It's so hard being a hero!

After saying that, he turned and ran into the fortress, faster than a rabbit.

Hinoya stood at the entrance, hands on her hips, her gaze sweeping over the soldiers on the fortress walls.

Her brow furrowed slightly, as if sensing something, but there was no unusual expression on her face.

A few minutes later, the fortress gates opened from the inside.

Baird, dressed in a crisp white military uniform, walked over with a warm smile on his face.

"Haha, Lady Xinuoya, what brings you here? You didn't even give me a heads-up so I could prepare."

When Xinuoya saw him walking over, she suddenly grabbed the old man by the collar, leaned close to him with a dangerous look, and said, "Belder, I heard you've been doing a lot of good deeds lately."

Baird's smile froze instantly. He knew that the investigation team must have reported the matter, but it was also within his expectations.

"Huh? Good news? What do you mean by that, Lady Shinoya?"

Baird dared not struggle and could only let Hinoya grab his collar.

"What do you mean? Me?"

"Your Excellency, calm down, calm down," the blue-haired female mage spoke again.

Hinoya immediately rolled her eyes and then released Baird's collar.

"I heard that a town near Truk Fortress was plundered by bandits last night. How many times has this happened this year? Are your 20,000 troops stationed at the fortress just sitting around doing nothing?"

Baird's expression changed slightly, but he remained firm in his stance.

"Lady Xinuoya, I've been dealing with the bandits, but those guys are too cunning. They rob a group and then move on to a different place, making them very difficult to catch."

Hinoya looked at him with a half-smile.

"Really?"

“Alright, I happen to have some free time today, so I will personally go and interrogate those bandits who were captured yesterday.”

Baird opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw Shinoya's deep brown eyes, he swallowed the words back.

"Alright, Lady Shinoya, this way please."

He turned to the side and gestured, leading Shinoya towards the fortress.

Hinoya stepped inside, followed by her personal guard of knights.

Baird led the way, and when his back was to Shinoya, the smile on his face completely disappeared, replaced by a sinister and ruthless expression.

Sophia had already seen Shinoya enter.

"That arrogant little girl from back then, she's still just as arrogant. Sigh! Time really flies," Sophia sighed.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Xinuoya enter the fortress, but her heart was still in suspense.

Baird is clearly problematic. If Shinoya were to clash with him inside the fortress, it would be no laughing matter.

"Where are the men in the fortress? Why are they all women and children?" Xinuoya asked suspiciously.

Baird seemed to have known that Shinoya was coming, so he had taken care of the dirty places and troublesome matters in the city in advance.

“Oh, the men have to work during the day and haven’t come back yet. This is a military fortress, after all; we don’t keep idle people here,” Baird explained.

With her arms crossed, Xinuoya used her mental senses to scan her surroundings. She quickly spotted a sneaky girl.

No need to look anymore, it's obviously Sofia.

But instead of immediately getting Sophia out, she suddenly stopped a woman of similar age.

"Sister, has anything major happened at the fortress recently?"

Xinuoya's behavior startled the woman, who quickly shook her head and said no.

But how could Xinuoya not see the fear in those eyes?

Chapter 63 Xinuoya's Domineering Nature

Hinoya didn't press the terrified woman further, because the woman's eyes had already said it all.

Then she suddenly turned to look at Baird.

"Bald, come on, let's go to your central command tent."

Baird quickly nodded and bowed, stepping aside to lead the way.

"Lady Shinoya, this way please."

So the group passed through the inner city of the fortress and came to a magnificently decorated palace.

This is no military command post; it's clearly a noble mansion.

Two rows of maids stood at the palace gate, each with a pretty face and a young age.

There were also more than a dozen wealthy women nearby.

When they saw Baird bringing Shinoya over, they quickly performed a noble salute.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Governor."

Hinoya stopped and scanned the faces of the women one by one.

"Hey, Baird, you've got some good luck with women, haven't you?"

Baird gave an awkward smile.

"Ah? This, Lady Shinoya, you are joking."

Hinoya stroked her chin and scrutinized Baird.

"With so many beautiful women, aren't you afraid of developing kidney deficiency?"

That's very harsh; it's hard to imagine a woman saying something like that.

Baird's smile froze completely on his face.

"Cough cough!"

The blue-haired female mage behind Xinuoya coughed again and whispered a reminder: "Governor, mind your image."

Hinoya rolled her eyes on the spot.

"Pay attention to what? Did I say something wrong? With so many women, who wouldn't have kidney deficiency?"

The blue-haired female magician and the other officers were speechless, but they were all used to it.

Baird chuckled twice and quickly changed the subject.

"Lady Xinuoya, please come in."

Xinuoya didn't look at him again and strode into the palace.

The interior of the palace was even more luxurious than she had imagined.

Xinuoya walked to the innermost part and, without saying a word, plopped down in the main seat.

Baird's eye twitched slightly, but he still stood to the side with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Xinuoya crossed her legs, her boot toes swaying back and forth, and leaned back in her chair.

"Alright, let's talk while sitting down."

She waved to Baird, gesturing for him to sit down as well.

Baird sat down in the seat to her left, his smile somewhat forced.

"Lady Xinuoya, are you here to inspect military affairs?"

"What? Can't I come?"

Hinoya raised one eyebrow.

"No, no, of course you can come. You are my superior, and you can go wherever you want in the entire Texas province."

Baird quickly waved his hand.

Xinuoya snorted coldly and stopped beating around the bush.

"Where is that silver-level bandit leader from yesterday? Bring him here; I want to interrogate him myself."

Baird's expression changed slightly.

"Lady Shinoya, um..."

Baird hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

"Hey, what's up? Just say what you want to say, don't act like a girl."

Xinuoya urged impatiently.

Baird coughed lightly, then explained with a regretful expression, "That bandit leader was executed by me last night."

Upon hearing this, Xinuoya paused, her crossed legs faltering, and slowly sat up straight.

"What did you say? Executed? So quickly?"

"Yes, he was executed."

Baird nodded seriously.

“Yesterday I discovered that he was one of my officers, so I interrogated him overnight. He admitted to impersonating a bandit and robbing surrounding towns. He was guilty of heinous crimes and such a person could not be allowed to live, so I ordered him to be dealt with by military law.”

Hinoya stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

That smile sent a chill down Baird's spine.

"Hey, you're pretty efficient, aren't you?"

"I just brought it back yesterday, and it was all taken care of overnight."

Baird's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Haha, you flatter me, Lady Xinuoya. It is my duty to maintain peace in this region. I cannot let these scoundrels live another day."

After listening, Xinuoya slowly leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs again.

"Then let me ask you, when did he join the army? When did he rise to the silver rank? How many men did he lead? How many crimes did he commit? Where did all the stolen money go?"

Baird was taken aback by the question, and his smile became increasingly forced.