Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter update reminder: Chapter 140 Retaliatory Offensive, read here.

The Gajah Sea, the western sea area.

The sea was not as calm as usual; on the vast sea, several dark figures were cutting through the waves.

A closer look reveals that there are six warships and countless small fast boats.

On the ships, countless people were gathered, and it was clear that each ship had reached its maximum capacity.

The pirates on the lead ships were all dressed in chainmail suits suitable for combat at sea, and carried short axes and long swords.

The pirates stared coldly at their target, Port Friedow, their faces bearing expressions of resignation to their fate.

They were Philip's most elite pirates, numbering nearly a hundred, whose mission was to launch a surprise attack on the still unstable port of Frido.

Philip understood that he could only reclaim his position as the pirate leader of the West by taking back Freedore.

The countless ships that followed were equally crowded with people, all heading towards Freedore, but their faces lacked the panic and murderous intent of the others.

They were outlaws whom Philip had hired at great expense in the West, throughout the kingdom, and even in other countries.

"Hey guys, do you know who hired us this time?"

A muscular man who had lost an eye leaned familiarly on the shoulder of the burly middle-aged man next to him, causing the latter to frown slightly.

"This deal is incredibly lucrative! The employer is spending so much, just for a port?" The muscular man wasn't annoyed that no one was paying attention to him; he just kept pestering him.

"Philip, the pirate from the West, don't you know Philip?" The middle-aged man finally couldn't stand the harassment any longer and spoke up in a low voice.

"Philip?"

The strong man understood that the other party's patience had reached its limit, so he dared not say anything more, but just frowned as he looked at his target.

As a member of the once-famous Grey Hyena mercenary group of the Kingdom of Rovia in the North, he wouldn't have taken on this dubious job if the mercenary group hadn't been wiped out.

He had naturally heard of the pirates in the Western Regions.

Philip, who has occupied several important ports in the West? If that's the case, then Frido Port seems to be Philip's territory as well.

"Friedo Port is quite close to the Southern Border, isn't it..." The muscular man's face grew increasingly gloomy as a plan formed in his mind.

Their Grey Hyena mercenary group had taken on a job on the Blackwood border, but was wiped out by the Southern Earl.

If I and a few of my brothers hadn't been out on other jobs and weren't not present...

This is an opportunity to avenge our brothers. After we finish this job, we'll head to the Southern Territory!

"Everyone, get ready! We can see Freedore Port!"

Warnings from the pirates came from the leading warships, and the hired outlaws squinted, looking at the land that was already faintly visible in the distance.

"That...is it a watchtower? When did Frido Harbor have a watchtower?" Several mercenaries who had worked in the Western Territory noticed something was amiss.

In fact, the pirates at the front had already noticed the changes that had taken place in Frido Port.

In just a few days after that Southern Earl took control of the port, so many watchtowers were built?!

Meanwhile, on the watchtower in Frido, the militia had spotted enemy forces that were faintly visible on the sea.

"Enemy attack! Coming from the sea towards Port Mari!"

In no time, the bonfires on the watchtower were ignited, and the sound of horns rang out continuously.

Then, squads of well-prepared Azure-topped Knights emerged from the alleyways, each carrying a long spear and a large shield. At the same time, a group of militia archers dressed in uniform also came to the shield formation.

They drew their longbows, aimed, and pointed them at the group of pirates and mercenaries who were now almost within reach.

"Land! Disrupt their formation!"

The pirates at the front raised their small round shields, held them above their heads, and charged forward through a hail of arrows as if their lives depended on it.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Arrows rained down on the wooden round shields, a few piercing the vulnerable parts and striking the pirates below, who immediately let out screams.

But most of the pirates roared and charged forward, leaping high into the air and slashing their weapons at the knights who formed a shield formation.

Following closely behind was a group of hired outlaws. Although their equipment was haphazard, it was clearly much more sophisticated than that of the pirates or even the militia of the southern border.

For these mercenaries, equipment is their means of survival and survival. After deducting necessary expenses, the rewards they receive from each battle are all spent on equipment maintenance.

"A bonus of ten gold coins will be awarded for taking the head of an enemy general!"

Someone shouted again from the crowd, and the mercenaries became even more excited, brandishing their various weapons as they moved forward.

But the pirates at the forefront were not so lucky.

Before their weapons could even land on the knights' shield formation, they were pierced by spears protruding from the gaps in the shield, instantly losing their ability to move and collapsing to the ground.

He was then trampled to death by the pirate mercenaries who followed.

"Hold the line!"

"It's the Earl!"

Behind the knight, a commotion arose. Under the protection of his personal guard, Vio, who had not yet left Freedor Port, also arrived at the dock that had become a river of blood.

A knight captain immediately came forward to report.

"My lord, the enemy force should be the remnants of Philip's army! They probably want to take it back before we can establish a foothold in Frido Port."

Vio nodded slightly in response. Without anyone else saying anything, he had already seen the group of pirates, as well as the fierce mercenaries behind them.

It seems that Philip has indeed realized he has been abandoned, and is now prepared to fight to the death.

But clearly, Philip did not expect Vio to be so interested in the port of Frido, as countless watchtowers had been built in just a few days.

Knights and militiamen were already prepared in the city, on guard against enemy attacks.

The watchtower was naturally thanks to the old mage Valentine; with his magical help in transporting materials, the construction progressed exceptionally smoothly.

Meanwhile, the pirates and mercenaries also heard sounds coming from behind the knight's shield formation, as well as the figure surrounded behind it.

"A... a count?!"

"Did I hear that right? The Earl has arrived? Which Earl?"

The pirates frowned even more, but did not stop their attack; it was the mercenaries who were stunned.

They knew that the person who could stand against Philip was unlikely to be a weakling, but they never expected it to be an earl.

"Could it be... that one from the Southern Territory?!" The one-eyed, muscular man's expression changed, it was hard to tell whether it was excitement or fear.

"Nonsense! Who else could it be? The counts in the West have long since submitted to the pirates, and the North and East are so far away..."

The news quickly spread among the mercenaries, and they realized why Philip had refused to tell them the enemy's identity.

I never expected it to be the Earl of the Southern Border!

It's important to understand that most of them are different from the pirates who are cut off from information and trapped in the western border. As mercenaries, intelligence is essential.

They had all heard of the Southern Earl's strength and achievements, and even that they had been exaggerated.

Like his subordinate knightly orders, each one capable of taking on a hundred men, far surpassing the royal capital's knightly orders...

The Earl himself fought five bandit leaders from the southern border single-handedly and held his own...

Are you suggesting we send them to their deaths for a paltry sum that can only be described as generous?

Most importantly, after this short period of fighting, they realized that their combination of pirates and mercenaries could not possibly break through the enemy's shield formation, let alone enter the city!

At most, they would fight to the death and refuse to retreat, ultimately suffering total annihilation, while the enemy only lost a few knights.

After most people learned the enemy's true identity, fear instantly spread among the mercenaries.

They are greedy, but only if they have a chance of winning and can afford to spend the money.

After this idea spread, a large number of mercenaries immediately began to retreat.

Those with their own boats quickly jumped back onto them, while those without boats didn't care much and could only beg for a ride.

On Philip's warship, several pirates who remained behind also noticed the changes on the battlefield. Their faces were grim, and they tried to raise their bows and arrows to threaten the mercenaries into continuing the fight.

"Hey, you lot! You took the money and didn't do anything?!"

"If anyone dares to pick up a paddle, I will order an arrow to be fired..."

"Ah!" Before he could finish speaking, a mercenary equipped with a crossbow shot and killed the other pirate with an arrow. The remaining pirates were also dealt with one by one by the others.

"What a fucking idiot! This Philip's really gone mad!" The mercenary equipped with a crossbow sneered. "Hiring so many mercenaries without even considering whether they can control them? Sending so few men to guard the area, and they think they can stop us?"

With the pirates who stayed behind dead, there were several more opportunities to escape the battlefield. Many mercenaries who were still hesitating stopped worrying about professional ethics and rushed toward the ship.

I was afraid that someone else would take it away and leave me all alone.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You bunch of idiots!"

The one-eyed, muscular man had been staring at the back of the shield formation, seemingly checking something, before realizing that most of the mercenaries had already fled.

The elite pirates at the forefront also suffered heavy casualties and showed no signs of rising again.

"We're mercenaries! We took the money, and now we're just running away..."

No one paid any attention to the burly man's words; they all bumped past him and ran back to the ship without looking back.

The one-eyed, muscular man snorted and spat out a mouthful of phlegm, then turned his gaze back to the shield formation.

"Anyway, my goal is here. It doesn't matter if these cowards don't exist. I can handle it alone..."