Lord: I can see loyalty.

Outside the village of Bordeaux, four militiamen stood in the bushes at the village entrance, warily looking around. They were all wearing brand-new leather armor. After retaking the village of Bordeaux, Vio had completely refurbished the militia's equipment.

"Everyone, stay alert. Captain Jimmy has instructed us that the lord will be personally inspecting the village today, as it is said that enemies are approaching."

"Is it those bandits...?"

The militiaman who was reminded was a little distracted, his eyes seemingly flashing back to the ruthless appearance of the bandits. The middle-aged militiaman next to him was obviously much calmer, occasionally glancing at the distance beyond the bushes, wary of the enemy that Captain Jimmy had mentioned.

"The lord has arrived!"

A militiaman standing on the newly built watchtower suddenly exclaimed. He had noticed a group of people walking into the village, led by Vio.

As soon as he finished speaking, the other militiamen quickly surrounded him, respectfully kneeling on one knee and bowing: "Greetings, Lord."

Vio waved for them to stand, his gaze fixed on the depths of the bushes. "How is it? Haven't the militiamen who went to scout returned yet?"

"My lord, they haven't returned yet," the middle-aged militiaman answered first.

Vio frowned. He had sent nearly half of his militia this time. Surely they couldn't have been wiped out?

However, he quickly dismissed the idea, since his orders prioritized safety, and unless the enemy possessed the skill level of all knights, it was impossible for none of them to escape.

Just as Vio was stroking his chin in thought, the sound of rapid hoofbeats interrupted his thoughts.

"My lord! They've arrived!"

A figure sped out through the sparse bushes, also wearing the leather armor of the militia.

The man deftly dismounted, knelt on one knee before Vio, and said urgently, "My lord, Captain Jimmy said the enemy is approaching the village! There are probably close to a hundred of them!"

Vio looked closely and recognized the other person as one of the few militiamen who could ride a horse and was therefore chosen as the vanguard.

"Where are Jimmy and Xavier?" Vio asked the other militiamen who were on the scouting mission, without panicking.

"My lord, they are at the rear and should be here soon." The vanguard, covered in sweat, seemed to have been influenced by Vio, and his tone became calmer.

Sure enough, in less than half a minute, Jimmy and Xavier led two groups of militiamen back to the village at a brisk pace.

Ansquie, following the orders relayed by the vanguard, led the remaining militia to the village entrance, and even Gertó of the hunters' team was summoned by Vio.

The sixty-man militia quickly disappeared into the bushes to lie in ambush, each man gripping his weapon tightly.

Vio, clad in Southern Armor, rode on horseback, his eyes fixed on the distance beyond the bushes, with only Gina by his side.

Soon, a figure appeared in sight. He looked around, seemed to confirm something, and waved behind him.

Immediately afterwards, a large group of men wielding various weapons surged out from behind him, just as the vanguard had said, numbering nearly a hundred!

Vio took a deep breath, preparing to give the order to attack, when suddenly a voice rang out.

"Wait, don't do it!"

The entire militia and Vio looked toward the source of the sound in surprise, only to find that it was Gertrude who had spoken!

Hearing the sound, the enemy was thrown into disarray, and cries of "There's an ambush!" rang out from the crowd.

To Vio's and the others' surprise, Gertó walked directly out of the bushes and came to a position where both sides of the group could see him.

"My lord, it's not bandits!" he shouted, "It's the villagers who escaped earlier!"

A stunned response immediately came from the crowd: "That, isn't that Gertrude?!"

Vio was taken aback, but then realized what was happening and immediately ordered all the militiamen to withdraw from the bushes and return to his side.

Once everyone had evacuated, the two groups were completely separated by the bushes. Gertrude stood in the middle, struggling to explain to the group of "refugees".

The leader of the refugees looked at Gertrude in disbelief: "You mean, the lord has already led his men to wipe out the bandits and retake the village?"

After explaining, Gertrude nodded helplessly and was about to continue speaking when a sudden touch on his shoulder startled him.

"What's going on, Gertrude?"

Turning around, Vio saw that the lord had already come up behind him. After listening to Gertrude's explanation, Vio finally understood the reason.

This large group of refugees was a temporary force composed of villagers who had fled from Bordeaux and refugees from other villages.

Their mission was to fight the bandits to the death and retake Bordeaux village.

Vio lowered his head, pretending to be deep in thought, but he couldn't hide his joy, as he was worried about not having enough manpower!

"My lord, they..."

Seeing Vio deep in thought, Gertó seemed to have misunderstood something and was about to plead for them.

"Ahem!" Vio coughed lightly, interrupting him. "Listen, everyone."

"The bandits' rule is over." Vio's gaze swept over the group of refugees, checking the panel one by one.

"I will not hold you accountable for leaving out of fear before, and I will not stop you from leaving again now."

The refugees looked at each other in bewilderment as they listened to his words, and the man in the lead looked particularly grim; he was the first to suggest leaving New Bordeaux.

"Those who are willing to stay, I will give you a month to prove your loyalty again: join my militia for a month, during which time you will not be paid, but I will provide you with food and lodging."

"If you pass the screening after January, you can choose to officially join the militia, at which time you will receive a salary and rations—20 silver coins per month!"

"Those who cannot pass the review or do not wish to become militia members can choose to take up other positions in the village."

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately began to discuss, and many looked toward the militia lined up neatly behind them. Gertó, standing in front of the refugees, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the lord has no intention of purging these "traitors." Many of them are young men from the village, and they are extremely important personnel.

Looking at the travel-worn faces before him, Vio finally said, "Your decision to stay or leave is entirely up to you. Give me your answer before sunset."

After the words were spoken, a brief silence enveloped the village entrance. After a long while, a burly old man with gray hair and burn scars on his face came out.

Vio recognized the man as Old Barton, the blacksmith, one of the most respected elders in the village.

"My lord," old Barton's voice was steady, "you... are you truly serious?"

"I swear by my family." Vio looked into the old man's eyes, "For the next month, you will live and eat with all the militiamen, and the choice after that is in your hands."

The leader of the refugees couldn't help but shout, "Why should we believe you?! You nobles are two-faced..."

The man's tone was unusually excited, and he even unconsciously tightened his grip on the sword. Gina's hand instantly pressed against the hilt, but Vio gently raised his hand to stop her.

"I don't need your trust." Vio's voice was calm. He knew that the refugees below, if they had ever been from Bordeaux Village, were well aware of how much the Ross family had done for Bordeaux Village.

Seeing that no one around him agreed with him, the man in front of him finally gave up.

"All I need is your choice: whether to stay and exchange your actions for shelter and wealth, or to leave and continue your wandering with doubts about me."

"I must remind you that the entire Kingdom of Rovia is not only plagued by bandits in the south. Don't forget why the capital has been slow to send troops to support the south."

These words caused many refugees to show fear. Seeing this, Gertau quickly spoke up: "Old Barton, and all of you... I testify in the name of the hunter that what the lord said is true."

"Look at our leather armor, this newly built watchtower... Bordeaux is different now."

At the back of the crowd, a couple stepped forward and said, "Sir, we'd like to stay."

Like the first domino falling, voices began to rise from the crowd.

"I'll stay too..."

"My lord, please forgive me!"

Old Barton glanced around at his former neighbors, seemingly understanding something, then turned and knelt on one knee before Vio: "Barton the blacksmith, I pledge my allegiance to the lord."

Behind him, countless figures quickly shrank, leaving only a few still standing in place.

Name: Barton Wolfe

Race: Human

Age: 74

[Hobbies: Sword forging, peaceful life]

【Characteristics: Calm, highly respected, robust, and a seasoned blacksmith】

Loyalty: 68%

Vio nodded in satisfaction: "Jimmy."

"Yes, sir."

"Take them to the empty house on the east side of the village to settle them in, distribute food, pick out the women and those with special skills, and have the rest assemble at the training ground at dawn tomorrow." Vio turned his horse around and added, "Have an extra meal tonight, and have the kitchen bring out the smoked meat."

Upon hearing Vio's words, a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd; this addition was more convincing than any vow.

As the sun set, 71 of the 83 refugees chose to stay, while the remaining 12 disappeared into the sunset desert after receiving black bread from Vio's men.

Of the twelve, only the man leading the refugee group was a native of Bordeaux village; the rest were refugees they had recruited from other villages.

Gaelto and Xavier stood on the watchtower at the village entrance. The silver-haired man watched the departing figure and murmured, "I really don't understand."

Xavier, standing behind him, didn't even look up, wiping the longsword in his hand: "The lord has already given them a choice, which is merciful enough."