I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Tachibana-kun." At this moment, Qing Deng heard Zhou Zhu call out to him with a serious expression, "Remember what I told you: never be arrogant or underestimate your enemy."

"Your current strength is indeed quite good, but this competition is full of strong opponents."

“A group of outstanding new talents, led by the ‘Three Heroes,’ all participated in this competition.”

"From what I understand, a significant number of the contestants possess the ability to put you in a tough fight."

"Hold your breath, concentrate, and go all out. Don't be careless in the slightest."

Seeing Zhou Zhu's serious expression, Qing Deng's face involuntarily hardened as well.

Qingdeng nodded vigorously, "Yes!"

After nodding to all his friends who had encouraged and cheered him on, Qingdeng took several deep breaths, quickly adjusted his state, and strode confidently toward the field.

But at this moment, Qing Deng had a sudden thought, turned his head, and frowned as he looked at the viewing area on his left.

Was it just my imagination...? Qingdeng felt like someone was glaring at him fiercely just now...

He looked around several times in the direction from which the gaze he had just felt was directed.

As far as the eye could see, all that could be seen was a vast sea of ​​people. Having gained nothing, Qingdeng could only turn his gaze away and continue striding toward the arena.

Qing Deng's intuition was not wrong—he had indeed been glared at fiercely just now.

……

……

Hiroshi Niizuma, who belonged to the training hall and was sitting not far behind Yakuro Saito, watched with a gloomy gaze as Aoto Tachibana crossed the stands and entered the arena, muttering in a voice only he could hear:

"So he was Tachibana Aoto..."

Shinzaku Hiroshi's gaze toward Aoto was filled with barely concealed jealousy.

Determined to become a member of the Chiba family and use the Chiba family as a springboard to realize his ambitions, he cast a fiery gaze at Chiba Sadakichi and the others as they appeared at the arena, closely watching their every move.

Therefore... Chiba Jutaro's warm greeting to Aoto and his initiative to bring Sanako to sit next to Aoto were all witnessed by Niizuma Hiroshi.

Seeing Chiba Jutaro's enthusiastic attitude towards Aoto, Niizuma Hiroshi's brows furrowed uncontrollably.

In order to successfully become the son-in-law of the Chiba family, he has been intentionally and proactively getting along with the members of the Chiba family... especially Chiba Jutaro, who is Sanako's older brother, and trying to build a good relationship with them.

However... Chiba Jutaro's attitude towards him has always been extremely cold.

No matter how positive or kind his intentions were, Chiba Jutaro remained unmoved.

Despite my best efforts, I am not valued by Chiba Jutaro, while Tachibana Aoto is treated so warmly by Chiba Jutaro... Niizuma Hiroshi feels jealous of Aoto and also senses a sense of crisis.

Sanako's older brother has a very good relationship with a certain young man—which is not good news for Niizuma Hiroshi.

Hiroshi Niizuma kept thinking to himself: Why is Tachibana Aoto being treated so warmly by Chiba Jutaro?! Is it because he's good-looking? Or is it because he's so talented?

Hiroshi Niizuma had heard of Aoto's name and deeds, but he didn't think much of Aoto's strength.

Hiroshi Niizuma is quite confident in his talent and abilities.

He acknowledged that Aoto was quite capable, having achieved such feats as severely damaging the "radical anti-foreign faction" in just three months. However, Niizuma Hiroshi felt that if he were placed in Aoto's position, he could achieve the same... or even surpass Aoto's achievements!

Hiroshi Niizuma is not an isolated case—many young swordsmen share the same idea as Hiroshi Niizuma: they believe that with their own abilities, they could achieve results that are no worse than or even surpass Aoto's if they were placed in Aoto's position.

—I wonder if I'll have a chance to face off against this Tachibana Aoto in this tournament...

The bride's hands, which were loosely placed on her lap, slowly clenched.

If I can defeat Tachibana Aoto in this tournament in front of everyone, will Chiba Jutaro and the others change their attitude towards me...? Niizuma Hiroshi couldn't help but think this.

After glancing at Qing Deng a few more times with a jealous look, Shinzaku Hiroshi turned his gaze to the "VIP table" located on the north side of the arena.

Looking at the distinguished people on the "VIP table," Shin-chan Hiroshi couldn't help but show longing on his face.

—I never expected so many famous people to come and watch the game.

—If I can have an outstanding performance in this competition, I might directly gain the favor of a famous figure and be offered a high-ranking position and generous salary…

—If that were the case… there would be no need to curry favor with the Chiba family anymore.

The presence of so many luminaries at this competition... was truly beyond Hiroshi Niizuma's expectations.

His reason for signing up for this competition was simply to take advantage of this rare event to showcase his strength and potential to the world, and more importantly, to the Chiba family, so as to pave the way for his future alliance with the Chiba family.

However, now, seeing so many famous people sitting on the "VIP table," Hiroshi Niizuma's thoughts have changed somewhat.

If he could truly achieve his goal in one step and gain the appreciation of a powerful figure through his outstanding performance in this competition, then he wouldn't really need to covet the Chiba family's connections and resources afterward.

Hiroshi Shinzaku's hands, which were resting on her legs, clenched even tighter.

He silently strengthened his resolve to shine in this swordsmanship competition!

……

……

VIP Stage—

"Oh my, Lord Aizu, there are so many people today." The lord of the Utsunomiya Domain, sitting to the left of the Lord Aizu, laughed heartily at Matsudaira Katamori.

"Such a massive flow of people... is probably only comparable to a few festivals such as summer fireworks displays and New Year's shrine visits," the Matsushiro Domain lord chimed in.

Matsudaira Katamori, seated at the very center of the VIP table, had been receiving a constant stream of greetings and flattery since the beginning of the session.

Matsudaira Katamori—this young lord, only 24 years old this year, possesses a maturity far beyond his years.

This is also related to his current life experience. Although Matsudaira Katamori is young, he had already inherited the position of lord of the Aizu Domain at the age of 16, and had been exposed to power and politics at an early age.

His face remained tense and expressionless, as if nothing could change his expression no matter what happened.

No matter who comes to talk to him or try to curry favor with him, his reaction is quite indifferent. He usually just nods slightly in response, and occasionally responds with simple words like "um" or "oh".

"I never expected that one of the contestants in the first match of this tournament would be that recently famous Tachibana Aoto." At this moment, the lord of the Shinobi Domain sighed softly, while looking at Adachi and Aoto, who were already standing on the east and west sides of the arena respectively. "I have been hearing a lot about Tachibana Aoto's deeds recently. I really made the right decision to come to this tournament. I want to see if this Tachibana Aoto is as powerful as the rumors say."

The words of the lord of the Oshi Domain attracted the attention of some daimyo.

“Ju Qing Deng… Oh, I remember now, he’s the official from the Northern Frontier Office who has recently dealt heavy blows to the ‘radical anti-foreign faction’.”

"Which one is Tachibana Aoto?"

"Wow? So there are some interesting contestants in this tournament. I'll have to watch this match between Tachibana Aoto and Tachibana Aoto properly."

……

Many feudal lords turned their gazes toward the arena—including Matsudaira Katamori.

After hearing the surrounding daimyo discussing Aoto, Matsudaira Katamori raised his gaze and glanced at Aoto, who was standing on the east side of the arena.

However, his expression remained indifferent, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow, as if he wasn't particularly interested in Qing Deng.

……

……

Chiba Eijiro, who was sitting upright, was watching Aoto intently on the field.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Chiba Tamon Shiro, who happened to be sitting next to Chiba Eijiro, whispered:

"Second brother, are you paying close attention to that Tachibana Aoto?"

“After all, this is the person that Jutaro strongly recommended to me last night.” Chiba Eijiro smiled. “I’m very interested in what kind of person Jutaro praises so highly.”

"...This Tachibana Seito is indeed quite skilled." Chiba Tamon Shiro said quietly, "His performance in the red and white battle against the Little Chiba Sword Hall two months ago did not seem like that of a novice who had only been learning swordsmanship for a short time."

"Although I don't know exactly what Adachi's strength is... I guess he shouldn't be a match for Tachibana Aoto."

"Tachibana Aoto could probably defeat Adachi in just a few moves."

After listening quietly to Chiba Tamon Shiro's words, Chiba Eijiro smiled and said, "Fourth brother, you actually know how to praise people... That's rare indeed."

"...I'm just stating a fact," Chiba Tamon Shiro said calmly.

“I didn’t expect even you, Fourth Brother, to have such a high opinion of this Tachibana Seito…” Chiba Eijiro turned his gaze back to the arena. “Then I’ll have to see just how good he really is.”

……

……

"'The Little Tengu of the Northern Frontier' Tachibana Seito faces off against the established rising star Adachi Totaro... I never expected the first match to be so exciting!"

“I think it’s impossible. That Tachibana Seito has so much combat experience; he’s killed countless madmen from the ‘radical anti-foreign faction.’ As for Adachi… I’ve never heard of him having any experience fighting with a real sword.”

"Lack of experience in actual combat does not necessarily mean that his strength is inferior to that of others."

"I think Tachibana Seito has a better chance of winning, but it will probably take him some effort to beat Adachi, since Adachi was already quite famous for his excellent swordsmanship two years ago."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

"I think Tachibana Aoto and Adachi might have a fierce battle, after all, Adachi is said to be quite strong, isn't he?"

……

The chatter that rose and fell in the stands inevitably reached the ears of the group from Shieikan and Kochiba Kenkan.

Upon hearing some audience members say that "the Aotokai and Adachi should have a fierce battle," Chiba Jutaro couldn't help but show a bewildered expression.

Two months ago, their Chiba Kenkan had a fierce battle with Shieikan at the Red and White Battle held during the "Plum Blossom Festival".

Therefore, Chiba Jutaro and his group were far more aware of Aoto's strength than these ignorant onlookers.

Chiba Jutaro crossed his arms and grinned:

"A battle between dragons and tigers... How could it possibly be a battle between dragons and tigers..."

"There's no doubt that Tachibana will defeat Adachi."

"Although Adachi is indeed very strong, he should only be able to fight Aoto for a few rounds."

"Sanako, what do you think?" Chiba Jutaro turned his head and asked Sanako beside him.

Suddenly struck up a conversation with Chiba Jutaro, Sanako replied almost without hesitation:

"There should be no suspense about Tachibana-kun winning."

“But I don’t think Adachi can only last a few rounds like my brother.”

“I once witnessed Adachi sparring with someone. This Adachi was no ordinary person.”

"His strength may not be as good as Tachibana-kun's, but he is definitely not weak either."

"It will probably take some effort for Tachibana to defeat him."