Lord: I can see loyalty.

The Kingdom of Rovia, in the southern desert.

The autumn wind already carried a hint of chill, swirling sand across the Gobi Desert, where several crude shacks stood.

They were built from dead wood and rags, offering almost no safety whatsoever. Fortunately, it was already winter, and most of the monsters would not appear before humans.

In the village stood a completely different wooden house, the lord's residence. The young lord, Vio Ross, was sitting in a chair, looking extremely troubled, with several respectful servants beside him.

For Vio, who had just transmigrated to this world a few days ago, this was far too hellish a start.

His predecessor was the child of the lord of Bordeaux Village, the "Sand Dune Knight". He enjoyed the best resources in the village and had mastered basic swordsmanship, which can be considered a perfect start.

But not long ago, a new king was crowned in the Kingdom of Rovia, but his majesty was not enough to deter the southern borderlands, where the long-established bandits were stirring.

Bordeaux, a village in the resource-scarce south, was naturally attacked by bandits and is still under the control of those wolves.

During their escape, all the elders of their former family were killed, leaving only Vio with the ability to control the village of Bordeaux.

In fact, the original owner had an older brother, but he left Bordeaux village several years ago to venture to the capital alone and has not been heard from since.

It was clearly not a solution to continue living in this barren land, especially since the bandits would not stop their plundering.

The plea for help sent to the nearest village fortress went unanswered, likely because it had also been captured by bandits.

Just a few days ago, unable to bear the disparity in his situation and the pressure from his people, he chose to commit suicide by poisoning himself.

Vio gave a helpless, bitter smile. What could an ordinary person like him possibly do?

"My lord, you haven't been out for a long time, my people..."

The old servant cautiously approached Vio, but didn't finish his sentence.

Vio glanced at him and understood what he meant. His predecessor had been hiding in the house until his death, and the people's patience was probably about to reach its limit.

"Call two servants and take some bread and dried meat to the village to distribute." Vio stood up, also calculating the family's remaining savings in his mind.

There were about 90 gold coins, enough grain to fill several rooms, and several livestock.

We have several servants and four trained guards.

That's enough to squander for a while.

When Vio stood up, the old servant was taken aback. He had only said it casually every day as a routine, but today this young lord had actually come to his senses.

He then quickly called to the others, and at the same time went to the door and pushed it open. Vio was about to walk out, but after thinking for a moment, he took a fine sword with him.

Stepping outside, a sense of desolation washes over you. There are very few people outside the wooden house, and their spirits are low.

Two guards stood at the entrance, wearing only simple breastplates. Upon seeing Vio, they exchanged a puzzled look before speaking.

"Lord Vio."

The old servant quickly stepped forward and whispered to them the purpose of their lord's visit. Vio nodded in response, while glancing at them out of the corner of his eye.

The two were among the few fighters in the village, but it was clear that they did not have high hopes for the young lord.

Vio's gaze lingered on one of the guards for a moment, and in a daze, his vision became somewhat blurred, with countless black lines emerging from the corners of his eyes like tiny insects.

He was startled. Could it be that the eye problem from his previous life had been brought to this world?

But soon, the lines in front of me began to twist violently, eventually turning into a string of words.

Name: Jimmy Murphy

Race: Human

Age: 25

Hobbies: Sword practice, contemplation

【Characteristics: Calm, exceptional swordsmanship, swordsmanship talent】

Loyalty: 35%

This is... a system cheat code?

Coming to his senses, Vio's gaze swept down and quickly noticed the two columns at the bottom—Characteristics and Loyalty.

Clearly, these two points are the most important for Vio's current situation.

Currently, the "Characteristics" column seems to include attributes such as strength, personality, and talent, while loyalty needs no further explanation.

Jimmy's low loyalty was within Vio's expectations; considering his predecessor's various actions, his loyalty hadn't been reduced to zero yet, which already qualified him as loyal.

Thinking of this, an overwhelming joy surged into Vio's heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

This golden opportunity came at just the right time.

Seeing talent and ability along with loyalty means that, given enough time and manpower, one can build a strong and loyal team.

Defeating those bandits and reclaiming Bordeaux village would not be difficult.

Pulling himself back to reality, Vio quickly turned his gaze to another guard. The information on the panel changed rapidly, but the smile on Vio's face froze.

Name: Luke Harry

Race: Human

Age: 23

Hobby: Chatting

[Characteristics: Humorous, exceptional swordsmanship]

Loyalty: 0%, about to betray!

Betrayal imminent?

His pupils suddenly contracted, and his gaze shifted from the panel back to Luke, the man who had been keeping his head down, but he quickly calmed down.

We can't alert them yet, since they haven't made a move.

Jimmy and Luke had been his father's subordinates for many years and were deeply trusted by the family. They had also protected their young predecessors from attacks on his henchmen on several occasions.

The two were like brothers. If they were to make a move now, even if their former swordsmanship was better than theirs, they would probably be courting death.

After all, one-on-one and one-on-two are not the same thing.

After a moment's thought, Vio cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to distribute food in the village. Come along with me."

As planned, Vio, along with two servants and guards, went to the center of the village to distribute food.

Vio observed Luke's behavior while keeping an eye on him for a sudden attack, but unexpectedly, he remained the same as usual until all the food he had brought was distributed.

It seems that a zero loyalty rating doesn't necessarily mean he'll turn on you immediately; perhaps he's waiting for an opportunity.

The commoners who came to collect their grain rations were similar to the servants, with most having a loyalty level of around 50 or 60. Unlike the guards who had armed forces, they still held a certain degree of awe for their lord.

It took Vio most of the day to complete this grain distribution.

Back at the cabin, it was time for the guards to change shifts. The guards at the door were replaced by two others, both with a loyalty level of around 30.

But at least it wasn't a zero-loyalty guy at the door anymore, he thought with relief.

While sitting in his chair waiting for dinner, Vio began to think about his next strategy.

It seems that Luke is the first problem.

But he couldn't just break ties with him directly, since he wasn't sure of Jimmy's stance. He rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought, his wandering gaze inadvertently falling on the old servant standing to the side.

【Characteristics: Steady, but with limited mobility】

These servants might come in handy...

"Sir, what's wrong? Is something the matter?" Noticing Vio's gaze, the old servant turned around, bowed, and asked.

"Well, dinner is fine as it is. Have all the servants gather here; I have some things to arrange."

The old servant didn't say much and quickly left to run errands. Before long, he returned, followed by several servants, half men and half women.

After they had all lined up, Vio began to use his cheat code to look at them in order.

[Characteristics: Honest, timid, talented singer]

[Characteristics: Mature, taciturn, observant, adept at concealing one's abilities, and agile]

……

Vio's gaze lingered on the second person, a muscular young man with pursed lips. After glancing at the name, he said, "Your name is Cohen, right?"

"That's right."

Cohen was somewhat surprised when his name was called, not expecting that the lord would remember his name.

"I have a task for you. Come to my room later."

After giving a brief explanation, Vio casually glanced at the remaining people, but stopped abruptly when he passed a maid.

Name: Gina Jacques

Race: Human

Age: 18

Hobbies: Food, studying

【Characteristics: Kind, illiterate, superhuman strength, top-tier talent in swordsmanship, archery, magic, and intermediate horsemanship】

Loyalty: 66%

"Gina, right... Come to my room too."