System's POV

"Brother, you are amazing. I will follow you forever." Kane Stallard held onto Thirteen's right hand while kneeling on the ground.

"Master—I mean, Brother, I will follow you for life," Derek, who had also returned to the Leventis Residence two days after Mikhail and Shasha returned to Pangea, also knelt on the ground while holding his left hand.

"Who the f*ck is your brother?" Thirteen replied as he pried away his hands from the hold of the two teenage boys who had a crush on Shasha. "Tiona, bite these fools!"

"Shaaaa!"

Tiona didn't hesitate and summoned her clones to lunge at Kane and Derek, who hastily backed away to distance themselves from the Domini Mortis.

As if Fate was mocking him, Kane and Derek arrived at the same time at their house for a visit.

To make matters worse, Thirteen didn't know that Derek also had a secret crush on his sister, Shasha, making him regret ever teaching the stupid swordsman one of the best Divine Martial Sword Arts he possessed.

Shasha, who was already used to this scene, only hugged Thirteen from behind and whispered in his ears.

"Just tell me if they annoy you, Zion," Shasha said. "I'll cut off their limbs and send them back to their homes in a box."

"That sounds like a good idea," Thirteen answered. "Let's do that."

"O-Oi! That's going too far!" Kane, who had heard what the two siblings were planning, couldn't help but voice out his complaint.

Thirteen clicked his tongue, and asked Tiona to return to him, making the two teenage boys breathe a sigh of relief.

"Master, thank you," Derek said. "I promise to do my best to make Shasha happy."

"Huh?! What the hell are you talking about?" Kane grabbed hold of Derek's collar and pulled him close to him. "That's my girlfriend you're talking about. Do you want to die?"

"Girlfriend?" Derek sneered. "As if!" He then glared at Kane, the thorn in his eyes. "Master will never accept a weakling like you to become his sister's boyfriend."

"Hah! It seems that being part of the Hero Party has arrogantly made you think that you are strong, huh? Let's take it outside and duel each other."

"Exactly what I have in mind. Master, you will be the referee. Watch me obliterate this punk!"

Thirteen clicked his tongue in annoyance before shooing the two bastards outside of the house so that they could duke it out with each other.

Soon, the sound of explosions reverberated in the surroundings, but he no longer gave a care in the world.

"It's so troublesome to have a very strong and beautiful sister," Thirteen said to Shasha. "You must be exhausted dealing with these idiots."

"Well, compared to me, Brother seems to be doing better with his girlfriends," Shasha commented with a smile.

Thirteen blinked once then twice after hearing his sister's words.

"Girlfriends?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "Mikhail has girlfriends?"

"I don't have girlfriends," Mikhail replied with a beet-red face. "I only have female friends. Shasha, don't create misunderstandings."

"Zion, you should have seen them," Shasha smiled sweetly. "All of them are born from well-off families. While their families aren't on the same level with the Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families, they stick to Brother like glue."

Thirteen nodded in understanding. "As expected of Mikhail. You didn't make me lose face when I taught you everything I know about how to deal with girls."

Mikhail, who knew he was at a disadvantage, chose that time to leave the Living Room, making Thirteen and Shasha chuckle together.

When she was certain that her older brother was truly nowhere in sight, Shasha whispered in her brother's ear, making Thirteen arch an eyebrow.

"Kane's sister has a big crush on Mikhail," Shasha whispered. "She was with us in this mission, and she was doing her best to get on his good side. But as expected, Brother isn't good with aggressive ladies."

"Indeed." Thirteen nodded. "But since Mikhail wouldn't open up easily to anyone, only aggressive girls can break the ice. Those who are too shy and too timid will not be able to reach him."

Shasha nodded in agreement.

She was no longer a child, so she also understood that sooner or later in her life, she would need to choose a partner to settle down.

Unfortunately, Zion had raised the bar so high that Shasha would only consider having a relationship with someone who could surpass her brother's achievements.

Even if she and Mikhail were to become Champions, in their hearts, Zion would always be stronger than them.

"How about you, brother?" Shasha asked. "I'm sure you have your fair share of suitors. Mother said that she received several marriage proposals for you when the two of us talked last night."

"Well, I suppose I am popular," Thirteen replied with a smile. "But enough about me. What are we going to do with those two dunderheads? Should we call the cops?"

Shasha giggled before shaking her head. "Cops can't do anything to them. You already know that, right?"

As if waiting for that moment, the sound of explosions grew even louder, making Thirteen sigh.

His peace lasted only a little more than a week, and now, he had to deal with two annoying pests who just couldn't take a hint.

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Somewhere in Solterra…

A young lady sitting on top of a pile of monster corpses looked toward the west, where a Tier 1 Dimensional Gate was slowly dissipating.

Her long blue hair fluttered in the breeze, and an arrogant smirk could be seen on her angelic face.

"Roxy, when will the Solstice begin?" Siri asked.

"Ten days, My Lady," Roxy replied.

"Hah~ what a long time." Siri slowly stood up and did a few light stretches. "Are the preparations done?"

"Yes, My Lady," Roxy replied. "We're just waiting for the day of the Solstice to arrive."

"Good." Siri rested her hands on her waist, looking satisfied with Roxy's answer. "Did mother say anything?"

"Yes," Roxy nodded. "She said that you should meet her tomorrow while there is still time."

"Understood," Siri commented before jumping off the small hill of corpses and landing on the ground with no sound as if she had floated down like a feather. "Let's go, Roxy. I will be busy after the Solstice. I will leave everything in your capable hands while I am away."

"Yes, My Lady," Roxy bowed respectfully before following behind Siri.

Although she had some reservations about her Lady's decision, she also understood that it was time for her to leave the nest.

'I just hope that she and Zion Leventis will not be on the same mission,' Roxy thought. 'Because if they are, that boy will certainly end up dead.'

The handmaiden knew what kind of girl Siri was. The more the blue-haired girl found something interesting, the more she would want to break it.

That was just her personality. Although she didn't really care about what would happen to Zion, she found it a pity that such a talented individual would not become one of her Lady's retainers.

Roxy believed that if Zion became Siri's strategist, then the two of them could do many amazing things.

Unfortunately, what she wanted and what Siri wanted were two different things.

One wanted stability, the other wanted destruction.

Since the one who wanted destruction was her Master, then the only thing she could do was obey her orders and pray that they would find a better strategist in the future.