System's POV

Chapter 788 This Virus Is Very Infectious [Part 1]

Chapter 788  This Virus Is Very Infectious [Part 1]

The victory celebration for Erica was held in the same hotel where Thirteen held his Birthday Party.

Despite the short notice, the staff of the hotel efficiently rose to the occasion and prepared everything needed within a mere span of three hours.

To Thirteen's surprise, Roland came to congratulate Erica for her victory.

He didn't talk to Zion, nor did he have to for the teenage boy to sense the contained anger his body was exuding.

Shana and the other members of the Hero Party naturally attended the event.

The only one missing from their original group was Joshua, who had left for Solterra after Erica won the Championship Match.

Roland and Shana had a little chat, but they didn't talk about anything important. It was a simple courtesy between friends.

However, people who knew the pair were aware that Roland wasn't talking about serious matters with Shana only because they were present in the scene.

At least, that was what they thought.

In reality, Roland was still feeling conflicted, unsure whether he should confess his feelings for Shana or not.

A part of him wanted to do it, while the other half feared to meet with her rejection.

Truth be told, Roland had lost the confidence he used to have after he faced consequent defeats in the tournament.

He lost in the Deserted Island because Clark managed to outsmart him, forcing Joshua to make the difficult choice of betraying him in order to get a chance to move on to the next stage of the tournament.

After that, he and Joshua fought a battle against each other, where he lost in front of millions of people.

Since the battle was shown live, the people watching at home also saw how the Sage of the Hero Party defeated him so easily as if Joshua could read his every move.

Right now, he didn't have the face to confess his feelings to Shana, feeling too insecure and unworthy. Because of this, he only made small talk with her, not mentioning anything about Joshua or anything related to the crack that had formed in the bond of the Hero Party, which he thought would withstand the test of time.

"I plan to join the Templars of Eae and train with them for two years," Roland said. "I will head to the Cygni Continent in time for the Jinn invasion."

"You're also going to see a Celestial?" Shana asked with great curiosity.

"Also?" Roland frowned. "Do you also plan to visit a Celestial?"

Now that she had accidentally spilled the beans, Shana knew that lying to Roland would only hurt his feelings.

Because of this, she decided to come clean and tell her that she also planned to join the Temple of Zaphiel to train with Diana.

"The Temple of Zaphiel," Roland muttered. "If I'm not mistaken, the journey to that place will take at least three months from the nearest human settlement. "The road leading to the temple is also infested with monsters and bandits. Even if you have Diana accompanying you, the journey on the way there is still dangerous."

Shana shook her head. "Diana and I will not go alone. Zion and Erica will escort us to the Temple."

Hearing Zion's name, the frown on Roland's face deepened.

His decision to join the Templars of Eae was also from the teenage boy's suggestion.

Now, he discovered that Zion was also sending Shana to train with a Celestial, making him feel worried.

"I'll go with you," Roland said. "After you safely reach the Temple, I will head to the City of Eae to join the Templars."

The young man looked very determined, his expression saying he would not take no for an answer. It was then that a familiar voice reached their ears.

"That sounds good." Thirteen, who suddenly appeared beside Shana, looked at Roland with a smile. "The road leading to the Temple of Zaphiel is indeed very dangerous. Having someone like Roland with us is a good thing." Roland stared long and hard at Zion, not knowing if he should thank him or not for backing him up.

In the end, he remained silent and waited for Shana's response.

The Saintess stared at Zion for nearly half a minute before nodding her head.

"Thank you, Roland," Shana said. "But I don't want you to go out of your way to escort us to the Temple. You should follow your path, and I will follow mine. I pray for your fortune in joining the Templars.

"I hope when we meet again in two years, you will once again take the helm as the Leader of our party and lead the charge to the victory of the human race."

Derek, Diana, and Mildred glanced at each other, not expecting Shana to firmly reject Roland to accompany her to the Temple.

This made the young man close his eyes and sigh internally. However, when he opened them again, a determined expression appeared on his face.

"Understood." Roland nodded. "After two years, let's meet again in the Cygni Continent. I hope that when that moment comes, all of you will be several times stronger than you are now. By then, we will show the world why all of us are chosen to become members of the Hero Party."

Roland then extended his hand for a handshake. Shana did not reject this time and reached out to hold his hand.

The two shook hands before Roland bid goodbye.

When he was certain that the young man had truly left the venue, Thirteen approached Shana and asked her a question.

"Are you sure you don't want him to accompany us?" Thirteen asked.

Shana nodded. "I don't want to give him false hope."

Her words were enough to confirm her stance on her relationship with Roland. Clearly, Shana also didn't want to hurt his feelings and make him cling to her in hopes that she would change her answer.

"You've grown, Shana." Thirteen praised. "I guess you have more backbone than I thought."

"That's because I'm not infected with the Zion Virus," Shana replied before she could stop herself.

"Zion Virus?" Thirteen tilted his head in confusion. "What kind of Virus is that?"

"N-Nothing!" Shana hurriedly went to the buffet area to get a drink and get away from Zion's inquiries.

She had just made a stance against Roland and had used most of her courage to do that. Because of this, she no longer had the willpower to play word and mind games with Zion, whom she couldn't beat.