Slime Immortal.

Chapter 217 Facing the Extraordinary
Arthur suddenly spoke up, "Excuse me, Mr. Grann, is this the main road leading to Shield River City?"

Grann shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping around: "No, this is just a side road through Baron Langdon's territory. Caravans and travelers rarely take this route."

"But the silence now, where not even a dog barks, is indeed very strange."

As soon as he finished speaking, Arthur abruptly stopped. His soul fire flickered, and his empty eye sockets seemed to pierce through the barriers of matter, locking onto a dense thicket in front of him. He slowly drew the gleaming knight's sword from his waist.

"So it seems that these guys' appearance here is not an accident."

"The life force of many living people is hidden ahead."

"What?!" Calvin was shocked.

Although his senses detected nothing amiss, relying on his understanding and trust in Arthur, he didn't hesitate and quickly drew his knight's sword, his eyes scanning the area ahead warily.

"what?"

A soft, surprised exclamation came from the bushes ahead.

Clearly, the ambushers did not expect their movements to be discovered so quickly.

"As expected of Grayhawk Calvin, the knight who was once hailed as a genius."

A steady voice came from behind the bushes, followed by a male figure in a gray cloak slowly emerging from the bushes.

Behind him were even more silent figures.

They appeared one after another as if emerging from the ground, quickly blocking both sides of the road and forming an encirclement.

These figures were mostly dressed in light leather or chainmail, and carried crossbows or longswords; they were clearly experienced warriors.

Grann was shocked. He never expected that Calvin and Arthur's perception would be so accurate, and that someone really had been lying in ambush here in advance.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind—had Baron Langdon betrayed them, or had the Border Guard learned of his whereabouts in advance, or was it just a coincidence?
Whatever the reason, Grann could only force himself to calm down, then stepped forward, trying his best to maintain an aristocratic arrogance and dignity, and coldly shouted:

"What do you country bandits want? Do you want to cause trouble on Baron Langdon's territory?"

The knight leading the way was clearly not buying into his attempt to save face. He immediately lifted his hood, revealing a middle-aged face with strong features and a set of finely polished plate armor bearing the insignia of the border garrison.

“Gran Bailey, that’s your name, isn’t it?”

"That fairly capable little follower of Princess Louisa."

“Princess Louisa?” Arthur and Calvin both turned their gazes toward Grann.

Grann's face instantly darkened, and he said in a low voice, "I'll explain this to you two later."

His gaze was fixed on the knights in front of him. "Since you know I am Princess Louisa's squire, why do you still dare to attack me? Where did you knights come from?"

The knight captain remained calm. "I won't bother with formalities. Grann, you know our background, and we know your purpose."

He raised his hand to signal the surrounding soldiers to remain on guard, and then said, "We should have arrested you directly, but Commander Reid has ordered that he wants to see you first."

"So please come with us, the three of you. Don't put up any futile resistance."

“Reed?!” Calvin’s expression turned serious upon hearing this name.

The only person these elite knights could call "Commander" was Reed Valentinian, the "Shining Sword" who had achieved extraordinary feats thirty years ago and whose fame resounded throughout the border.

It is said that this extraordinary knight's sword is faster than a flash of light, capable of easily scattering flying water droplets in an instant, and even easily blocking the rain.

Its agility is astonishing.

Often, when facing his enemies head-on, he can only see a glint of cold light before he dies, and the next second he loses all senses and his consciousness is completely plunged into darkness.

His previous worries have indeed come true.

There really are some extraordinary people with nothing better to do than come to this remote and impoverished place to ambush them.

"Damn it!"

Calvin's forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his arm gripping the sword hilt even trembled slightly from the pressure.

Faced with a true superhuman, he knew that any resistance would likely be futile.

Before him, Grann's performance was equally dismal. The moment he heard the name "Reed," all the color drained from his face, as if he had heard a terrifying name.

Only Arthur remained standing calmly, as if none of this concerned him.

In reality, he had no recollection of who Lid was.

The knight blocking their way glanced at Arthur with some surprise, but said nothing more.

He simply gestured again for the surrounding knights to make way, and extended his hand in an inviting gesture:
"Let's go, Commander Reed is waiting for you in the castle."

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Calvin asked the slime inside the breastplate in a low voice.

Chen Yu never expected that there would actually be an extraordinary roadblock.

This being is not much weaker than a Foundation Establishment cultivator; even if they used all their existing methods, they would still be unable to resist it.

Oh no, we've really fallen into a trap.

Count Bran was quick to slip away.

Now that things have come to this, all we can do is let Arthur and the others go with them to meet that extraordinary person.

"Go with them first and see what Commander Lid is up to. I'll find a way to save you."

So, under the "polite" invitation of the many knights, Arthur, Calvin, and the pale-faced Grann had no choice but to follow them into the quiet noble territory.

They passed through deserted farmhouses and silent mills, and soon arrived at the small castle built on a gentle slope along the clean stone path.

Chen Yu cautiously poked his gel head out to observe inside.

The castle courtyard was very well maintained, with lush green grass and a few clusters of roses.

At this moment, under the lush oak tree in the center of the courtyard, there is a white wrought iron table and chairs.

A man who looked to be in his early thirties, with black hair streaked with silver, sat there leisurely, a cup of steaming black tea beside him. He looked like an ordinary nobleman enjoying a peaceful afternoon.

Opposite the man was the owner of the territory—Baron Langdon, who was sitting stiffly with a forced smile on his face.

"Is this what the extraordinary is?" Chen Yu lay inside Calvin's breastplate, staring at him curiously.

Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth—they don't look any different.

And she looks way too young.

When Calvin saw the man's true face, his last shred of hope vanished completely.

He had once seen this legendary commander from afar at a legion celebration, and he would never mistake his face.

Reed Valentinian, he really is here!
The knight who led them in quickly walked behind Reed, bent down and whispered a few words in his ear.

Lid nodded slightly, put down the white porcelain teacup in his hand, slowly pushed back the chair, stood up, and turned to look at the three of them calmly.

Even though those gazes carried no emotion, they still exerted a heavy pressure on them, as if the surrounding air had thickened, making it difficult to breathe. Grann forced a smile, stepped forward, and respectfully performed a noble's bow.

“Grann Bailey of the Snow Wolf family greets Commander Reid. What brings you here?”

Reed's gaze lingered on Grann for a moment before he spoke softly.

"The little guy from the Snow Wolf family has a rather dignified appearance."

This comment, whether praise or criticism, made Grann's heart sink even further.

Then, Reed's gaze passed over him and landed on Calvin behind him.

"And you..."

His tone seemed to carry a touch of emotion as he softly said, "Welcome back, my knight."

Calvin took a deep breath, straightened his back, and gave a standard knightly salute.

"Greetings, Commander Lid."

Reed nodded slightly, his gaze finally settling on Arthur.

"And you, Arthur, aren't you going to acknowledge your old commander?" Reed's tone suddenly changed subtly, and a ripple appeared in his calm eyes, filled with regret and nostalgia.

Arthur's soul fire flickered in his eyes. He seemed to be trying to recall something, and hesitated to speak immediately.

Calvin spoke first: "Commander Reed, Arthur is dead. What stands before you now is just an empty shell, nothing more."

"Yeah."

Lid didn't press for details, but simply pointed to the empty seats next to him, indicating that they should sit down.

After exchanging glances, the three of them finally moved their stiff legs and carefully sat down in the chairs.

During this brief moment, Grann exchanged a glance with Baron Langdon across from him.

He saw only bitterness and helplessness in the other person's eyes.

Grann's heart sank further. He realized that the border guards' blatant open confrontation meant something big must have happened.

As expected, it went exactly as he predicted.

Just as Lid picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and uttered his first words, a storm raged within him.

"According to the joint investigation by the Kingdom's Supreme Council and the Inquisition, as well as numerous conclusive pieces of evidence, Princess Louisa is suspected of betraying the Kingdom's military intelligence, secretly colluding with demonic forces, and stealing important relics from the Church of the Sun."

"Yesterday, His Majesty the King personally signed an order sentencing her for treason, and Princess Louisa is still on the run."

"I have come here on orders to thoroughly investigate all possible traces related to demons within the Storm Territory."

His gaze was fixed on Grann's face.

“Gran Bailey, as Her Highness the Princess’s confidant and important advisor, you should know Her Highness’s current whereabouts, right?”

"This is impossible?!" Grann instinctively stood up, his face filled with disbelief and anger.

But when he looked into Reed’s terrifyingly calm eyes, he quickly realized that this was a premeditated frame-up against Princess Louisa.

The person who orchestrated this frame-up was right in front of him, hidden deep in the shadows of the kingdom.

They want to completely eliminate all discordant voices and label everyone who stands in their way as a "traitor"!

"Damn it..." Grann clenched his fists tightly, and even though he clenched them so hard that his knuckles turned white and his palms were bloodless, he still couldn't hide the powerlessness in his heart.

He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, slowly loosening his clenched fists, and forcing a smile back onto his face.
“Commander Lid, you should know that Princess Louisa has always been an upright and kind person, and is deeply loved by her people in her fiefdom. She would never do something like treason.”

Lid simply gave a faint "hmm," neither confirming nor denying it.

He put down his teacup and looked calmly at Grann. "Young man, we need to give the people an explanation."

"Regardless of the truth, we need to find Her Highness the Princess and the stolen sacred object first."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted again to Arthur, who sat like a statue to the side, and Calvin, whose face was ashen.

"As a former knight of the border guards, assisting in the theft of church relics is an unforgivable crime."

"But as long as you are willing to repent and help the Church of the Sun find that sacred relic..."

"Perhaps I, the commander, can put in a good word for you and have your crimes pardoned."

"Arthur, Calvin, welcome back to the Border Guard."

Calvin lowered his head, the shadows obscuring his expression. He didn't speak, only gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Ah... how ironic...

The real traitors, the parasites who collude with evil, are now sitting in the dock, cloaked in the guise of "justice."

The princess, however, was accused of "treason" and forced to flee.

Perhaps if they were to back down now and pretend to believe his lies, they could gain the commander's approval, clear their names, and return to the border defense corps that once symbolized glory.

but……

Calvin slowly raised his head, the last hesitation and struggle in his eyes disappearing, replaced by indifference.

He hadn't forgotten why he had come back here.

For some bullshit justice?
No, he wasn't a naive fool like Arthur.

He wasn't some patriot filled with righteous indignation.

His reasons for doing this were all for himself, to find peace of mind, and to make a clean break for all the grievances, injustices, and betrayals he had suffered over the years!
Calvin abruptly stood up, took a step back to create distance between himself and Lydra, and drew his knight's sword again, staring directly at the being who seemed to control his life and death.

"Commander Lid, it's very simple to find out where the sacred relic is."

"Kill me, and you'll find out."

Grann's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Calvin, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something, but he was so overwhelmed by the tense atmosphere that he couldn't utter a single word.

Baron Langdon was so frightened that he almost slipped off his chair.

Even the knights surrounding them tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to strike at any moment.

However, Reed did not get angry even though the knight's sword was pointed at him.

He even chuckled softly.

"Heh, quite an interesting junior."

He did not act immediately, nor did he order an arrest. He simply leaned back slightly in his chair, his hands clasped on his knees, in a posture resembling that of a theatergoer.

(End of this chapter)