Chapter 18 - A Majestic Spirit Beast

The effect of the Ethereal Form on Broken finally wore off, and his body returned to its normal state. The silver energy that had once enveloped him faded, revealing him without his body armor and leg armor.

Trying to maintain some dignity, he slowly stepped behind Polly, using her as a shield to hide himself—especially with the Royal Princess and her troops present, their eyes all fixed on him.

"Look at him! That's the Player Killer maniac who goes around naked attacking people without any armor on. He's a total psycho!" The man with the greatsword said.

Broken defended himself, "I challenge you to show your levels, and I'll show mine. Then everyone will see who's lying!"

"His Spirit Beast has a high level. He uses that stupid Spirit Beast to kill other players." They kept trying to corner Broken.

The Royal Troops ran and surrounded Broken and the five Player Killers kneeling on the ground while Princess Alora continued to assess the situation.

Two of the Royal Troops pointed their spears at Broken. "Put on some clothes, fool."

"Give me your armor, then," Broken replied.

"I want to hear more first; don't corner anyone," Princess Alora spoke. She directed her attention to Polly, who was standing protectively in front of Broken.

"A Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast," she murmured softly to Polly. "Can you tell me what actually happened?"

"My master was the first one to be attacked; we were only defending ourselves."

Alora, being an elf with a close connection to spirits, trusted the purity of the spirit's soul and believed their words over the players'. Especially since the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast had historical ties with the elven race.

Alora found herself puzzled. Why would a player with such a majestic spirit beast present himself like a low-level player? Clearly, there was more to him than he was letting on. 

It didn't add up—someone with access to Ethereal Form couldn't possibly be low-level, nor would they be wasting their time with something as trivial as player killing. 

Could he be hiding his true identity?

Alora's thoughts drifted back to the stories from her tribe. They spoke of those who earned the favor of high-grade spirits—individuals who could be trusted, who had promising futures, and who would wield great influence over Yunatea. 

And surely, this player was one of those people.

She needed to talk to him and gain more clarity about him. She had a feeling that he could be someone of great importance.

After considering it for some time, Alora finally made a decision. 

"I am certain this Spirit Beast is telling the truth. One person with poor armor and a bad weapon could not have possibly attacked six people with much higher levels."

The player killers looked panicked after hearing Princess Alora's judgment.

"But, Your Highness… we are truly innocent," they pleaded.

"Explain it later at the trial," she replied.

"Arrest those five players," Princess Alora finally decreed.

"Yes, Your Highness," the knights responded, moving to apprehend the player killers.

"Wait, what are you doing? Are you stupid? This is absurd! We are the victims; why are we being arrested?"

"How dare you call Princess Alora's decision absurd!" the knights snapped, dragging the protesting players away.

Broken finally breathed a sigh of relief. He admired Princess Alora's logical decision-making. She deserved to be a commander in battle; her judgment was commendable.

He knew he had to thank the Princess, but he realized he was only wearing underwear. He couldn't imagine having a conversation with the Princess in this condition. He needed to find a way to leave quickly since he had been proven innocent.

"Your Highness, what should we do with this player? He is not using any armor. Allow us to do something about it," one of the knights suggested.

Hearing this, Broken thought quickly. If he were captured and imprisoned by the knights, he wouldn't be able to log out of the game. He needed to log out immediately because Lily was surely waiting for dinner.

Then, something unexpected happened. Broken heard Lily's voice calling him from outside the game. She seemed to have finished cooking and was trying to wake him from the game.

Not only that, Lily continued with her favorite trick. She managed to do something that left him completely unable to control his laughter. She tickled him in his stomach, the most sensitive spot. He couldn't hold it in and fell to his knees, trying to stifle his laughter.

Despite his efforts, Broken couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He was determined not to make a sound in front of Princess Alora, afraid she might think he was mocking the royal family.

"Mr. Player, Broken, thank you for cooperating with the kingdom. I believe you deserve a reward. Would you be willing to have some tea? I have something I wish to discuss with you," Princess Alora said, walking slowly towards Broken, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Don't kneel. Please stand up," she said.

Broken struggled to stifle his laughter and desperately searched for a way to escape from Alora's presence.

"Your Highness, Princess Alora, thank you for trusting my explanation. I must go now," Broken said, then promptly logged out of the game.

Princess Alora walked slowly to the spot where Broken had logged out.

"Why did he seem so afraid? Is he worried about his real identity being revealed? Clearly, he is not just anyone. To possess a Spirit Beast as majestic as that and to have the Ethereal Form skill, which is a gift from a deity, his level must be high. Yet he tries to appear humble with low-level armor and secretly assists the kingdom in hunting down those player killers," she mused.

She then turned to the knights. "Set up camp in this area. I will wait for that player to log back in here."

"Yes, Your Highness," the knights responded.