System's POV

Thirteen didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. His little sister decided to take revenge for him, and after she got hurt on her own, her two loyal beast companions decided to take revenge for her.

Naturally, he couldn't allow such a thing to happen, so he decided to do some damage control before things escalated further.

"Okay, you two, settle down." Thirteen immediately stood between the two monsters and the Hero. "Come here, Rhia."

"Wuwuwu!" Rhia reached out her hands so that her brother could carry her. "Bwadah!"

"There, there," Thirteen said as he carried his sister and lightly rocked her from side to side, making Rhia calm down. "Brother is not hurt. I'm fine."

After Thirteen's assurance and kiss on her cheeks, Rhia finally calmed down and just wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing her brother to hold her better.

When Shana finally finished healing Roland's injuries, the bruises had already disappeared.

But he was still unconscious because of the emotional damage that he received earlier.

"Let me check your injuries," Shana said to the teenage boy who was carrying his little sister.

Thirteen nodded and reluctantly passed his little sister to Remi.

Perhaps knowing that the kind sister was going to help her brother, Rhia didn't protest and snuggled into Remi's embrace.

After Shana removed Thirteen's bandages, she sighed in relief. Fortunately, Diana's first aid had healed most of the injuries.

But just to be on the safe side, she still used her healing power to make sure that there would be no other injuries that she was simply unable to detect.

"Zion, take care of our guests," Alessia said after seeing that her son was truly fine. "I'll cook lunch for everyone."

"Please let us help you, Mrs. Leventis," Viola said. "The three of us know how to cook, so we will definitely be helpful to you."

"Great," Alessia replied. "Is there anyone here with an allergy?"

"None of us have an allergy, Mrs. Leventis," Erica replied.

Alessia nodded. "Understood."

She then left the training room with Viola, Sharon, and Louise following behind her.

This was the first time that they had had so many guests in their house, so she decided to cook a feast for everyone to enjoy.

When Shana was finally certain that Zion's injuries were fully healed, she finally let go of his hand.

But as soon as she did that, Rianna grabbed the boy's hand and looked at him with a solemn gaze.

"Hey, teach me too," Rianna stated. "It's not fair that it's only Derek that you plan to teach. I met you first, so you should train me too."

"What kind of logic is that?" Thirteen blinked innocently. "But sure, I don't mind. Let's train later this afternoon."

"Can I join?" Diana asked. "I also wish to learn a thing or two from you."

"Why not?" Thirteen replied. "Feel free to join."

His gaze then shifted to Roland, who was now starting to stir from the ground.

The young man stood up, then glanced at Thirteen before walking away without looking back.

No one stopped him because they knew that he wanted to be alone right now.

When Roland could no longer be seen, Joshua approached Thirteen with a solemn expression on his face.

"Zion, do you want to join the Hero Party?" Joshua asked.

"No," Thirteen replied.

"Great. I'm sure that with you being part of our team, we will be able to do many thi—" Joshua wasn't able to finish the rest of what he was going to say because it finally registered to him that the teenage boy had rejected his offer.

"May I know why?" Joshua asked. "If it's about Roland, I'm sure that we can talk things out."

"It's not about him," Thirteen replied. "I'm just a very busy person. I'm sorry, but I can't join the Hero Party. However, I am rooting for you guys. I'm sure that someday, all of you will become outstanding individuals who will protect this world from the threats that will befall it."

Thirteen's words were sincere and didn't contain a hint of sarcasm.

As much as he hated Heroes, he also understood that they had a role to play in the bigger picture.

However, if he ever came across a Hero who acted like a Villain, Thirteen would do everything in his power to eliminate them.

It was better to get rid of them early before they could do greater harm in the future.

As for Roland, Thirteen didn't think that he would grow up to be villainous.

His senses were very keen since he had been fighting against Heroes for the past thousands of years.

Because of this, he knew that Roland was truly one of those good guys—someone he could work together with, just like Taiga.

'As to whether he will be able to make Shana his lover in the future, that will depend on his abilities,' Thirteen thought as he glanced at Erica and Mildred, whom he was certain had feelings for Roland as well.

Since none of that was his business, he decided to let them settle things themselves.

He still didn't understand what romantic love was. Love was a new concept to him, to begin with, and he had just recently understood what familial love was.

Also, after seeing the past relationships of his Hosts, he had no intention of getting involved with anyone. Based on what he had observed, it would only drag him down.

***

After leaving the Training Room, Roland left the house and went to the Leventis Family's backyard.

He raised his hands on his face and gave it a light rub. This was his way of regaining his composure, especially after what just happened to him.

'Is he really just a Rookie?' Roland thought. 'Although I didn't use any skills, I should be stronger than him physically. So why was he able to overpower me? How was he able to predict my moves?'

He realized it earlier when his attacks failed to land on the boy's body. It was as if he was like an open book that his opponent was able to read.

Roland even tried to change his tactics and footwork just to confuse his opponent, but it still didn't work in the end.

Although Zion wasn't able to avoid all of his attacks, he effectively used the wooden bracers to deflect his blows, mitigating their power.

That was the first time that Roland saw such a fighting technique.

In the teenage boy's hands, those wooden bracers seemed like impenetrable shields that he couldn't break.

Every time Thirteen deflected Roland's attack, he would launch a swift and equally powerful counterattack.

Roland even baited him a few times, allowing his opponent to deflect his blows because he had a counterattack prepared.

But Zion never bit his feints.

For the first time since his skills had been recognized as superior to the rest of his peers, the young man who had been given the title of the "Hero" felt very frustrated.

"There's always someone stronger, so go out in the world and find them. Perhaps, after that fateful encounter, you will grow up as a person and become a better version of yourself."

Those were the words that Roland was told before he left their home to join the Central Government.

He was the fourth son of their family, and he left so that he could create something for himself.

And he succeeded.

He achieved what his brothers and sisters couldn't.

And now, they all looked up to him as a Hero.

"I've become too conceited," Roland muttered as he looked up at the clear blue sky above his head. "There is always a Heaven above the Heavens."

Raising his right hand, he slowly closed it to a fist as if making a promise.

'I'll become stronger,' Roland vowed. 'I. Will. Become. Stronger!'

While the young man was making an oath under the clear blue sky, Thirteen observed him from the window with a smile.

'Become strong, Roland,' Thirteen thought. 'That way, you can become a good chess piece in the future.'

Now that Thirteen and the Hero Party's paths had finally crossed, he would make sure to leave a good impression on them.

He would keep in touch and get along with them to the best of his abilities.

After all, if he truly wished to fight against Fate, he would also need Heroes by his side. Only Heroes could fight against Heroes.

His Father, the System God, hinted that the Goddess of Fate was preparing his Fated Hero.

But Thirteen didn't give a damn.

He even fought a God for the sake of his Hosts, so why would he be afraid of fighting against mortals?

What Thirteen didn't know was that even his Father, Deus Ex Machina, was unsure if the Hero who was meant to fight the black sheep of his family could manage to beat him.

But since he had no control over the matter, he decided to just watch and see what Fate had in store for him.