"Uhhh…" Thirteen felt a stinging headache the moment he opened his eyes. "Where…" Thirteen looked at his surroundings and realized he was inside his room in the Mobile Fortress. Tiona, resting by his side, crawled up to the teenage boy’s face and flicked her tongue against his cheek as if asking her master if he was fine. "I can’t remember much of what happened, Tiona," Thirteen said. "My mind feels like mush. Can you tell me what happened to me?" The Black Snake nodded and told her master everything. According to Tiona, after Thirteen bestowed Divine Martial Techniques to Sherry, Erica, and Shana, he collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. Nearly seven hours had passed since then. "I see." Thirteen nodded and glanced at the window of his room. The sky was already dark, so he assumed that it was already evening. The door of his room burst open, and Shana came in holding a tray of food in her hands. Find your next read on freewebnovel "You’re finally awake," Shana said with a smile. "How are you feeling?" "Terrible," Thirteen replied honestly. "My head hurts so much that I feel like it’s splitting apart." Shana placed the tray of food on the side table before reaching out to hold Thirteen’s head with her hands. With the glow of her hands, a refreshing feeling washed over the teenage boy’s body. Shana had used her healing power to get rid of the teenage boy’s headache. Thirteen sighed, the pain melting like a bad dream. Seeing his face return to normal, Shana smiled and cupped his face. "How are you feeling now?" Shana inquired. "Better," Thirteen answered. "Thank you very much." "You’re welcome." Shana was unable to stop herself from kissing the teenage boy’s cheek, following her impulse. After satisfying herself, she pulled him toward the table, so he could eat his food properly. "Where are the others?" Thirteen asked. "They’re currently eating dinner," Shana replied. "Once they’re done, they would probably retire for the night." "I see." Thirteen nodded in understanding and started eating the food Shana brought to him. The Saintess watched him eat, and the teenage boy didn’t mind it one bit. His regular self, who had a weaker perception of human relationships, might have already teased Shana for staring at him too much. But the Zion now understood why Shana was doing this. Soon, they would part ways, and their next meeting would be more than a year away. So, she was doing her best to remember every little thing about him, even the way he ate. When he finished eating, Shana took the tray and asked Zion to come outside with her. After leaving the room, the teenage boy saw Raja chatting merrily with his Monster Army, who seemed to have gotten along with him ever since it had formed a Spirit Beast Contract with Shana. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Raja glanced in their direction and immediately glared at Zion. It was clear the White-Furred Elephant still didn’t like him, which made Shana smile wryly. "Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be more mature the next time you see each other," Shana said. Thirteen honestly couldn’t care less if Raja liked him or not. Unless the White Elephant did things that got in his way, he would allow it to do whatever it wanted. "Thank you," Shana said as she handed the tray of food to the Troll responsible for washing the dishes. The two continued to walk until they arrived near the lake where Erica, Sherry, and Diana were talking to each other. "So, when will we go to the Temple?" Diana asked Thirteen. "I don’t mind if we rest for a few days, you know? I’m not in a hurry." The Crusader had a chat with Shana earlier, and the Saintess confessed she wanted to stay with Zion for a few more days before going to the Temple. Frankly, Diana didn’t mind letting Shana and Zion stay together for a few more days. But she also wanted to train a bit during that stint of time. Therefore, she temporarily sparred against Trolls, who were happy to agree. Instead of answering her, Thirteen glanced at Shana. He wanted her to decide how long she planned to delay going to the Temple. "One week," Shana replied firmly. "We’ll go to the Temple after one week." "Are you sure one week is enough for you?" Diana asked with a smirk. "Yes," Shana answered. "I know Zion also has plans, so I don’t want to ruin any of them. I can’t be too selfish." Thirteen said nothing because Shana was right. He had scheduled plans that needed to be executed on time. The only saving grace was that they arrived at the Temple earlier than expected, so spending a week more with the Saintess wasn’t that big of a problem. Besides, the current him also wanted to be with Shana for a few more days. "Then it’s decided." Diana nodded. "We will stay for a week." "Thank you for understanding me, Diana," Shana said. "Don’t thank me," Diana replied. "I’m also benefiting from this training." The group chatted for one more hour before Diana bid them goodbye so that she could rest. "Time to go as well," Erica said as she pulled Zion’s hand. "Where are we going?" Thirteen asked. "To the hot springs," Erica answered. Sherry also grabbed Thirteen’s free arm, making sure that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. The teenage boy blinked once, then twice before realizing that their relationship had already progressed to where bathing in the hot springs together was no longer an issue. In the end, he allowed Erica and Sherry to take him to the top of the mountain, where the hot spring was located. Of course, Shana was also there to join them. With three beautiful ladies by his side, Thirteen was certain that any man who could see him right now, including his friend Vincent, would turn green with jealousy. Fortunately, no one else knew about this. Otherwise, a crusade would be waged in Pangea. Not only did Zion become Erica’s and Sherry’s fiance, but the Saintess, whom many young men admired and held sacred, had also become his secret lover. "This is the life." Erica sighed happily as she soaked in the hot spring while hugging her fiance in her embrace. "Don’t you agree, Zion?" "Well, I guess you can say that," Thirteen replied. Shana and Sherry also soaked beside them, enjoying their time together. "By the way, Erica, I also found a Master who will train you," Thirteen said as the Sorceress playfully caressed his body under the water. "Oh?" Erica arched an eyebrow. "I’m going to get some training too?" "Yes," Thirteen replied. "How about me?" Sherry asked. "I want to train too." "Don’t worry. I will personally handle your training," Thirteen answered. "Zion, tell me honestly," Shana said, as she held the young man’s hand. "Do we really stand a chance against this upcoming invasion in the Cygni Continent?" "Do you feel we don’t stand a chance?" Thirteen asked. He didn’t deny or confirm Shana’s worries, finding it perfectly normal to feel uncertain and anxious about the future of their home world. "I want to believe that we do because there’s something different from the previous invasions," Shana stated. "And that is?" Thirteen inquired. "We have you now," Shana replied with a smile. "I feel like as long as we have you, we stand a chance of winning." "That’s right." Erica nodded. "As long as we have Zion, we can win." "That’s also my belief," Sherry commented before holding Zion’s hand. "We can win. Right, Zion?" The three ladies looked at the young man with love and affection while waiting for his answer. "We can win," Thirteen replied. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞 Like a spell, his words put the three ladies’ hearts at ease. A few minutes later, they finally left the hot spring, and Rocky sent them directly inside Zion’s room, where they dried themselves up. However, the ladies didn’t put on any clothes and instead pulled Thirteen toward the bed with them with flushed faces. Thirteen eyed the three beautiful ladies, who looked at him with anticipation and desire. He knew what they wanted from him. And perhaps, within the deepest corner of his cold heart, he knew he wanted it too. That night, love echoed silently inside the room, as four people who wished to live their life by each other’s side finally joined as one.