Half an hour later, Erica and Shana went to look for Thirteen and Sherry. They didn’t have to search for a long time, and when they found her, the younger girl was sitting on the teenage boy’s lap with a face of pure bliss. Her head rested on Zion’s shoulder, while the young man wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place. Sherry’s eyes were closed, as if enjoying this rare moment of bliss, making Erica wish she could switch places with her. A single glance was enough for the Sorceress to tell that the younger girl was currently in cloud nine, enjoying the moment while it lasted. "What kind of milk did you feed Zion?" Erica asked Shana. Why his princely behavior? What did you do to my fiance?" Shana didn’t answer, as even she didn’t know the answer to Erica’s question. Zion assumed the smell of champagne and the lingering taste he had from Shana’s lips intoxicated him. Find more to read at freewebnovel The Saintess also agreed with this explanation, for there was no other explanation why Mr. Iceberg would act in such a loving and gentle manner, a treatment every girl wished to receive from their prince charming. Thirteen gestured for the two girls to come, having noticed them since earlier. Sherry didn’t want to leave Zion’s side, so she kept her arms wrapped around his body. She clearly had no intention of letting anyone take her place at this moment. Seeing this side of Sherry made the Sorceress smirk, followed by a kiss on the young lady’s cheek. "Don’t worry. No one is taking Zion away from you," Erica whispered before sitting beside the teenage boy. Shana also sat beside Zion, looking at him with a curious gaze. "A part of me wishes you could stay like this every day," Shana said. "But other parts wish to keep this side of you secret from other girls. I won’t be seeing you for more than a year, and I’m worried I’ll see you surrounded by over a dozen girls when I come back." "That will not happen," Erica replied. "We’ll prevent any bees from trying to take our honey. Isn’t that right, Sherry?" "Yes," Sherry replied firmly. "Good." Shana nodded. "I expect the two of you to hold the fort while I’m away." Thirteen knew that interjecting in the talk between the three ladies would be a terrible move. That said, he remained silent and simply enjoyed this rare moment, when he, himself, felt happy being surrounded by those who loved him. "By the way, Zion, you said Derek and Mildred are going to meet their master today, right?" Erica said. "How are you going to do that?" "I’m still unable to share some matters with the three of you," Thirteen said. "Because knowing them now won’t do you any good. Perhaps, in the future, I’ll be able to tell you more." "So, this is one of those things where, the less we know, the safer we’ll be?" Shana asked. "Yes," Thirteen answered. "Sometimes, ignorance is bliss." "But you’ll tell us about it eventually, right?" "I will." "Promise?" "Promise." Hearing his promise, Shana no longer pried about the matter. After sharing her feelings with Zion, she felt more at ease. His reply at least made her certain that her words had reached the teenage boy’s heart. Knowing him, this could count as his best attempt to understand what love was in his own way. "Hah… I should have done this long ago," Shana said. "Now, I don’t feel like going to the Temple to train." "I think you did it at the perfect time," Erica replied. "It’s Zion, after all. He would probably just friend-zone you or something if you confessed to him earlier. Just look at me. I needed to use my reward to make this guy take me seriously." "You’re right," Thirteen said. "I don’t really understand what love is, so unless I’m forced to understand, I won’t think much about it. For me, love is unnecessary. I can live without it." The three ladies could tell that Zion was serious and that he really wouldn’t care if he grew old without having a romantic relationship with anyone. It was also for this reason that they wanted to be closer to him. All of them believed he didn’t deserve to be alone, especially since he liked to shoulder many problems on his own. Tiona, coiled around Zion’s neck, let out a faint hiss in his ear. "Thank you, Tiona," Thirteen said before planting a kiss on Sherry’s cheek. "I’m going first to send Derek and Mildred on their way." Sherry returned Zion’s kiss and reluctantly got off his lap, so the teenage boy could attend to his duties. "Where’s my kiss?" Erica asked. Thirteen pecked the Sorceress’ cheek, lest she complained again later. When he was done, he turned to Shana and did the same, knowing she would also demand one from him. ’I guess I’ll just enjoy this feeling while it lasts,’ Thirteen thought before asking Rocky to take him inside the Mobile Fortress, where Derek and Mildred waited for him. When he arrived, Derek was already raring to go, like a soldier about to head to war. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 On the other hand, Mildred looked a little guarded as she felt something amiss. "First of all, you two need to read the contents of this NDA." The teenage boy handed the contracts to the two teenagers, allowing them to read their contents. "Rune Magic is imbued into this contract, so once you sign it, you are obligated to uphold secrecy. If you don’t, I promise you will regret it." Mildred was used to signing contracts, so she found nothing out of place. After reading through it, it seemed no different from a standard Non-Disclosure Agreement. Seeing there was no actual issue in signing it, she trusted Zion and signed the contract. Derek also skimmed the contract, but he didn’t understand it. Seeing Mildred sign, he believed she understood what she read, so he followed suit. The moment they finished signing, the two contracts turned into particles of light and flew toward their forehead, catching the two of them by surprise. "Now that’s done, it’s time for you guys to meet your Masters," Thirteen said with a devilish smile on his face as if he were a slave trader about to sell two slaves to his customers. With a wave of his hand, a purple portal appeared, which led to his private quarters inside the Order of the Apocalypse. "What are you waiting for?" Thirteen asked. "Get in." The teenage boy even gave Derek a push in the back, prompting the Swordsman to walk toward the portal. Derek then took a deep breath before stepping inside the portal, vanishing from view. Mildred gave Zion a sidelong glance before she, too, entered the portal. When the two teenagers regained their senses, they found themselves surrounded by monsters on all sides. They both drew their weapons and altered their stance, prepared to fight. The Apes, Monkeys, and other Monsters Zion kept here all looked at the two humans with pity. "First time?" The Demi-Human Roc, Zed, smirked. He enjoyed using this phrase on those whom Zion had sent to his domain for the first time smirked. "Sh*t!" Mildred cursed out loud when she saw that the Bird Man who talked to them was a Rank 8 Sovereign. There were also two bugs that made her scalp tingle because she recognized one of them. It was none other than the Brain Beetle, Evuvug, whom she thought had already died in the Rigel Continent. Derek also recognized Evuvug, and uncontrollably shuddered because this was a creature that had the power to mind control others. "Okay, stop scaring them," Thirteen, who also entered the portal, said. "The two of you come with me." The army of monsters parted as soon as they saw their Master, not wanting to annoy him in the slightest. Derek and Mildred hurriedly followed Zion from behind. They didn’t want to stay in a room full of monsters who could easily crush them like a bug. A minute later, they arrived in another room, which made the two teenagers wish they could return to the previous one. Why? Because they were now facing a Majin Prince and two Majin Princesses, who were all looking at them with evil smiles on their faces. —-------