Lord: I can see loyalty.

Bread with slices of meat and milk was served quickly. After a simple dinner, Vio returned to his room with some anticipation.

At the same time, he began to regret saying "I'll be in his room later," because he couldn't wait any longer...

Outside the room, the servants each had their own thoughts.

Everyone, including the old servant, was speculating about Vio's intentions, with the maid Gina in particular feeling flustered.

She had already made up her mind about Lord Vio's idea...

This lord is clearly planning to turn against me!

Before becoming a maid, Gina had heard that nobles would indiscriminately prey on young maids, using them and then discarding them without any affection.

If her father, who was still alive at the time, hadn't told her that the lord was a good man and that he had fought for this position, she would never have agreed to become a maid.

But now that the former lord has passed away, his son, Lord Vio, has indeed turned against him.

At this thought, tears welled up in Gina's eyes, and the image of herself walking alone in the endless desert flashed through her mind...

dong dong dong-

Vio was practicing his swordplay, and although he had perfectly inherited his predecessor's swordsmanship, necessary practice was still required. A sudden knock on the door interrupted his immersion in the art.

He didn't stop what he was doing, but instead swung his sword down forcefully and exhaled, "Come in."

As expected, it was the two maids, Gina and Cohen, who arrived.

"Greetings, Lord Vio."

The two bowed respectfully as usual. Vio turned around and noticed that Gina's eyes were a little red.

"Sir! Your arm is cut. I'll call..." Before Vio could speak, Cohen pointed to his left hand.

Vio glanced at it and saw a rather chilling bloodstain, perhaps from being cut by something sharp, but he barely noticed it.

"No need, I'm fine."

Vio didn't mind, but walked up and patted Cohen on the shoulder, speaking in an appreciative tone.

"You're a very meticulous and observant person, Cohen." Vio withdrew his hand and took a step back. "It would be a shame if someone with your talent were just a servant..."

"You flatter me, sir..." Cohen scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.

Although he had been more mature than his peers since childhood, this was the first time someone had praised him like this, and the other party was a lord!

He used to get scolded a lot for being taciturn and getting distracted by observing various things.

Loyalty: 70%

Loyalty: 85%

Vio was extremely satisfied as he watched Cohen's loyalty rise rapidly. He could tell that Cohen was a child who desperately needed recognition.

"Cohen, I have a task for you."

"A mission?" Cohen quickly realized he hadn't come here to be praised. "Sir, please give your orders!"

Vio understood that Cohen's loyalty was already quite high; as long as he didn't ask Cohen to do anything impossible, Cohen wouldn't object. And if he offered him additional benefits...

"After this is done, I will increase your reward to 15 silver coins and promote you to be my personal bodyguard."

"15... silver coins?"

Upon hearing 15 silver coins, not only Cohen but also Gina, who was standing next to him, were somewhat incredulous. Their current reward was only 8 silver coins, so this was almost double.

"The task is quite simple." Vio's tone changed, and his voice became low.

"I want you to observe Luke during this time, but be careful not to let him notice anything. If anything seems amiss, tell me immediately."

"Lord Luke?"

Cohen was taken aback, but quickly understood, nodded firmly, and replied, "Understood, sir."

Vio nodded and waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

After Cohen had been gone for a while, Gina, who had been waiting silently, finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice.

"Lord Vio, what brings you here...?"

Although she took the initiative to speak, Gina was already incredibly nervous, fidgeting with her long, slender fingers.

Cohen was responsible for monitoring Luke, and he was paid 15 silver coins a month, which naturally made her envious, but the mission just now did not mention her at all.

Now that Cohen has left the room, leaving only Vio and himself, it seems his guess was right after all...

"Relax, Gina. You look nervous. I'm not going to eat you." Vio turned around and approached her, barely suppressing his excitement.

He couldn't wait to see this so-called top-tier swordsmanship talent.

"I'm sorry, sir." Gina's face flushed slightly, but she was still muttering to herself.

Have you ever used a sword?

Vio walked past Gina and headed towards the doorway where miscellaneous items were piled up.

"A sword? No, I don't have one." Gina was taken aback, her face still flushed, clearly not expecting such a question.

After searching for a while, Vio took out two wooden swords from the pile of junk. These were training tools from his predecessor's past life, and he threw one of them at Gina.

Gina hurriedly caught it, clearly not quite understanding the situation.

"Don't worry, there's only one thing you need to do, which is to spar with me." Vio had already taken up his sword and gotten into position.

Gina frantically raised her sword, but before she could even lift her head, Vio's sword was already upon her.

It was dodged.

Vio wasn't surprised; he didn't accelerate, and the sword strike wasn't difficult to dodge.

Before Gina could adjust her stance again, Vio had already drawn his sword once more, this time with a speed that was clearly a little faster than before!

Boom!

The sound of wooden swords clashing rang out, Vio's attack was blocked, and Gina took the opportunity to imitate Vio's stance.

Vio distanced himself in the fairly spacious room, and the two remained locked in a tense standoff for a moment.

He observed Gina's expression; the earlier panic was gone from her still childish face, and she was staring intently at the sword in Vio's hand, mimicking his slow movements.

"Left side."

The next moment, Vio seized the fleeting glimpse of his opponent's eyes and swiftly thrust out with his sword.

Boom!

Vio's expression finally changed, a mixture of surprise, astonishment, and a slight fear.

This was already the fastest speed the predecessor could achieve, yet the opponent blocked the attack with just their reaction speed.

Gina noticed Vio's weakness and wanted to immediately stab him in the throat, but Vio instead shoved her away with the hilt of his sword and placed the sword against her slender neck.

"Okay, let's stop here."

Vio took a deep breath and stopped the competition. He swallowed hard, and couldn't help but marvel.

Is this the difference between people...?

In less than a minute, he was able to imitate Vio's steps quite well, and his reaction speed far surpassed Vio's.

Forget about maids and country bumpkins, this girl is definitely destined to become a great knight!

If the opponent hadn't been impatient and revealed an obvious flaw, I might have really lost.

"Gina, I want to hire you as my personal bodyguard. Would you be willing?"

Vio sheathed his wooden sword and spoke without hesitation, leaving Gina stunned.

How could an ordinary maid like myself become a personal bodyguard? Besides, I lost the competition just now.

"My lord... what do you require me to do as your personal bodyguard? I can't protect you anyway..."

Gina was about to finish speaking when Vio interrupted her, looking at the shy blonde maid in front of him with a cold laugh.

"Once you become my bodyguard, there's only one thing you need to do: practice swordsmanship with me and one day reclaim Bordeaux Village with me."