Lord: I can see loyalty.

Only after Vio's voice reached the militia captain's ears did he finally come to his senses and quickly saluted in acknowledgment:

"Your Excellency, this morning we were patrolling the grove near the village as usual..."

"At first, everything seemed normal, but when we were packing up, we discovered that one person was missing." The captain's expression changed slightly, and after glancing at Vio's face, he continued, "I then sent my men back into the forest to search for the missing militiaman."

He paused, a hint of fear returning to his face. "Then, the enemy appeared! It was as if they had been lying in ambush for a long time; we couldn't even see them clearly."

"With just a whoosh of wind, my companions were struck by short arrows, which were also highly poisoned. Within moments, several of them collapsed and could not rise again..."

"From the start of the battle to our escape back to the village, only a few minutes passed. We didn't even get a clear look at them." The captain lowered his head, the images of those figures leaping through the bushes still replaying in his mind.

"My lord, I may know something," Gertó said after he finished speaking.

He stood beside Vio and said, "When I was young, I spent several years in the Eastern Territory, and at that time I heard about the 'barbarians' who hid in the deep mountains and forests."

"Barbarians?" Vio glanced at him.

"That's right, it's the barbarians." Gertó continued, "It is said that at the border between the southern and eastern borders, there is the second highest mountain in the Kingdom of Rovia, where barbarian tribes are hidden."

"I did some research at the time. Although there wasn't much information about this barbarian tribe back then, their highly toxic poisons were exceptionally famous. In fact, many nobles had secretly sought to purchase their poison formulas or finished products at high prices."

Vio listened quietly to Gelt's description and remained silent for a moment.

Not long after the bandits in the central part of the southern region were wiped out, trouble arose on both sides.

It seems we can only put the pirates in the western border region aside for now and have Axel and his men keep an eye on them.

"Send someone back to Bordeaux and relay my orders: have the Knights of the Blue Peaks and the militia come to Savannah to reinforce the village. At the same time, have men set up watchtowers and strengthen defenses around the village. The militia should patrol in groups of four and must not let their guard down."

"Yes, sir!" The militia captain straightened his back, accepted the order, and left.

The village of Savannah briefly returned to its lively state. Under the persuasion of the militiamen, the men in the village finally began to move timber together, the women reinforced the doors and windows, and the children were told to stay indoors.

A brief period of order was successfully restored.

Half a day later, just before the sun was about to set, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps came from the direction of Bordeaux outside the village.

The main force of the Azure Peak Knights, led by Jimmy, appeared on the gentle slope outside the village. Nearly a hundred knights were all dressed in white armor, their hands tightly on their sword hilts.

Following closely behind were several militia units led by captains including Glenn. Although their equipment was not as good as the Knights, they were full of high morale and were all veterans who had experienced many battles.

The horses' hooves and footsteps stopped at the village entrance. Jimmy was the first to arrive at Vio's side, dismounted, and saluted with his right fist to his chest: "My lord, the Azure Peak Knights have arrived as ordered."

Vio simply nodded slightly and glanced at Jimmy. Recently, Jimmy had also learned the Dune Sword Technique and had now reached the [Introduction to Dune Sword Technique].

"Let the militia and knights set up camp and rest. It's getting late. We'll set off tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir." A sharp glint flashed in Jimmy's eyes as he turned and loudly relayed the order. The knights began to silently and efficiently settle their horses and remove their heavy armor.

The militiamen, under the command of their respective captains, lit fires and set up simple camps.

Night quickly fell over Savannah village, and squads of soldiers patrolled close to the village, each led by a knight and three militiamen, keeping watch for enemy attacks.

The cold wind from the mountains swept through the village, making a series of sounds, and every slight disturbance made the patrol team grip their weapons tightly.

However, the attack they feared did not occur until the sun rose again.

In the early morning, the mist appears and disappears among the trees.

The Azure Peak Knights were already fully equipped and lined up. Leading the charge were a dozen or so burly, heavily armored knights, each carrying a shield nearly as tall as a person. These shields, pieced together, were enough to advance through the mountains and forests.

Following closely behind were the hunters, including Gertó. Except for Gertó, the others were all local veteran hunters who were extremely familiar with the mountains and forests and also had some understanding of the barbarians.

Vio and the militia marched in the center of the column; they were the main force of the column.

Gina, along with some knights and militia, remained stationed in the village to guard against enemy attacks.

"Check equipment, advance in formation!" Jimmy shouted the order, gripping the longsword at his waist.

"Set off!"

The group moved slowly forward, guided by the hunters, toward Mount Loba, the second highest mountain where the barbarians might appear.

The group followed the trail trodden by the hunters, deep into the tall forest.

The towering trees blocked out most of the sunlight, and a damp mist filled the forest, but it didn't obstruct the view too much.

Everything seemed perfectly normal, and the militiamen at the rear even relaxed a little.

But soon the experienced hunters' faces began to look increasingly grim. Gertó was the first to stop and raise his clenched fist as a signal.

He turned to listen, his nostrils flaring slightly, his face terribly grim: "Something's not right..."

He lowered his voice and slowly leaned back, saying to Vio behind him, "It's too quiet. There's not a sound of any birds or beasts. Generally speaking, there's only one possibility in this situation..."

"That means there's something even more terrifying in the mountains and forests."

After his reminder, the militiamen standing nearby also suddenly realized something was wrong and gripped their weapons tightly once more.

Vio's expression remained unchanged; he merely gestured for the team to continue advancing towards the Shanluoba Mountains with increased vigilance.

After walking slowly for about ten more minutes, the trees ahead became sparser, and a small clearing appeared in the woods.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, the group could clearly see the majestic and precipitous mountain in the distance, its upper part shrouded in clouds and mist.

They stopped in the open space to rest, allowing the knights who were gripping heavy shields to catch their breath.

Vio gazed at the towering mountain so close at hand, weighing his options: should he set up camp there and send an elite squad up to scout ahead, or...?

It was at this moment that the unexpected event suddenly erupted as he was thinking!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

A piercing whistling sound came from all directions, followed by a strange noise that was not the vibration of a bowstring but more like the sound of a blowpipe!

Dozens of short, dark arrows shot out from almost every direction, heading straight for the shield-bearing knights on the outermost edge of the formation!

"Enemy attack! Raise your shields!"

Jimmy roared, and the well-trained Azure Peak Knights reacted quickly, their heavy shields rapidly closing to form a temporary humanoid barrier.

Ding Ding Ding Ding!

The poisoned arrows were deflected by the shield, making a series of crisp, rain-like sounds.

"In the tree! Two!"

"There's a bush on the left! And a blowgun!"

"There are some behind it too!"

The hunters shouted warnings, and they were the first to spot the figures hiding in the shadows of the trees.

The attackers clearly did not expect the target's defenses to be so swift and tight; the first attack failed to cause any casualties.

Hoo-ha—!

With a short, unintelligible shout, the attackers stopped hiding and leaped out of their hiding places, charging towards them!

Upon seeing the appearance of these barbarians, even the battle-hardened knights of the Azure Peak couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

They were generally short and stocky, with dark skin from living in the forest, and their faces were painted with strange patterns made of plant juice to imitate animal markings, making their original features almost unrecognizable.

Their equipment was rudimentary yet deadly, wielding sharpened stone spears or bone machetes, and wearing simple armor woven from vines and animal hides.

Its movements were as swift as a monster, leaping and bounding among the trees, occasionally flashing a wild and murderous glint in its eyes.

The real battle suddenly unfolded in this forest clearing!