Gerald uncontrollably spat the tea he had just drank when he heard Erica’s wish to make Zion her Fiance. He coughed repeatedly from choking, not expecting such a thing to happen in a live broadcast. On the other hand, Alessia clapped her hands happily as she stared at her future daughter-in-law with a satisfied look on her face. When she heard Zion’s reply, she immediately looked at her husband as if she wanted something from him. "Gerald, it’s time to meet Erica’s parents," Alessia stated. "Make sure to be on your best behavior when we meet them, okay?" "Darling, isn’t this a bit too fast?" Gerald, who had just recovered from his coughing fit, asked in an awkward tone. "Too fast?" Alessia arched an eyebrow. "They’re already joined in the hips, and you still call this too fast? If you don’t want to go meet her parents, then I’ll go alone. You watch over the kids!" Alessia didn’t even wait for her husband’s reply and hurried to her room. Now was the time to strike, while the iron was still hot. The sooner she acted, the sooner she could make sure that her youngest son would be able to live a happy married life in a few years. Meanwhile, Erica’s parents looked at their TV Screen with mixed emotions on their faces. "She’s grown up," Erica’s father, Sam, sighed. "Still, shouldn’t it be the other way around? The one proposing should be the man, right?" "You’re so old-fashioned," Erica’s mother, Hazel, replied. "Girls can propose too, you know? I didn’t expect that we’d be connected to the Leventis Family through marriage. Is our lives about to change for the better?" "No, I don’t agree to this engagement!" Sam stood up. "I’ll go and talk to Leventis Patri—ouch! Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!" "I should be the one asking you that question!" Hazel shouted, holding a sandal in her hand. "If you get in the way of my daughter’s happiness, I’ll whack you again!" "W-Wife, calm down," Sam, who could talk down on anyone aside from his wife, said with his arms raised in surrender. "I was just saying that I need to talk to Erica to confirm if she is serious or not. Please, lower that sandal. Let’s talk this out, honey, okay?" Hazel clicked her tongue and sat back down on the couch, making Sam feel as if he had been spared from sleeping on the floor tonight. They once again shifted their attention on the TV and listened to Zion’s closing remarks. "The tournament will resume two days from now, and four battles will commence on that day," Thirteen said. Explore new worlds at empire "After that, the winners of groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 will draw lots to determine their opponents in the Semi-Finals. Once again, congratulations on your victories. I’ll see you all in two days." After the award ceremony ended, a commercial break started, prompting the audience at the Colosseum and the ones watching at home to start chatting with each other, discussing the events during the rewarding ceremony. Joshua, who was watching everything from his newly rented apartment, couldn’t help but smirk because Erica’s proposal had buried his infamy instantly. Although there would still be talk about his so-called betrayal, people would be more interested in the love life between the Sorceress of the Hero Party and the Supreme Commander of the Alliance. He was certain that, at this point in time, all the news and media outlets were starting to dig for information about Erica’s and Zion’s private lives to make their next editions more interesting. Everyone liked a good romance plot, and this was especially true for celebrities like Erica and Zion. Joshua didn’t know if he should be happy or irritated because his thunder had been stolen from him. However, since he was now part of the Knights of the Apocalypse, he raised a beer can to toast for Zion’s happiness. "Congratulations, Erica!" Sherry said with a smile as she held Erica’s hand. "Thank you, Sherry," Erica replied, returning her smile. She then hugged the younger lady and whispered something in her ears. "Should we spike his drink tonight or not?" Erica whispered. "Let’s not," Sherry replied. "Even if we spike his drink, Zion is different from other men. For some reason, I don’t think he has the libido of an ordinary man." "You’re right," Erica nodded. "Although he’s not dense or ignorant, he can stay calm even when he looks at me while I’m naked. Maybe we should use stronger methods like letting him drink that stuff that makes horses go in heat." Sherry hesitated a bit before shaking her head. "Let’s just wait for a year or two. Maybe he’s a late bloomer?" "Fine, but we will continue with his training, okay?" "Yes." The two girls nodded their heads at the same time because they had already teamed up to make Zion become like a "normal" person. While the two were talking in hushed whispers, three ladies walked in their direction, making them stop talking altogether. "Erica, are you serious?" Mildred asked in disbelief. "I know that you and Zion are close, but I didn’t think that you’d call dibs on him just like that. Aren’t you guys in a cold war or something over the Roland and Joshua incident?" "That is that, this is this, it’s a separate matter," Erica replied. "Erica, do you need me to cast a purification spell on you?" Shana asked in a solemn tone. "You might be infected by a virus or a condition that makes you lose your sense of reason." "I’m perfectly fine," Erica replied. "But sure. You can cast your purification spell if you’re worried. I don’t particularly mind." Shana didn’t even bat an eye and started to cast not only a purification spell but also a bunch of other kinds of spells, making Erica’s body glow brightly. "Do you want Zion to become your fiance?" Shana asked. "Yes," Erica replied. "It seems that the virus is really strong, I need to increase the power of the purification spell," Shana muttered as she cast a stronger version of a purification spell on Erica. "Now, do you still want Zion to become your fiance?" Shana asked. "Damn right." "Purification!" "Um, Shana?" "Purification!" "Girl, are you fine?" "Purification!" "Purification!" "Purification!" "Purification!" Mildred and Diana looked at the Saintess, who was casting purification several times at Erica. There was even a brief moment when both ladies noticed that Shana was about to whack Erica’s head with her staff, as if thinking that brute force might make her see reason. However, the young lady stopped her strike midway and once again cast purification, as if to mask her earlier attempt to use violence. "S-Shana, seriously. Nothing is wrong with me, okay?" Erica said feeling anxious because her friend’s cold gaze was starting to scare her. Shana had always been a gentle soul and didn’t like violence. However, for some reason, Erica felt as if she wasn’t facing a Saintess but a Warrior Princess who was about to smite her to oblivion. After repeated attempts, Shana hung her head and muttered something incoherent. However, if one were listening closely, they would hear her say. "The Zion Virus cannot be cured. This is bad. What if it becomes an epidemic? The whole world is in danger! What should I do? Should I lock Zion up inside my room?" Countless thoughts appeared inside Shana’s head, which made Erica, and Sherry decide to escape while she was distracted. Mildred and Diana, who were left behind, could only look at their friend and wonder if they needed to call a Cleric, so they could use a purification spell on their Saintess, who seemed to have fallen into some sort of trance.