System's POV

"Shana, you're finally home!"

Shana's mother, Cynthia, hurriedly hugged her daughter as soon as she saw the latter disembark from the Helicopter.

She had come out to greet her husband, not expecting to see her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for two years.

Pleasantly surprised, she didn't even bother to greet her husband, bypassing him to hug her daughter tightly, with tears in her eyes.

Touched by the love and affection from her mother, Shana reciprocated the hug, also tearing up.

"Mother, I missed you," Shana said.

"I missed you too!" Cynthia, who doted on her children, replied and reluctantly pulled back to give her daughter a closer look.

A look of relief flashed across her face when she noticed that her daughter seemed to be in perfectly good health, reducing her anxiety.

"Come. You'll be surprised to see who else arrived a few days ago." Cynthia held her daughter's hand and gently pulled her toward their house.

"Is it sister?" Shana asked.

"No," Cynthia replied with a smile.

"Wait… don't tell me it's…" Shana's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her mother to confirm her guess.

Cynthia didn't reply, still holding a grudge against her husband and daughter for not informing her that Shana had already arrived.

On the other hand, Shana matched her mother's pace, wanting to confirm if the person her mother was referring to was the same one in her mind.

"Sorry about that," Tristan said to Zion, Erica, and Sherry, whom his wife had completely ignored. "My wife just missed Shana terribly and forgot that we even had guests."

"Don't worry about it, Sir," Thirteen replied. "We completely understand."

Tristan then led his guests toward the house, where they saw a group of four people hugging each other, with Shana at the center.

Thirteen immediately recognized Rianna, but he didn't recognize the young man hugging Shana.

But it was easy to guess since the young man had the same red hair as the Saintess, who was crying as she hugged the young man whom she hadn't seen for several years.

Tristan left Zion's side and went to join his family, hugging them too.

A few minutes later, Rianna and Cynthia finally realized they had guests and looked at them in surprise.

"Zion!" Rianna immediately ran toward the teenage boy and gave him a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Rianna," Thirteen said after the young lady pulled back to look at him.

"You've grown a bit taller." Rianna lightly patted Zion's head. "And you now look more dependable than ever."

Rianna then glanced at Erica and Sherry, and then also hugged the two of them.

"Erica, you've grown prettier!"

"Sherry, you seem more confident since the last time I saw you. That's good!"

Before Rianna could chat more with their guests, she heard a light cough from behind her.

"Rianna, can you introduce your friends to me?" the young man said with a smile.

"Of course, Brother!" Rianna replied. "This is Shana's friend, Erica. She is also the Sorceress of the Hero Party. This pretty lady here is Sherry. She is also a friend of Shana. And last but not the least this is…"
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"Zion Leventis," the young man interjected. "Even though I just returned from Solterra, it's impossible for me not to hear of the most famous Rookie in Pangea. After all, you have been talking about him nonstop since I arrived, Rianna."

The young lady's face reddened as she had indeed told her brother about Zion more times than she could count during the past few days since he had returned to Pangea.

By now, her brother, Aiden Summers, knew more about Zion than he would have wanted.

"Still, I didn't expect to meet the Legendary Rookie himself here in our residence," Aiden commented. "It is an honor to meet you, Zion Leventis. You're still so young, and yet you're already very accomplished."

"The pleasure is mine," Thirteen replied, shaking the young man's hand.

For a brief moment, he felt the young man's grip tighten a bit, but this only lasted for a second before everything returned to normal.

Aiden smiled faintly before releasing Zion's hand as if nothing had happened.

Thirteen also smiled at the young man, who seemed to be in his mid-twenties.

Clearly, what Aiden did didn't escape him, and the veiled arrogance in the young man's eyes was as clear to him as night and day.

'Perfect, a new plaything for Giga and Stacy,' Thirteen thought.

He could already tell that the young man might become a problem for his relationship with Shana once the young lady disclosed her relationship with him to her parents.

"Everyone, let's go to the dining room!" said Cynthia enthusiastically, unaware that something had happened between her son and their guest. "Our chef has prepared a feast, so I want all of you to enjoy it to your heart's content.

Thirteen allowed the kind and hospitable woman to guide them to the dining room.

Just as she had stated, a feast had indeed been prepared for their arrival.

Due to Tristan's earlier message, the chef had prepared all of Shana's favorite food, which was the perfect way to welcome her home.

As everyone ate, they casually chatted with each other, making the environment more lively.

Suddenly, Aiden asked Thirteen a question.

"I only heard this in passing, but are these two beautiful ladies your fiancees?" Aiden asked.

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "They are officially engaged to me."

"You really are a lucky young man," Aiden stated. "With two beautiful ladies by your side, I'm sure you won't have time to look for a third wife, right?"

Shana looked at her brother, before shifting her attention to Zion, who had just finished drinking from his glass.

"You're right," Thirteen replied. "I don't have time to look for a third wife. Fortunately, my future wife found me instead."

"Oh?" Rianna arched an eyebrow, wanting to know about Thirteen's current situation. "Then, tell me, who is the lucky girl? She can't possibly be my sister, right?"

Thirteen chuckled, making everyone in the dining room, with the exception of Shana, laugh as well.

If there were no servants present, Thirteen might have replied then and there. But given the sensitivity of the issue, he decided to just brush the question off with a simple answer.

"You'll know about her soon," Thirteen replied. "Don't worry. I'll invite you to our wedding."

"That's a promise, okay?" Rianna smirked.

"Of course. When did I break my promise?"

"You're right. You don't break promises."

Tristan was also surprised about Thirteen's revelation and couldn't help but observe the teenage boy with a critical gaze.

With the young man's strategic value to the military, Tristan held Zion Leventis in high regard.

Aiden, on the other hand, continued to ask Zion more questions like, how it felt not being able to advance to the next Rank due to the restrictions placed on his body.

He also asked questions about the young man's plans for the future.

"Do you want to become the perfect house husband and let your wives fight their battles in Solterra while you wait at home?" Aiden asked.

"Being the perfect house husband sounds like a dream," Thirteen answered. "Unfortunately, that would have to wait until the invasion of the Cygni Continent ends."

"Right, there is still that threat looming upon our heads." Aiden nodded. "I'm sure that, as the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, you will play a big role in the upcoming battles, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Thirteen replied casually. "It really depends on the situation on the ground."

Tristan nodded. "Right. If things become truly dangerous, the Military will listen to Zion's orders. All the superior officers have already agreed on this matter."

"Oh?" Aiden arched an eyebrow. "I just returned, and as the Commander of the 60th Battalion, I have yet to hear about this matter. Should I also obey his orders, Father?"

Aiden stared at his father, who was taken aback by the tinge of disapproval in his tone.

However, as someone who had witnessed Zion's abilities, the Field Marshal of the Central Government wasn't easily swayed, even if the one talking to him was a family member.

"Yes," Tristan replied. "As long as you are part of the military, you are expected to follow orders. Or, do you have a problem with obeying Zion's orders?"

"Father, I won't downplay the accomplishments that Zion has achieved on behalf of humanity," Aiden replied. "And I don't mind following orders. However, I simply refuse to follow the orders of someone weaker than me."

Erica, Shana, Sherry, and Riana looked at the young man and finally understood what he was implying.

Currently, Aiden was a Grandmaster who had been away in Pangea for nearly seven years.

His family believed that he was still alive because Lawrence, the Grand Marshal of the Central Government and his grandfather, had the ability to know if one of his family members were dead.

Since the Grand Marshal insisted that Aiden was still alive, the Summers Family believed that they would reunite with him eventually.

And now that he had returned, he believed he was next in line to become the next Field Marshal of the Central Government once his grandfather had retired from the military.

Because of this, no one in the army dared to give him orders, and the only one who could compel him to obey was none other than his Father and Grandfather.

This made Aiden think that he was above the military laws, making him disinclined to obey the orders of a mere Rookie.