Lord: I can see loyalty.

"That old steward is quite a talent..." In the village of Bordeaux, Vio sat in the lord's chair, pondering the old steward he had met yesterday.

The old steward of the town, which had been taken over by the wolf knights, had extensive experience in governance and enjoyed a good reputation among the town's commoners.

"The town will be temporarily under his administration," Vio said to the messenger below. "Also, send two captains to keep an eye on it."

Half a day later, in the main hall of the lord's mansion, Jimmy, Ansquie, Xavier, Gertrude, Cohen, and Abad were summoned by Vio.

Around a large round table, with everyone present, Vio, who was facing the door, spoke first: "Gentlemen, the bandits still have two towns left, and the one we should be wary of is the Wolf Valley City."

As soon as Vio finished speaking, Ansquie was the first to respond: "My lord, I believe that now is the most appropriate time to press our advantage. Our militia is now on par with, or even slightly stronger than, those bandits, not to mention the fortress that can provide assistance..."

"I think so too," Jimmy chimed in, and everyone except Cohen nodded in agreement.

Vio certainly understood this principle, and that was why he had summoned everyone this time.

"In that case, Jimmy and Ansquie will lead the way..."

"Lord, Lord Cohen, we've received news from the fortress!" Vio's words were interrupted by shouts from outside. He waved slightly to signal his servant to open the door.

The newcomer was dressed in a white robe and wore a short blade at his waist; clearly, he was a member of the Brotherhood.

"Greetings, esteemed lords." After a brief bow, he approached Cohen, who was closest to him, and began to report.

Cohen's expression grew increasingly grim as the other person spoke. After hearing the news, he waved for the other person to leave and then stood up.

"My lord, everyone, we've made contact with the fortress... but it's bad news!"

"Bad news?" Vio stopped thinking and looked up, and everyone's eyes fell on Cohen.

After a moment's hesitation, Cohen spoke in a deep but clear voice: "Count Felix of the fortress has escaped the city!"

Upon hearing this, everyone except Vio looked astonished, while Vio frowned slightly.

"Furthermore, the garrison in that fortress has been routed, and the knights, who were the main fighting force, have either died or fled," Cohen paused, then continued, "If we hadn't previously repelled the wolf knight Raoul and made it seem like we were going to attack Valley City, causing that wolf to retreat."

"Otherwise, the fortress would have already fallen!"

"Now the fortress has less than ten knights left, along with about a hundred demoralized soldiers... and a city full of refugees." With that, Cohen sat back down in his seat.

Vio leaned back in his lord's chair, staring at the fortress on the map with a worried look in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he spoke:

"Cohen, have the Brotherhood members continue to monitor those bandits, and notify me immediately if there is any suspicious activity."

Then he looked at Jimmy, Ansquie, and Xavier of the militia and said, "Xavier, take a group of militiamen to the fortress and distribute some food. Make sure they don't die and ensure the safety of the messengers."

"Jimmy, Ansquie, get ready for battle. It seems our final battle with that wolf is not far off..."

……

Cavill Fortress.

The outer city beyond the watchtower is now largely uninhabited, with only a few corpses scattered along the roads.

The situation in the inner city wasn't much better.

The once bustling inner city is now deserted, with no merchants or civilians to be seen on the streets, only a few soldiers wandering around with somber expressions.

Inside the Earl's castle, groans of pain could be heard from time to time. The knights and soldiers who were wounded in the previous battle against the bandits had all been placed here.

Of course, only a few people knew that the group of nobles and Count Felix had already fled the city.

Those who knew this news but did not choose to leave were not necessarily loyal; rather, the wounds from the battle prevented them from escaping, leaving them no choice but to wait to die.

"The number of soldiers in the city is dwindling... I haven't even seen the few remaining knights..."

"They've probably all run away long ago! The count and his nobles probably fled too!"

In a dilapidated alley in the inner city, several ragged civilians were gathered together, discussing the possibility of leaving the city.

"Hmph! Those damned noble knights! They take so much money from us all the time, but they're the first to run away now!" A tall figure, whose voice sounded weak from hunger, cursed angrily.

"Brother, keep your voice down!" The short man beside him quickly nudged him. "There are still soldiers and knights who haven't run away. Don't let them hear us!"

"If I weren't so hungry...!"

"Enough, let's think about how to get out of the city, that's more realistic," a thin middle-aged man interrupted the young man's conversation.

"Leaving the city is even more unrealistic... but I heard that Bordeaux village hasn't fallen yet..." The short man lowered his head, somewhat desperate.

"What? You still want to go?" The middle-aged man rolled his eyes at him. "Are you stupid? That Bordeaux village is in the direction of the bandits. Besides, we're not even sure if that news is true."

"Someone's coming! There's the sound of metal clashing!" Just then, a large-eared man who had been silent with his eyes closed suddenly spoke, his face filled with panic.

"Damn it! Is it those soldiers?!" The middle-aged man's face paled, but he still tried to remain calm and whispered, "At worst, we'll fight them to the death!"

Since the fortress lost its order, the soldiers who had no means to escape the city became "bandits" in the eyes of the remaining civilians.

They used force and swords to rob and threaten the civilians, satisfying their remaining appetites and lusts.

"Are you civilians of Kavil Fortress?" A lightly armored "knight" dragging a large bag walked out from around the corner and stood in front of the group, asking the question.

"A knight...?" The tall man, who was clenching his fist, was taken aback. The middle-aged man was the first to react, standing up and asking:

"Sir Knight, we are!"

This man isn't a knight from the fortress! The middle-aged man suppressed his joy as he looked at the other man's unadorned armor and the large bag behind him.

Could it be that reinforcements from the kingdom have arrived?

"Are the civilians in the inner city living such a miserable life?" a militiaman muttered under his breath, pulling the bag in front of him and opening it. "This was distributed to you by our lord."

Inside the bag were bread and a small amount of cured meat that they hadn't seen in a long time!

The commoners exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief. The middle-aged man was the first to react again, immediately kneeling down and shouting:

"Thank you, Lord! Thank you for your divine grace!"

The others were taken aback when they saw this, and then quickly followed his example.

"My lord, may I ask who that lord is...?" The middle-aged man asked as if he remembered something after wolfing down a loaf of bread.

He had received some education and knew most of the famous families in the kingdom, so he knew that someone who could be so generous was definitely not some nobody.

The "knight" chuckled upon hearing this, raised his head with a hint of pride, and said, "Lord Vio Ross, Lord of Bordeaux."

"Bordeaux village?!"

Several civilians nearly choked upon hearing this, but the middle-aged man did not hesitate and quickly stepped forward, saying:

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Vio! Please convey to the knight that I am Ronan and I pledge my loyalty to the lord!"