Chapter 19- Be My Knight

"You have got to be kidding me." Zach wasn't surprised by Aurora's stats; he was shocked by her name.

"Edens… that means you are a royal?" Zach asked with a surprised look on his face.

Aurora quietly nodded and closed her menu.

The real world was divided into countries and kingdoms. Even in the future, half of the world was ruled by kings, but in a modern way. Edens was one of the lineages of the kings, and it was the strongest kingdom in the world with an enormous army and strongest defense system.

"So that means you are a princess…" Zach muttered.

"No need to address me formally. I would like it if you call me Aurora," Aurora stated.

"And here I was thinking you were some kind of unfriendly," Zach commented without holding back.

"Wha—!" Aurora raised her brows and asked, "What part of me gave you that impression?"

"Uhh…" After thinking for a while, Zach replied, "Everything?"

"Be more specific." Aurora sighed. "I believe I am polite and kind enough than any other royals you would meet."

"Well, to be honest…" Zach said as though he wasn't honest before. "Your personality suddenly changed when you found out my HP was 1500. But I guess I was wrong."

"I didn't change anything. You asked me nicely, so I was nice to you. If you had replied to me honestly, I would have been nice to you from the start, you know?"

"That doesn't change anything." Zach opened his inventory to send coins to Aurora. "How much? Can you give me a discount?"

"1500 coins for healing 1500 HP," Aurora replied nonchalantly.

"You mean, 1499 coins."

Zach was about to send her money, but Aurora stopped him.

"How about we make a deal?" she asked.

"What deal?"

"Show me your stats," Aurora demanded.

"Not happening."

"Why? I showed you mine, right? Now it's your turn," she insisted.

Zach scoffed and said, "Why are you making it sound like we are exchanging nudes?"

Aurora's face flushed after hearing that. "Don't use such vulgar words in front of me!" she yelled. "Now show me your stats."

"I cannot do that. Even if you say 'please', I can't show you my stats," Zach stated.

"Fine." Aurora sighed and asked, "You are strong, right?"

"Define strong," Zach scoffed. "Your stats are higher than mine, though."

"So, how about you be my knight and protect me? And in return, I will give you money and heal you, for free."

"That doesn't sound like a good deal, princess. And isn't the 'be my knight' thingy like a proposal?" Zach glanced at Aurora and asked with a smirk on his face: "Are you proposing to me, princess?"

"I am not!" she shouted. "I have no one to protect me. If I die, then my kingdom will be doomed."

"But your stats are higher than mine. That must mean you are a good player," Zach asserted and casually sat beside Aurora.

"Ever since I was a kid, I have been trained in everything. Sword fighting, shooting and archery, melee and martial arts, so I am familiar with the game style." Aroura looked up at the sky and continued, "I have never talked with the opposite sex before… I mean, like how we are talking right now. One to one, alone. My father is rigorous, and he is afraid that I might fall in love with someone, so my parents never allowed me to talk to a boy."

"How old are you?" Zach asked curiously.

"17. I will turn 18 after three months, and that's when I will get married to a random man my father chose." Aurora shrugged her shoulders and uttered, "It can be a rich playboy. A 50-year-old king. A successful businessman. Or maybe one of my cousins."

Zach furrowed his brows and muttered, "If I remember correctly, you are the only heir, right?"

"Yes." Aurora nodded. "That's why my entire kingdom's responsibility is up to me. I have to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of continuing my lineage."

Zach glanced at Aurora from the corner of his eyes and asked, "Why are you telling me this? I am not the type of person who will get his heart stolen by a beautiful damsel in distress."

Aurora scoffed and started laughing after hearing that. Zach was confused at first. He thought she had gone crazy, but then he remembered all the girls he had met in his life were crazy.

"I wasn't trying to do that. I was just… I rarely get a chance to open up like this." Aurora turned to Zach and said with a wry smile on her face: "One part of me wants to be trapped in this game forever, so I won't have to be a princess again. But another part of me wants to get out of here, so I can fulfill the duty I was born for."

Zach stood up and looked at the stars. He reached his hands to them and said, "Why does it matter? I don't know you or your struggles. Why should I care? Why should anyone care about anyone?"

Aurora looked at the ground with a sad look on her face.

"That includes you too," Zach added.

"Huh?" Aurora looked at Zach with a puzzled look on her face. "What do you—"

"Figure it out yourself. You will have enough time to think about it. We will be stuck in this world for a long time, after all."

Aurora puckered her lips and muttered, "You have to be my knight." She took a deep breath and said, "You wanted to know how I leveled up so fast, right?"

Zach nodded in response.

"I played mixed dungeon with my two maids, but they died protecting me."

'I figured. Since she is a princess, she should be trained well.' Zach thought to himself.

"The players clear the dungeon to gain EXP and level up. While they clear the tower to gain rewards and treasure chests," Aurora asserted. "How about we two team up? I can heal you anytime."

"I am already in a team with my friends," Zach replied.

"That doesn't mean you can't team up with me. And no offense, but we both are skilled, so we are perfect for each other. I don't know about your friends, but if we both play together, we can be invincible."

'My top priority is to get out of this world.' Zach pondered for a while and answered, "I need time to think about it."

Zach added Aurora as a friend and said he would contact her tomorrow.

****

Total players in the game 46472.

5 new players logged in.

2 players died.

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[Weekly target.]

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Author's Note- Next chapter- Solo Cultivation (no pun intended coz ma boi doesn't seem to be interested in dual cultivation… or is he?)