Lord: I can see loyalty.

"My lord, the militia have been dispatched to garrison the new village!"

Inside the main hall of the lord's mansion in the village of Bordeaux.

The messenger loudly reported to Vio, who simply nodded in satisfaction, his gaze never leaving the old-looking magic book on his lap.

"Have Cohen send men to monitor the bandits' movements, and notify Jimmy immediately if they make a move." After giving the instructions, Vio closed his book slightly and looked out the window.

The new village they were talking about was the village occupied by Nakaspar and Naku, and it was also the village currently under Vio's rule that was closest to the fortress and Valley City!

After eliminating the two wolves, the bandits' strength was greatly weakened again, and now their forces are barely on par with Vio's.

After the militiamen left, Vio pulled himself back to the magic book: it was time to put it into practice.

Vio didn't slack off during this free time. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would pick up this old book and now he roughly understood its contents.

This is a book that records most common spells. Although it is relatively rare in a remote place like the Southern Territory, it is a basic textbook that is essential for the noble magic apprentices in the academies in the heart of the kingdom.

Vio laid the book flat on the table; he wanted to test his learning progress.

He slowly raised his right hand, and began to chant the contents of the book in a halting voice, while feeling something flowing within his body.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, until at some point, Vio felt something begin to swirl and gather in his palm.

call--

A gentle breeze began to stir in Vio's palm. He was startled, but quickly calmed down and tried to control the gas in his hand, aiming it at the window.

With a burst of light, a stone materialized out of thin air in his palm and shot out at lightning speed!

boom!

The stone flew towards the grass outside the window, kicking up a cloud of dirt and grass clippings, leaving a clear little pit on the ground, and making quite a commotion!

"This is magic?!" Vio stared blankly at his right hand, savoring the sensation he had just felt.

"My lord! What's going on?"

"My lord!"

Footsteps and shouts came from outside the courtyard and the door. They rushed to Vio, but their eyes swept across the scene and they only saw Vio alone, along with the stones left on the ground.

"I'm fine." Vio waved his hand, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over him. Fortunately, the training he had been doing during this time allowed him to maintain his posture.

Is my mana bar too short? Or is it just an unusual thing that happens the first time?

"My lord?" Captain Vincent of the personal guard sensed something was wrong and went to help him up.

Vio gestured for him to stop, and after a moment's thought, an idea came to mind. He then said, "Pass down the order."

"Have someone post a notice in the main square or market of Bordeaux... I will be opening a basic magic course in Bordeaux village."

He paused, then continued, "Each person only needs to pay a tuition fee of 30 copper coins. If they cannot learn it, the full amount will be refunded, and those with outstanding talent can be exempted from tuition fees."

Vio understood that, after this period of development, the people had accumulated a considerable amount of savings, especially the militia whose salaries far exceeded those of ordinary people.

"Furthermore, if anyone is able to use magic by the end of the course, I will assemble a magic team and hire them at a high price!"

The guards exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock.

Magic? Isn't that something only nobles and wealthy merchants can access? You can learn it for just 30 copper coins, and get a refund if you don't succeed?

If this news were to spread elsewhere, it would likely set the entire kingdom on the brink of chaos!

"Yes, my lord!" Vincent was the first to react, and he bowed loudly, clapping his right fist against his chest.

Bordeaux village, the main square.

The village of Bordeaux is more lively than ever today, with many temporary tents set up in the main square and a long queue forming.

In the middle of the makeshift wooden hut, Vio was waving his hand with all his might.

He finally understood why there weren't many people in the kingdom who had mastered magic on their own; there were simply too few people with magical talent!

Although one can use magic without magical talent, their progress and understanding are far slower than those with talent.

After a busy morning, Vio found only two people with magical talent among all the people who came to Bordeaux village to test their talents.

There was a man and a woman; the man's name was Luca, and the woman's name was Winnie.

Most of the villagers were probably just there for the fun of it, and after learning that they had no magical talent, they were unwilling to spend 30 copper coins to buy three months of magical instruction.

In the end, only about 50 people were selected to teach magic, and quite a few of them were young faces.

Vio planned to start with the most basic instruction, selecting those capable of using magic, and then, after the city walls were completed, he would ask the old mage Valentine to provide them with further training…

……

Cavill Fortress.

At this moment, the city was shrouded in a depressing, deathly silence.

Inside the Earl's castle, Felix sat on the Earl's chair, wearily resting his forehead on his hand as he looked at the official documents before him.

Compared to when Vio last met him, he looked at least ten years older, and his expression had lost some of its composure.

Just then, the door to the room was opened by the guard.

"How is it? Is there any news about my brother?!" Felix looked up and asked as soon as he saw the visitor.

The guard's face darkened, and he lowered his gaze: "My lord, there's still no news of the young master, but there's more bad news..."

"Speak," Felix said hoarsely, his gaze shifting uneasily toward the Valley City on the map.

"Sir, according to our men, those bandits are gathering and preparing their weapons on a large scale... It seems the final assault will be in the next few days."

The count remained silent for a long time, his face turning pale, before finally asking in a low voice, "What about Bordeaux village? Have we received any news from our messenger yet?"

"My lord, the messengers we sent have not returned at all. The road to Bordeaux village has probably been cut off..."

"Go out."

Count Felix seemed deflated, leaning back and gazing out the window at the deserted street.

Fort Cavill is like a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse; it will crumble completely if someone else kicks it.

Meanwhile, in the nearby Valley City...

The alpha wolf, Malankik, stood atop a high platform, his eyes as cold and indifferent as ever. Below him stood hundreds of elite bandits clad in armor, their morale high, preparing for the impending war.

Below the alpha wolf, in slightly lesser positions, stood two other bandit leaders: Poison Wolf Faison and Wolf Knight Raoul.

Without uttering a word, surrounded by their trusted confidants, they simultaneously cast their gazes toward the distant, vaguely visible outline of the isolated city.

Cavill Fortress.