Lord: I can see loyalty.

A morning in the village of New Bordeaux.

"Lord Vio, it's time to get up."

Gina, Vio's personal bodyguard, came to his room early in the morning and gently woke him up.

Vio yawned somewhat uncomfortably, glanced out the window, and saw that it was just getting light, with the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance.

In his past life, he worked the night shift, and at this time he was probably just going to bed.

Urged by Gina, Vio finished washing up, changed into decent clothes, and went out.

Jimmy and the others didn't stay outside the gate; they had already started training the militia. After walking a distance to the east, Vio led Gina to the open training ground.

"Those behind, keep up!"

A group of militiamen, not exactly in good order, were running in circles, led by guard Xavier.

Of the 76 selected, Vio chose 10 strong, talented men, while the rest of the militia were divided into three teams, each trained by a guard in turn.

Vio naturally understood that it was virtually impossible for this team to become soldiers ready for battle in a short period of time, given that they had already been training for half a month.

Therefore, the training he provided included basic physical training, as well as basic swordsmanship training taught by Jimmy and himself.

Of course, Vio believed that discipline was the most important thing.

They may have great martial arts skills, but what's the difference between a chaotic bunch and bandits? Vio didn't want them to lose their composure as soon as they entered the arena.

Looking at the militia team before him, whose morale was much better than on the first day and who resembled an army, Vio nodded in satisfaction.

"Lord Vio, you've arrived."

Jimmy, who was resting and chatting with another guard, saw Vio and quickly got up to greet him.

Loyalty: 75%

Jimmy had heard about the recruitment of militiamen and was planning to pass on all the knowledge his knight teacher had taught him when he was young.

His family is located in a foreign land in the north, and they have a unique training method that can train someone to be close to the level of a trainee knight in as little as three years.

But to his surprise, the lord rejected his proposal, or rather, drastically modified it.

The daily training no longer focused on basic swordsmanship, but on various sports that he considered meaningless, and the lord always emphasized discipline.

Jimmy glanced at the militiamen training below. Although they looked somewhat professional now, he thought it was just for show.

Could it be that when you were young, you and the former lord went to the capital with those members of the ceremonial guard? You know, those guys are not fit for the battlefield.

But to Jimmy's surprise, contrary to his expectations, the other two guards approved of Vio's training methods.

I really don't understand...

Watching Vio begin his personal training, Jimmy shook his head. He didn't understand whether this suddenly enlightened lord would lead them to success or failure.

"Not bad, everyone has made great progress. Let's take a rest." Vio wiped the sweat from his forehead, took the water bag from Gina, and drank it all in one gulp.

The militiamen also gathered together, sat on the ground, and began to chat.

Looking at them, Vio seemed to remember something, got up and walked over, his eyes seemingly shining with golden light.

A series of panels appeared before his eyes. Vio wanted to see if his attributes had improved after half a month of training.

【Characteristics: Robust, large appetite, and endurance】

【Characteristics: Exceptional swordsmanship, handsome】

……

Vio's eyes lit up. After half a month of training, several people had already earned the "Outstanding Swordsmanship" trait!

Although this is only slightly better than the average person, it can still be considered progress.

Upon seeing this, he changed his mind and looked at the three guards beside him.

As expected, all three guards had reached the [Basic Swordsmanship Beginner] level, which is already at the level of a trainee knight!

Vio, on the other hand, is still stuck at the beginner level of Basic Swordsmanship.

He then looked at Gina beside him and couldn't help but marvel.

[Basic Swordsmanship - Beginner Level]!

She has been learning and training with herself for less than a month, and her progress is truly astonishing.

"Lord Vio." Just as Vio was observing the crowd, a voice pulled him back to reality.

"Cohen? What's wrong?"

Cohen had appeared behind him without him noticing, bowing his head respectfully.

"It's alright, sir. I'm just here to report that today's examination went smoothly and there were no abnormalities."

Vio nodded in satisfaction. He naturally didn't let Cohen's talent go to waste. Cohen was currently responsible for monitoring the group of people every day to prevent any traitors from colluding with the bandits.

If the bandits found out that he was forming a militia, his plan would probably be ruined before it even succeeded.

Thinking of this, Vio frowned slightly. The bandits had almost finished resting, and the days of peace were probably numbered.

"Everyone, Jimmy will be leading the training next. Get some rest and prepare for the training session."

"Yes, my lord!"

With Gina and Cohen in tow, Vio set off on his way back to his lodgings, pondering how to find other towns that had not yet fallen.

Over this period of time, a lot of food has been consumed. If we cannot establish contact with other towns, having money is of little use.

In the barren land of New Bordeaux, there are hardly any resources.

The only place that seems closest and for which there's no confirmed news of its fall is the fortress...

"Sir, please stop."

As they were walking down the street, Cohen's expression suddenly changed and he called out to Vio.

"What's wrong?"

Vio stopped in confusion and followed Cohen's gaze to a dense thicket of trees.

Seeing that Cohen didn't speak, Vio was about to continue asking questions when, at that moment, there seemed to be a movement in the bushes.

"who!?"

Vio immediately drew his sword and charged forward, his mind racing.

Was it human? Or a wild beast or monster? As far as he knew, most monsters had long since disappeared by this time in the southern part of the Kingdom of Rovia.

call!

A black figure suddenly darted out from the bushes, and a silver light flashed before Vio's eyes—it was a sword!

Vio stopped in his tracks, raised his sword to parry the attack, pushed it away forcefully, and then quickly thrust his sword at the enemy several times.

The figure quickly retreated, but was already surrounded by Gina and Cohen behind him.

Vio also saw the other party clearly: a young man with a fierce face, wearing a dark green cloak, under which was a mess of cheap cloth armor.

They're bandits!

Vio recognized him at a glance; the guy's demeanor and attire were almost identical to those of the bandits who had occupied Bordeaux village.

But why would bandits be here? Vio had a bad feeling.

The militia not far away also noticed the abnormality. The militiamen shouted "Lord!" and rushed forward, brandishing the inferior iron swords forged by the village blacksmith.

The bandit's face was grim. Knowing he had no way out, he glanced at the three people around him, locked his gaze on Gina, and rushed forward.

Without hesitation, Gina drew her sword. Before her opponent even reached her, Gina had already stepped forward and accurately stabbed him in the thigh.

"what!"

The bandit screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his left leg and writhing in pain. The militia rushed over, snatched his weapon, and pinned him to the ground.

Vio breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and glanced at the panel.

Name: Kaz

Race: Human

Age: 20

[Hobbies: Spying, arguing]

[Characteristics: Agile, sowing discord, claustrophobic]

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

"Sir, what should we do with him? This guy must have been sent by those bandits!"

The militiamen kicked him in the face as they questioned Vio, awaiting his orders.

Vio glanced at the bandit seemingly casually and asked, "Tell me, who sent you?"

"Kill me if you want, I won't say a word!"

Even when pinned to the ground, the bandits remained fierce, their faces contorted and twisted, their eyes seeming to want to tear Vio apart.

But Vio didn't care at all; he already had a plan in mind. He turned around and said:

"Lock him up first, I'll interrogate him myself later."

But after taking only a few steps, Vio suddenly spoke to Cohen beside him:

"Cohen, go back and tell the militia to find a dark wooden coffin, lock him up, and have someone guard him."