Lord: I can see loyalty.

Bordeaux village.

Under the setting sun over the desert, the only oasis, Bordeaux village, stands out out of place, with several militiamen patrolling the village entrance with weapons in hand.

The militiamen on the high watchtower noticed several figures in the distance, and upon closer inspection, they realized it was the lord and his entourage!

"The lord is back!"

At his call, the scattered patrolling militiamen quickly gathered at the village entrance, waiting for Vio's arrival.

Vio rode his horse slowly through the woods, and just as he reached the village entrance, a chorus of voices rang out: "My lord, we found nothing amiss during today's patrol."

Vio nodded in satisfaction, glancing at their panel at the same time.

The guards on patrol have all reached the level of "Outstanding Swordsmanship" and their loyalty has reached around "90%".

After responding to the militia, the five men walked into the bustling village.

After dismounting, Vio had someone take her to the stable, and as he turned his head, he happened to see the long sword at Gina's waist.

"Gina, take the sword to old Barton." Vio drew the sword, which already had several nicks.

It seems that the weapon that Naniel is using is not simple either.

Gina didn't argue with Vio about this; she understood how important a good weapon was for a swordsman.

After parting ways with him, Vio didn't rest. Although it was long past dinner time, he wasn't hungry.

"Summon all the militia captains and Gertrude; I have something to say." Vio gave the order to the attendant beside him and then walked toward his mansion.

Before long, the three militia captains and Gertrude arrived at the mansion, while Cohen stayed by Vio's side.

After everyone had arrived, Vio sat in the lord's chair, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Gentlemen, I exchanged a great deal of information with Count Felix on this trip. It seems that the village of Bordeaux is not safe!"

Vio quickly and simply relayed all the information he had to the captains.

The bandits led by Sean Wolf who occupied Bordeaux Village were already among the smaller groups of bandits, at best newcomers.

Besides Sean, there are roughly seven other bandit groups, including the Alpha Wolf, with some having dozens of elites and others having hundreds of followers!

In contrast, the village of Bordeaux has only about two hundred people, of whom about a hundred are militiamen.

"The militia alone will probably be no match for the bandits. Once the fortress can't withstand the attack and falls, we'll be the next to be besieged."

"But we don't have any other choice... We can't just send all the villagers to the battlefield, that's too unrealistic." Xavier stared at the map of the southern border on the table, looking extremely frustrated, as he listened to Vio's words.

Vio also rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. Even if his team had a hundred Ginas, it was still a pipe dream to deal with a bandit army of nearly a thousand people working together.

Jimmy and Ansque frowned as they looked at the route Vio had predicted for the bandits' attack on the fortress on the map.

Just as the mansion fell silent, Gertrude’s slightly apprehensive voice rang out.

"I do have an idea."

Vio raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Tell me about it?"

"Does Your Lordship still remember the 'refugees' who recently returned to Bordeaux Village?" Gerthold placed his hand on the map of other villages. "You should know that although Bordeaux is the largest village in the South, there are quite a few other villages that are also quite large."

"I believe that we and those refugees weren't the only ones who fled the village..."

Upon hearing his words, Vio's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at the several sizable villages surrounding Bordeaux on the map.

"Perhaps they, like we once were, are planning how to take back the village." Gertó's fingers traced the villages.

"That makes sense. I know a few swordsmen in Kata Village who are quite skilled. Given their personalities, they would never abandon the village."

Jimmy pointed to one of the villages and chimed in, and the others nodded in agreement.

Vio stood up, looked at the crowd before him, and said solemnly, "Since that's the case, then..."

"Jimmy, Ansquie, you are responsible for continuing to train the militia and patrolling to guard against any possible dangers."

"Yes, sir." The two captains turned and bowed to Vio.

"Xavier, Gertó, take the elite militia and head towards the other villages to find surviving villagers who are willing to join us. If you encounter bandits, do not engage them in battle."

Xavier and Gertrude nodded in response, and then proceeded with the task.

Vio finally turned his attention to Cohen, whose current stats made him a perfect assassin.

【Characteristics: Extreme loyalty, basic patience, basic investigation skills, basic disguise, intermediate concealment, excellent swordsmanship】

Loyalty: 99%

"Cohen".

"Yes, my lord," Cohen replied softly, as if he had been prepared.

Vio patted him on the shoulder. "The task of gathering information on the other villages is now yours."

"Yes, sir." Cohen bowed respectfully.

"Very well, meeting adjourned!"

……

Boom boom boom!

The sounds of wooden swords clashing came one after another, and Vio kept dodging backward.

Snapped!

As Gina's wooden sword landed on Vio's shoulder, Vio waved his hand to signal the end of today's training.

Vio looked up at the girl who had put away her wooden sword and couldn't help but marvel.

[Sand Dune Swordsmanship - Beginner Level]!

Although Vio started learning Dune Swordsmanship later than Vio, she had already reached the beginner level while Vio was still just getting started.

The gap between ordinary people and those with top-tier swordsmanship talent is indeed as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

Of course, Vio also knew that this was partly due to his own slackness in training.

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest." Vio stepped forward and helped Gina put away the wooden sword.

His gaze inadvertently drifted to the window, where the village of Bordeaux had quieted down, but it wasn't deathly silent; the faint sounds of children's laughter could still be heard.

Not far away, a militia team was silently patrolling and keeping watch with torches in hand, before disappearing into the night.

The scene before his eyes brought Vio a sense of peace; this period of time was one of the few moments of tranquility he had experienced since arriving in this world.

But he also knew that this peace wouldn't last long.

Turning around, Vio noticed that Gina hadn't left yet. She stood by the light, her eyes lowered, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What's wrong, Gina?" Vio turned around and asked.

"My lord." The girl's voice was soft yet clear. "Thank you... for leading us to reclaim the village."

She paused for a moment, a blush rising on her cheeks, her gaze falling to her toes: "But I once suspected you, thinking you wanted to do something to me."

Vio was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then he recalled how Gina had first come to his room and immediately understood the meaning behind her words.

"In this desert, being cautious isn't a bad thing," Vio said calmly and gently, patting her head. "Besides, you're also a hero in retaking the village."

To his surprise, Gina suddenly stepped forward and gently hugged him, and Vio could feel her body trembling.

"Thank you, Lord Vio." She buried her face in Vio's clothes for a while before lifting her head.

Vio looked out the window, which had become completely quiet, and gently said after tidying her clothes, "Go on, get some rest."

The door closed quietly, and the room fell silent. Vio reached out and extinguished the oil lamp, then lay back on the bed, the dry blankets softly enveloping him.

But this feeling of comfort was fleeting. Vio closed his eyes, and his mind began to wander to scenes of other villages...

Flickering torches, jumbled hoofprints, and a group of unseen thugs wielding deadly weapons in the distance.