System's POV

Chapter 1436: Erasing All Evidence

Stella’s face was beet red.

She struggled to justify how Tiona successfully convinced her to do something like this.

She currently lay on the same bed as Zion, and the latter slept peacefully in her embrace.

After working hard all day, the teenage boy was out like a light. Tiona had to wash his body and carry him to the bed so he could sleep properly.

Then, she convinced Stella that now was a good time to understand one of the responsibilities of being Thirteen’s lover.

As such, she was suddenly tossed to the bed and asked to hold Zion while he was sleeping.

Tiona left the room with a faint smile on her face and made sure to firmly lock the door before she did.

Only the three of them were in the entire island, along with Thirteen’s monster army.

Since they all listen to Tiona, they made sure to not disturb their Master while he was resting.

Stella sighed internally for the umpteenth time as she listened to Zion’s soft breaths. This wasn’t the first time she had been this close to him, and frankly… it didn’t feel as bad as she thought it would be.

’At least he looks peaceful when he’s sleeping,’ Stella thought while looking at the sleeping teenager in her arms.

A part of her still couldn’t believe that the same person who fought toe to toe with her father was so defenseless at the moment.

If Stella had any malicious intent against Zion, it would’ve been very easy for her to eliminate him in his sleep.

’He also smells good,’ Stella mused. ’Tiona did a good job cleaning him up.’

The young lady felt very complicated. While growing up, she was surrounded by handsome men and gorgeous women.

To the point that she would no longer be impressed if she saw someone extremely good looking.

Her brothers, sisters, mothers, and father were the cream of the crop when it came to good looks.

Growing up, she couldn’t even imagine what her ideal prince charming would look like.

And maybe because of that, Zion’s face, which was just a little above average, looked so charming in her eyes.

He had many imperfections, including his way of showing his love for others. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was a genius.

A genius who didn’t have common sense.

That was who Zion Leventis was.

Smart, brave, mysterious, has no sense of humor, dense, and many other things that Maple and Cinnamon could recite without breaking a sweat.

And that person was now in her arms, sleeping peacefully and showing his vulnerability.

It was then that she recalled the memory of overhearing Shana talking with Erica about the “Zion Virus.”

Back then, she thought they were talking nonsense. But the Saintess affirmed that it was the real deal and quite infectious.

’Hah… such nonsense,’ Stella thought. ’What am I to do with you?’

The young lady sighed for the umpteenth time before closing her eyes to sleep. She hoped that when she woke up, she would have already sorted out her feelings towards the young man in her arms.

Several hours later…

Tiona returned inside the room to check the sleeping pair.

The corner of her lips rose up into a smirk when she saw her Master’s position.

’As expected,’ Tiona mused before leaving the room without making a sound.

She was already looking forward to who would wake up first in the morning. Her Master or Stella.

If Zion woke up first, then things might still be salvaged. But if it was Stella…

Just thinking of the young lady’s reaction was enough to make Tiona giggle.

Still, since this was all part of her plan, she decided to not sneak a peek tomorrow morning.

———

When Zion opened his eyes, he saw a familiar and unfamiliar scene in front of him.

At first, he thought the one sleeping beside him was Tiona, so he decided to stay put for a little while longer.

That was when it hit him.

’The size is a bit different…’ Thirteen thought. ’The shape too.’

His memory was impressive, so even small details like this didn’t escape his eyes.

Thirteen was already a veteran in this field.

This was not the first time this happened to him.

Because of this, he pulled his head back to look at the face of the lady that was sleeping beside him.

After confirming that it was indeed Stella, he did the only thing that he could do at that moment.

And what was that?

It was to erase all evidence!

He did it carefully, and patiently, making sure that she wouldn’t wake up while he was cleaning the scene of the crime.

And, he managed to succeed just before Stella suddenly reached out to hold him tightly, and hug him like a pillow.

Perhaps sensing that her pillow wasn’t as soft as she remembered, the young lady opened his eyes.

Thirteen had also knocked himself unconscious by overriding his Soul Core for a few seconds, making it overheat.

So the moment Stella opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the sight of her holding Zion, who was clearly sleeping in her arms like she remembered.

A moment later, she hastily backed away as if she was electrocuted.

She immediately inspected her clothes and body to see if there was anything amiss. Only after realizing that there was nothing unusual did she allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

She then gave Zion a complicated gaze before leaving the room in haste.

Stella wouldn’t admit it, but that was probably the best sleep that she had in a while.

However, there was something else she noticed.

The color of the sea, the sky, and the sun that was greeting her a good morning.

Her world now had colors, which made her eyes widen in shock.

Usually, she could only see colors when she was looking at Zion and his surroundings.

But now, she had left his side and yet the colors were all around her.

Thinking that this might just be an illusion, she hastily pinched her arm. The pain confirmed her suspicion, and instead of feeling hurt, she felt very happy instead.

She summoned Aethon who transformed into a giant wren, allowing Stella to ride on its back.

They flew above the village, circled the beach, and even flew across the sea with dolphins jumping right alongside them.

The colors she had lost had returned, and it made her feel as if she had been reborn.

Unfortunately, after an hour, the magic disappeared, and her world once again returned to the colors of black, white, and gray.

But Stella didn’t feel depressed.

She now understood that she truly needed Zion in her life. She didn’t care if she was infected by the Zion Virus or not.

All she knew was that she had found the person that would grant her wish, allowing her to live in a world filled with colors.

Meanwhile, Thirteen finally woke up and held his head.

Since he forced himself unconscious, he was suffering a mild headache that would go away after an hour or two.

Tiona also returned inside the room with a mischievous smirk. That alone was enough for the teenage boy to understand that the culprit of his early headache had come back to check the scene of the crime.

Even so, Thirteen believed that one of these days, he would discover the reason why a golden thread connected him and Stella together.

But for now, it was time to return to work. At most, he only had a week or two until Dantanian was captured by Zaphiel and his allies, leading to their final showdown in the Fortunate Isles.