The enormous loss left the Malta Knight Order resentful. Two years ago, when the British and French fleets clashed in the Mediterranean, they refused to let the French warships enter the port for resupply and even actively provided intelligence to the British.
After the British Navy withdrew from the Mediterranean, the commander of the Toulon fleet, Bluais, sent marines to the island, arrested hundreds of knights colluding with the British—at that time, the Malta Knight Order only had over 400 members in total—and declared Malta Port a permanently neutral port, prohibiting the deployment of any military facilities.
The Malta Knight Order, having suffered consecutive blows, was greatly weakened. Just then, Paul I ascended the throne, and they were overjoyed.
This Tsar had been obsessed with knight culture from a young age, and the Malta Knight Order was the only knight order currently recognized by the Vatican, so decades ago, they had close relations with the Russian Crown Prince.
