I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 574 Shadows Under the Moonlight
Although Vice Admiral Marlowe was on the dock when the shelling occurred, his orders were quickly relayed, and the players on the Sea Lion who were still excitedly loading their guns were forcibly stopped by the naval military police who rushed to the scene. The heat from the cannons had not completely dissipated, but the subsequent attacks finally stopped.

However, the damage caused is irreversible.

The elven magic warship known as the Mirror Moon was severely damaged by the sudden and intense bombardment. The ship listed heavily, billowing thick smoke. The surviving sailors were trying to rescue the ship and their fallen companions, and their desperate cries for help in Elven language echoed across the sea.

Immediately after the incident, Mooncrown City reacted extremely strongly, with protests and questions pouring in like snowflakes through magical communications and messengers to the First Fleet flagship, the Sea Lion.

A high-ranking elven emissary, his anger barely concealed, went directly to the First Fleet headquarters at the dock, demanding an immediate explanation and severe punishment for the perpetrators.

At first, Lieutenant General Marlowe had a splitting headache and was filled with anger and helplessness at the fact that the lawless royal guards had once again caused trouble.

He suppressed his anger and prepared to do what he always did: try to appease the spirit and quell the trouble.

But when his adjutant, whom he had sent to the Sea Lion to investigate the situation, hurriedly returned and gave a detailed report on the "reasons" the players had given for opening fire, recognizing the Mirror Moon as the ship with which they had a blood feud, and stating that it was to avenge the King's guards who had been brutally murdered by it, Lieutenant General Marlowe's expression changed instantly.

That sense of helplessness and headache vanished like a thin mist blown away by a gale, replaced by a fury as hard and cold as the Bagnian mountains.

The lieutenant general suddenly stood up from his command chair, his eyes revealing the wildness and irritability that mountain people usually suppress because of their high positions.

"The Mirror Moon? Is that the Mirror Moon that attacked me without provocation on the high seas, brazenly boarded the Sea Lion, and kidnapped and brutally murdered my royal guards!?"

His voice was like thunder, echoing in the command room, so loud that the newly arrived elven messenger instinctively took a half-step back.

Before the elf messenger could even utter a rebuke, Lieutenant General Marlowe had already stepped forward, his calloused fingers almost touching the other's nose, and angrily rebuked him.

"Fine, I haven't even settled this blood debt with you yet, and you dare to come and question me!?"

The elf messenger was taken aback by his sudden outburst and his accusations that distorted the truth, and then angrily retorted.

"General, please watch your words. Those are unverified matters, and the truth of the matter is still undetermined!"
The matter we need to discuss now is that your warships attacked our friendly ships that came to our aid in broad daylight without provocation. This is blatant betrayal and an act of war!

"fart!"

Lieutenant General Marlowe was practically spitting on the other man's face; the mountain blood within him was boiling over.

"A blood debt is a blood debt. No matter what you say about not being able to prove it, the revenge fleet is the best evidence. The blood of the Bagnians cannot be shed in vain!"

His Majesty Chris has already made it clear to us that blood for blood, tooth for tooth, this is the foundation of Bagnia's existence!

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the officers and sailors who also looked indignant at the news, and his voice grew louder, as if he were proclaiming it to all the elves.

"Listen! The Mirror Moon is stained with the blood of my Bagnian warriors, and this debt will never be settled. What my soldiers are doing today is merely fulfilling His Majesty's teachings and settling a debt of interest!"

He abruptly turned to the pale-faced elven messenger, his tone resolute and carrying an undeniable threat:
"Now, it's not me giving you an explanation! It's you who must give me, and all the Bagnians, an explanation! Immediately hand over the Mirror Sea Brigade that attacked the First Fleet and massacred the King's Guard, or else..."

Lieutenant General Marlowe took a deep breath, his gaze as cold as a knife.

"My First Fleet will immediately cease all fire support and supply to Mooncrown City. All Royal Guards will also sever all ties with the Elves. I want to see how long your long-eared creatures can withstand the endless demonic onslaught without our help in holding off the main force of the demons!"

This unyielding, even domineering roar completely stunned the elven messenger.

He originally came to confront them, but he didn't expect that the other party would not only show no remorse, but would also bring up old grievances and make such a tough, even unreasonable, demand.

“You…you…you…” The elf messenger trembled with rage.

"You bastard!!!"

Lieutenant General Marlowe waved his hand, turned his back, and left behind a resolute silhouette.

"Hand over the murderer, or prepare to face the devil alone. You have one day to consider! Show them out!"

Upon receiving the order, several tall Bagnian sailors stepped forward and practically "invited" the elven messenger, who was still trying to argue, away from the flagship.

The command room was silent, save for Lieutenant General Marlowe's heavy breathing.

His anger was not entirely an act; the re-emergence of the old incident of the First Fleet's attack truly ignited his shame and rage as a Bagnian soldier... The boarding action back then not only resulted in heavy losses for the King's Guard, but also hundreds of sailors were killed or wounded.

At this moment, he was no longer just a fleet commander trying to maintain order, but also a mountain man who had been offended, who was protective of his own and held a grudge.

The news spread quickly. When players learned that Lieutenant General Marlowe had not only not punished them, but had also negotiated strongly with the elves on their behalf, even threatening to withdraw his troops, they were overjoyed, and their favorability towards this NPC general soared.

"Marlowe is awesome!"

"That's how tough we should be! Those who dared to kill us before with long ears will pay the price now!"

"Support the lieutenant general! We won't fight unless he hands them over!"

The elves in Mooncrown City were outraged when they learned that the Bagnians not only showed no remorse but also imposed such harsh conditions.

Conservatives seized the opportunity to loudly proclaim that humanity is untrustworthy, while radicals found themselves in a difficult situation, and neutrals were caught in a dilemma.

The alliance, which had just begun to ease, quickly plummeted to a freezing point and even teetered on the brink of collapse due to the shelling and Lieutenant General Marlowe's unexpectedly strong reaction.

……

Deep within the Moon Goddess Temple in Moon Crown City.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the outside world and the conflicts at sea, this place seems like another world altogether.

Only the cool moonlight shone through the cracks in the dome, like pitying tears, sprinkling onto the smooth, jade-like floor.

A female elf kneels alone before the statue of the moon goddess.

It was a statue carved from moonstone and mithril, depicting a woman with a cold face, pitying eyes, and holding a crescent moon in her hands.

The Moon Goddess and the World Tree are the main beliefs of the elves of the Blue Flame Kingdom.

The latter needs no further explanation, while the former controls the moonlight, dreams, vows, laws, and the secret ways.

The elven woman kneeling before the statue of the moon goddess was not wearing the robes of a moon goddess priest, but rather a fitted dark leather armor, covered by a simple gray cloak.

Most peculiarly, her eyes were tightly covered by a silver silk band printed with crescent moon runes.

The female elf was not blind; the blindfold was a kind of commandment and perception, as well as a symbol of her identity.

She is a demon hunter. This title itself is a disguise, a label that is easily misunderstood.

Throughout the long and tortuous history of the Blue Flame Kingdom and even the entire elven race, apart from a very few high-ranking guardians such as the contemporary High Priestess of the Moon, almost no one knows the true face and existence of this ancient heritage.

The "Demon Hunters" hunt far more than just tangible demons from the abyss.

Their true, most fundamental duty is to hunt down the fallen... those who have been corrupted by the whispers of the abyss and betrayed their elven oaths and laws.

Therefore, their sharp blades are more often pointed inwards.

The history of the elves is vast, and it contains many bloody lessons recorded in obscure language.

Countless times, when the external hordes of demons failed to break through the elves' defenses head-on, corruption and whispers would turn inward.

Proud nobles lose their way in the lust for power, desperate warriors become twisted in hatred, and wise scholars slide into the abyss while exploring forbidden knowledge... These internal decays are often more destructive than external swords.

The legacy of the "Demon Hunter" was established through these painful lessons.

They are the most extreme practitioners of the Moon Goddess Misera's "Law" and "Hidden Path," the last line of defense for maintaining the purity of elven society, and also the most unknown line of defense.

They walk on the edge of light and darkness, gaining the ability to sense and track the aura of corruption in exchange for bearing the dark power of the moon goddess and upholding their vows.

Their very existence is a paradox: using near-dark power to protect the light, and turning their blades against potential kin to preserve the purity of their entire race.

They are the necessary shadows, the sharp blade used to scrape away poison from the bone, hidden from view under the cold, clear light of the moon goddess.

This blindfolded woman is one of the contemporary inheritors of this tradition.

She prayed here both to examine her heart before the statue of the moon goddess, to ensure that she had not been hunted or corrupted by darkness, and to draw strength from the cool moonlight to continue walking this lonely and thorny path.

A very faint sound of footsteps, almost blending into the moonlight, came from behind.

The demon hunter did not turn around. Her "vision" through the cloth bandage seemed to penetrate matter, sensing the immense and pure blessing of the moon goddess emanating from the newcomer... It was the high priest of the Moon Temple, the de facto supreme leader of the Blue Flame Kingdom's faith realm.

Iluvita.

The high priest's voice was ethereal and solemn, like moonlight filtering through the forest.

"The moonlight's radiance seems to have been tainted lately by some shadows that should not exist."

Ilúvatar nodded slightly, her voice calm and still, like a deep pool.

“I also sense it, High Priest. The chaotic whispers are not just coming from the demons outside the city.”

The high priest walked to her side, looked up at the moon goddess's pitying face, and spoke with a rare heaviness and worry in his voice.

"Everything that has happened in the kingdom recently, the fierce disputes in the council, the changing attitudes toward the Bagnians, and even the accidental shelling that just happened at sea."

The trajectory of all this was too coincidental, and too... in line with certain expectations.

She paused, her gaze seemingly piercing through the temple's dome, looking towards the Temple of Dawn, where the argument was raging.

"It is normal for elders to adhere to tradition and for generals to crave victory."

However, recently, some opinions have become extremely extreme, with the rejection of humanity exceeding the necessary vigilance, even to the point of ignoring real threats.

And today, the Mirror Moon arrived at just the right time, was spotted in the mist, and was shelled… The timing of this clash was unsettlingly perfect.

The high priest turned to Ilúvatar, and although the latter was blindfolded, she could feel the penetrating power of her gaze.

“I suspect, Ilúvatar. I suspect that among those voices that raise the banner of upholding tradition and honor, there is a seduction from the abyss that does not originate from love for the people.”

Someone is deliberately creating rifts, attempting to escalate the conflict between us and the Bagnians. Their ultimate goal is to force these human reinforcements, though rough in their actions, to leave, leaving Skyfall and Mooncrown City isolated and helpless.

Ilúvatar listened in silence, her senses extending beyond her blindfold to capture the high priest's concerns and the almost certain judgment based on faith and wisdom.

"what do you mean……"

Ilúvatar's voice remained calm, but it now carried the chilling edge of a hunter locking onto its prey.

"Within the council, and even among the higher nobility, there are... fallen ones who are taking advantage of this demonic invasion crisis to cooperate with the demon lord from within and undermine our defenses?"

"This is the most logical, but also the most dangerous, explanation."

The high priest's voice lowered.

“They are well hidden, using our inherent internal divisions and natural distrust of outsiders as cover. Their whispers are mixed in with reasonable disputes and are difficult to discern, but their ultimate direction is undoubtedly destruction.”

She gently placed her hand on Ilúvatar's shoulder, a touch carrying the shimmering light of the moon goddess and a heavy entrustment.

"It's time, hunter."

The moonlight guides you to see through the shadows, and the law grants you the power of judgment.

I need you to leave the temple, to delve into those magnificent halls and hidden corners, to discern and trace them in your own way. Find those corrupted souls before they utterly destroy our last hope.

Ilúvatar slowly stood up. The blindfold allowed her to see more clearly the invisible, corrupting cloud that hung over the kingdom, without having to make eye contact with anyone.

"As the divine decree commands, Your Excellency High Priest."

Her voice was flat, yet it contained an iron will.

“The worms in the shadows will be judged by the moonlight. I will find them, no matter where they are or how perfectly they disguise themselves.”

She bowed slightly, her gray cloak tracing a silent arc, then turned and vanished silently into the passageway on the side of the temple, as if blending into the shadows.

The Temple of the Moon Goddess returned to its previous silence, with only the statue of the Moon Goddess still gazing pityingly at the empty hall. The High Priest stood alone, a layer of unyielding sorrow shrouding his usually aloof face.

Enemies from within are often more deadly than demons from without.

At this moment, the battle to protect Mooncrown City has begun simultaneously on two completely different battlefields.

(End of this chapter)