Heroes, Villains, Cannon Fodders, and Extras.
These were the four roles that the people in the multiverse played in their lives.
Among them, the most popular of all was the Hero Party.
Usually, this party consisted of a Hero, a Warrior, a Mage, an Archer, and lastly, a Saintess—also known as the healer of the party during expeditions.
Thirteen knew that he was a special existence, for he was a part Cannon Fodder and part Villain.
Because of this, there would definitely be a group of people who would face him sometime in the future. After all, that was simply how Lady Fate worked.
The same Fate whom he had sworn to defeat in her own game.
Thirteen couldn’t win against a Hero since they were protected by Fate. This was why he decided to raise a Hero and a Villain of his own.
By doing so, he was hoping that his Fated Hero would be defeated by the Tigerkin Hero whom he raised.
But, he knew that this was not enough.
He needed to weaken the Hero’s Fate, and for that to happen, he would have to target one of the key members of his party, and that was none other than the Saintess.
The Warrior, the Mage, and the Archer, all of whom accompanied the Hero, played an important role in carrying him to the end game.
However, they could be replaced.
The only one who would never be tossed to the side was the Saintess, for she was also protected to a certain extent by Fate since she had a role to play in the bigger picture.
However, Thirteen didn’t expect that the Saintess whom he had planned to target was Rianna’s sister.
Because of this, he decided to tweak his plans a bit. Although he could be ruthless at times, Rianna had been good to him, so he couldn’t possibly return her kindness by crippling one of her family members.
“Understood. I will look after her,” Thirteen nodded. “But, does she really need me? She is, after all, part of the ‘Hero Party’ that the Central Government is grooming.”
“Even you call them the Hero Party?” Rianna sighed before scratching the back of her head. “My sister hates that term. Everyone is already calling her Saintess Shana, so she is feeling pressured whenever she makes a public appearance.”
“Well, that’s what happens to all celebrities,” Thirteen replied. “It is the burden that we carry.”
“Hoh~ so you don’t deny that you are now a celebrity?”
“Why would I? Did you see how I earned more than two hundred million during my recruitment? Only a celebrity like me can achieve something like that.”
“Uwah… you look scummy right now, Zion.”
“Thank you for the praise.”
Rianna smiled sweetly before ruffling Thirteen’s hair.
“I’m part of the 16th Battalion, so if you ever need help, just give me a call,” Rianna said as she took out the Communicator, which was used by all the officers in the army. “Here. Register my number.”
Thirteen took out his own Communicator and added Rianna’s number to his list of contacts.
“I’ll go now,” Rianna stood up. “But, before I go, let me tell you something. Everyone in the army wants to see how good you really are. It’s not only the High-Ranking Officers who want to see if the stories about you are true or not.
“All the Soldiers in the Central Government either see you as a rival or a stepping stone. Of course, there are some who genuinely respect you like me, but you need to be careful, Zion. Jealousy can be a very scary thing.”
“Thank you for those words of wisdom.” Thirteen nodded. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“You better!” Rianna stuck her tongue out cutely before leaving the room with a spring in her step.
Clearly, she was happy to have reunited with Zion and tell him about her sister, who was feeling down because of the popularity that she was getting as of late.
If someone who was more popular, like Zion, were to become her friend, then she would definitely feel better. After all, no matter what she did, she wouldn’t be more popular than the thirteen-year-old boy who had achieved legendary feats in the world of Solterra.
Also, Rianna praised Thirteen whenever there was an opportunity to the point that Shana was already sick and tired of hearing it.
However, it also made the sixteen-year-old girl, who was being referred to as the Saintess, look forward to meeting Zion as well.
Rianna warned her that although Zion was younger, he was someone who shouldn’t be judged by his age.
She even jokingly said that if Shana developed a crush on the boy, she would not hesitate to be her wingman and help her seal the deal!
When the black-haired lady finally left the room, Thirteen made sure to lock the door properly.
Since Cristopher, Colbert, and the Agents he hired from the Leventis Family for this day were taking care of the race that he initiated, he had plenty of time to relax and organize his thoughts.
In front of him, the projection of five people could be seen.
They were the members of the “Hero Party” of the Central Government.
Thirteen eyed the girl at the lower left of the group who had long, long red hair and blue eyes.
“Are they really sisters?” Thirteen pondered. According to the data he received, Shana was an only child.
Aside from that, Rianna had long black hair and brown eyes. From what he could see, the two sisters didn’t look like each other at all.
Although both of them were beautiful, Shana’s beauty shone more. Thirteen believed that it must be the effect of the charisma that a Saintess was born with.
This was the reason why the Hero and the Saintess often ended up together, most often with the reasoning that they were “a match made in heaven”.
Unfortunately, Thirteen didn’t want to give the person, who might become the bane of his existence, a chance to become too overpowered.
“Shana Summers,” Thirteen said softly. “How should I deal with you?”
The teenage boy crossed his arms over his chest before closing his eyes.
He needed to think of a way to disrupt the harmony within the Hero Party without hurting Rianna’s sister at the same time.
It was a very delicate situation. The System of Cannon Fodders needed to tread lightly because if he made a mistake, he might just become one of the people whom he hated the most in the world.
Rianna, who had just left the building that was reserved for the 69th Battalion, decided to give her little sister a visit.
Since the 68th Battalion and the 69th Battalion’s dorms were right next to each other, she didn’t need to travel far to reach her destination.
A few minutes later, she and her sister, Shana, sat together on the couch while looking at the television.
There, the race Thirteen had started was being broadcast live.
“So, what do you think of him?” Rianna asked as she hugged her sister.
“He’s just like what you have described him to be, sister,” Shana replied. “I could never imagine myself doing the same things that he did. However, I think he handled things perfectly.
“One hundred people who have the financial ability to support him, and one hundred hardworking people who will become his Vanguard. He is trying to strike a perfect balance between the two, and I’m sure that no one will be able to replicate either of the things that he did just now.
“I’m just worried that the other Officers and Soldiers will not look at him kindly because of his unorthodox approach.”
Rianna didn’t expect to hear Shana praise Zion so highly.
Truth be told, she also knew that Zion never did things without a reason. Although the bidding war that happened earlier seemed high-handed, it also resolved the 69th Battalion’s most pressing issue, and that was the lack of funds.
The High-Ranking Officers didn’t want him to be given a high enough budget because they believed that he would put it in his own pocket.
Because of this, they pushed down the amount of funds that were allocated to him to the bare minimum and asked the treasurer to approve it.
They thought that their plan would make the Legendary Rookie understand that his background and fame were nothing in the Central Government.
But little did they expect that Thirteen would use that same fame they disliked to dramatically increase the amount of money that he could allocate to support his people.
“You worry about Zion being bullied by the other Officers here in the Garrison,” Rianna commented. “Meanwhile, I am more worried that Zion will bully the Officers and Soldiers in this Garrison.”
“That’s impossible to happen, sis.” Shana was quick to deny Rianna’s words. “How can he possibly bully others when he just joined the army?”
Rianna chuckled and patted her sister’s head.
“Just wait, look, and listen for it, Shana,” Rianna said. “Soon, you will understand how awesome Zion is. He is the boy who can make impossible things possible.”
Shana, who thought that her sister was once again overestimating Zion, decided to not argue and remained silent.
Although she did recognize that the teenage boy was cunning, she believed that if he failed to get along with the Officers, as well as the Soldiers in the Garrison, things would become very difficult for him in the Central Government.
Rianna, on the other hand, had a completely different opinion.
She believed that if the Officers didn’t get along well with Zion, their lives would become extremely difficult. The Zion she knew was someone who held grudges and wouldn’t take insults lying down.