CHAPTER 44: THE MOON GODDESS TEMPLE

King Godfrey sat inside the stone-walled war bunker, surrounded by maps, relics, and grim-faced advisors.

The air inside was thick with tension as his generals and advisors murmured among themselves, their faces written with worry.

Then the iron doors flung open with a loud creak, and a young messenger, dirt-streaked and breathless, stumbled inside.

"Your Majesty!" The boy called, dropping on one knee. "The demon king’s army—they’ve been defeated! They’re retreating as we speak!"

A stunned silence fell over the room.

One of the generals, an old war veteran leaned forward in shock. "What did you just say, boy?"

"I said... they are fleeing!" the messenger panted, eyes wide. "The battle is over. We’ve won."

Murmurs erupted among the gathered nobles and military officers.

Advisors turned to one another, eyes wide, mouths agape. One man dropped his quill.

Godfrey’s voice boomed, cutting through the noise. "How is this possible? The last report said we were moments from being overrun!"

The messenger hesitated. "We don’t know, Your Majesty. Sir Krell suddenly ordered every knight to abandon their posts and rally at the citadel. No one understood why, but—"

Godfrey’s face darkened. "He what? Why would he neglect my order and abandon critical defenses?"

The messenger flinched but pressed on. "I-I don’t know, sire. But... whatever Sir Krell did... it worked. He stopped them. He saved the kingdom."

For a long moment, Godfrey stood frozen, his anger boiled like lava beneath the surface—but then, slowly, it began to cool.

He exhaled sharply, forcing his temper to settle. This was not the time to be angry. His people were alive. His city still stood.

"Bring me Sir Krell," he commanded, his voice steadier now. "I must hear his part of the story."

The messenger bowed and hurried out.

The moment the doors shut behind him, the room erupted into a fervent debate.

"This doesn’t make sense," a general muttered, stroking his beard. "We all know Krell is the strongest in the kingdom, but even he couldn’t take down the demon king’s army alone. Not in an open battle."

The king’s advisor scoffed, shaking his head. "Unless he’s hiding more power than we ever imagined. Maybe he’s been holding back all these years."

"Or allies," another added darkly. "No single man could turn the tide like that."

"Still," an older advisor added cautiously, "even with his strength... defeating an entire legion of demons? I don’t think so."

Godfrey held up a hand, silencing them. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Speculation does not serve us. We’ll wait until we hear from Sir Krell’s lips what truly happened on that battlefield."

But even as he spoke, his mind raced with disturbing thoughts.

Krell had defied his orders, and Krell had also won the war.

What had truly happened out there?

Not long after, Krell strode in. I entered alongside him, my invisibility spell active.

The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Krell.

King Godfrey stepped forward, regarding Krell intently. "Sir Krell, you have my thanks. Whatever you did out there... you saved the kingdom. But I must ask... what happened? And why did you disobey my direct orders?"

Of course he was going to ask questions. Krell and I had already prepared ourselves for this moment.

Krell met Godfrey’s gaze steadily. "Your Majesty," he began, "I would appreciate it if you did not ask me any questions regarding the events on the battlefield. But you have my word—the demons will not attack again."

A hush fell over the room like a curtain.

Something tells me these people wouldn’t take that explanation lightly and I was right.

One of the generals slammed his fist on the table. "What is this?! What are you hiding from the king? Do you possess some secret ability we don’t know about?"

Oh, here we go. Sure enough, I would’ve asked the same question. Depending on how Krell replies would determine how this night ends.

Krell didn’t flinch. He turned to the general, his voice calm. "I have done my duty as a knight—to protect this kingdom and my king. That is all. My only request, my only reward, is that I am not questioned on the means I used to achieve it."

More voices rose in protest, but before the tension could escalate, Godfrey raised his hand.

The room fell silent instantly.

I watched Godfrey as he stepped closer to Krell, studying him for a long moment.

Then, with a slow nod, he said, "You have been a faithful and loyal knight to me, Krell. You’ve served this kingdom with honor, and I have never had cause to doubt your loyalty. So for today... I will place my trust in you. No questions asked."

To be honest, I was surprised at Godfrey. He may be an asshole but he understands Krell’s intentions and chooses to respect it.

Krell bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then, after a brief pause, he added, "There is one favor I must ask of you."

Godfrey arched an eyebrow. "Name it."

Now this was the tricky part.

Krell took a deep breath. "I would like to take Princess Camilia away from the kingdom."

Silence. A long heavy silence.

Then the chamber exploded into uproar.

Several generals stood in shock. Others gasped aloud.

"Out of the question!" one noble snapped.

"Princess Camilia is the king’s only daughter—you cannot just take her!" another shouted.

I let out a silent exasperated sigh. I knew this would happen. We might as well give up. The royal household would never let Camilia out of their sight.

Krell, on the other hand, wasn’t the type to give up.

His voice remained steady, but there was an urgency beneath his words as he addressed the room.

"Your Majesty, my lords—think carefully. The abduction on Princess Camilia before, and now this full-scale demon attack? This is no coincidence. They are after her. For what purpose, I do not yet know. But one thing is certain—if she remains here, the kingdom will remain a target. The Demon King will not stop. He will send more forces, stronger forces, and next time... we may not be so fortunate."

The room buzzed with uneasy murmurs.

One of the elderly advisors shook his head vehemently. "You ask us to separate the king from his only daughter? This is madness!"

Another noble, a woman draped in rich silks, added, "The princess is the heart of this kingdom! To send her away would be to invite chaos!"

Just then, Prince Rudolph—who had been standing silently at the edge of the room—stepped forward.

"Krell is right," he said, his voice cutting through the dissent. "This isn’t a mere coincidence. The demons did come for her. Twice. If we ignore that, we’re fools. Her life is in danger—and if she stays, so is everyone else’s."

I almost cheered for Rudolph. Nice one, big bro. That’s all the encouragement we’ll need.

Godfrey’s gaze flicked to his son. He seemed to be lost in thoughts. I could tell he was battling within himself on a decision.

An advisor chimed in. "Even if we agreed to have her taken away, where would she go? Nowhere is truly safe from the Demon King’s reach."

Another good question. Krell and I had already prepared an answer to that.

Krell didn’t hesitate. He replied sharply, "The Moon Goddess Temple."

A hush fell.

The moon goddess temple was ancient, sacred—and, most importantly, guarded by divine wards that even the strongest demons could not breach.

King Godfrey’s jaw tightened. His fingers curled into fists, then relaxed.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, in a voice that brooked no argument, he commanded:

"Leave me. All of you. I must think."

The advisors and generals hesitated, but one sharp look from the king had them bowing and filing out of the chamber.

Godfrey turned to the window, his back to us as we all left him alone.

* * * *

Krell let out a slow breath as he leaned against the walls of the corridor outside the war room.

It was just the two of us now, waiting for the king’s decision.

"Well," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "we gave it our best shot. Now all we can do is wait for his response."

I dispelled my invisibility spell, appearing beside him. "You think he’ll agree?"

Krell shrugged. "Godfrey isn’t a fool. He knows the threat is real. But sending away his only daughter? That’s not an easy decision for any king."

I crossed my arms, frowning. "Even if he does agree... are you sure Camilia would be safe at the Moon Goddess Temple?"

Krell gave me a knowing look. "If there’s any place in this world with enough spiritual presence to ward off demons indefinitely, it’s there. The temple’s priestess practice the ancient ways with divine magic. Not even the Demon King himself could breach them without invoking the wrath of the goddess."

I exhaled, nodding. That was reassuring—but still, something nagged at me.

Krell must have noticed my hesitation because he smirked. "Let me give you a quick lesson. The Moon Goddess Temple isn’t just some old pilgrimage site. It’s a fortress of divine magic. No army could siege it. No dark magic could corrupt it." He glanced at me. "And most importantly—no one enters without the goddess’s permission."

I raised an eyebrow. "So how do we get in?"

Krell chuckled. "We don’t. But Camilia? She’s of royal blood, blessed lineage. The temple’s guardians would recognize her right to sanctuary."

Before I could voice my next concern, the doors creaked open again.

I activated my invisibility spell immediately.

King Godfrey stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on Krell. "I’ve come to a decision, Krell. Take Camilia and keep her safe."