When Thirteen arrived at the barracks, he was welcomed with the sight of all soldiers lined up to welcome him.
Erica, who was seated beside him, looked at this grand welcome with a faint smile on her face.
Although she knew that the soldiers were there to welcome Zion, and not her, she still felt proud because the teenage boy’s achievements were also her achievements.
At least, that was what she believed.
When Thirteen disembarked from the Humvee, he gave everyone a salute.
“At ease,” Thirteen ordered before heading straight towards the barracks without looking back.
Truth be told, he was still very exhausted from the Final Trial and simply wished to rest for a day or two to fully recover.
However, he knew that he had responsibilities, so he decided to endure until he was done talking to the Field Marshal, and the Grand Marshal.
“We’re finally alone,” Erica plopped on the chair inside Thirteen’s office. “I just want to go home, take a nice bath, then sleep.”
“I feel the same,” Thirteen replied. “It has been a very long and arduous journey.”
“We spent a little over half a year in that trial,” Erica commented. “But I have a feeling that it could have lasted longer if you weren’t there. In fact, clearing that kind of Trial in less than a year is already a great achievement on its own.
“Thank you, Zion. I am very lucky to be on the same mission as you. If you weren’t there, we might have already failed in the Second Trial. There is no possible way we can defeat that Majin King on our own.”
“Then can I sue you for sexual harassment?” Thirteen inquired. “You took advantage of me many times during that mission.”
“Excuse me?” Erica arched an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t it be me who should sue you for sexual harassment? Do you know that almost every night you bury your head on my… nevermind.”
The Sorceress knew that Thirteen was different from the other teenagers, so she didn’t mind having some skinship with him.
In fact, there were even times when she lost her faith in her feminine charms because the teenage boy was like a rock and didn’t show any emotions, or reactions during the time that they were together.
Sherry, who was also together with her, also noticed Thirteen’s lack of interest in the opposite
sex.
They didn’t know if he was just too young or just had strong willpower.
If two girls slept and hugged you almost every night, there should have been some kind of reaction, right?
But there was none.
Thirteen treated them as if they were his sisters.
At times, she even felt like he was treating them like children, which had made her try to tease him using sexy nightdresses she wouldn’t dare to wear in front of Roland or the other members of the Hero Party.
Unfortunately, Thirteen would just comment things like “That looks good on you” or “I think I prefer the black one over the white one.”
There are times when he would also say things like “I think red is also good because it matches your hair.”
As for Sherry? Thirteen would only let her wear pajamas, which he had donated to her from his own inventory.
“Hey, do you know about the Zion Virus?” Erica asked because she was feeling bored. “Shana always uses purification spells on me and Sherry because she is worried that we got that kind of virus?”
“Zion Virus?” Thirteen frowned. “Does such a virus strain exist?”
But before they could delve into the matter, two projections suddenly appeared inside Thirteen’s office, which made the two of them stand on attention.
When the Grand Marshal, Lawrence Seaton, and Field Marshal, Tristan Summers, appeared on the projection, Thirteen and Erica promptly gave them their salutes.
The two highest-ranking officers of the Central Government returned their salute, then asked the two of them to sit.
“First and foremost, congratulations to the two of you for successfully completing your missions,” Lawrence said. “I was expecting that you would return after a year or two, but I didn’t expect that you would be able to finish your missions this fast.
“I would love to tell the two of you to have a nice, long rest, but this is not possible at this point in time. Several Dimensional Gates have opened in the Cygni Continent, and although the main invading force is still two and a half years away, the number of Dimensional Gates is steadily increasing.
“Right now, we are only dealing with Tier 1 and Tier 5 Gates, so it’s still manageable. However, we estimated that the frequency of the materialization of these gates would further increase in the next few months.
“While we are confident that the Cygni Faction and the Central Government could still handle them at the moment, it is always good to have more people on the ground. So, when do you think you will be ready to go to the Cygni Faction, Zion and Erica?”
Thirteen pondered a bit before giving his answer.
“I’ll go to the Cygni Continent two years from now,” Thirteen answered. “I still have things to finish on my end. But I will send the Green Lanterns to go there and help with the evacuation and extermination missions.”
Erica, who didn’t expect that Zion only planned to go to the Cygni Faction after two years, frowned.
Since she was a part of the Hero Party, she would probably need to go there after a month or two to boost the morale of the Defenders.
Even Lawrence and Tristan didn’t expect that Zion would wait for two years before he headed to the Cygni Continent to take command of the battlefield.
Seeing their expression, Thirteen smiled and spoke his mind out loud.
“Renz Elrod, the strategist of the Dvalinn Federation, will remain as the main strategist during the earlier phase of the invasion,” Thirteen stated. “He has enough experience to guide everyone during this period of time. I’m sure that all of you agree with me, right?” Lawrence nodded. “Currently, Renz is in the Cygni Continent, helping with the chain of command. He is based on the Southwest part of the Continent, making sure that the hordes of Low-Ranked Jinns will not affect the evacuation missions.”
“I’m sure that the Cygni Faction has their own strategist at the moment, so it will be best if they gained some military merits during this period. If I rain on their parade, wouldn’t they just hate me for stealing their thunder? I don’t want that to happen.”
Tristan chuckled because he understood what Thirteen was planning.
During the earlier phase of the war, the young man wanted the military officers responsible for leading different teams and squads to gain some combat experience when it came to Jinn
invasions.
If Thirteen took command at this point in time, they would be forced to listen to his orders, preventing them from making their own judgment, which would be important during crucial
missions.
“Also, it will be best for the Hero Party to train for a year before they are sent to the Cygni Continent,” Thirteen stated. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to train them properly, so they won’t die when the Jinn Invasion begins.”
Erica almost cried out in alarm after hearing Thirteen’s proposal.
They had suffered a hellish training with him for months, so she believed that a year-long training would probably kill her.
But before she could voice out her complaint, Thirteen smiled in her direction, making her shudder uncontrollably.
‘I’m doomed! I’m dead!’ Erica wept internally because she was certain that Zion would drastically increase the difficulty of their training routine.
Although she was really thankful for him because she had improved a lot in a short period of time, she was still hesitant to undergo another round of rigorous training under his
supervision.
“I heard that you’ve trained the Hero Party for a month in the Leventis Residence,” Tristan commented. “My daughters, Rianna and Shana always complai-errr, praise you for your training regimen. They were moved to tears because of how good it was.”
Thirteen nodded. “It is also because of their training that we are able to learn our mission
faster this time around. The Hero Party bulldozed their way through the trials and paved the
path for our early return.
“This is why I humbly request that you allow them to train with me for a year. I promise that
they will become more powerful during that time.”
Lawrence and Tristan glanced at Erica to see her reaction.
Knowing that her life was on the line, the Sorceress shook her head in order to let her superiors know that she didn’t plan on being trained by Zion again.
Lawrence and Tristan exchanged a look with each other before smiling at the same time.
“We can’t possibly force the Hero Party to do a training that they might not like,” Lawrence said, which made Erica give him a thumbs up.
‘Hmph! Do you think I’ll allow you to train me again?’ Erica laughed internally. ‘Over my dead
sexy body!’ However, Tristan’s comment made her have second thoughts.
“But if they ever decide to join the training, we will increase their salary and the resources allocated to them fivefold,” Tristan declared. “Not only that, they will receive other benefits, as well as discounts to certain military equipment.”
The gears on Erica’s mind started to move at a rapid pace.
She was calculating the pros and cons of joining Thirteen’s training, and in the end, the pros
won over the cons.
“Ah, one more thing, please help me find Sherry Weaver,” Thirteen stated. “Currently, she is in the Cygni Continent. I want her to join the training as well.” Thirteen also mentioned a few more people that he wished to personally train, including
Cristopher, Colbert, Alexis, Paul, Pietro, and Piper, who were the Squad Captains of his
Battalion.
He wished to raise their fighting prowess in this period of time so that they would be ready for
the upcoming Jinn Invasion.
A/N: Only one chapter for today. Will resume to regular chapter release tomorrow.