Chapter 123: Bamboozling the Holy Light Again

"Let me go over there and kill him!"

"My Lord, stay calm, stay calm!"

In the marshland, the dwarves formed a wall, blocking their agitated lord. Belle and Lady Iluvatar, having retrieved their armor from the dwarf cavalry, hid among the reeds to dress themselves.

"When will the White Lady arrive?" Lin Lei asked, glancing at the farce unfolding nearby and turning his head toward Eve. The situation was going from bad to worse.

"She should be here any moment now, theoretically." Eve frowned slightly. These opponents were truly troublesome. The numerous dwarf cavalrymen were one thing, but the group of human paladins behind them were a terrifying presence. Although they made no move, a shimmering golden light radiated from their bodies. Even without the aura of the Holy Light being released, it was enough to make one tremble.

"Who exactly are these paladins?" Eve ordered the mages to contact the White Lady via magic; only if she arrived with the elves soon could they be saved from this predicament.

Belle and Iluvatar finished donning their armor and emerged, walking over to Lin Lei.

Lin Lei asked, "Why were you hiding in the reeds?"

"It’s because your sword aura shredded our clothes!" Belle said loudly, intentionally making sure the dwarves could hear. "My lady and I planned to use some reeds to cover ourselves, never expecting to be discovered by you."

*You need over an hour to cover your bodies with reeds?* Lin Lei looked skeptical, but saw Belle winking at him, hoping for his cooperation.

"Brother, back me up here. I came under orders from the King to borrow troops from the Lord, and I happened to hear that his wife had been 'stolen'." Belle’s telepathic message echoed in Lin Lei’s mind: "If he finds out I slept with his wife—he definitely won't lend me any soldiers."

*He actually did it…* A flash of surprise crossed Lin Lei’s black eyes.

Belle continued, sounding anxious: "I really did intend to find some reeds to cover up, but she kept teasing me. I figured since I was already naked, I might as well..."

Lin Lei quickly composed himself. "I am truly sorry; I had no idea I would shred your clothes." He played along with Belle’s charade. Their subtle exchange went unnoticed, and gradually, the other dwarves began to believe the story. Traces of sword aura remained in the marsh, and the ruins had been cut with surgical precision. The dwarves used these as evidence to console their lord. The lord’s rage gradually subsided; he wouldn't easily believe Belle’s words, but this explanation was the best way to save face.

"Move! We’re going over there; I challenge you to a duel!" The lord issued a challenge to Belle. "We shall prove who is more worthy of Iluvatar." His focus shifted from Lin Lei to Belle for the time being.

"No problem." Belle picked up his hammer without hesitation and ran off with the lord to duel. The cavalry followed. Lady Iluvatar walked over to Lin Lei, her cheeks flushed; she seemed entirely unconcerned about the duel.

Eve watched her with cold eyes. "Aren't you going to watch?"

"I know who will win without looking." Iluvatar said this with an indifferent expression, causing Lin Lei to raise an eyebrow. "You have such confidence in Belle?"

"No..." Iluvatar shot Lin Lei a look. "Your brother will lose."

Lin Lei was not a dwarf; naturally, he couldn't see the trickery in this duel—no matter what, Belle would lose.

"Impossible." Lin Lei didn't believe it. His brother could face a demigod head-on; that lord was far from being his match.

After the cavalry departed, only the human paladins remained, standing motionless in the night. The leader of the paladins was a tall man. He looked at Lin Lei with a somber expression, then dismounted and approached.

"Your Majesty, the High King." The man spoke in a deep voice. "Could you explain the situation to us?"

Lin Lei had noticed this paladin earlier. He wore battle-scarred plate armor, his presence as calm as the ocean, his eyes fixed steadily on Lin Lei.

"Who are you?" Lin Lei asked.

"Forgive my rudeness." The man saluted Lin Lei with one hand. "I am Brook, Captain of the Second Order of Victoria. I retreated here from the Kingdom of Ash, and having heard of your affairs, I have come to see for myself." He stared at Lin Lei. "High King, can you explain your actions to us?"

Lin Lei frowned slightly. How could he explain? Everything the demigods had done was real; if he claimed he had been framed by them, no one would believe him.

At that moment, the mages finally contacted the White Lady. Their expressions changed. "Little Prince, the White Lady has encountered werewolves."

"What?" Lin Lei whipped his head around. "Werewolves!?"

Disaster had truly struck today. With the situation here unresolved, trouble had found the White Lady. "Mr. Brook, can you go and assist my elves?"

"Of course." Brook nodded, then his tone shifted. "But I hope you will cooperate with us, High King. We bear no malice and will certainly not harm you—once the matter is investigated, we will release you."

Lin Lei was an honored guest of the Alliance, but in this incident, Brook did not intend to let him go. The victims were not just dwarves; it involved demigods. He could not let this slide.

"High King, could you please wear these magic-suppression chains for the time being?" Brook asked, his eyes burning with a fire that would not tolerate the existence of any evil.

*Trouble. I’ve run into a die-hard purist...* Lin Lei knew it was bad. In the human world, paladins represented justice, but when justice reached the extreme, it became paranoia. He was unlucky enough to have encountered an extremist.

Lin Lei fell into thought. The *Song of the Azure Sky* appeared in his hand, then instantly retracted. Brook noticed this; he clasped his hands over his sword hilt, watching Lin Lei with wary eyes. The air in the marsh grew heavy.

Lin Lei realized he couldn't keep playing around. If he didn't clear his name now, the blame would only grow heavier. He knew how to counter justice.

"I can prove my innocence, Mr. Brook." Lin Lei smiled slightly at the paladin and slowly closed his eyes.

"...Article One: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights... Article Four: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms..."

He recited the Declaration of Human Rights in his heart. Wisps of golden light began to emerge from his body.

"This, this is..." Brook opened his eyes in astonishment.

*The Little Prince is trying to hoodwink the Holy Light again.* Eve turned her gaze away. Using the Holy Light to prove one's innocence was a clever tactic, but this time, the Little Prince was destined to fail. Simulated Holy Light could never fool a truly devout paladin.