Lord: I can see loyalty.

Cavill Fortress, the sun hangs high in the sky.

Outside the city gate, the soldiers had just repelled another wave of bandit attacks and were now slumped on the city wall, their chests heaving violently beneath their armor.

A leading knight shouted, trying to order them to stand up and be on guard, but no one paid him any attention. Exhaustion and despair enveloped the top of the wall, and some even whispered about the possibility of surrendering.

Squinting at the carnage on the city wall, Vio remained silent and turned his gaze behind him.

They had reached the outskirts of the fortress, and there were five of them, including Vio, Gina, Cohen, and two members of the Brotherhood.

"My lord, this way." Cohen led them across the dangerous edge of the battlefield and around to the side gate of the fortress.

Despite being a side gate, it was still heavily guarded. Not far away, there was a pile of rotting corpses, their armor stripped off, making it impossible to tell whether they were the bodies of bandits or soldiers defending the city.

"Who goes there?!"

As they approached the city gate, two guards below grabbed their weapons and surrounded them, while those on the city wall raised their bows and arrows at them.

The one who raised the question was a fully armed knight on the city wall. He looked down at the five people, then seemed to notice something and laughed, saying, "Aren't you that guy from Bordeaux village last time?"

"Is this Vio, the lord of Bordeaux village?"

Vio and his party were all wearing white cloaks. Vio pulled up the hood of his head and glanced at the knight in charge.

Name: Flynn Downs

Race: Human

Age: 28

[Hobbies: Drinking, gossiping, and mocking the weak]

【Characteristics: Horsemanship, combat experience, fully armed, advanced basic swordsmanship】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

"I didn't expect you to actually find Vio, and you even went all out with the act." The knight's eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, were full of contempt, and his words drew laughter from the surrounding soldiers.

Cohen and the others instinctively gripped their weapons tighter, and the knights noticed this as well, placing their hands on their sword hilts, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Give this letter to Earl Felix."

Vio ignored them, calmly took out the letter and handed it to the nearest soldier. The soldier glanced at the knight, and after receiving permission, turned and climbed the city wall, handing the letter to the knight.

The knight in charge took the letter, then held it high, sneering as if he was about to tear it up, casting a provocative glance at Vio.

However, the moment his gaze met Vio's cold eyes, the knight's expression changed drastically. He slowly lowered his hand, coughed lightly, and said, "Go, hand it over to the Earl."

Although the soldier didn't know what had happened, he still took the envelope and hurriedly ran into the city. As his footsteps faded into the distance, a subtle silence fell on the city wall.

The knight in charge remained standing, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Vio beneath his visor, his fingers tapping lightly on the hilt of his sword as he weighed the young man who called himself lord before him.

Time passed quickly under the scorching sun, and the corpses piled up at the foot of the city wall emitted an even stronger stench, attracting several birds and beasts to circle nearby.

Finally, a heavy creaking sound of hinges turning came from the inside.

A soldier approached Vio with a strangely shaped letter, bowed, and said:

"Lord Vio, the Count invites you to watch the gladiatorial performance. This is your admission ticket." With that, the soldier stepped aside to signal Vio and his party to enter the city.

"Captain, you can tell these guys are the real deal?"

On the city wall, the soldiers stared dumbfounded at the departing figures, and couldn't help but look at the knight leading the way.

The knight gave a wry smile and lowered his voice, saying, "I don't know, but that guy's eyes definitely didn't look friendly. I don't want to get myself into trouble..."

……

The soldiers quickly left after leading Vio and the others to the city gate. Vio waited quietly for a while, but the Count's messenger, whom he had expected, did not appear.

The count wouldn't even send someone to escort him?

After mentally grumbling, Vio led Gina and Cohen into the city, while the two Brotherhood members, as Vio had instructed, began gathering intelligence within the city.

Stepping out of the porch, Vio frowned at the sight inside the city. The streets of the fortress were crowded with emaciated citizens, and even those who looked better were pale and thin.

"This fortress is not even as bad as Bordeaux Village was at its worst..." Gina's grip on her sword tightened involuntarily.

But once they passed through several watchtowers and entered the inner city, the scenery changed dramatically.

The stone-paved road was clean and tidy, and some houses even had drought-resistant green plants in front of their doors. Well-dressed residents passed by, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and spices.

Is the wealth gap really that severe?

Vio snapped out of his thoughts, glanced around the crowd, and chose a resident with the "Friendly" attribute, asking, "Excuse me, how do I get to the arena?"

The man looked at the dusty iron armor under his cloak with surprise, but still pointed in a direction: "Go straight along the main road, and you'll hear the horn."

The further we walked, the stronger the aroma of roasted meat became in the air, and loud cheers and horns could be heard from not far away.

Soon, the outline of a circular arena built of huge stones gradually appeared, with a flag bearing the insignia of the Cavill Fortress hanging at the entrance, and guards in bright red robes standing by.

"It's hard to imagine that there's still a war going on outside this fortress." Vio stopped at the entrance, and two guards quickly stepped forward and saluted respectfully.

"Sir," one of the guards spoke, his voice deep beneath his mask. "Please show me your entry pass."

Vio handed over the strange letter, and after carefully examining it, the guard bowed and made way: "Please enter, sir. There are still seats available on the top floor of the east stand."

As they passed through the archway, the clamor of voices immediately drowned out Vio and his companions. The lower stands were filled with well-dressed citizens, waving their arms and their faces flushed with excitement.

The upper two levels were occupied by nobles and wealthy merchants who knelt beside their attendants, pointing out the gladiatorial combat with smiles on their faces and occasionally bursting into laughter.

On the sandy ground in the arena, a gladiator stood guard, his face covered in blood, with a bull in front of him, its body riddled with holes from a rusty sword.

Vio's gaze swept across the area, finally settling on the main grandstand not far away, where curtains were drawn and several figures could be vaguely discerned within.

He found an empty seat in a row of three and sat down, with Gina and Cohen sitting on either side of him, their eyes drawn to the bloody performance they were seeing for the first time.

Not long after Vio and the others took their seats, the heavy scarlet curtain of the main grandstand was slowly pulled open from both sides, and Vio could see the figures inside.

On the high platform, a middle-aged man of about thirty-five or thirty-six years old sat in the center. He was wearing a cotton robe with gold patterns, and his face was pale but had a sharp edge. Two knights covered in plate armor stood guard on either side of his seat like pillars.

If Vio is not mistaken, he is Felix Cavill Donovan, now Earl of Scorching Sands.