Lord: I can see loyalty.

After the magician's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Vio hastily finished his dinner before returning to his room.

He relaxed and lay down on the warm bed, too exhausted to open his eyes.

With his last bit of strength, he looked out the window. It was completely dark, but many oil lamps were still lit in the residential area.

Several militiamen were patrolling silently with torches in hand, then disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the scene before him, Vio slowly closed his eyes and lost consciousness in an instant.

……

Inside the lord's mansion, Vincent Mercer, a middle-aged man standing guard at the door of the storage room, silently took a sip of water from his water pouch.

As one of the first members of the militia to reach the beginner level in basic swordsmanship, he did not choose to join the lord's selection of the village captain of Kuoqiao, but instead chose to become a member of the royal guard.

It's not that he doesn't want to improve himself; he certainly understands what the lord meant—his treatment will definitely get better and better after becoming the village chief of Kuoqiao Village.

But he did not want to leave Bordeaux. Moreover, in his heart, he felt that he could not repay the great kindness the lord had shown them, and personally protecting the lord's safety was the most direct and acceptable way to repay the debt of gratitude.

I wonder how that young militiaman who's been following me around ever since I joined the militia is doing.

As he thought about it, Vincent put down the water bag and hung it back on his waist, becoming alert again.

Although there were militia patrols outside the village and the lord's mansion was located in the very center of the village, making it difficult for the enemy to infiltrate, he still did not relax.

thump——

In the quiet mansion, a sudden sound came from not far away.

Vincent immediately looked up in distress, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword, while simultaneously nudging another guard beside him.

The guards were always in pairs.

"Did you hear that?" Vincent asked his companion in a low voice.

"Hmm..." His companion lowered his voice, making sure only the two of them could hear, "But it's probably just the footsteps of another team."

"Just in case, I'll go check it out."

His companion didn't refute him, but simply nodded.

Vincent bent down slightly and walked around the corner to the main hall of the mansion.

The vast mansion was shrouded in darkness, with only two oil lamps casting a faint glow, making it appear somewhat isolated.

Vincent first went to the table where the lord usually did his business, and after scanning around, he did not find anything unusual.

He looked around and thought for a moment, then carefully stepped forward, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

Several large, lush trees were planted around the gate of the mansion, and two guards stood watch at the entrance.

The two men were startled by Vincent's furtive behavior and nearly drew their swords. Vincent quickly explained his purpose.

"There's a sound?" The two guards exchanged a puzzled look; they hadn't heard anything from outside the house.

"It might be outside another window. I'll go take a look." Vincent didn't waste any more words, and the two guards stopped trying to stop him.

He circled half of the mansion to the side, and after looking around, he was about to search elsewhere when a large hand suddenly covered his mouth!

Without hesitation, he immediately drew a small knife from his waist and stabbed it into the other man's arm, eliciting a faint sound of pain.

But soon two swords were placed against his neck at the same time, and another hand reached out from behind to cover him.

"Ugh!"

"Shut up, Vincent!" he was about to yell when the other person whispered his name.

Vincent was startled and turned around with all his might. A somewhat familiar face appeared in front of him under the moonlight. He thought carefully and realized that the other person seemed to be a neighbor from his village.

Of course, that was before the village was attacked by bandits.

But after a moment, he finally recognized the face. Wasn't that the leader of the refugee group not long ago?

When the lord made the refugee group reaffirm their loyalty, this man chose to leave, and now he appears here...

Vincent struggled to make a sound, but was held down firmly. His companion took out some pre-prepared junk and stuffed it into Vincent's mouth before saying, "Keep quiet if you want to live!"

He stopped struggling, remained quiet for a moment, and glanced at the man and his companion, trying to memorize their faces.

"Vincent, join us. We're just short of a guide." The man had lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw him. Having lost the refugee group, he was now struggling to even get enough to eat.

"..." Vincent stared at him, breathing through his nostrils.

"You can't speak yet. Listen to what I have to say before you decide." The man took out a rope and tied Vincent up, then said, "I plan to kill that lord. With the villagers' trust in me, I'll be the next lord as soon as I return."

A sickly smile appeared on the man's face as he continued, "Of course, even if those idiots don't agree with me, I have other ways..."

"I've already made arrangements with those bandits. As long as I eliminate Vio, the lordship will be mine! They welcome me to join them!"

His companion gave the somewhat engrossed man a hard shove, which finally made him quiet down. After a light cough, he whispered, "Anyway, as long as you lead the way for me and find that lord, I might let you go out of consideration for our past relationship."

Vincent stared at the man with surprise; he hadn't expected anyone to be cooperating with that group of bandits!

But soon, after calming down, his pupils drooped slightly, and he nodded after thinking for a moment.

The man then smiled, helped Vincent, whose hands were tied, to his feet, and led him to the window on the side of the mansion.

The window, which should have been tightly closed, now had a large hole in it, which must have been the source of the sudden noise.

After the man entered the house, they worked together to carry Vincent inside as well. Soon, the group began to move forward, led by Vincent.

They walked from the dimly lit room through the dark corridor, then into another dark room, nearly reaching the guards several times. After walking for some time, they still couldn't find Vio's room.

The man's face grew increasingly grim. After they entered another room, he looked around to make sure no one was there, then kicked Vincent.

But to his surprise, Vincent, who had his back to them, seemed to sense it and leaped away to avoid the kick.

The man and his companion froze on the spot, then drew their weapons and were about to kill Vincent when he suddenly slammed into the door next to him!

The man raised his weapon and swiftly thrust it at Vincent on the ground, but Vincent dodged several blows before the final strike landed on Vincent's arm.

Seeing Vincent's pained expression, the man grinned, about to deliver the final blow, when his companion sensed something was wrong and grabbed the man, pulling him back, but it was too late.

The door was flung open, and Vio, inside, was already gripping his iron sword and ready to strike.

"Enemy attack!"

As Vio shouted, footsteps echoed from all around the mansion, and several oil lamps were lit at the same time. Only then did the man and his companion realize that they were surrounded!