System's POV

"Thank you for saving my daughter." The mother hugged her daughter, whom Zion and Sherry had escorted back home, with tears streaming down the side of her face.

Her daughter was also crying her heart out, for she thought she would never see her mother again.

"I already dealt with the Slave Traders, so they will not appear here again," Thirteen replied. "But there's no guarantee that another group won't come here to kidnap children from your community, so be extra vigilant at all times."

The mother nodded, though she knew that their village didn't really have anyone who could stand up against the Slave Traders.

Those who tried had been brutally killed, which made the rest fearful of resisting the men who could break families apart with smiles on their faces.

Slave Trading was rampant in Solterra, and small villages were the most common victims of these wandering Tyrants.

Of course, not all Slave Traders were bad.

Some conduct business more properly and wouldn't resort to kidnapping women and children, separating them from their families.

But somewhere along the way, the lines of morality and depravity became blurred, which resulted in vile practices such as kidnapping without consent.

After Thirteen and Sherry bid goodbye to the last teenager whom they returned to their families, the young lady looked incredibly sad instead of happy.

"Zion, do you really think that there will be no more Slave Traders targeting the villages that we visited?" Sherry asked.

"Do you want an honest answer or an answer you prefer to hear?" Thirteen asked.

"Meanie!" Sherry pouted, pounding the teenage boy's shoulder with her fist, which only made Thirteen feel ticklish.

"Sherry, sometimes, turning a blind eye to the truth allows people to live another day," Thirteen said. "And there are times when you need to stop pretending that you can't see the bad things happening around you."

"Either choice is acceptable because, at the end of the day, you must prioritize your survival above all else. Of course, if your family is added to the equation, and you truly care for your family, it's normal to choose them over the survival of strangers."

Thirteen had seen how his Hosts sacrificed their lives for their loved ones. This exact reason was what made him hate the word "Love," second only to the word "Fate."

It was only after living as a human that he started to understand that love was simply part of human nature.

Even now, he loved his family, which sometimes made him feel uneasy.

As the System of Cannon Fodders, he didn't wish to be tied down by emotions, allowing him to pursue his goals with cold and relentless efficiency.

But just as he mentioned earlier, just because one pretended not to see it didn't mean that it didn't exist.

He still believed that Love made people weak, but Erica and Sherry were starting to worm themselves into his human heart. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

In the end, Thirteen made a decision.

He couldn't be the strongest in the world because he had restrictions placed on his body nor could he live a peaceful life because he had a grudge to settle with Aaron Ashford, as well as with the rest of the people who were related to the death of his former Host.

Since that was the case, he would make himself the most fearful person in the world.

Someone that not even the Monarch Clans or the Prestigious Families would dare to touch, in fear that he would annihilate their entire clan for provoking him.

Yes.

Thirteen had chosen to become a Tyrant.

He would instill fear in his enemies and allies alike.

That was the only way he could protect those who loved him and those he loved in return.

While romantic love was still something he found hard to grasp, familial love had already created a solid foundation in his heart.

This was why, when he built their home in the Aldebaran Continent, he made sure to add several layers of defensive armaments.

He was confident that even if they were attacked by the Monarch Clans and Prestigious Families, these fools would suffer severe repercussions for trying to hurt those whom he held sacred.

"Zion, if... if I was kidnapped by Slave Traders, what would you do?" Sherry asked.

"Nothing," Thirteen replied.

"Nothing?" Sherry looked at the teenage boy in surprise.

At first, she thought she misheard him, but seeing that he didn't even look at her, she felt a pain inside her chest that made her eyes moisten.

"I think you misunderstood me, Sherry," Thirteen looked at the young lady, who was already tearing up. "You asked me what I will do if you are kidnapped by Slave Traders, right?"

Sherry nodded, too pained to say any words.

"I told you I will do nothing because that hypothetical situation will not happen," Thirteen stated as he reached out to wipe the tear at the corner of Sherry's eyes with his hand.

"You will not be kidnapped by Slave Traders because they will meet their end before that even happens. Also, I will make you strong enough so that you won't have to worry about getting captured by them."

The young man then pulled the young lady close to him and gave her a hug.

Feeling safe and protected within his embrace, Sherry buried her head in Zion's chest and allowed the teenage boy to pat her head.

"I'm sorry. I just thought you didn't care about me anymore," Sherry said, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

She was moved by the scenes of the parents reuniting with their children in the villages that they had visited.

Because of this, she wondered what Zion would do if she met such a fate.

But now that the misunderstanding was cleared, she realized that she was indeed overthinking things.

The person she admired, respected, and loved might look cold and indifferent on the surface, but deep inside that icy exterior was a very warm person.

The only downside was that Zion was very clumsy when it came to showing his affection to others.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he seemed incapable of showing affection to anyone outside of his family.

This was why Sherry felt blessed, being one of those handful of people who could make Zion show his true self, which he hid from the rest of the world.

Although few, these moments when he embraced her like this made her feel that she didn't have to feel fearful of the world. It felt like as long as Zion was there, nothing would happen even if the sky were to fall above her head.