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The number of knights and monsters that came forward was similar.

As the mercenary knights stepped forward, other knights tried to follow them. After all, knights were the ones who had to be at the forefront in battle.

But one of the knights from the Mad Dogs waved his hand.

"This time, just sit there and watch. I'll show you why we're your seniors."

At those words, the other knights looked at Giselle. Giselle snickered and nodded.

"Let's call it revenge. Leave them alone. They suffered a lot back then."

It is said that one common Giant Mantis is as strong as one junior knight. Those living in the Forest of Demons are definitely stronger.

Even in the past, we would never have won without Giselle's leadership and the efforts of Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor.

The reporters looked a little uneasy, as they had heard that there had been considerable damage at the time.

Saaaaak!

The speed of the approaching giant mantises gradually increased. They ran with brisk strides and immediately swung their front legs at the knights approaching them.

Everyone was shocked to see the speed of the Giant Mantis' attack. It was a speed that even the knights who were watching from a step back felt chills to their stomachs.

Squeak!

But Gillian easily dodged the attack and immediately swung his axe.

Boom!

The Giant Mantis's head flew off.

Immediately afterwards, Kaor and the knights each grabbed one of the Giant Mantises and clung to it.

Squeak! Squeak!

It is clear that the Giant Mantis's attacks are too fast for ordinary soldiers to block. However, for some reason, the knights are easily dodging them and attacking the Giant Mantises.

The knights watching from behind opened their eyes wide.

"What? Your skills weren't that good?"

"How can you avoid it so easily?"

"Shouldn't it be blocked or rolled?"

It was a speed that was difficult to deal with unless they themselves exploded their mana greatly. However, the knights who faced the Giant Mantis were dodging it too easily.

It was as if he had known about the attack before it even started and was avoiding it.

Jiselle, who was watching, explained to the surprised knights.

"They are clearly threatening monsters, but their attack patterns are simple. This is due to their body structure. The back of their bodies are longer, so their attack range is limited, and if they get caught in a blind spot, it's difficult to quickly change direction."

Indeed, upon closer inspection, the Giant Mantis's attacks were incredibly simple. All it did was slash forward or slash horizontally.

When the knights anticipated the attack and turned to the side, the men turned to follow suit, but at a relatively slow pace.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

The knights didn't miss the moment and exploded their mana, slashing at the Giant Mantis' body.

Compared to their sharp forelimbs and fast forward speed, the Giant Mantis's defenses are quite weak. Their bodies are easily torn apart, to the point where their large size pales in comparison.

Jiselle smiled at the sight.

"It's a strategy that everyone learned while fighting and risking their lives. Those who didn't learn it all died. Except for Blood Piton, those guys were the ones who suffered the most damage."

"...."

"Those who survived back then can easily take down one of those on their own. Giant Mantises have very weak defenses. Even back when they couldn't use mana, they could still inflict damage, let alone now."

Of course, the knights who remain behind will be able to catch one Giant Mantis on their own. However, I can't guarantee that they will be able to catch it that easily.

Certainly, experience allows you to develop your abilities to the fullest.

The Giant Mantises were annihilated in an instant. There was no way the Giant Mantises could handle the knights who knew their opponents' obvious weaknesses and whose skills had also improved.

"Wow!"

The soldiers and workers cheered at the amazing sight.

It's so easy to defeat monsters that are rumored to be scary!

"Wow! It's true that the lord conquered this place!"

"The knights are no joke either. Aren't they much stronger than we know?"

"Wow, no one got hurt."

The Forest Guard of the Demonic Clan was even more surprised than the others, as the old memories were still firmly ingrained in their minds.

"There used to be a lot of deaths and injuries, right?"

"It's completely different from then."

"They were all mercenaries… … . Who would have thought they would become this strong."

This battle was a great shock to those who only remembered the horror and danger of that time.

What kind of place was the Demon Forest? It was a dangerous place that no one would dare enter.

The monsters living here can't be easy to deal with. This is because the knights of Fenris have become stronger.

"As expected of the Grand Duke… … ."

All of this was possible thanks to Giselle. People could not help but marvel once again at Giselle's achievements in raising the knights' skills to this level.

The knights who were mercenaries had proud expressions on their faces. They too could not help but feel a sense of emotion at the change in their skills and status since then.

"We really have become stronger."

"I was so scared back then."

"Gaston, I have taken your revenge."

Some people looked proud, while others shed tears as they thought of their old colleagues.

Thanks to the knights' activities, the atmosphere changed in an instant. The soldiers and laborers' expressions brightened with a sense of reassurance.

There was no reason to be afraid since there were so many skilled soldiers among this force.

The wizards all ran to the corpse of the Giant Mantis.

"This is well worth studying."

"The corpse of a giant mantis living in the Demon Forest… … This is truly a precious item."

"Their meat can be used as expensive medicine. Ha, this is really good for men."

The Giant Mantis's forelimbs were sharp and useful for a variety of purposes.

An even better ingredient is meat. It is known to be good for men as a health food and is sold at a very high price.

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The wizards grumbled and carefully cast freezing and preservation spells on the corpse of the giant mantis.

He made excuses saying he was doing research, but it was obvious where he was going to use it.

"Okay, let's get back to work!"

At Giselle's words, the soldiers and laborers moved in unison.

As the tension disappeared, the work speed increased. Some people even hummed songs.

"It's not that dangerous at this point, right?"

"It might end soon, right?"

"You've already secured a pretty large area. It feels like you're just here to log."

The soldiers and laborers were busy with their work, chattering away.

As each area was secured, soldiers and laborers erected new fences, including watchtowers to guard against monster attacks.

Jiselle did not expand her territory blindly because it was the beginning, but stopped at an appropriate line. This was because she also had the purpose of coming to obtain the rune stone.

"We will slowly move inward. We will expand the territory once the entrance area stabilizes."

At Giselle's command, the troops and workers moved in unison again.

The number of laborers had increased significantly since they first entered the forest. Not only were there laborers from Fenris, but there were also laborers from Perdium who were flocking in.

It was thanks to the soldiers in charge of supplying supplies who spread rumors that the Forest of Demons was not as dangerous as they thought.

The laborers of Ferdium had a fundamental fear of the forest. However, after seeing the knights easily defeat the Giant Mantis, the people were relieved that the Forest of the Demons was not so dangerous.

In reality, it was only the beginning, so the monsters were weak, and it was possible because the knights had faced these monsters before.

Of course, it wasn't just laborers who came.

"Your Highness! What on earth are you doing! Moving the territory's troops without permission! This territory does not belong to you, Your Highness!"

Homer appeared, grumbling, and shouted. His face turned red, and it was obvious that he was extremely feverish.

If you bring in only Fenris's troops, there's no reason to stop you from developing the Forest of Demons. But how dare you bring in Ferdium's troops without permission!

Even for a prince, this is a step too far. This guy has never not crossed the line.

Jiselle said nonchalantly.

"Aren't these troops just playing around anyway? They're not a threat, so we should use them in times like this."

"Oh! No matter what, you have to protect what you have to protect! These are Marquis Ferdium's troops! Even if he is your successor, you can't just use him however you want! At the very least, you should discuss it with me and come up with a plan!"

"Then it will take a long time."

"What, what?"

"We expedited the process because it would be delayed if we had meetings and coordination about how many people we would use. Why waste time if we were going to proceed anyway?"

"Oh my! Who are you to say that you are doing as you please! You left the troops on our side? How can you use my father's soldiers so easily!"

Homer started to act like an old fart. It wasn't wrong to call him an old fart.

It is wrong to ignore procedures and act arbitrarily because they are inefficient. Etiquette and procedures exist for a reason.

Of course, Giselle knows that much too. And how to defeat Homer.

"This is the territory we secured. It has really good fertility. Even if you just sow seeds, they grow like crazy. Even if you don't use runestones, just improved wheat."

"So! What is that! It's not even ours!"

"I could transfer it to Ferdium until I inherit the territory."

"Really?"

Homer was shocked and fell silent. It was not often that Giselle would give something of her own so readily.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current Ferdium territory relies on the food and business support provided by Giselle.

The laborers were engaged in economic activities, earning money by participating in road construction and various facility construction.

There were a few new farmlands that Jisel had created, but they were still too expensive to cover the entire territory. That's why we receive a lot of support every year.

But now, in an instant, they have secured a territory equivalent to several villages in size, and they plan to increase it even further. If they just sow seeds in this fertile land, it is certain that the food production of Ferdium will increase enormously.

In fact, giving all the land away was not a losing proposition for Giselle.

'We have plenty of food.'

The reason I came to the Demon Forest was primarily because of the Rune Stone, but the reason I cleared the forest and expanded my territory was to further increase the power of Ferdium.

Fenris is here and I can get by with just securing the other resources.

If Ferdium could produce a lot of food on its own, it could grow even faster than it does now.

And only then could it be of help in the fight against the Duke.

'Young lady, you came for nothing. You should have just stayed still.'

Homer began to sweat and look at Giselle's expression. He helped her fight against Desmond, so he thought he had nothing to lose, so he tried to show his anger, but this happened again.

Jiselle continued speaking with a smirk.

"Please provide more support for the workers. The sooner the better."

"That's why I came to ask if we need more laborers."

Homer's specialty is keeping his mouth shut when he needs to. He's already done it once, back when he was pioneering the forest of demons. The second time was easier.

Anyway, if you participate in the development project, the laborers will earn money, and the economy of Perdium will become more active.

I came here to try and build up my pride, but the reward was too great to hold out for just to protect my pride.

"Please wait a moment, okay?"

As Homer actively intervened, the number of workers coming to support increased rapidly. The effect of publicity at the territory level was bound to be greater than people coming one by one after hearing rumors.

Homer sent there a troop of forced laborers and the remaining soldiers.

Unlike last time, the pioneering project progressed even faster because even dwarves and wizards participated in the work.

The previously pierced path to the Runestone resource site soon changed into a fairly large territory.

On the outskirts of the territory, sturdy, large fences were built without gaps, and watchtowers were erected here and there. There was no problem with materials, as wood was abundant in the forest.

"Hey, if this keeps up, I might actually get a piece of land worth a fief."

"The quality of the trees is also very good. They are large and abundant enough to be used in construction."

"There aren't as many monsters as I thought. I think there were the most during the Giant Mantis period."

There were some monsters that had settled in since the last time they were developed, but since they had already been wiped out once, and since it was also the beginning, it wasn't as dangerous as before.

The newly appeared monsters were not that numerous, and most of them were weak.

The soldiers and laborers walked around smiling with relief. It didn't seem as dangerous as rumored and the work was easy.

There was no need to worry since there were many skilled people who could quickly defeat dozens of monsters.

Seeing people's reactions like that, Giselle thought for a moment. Soon, he called Vanessa over and explained something in a small voice.

"We'll soon be leaving the path we took last time. Prepare as I told you. Explain it well to the wizards as well."

"Okay, I understand. Then to other people… … ."

"No, don't tell me. Just prepare among the wizards."

"Why, why? Then wouldn't it be too dangerous? Other people should know in advance and prepare… … ."

Then Giselle smiled slightly and said

"Everyone is so relaxed. I think the tension will come back a little once they realize it's dangerous."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah. If we keep having fun like this, more than half of us will die at our destination."

At those words, Vanessa's face hardened.