Chapter 13 - Removing Misunderstandings

[You have received a fatal blow!]

[Activating Ethereal Form, you will be immune to physical attacks and double the amount of magical damage you take for five seconds.]

Broken had no time to react before The Knight was upon him, their sword swinging towards his neck. With such a difference in skill level and strength, there was no way he could survive such an attack. However, in the midst of the chaos, he suddenly recalled the extraordinary skill he had obtained after his encounter with the goddess Akidia. Thanks to this, he managed to survive, unscathed, as he had become immune to physical attacks.

A sudden surge of white energy swiftly engulfed his body, halting their sword just as it was about to pierce the skin of his neck. Despite feeling the razor-sharp edge of the blade pressing against his skin, Broken had somehow evaded the fatal strike of the princess' knight.

Broken jumped back, attempting to create distance between himself and the situation. Polly, equally stunned, stepped forward and snarled at the knights. She bellowed a few times, her demeanor fiercely protective.

"Polly, step back," he implored. "Let's try to explain this calmly."

He attempted to soothe Polly, knowing the dire consequences he would face if he caused any disturbance to the kingdom, particularly if he was declared a criminal. Nonetheless, he was unafraid to accept responsibility if it truly was his fault. However, this time he had been wrongly accused by those player killers. Broken was determined to prove his innocence.

"We need to show them that we're innocent," he declared.

Alora, the Princess was taken aback. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the scene before her. She was sure that her knight had used all their might to slash Broken's neck, but the opposite occurred; he stood there unscathed. To her surprise, he had activated his Ethereal Form!

"My eyes can't be deceiving me, can they? He actually has an Ethereal Form." Alora murmured softly to herself, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Alora, being a half-elf, has an elven mother and has learned a great deal about her elven heritage. She was aware that the power of the Ethereal Form was not easily obtained, being a holy skill passed down directly by a god or the divine race.

Alora's hands trembled with fear as her knight menacingly brandished his sword at Broken, who stood regally before her with a magnificent nine-tailed fox spirit beast at his side. Even more impressive were the ethereal form he had mastery of. Yet, despite his arsenal of hidden talents and powers, he didn't appear to be arrogant or angry in the slightest.

Polly growled at Alora, "My Master is not someone you can accuse so easily, Rrrhhh." She spoke in her deep, rumbling voice.

"We are here to protect this place and the innocent people living in it. Our mission is to rid this land of all demon followers—not to harm innocent people. Despite this, we have seen your master kill one of them." She gestured to the four players, who were still kneeling not far from them.

"My Master had come here in search of merchants, hoping to purchase something," Polly continued, her voice menacing. "And then those five players showed up, ready to do him in!" She growled in frustration.

"Are you crazy?!" one of the player killers said firmly. "Can't you see he killed one of us? He's a crazy player who goes around completely naked, a pervert who did it to abuse the locals. He deserves the death penalty!"

"We are law-abiding players," they continued emphatically, raising their objections. "We came to this place to look for fruits for us to eat! Why do you have to believe in the words of a stupid spirit like her? She's just a stupid fox, a useless spirit! You should take our word for it, players!"

Alora slowly shifted her gaze back to Broken, taking a deep breath as she internalized Polly's words. She was certain that a being as true and honest as Polly wouldn't lie; the evidence before her only further confirmed Broken's innocence.

Despite his impressive strength, Alora didn't detect the slightest resistance from Broken when they attempted to slash the sword at his neck. Bewildered, she wondered, "Why is he only wearing underwear?"

She glanced at Broken's crotch before quickly looking away.

"He doesn't appear to be a dangerous person. I was wrong about him. It's the most significant mistake I've ever made. Perhaps he was trying to commune with nature, hence why he chose a serene area like this and stripped off his clothing."

Alora had achieved an exceptional level of power, surpassing even the most talented players in Yunatea. Her strength was so great that she would have no trouble taking on two or three opponents of her own level. But the person she was currently facing didn't seem to put up any resistance, despite her earlier actions against him.

"Princess Alora," one of her knights called out. "We have read the information reported by the natives, and it appears the characteristics of the person who committed the violence against them match those of the four players kneeling here." He gestured towards the four players.

"What," they protested, "are you stupid? Didn't you see what just happened?"

"Take them to the dungeon," Alora commanded. In an instant, the four knights sprang into action, restraining the four players so they couldn't move. The knights quickly tied the player killers up with ropes and prepared to take them away.

"I'll be with you soon," Alora said.

"Yes, your highness," the knights replied.

Alora quickly bowed her head towards Broken, her fists tightly clenched, and she fought back the wave of regret that was washing over her.

"Mr. Broken," she began, her voice heavy with remorse, "I offer my sincere apologies for the actions of my knight. We acted without due consideration of the consequences and I have failed to uphold the justice of this kingdom. It is my hope that you will accept my apology."

Broken felt immense relief flood through him, and a smile spread across his face. He bowed his head in respect to the princess.

"Princess Alora, I apologize for the misunderstanding and any distress it has caused. I have nothing but respect for your willingness to listen to our side of the story, and we are deeply grateful for that."

Broken heaved a sigh of relief, thinking, "At least this problem didn't get any worse." He was immensely thankful that he hadn't been forced to become a fugitive from the kingdom or cause any kind of disruption in the presence of a member of the royal family. Such a predicament was something no player wanted to find themselves in.

Alora turned to Broken in amazement, marveling at the powerful player before her. She had never encountered someone with strength like his who still managed to remain humble and courteous.

"I don't want to hurt your pride," she began, "so I'm willing to make up for the misunderstanding. I want to invite you to the palace and…."

At that moment, Broken abruptly dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach tightly.

"Mr. Broken," Alora inquired with a hint of panic in her voice, "did something happen to you? Are you injured in any way?" She tried to get closer, her expression reflecting her worry.

Broken suddenly heard Lily's voice calling him from outside the game, and once again, she did something that made him utterly helpless with laughter.

"Oh my goodness, Lily," he muttered under his breath. "Why do you have to tickle me like this?"

Try as he might, Broken couldn't help but succumb to his laughter, holding his stomach as he fell to his knees. He was determined not to let out a peep in front of Princess Alora, worrying that she might think he had insulted the royal family.

"What will happen to me if I laugh in front of her?" he thought.

Broken attempted to restrain his urge to laugh and desperately sought an excuse to escape from Alora.

"Your Highness, I am deeply grateful for your kind offer," he said, taking a step back. "But I really must be going. Please excuse my haste. May all your days be blessed."

He then gradually backed away and, with a final wave goodbye, abruptly logged out of the game.

Alora attempted to pursue Broken, but he had already vanished from sight. This left her feeling more bewildered than before. She hadn't fully conveyed her remorse, but the man had chosen to depart in haste.

"Did I act rudely by inviting him to the kingdom?" she pondered slowly. "Earlier, he seemed to be in pain. Did he leave because he didn't want to expose his discomfort in front of me? Was he hurt from battling those player killers before?" she wondered.

She was still standing in that spot, lost in thought. "Should I stay here and wait for him to return?" she wondered.

It was common for players to suddenly vanish from Yunatea and reappear back at the same place as if they had their own secret world.

"I guess I'll just set up camp here and wait for him to come back," she concluded.