Lord: I can see loyalty.

In the distant mountains and forests of Bordeaux, several birds were startled out of the bushes by the sound of footsteps, and a group of nearly a hundred people moved quickly forward in the shade of giant trees.

Watching the birds take flight, Xavier was somewhat absent-minded, his mind preoccupied with what had happened in the village during his absence.

As he drifted off into thought, a girl's figure appeared at the edge of his field of vision. He turned his head to look, and it was indeed Zinya.

"Um, Xavier... sir," the girl said after a moment of hesitation.

"Just call me Xavier."

Xavier didn't care about titles; he stopped believing in them after his family was wiped out overnight.

"Yes, Xavier." Zinya nodded with a smile and then asked, "I'd like to ask about the lord of Bordeaux village... what kind of person is he?"

"Lord?" Xavier looked up, seemingly intrigued, and pondered for a moment with a serious expression.

"Lord Vio is a very kind person, yet he hates evil as much as he hates it." Xavier thought of the bandit Kaz.

"And they often do things we never expect, and they always succeed."

Xavier became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, and continued, "By the way, Lord Vio doesn't act like a lord at all, but I think that's a problem..."

"So, what will happen when we get to Bordeaux village?" Xavier interrupted, head bowed.

"Hmm... there are still quite a few rooms in the village, and the lord should arrange for you to stay there." After thinking for a moment, he added, "However, it seems that the lord is considering taking action against other villages, so you might also be assigned there."

After saying that, he subconsciously glanced at Qinia and was taken aback when he saw that she was looking down with a blush on her face.

Could it be that my words made the other party worry about their life after arriving in Bordeaux village?

Thinking of this, Xavier quickly added, "Anyway, don't worry, the village is doing well under the lord's leadership, and the villagers are all good people who won't ostracize you."

Seeing that the girl still didn't respond, Xavier suddenly realized and said, "If you are bullied in Bordeaux village, just come to me."

Sure enough, the girl raised her head and nodded vigorously after she said those words.

Seeing this, Xavier looked back ahead with satisfaction, and at this moment, Gertrude leaned over and smiled.

"You really don't know anything."

Xavier, puzzled, looked at the other man and asked, "What's wrong? Does the lord have other plans?!"

Gertó simply shook his head, about to speak, when his gaze suddenly stopped after sweeping around, and then his expression changed.

"Wait, be quiet."

"Wait? Lord..." Xavier was about to ask, but after seeing the other's expression, he quickly realized something and swallowed the words on his lips.

"There might be an ambush." ​​Gertrude's pupils scanned the forest.

Xavier didn't reply. He looked in the direction the other person was looking, and upon closer inspection, he actually spotted a blurry outline!

At the same time, their eyes met.

In an instant, several whooshing sounds came from above, and several arrows flew toward the troops.

Although there were only a few of them, they had a clear target and were aimed at the people at the front of the group!

Guerto was prepared and nimbly dodged the attack with a roll.

Xavier, who was also being targeted, was about to dodge to the side, but he quickly realized something—the girl next to him was also being aimed at, and if he dodged, the girl would be hit by both arrows at the same time!

In a moment of desperation, Xavier abandoned all thought and lunged towards the girl, pushing her to one side.

The arrow aimed at Xavier landed where Zinya had originally been, but the girl had already been pushed away by Xavier.

But Xavier's arrow struck his arm, and a sharp pain instantly engulfed his entire body.

The last arrow was shot at the old sorcerer Valentine, but he merely raised his hand slightly, and with a flick of his staff, the originally thin wooden staff instantly grew and enveloped him.

"Enemy attack!"

The militia, being an elite force, immediately drew their weapons and led the refugees toward a nearby shelter.

"Hmph, you guys run pretty fast!"

Beneath the giant tree, a man dressed as a bandit emerged, followed by several companions armed with knives and swords.

"It's those bandits!" The refugees recognized them; these were the thugs who had invaded their village!

Gertrude's gaze swept down from the treetop; the number of enemies was small, probably less than twenty.

"You're asking for it! How dare you attack us with so few people?" A young man among the refugees couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward.

The bandit sneered, offered no reply, and, gripping his weapon, disappeared back into the bushes.

The enemy was in the dark while we were in the light, and in such complex terrain... Gertrude's face was grim. Although they had a hundred men, most of them were refugees who had almost no fighting ability.

A large number of people could really die!

As expected, several people were injured immediately after the enemy launched their attack, but the militia that arrived were all elites with outstanding swordsmanship and they managed to block most of the attacks.

This can't go on...

Gelto watched as Xavier struggled to his feet and tried to draw his weapon, while the girl anxiously tended to her wounds, tears welling in her eyes.

"That's enough." Valentine's voice came from the side, strangely reassuring.

He raised his staff, chanting incantations. A green light began to emanate from the tip of the staff, and a magic circle spread out from beneath his feet, rapidly expanding in size.

The next moment, the entire forest began to "move"!

"The tree, the tree is moving!"

The bandits' screams came from all directions. The archers hiding in the trees cried out and fell down, landing on the ground unable to move.

After their initial surprise, the militia quickly reacted, rushing forward and piercing their bodies with several swords.

The bandits hiding in the bushes also began to scream in agony as branches grew out from under the giant tree and pierced their bodies!

"The old man has made the tree move! He's really amazing..." the militiamen and refugees exclaimed in surprise.

The old magician Valentine sneered at the scene before him: "How could I possibly make the trees move? I'll just make them sway a couple of times."

"Grandpa, Xavier, he..."

The girl's tearful voice interrupted everyone. Xavier was lying on the girl's lap, extremely weak, and his arm, which had been shot by an arrow, was completely blue!

Not only Xavier, but the other militiamen who were slashed were in the same condition, lying on the ground and unable to get up.

Gertó's expression changed as he recognized the poison. It was a creation of the mountain barbarians, and its toxicity was far beyond that of ordinary poisons. If one was even slightly weakened, one might have already been dead for a long time!

Unlike the others who were anxious, the old man seemed completely unconcerned. He merely glanced at Xavier's wounds and then said to Galto, "Bring all the other wounded to me."

Seeing the other party's confident demeanor, Gertó did not hesitate to have the injured brought over. Soon, the few people, breathing weakly, were laid flat in front of the old man.

With a simple wave of his hand, the staff traced a green arc and landed on the injured person.

The next moment, the bruises on the injured person's body began to fade and were completely healed in less than a few seconds.

"They need to rest for a while, so let someone carry them for now." Valentine turned around, ignoring the militiamen's astonished gazes.

"Let's go, it's time to continue our journey."