The adjutant quickly withdrew.
Raymond picked up his glass, took a sip as if it were just a casual gesture, and glanced at the two envoys opposite him, seemingly unintentionally.
His gaze lingered for a moment longer on the gray-eyed envoy's pale face, which seemed to be covered in icy mist.
Raymond clearly saw the frown on Alfonso's "overstepping" from this special envoy from the courtroom, who was almost fanatical about procedural justice.
If the other party was forced to make concessions because of Alfonso's identity and background, then he only needs to give this special envoy a chance to show his skills.
And now, the opportunity has arrived.
Raymond put down his glass naturally.
He didn't speak directly, but instead, while tidying the tablecloth, he leaned slightly towards the gray-eyed envoy.
His voice was extremely low, just enough for the other person to hear, carrying the solemnity of sharing an important discovery:
"Your Excellency, I have just received an intelligence report that has not been fully verified. It is of great importance and I fear it may have disturbed your enjoyment, but it is my duty to report it."
He paused, and only continued when he saw the gray-eyed envoy's lifeless eyes turn to him.
"Under Commander Alfonso, there is an unofficial 'Grey Falcon' squad, which is quite special. According to reliable eyewitness accounts, members of this squad displayed extremely bizarre forms of power on the Blackwater Shallows battlefield..."
"The enemy they attacked was shrouded in a blood-red thorny aura. During the battle, they were able to directly devour the life force of the orc shaman to replenish themselves, causing their strength to surge. Their methods were very similar to those of abyssal demons that were adept at devouring. This team will also follow the main force of the 13th Regiment into the city this time."
After Raymond finished speaking, he resumed his sitting posture, as if he had just routinely conveyed a message, his face still bearing that rigid and serious expression.
He didn't embellish the story or draw any conclusions; he simply threw the keywords "blood-red thorns," "devouring life force," and "abyss" at those most likely to react strongly to them.
The gray-eyed envoy's brows furrowed again, even more deeply than before.
In those frozen, icy eyes, a fleeting glint of instinctive disgust—a disgust unique to the Inquisition—for "heresy" and "blasphemy" flashed by.
He didn't need Raymond to say anything more.
A small team, suspected of using forbidden powers and closely connected to Alfonso, appears just before Alfonso is about to meet the special envoy with crucial evidence...
There's plenty of room for maneuver here.
He nodded slightly, indicating that he had received the message. He didn't say anything, but the sudden tightening of his jawline betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
...
The following afternoon, the heavy clatter of horses' hooves shattered the silence outside the pass.
Alfonso Lin took the lead, his silver armor gleaming with a cold, legendary light in the dim daylight. The aura of the newly crowned legend was so tangible that it dispelled the last trace of gloom from the swamp before the pass.
Behind him stood the solemn and imposing main force of the Thirteenth Holy Knights, warriors who had been baptized by blood and fire, their armor still bearing traces of gunpowder and mud, yet their eyes were sharp as knives.
Mark's squad of six followed closely on the flank of the Knights' main force.
Mark paused almost imperceptibly the moment he stepped into the shadow of the massive archway of the Eagle's Gate.
Almost simultaneously, Monica instinctively shrank half a step into the shadows.
The two exchanged a very brief glance.
"Something feels off." Mark's voice was low and barely audible to his teammates beside him.
“Hmm, there are eyes watching, very strong, very cold.” Monica’s voice was like a whisper from the shadows. Her senses were the sharpest in the team besides Mark. “This feeling should be from the Holy Light Church’s Inquisition.”
Anna's fingers unconsciously brushed against the quiver at her waist. Her elven senses also allowed her to catch several scrutinizing, even subtly hostile, gazes: "It's like being targeted as prey."
Enzo's lava-like skin was faintly burning. He twisted his neck irritably: "Tsk, he's already causing trouble as soon as he got back. Who cares who he is, if he dares to cause trouble, I'll smash him into a pulp!"
On the contrary, Kyle and Ruby showed no signs of anything amiss, which made Mark and the others even more wary!
The team settled down in the designated area within the pass.
Mark's squad was assigned to a relatively independent barracks.
However, the feeling of being secretly watched did not disappear; instead, it tightened like an invisible spider web.
...
Almost at the same time that the 13th Regiment settled in, Commander Raymond sent an invitation to a banquet to "welcome the special envoy and celebrate Commander Alfonso's triumphant return" to Alfonso and Ferdinand.
The location was still that luxurious yet oppressive banquet hall.
Alfonso looked at the gold-embossed invitation with a cold gaze and no other expression, only nodding slightly to indicate that he would attend the banquet on time.
Ferdinand elegantly folded the invitation, a playful smile curving his lips, as if he were enjoying a good show about to begin.
As Alfonso and Ferdinand walked toward the banquet hall surrounded by their guards, night had already fallen in another corner of the pass, in the camp area where Mark's squad was located.
Inside the barracks, Mark and Monica were quietly analyzing the strange feeling they had experienced during the day.
Suddenly, Monica's pupils contracted sharply, and her whole body tensed up instantly like a startled night cat, disappearing into the deepest shadow in the corner.
"They're here!" Her voice was heavier than ever before.
Before the words were even finished, the doors and windows of the barracks shattered with a series of dull thuds!
It was pulverized by some powerful shock force!
More than a dozen figures, clad in the standard heavy armor of the 10th Regiment's "Iron Guards" and exuding a fierce aura, stormed in like tigers and wolves!
They moved with lightning speed, and their heavy armor produced very little metallic clanging, clearly indicating that they were the elite of the elite.
Each person's face was covered by cold, metallic armor, revealing only their emotionless eyes.
They didn't charge in recklessly; instead, they used an extremely coordinated battle formation to instantly block all exits. Several chains flashing with imprisoning runes and barrier scrolls radiating suppressive energy fluctuations were activated simultaneously, targeting Mark, Monica, Enzo, Anna, Ruby, and Kyle!
The leader of the Iron Guards spoke through his mask, his voice icy and devoid of any humanity:
"By order, apprehend! Anyone suspected of possessing heretical or evil powers, surrender and submit to the Holy Light for examination!"
Almost at the same moment, the banquet hall doors not far away slowly closed behind Alfonso and Ferdinand, shutting out the sounds from inside and outside.
Inside the hall, the light from the crystal chandelier illuminated Raymond's stern face, the grey-eyed envoy's icy gaze, and Alfonso's silver armor, which seemed capable of freezing even light.
A banquet concerning evidence and trial has officially begun.
Meanwhile, another sudden storm of arrests has been launched in Mark's squad's barracks!
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