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Claude nodded at the confident Giselle.

"So you're finally thinking of going back?"

"Yeah, I guess now isn't a bad time."

"The author must be gnashing his teeth, so would it be okay if I leave?"

"It's okay now. The royalist faction is on edge, and there's no longer any place in the north that can threaten us. Even if someone were to raise an army, it would take some time for them to get here."

"Do you have a Raypold?"

Giselle snickered when Amelia's story came up.

"Not yet. I'm not that stupid."

If Amelia had wanted to sweep him away, she would have decided it when they met a while ago. But she made a different choice.

That is why the rebellion of the Barons of Valois is now being left alone, while all the lords and nobles who could be affected are being rounded up and killed.

There is no way she would treat herself carelessly after making that choice.

"And even if we are attacked by surprise and it is dangerous, we have enough defensive forces to hold out until we get back, so there is no need to worry yet."

"Well, if you're so confident… … ."

As Claude nodded, Giselle immediately summoned her followers.

He spoke bluntly.

"I'm going to go get the rune stone. I'm also thinking of getting some other things along the way."

Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor's expressions hardened at those words. They had some bad memories of the Runestone.

"Your Majesty, by any chance?"

"Yes, that's right there. We're going to the Forest of Demons."

"Ugh… … ."

Belinda was about to object, but then closed her mouth. She had gone in headlong even when things were much more insignificant than they are now.

Moreover, now that he had earned the title of the strongest in the North, there was no way he would listen to him.

Instead, he raised another question.

"But do you know where it is this time? I guessed it before, but… … The Demon Forest is big, right?"

"Well, I know. You can get other resources besides runestones along the way."

"How on earth do you know that? Is this just a rumor again?"

I always feel this way, but it's really strange. In the past, we just thought it was a coincidence or luck. But now everyone knows that it can't be like that.

Jiselle blinked for a moment and then said.

"I just know everything. I have my own information."

"...."

"I can't tell you now. I'll tell you later."

Jiselle couldn't joke about dying and coming back to life like she used to. At that time, everyone just laughed and moved on, but not anymore.

Even though he clearly thought it was a joke, he was curious and asked questions about this and that.

So, Giselle quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem, anyway, we need to go a little deeper this time. Let's prepare thoroughly."

"Well, I guess this body, the 'Ogre Slayer', will have to be active again."

Kaoru shook her head and made an arrogant expression.

Even after the war, Jiselle did not send Kaor and the Hunters back. It was under the pretext of entrusting them with the task of policing the territory, but now that I look back, it seems to have been because of the Forest of Demons.

Kaor and the hunters were the ones who were skilled at hunting monsters.

Jiselle unfolded the map of the Demon Forest. Unlike before, the map of the Demon Forest, which only showed the approximate size, now showed some terrain and paths.

"This is our goal."

Jiselle took out her pen and drew a new path, connecting it to the end of the path she had previously created.

He said, drawing a circle even deeper than before.

"There are runestones here. And there are a lot more of them than where we dug them before."

"...."

Everyone was speechless and just swallowed their saliva. They were going crazy wondering how the lord knew such things.

But that's not the point. If the lord's words are true, then this is a huge deal. Everyone's mind is filled with the same thought.

'A lot more than before?'

It is no exaggeration to say that the foundation of this territory's development is the Rune Stone.

You can start off by earning money with runestones, but if you can get much more than that, you can pursue faster progress.

'You can increase the number of farmlands that use Runestones.'

'We can also make the weapons of our knights and soldiers more powerful.'

'The power of the facilities can also be strengthened.'

The runestones I had so far were used only for important purposes, to save money and save money. However, if I obtain more than I had before, it will be a different story.

It was even possible to fill the entire territory with magical engineering.

If your thoughts are the same, your goals will be the same. As the atmosphere heated up, Jiselle said.

"Everyone, do you understand now? Don't worry about this and that and just prepare with all your might. This time, I plan to go while properly securing the territory."

There was no opposition to something I had already done once. And, although it was hard to believe, the rewards were enormous.

The lord's nonsense always returns with certain results. This time too, we just have to look at the results.

Under Jiselle's orders, all personnel began moving towards the goal of developing the second forest of demons.

And this time it was completely different from when I started from scratch.

Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!

Three thousand soldiers move in an orderly manner and form formation.

They were the elite of the elite who had participated from the Cavaldi War to the current Desmond War.

They received rigorous training in the territory, were provided with good food and lodging, and now had the honor of being the strongest in the North.

Their eyes were filled with pride and their every step was full of strength because of their high morale.

The knights were the same. They no longer hid their overflowing confidence. Most of them had never entered the Forest of Demons, but some were mercenaries who had experienced that time.

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"I got rid of those Paloran guys with the lord… … . They can't attack in the dark, right? That's why I used the Light Scroll… … ."

Gordon searched his memory with hazy eyes. His memory was seriously distorted. The incident of urinating in fear after being captured was erased from his mind.

Anyway, the knights weren't afraid of the dangerous rumors about the Forest of Demons either. They had done too many ridiculous things with Giselle to be afraid.

In contrast to the squarely-lined soldiers, there were also groups of people who came in dragging their weapons.

"Hey, I've been there once and I know it's nothing special. I've caught a Blood Phyton before. With the lord."

It was Kaor and the hunters who were smiling with cheeky expressions.

They are people who have experienced all sorts of hardships in the Shadow Mountains. Rather, they are curious about the Forest of Demons, which is full of rumors.

Following this, elves and wizards equipped with bows also formed ranks.

All 200 elves participated, but the wizards chose only 50, mixing them in with the newcomers.

Because a few people had to stay behind to handle the affairs of the estate. Still, since Vanessa and Alfoy had come to the pioneering party, it could be said that all of the main magicians of the estate had participated.

Once all the necessary personnel had gathered, Gillian bowed her head slightly to Giselle.

"I'm ready."

Claude also spoke while looking at the documents next to him.

"We have also gathered all the necessary supplies. We will continue to supply food and medicine through soldiers. Laborers who will participate in the development will also follow."

This time, the way we pioneered was also different from before. We planned to secure the existing territory properly, and whenever we defeated monsters, we would immediately deploy workers to build fences and create a defensive line.

For this purpose, several dwarves and 500 labor assault troops were also brought.

The intelligence of the Demon Forest is incomparable to that of any other place. The place it secures will become a wonderful territory.

"There are enough places for the workers to stay, so I don't think we need to make any other preparations. I will make sure that there are no problems with the supply."

It wasn't for nothing that Jiselle set up a garrison in front of the Demon Forest.

It is currently empty and used comfortably by the guards of Perdium, but it will now be used again by the workers.

Preparations to continuously develop the forest of demons have been in place for a long time.

Jiselle smiled as she looked at the troops before her.

"Good. I can finally prepare for this. It took a long time."

3,000 elite soldiers, 400 knights, 300 hunters, 200 elves, 50 wizards, and 500 labor assault troops.

This is a force that can turn any territory into a wasteland.

It was completely different from when I challenged the Forest of Demons with less than 200 mercenaries.

Belinda and Gillian also looked a little moved.

'At that time, I really thought he was just a guest.'

'Everyone was just trying to stop the lord's actions.'

But look, you've done what everyone else said was impossible, and you've come this far based on that.

The impressions of the two people who watched the entire process from the beginning could not help but be different from those of others.

"Belinda, have you made any other preparations?"

"Of course, don't worry."

Belinda laughed at Giselle's words. She followed him again, but this time it wasn't the assassins.

Once they started to develop, the territory's main force would be emptied. They had to protect the key figures remaining in the territory, as they never knew when or where an accident would occur.

After all preparations and inspections were completed, Jiselle climbed onto the Black King.

"let's go."

Everyone is riding horses. Horsemanship is now considered a luxury in Fenris.

They ran towards Perdium at a fast pace.

* * *

Homer, the governor of Perdium, tilted his teacup elegantly.

"It's peaceful."

A war that almost resulted in a loss ended in victory. It was an unbelievable achievement.

Thanks to this, Ferdium was in a festive mood and its lord Zwalter was able to return to the northern fortress with peace of mind.

"I didn't think a real Grand Duke could do that."

Fenris is now called the strongest in the North. The North is stable. Thanks to the road construction, there is more work and food is abundant.

Now no one can say that Ferdium is as poor as it used to be.

It was all thanks to Giselle. Homer's mind was more peaceful than ever.

While I was enjoying such a leisurely tea time, a soldier came up to me out of breath and said.

"Oh, the Grand Duke has arrived!"

"Oh, really? Our Grand Prince is here? What brings him here?"

"Old, I brought a whole army."

"What? How much?"

"It looks like it's over 4,000."

Homer's face turned pale at those words. Giselle had never led an army of that size before. Not even when he was raiding the timber.

Homer jumped up so hard that his teacup fell and he shouted.

"That traitor has finally revealed his true colors! He wants to take over this place by force! This ungrateful bastard! We helped him in this war!"

"That's not it."

"Then why?"

"They say they will open up the Demon Forest again."

Homer muttered, coughing in vain as he sat down, looking embarrassed.

"Ahem, why does he always act first and then notify? Well, at least he's not hitting us."

Even though he is the grand prince of a territory, he cannot just lead an army and come in recklessly. If it were any other territory, it would have been considered true treason and there would have been a war with my father.

This one is sure to break though.

Homer licked his lips and said:

"You couldn't stop it anyway, right?"

"yes...."

"… … Okay, just tell him to do whatever he wants. He's a guy who doesn't listen to others, right?"

"yes...."

Homer has also changed after going through many things. He knows very well that it is useless to stop Giselle from happening anyway.

In the past, I had been the first to block things and got into trouble many times. This time, I didn't want to block things and get embarrassed for no reason.

The army of Giselle passed through the territory of Ferdium, proudly waving the flag of Fenris.

"It's the Archduke!"

"The strongest in the North!"

"Please look here!"

Wherever Jiselle passed, the people of Yeongji poured out and cheered.

In any case, to them, Ferdium and Fenris are one. So they couldn't help but be proud that they had become the strongest territory in the North.

Belinda's heart was moved when she saw Giselle being cheered on by countless people.

I've seen it a few times before, but it's even worse now, because the location is different.

'It seems like only yesterday I was called the 'Northern Scoundrel'… … .'

A man who had always been ignored saved the territory and became the great lord of the North. Belinda, who had been taking care of Giselle since she was young, held back tears.

'Please stop causing trouble and live in peace. Can't we just leave everything to the royalist faction?'

She clasped her hands together and prayed earnestly, but she knew that it would not happen for the time being.

As we arrived at the Demon Forest to the cheers of the people, the guards were already there.

Jiselle waved at the person in front.

"Hey, Skoban. Long time no see."

Skoban, who had been held captive in the Northern Fortress, was only able to return after the war ended.

He thought for a moment and then said.

"Are you going in?"

"Okay, I'll go in now."

It's the same as before. The difference is that instead of asking to keep it a secret, he went out there and did it openly.

Skoban simply extended his hand and bowed slightly, like a knight escorting a lady.

"Come on in."

Giselle, who was snickering, also showed her knowledge to Ricardo, who was standing behind Skoban.

"I'm glad you're still handsome."

"...thank you."

Ricardo didn't stop him either. The best thing for the Archduke to do is just watch.

Looking at the entrance to the Forest of Demons, Jiselle took a deep breath.

Looking at it again like this, I have new feelings.

'At that time, I risked my life to go in.'

That doesn't mean it's easy now. The Forest of Demons is still a dangerous place.

But he has information from his past life. He had trustworthy subordinates, and both he and they have gained a lot of experience.

It couldn't be different from when I first went in.

The only thing that's the same as back then is the mindset.

'Always do your best whenever you can.'

Jiselle raised her hand again.

"We are here again."

The knights and soldiers stood with their chests puffed out and their weapons clutched. They were not at all frightened by all the rumors about the Forest of Demons.

Their lords boast of the myth of invincibility in this North. No matter what difficulties lie ahead, they will surely be victorious.

Jiselle continued speaking quietly.

"This time, we are not challenging the Forest of Demons."

Jiselle smiled faintly as she looked at the dark forest before her eyes.

"The Forest of Demons will have to stop us."

A red light began to emanate from his eyes.