Lord: I can see loyalty.

In the western part of the village of New Bordeaux, inside a sand and gravel house surrounded by scattered trees, Vio and Jimmy were waiting.

Vio sat on a rock, his face calm and natural, but his gaze kept glancing at Jimmy. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

Jimmy, on the other side, was fidgeting and looked worried, as if he hadn't noticed Vio's gaze.

They headed to the fortress after Gina brought the rest of the people. Of course, Vio had already instructed his servant to tell Gina after she returned:

Only summon Luke. If he asks about the others, tell him that the servants are tidying up for the lord and the other guards have important matters to attend to.

Vio believed that Luke wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The only temptations were Viogina, Jimi Luke, and the other three, along with several full sacks piled up on one side of the house.

"Lord Vio, do you think Cohen's words can be trusted?" Jimmy broke the silence in the room and asked cautiously.

Vio raised an eyebrow and casually made up a story: "Cohen became a servant when he was very young, so he grew up with me. I don't think there's any need to doubt his loyalty."

Jimmy still looked worried, but his loyalty remained unchanged at 40%, and Vio couldn't help but rest his chin on his hand and fall into thought.

"Sir, if what he said is true, Luke he..."

Jimmy spoke again, seemingly wanting to say something for Luke, but before he could finish, a voice from outside the door interrupted him.

"Lord Vio!"

Gina is back.

As expected, she was followed by only one person, Luke.

"Where are the others?" Vio asked deliberately after glancing around.

"Eh... the servants are tidying up the house, and the other two guards have things to do, so I brought Lord Luke over first."

Gina looked at Vio with some confusion as he answered, while Vio nodded in satisfaction.

"Lord Vio." Luke stepped forward and bowed, but his expression was clearly not right.

Vio glanced casually at his sleeve and, sure enough, saw a hint of cold glint.

Unlike his previous talkative and cheerful demeanor, and his recent silence when his loyalty level dropped to zero, Luke's face was expressionless, but his eyes kept glancing at Vio, only to look away again just before their eyes met, as if nothing had happened.

He soon noticed the sacks on the ground, his pupils dilated slightly, revealing a hint of greed, but he quickly returned to his original state.

Vio noticed his little movement, and after clearing his throat, he said to Gina, "Gina, go and get the water bag that's under the tree outside. I'm a little thirsty."

Gina was somewhat surprised that Vio had deliberately sent her away. She had also heard Cohen mention Luke, but she still did as he said and left.

After Gina left, just as Vio had predicted, Luke indeed began his operation.

He turned his head, pretending to observe the empty room, but his steps slowly moved closer to Vio.

Vio kept an eye on Luke out of the corner of his eye, calculating his maximum attack range in his mind.

Sure enough, Luke stopped just a few steps away from Vio, raised his hand and touched the wall, pretending to have found something.

But Vio knew in his heart that this was just a cover-up.

Let's do it, Luke...

next moment!

Luke suddenly swung his outstretched hand toward Vio, the short sword hidden in his sleeve already in his palm. The whole process was clean and efficient; he had practiced for this moment countless times.

The sword was aimed at Vio's neck, determined to kill him.

But Vio was prepared, and the instant the sword fell, he lunged to one side to dodge the fatal blow.

Luke stood there, completely bewildered as to how Vio had reacted to dodge the sword, and even looked at the sword in his hand with some suspicion.

"Lord Vio!"

Gina happened to return at that moment and hurriedly ran towards Vio, holding a water bag in her left hand and a training wooden sword placed together in her right hand.

All of this happened in just a few seconds. Jimmy noticed this and quickly got up. He looked at Luke and was about to speak when Luke shouted first.

"Jimmy, come with me and kill this coward! This guy is nothing like his father; he's a complete waste. It's just him and that maid here now. Let's take care of them, grab the money, and get out of here!"

After saying that, he pointed to the sack on the ground.

Jimmy's expression was complicated, his brows furrowed, while Vio, on the other hand, felt relieved and got up with Gina's help.

With Gina back, they can handle even if Jimmy chooses to betray them now. Clearly, Luke is unaware of Gina's capabilities.

Seeing that Jimmy hadn't made a move, Luke grew anxious: "Those nobles can't even manage the mess in the capital right now, let alone what's going on here. Just assume he died at the hands of bandits!"

Vio watched with great interest as Jimmy, who was bowing his head to the side, had his loyalty level surging wildly with his thoughts.

Loyalty: 40%

Loyalty: 30%

Loyalty: 35%

……

After some internal struggle, the loyalty level finally stopped at 57%.

Jimmy slowly drew his knight's sword from his waist, his voice becoming low.

"Luke, we swore an oath together to the master that we would protect the family for a hundred years..."

"Stop talking nonsense, Jimmy!"

Luke interrupted him, and Vio had already drawn his sword and was about to charge at him.

"I can't handle him alone, hurry...!"

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of silver light streaked past everyone's eyes, and Jimmy took a step forward and plunged the iron sword into Luke's throat.

Luke stared wide-eyed in disbelief, clutching his throat and struggling to back away, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. Finally, he collapsed to the ground with a thud and remained unresponsive.

Once Vio was certain the other person was completely dead, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to pat Jimmy on the shoulder with satisfaction.

"Well done, Jimmy, your swordsmanship has improved."

This is no mere politeness; Jimmy's swordsmanship has indeed improved since Vio last saw him fight, befitting his [Swordsmanship Talent] and [Learning] attributes.

"Lord Vio, are you alright?" Gina asked worriedly as she checked Vio's body, but he gently waved his hand.

"fine."

Jimmy glanced at the corpse in silence, then looked at Vio and said solemnly.

"My lord, the traitor has been dealt with. What is your next step? Should we wait for the servants and guards to arrive before heading to the fortress?"

Vio turned around, smiled, and said:

"They're not coming, or rather, I never asked them to come in the first place."

Jimmy was stunned for a moment after hearing Vio's words, but then quickly realized what was happening and reacted.

Vio had long anticipated that Luke would make his move here; this was all part of his scheme!

Seeing Jimmy's expression, Vio didn't explain further, but instead spoke to him without turning his head.

"Jimmy, gather the other two guards and call all the people to the main square. I have something to say."

Vio straightened his clothes and casually sheathed his sword. Jimmy watched this scene, and the image of the old knight's back involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Master..." Jimmy was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and said solemnly, "Yes, sir."

Vio had just stepped out of the house to leave when Gina quickly followed, her voice coming from behind.

"Lord Vio, shouldn't we bring those bags of coins?"

Vio turned around, looked at the sacks she was pointing to, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. He patted her head and said...

"When did I say those were coins? They were just a few bags of stones."