Lord: I can see loyalty.

Outside the village of Bordeaux.

The bandits stopped their pursuit and rested in the square, panting heavily. Not far away, Ansquie was hiding in a house, gripping his sword and leaning against the door, carefully observing the enemy.

Even though these bandits were incredibly stupid, they realized something was wrong, and they also discovered that the militia dared not fight them head-on.

"Captain, what should we do?" The militiaman standing next to Ansquie looked at him worriedly.

"Quiet."

Ansquie frowned, his gaze fixed on the main square. According to the lord's plan, he was to lure the bandits until the lord killed their leader.

But the bandits realized something was wrong much faster than they had anticipated.

The militia's energy was almost completely depleted, and if the stalemate continued, the militia would probably be the first to starve.

Should we retreat? The thought had barely crossed Ansquie's mind when he quickly dismissed it.

Retreat at this point would be tantamount to betraying the lord and causing their deaths.

Looking at the militia behind him, who hadn't complained, Ansquie understood what they were thinking. After thinking it over, he seemed to have made a decision and stood up.

"Everyone, prepare for battle! The lord has dealt with the bandit leader and is on his way." Ansquie's eyelids twitched slightly after he finished speaking; he had no idea about the situation on the lord's side.

But right now, retreating is the best option; he must fight his way out and reunite with the lord.

Upon hearing the news, the militia members were initially taken aback, but then they picked up their weapons and regained their fighting spirit.

Ansquie forced a bitter smile, kicked open the door, and was about to hurl insults at the bandits in front of him when a round object flew through the air and was thrown into the bandits' ranks.

"That is...?"

Not only were the militia stunned, but the bandits also looked in confusion at what had flown into the crowd.

"M-Master!" A scream erupted from the bandits, and many of them were so frightened that they retreated.

What flew into the bandits' ranks was Sean's bloody head!

"Your leader has been slain by Vio Rose, son of the Dune Knight, Baron of Gahai, and Lord of Bordeaux Village!"

On the steps not far from the main square, a figure, facing the dawn's light, raised his sword and pointed it at the stunned bandits below, accompanied by several fierce warriors.

"It's...it's the people from Bordeaux village who's come back!"

As soon as one of them shouted, the bandits below panicked. Ansquie quickly recovered and seized the opportunity to raise his arm and yell, "Charge!"

The militia, seeing Vio, seemed to see victory, and poured out of the houses, rushing towards the bandits.

The bandits looked around in panic and were shocked to find that not only was their leader dead, but how come there were still so many enemies left after fighting for so long?

Some of the bandits simply dropped their weapons and tried to kneel down and beg for mercy, but were beheaded by Ansque, who rushed in and slashed off their heads with a single sword stroke.

The remaining bandits finally realized that the situation was hopeless, and they scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing out of the village in complete disarray.

The entire southern region is now overrun by bandits; why risk your life for a dead man?

With Jimmy and others joining the battle, the war in Bordeaux village turned into a one-sided massacre, and the number of fleeing bandits dwindled rapidly.

As dawn broke, sunlight fell upon the war-torn village of Bordeaux. With the last few bandits disappearing into the desert in the distance, the battle came to a complete end.

……

When Vio woke up again, he was greeted by a familiar gray-white ceiling.

Beside me were soft, fluffy blankets, enveloping me in comforting warmth. Winter in the Southern Territory wasn't cold, and lying in these blankets was just the right amount of comfortable.

Vio rolled over contentedly, while Gina tidied up the room beside the soft bed.

He returned to his house in Bordeaux!

"Lord Vio, you're awake? Are you feeling better?" Gina, who had her back to him, turned around as if she sensed his gaze.

Vio then noticed that he was shirtless, with herbs he couldn't name smeared on his shoulders and arms.

He fainted after confirming that the bandits had fled...

Vio glanced somewhat embarrassedly at Gina, who had actually defeated Sean. She recovered quickly, as if she had never been injured.

"I'm fine. How's the village now?"

Vio waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need help, and struggled to sit up from the bed.

"Don't worry, Mr. Jimmy has already sent people to pick up the villagers and bring them back to Bordeaux Village, and Gertrude is also managing the reconstruction work of the village."

As she spoke, Gina seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Xavier and Ansquie are handling the militia."

After hearing her report, Vio finally breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed his body, and looked outside. He could already hear the villagers talking...

In just a few days, Vio fully recovered and began to take over the village's work.

To Vio's delight, not a single member of the militia died in this battle against the bandits! Although several were seriously injured, some even suffering lifelong disabilities, it was still better than losing their lives.

Vio also promised the people that he would arrange the simplest job for them and provide them with security for the rest of their lives.

After completing the post-war inventory, Vio began to take stock of the remaining supplies in the village.

The bad news is that much of the food and land has been ruined.

The good news is that they have enough food left to get through the winter!

Gertó soon withdrew from the militia and, on Vio's advice, formed a hunting team, which became one of their sources of food.

Cohen, along with the ten men Vio had previously identified during the militia's screening, formed a "Brotherhood" named after Vio.

Vio's first task for them was to establish contact with the Cavill Fortress.

After all, Vio understood that if even the largest fortress in the southern region was occupied by those bandits, then the only target left for the bandits in this desert would be Bordeaux Village.

In the vast mansion, Vio sat on the carved lord's chair, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin as he pondered how to deal with the other bandits.

Beside him stood Gina and his old servant, tidying up the clutter on the table.

Just as Vio was pondering, a rapid knocking broke the silence, and the mansion's gate was being pounded on.

"Come in." Vio snapped out of his thoughts, raised his hand to signal, and the servant at the door opened the door in response.

The newcomer was Jimmy, who had been appointed as the militia captain. He frowned and looked grim, and gave a simple salute on one knee.

"My lord, I have urgent news to report!"

Vio pushed the map and documents aside, frowning, and said, "Speak."

Jimmy then looked up, his voice slightly hurried: "Sir, this morning when I was leading the militia on patrol around the village, we discovered a large group of armed men approaching the village!"