Chapter 1157: Digging Her Own Grave [Part 2] "I’m not entirely sure why Zion hates Heroes, so I’ll just make a guess," Tiona stated. "My rough guess is... not all heroes are necessarily good. Maybe in his eyes, these heroes are worse than villains." "Well, there are some records in history books that not all heroes were righteous," Princess Aracelle commented. "Some are very arrogant and treat everyone else like their subordinates." "But Roland isn’t like that," Erica replied. "Well, he used to be secretly in love with Shana, but he never made a move that could be considered forced or a crime or anything bad." Tiona nodded. "Well, I’m sure my Master also understands this. That is why Roland is still alive. If he were evil, Master would have gone all out to eliminate him." "That’s a very scary thought." Erica’s expression became solemn. "Right." Shana nodded. "I just feel a little sad because I didn’t know that Zion hated heroes. Maybe he hates me too?" Tiona giggled. "Like I said, both of you and Erica are fine. If Zion really hated the two of you, you wouldn’t be his lovers now. You both know he’s very stubborn. He’s also very clear with what he doesn’t like and wouldn’t conform even if he’s pushed to the corner." "Believe me when I say that he really loves and treasures the two of you. He just doesn’t know how to convey his feelings properly because he is still learning what it’s like to love." Sherry, who was listening quietly on the side, finally spoke up. "Now I understand why he and Roland don’t get along." "You’re right!" Erica agreed with Sherry. "There is always this friction between them. Also, Roland saw Zion as his love rival at the start, right?" "Right." Sherry nodded. "He keeps on provoking Zion as well." Shana drank a little bit of champagne because she knew that Roland used to love her. However, she didn’t have any feelings for him. Back then, she truly didn’t know what love truly was. She even thought that the reason why Zion was popular with the ladies was due to the "Zion Virus," which she tried so hard to purify. To her surprise, she was also infected with the Zion Virus, making her fall head over heels for the teenage boy who made her feel special. "You make it sound like Zion is some kind of villain, Tiona," Princess Aracelle commented. "Actually, when he tortured Prince Zorren and me in the past, I thought of him as a villain. "I never thought I would fall in love with him. He was like a cruel, wingless angel that could destroy the world if he wished for it." Tiona nodded in agreement, but didn’t tell Princess Aracelle that Zion could really destroy the world if he wished. Even with his restrictions, Zion had already reached a stage where he had full control over the military power of Pangea. He also had a good relationship with the Valbarra Archipelago, which was the reason why Cranky and the tribal kings had come to aid him in battle. "Well, I do hope that he and Roland would have a proper talk and work together toward a common goal," Erica said. "Do you think that’s possible, Tiona?" "I don’t know." Tiona shook her head. "I don’t know what Zion is thinking, so I can only make a guess. I believe he thinks of Roland as a child." "A child?" Erica rubbed her chin. "Well, I do feel like Zion seems mature from time to time. Like... even though I’m older than him, I feel like I’m the younger one when we’re together." "I feel the same way," Shana admitted. "But I don’t mind. I like it when he’s a little rough with me." "That’s because you’re a masochist, Shana." Erica giggled. "I-I’m not!" Shana replied. "I mean, getting tied up with ropes and being forced to beg in bed don’t count, right?" "..." "..." "..." Thirteen couldn’t help but scratch his cheek after hearing Shana’s words. She had begged him to do that a few days ago, and since he thought that it was something she really wanted, he agreed to grant her wish. With his countless experiences from his previous host, he was quite experienced with torture. Although he hadn’t done anything to really hurt Shana, he had shown her a side of him which she had never seen before. ’Fortunately, there are no other servants inside their room,’ Thirteen thought. ’How can they talk about this in the open? Shana is just digging her own grave right now.’ He liked Shana’s innocence and even her silly moments. Among his lovers, the one whom he believed would cry her heart out and be broken beyond repair if he were to die was none other than Shana. Because of this, he treated her with great care and showed how much he loved and cared for her whenever he could do so. Shana, realizing too late that she had said too much, immediately covered her mouth and blushed furiously. "W-Wait! Forget what I just said!" she squeaked. "Too late," Erica smirked. "I’ll ask Zion to let me assist him in toying with you next time." Shana blinked and was about to say no. However, the thought of Erica joining hands with Zion in making her squirm somehow made her feel hot and flustered. "... You’re hopeless," Princess Aracelle commented. Shana said nothing even after a few seconds, which meant that she didn’t mind the sorceress torturing her alongside their lover. In order to prevent Shana from embarrassing herself even further, Thirteen decided to silently move farther in the hallway before walking toward the room where Shana and the others were chatting. He made sure that his footsteps were heavy so that the ladies would know that someone was coming. When he arrived, Shana’s face was beet red, while the others were looking at Zion with a smile. The first thing that Zion did was give his lovers a kiss. He kissed Shana last and hugged her from behind, making the latter melt in his arms. "You’re spoiling Shana too much, Zion," Erica said. "What will you do if her brain turns to jelly?" "Its fine if her brain turns to jelly," Thirteen replied. "It’s what makes Shana endearing." Erica then took a deep breath before asking Zion a question. "Zion, do you really hate Heroes?" Erica asked. "Yes," Thirteen replied. "But I don’t hate you and Shana. In fact, I love the two of you very much." "Then, do you hate Roland?" Shana who regained her composure inquired. "At first, yes," Thirteen nodded. "But I now know that he’s not a hopeless case. This world needs him, so I will leave him alone." "Good." Shana nodded. "I love you, Zion." "I love you too." Thirteen lightly patted the young lady’s head, making the latter close her eyes in happiness. If she were a cat, she would have started purring at that moment. "Zion, I now realized that I still don’t know many things about you," Erica said softly. "If it’s alright with you, can you talk more about the things that you hate? We really like to know about it." Thirteen gazed at Erica before shifting his gaze to his other lovers. In truth, he was thinking if he should share his secret with them or not. The part of him that only Tiona knew about. Perhaps knowing what he was thinking, Tiona stood up and hugged Zion from behind. She then whispered in his ear, telling him that she would support him in whatever decision he made, even if it would bring them all to damnation and beyond. —---- A/N To those who are still confused with the Rankings of Monsters, and Wanderers, here is the updated list. < Mortal Rankings > Rookie Adept Apostle Initiate Master Grandmaster Champion Throne Monarch Archon High Archon Celestial / Fiend —————————— < Monster Rankings > Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Rank 4 Rank 5 Rank 6 Rank 7 Rank 8 Rank 9 Prince / Archon King / High Archon Fiend / Celestial Special thanks to BVBear for helping me find the Chapter where the rankings were last posted.