Lord: I can see loyalty.

The following day, in the western region, at the port of Soldato.

This is the territory of Derek, the pirate from the West, and also the place in the entire West that produces the most warriors and pirates.

Walking along the alley, you can see several warriors with long knives at their waists and broadswords on their backs every few steps.

They were either Derek's men or mercenaries drawn by the reputation of the Western Regions as a "lawless land," but what they had in common was that they were all incredibly ruthless and warlike.

At the heart of this land of warriors stands a stone fortress tens of meters high.

On the stone watchtower, two or three pirate warriors were patrolling together, their faces solemn and lifeless, devoid of any emotion.

They were Derek's most elite warriors and most loyal pirates.

At that moment, a faint sound was coming from inside the pirate fortress.

Derek sat on his high chair, surrounded by dim, yellowish light, with two rows of soldiers standing silently on either side of him, holding long axes in their hands.

They wore uniform heavy chainmail and spectacled helmets modified from nasal helmets, obscuring their faces.

"Lord Derek, that's the situation. According to our informant, Philip has been publicly beheaded in the square of Freedore."

A lean warrior clad in simple leather armor was kneeling before Derek, between two rows of warriors. Long blond hair covered his face, but scars were still visible.

"Dead? Is he dead...?"

Derek sat on the high chair with his head down, tapping the armrest with one hand and resting his chin on the other. No one could see his expression.

"Even Philip, who controlled a vast fortune and commanded at least five hundred elite pirates, is dead." Derek finally looked up. "That cunning fellow actually fell into the hands of a young lad from the South?"

His face was extremely calm, even devoid of color, as if he had no emotions, completely different from his usual carefree demeanor.

But these trusted confidants all understood that this was when Lord Derek was at his angrier.

Therefore, none of the two rows of soldiers looked up; they simply remained motionless in their positions.

The lean, long-haired warrior who reported this waited for Derek to finish before continuing, "The other party is the Earl of the Southern Territory. Perhaps we underestimated the Southern Territory before."

"According to current intelligence, the bandits in the southern border had already been wiped out by this count when we were preparing to take action. He is said to be the son of the Knight of the Dunes."

"The Dune Knight?" Derek frowned slightly. Even with his extensive knowledge, he had never heard of such a person.

"It is said that he is a baron from the Southern Territory, which means that this Southern Territory Earl is not a nobleman sent down from the capital, but established himself in the Southern Territory on his own."

Derek looked at the lean, long-haired warrior in front of him with an emotionless gaze, and said coldly, "Karl, what do you think our next step should be?"

The lean, long-haired warrior known as Karl raised his head again and delivered the prepared speech.

"Lord Derek, we can no longer underestimate the enemy. I believe we should send a large force to take over Philip's former territory first."

"snort."

Derek sneered after hearing this, but a smile finally appeared on his face. He said in a flat tone, "As expected of my longest-serving subordinate, you share the same thoughts as me."

"However, there is one more thing that is strange."

"Is that so strange, sir? May I ask...?"

Carl was somewhat confused.

Derek stood up, picked up the map of the Western Frontier from the small table beside him, and his face gradually darkened.

Even if Philip can't defeat that count, he won't just sit and wait to die. That guy will definitely try every means to escape.

"This...it's said that the count was the first to occupy several fishing villages leading to our side, leaving Philip with nowhere to escape..."

"No, don't forget about Timothy." Derek shook his head, his gaze falling on the northern part of the western border on the map. "This woman is most concerned about border defense. If the Earl of the Southern Border has sent a large number of people there, she will definitely find out and take action."

"But she didn't intervene, nor did she let Philip pass, so there's only one possibility."

"She betrayed the West." Derek's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

He understood that even if the woman in the northern part of the western border had a bad relationship with Philip, she would not prevent him from passing over some personal grudge.

There's only one possibility: this woman is in cahoots with the Southern Border!

"Karl, send some elite troops to garrison the former Philip border. Be careful that the count might launch a surprise attack."

"Yes, ma'am." Karl nodded in agreement.

Derek shifted his gaze from the northern part of the western border to the upwards.

His gaze swept across the western border, then through the northern border, the capital, and even the entire Kingdom of Rovia.

Finally, they stopped on the distant northern continent.

"In that case, it's time to bring out my old acquaintance."

…………

Western border, Frido Port, Frido Stone Tower.

Top floor.

Outside the window, the weather was the typical gray and hazy of the Western Regions. The sea breeze, carrying a fishy smell, drifted in through the open window cracks.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, dispelling the chill of early spring.

Vio sat in the chair that Philip had once sat in, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.

Across from him, Timothy leaned lazily against the window, also holding a teacup, his gaze fixed on the distant sea.

"The same place," she suddenly said, her voice tinged with emotion, "but being with different people makes it feel so much more comfortable."

Vio looked up at her, but didn't respond; he just smiled.

Timothy turned his head, his bluish-gray eyes landing on his face for a moment before looking away.

"That Philip, when he was alive, he wanted to make this place look like a palace, but now that he's dead, you're the one who benefited."

"You're letting me off easy?" Vio chuckled. "This place is now under the jurisdiction of the Southern Territory; it's not my private property."

Timothy raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

They fell silent for a moment.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air, and the firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped.

"Let's get down to business." Timothy put down his teacup, his expression becoming more serious. "So, you're going to take action against Derek next?"

Vio nodded.

"You can't hide it from me."

"I didn't investigate; you never intended to hide it." Timothy sat down opposite him. "Philip is dead, and he'll definitely be next. Philip's territory borders his; even if he doesn't come to take it, you'll definitely fight for it."

Vio didn't speak, he just looked at her.

Timothy's gaze fell on the map, and he spoke calmly:

"You'd better watch out for Derek."

"How so?"

"He seems carefree and rough around the edges, but that's all just an act." Timothy gently picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "In reality, he values ​​his life more than anything else."

"This kind of person is very difficult to deal with. You never know when he will run away or when he will have a backup plan."

Vio nodded thoughtfully.

"There's one more thing." Timothy raised his head, his expression becoming serious. "He has a wide network of connections and is very knowledgeable. It's said that he even has connections in the Northern Continent."

Vio's brow twitched slightly.

The Northern Continent.

The Kingdom of Rovia doesn't have many records of that icy, snowy land, as it's simply too far away.

But even children know that that's where the pirates truly live.

The Kingdom of Rovia, a small country in the south, is nothing more than an insignificant place in the eyes of the great pirates who roam the north. Yet, Derek has connections there...

Are you sure?

"I'm not sure, but there's a rumor about it." Timothy shook his head. "By the way, you could ask your subordinate Axel; he might know, after all, he worked with Derek before."

"In short, there's no smoke without fire, so be careful."

Vio was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Thank you.

Timothy stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to him.

"If you need help, you can ask me." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. "Although my fleet is currently tied up with the situation in the North, I can still spare a few ships."

Vio stared at the tall, slender figure without saying a word.