The chill of early spring had not completely faded. In the distance, faint morning mist rose from the canyon, shrouding the perilous mountain ranges and the winding river below like a light veil.
Raymond Sterling, draped in a heavy dark blue fur-trimmed cloak, stood behind the city wall battlement of Chester Garrison City with several fully armed knights and mages.
He slowly exhaled, his breath condensing into a small puff of mist in the cold air. His gray eyes pierced through the thin morning fog, landing on the faintly visible outline of the continuous camp at the distant canyon exit.
He gazed like this for a long time, lost in thought, until a voice from an adjutant beside him brought him back: "Commander, Envoy Roy has entered the fortress with the religious group."
Raymond withdrew his gaze, nodded, and was about to turn and descend the wall to welcome them.
"No need to trouble the Commander."
Just as he turned, the shadow beside the wall battlement twisted slightly. Three figures draped in heavy black robes grew out from the shadows.
This was precisely the shadow power rumored to be mastered by the New Sun followers. Seeing this scene, some of the doubts in Raymond's heart dissipated.
Raymond gave a slight nod towards the lead black-robed figure. "You must be Envoy Roy. Welcome to Chester Garrison City. I am Raymond Sterling, Commander of the Southern Army. Thank you for your religion's assistance in this time of crisis."
Max, disguised as "Envoy Roy," said hoarsely, "Commander Sterling, you know why we've come. There's no need for pleasantries."
Raymond wasn't bothered by the other's cold attitude. After all, in his impression, these cultists were mostly eccentric in character.
"Please follow me, gentlemen. Let's take a look at the defensive line arrangements on the city wall, so you can have an intuitive understanding of the situation."
As he guided the three along the wall, he seemed to ask casually, "May I ask where in the south the Envoy and brothers have come from? Was the journey smooth?"
"And... has that sacred relic been brought along as well?"
Mask stopped walking, remained silent for a moment, then slowly extended his right hand, which had been tucked in his sleeve all along, palm up, slowly opening it.
In his palm lay a fist-sized, writhing mass of shadow.
"This is a partial manifestation of the sacred relic," Max's voice was firm. "We will naturally use it to eliminate the common enemy of the church and the Merchant Alliance."
Raymond focused his gaze, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Why does this so-called sacred relic look... a bit like a particularly dark Slime?
This thought flashed through his mind, and he then chuckled dryly, feeling the pressure from those Slimes was too great, making him mistake even a mass of shadow for a Slime.
But in fact, this really was a Slime—the Shadow Slime contracted to Max.
After all, no one had seen a Shadow Slime before, making it perfect for impersonating a sacred relic.
Raymond steadied himself and emphasized seriously, "Exactly! That evil Demon King Slime, the Demon King's Army it controls, and those bewitched puppet armies have brought too much disaster and suffering to this land. We are determined to drive them out completely and restore order and peace to the south."
He paused, then suddenly changed the subject. "However... to better formulate defensive and counterattack strategies, I need to verify the power of the sacred relic. This isn't distrust, but a battlefield necessity."
He was still probing.
Max didn't answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, then, under the gaze of Raymond and several surrounding officers, he slowly tossed the writhing mass of darkness in his palm upward.
The moment that fist-sized shadow left his hand, it seemed to break free from some restraint and began expanding at an astonishing speed.
Like nightfall suddenly descending, profound darkness rapidly spread, obscuring a large swath of sky above the group.
The originally gray morning light and thin mist seemed to be swallowed up under this expanding shadow. The surrounding light abruptly dimmed. The edges of the shadow continuously twisted and churned, like a dark cloud hanging over the city wall.
Immense, pitch-black, overwhelmingly oppressive.
Raymond looked up at the massive shadow blotting out the sky, his face showing astonishment. Even the eyes of those well-traveled mages were filled with uncertainty and shock.
Max timely recalled the Shadow Slime.
The shadow rapidly shrank. The sky returned to its gray brightness, but the shock from that scene lingered.
Only then did he speak hoarsely, "This is only a partial release of the sacred object's power. If fully unleashed, I'm afraid it would destroy this entire section of the city wall."
Raymond looked at the restored sky. The suspicion in his heart finally dropped to its lowest point, and he secretly sighed in relief.
The sacred relic was actually real, and its power was astonishing.
This way, in the upcoming fortress defense battle, the sacred relic might even play a key role in turning the tide.
Max and the other two stood quietly, waiting for his response.
A much more sincere smile appeared on Raymond's face. "You've come a long way. You probably haven't had breakfast yet? I've had some simple meals prepared. Shall we talk while we eat?"
Success.
They had gained Raymond's trust.
Elara behind Max was feeling happy. Hearing there was food, her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
Raymond's gaze instinctively turned towards Elara.
Leon beside her reacted extremely quickly, chuckling hoarsely, "We set off immediately after receiving the message and indeed haven't eaten this morning."
Hearing this, Raymond not only didn't become suspicious but nodded understandingly. "I see, that was my oversight. You've toiled tirelessly for our common cause, truly admirable. Please follow me, breakfast is ready."
As he spoke, he turned and instructed the adjutant beside him, "All defense sectors, increase vigilance. Closely monitor the Restoration Army camp movements. Report any unusual activity immediately. The Demon King's puppet army could attack at any time."
The adjutant accepted the order and left.
Only then did Raymond lead Max and the other two down the city wall steps.
...
North of Chester, on a relatively high hillside.