Lord: I can see loyalty.

"emission!"

As the captain gave the order, wave after wave of arrows rained down on the remaining pirates, followed by screams of agony.

The pirates had long lost the killing intent they had before the battle. Their injuries made it difficult for them to raise their round shields for defense, and they didn't even have the thought of escaping.

Only death.

Having fought and plundered for years, they knew that this raid was a complete failure; the moment they were discovered, the defeat was already sealed.

"Kill! Kill the Earl!"

The pirates mustered their last bit of strength and roared as they charged toward the unmoved knights' shield formation, the sound of flesh being pierced by spears ringing out.

Amidst the chaos, a one-eyed figure's smile deepened; this was a golden opportunity for him...

"Jimmy, tell them to remember to leave prisoners behind. We also need to know how many men Philip has left, but it shouldn't be many."

Behind the formation, Vio simply watched the bloody scene before him with a blank expression. This was no longer a battle, but a pure massacre.

"Understood, Your Excellency." Jimmy, clad in full plate armor, bowed slightly. "The knights are not pirates; they will hold back."

Vio simply nodded in response.

Just then, a militia captain and a knight captain, as if they had finished discussing something, trotted up to Vio and bowed respectfully.

"My lord, the battle is basically under control. The enemy is estimated to have a hundred elite pirates and about three hundred mercenaries. Half an hour into the battle, only a hundred remained, and the rest of the mercenaries escaped by ship."

After the knight captain finished reporting, the militia captain added, "We have five seriously wounded and sixteen slightly wounded, but no fatalities."

Vio nodded in satisfaction; this was exactly what he had expected.

Although this group of pirates were the elite of the elite, seasoned veterans among pirates, their equipment and tactics were far superior to those of the Azure Peak Knights.

"Give the order to inspect the remaining enemy ships, and prepare our own warships. Get the sailors and soldiers ready!"

Vio swung his hand, making a grabbing motion, pointing directly at Port Mari, west of Frido.

"Yes, sir!"

Just as Vio withdrew his hand, preparing to return to the city to prepare for battle.

call!

Before he could even see the person, a silver light flashed past Vio's eyes, and then Vio saw the one-eyed face beneath the sword light.

The other person's eye socket, which had lost its pupil, was twisted and deformed, with countless wrinkles spreading out along the edges, making the other person appear exceptionally fierce.

Assassin? No, this is no longer an assassination, this is a blatant sneak attack.

But Vio reacted extremely quickly, leaping backward the instant the sword light appeared, causing his opponent's sword to miss its mark.

The one-eyed man was clearly taken aback, but his body did not hesitate. He quickly parried several sword strikes, trying to hit Vio.

"Attack! The Earl has been assassinated!"

The two captains, who hadn't gone far, and Jimmy, who had just turned around, reacted at the same time. Their eyes blazed with anger, they drew their weapons, and pounced forward.

The opponent clearly did not expect that all of his sword strikes would be dodged by the count, and at the same time, the count had already drawn his sword.

Bang!

The two captains threw themselves to the ground as if their lives depended on it, exposing their vitals while pinning down each other's legs. Before he could make a move, Jimmy stepped forward and swung his sword!

I'm hungry!

Blood gushed out, and the opponent's chest, along with his leather armor, was ripped open, instantly rendering him unable to move. He could only clutch his wound and kneel on the ground.

The two captains changed their positions, holding down his arms and shoulders to immobilize him.

Vio merely waved his hand slightly, signaling Jimmy, who was about to decapitate the opponent with a single sword strike, to stop.

Then, with a flicker of his brow, a panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Zain

Race: Human

Age: 27

[Faction: Individual mercenary, former member of the Gray Hyena Mercenary Group]

Hobbies: Fine wine, sword practice, chatting

【Characteristics: Stealth, highly experienced in combat, extremely fast, advanced level in basic swordsmanship】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

[Status: Pain, anger, oppression]

"Grey hyena?"

Vio blurted it out instinctively.

Upon hearing Vio utter the name, the other person's expression changed, then turned into a sneer filled with anger.

"You cowardly count, you actually still remember us Gray Hyenas? Bastard, I'll kill you with my own hands..."

"If I hadn't been away, you wouldn't have been able to wipe out the Gray Hyenas!"

Vio was unconcerned by the ferocious expression on the other's face as he uttered those words, but was somewhat surprised by the other's advanced level of basic swordsmanship.

It's worth noting that the Gray Hyena mercenary leader who attacked him in the Black Forest was only at the intermediate level of basic swordsmanship.

It seems that the person didn't rely on force, but rather used their own methods to suppress their subordinates? Of course, it's also possible that this former member himself has become stronger during this period.

"Our Commander William..."

"Your name is Zane, right?"

Upon hearing Vio's words, the other party's expression changed drastically, showing disbelief.

"You...you investigated me?!"

"How could that be? A nobody like him isn't worth me doing this for." Vio replied somewhat speechlessly, his expression turning calm.

"It was your Commander William who told me; he's been talking about you a lot."

Upon hearing this, Zain was even more incredulous.

"What do you mean? Could it be...?"

"You might have guessed right." Vio sneered, "After your Gray Hyena mercenary group's attack failed, the remaining members have already joined the Southern Territory and are now carrying out missions in the Black Forest area."

Zain was completely dumbfounded; he hadn't expected this answer.

Vio didn't deceive them. After the failed attack, William, the leader of the Grey Hyena Mercenary Group, was captured by Vio and his group. When they returned to the Southern Territory after completing their trip to the capital, he chose to join the Southern Territory and become a free mercenary group.

It's not that Vio thought those mercenaries, whose combat strength was inferior to that of the knights, could be of any use on the battlefield.

Rather, he understood that the other party, as a mercenary wandering on the edge of the North and South, and who had once been employed by the kingdom's steward Harold to deal with him, might be useful in future conflicts with the capital.

You must know that things have been quite turbulent in the capital lately, and the kingdom's chief steward, regardless of which side he's on, definitely harbors ill intentions towards him.

"Join the Southern Territory? How...?"

"Zane." Vio interrupted his thoughts, returning to reality, and looked at the one-eyed man. "I don't want to waste any more time on nonsense. I'll give you two choices."

"Submit to me, or die here, your blood splattered everywhere."

The other's single eye met Vio's emotionless pupils, and he actually saw a terrifying chill in that young gaze!

"Since Commander William has already submitted... I have no reason to fight." He could only look away to ease the pressure from Vio.

Vio gave a signal, and the two captains released their grip, simultaneously kicking away the weapons beside him.

He struggled to his feet, knelt on one knee before Vio, took a deep breath, and said, "I, Zane, am willing to submit to the Southern Territory, and to Your Excellency the Earl."

Loyalty: 42%

"Good attitude." Vio smiled slightly and nodded. "Jimmy, have someone arrange for him to go to the Black Forest with the Gray Hyenas."

"Yes, ma'am."

Soon, Zane, led by several captains and Jimmy, left the area and headed towards the southern border.

Vio looked once again at the battlefield, which had now completely calmed down.

The pirates suffered countless casualties, and a few were pinned to the ground by several burly knights, no longer having the will to struggle.

They won a great victory in this battle.

"Are the warships ready?" Vio stepped forward and asked a knight captain.

"Everything is ready, the sailors are ready, and the Black Pearl pirates are waiting at the dock."

Vio nodded slightly, his gaze turning to the western port of Mali, his expression gradually turning cold.

"Next target, Port of Mali..."

"Philip the Pirate".

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