Volume 1: Three People Travel Together Chapter 111: Where the Heart Is

  Three days later, when the appointed day arrived, the great arena of Rose Hill City was already packed with people.

  Although there were more or less some competitive events in this arena almost every month as a common entertainment for the nobles and civilians, they were nothing compared to the "War of Honor" at that time, not even a children's play.

  It is worth noting that the two people who will be standing on this sandy ground today are truly aristocrats, one of whom is a member of the Hamilton family. Whether it's Middy or Martin, both have impressive records and great reputations, and the outcome of this battle for fame will determine the fate of a high-ranking branch leader who is highly respected and revered.

  Noble status, powerful strength, unimaginable emphasis, this is the real battle that makes people's blood boil.

  In fact, the Great Arena was originally designed for battles of honor, not as an entertainment facility. But how many years has it been since the Iron Duke took over?

  Until this moment, it has finally re-emerged with its own radiance.

  When it was learned that the two were to engage in a contest of honor, the arena's manager, a nominal baron, was so excited that he couldn't sleep that night and immediately summoned workers to give the arena, which he had managed for decades, a major renovation. The pillars, gateways, stands, and decorations throughout were all changed from a coarse style close to that of commoners to a truly magnificent feeling of the Hamilton family.

  Even the yellow sand in the arena was replaced with the most expensive and most suitable beach gravel for solo battles.

  At this moment, looking down from the VIP seat, the entire arena seems like a vast and silent lake.

  But soon, this calm and peaceful lake surface will be stirred up by the two duelists.

  As Martin Hamilton stepped slowly through the south gate carved with wolf heads into the white sand arena, he was immediately greeted by a wave of thunderous applause.

  As the most martial branch of the family, the fencing branch has a great influence in Rose Hill City. Martin, who owns the title "First Swordsman", is a celebrity in Rose Hill City that no one knows nothing about. His reputation was not obtained through simple competitions or rankings, but was actually fought out.

  The Hamilton family's territory is vast, from the southernmost port to the northern border, and various forces are rubbing against each other almost every day.

  And Martin, threw himself into these battles, from pirates, bandits, thieves, all the way to the regular armies of the senatorial faction, and even had a confrontation with the Red Flame Legion. In all these battles, he ultimately emerged victorious, and always led by example.

  At first glance, Martin's actions and Middy's behavior after reincarnation are almost the same, and it is natural to accumulate a huge reputation and popularity.

  In fact, if there must be a distinction, it is that Middy has no choice but to win, otherwise it will be a complete collapse. As for Martin, he can choose the advantageous battlefield and make every effort to let the generals cooperate, and then take the opportunity to show off.

  So Martin's reputation will rise much faster than Middy's.

  After all, a well-prepared drama is always more attractive than bloody reality.

  The "first person of fencing branch" faced the enthusiastic supporters, just lightly waved his hand, still maintaining his usual calm and cold expression, one man, one sword, elegant and free-spirited, slowly stepped into the arena.

  At the same time, when Midei walked in from the north gate with a leopard head carved on it, the audience in the field was tangled.

  The nobles have nothing good to worry about, their buttocks decide their heads.

  Or, more elegantly put, it is the shared stance and values that win people's hearts.

  Therefore, the members who were present at "Golden Branch" immediately gave face and started cheering and creating momentum as soon as Mide, who was Fina's guardian knight, entered.

  As members of the Golden Branch, they are used to acting with impunity under the protection of the Iron Blood Duke. In terms of benefit distribution, there have been occasional frictions with the seven major branches. Now that the Iron Blood Duke is critically ill, these people naturally hope that the newly ascended Fiona will be equally powerful and continue to maintain their various interests.

  Now the Bullet Queen has come up with a strong attack, wanting to abolish the strongest fencing branch's person in charge, which is naturally delightful for them. Under the love of the house and the crow, as the Guardian Knight, Middy also received pursuit.

  Many people have already started creating public opinion in these three days. They continue to promote Meddy's achievements, not seeking to be compared with the "First Swordsman" of Zara Root, but at least they want to give the people of Rose Hill City an impression.

  When the golden branch was holding court, the swordsmen immediately began drinking toasts, after all, Mide Astrix wasn't a member of the Hamilton family, they had no need to be cautious at all, on the contrary, various opposing reasons kept emerging.

  But the nobles are a minority after all, even with their entourage.

  It is the people who have lived on this land for generations that truly occupy the mainstream.

  As vassals of the Hamilton family, they were naturally familiar with "the first swordsman" and also quite supportive of this outstanding genius. But if you say who is really popular, compared to nobles, compared to geniuses, it's that little red-haired girl.

  The title of "Little Princess" did not come from within the family, but was formed during Fiona's days in Rose Hill City, where she thought she was upholding justice, but was actually tyrannizing.

  People watched as the little red-haired girl beat up one ruffian after another, meting out justice for the common folk. They also saw her occasionally daring to defy the Iron-Blooded Duke, even resisting him openly. And they saw her growing up, becoming slender and elegant, beautiful and charming, strong, until she became everyone's treasured darling.

  If one were to say that the first swordsman gave everyone a feeling of being a "genius and capable noble young master", then Fina gives people a feeling of being "the most suitable person to be the lord".

  The former is just admiration and awe, while the latter is truly where people's hearts are headed.

  Even though Feena has been away from the political center of Rose Hill for many years, people have never forgotten her, but only buried it deep in their hearts.

  A few days ago, when Feena entered the city, people spontaneously lined up to welcome her, which has already explained everything.

  At this moment, when everyone is ready, it's easier to see how popular the Bullet Queen is here.

  The only problem is that the one who has now appeared on the scene is not the little princess in their hearts, but a stranger, a complete outsider who has entered the Hamilton family's territory for the first time and stepped into Rose Hill City for the first time.

  Should I cheer for such an outsider?

  Everyone was at a loss for what to do next.

  Just then, a clear voice rang out and entered everyone's ears.

  "Come on, Mide! Win the battle of honor!"

  On the high platform, in the VIP seat, Fiona Hamilton completely disregarded the agent's dignity and image, standing up directly against the railing, wrapping her hands around her mouth like a trumpet, shouting loudly. The girl's pale face had a hint of redness, it was unclear whether it was due to exertion or shyness.

  Although they had long been accustomed to this little princess's unconventional personality, at this moment, people still burst into an uproar.

  She even personally cheered for her own guardian knight?

  This guy...

  In Med's heart, he felt a gentle warmth, and the last bit of tension before facing strong enemies was also dissolved like melting snow in Feena's voice. What remained was an unprecedented high morale.

  With her by his side, how could he possibly fail?

  With that thought, Mide drew out a pitch-black long sword with no light on it, its sharp blade pointing straight up to the sky, dividing the golden sunlight into thousands of fine rays.

  "For Fina Hamilton"

  When this sentence of course came out naturally from Mide's mouth, people didn't need to worry about it anymore.

  Yes, although he's an outsider and doesn't have the blood of the Hamilton family flowing through his veins, when it comes to Midie, he's a rising new star, and more importantly, he's Fina's guardian knight, chosen by the little princess herself. Who else would you support?

  "For our little princess"

  "For Fina"

  The crowd erupted in cheers, with the majority of "Golden Branch" supporters forming a unified voice that instantly drowned out the opposing team's booing, creating the only harmony throughout the entire arena.

  "Miss Fiona, in my humble opinion, assigning Mr. Midie as the sole Guardian Knight seems to be a waste of his talents." The old butler, He Ping, said with a smile as he listened to the cheers and shouts from the crowd.

  "Medi's main focus is the Gyrfalcon Squad, being a guardian knight is just an extra for me." Fina replied, then muttered softly, "And it's not like I'm the only one who gets to be their guardian knight..."

  In the heart of the red-haired girl, she couldn't help but think of the black-haired girl who was still guarding the eagle's nest - Middy probably didn't know that his "ownership" had long been divided between these two girls, and thought that the idea of a guardian knight was specially brought up to deal with the family meeting.

  I wonder what expression he will have when he knows the truth?

  Looking at the black-haired figure's calm back on the white gravel, Feena thought quietly.

  As the invisible momentum continued to clash, and people's hearts were inclined in different directions, Meddy and Martin, the true protagonists of this battle for reputation, finally stood face to face.

  "Do you think shouting louder will give you an advantage?" Martin sneered.

  In his view, what Mide did was just a bluff. During these three days, he carefully thought about the earth-shattering sword at the family meeting and finally came to the conclusion that Mide must have spent a lot of effort on this sword, so it's impossible to reappear in the battle for reputation.

  Even if it happens again, as long as I'm prepared, I'll definitely be able to avoid it.

  At this time, a full-force blow will fall short, and Midy will certainly be greatly weakened in both momentum and physical strength.

  But if he didn't use his finishing move, he simply wouldn't believe that a former prodigy who had wasted many years of practice and only recently rapidly leveled up could be his opponent. After all, what Martin was most proud of was his incredibly solid foundation.

  However, faced with Martin's aggressive questioning, Middy just shrugged her shoulders.

  "You are indeed very strong, but in your growth process, you lacked something very important." The black-haired youth said quietly, "That is failure."