But Alfonso's gaze swept over the ashen-faced Raymond and the bewildered Ekel, finally settling on the Ebony Staff Envoy.
He lacked the arrogance of a victor, possessing only a bottomless, icy pool:
"Commander Raymond, what do you have to say now? Framing a colleague and slandering a chosen one of the clergy as a heretic—what crime is this according to the Inquisition's rules?"
The cold questioning, like a hammer of judgment, crashed down.
Raymond felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his vision went black.
It's over...it's completely over!
Not only did he fail to defeat Alfonso, he also completely exposed himself to Alfonso's blade!
Even more dangerously, he had a feeling that Alfonso would dare to attack him even in front of the two special envoys from the Inquisition!
Alfonso's icy gaze was like two quenched silver daggers, firmly fixed on Raymond's ashen face.
The banquet hall was deathly silent, save for Raymond's heavy, disordered breathing.
Neither of the two envoys answered the question that Alfonso had just raised.
Anyone with half a brain can see that speaking in favor of either side now is tantamount to taking sides.
Of course, Alfonso didn't need the two special envoys from the court to speak at this point.
“Raymond Iron Ridge,” Alfonso’s voice broke the silence, each word clear and penetrating with undeniable authority, “Grand Master of the Tenth Holy Knights, guarding the pass of the Lor Swamp for thirty-seven years. A distinguished resume and outstanding achievements, renowned in the Holy City for his rigidity, rigor, and adherence to tradition.”
His tone was flat, as if he were reading from a cold file, yet it made Raymond break out in a cold sweat.
Raymond wasn't naive enough to think that Alfonso was saying these things to praise him.
“However,” Alfonso’s tone abruptly changed, his silver-grey eyes flashing with a cold light, “this very same gatekeeper, known for his ‘observance,’ has completely ignored the act of treason and betrayal that has occurred right under his nose!”
Raymond looked up abruptly, clearly unaware of the fabricated charges against him. His voice hoarse, he tried to explain:
“Alfonso! Don’t make false accusations! Harrington is secretive; he’s deliberately avoiding my sights…”
"Avoiding eyes and ears?" Alfonso's voice suddenly rose, carrying a thunderous pressure that instantly suppressed Raymond's explanation. "The Ninth Regiment has been frequently moving unusual supplies within your pass, and its subordinates have repeatedly made secret contact with unidentified swamp visitors. Even in the days before Harrington openly turned its attention to them, its personal guard had already ventured deep into the swamp restricted area several times!"
"Are all these clues, your 10th Regiment's patrol records and sentry reports, just for show? Or is it that you, this veteran who calls yourself 'Eagle Eye,' have already had your eyes blinded by something?!"
“I…” Raymond’s face turned from ashen to pale, his lips trembling. “The situation in the swamp is complicated, with merchants, mercenaries, and spies coming and going… How can we so easily conclude that a captain is colluding with the enemy based on just a few anomalies?”
"Everything must be based on evidence and procedure! That's exactly what I was emphasizing! Alfonso, don't slander your comrade because of personal grudges!"
"Ha." Alfonso let out a very soft, cold laugh, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
His gaze swept over Eker, the grey-eyed envoy who had remained silent and observing.
"Lord Eker, it seems that Commander Raymond's understanding of 'procedural justice' only applies to others?"
Eker's icy eyes flickered, his dry voice carrying a stubborn reluctance to apologize for his previous actions:
"Commander Raymond's concerns... are not without merit. Accusing a commander of treason and harboring the enemy certainly requires irrefutable evidence. The evidence on the battlefield points to Harrington, but the daily affairs within the pass... are complex and ever-changing, difficult for those who haven't experienced them firsthand to understand..."
“Complex and unpredictable?” Alfonso interrupted him, the chill in his tone causing Eker’s brows to furrow again beneath his hood. “Then let’s take a look at this clear record of ‘daily affairs’!”
Without any gesture, Elliott beside him, as if receiving a silent command, took another step forward.
This time, what he held in his hand was not a scroll, but a black recording crystal that emitted a cold, eerie luster.
The crystal surface is engraved with ancient and intricate magical patterns, clearly indicating its antiquity and the presence of powerful protective enchantments.
“Elliott,” Alfonso’s voice was like the pronouncement of final judgment, “play the number ‘Holy Knights – Iron Ridge – New Moon’.”
Elliott's withered fingers brushed across the black crystal, infusing it with a faint stream of magic.
Buzz!
The crystal suddenly lit up, and a clear illusory light screen was projected into the air in the center of the banquet hall.
The scene on the light screen instantly captured everyone's attention!
The image is somewhat shaky, dimly lit, and has the noise characteristic of old magic crystals, but the scenes and characters are exceptionally clear.
It was the outline of a pass, and although it looked a bit old, its main structure was strikingly similar to the current "Eagle Gate," only lacking the traces of later expansions.
This is exactly what the Lor Marsh Pass used to look like!
In the shadow of the pass, a group of about ten knights dressed in the standard armor of the Holy Light Church and wearing the insignia of a knightly order whose designation had long been revoked were being attacked by two people!
One of them was burly and wielded a heavy greatsword, his moves fierce and ruthless.
Although his swordsmanship was still somewhat immature due to his youth, his sharp, hawk-like eyes, his distinctively resolute face, and the somewhat ancient yet familiar-looking armor he wore...
It was none other than Raymond Tieling, who looked at least thirty years younger!
The other person fighting alongside him, or rather, slaughtering these church knights with him, caused all the high-ranking clergy present to instantly shrink their pupils and feel a chill run down their spines!
The man rode a tall, black skeletal warhorse with its hooves burning with eerie blue flames!
He was clad in a menacing heavy armor as black as night, and only two eye sockets burning with an ominous red light could be seen under his helmet!
The aura emanating from it was so intense that it almost materialized as death and depravity!
"The Fallen...Fallen Knight Balg!"
The envoy with the ebony staff gasped in shock, his deep, sharp eyes filled with astonishment for the first time!
This name belongs to one of the top five most wanted individuals on the Holy Light Church's most wanted list!
An epic-level fallen knight who has been wanted by the Holy Light Church for hundreds of years!
And he, too, came from the Church of Holy Light!
In the scene, the young Raymond and the fallen knight Balg work together seamlessly, their swords flashing and deathly black aura intertwining as they cut down the elite knights belonging to the church one by one!
The screams were recorded by the crystal in a blurry way, but the despair and resistance before death were clearly discernible.
If the two envoys remember correctly, those knights who were slaughtered were the expeditionary knights that Balg once belonged to!
It was also the Knights that Raymond once served!
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