Vhalen felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

Once he saw the many injuries on the young ladies who were running towards him, he already knew that the situation would be difficult.

To him, this was the first time he had ever come across such injuries...!

This was because Gaia Humans normally lived for around 200 years without feeling sickness or being injured. That was unless the illness was passed to them on purpose by a Beast or another creature.

To the young Prince, the worst injuries he had ever seen were the ones he briefly saw on Alex yesterday before using his only 'Revival Heal' Spell Slot. This was due to his standing as Royalty eclipsing his role as a Healer on Gaia.

The blood flowing from their wounds made him scared despite himself due to being really pacifistic in nature. He hated violence and seeing those Purple Knights inflicting it went against his code of conduct... which was why he gathered his courage.

He was still shivering in fear, but the courage to stand up for what he believed in let him speak up:

"Sheath your Spirit Essences!" He roared towards the Purple Knights, but they didn't seem to listen due to their focus in apprehending the girls they were chasing without giving him much thought.

This was kinda normal since they had already used the Flickering Light Mana Burst. Only that let them to keep up with the 'Light Beasts'. They planned on killing the sisters if they resisted too harshly.

The young ladies and the full-plate armoured men pursuing them charged towards him really fast.

They's probably smash into his body and break his bones if uninterrupted, but he had to do something. The shorty chose to intervene before things escalated too quickly.

He grabbed two specific flasks from his potion cart and used the Skill he was most familiar with:

[Movement Skill- Accelerated Flicker!]

The Second Prince wasn't to be looked down on!

Despite his Imperial Attribute being sealed by his family, he was able to use at least some of what made him a Royal to his advantage. He was well-aware of strengths, and also knew their utility.

Perhaps he might not be able to cheat the X-shaped Seal on his hand, but as someone who looked up to his more superior brother, and also the kind of guy who was diligent when he wanted to be, he had mastered his own 'Timelight Skills'.

Differing from 'Flickering Light', that utilised only Light Mana, this fully enhanced version of the Movement Skill had a small amount of Time Mana being overlaid to 'accelerate' him.

The resulting technique allowed him to fuse them together into a Skill that 'accelerated his own physical clock momentarily', rather than 'giving him enhanced physical speed momentarily'.

While Flickering Light required the user to know where they are going in case the person 'flickering' ran into a wall, Accelerated Flicker allowed Vhalen to speed up his perception along with every other aspect of himself to move around the place.

It was his favourite Movement Skill that he was most proud of! He felt the world around him slow down. His physical clock hastening up made him feel as if the world had slowed down as he stepped towards the young ladies... and walked past them.

He shattered the flasks in his hand on both Purple Knights, staining them with the contents of them

Then he pointed in their direction with one index finger for each of the two Broadsword Warriors.

If normal Gaia Humans had their Gaia Affinity, then those of Royalty had their 'Force Formulation'.

This was an Racial Ability that had also been restricted by his Seal, but he hadn't gave up utilising the little advantage he had over others. He never stopped mastering it. This was to the point the Ability fully complemented his fighting style.

He was no Prodigy magic user like his brother, nor could he learn any projectile Skills of Mages due to his Class Restrictions, but he was still able to partially defy his Class type a little bit.

[Magic Skill- Formulated Fire!]

His eyes somewhat lit up as he could vaguely see the structure of world in a different light compared to other magic users.

While Mages could only see flames as balls of magical energy that could be manipulated, his Force Formulation allowed him to see the inherent 'formulas' within those natural elements.

It was similar to how Alex saw Runes...

Using what little perception he had of these magic formulas, he altered them to create Magic Skills that were a lot more versatile and powerful than what regular magic users could conjure.

Though this was now only used as a thumb size flame...

Those tiny fireballs hit the flammable liquids he had thrown at them and ignited them in slow motion. A panicky look appeared on his face... He realised he was running out of time and got out of the way before the ignited liquids made a small explosion.

It didn't cover them in flames, but merely made a strong enough impact on them to push them to the side and interrupt their chase. Once they stopped pursuing, the young ladies also stopped to look at the handsome shorty who had sped past them.

Although he hadn't moved at a speed beyond their comprehension, they were unable to do anything as he 'flickered' past them due to him exceeding everyone here in terms of agility.

This was putting aside the dexterity he had to move past the girls without accidentally bumping into them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

It made them curious about Vhalen's true identity...

"You...! Are you also a Classless?!" One of the Purple Knights asked. He had no idea how the midget before them pulled off such a feat.

They weren't injured or anything, but their suspicion towards the quintuplets' 'helper' heightened.

"Wait, I'm-" The handsome shorty wanted to explain himself, but they didn't give him the time.

Their swords swung faster than they moved their bodies. Vhalen dodged around them in panic!

He may be able to speed up his perception along with his speed, but that was only relative to his own agility rather than his opponents. This meant that as long as they were fast enough, he would still have to think fast and dodge around the place...!

Having blades pointed in his direction made him so fearful that he wanted to run away at that very moment, but one look at the injuries of the young ladies made him impulsively stay instead.

He wasn't thinking rationally and was being pushed by his instincts as a Healer. He shouted at them:

"Stop!" His one word caused the two Knights to halt their assault. The duo looked confused.

They felt his dominating attitude let loose.

The handsome shorty copied the demeanour his older brother had towards Noble Rankers.

His small body firmly stood upright.

Though despite his facade, the Purple Knights noticed him shivering in fear towards them.

'Is he feeling scared?' The two Knights in purple armour, along with the State Knights that had been a step slower in following behind them, thought at the same time. They recognised this emotion.

There was not one Classless Beast that didn't have that same emotion after being chased by a horde of Purple Knights. Even the quintuplets could only see him as a lion cub trying to bare its fangs...

They felt both worried and guilty that they were dragging down the person who was willing to stand up to them.

The eldest sister among them, who had her face injured by their attacks, thought of giving up after thinking that even the 'Alex Stuman' she had sought couldn't protect them.

She would rather go to jail with her sisters if there was no hope for them to escape...

At least that would lighten the amount of punishment they'd endure.

"Do you know who you are pointing your Spirit Essences towards?!" Surprisingly, Vhalen didn't give up trying to pressure the Knights. His loud heartbeats were all over the place from almost being cut by their swords.

The handsome shorty stood with his back as straight as a sword and scrunched up his face.

He didn't want them to see his shaking as shivers of fear, but as trembles caused by great fury. His body felt weak and powerless in front of the imposing knights in front of him who could overwhelm him in numbers, but he still stood firm.

His legs felt mushy and weak, as if he could fall at any moment. However, he didn't back down at all!

His courageous act caused them to misinterpret his fear as anger, just like he had was hoping for them to do.

He was still Royalty.

Although he actually didn't have the same amount of authority as his brother, nor have Drake's demeanour, he still needed to show fearlessness if he wanted them to listen to his words...

His mind worked fast as he took off his cloak to reveal his luxurious clothing.

"It's the Second Prince...!" All the Knights easily recognised the Royal Crest embroidered into his clothes and realised their mistake. They couldn't believe they had accidentally attacked Royalty...!!!

What was Royalty on Gaia? They were beings that were truly above regular Gaia Humans, to the point that anyone of the Royal Family was innately superior to regular citizens within the same Class.

If there was a Warrior of the Imperial Lineage pitted against a regular Warrior, the former would win a hundred percent of the time even if he hadn't been taught Force Formulas or Royal Swordsmanship.

The power of time signified entitlement, something that only Royalty had as future Lord Rank individuals. Vhalen could even be considered to be a 'Young Lord' due to him reaching that Rank being a certainty rather than it still being left in the air.

The Knights immediately knelt, but it was more out of a sense of guilt rather than respecting the authority of Royal Family member. All 'knights' only answered to the Church or God, and no one else...!

"We apologise for our rudeness!" The Purple Knight, who was willing to take responsibility for attacking a member of the Royal Family, spoke with his visor somewhat turned towards the quintuplets.

If they showed even the slightest movement, he and his comrades would lunge towards them and administer justice on the spot. There was a heavy weight in the atmosphere as Vhalen responded:

"Why are chasing and using lethal force on these ladies?" He decided to cut straight to the point.

The Knights were thankful that he didn't say any unnecessary words, then their mood dropped...

"We are apprehending Classless Beasts."

"I'm asking why you're using lethal force!" Vhalen kept up his intensity. He inwardly felt like he'd immediately fall over if he didn't. It wasn't natural for even Classless Beasts to be treated this way...

"They are also suspects of a murder. We have been authorised lethal force should they resist. They are to be brought in dead or alive. I will personally give myself up for almost injuring a descendant of royal blood, so please allow us to fulfil our roles."

"We didn't kill anyone...!" The youngest sister of the quintuplets spoke in response to their words.

"Silence! God shall judge your sins!" The Purple Knight lost his temper as he got up to glare at them. To them, all Classless Beasts were the same and couldn't be shown mercy like Gaia Humans.

Perhaps the only one who believed the young lady who was scared into the arms of her eldest sister was the Vhalen... No, even if they HAD murdered someone, he would still act this way... After all:

"I am a Healer."

"What are-!"

"I am both a Healer and Royalty, so I'll taking custody of these young ladies for the moment."

"Your Highness, those five sisters are dangerous individuals! We implore you to let this be...!"

"..." Vhalen hesitated. He finally stopped himself from impulsively taking them in for the sake of healing them. This was the first time he was met with the option where mercilessly leaving them would be more 'noble'. It'd be the right decision.

He didn't have any strong feelings towards the young ladies in particular. However, his instincts as a Healer made it hard for him to allow 'patients' to be injured when they were straight before his eyes.

He also didn't like the violence they showed towards the young ladies who were clearly wanted to say they were innocent with sincerity. He was the son of his Imperial Father, so it was natural he could see through lies well despite his young age.

They were being intimidated by his Royal Crest, but that didn't mean he could do any unreasonable actions... He wasn't a 'Young Ruler' like his older brother and couldn't take a hunting dog's meat...

What was he supposed to do with the atmosphere this heavy? He had no idea how long he could keep his 'intensity' up... If he doesn't keep up his strong demeanour, then the girls will be dragged away!

His eyes took a glance at the young ladies and realised that their eyes were asking for his help. It was at the sight of these eyes much more filled with fear than his own that he chose to man up and speak. His words were arrogant as he told them:

"I will not retract my words. Tell your captains what I, Vhalen Lancelot, have spoken, and DO NOT miss any details." He then walked up to the quintuplets after saying that and stood in front of them.

"...We cannot leave Your Highness unguarded." A hesitant response came out of the man's mouth.

Leaving the Second Prince with Classless Beasts?

They knew even the Imperial Ruler wouldn't allow this to happen. Therefore, they also stood firm.

The intensity of their demeanours clashed with each other before Vhalen spoke of compromise:

"Then watch over me with Archers and send word to the Head of the Royal Guards. She will come to investigate them on my behalf." Vhalen knew he couldn't be unreasonable and gave some leeway.

It wasn't like the Knights were doing anything wrong. They were just doing their jobs. In fact, it could be argued that Vhalen was the one naively protecting criminals just because of his instincts.

However, his firm and intense stance on the matter moved the Knights along with young ladies behind him. The girls felt a thump in their heart as his small figure seemed big and reliable to them...

It was at this point did the Knights relent. Though they left the Archers, who had the Hawkeye Sight Class Skill, behind to stalk the criminals. It was best to make sure of the Royal family member's safety.

Eyes were still glaring at the girls under the visors.