“Gramox. A tree-type demon that catches prey with its roots and devours them. It seems that because it spread its roots under the camp all night, no other demons appeared.”

“Weakness?”

“The mouth. It should have a mouth somewhere around here. If you don’t destroy it, cutting the roots is pointless; they’ll just grow back. Rescue the hanging person later; prioritize taking out the mouth.”

As long as it doesn’t eat us.

Ignoring other damages and focusing on removing the mouth first was the right approach.

And that, under the current circumstances, should be done as quietly as possible.

“Showpen, please alert our soldiers once again. Even if it catches someone, absolutely no noise should be made.”

“Understood!”

“Let’s go, Lydia.”
When unexpectedly attacked, the action protocol was already established.

While the designated knights and soldiers held off the demons, some members of the Astaroth Knights protected me, Helene, and the priests.

Familiar faces among the knights rushed towards me, swapping places with Showpen. Following their lead, I evacuated to the designated location.

Kyaahhh!!!

The moment I entered the safe zone, lo and behold.

A sound like sizzling acid echoed from the sky, and the Jazte group appeared.

Appropriate noise wouldn’t be much of a problem, but when people hanging from Gramox’s roots screamed wildly, it would be challenging for Jazte to pretend not to hear.

“Ack!”

At that moment, a young laborer who hadn’t yet entered the protective net had his ankle caught by the roots.

Slipping on the slippery floor, he was being dragged away. Without second thoughts, I immediately wielded my hand to release magic.

“Heuk!”

“Hu, Hwanghu Empress?”

The red mist spreading from my hand enveloped the wooden roots. Then, a flash, and a golden lightning struck down, instantly corrupting the roots.

‘Ah, nice. Since going through the maturation phase, it adheres perfectly to my hand. It has become very useful.’

Having a good affinity with the new magic gained through the human body is one thing, but efficiently utilizing the maximum power with the minimum effort requires a honed combat sense.

I don’t want humans to be terrified just by looking at my power. It’s just as much as they can handle. Using only a slight amount of magic, I rescued the laborer.

“This is the power that appeared in my dream last night, bestowed by the gods. Do not be afraid. I will protect you.”

After adding such a plausible word, the people murmured in awe.

“Thank you. Thank you, Empress!”

The grateful young laborer crawled forward, shedding tears. Seeing the red acne on his face, it seemed he was quite young. How did he end up following me all the way here?

‘Perhaps he risked his life for the promise of a large sum of money.’

If that’s the case, it’s even more regrettable to go back after sacrificing his life.

Whether it’s war or extermination, the lead role is played by the knights. The priests or soldiers are considered supporting roles. However, they alone cannot wage war.

Those who manage food supplies, organize supplies, and care for the warhorses.

The workers who do the dirty work, such as finding firewood and fetching water. Or laborers.

They were also undoubtedly part of the expeditionary force.

But no one bothers to protect them.

Even now, as non-combatants, I, Helene, and the priests are protected, but it’s just a matter of coincidence that they are guarded too.

“Don’t cry. You’ll have to get used to facing such creatures continuously in the future.”

“Yes, yes. But I didn’t expect Empress Hwanghu to save a lo… lowly person like me…”

The young laborer sobbed, his shoulders trembling.

I patted the shoulder of such a laborer once and left him alone, checking how the situation would unfold.

Pajik!
At that moment, Shail, who had emerged in the airspace, used area-of-effect magic to burn the tree roots. Meanwhile, Merem, who had charged in through the opening, attacked what seemed to be the mouth.

Realizing imminent death, Gramox resisted the last resistance, but Shail and Merem together could not be stopped.

‘Gramox is not a weak demon like Jazte. It worked in our favor that he made quick judgments. At this rate, there will be almost no damage.’

Observing the two, I was satisfied that without the need for Enrique or Crusade to intervene, the situation had been resolved.

After a few thunderous sounds, Gramox’s ‘mouth’ was destroyed.

Without a ‘mouth,’ Gramox’s life force itself ceased to exist, causing all the roots to wither simultaneously. Therefore, there was no need to worry about the people hanging.

‘Let’s see. Shail has resolved Jazte as well.’

However, that was the moment.