Lord: I can see loyalty.

Albright's facial muscles twitched a few times, and her complex expression finally turned into a heavy sigh.

He released his grip on Vance's hand. The young soldier, panting heavily, still glared defiantly at the ground, but no longer uttered a word.

"Your Excellency," Albright said, looking at Vio, his voice regaining its composure, "I apologize for the spectacle. There is indeed some internal strife within the Cooper Clan, but no matter who the king is, our war with the Harlow Clan will not change."

He glanced at his wounded and tense brothers behind him, then looked at the well-armored troops behind Vio: "This area is now a frequent activity area for the Haro tribe. For us dozen or so to act alone is almost like suicide... If Your Excellency does not mind, we hope to accompany you temporarily, serving as their scouts and guides. We are more familiar with this mountain forest than you are."

Viol hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Having more guides and soldiers familiar with the enemy's habits is generally more beneficial than harmful. "Okay. But you must follow orders."

"Understood." Albright readily agreed, then gestured to her companions behind her.

The Cooper warriors nodded silently and quickly blended into Vio's flanks and outposts, their movements swift and silent.

The team merged and continued deeper into the forest.

With the addition of Cooper warriors, their awareness of danger increased considerably. Albright and several experienced warriors constantly pointed out the locations of potential traps, thus avoiding several crises.

However, the impending attack did not disappear despite their caution.

Just as they were passing through a narrow cave hidden by dense vines, the sound of wind breaking suddenly descended!

The attacks came from above and both sides, not the poisoned short arrows commonly used by the Haro people, but more powerful hardwood javelins, which were fired down in volleys with the strong wind!

At the same time, several arrows coated with black liquid shot accurately from the cracks in the rocks towards Vio and Albright in the group.

"Enemy attack! Raise your shields!"

Jimmy's command and the clanging sound of shields being raised rang out almost simultaneously.

Most of the javelins and arrows were dodged or blocked by the shield wall and Cooper warriors, but one militiaman was grazed on the shoulder by a javelin.

"Not many! Form a counterattack!" Vio's eyes swept quickly across the forest, trying to bring up the panel of the attackers in the woods.

Unlike the frenzied Haro barbarians, the attackers did not linger after a missed attack. They quickly moved from their hiding places, attempting to launch another attack from another direction.

"Surround them! Don't let them create distance!" Albright's eyes flashed with a fierce light; he was all too familiar with this tactic.

He led two Cooper warriors out like wild beasts, using their familiarity with the terrain to quickly outflank and encircle the enemy.

The knights and militiamen also split into several squads and, under the cover of shields, pressed towards the rocks and bushes where the attackers were hiding.

The battle was brief but intense. Although the attackers were individually quite strong, they were quickly separated and defeated one by one due to their overwhelming numerical and equipment disadvantage.

When the last few stubborn resisters were cornered against a rock wall by Jimmy and the knights, with nowhere left to retreat, they tore off the leaves and mud they had used for camouflage, revealing their true forms.

They were Cooper warriors, also with Cooper tribal totems painted on their faces and wearing animal skins and simple armor!

Their eyes were cold, filled with hostility and a hint of annoyance as they looked at Albright and the others.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

The Knights of the Blue Top and the militiamen were stunned. They looked at the prisoners, then at Albright, whose face had turned ashen, and at the equally dumbfounded and furious Cooper brothers behind him.

"Reiner? Tolwin? It's you..." Albright recognized two of them, her voice tinged with anger, "Why...?"

"Why?" The prisoner named Reiner spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his face showing no fear. "Albright, don't you understand? You few have openly defied the King's decision and incited your people. You are already traitors to the Cooper Clan! The King... merely issued the necessary orders to eliminate destabilizing factors, ensure a smooth relocation, and maintain tribal unity."

"Eliminate the destabilizing factors?" Albright staggered back a step, while Vance and the other warriors behind him had bloodshot eyes and uttered suppressed curses.

"Do you even need to ask?!" Vance abruptly drew his dagger, pointing it at the prisoners, his voice hoarse with rage. "It's that coward Ronan! He's afraid that Brother Albright will go back and threaten his position, afraid that we'll tell the truth! So he sent you idiots to silence you! Isn't that right?!"

Reiner and the other prisoners exchanged glances, their faces showing either mocking or helpless sneers.

He simply raised his head and said frankly, "That's right. Now that you've caught us and guessed what happened, there's no point in hiding it."

"The king has ordered that you, a group of hidden dangers, must not be allowed to return to the people, especially Albright." His gaze fell on the tall Albright.

Albright's hand, gripping the wooden spear tightly, turned red from the force, and the shock on his face was gradually replaced by sorrow.

He may have still held onto a last shred of hope that "the leader might have his reasons," but that hope has now been completely shattered.

With the threat from the Haro tribe looming and warriors scarce, their king was thinking of wiping out his own people.

Vio watched all this with a cold eye. On the system panel, the status of those prisoners had been marked with "calm" and "relieved," clearly indicating that they had long been prepared to die.

This Ronan... his vision is far too narrow, or rather, his guilty conscience has overwhelmed his rationality.

After dealing with the Ronan faction warriors who refused to surrender even at the cost of their lives, a heavy silence filled the woods.

The stench of blood mixed with the putrid smell of the forest was nauseating.

Vio walked up to Albright, who looked somewhat dejected, and calmly asked, "Albright, what are your plans now?"

Albright raised his head, the confusion and sorrow in his eyes quickly replaced by calmness. He looked at the brothers who followed him, and then looked in the general direction of the Cooper village.

"Your Majesty... Ronan's actions have betrayed the oath of our Cooper Clan." Albright's voice was deep and firm. "All he thinks about now is consolidating his position, even at the cost of raising a knife against his own people when surrounded by enemies. Such a leader is not worthy of leading the Cooper Clan."

He took a deep breath and made a decision: "The relocation order must have been issued recently. Many people are certainly unwilling to leave their homes, so the relocation won't happen too quickly. I must go back and, as a Cooper warrior, inform the elders of this matter. They will surely be able to understand it."

"Big brother! We'll go back with you!"

"That's right, Ronan doesn't deserve to be our leader!"

The Cooper warriors behind him were filled with excitement and expressed their opinions one after another.

Albright turned to Vio, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Your Excellency, since that's the case, we must now return home. The road ahead may be even more dangerous, you..."

Vio gently raised his hand, interrupting him, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips. "It wouldn't be ideal for just a few of you to go back. You know, your Cooper tribe's territory isn't actually that far from the Naharo tribe's."

He looked at Albright: "I have no interest in power struggles within your clan, but I do want to see a stable Cooper clan that is not hostile to my southern border. A leader who would purge his own people in times of crisis clearly does not meet this expectation."

He paused, his tone leaving no room for argument: "So, I will go with you to your village. Rest assured, unless absolutely necessary, neither I nor my men will interfere in your internal affairs."

Albright was stunned; he hadn't expected Vio to state his position so directly.

He finally nodded heavily, raising his weapon: "Thank you for your companionship, Count Vio. The spirits of the forest will witness that the true warriors of the Cooper tribe have never forgotten their original aspirations."

With the objective changed, the team quickly shifted its focus.

They turned slightly, no longer venturing into dangerous territory to search for the Haro tribe's lair, but instead pointing towards the Cooper tribe's village.

Vio understood that this trip might be a good opportunity to win over the entire Cooper tribe.