Judit’s own foolishness.

Was I the one who was wrong…?

Ecstasy gradually bloomed in Judit’s eyes as he gazed up at him.

“Ha ha…”

He could no longer deny the truth unfolding before him.

That this ash-gray-haired boy was under God’s protection.

And that he himself had dared to swing his sword at such a sacred being.

A hollow laugh spilled out.

Did… it work?

In the suffocating silence, doubt surfaced in Glen’s mind.

Judging by Judit’s expression—like someone who had gone insane from shock—it seemed to have worked.

Well, to this guy, what else could this situation be but a miracle of God?

He had pierced through Judit’s thinking using his knowledge of him.

He had used the Demon’s Veil with four-star demonic energy to create a mysterious atmosphere.

And with Ensir, he had nullified an attack from a seven-star holy knight.

It was truly a miracle of God, born from strangeness and overwhelming shock.

Of course, the sacrifice required to block Judit’s attack had been enormous.

《Ensir, Shield of Opportunity》

《Grade》 : Hero
《Type》 : Necklace

《Option》
: Once. When receiving an attack that would lead to death, nullifies all damage from that attack. — Consumed upon activation

An artifact known as a one-coin item.

Losing that dependable safety net hurt quite a bit, but if not now, then when would he ever use Ensir?

Better this than hoarding it and dying without ever using it.

“Ha, haha…”

“…Hm?”

Judit, who had been silent with his head lowered, suddenly raised it.

“Aahahahahahaha!”

He clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

The way he laughed—coughing in between—was downright chilling.

“Judit… Bishop?”

“Khk, haha… haa…”

After laughing loudly for a long time, Judit finally steadied his breathing.

“You truly are a Saint.”

Judit’s voice settled calmly.

Then, suddenly, while still seated, he stretched out his arm and grabbed his sword.

Shing—

“Bishop Judit! What are you doing—!”

Judit reversed his grip on the razor-sharp blade.

“My faith was insufficient, and I dared to raise a sword against the Saint’s holy body.”

“It’s fine, Bishop Judit…”

“Therefore, I shall cleanse this grave sin with the blood of an ignorant sinner.”

The crazed laughter from moments ago was gone without a trace.

In its place was the expression of a dignified priest facing a noble death.

Yet the lifeless red eyes held a different kind of madness.

“By washing away sin with blood…”

Alarm bells rang loudly in Glen’s head.

No, this crazy bastard!

Glen urgently kicked off the ground.

Judit smiled faintly as he pulled the sword toward his own heart.

Drip—

Blood fell onto the floor.

But its owner was not Judit.

“S-Saint…?”

“What… are you doing?”

The blade scraped against Judit’s breastplate, and beyond it, Glen’s hand was gripping the edge of the sword.

Judit’s gaze wavered.

“L-let go! I am a filthy sinner who not only doubted the Saint but even tried to harm him!”

“No, why are you trying to wash it away with death?! I’m fine, so—!”

I’m not fine! This sin cannot be cleansed without a sinner’s blood!

“Aaagh…!”

Judit began to sob miserably, trying to pull the sword again.

Each time, the hand gripping the blade throbbed with pain, as if it might be severed at any moment.

“Huuk! My faith was false—!”

“God does not wish for your death! So please, stop!”

When Glen finally pulled out the ultimate cheat code, Judit froze.

For once, his expression looked normal.

Judit stared up at Glen with blank eyes, like a child who had abruptly stopped crying.

“G-God…?”

“Yes! God, Bishop Judit Rossfelt! He already foresaw even the mistakes you would make!”

“R-really…?”

“Of course. God never speaks falsehoods.”

Of course, Glen’s true thoughts were different.

I barely got your trust—if you die here, who’s going to declare me innocent?

If things went that way, Glen would end up being charged with killing a high inquisitor.

So please stop acting up and just stay calm.

“Aah…”

Perhaps Glen’s wish reached him.

The sword slipped from Judit’s hand and fell to the floor.

Judit’s face sank into ecstasy, as if he had been saved.

Suppressing the chill crawling up his spine, Glen tried to steer the conversation.

“Now, first, let me explain—”

But before Glen could continue, things took another turn.

Judit’s gaze dropped to his own blood-soaked hand…

And the resolve he had barely regained collapsed in an instant.

“A-ah…! What have I done! I dared touch the Saint’s hand! I’m sorry! I must atone for this sin—!”

Judit clasped Glen’s hand tightly, his eyes filled with panic.

Watching him, Glen felt goosebumps spread across his entire body.

“Please, stop!”

Ten full minutes.

That was how long it took Glen to calm the rampaging Judit.

Even after that, Glen had to endure all kinds of unhinged remarks from him.

“So, what kind of voice does God have?”

“Am I allowed to hear it?”

“Ah, even just once, I wish to hear His voice.”

Just recalling it made his skin crawl.

Still, judging by the fact that Judit now called him a Saint, it seemed the persuasion had worked.

“Bishop Judit.”

“Yes, Saint.”

“What do you think of me?”

“You are the Saint. The most noble one who has received God’s authority, ‘God’s Touch,’ bestowed by Him—”

“Yes. That’s enough.”

Thus, following Tris, yet another follower who believed Glen was chosen by God had been born.

“First, let’s settle how you address me. In front of others, don’t call me a Saint.”

“But how could I not call the Saint a Saint—”

“Tsk.”

Judit tightly shut his lips.

With the Pope and the Saintess living openly in Istirenne, there was no benefit to another Saint appearing in this remote region.

“Understood. In front of others, I will call you Brother Glen.”

“Yes. Please do. When the time God has revealed comes, I will announce everything myself.”

“Ah… such profound meaning!”

How could someone be this blind?

The man now looking at him with eyes full of loyal trust—like a faithful hound—

It was hard to believe he was the same person who had tried to kill him moments ago.

Well, Judit Rossfelt was always this kind of character.

— Guys, I work in psychiatry and I’m a Gray Eden player. I was bored, so I diagnosed Judit. First off, it’s paranoid personality disorder. Simply put, it’s a condition where someone creates delusions at will and believes them as absolute facts…

A post from the community long ago suddenly resurfaced in Glen’s mind.

From this point on, even if Glen told him to kill someone, Judit would likely accept it as God’s will and draw his sword willingly.

“Well, the title issue is settled. About the on-site trial.”

“There is no need to worry. Saint— no, Brother Glen is completely innocent.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Glen smiled with his eyes.

“A religious trial questions the defendant’s faith. But Brother Glen is a Saint—why question his faith?”

The high inquisitor presiding over the trial had effectively declared him innocent before it even began.

Most likely, using his authority, Judit would release Glen without holding an on-site trial at all.

Edgar’s carefully prepared fake evidence is going to become nothing but trash.

Glen snorted softly.

It felt like all the blockages that had weighed on him over the past few hours were flushed away at once.

But Glen had no intention of stopping at merely proving his innocence.

“By the way, Bishop Judit.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“If my innocence is declared… what will happen to my brother Edgar, who accused me?”

“Ah, in his case, unfortunately, he will not be able to avoid a trial—rather, it will be the opposite.”

In other words, the backlash had hit him.

Naturally so.

If the noble he accused turned out to be innocent—even if they were family—there had to be consequences.

If one were to name the crime, it would likely be false accusation.

Glen smiled with his eyes, hiding the sharp glint within them.

“My brother is truly pitiful.”

“If God wills it, the matter may pass without incident.”

Judit looked at Glen with eyes full of expectation.

He seemed to be suggesting Glen pray to God and ask for mercy on Edgar’s behalf.

“When I have time, I’ll pray to God and ask about His will.”

Of course, it was empty words.

Glen had no intention whatsoever of praying for Edgar.

Naturally, since Edgar was a noble and the family’s eldest son, they would consider the head of the family and avoid severe punishment.

That’s a matter for the family head and the Inquisition to deal with later.

What Glen needed to do now was use every means available to completely crush Edgar.

And just in time, I’ve obtained a very powerful and dangerous weapon.

“Usually, people become obsessed with revenge against those who accuse them… As expected of the Saint!”

“Mercy is an important doctrine.”

Glen showed Judit his public-facing smile.

“Of course, I don’t know what answer God will give either.”

For a brief moment, murderous intent flickered between his curved eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED....