Lord: I can see loyalty.

Near the bushes outside the village of New Bordeaux, militiamen gathered around a bonfire, creating a lively atmosphere.

In the center sat Vio and Gina, with Galto and Jimmy on either side.

"We are still under the Lord's protection today."

The militiamen ate the not-too-bad-tasting sand wolf meat, humming a modified version of a Rovia folk song, in which they changed "God" to "Lord".

"This is my first time eating sand wolf meat, and I never expected it to be so delicious!"

Gina's eyes lit up as she wolfed down her food, showing no trace of maid-like behavior. Jimmy, too, savored the grilled meat in his mouth, marveling at it.

Sand wolves are elusive, and there are very few records about them, let alone their meat. I never expected their meat to be so delicious!

The militiamen never expected to be able to eat such delicious food in this desolate wilderness, a food they had never been able to enjoy before.

Gelto was surrounded by militiamen who bombarded him with questions, and being poor at speaking, he could only respond with a wry smile.

"Eat slowly, there's still plenty to go..." Vio chuckled and patted Gina, who was choking, but his mind was still racing.

Looking at the harmonious scene before him, Vio felt a little worried.

The time given by Katz, the bandit they had captured, was not far off.

The leader of Kaz gave him ten days to return, and four days have already passed, which means they only have six days left.

Of course, Vio had no intention of waiting for the enemy to come to his door before launching a counterattack.

He wanted to strike first before the bandits could make their move.

After finishing the wolf meat in his hand, Vio dried his hands and took out the map of Bordeaux village that he always carried with him.

Looking at the vast area of ​​occupied villages and towns on the map, Vio became even more determined not to hand them over to those vicious bandits.

With his gaze fixed on the map before him, Vio slowly began to formulate a plan.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch his king. Vio believed this was especially true for this group of bandits, who were essentially a motley crew that had been gathered together.

Moreover, it was indeed a bit of a pipe dream to expect the militia to fight a group of bandits whose morale had not been dampened.

Although the militia had undergone nearly a month of training, it could not be considered an army.

Thinking of this, Vio glanced at Gina, Jimmy, and Gertrude around him.

His biggest advantage right now is that he has intelligence that the bandits don't have, as well as the exceptional combat skills of these men. Dealing with the bandit leader shouldn't be a problem...

"My lord, the Sand Wolf King's leg has been taken care of!"

The militiamen's clamor interrupted Vio. He smiled, put away the map, and already had a clear answer in his mind.

……

"My lord, do you mean... to find the location of the bandit leader?"

Cohen stood with Vio, trying his best to suppress his surprise.

He had already prepared himself mentally when Vio summoned him alone, after all, the lord's recent actions had always been quite astonishing.

Vio nodded, glancing at him at the same time.

【Characteristics: Calm, extremely loyal, tight-lipped, keen observer, basic disguise and concealment skills, agile】

Loyalty: 92%

Cohen wasn't idle during this time either; after several infiltration missions, his attributes were beginning to emerge.

It's clearly an assassin's stats.

After he said those words, Cohen's loyalty remained unchanged, which put Vio at ease.

"This task is difficult, Cohen."

Vio withdrew his gaze and continued, "If you are in mortal danger, run away immediately..."

"My lord!"

Just as Vio was whispering instructions with his head down, Cohen suddenly interrupted him.

Vio looked up and met his clear eyes, the determination in which moved him.

"I was an orphan from a young age. I was taken in by the former head of the Ross family, who is also your father. From that moment on, I swore to be loyal to the family for a hundred years!"

"But I couldn't help your father until the very end, and now you've given me another chance... I'm willing to give my life for you!"

Cohen spoke excitedly, raising his right hand and slapping it on his chest to swear an oath. As he finished speaking, his loyalty level rose again to 95%.

Vio swallowed hard, realizing that the young man in front of him wasn't just making empty promises; he truly meant what he said.

Vio didn't waste any more words. He stood up, took out his sword from the hilt of his waist, and pressed it against Cohen's chest.

"Cohen, may the gods bless you with success."

Cohen nodded vigorously in response, took the map and portrait of the bandit leader from Vio, and then left the house.

He doesn't have much time.

Watching the other party leave, Vio quickly recovered, composed himself, and called Jimmy and Xavier over.

"What are your orders, my lord?"

Vio looked at the two guards in front of him. Their loyalty was over 80%, and they were both at the beginner level of basic swordsmanship.

"The militia training will be changed from now on."

As he spoke, Vio took out a map: "Have someone modify the training ground according to this map, and we'll train here for the next few days."

Jimmy took the map, a hand-drawn map by Vio. Looking at the messy yet familiar routes on it, he frowned slightly, but couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

"Isn't this... Bordeaux village?"

Xavier stared at the map and suddenly spoke. Jimmy quickly realized that the map was drawn based on the terrain of Bordeaux village. Vio also nodded in agreement.

"That's right. According to that bandit scout, the bandits' attack is imminent. We can't just sit here and wait to be killed; we must take the initiative! Please also pass this message on to the others on your trip."

Jimmy and Xavier exchanged a glance, then nodded to Vio. They had decided to trust the young lord, whether he lived or died.

The renovation of the training ground quickly began in full swing, and the militia's morale soared to unprecedented heights after learning that they were going to attack the bandits.

Perhaps still feeling the excitement of eliminating the sand wolves, the militia was full of confidence and enthusiasm, and completed the renovation of the training ground in just a few hours.

Jimmy watched the militiamen starting their training below, unsure whether this was right or wrong, after all, bandits were different from sand wolves.

The militia's training content changed from physical fitness and swordsmanship to what the lord called "guerrilla warfare."

"Using their familiarity with Bordeaux village, they will wage guerrilla warfare against the bandits, and then the lord will personally lead a force to raid the bandit leader."

Jimmy assessed the feasibility of the operation in his mind. Although it sounded somewhat far-fetched, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Unlike a real offensive battle, the village of Bordeaux had no defenses and, as an oasis in the desert, was covered by a lot of vegetation.

That's why the village of Bordeaux was so easily captured back then.

After settling the militia, Vio finally confirmed the elite force he had mentioned.

Jimmy, Xavier, Gertrude, Cohen who has not yet returned, and Gina Jacques, who has reached the intermediate level of basic swordsmanship.