System's POV

“Hah…” Claude sighed deeply as he looked outside through the window of his office.

Although he had always known that this day would come, he simply didn’t expect the timing, and that it would be this soon.

The Monarch Clans had always lorded over the world of Pangea. They even treated the Prestigious Families, ruled by Thrones, as threats, for a Monarch might one day emerge from their ranks.

Many even considered Arthur Leventis as a Pseudo-Monarch because of the countless battles he had faced both in Pangea and Solterra.

Unlike Aaron and the other Monarchs, who only attained their position by killing Thirteen’s host after the Genocide-Level Threat was defeated, Arthur fought his way to the top ranks until he became a Throne.

As much as Arthur was viewed as a threat, no Monarchs feared him. After all, the difference between their strength was vast.

There were strict requirements before someone could rank up to a Monarch, and the Monarch Clans made sure none of the Thrones would be able to catch up to them.

But after losing the trust of the world, Aaron and Norman finally took off their masks, showing their true selves.

‘And now, people will truly know just how terrifying the Monarchs are,’ Claude thought. ‘And they will start with the Leventis Family.’

Truth be told, Claude didn’t have a good impression of Zion Leventis.

The brat had caused him a lot of headaches during the League of Dragons and Phoenixes.

However, his son, Clark, was now under his wing.

Before the excommunicated Prodigy of the Ashford Clan left his family, Clark warned his father never to become Zion’s enemy.

“I’m sorry, Clark,” Claude said softly. “Your grandfather has finally decided to become serious. No one will be able to stop him now.”

He was tempted to send his son a message so the latter could warn Zion, but it seemed that Aaron had already seen it coming and took Claude’s wife hostage.

“The world will change.” Claude looked at the distance with a solemn expression on his face. “But the future doesn’t look bright. I just hope you’ll be safe, Clark. I wish you will grow happy and safe from the dangers of this world.”

Closing his eyes, Claude offered a silent prayer in his heart.

Torn between his loyalty towards his family and his own morals, the Patriarch of the Ashford Clan steeled himself.

He pushed down the feeling of guilt and remorse in his heart because his family still needed him.

Gone were the days when he took pride in his position as the current Patriarch of the Ashford Clan.

All he wanted now was to get this over with so he could finally wake up from the nightmare that was just about to start.

——

Livia City in the Cygni Continent…

The sound of helicopter rotors spread in the surroundings as Zion’s helicopter landed on the helipad of the building where the Hero Party was staying.

Erica watched with great anticipation as the doors of the helicopter opened and his fiancé stepped out of it while wearing sunglasses.

Sherry followed behind Zion and gave the Sorceress a smile of greeting.

Shana, who was also on the rooftop, fought the urge to run toward the teenage boy and hug him tightly.

In the end, she endured and watched as Erica did the thing she wanted to do and even kissed Zion in front of the others.

“Damn, I knew I should have waited inside my room.” Derek clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Master just arrived, and he’s already scoring brownie points.”

“You should up your game then,” Mildred chided. “One of these days, you’d probably end up with a Jinn because of how shy you are in talking with girls.”

“Shut up, Ms. Single.”

“Hahaha! This loser dog is barking at the wrong tree.”

Derek glared at Mildred, but the latter only looked at him in disdain.

The rest of the hero party ignored them because they were already used to the bickering of their two comrades.

“You’re finally here, Zion,” Roland said as he reached out his hand for a handshake. “I thought you were hiding from me.”

“And why would I do that?” Thirteen accepted the handshake before taking out a spray of alcohol to disinfect his hands.

The corner of Roland’s lips twitched after seeing the teenage boy’s actions.

Erica wasn’t able to stop herself from giggling, which was later joined by Mildred, who found this scene quite funny.

Shana, Mildred, and Diana, on the other hand, bit their lips as they held back their laughter.

Joshua looked very amused, while Derek laughed out loud, making Roland wish he could smack the swordsman hard.

“Can you escort me to my room first, Erica?” Thirteen asked. “I have something to discuss with you. Also, Shana, your father had asked me to pass you some classified orders and information. Please come as well.”

“Okay.” Shana nodded.

Erica took the hint and led Zion inside the building.

Shana followed, staying a respectful distance away from the boy, while Sherry chatted with her for a bit to make the scene look natural.

Roland didn’t find anything suspicious about this matter, but he noticed that Sherry was wearing the same ring on Erica’s and Shana’s fingers.

When the two returned from their mission, Roland immediately noticed the matching rings on their fingers.

The Sorceress said she bought it in Casimir City, from a shop Sherry had recommended to her.

And to ensure that Roland wouldn’t find anything suspicious, the Sorceress even gave similar rings to Diana and Mildred.

Thirteen had asked his father to craft multiple rings with the same design. However, he only imbued four of them with Rune Magic, which had given him a fever in the past.

‘I’ll talk to him later at dinner,’ Roland thought as he watched the four people enter the building together.

A few minutes later…

“You really held back for as long as you could, huh?” Erica said in a teasing tone as he watched Shana kiss Zion repeatedly on his lips.

They had just finished locking the door of Shana’s room when the Saintess hugged her fiancé tightly and peppered him with kisses.

Thirteen knew how clingy Shana was, so he didn’t resist and allowed her to have her fill until she calmed down.

He had already anticipated that she would act this way, so he made up an excuse that her father wanted to pass confidential information and orders, buying them time together before dinner time.

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