"You're so evil, Zion." "Thank you." The Sorceress was dumbfounded after seeing everything that transpired earlier. Her lover had pitted the Skavari and the Marten against each other, which would definitely lead to massive casualties on both sides. She didn't know since when the young man had been in touch with Prince Orryn, but from the way they talked to each other, it was fair to say that this wasn't their first time talking to each other. "Are you really going to return that scum to his people?" Erica asked. "If it were me, I would have already burned him alive." "Don't worry. I made sure he would not harm any of you again," Thirteen replied. "Did you break his balls, which ends his generation?" "… No." "Maybe you should consider doing it?" Erica looked at her fiancé with expectation, but Zion only shook his head firmly. "I can't do that," Thirteen said. "Eh? Why not?" Erica pouted. "You're doing the world a favor by ridding it of such a vile creature." "Trust me, Erica," Thirteen hugged the young lady close to him. "Prince Zorren—at least, the current him, is more beneficial to us alive than dead." "If you say so." Erica nodded. Zion always did things for a reason. If he was returning Prince Zorren back to his people, it meant that he had a plan in mind. Erica's only regret was that she wasn't there to burn the prince alive, venting her anger because Prince Zorren had planned to forcefully take her as his wife. While the two were cuddling each other, another notification sound reached their ears, making Erica sigh. "You're really popular," Erica commented. "Who is it this time?" The teenage boy then glanced at his communicator and once again saw an unknown number. "I don't know," Thirteen replied. "Let's find out together." Without any hesitation, he pushed the button to accept the call. This time, a familiar succubus appeared in front of them, making Erica's expression turn serious. "Greetings, Zion Leventis," Princess Laventia said. "I believe this is our first meeting. My name is Princess Laventia. The same person you wish to take revenge on." "How did you know my number?" Thirteen inquired. Of course, he already knew how the Princess managed to contact him, but for the sake of appearances, he still decided to ask her this question upfront. "I asked Vorren to give it to me," Princess Laventia answered. Thirteen nodded. "And what do you want?" "A truce between us," Princess Laventia replied. "I can even offer you compensation if you want." "Interesting." Thirteen smirked. "And what kind of compensation are you planning to give me?" "I'll grant you a wish," Princess Laventia. "Then I wish for world peace," Thirteen said. "… I will grant you a wish within my ability." "You should have said that earlier. Why did you make it sound like you can grant any of my wishes?" The smile on Princess Laventia's face stiffened, but she still did her best to keep her voice from cracking. "I know what I had done was grave, so I will not ask you to forgive me," Princess Laventia stated. "But know that I am not really interested in kidnapping your women. I'd rather kidnap Roland and Derek than the Saintess and that Sorceress beside you." "Oh?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "You want to kidnap Roland and Derek?" "Yes," Princess Laventia nodded. "That was my agreement with Prince Zorren. He takes all the ladies of the Hero Party, while I take Roland and Derek." "Why did you skip Joshua?" Thirteen asked with genuine curiosity. "He's also handsome, you know?" "I don't like him," Princess Laventia replied. "He doesn't look trustworthy." "Pfft!" Erica covered her lips and chuckled, finding the Princess' dislike for the Sage of the Hero Party quite funny. "Then why do you want to kidnap Roland?" Thirteen inquired. "He looks breedable," Princess Laventia answered in a heartbeat. "I also secretly got one of his topless photos. He looks very yummy." "Then what about Derek?" Thirteen asked. "He looks simple-minded and honest," Princess Laventia smiled. "I like simple and honest humans." The teenage boy pondered for a bit before a thought came to his mind. "Very well, I can agree to a truce," Thirteen said. "My condition is that you kidnap Roland and Derek. Make sure they disappear in the war for a short time." Erica, who was chuckling earlier, began to brutally cough, having choked on her saliva. Princess Laventia, on the other hand, didn't expect that the teenage boy's demand was for her to capture Roland and Derek. "… You want me to capture them?" Princess Laventia asked in a doubtful tone. "Yes." Thirteen smiled. "I can even help you if you want. I'll knock them unconscious, and all you need to do is carry them home." "Zion, are you serious?" Erica, who had finally regained her composure, asked in disbelief. "I was just joking." Thirteen blinked innocently. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 "That doesn't sound like a joke to me." Erica crossed her arms over her chest. Thirteen knew that his joke had gone a bit too far, so he decided to talk about serious matters for the time being. "If you really want to grant my wish, then I want to borrow one of those Nightkiss Moths of yours," Thirteen demanded. "Don't worry. I plan to return it after a week." "What do you plan to do with my subordinate?" Princess Laventia inquired. "That's none of your business." Thirteen smirked. He was truly fascinated with the giant Purple Snail and the Nightkiss Moth who could easily cripple an entire battalion if they were to fight seriously. The snail, Ossan, was now under his custody. He now wanted to acquire the Nightkiss Moth, so he could extract some of its eggs, allowing him to raise his own Moth Army. Since Evuvug and Gwenn had complete dominion over insect-type Jinns, they would be able to control these Jinns like a hive mind. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Princess Laventia shook her head. "That's fine," Thirteen replied. "I'll just take them by force once I come to hunt you down." The teenage boy then smiled evilly, making the princess shudder. As much as she wanted to deny the possibility that Zion could capture her, the image of Prince Zorren getting tortured kept playing inside her head. Her base of operations was in the middle of the Jinn territories, which meant that Zion had to go through over a dozen of them before he could reach her. Logically, she should feel safe since she was in a good location to wait for her reinforcements to arrive. But for some reason, the confidence in the teenage boy's words unnerved her. His words implied that it wouldn't matter even if she were surrounded by her allies. He would be able to capture her anytime he wanted. This possibility was making Princess Laventia waver. Just like everyone else, they just needed to wait for a few more weeks before their main force arrived and start the invasion in full. No matter how strong Zion was, they believed he couldn't possibly defeat the Rank 9 Sovereigns that each Faction would bring to the world of Pangea. If he were really as strong as he claimed to be, then he should have already reclaimed the entirety of the Rigel Continent and defeated the Rank 9 Earth Dragons that lived there. Princess Laventia, as well as the other Factions, had done an in-depth research of the world of Pangea after learning how the televisions and the communicators work. This was how they found the videos of the battle in the Rigel Continent, making them understand the trump cards that the humans possessed. However, since the Earth Dragons were still at large, all of them were confident that the moment their reinforcement appeared, all the Wanderers would have no choice but to bow down to their will. 'I just need to buy some time until my big sister arrives,' Princess Laventia thought. 'If sacrificing my pet will give me a few weeks of peace, then I'll just agree to it and get my revenge once my backup arrives.' With this thought in mind, Princess Laventia finally agreed to Thirteen's condition. The two then set a date for when the transaction between them was going to be made. All across the Cygni Continent, similar transactions and deals were being made. These dealings weren't exclusive between the Jinns. They were also striking a deal with the humans, which they believed would work out for both sides as well. —-------