System's POV
chapter-582

Sitting on the roof of her personal wooden wagon, Siri observed the wagon moving directly in front of her.

It was the wagon leading the Wanderers toward the Sanctuary where the Temple of Courage was located.

The young lady had been feeling very restless recently. No matter how many times she challenged the teenage boy to battle, the one who would always be on the losing end was her.

She even analyzed her opponent's battle style and thought of ways how to counter his moves. But even with her preparations the result still ended in her defeat.

Because of this, a theory formed inside Siri's head.

'Zion Leventis is not human.'

That was the only explanation that she could think as to why she couldn't win against him.

Naturally, she and her people had done their research about the teenage boy's life, so she had a good grasp of his background and upbringing.

Siri could understand that Zion was strong because he was born under the banner of the Leventis Family.

Although Gerald had been kicked out from the main family branch, she believed that this was just a smokescreen employed by the Leventis Family.

But the main factor that made her think that Thirteen wasn't human was the restrictions placed on his body.

Rank Ban, Item Ban, Skill Ban, Avatar Ban.

Those four restrictions were enough to cripple any Wanderer and stop their growth completely.

But these restrictions didn't seem to affect the teenage boy much.

In fact, she had more than just that reason to believe that Zion Leventis was hiding his true strength and merely using these so-called restrictions as a smokescreen to make others look down on him.

'He's definitely not human,' Siri thought. 'No Rookie human can defeat me in battle.'

There were also other things that the young lady didn't understand about Zion.

First, he seemed to be too used to having beautiful ladies around him.

Shana, Erica, Sherry, Diana, and Mildred were all beautiful ladies.

But despite the fact that they always interacted with Zion on a regular basis, she never saw any change in his expression when he looked at them.

Even when Erica sat beside him and fed him some food during lunch or dinner, the young man always looked calm as if being cared for by a beauty wasn't a big deal for him.

Siri had seen how Roland looked at Shana many times, and she could tell that he was looking at her as his mate.

Joshua, the Sage of the Hero Party, also gazed at the Saintess with the same eyes, making Siri snicker internally.

Even Derek, who didn't see Shana in a romantic way, would look at her secretly, appreciating her beauty from a distance.

The Swordsman was also like this to Erica, Diana, and Mildred, which Siri believed was a very normal thing to do.

In fact, among the members of the Hero Party, Siri believed that Derek was the most "normal" of them all.

He acted like his age, and he appreciated beautiful ladies.

Of course, Derek would also look at her with appreciation. But perhaps due to Siri's age, Derek never considered her as a potential love interest.

Thirteen, although cordial, never showed any signs that he was attracted to any of the beautiful girls around him.

Siri thought that maybe because he was still young, he was unable to appreciate the things that would make the other Wanderers in their battalion wish to switch places with him.

Another thing that Siri couldn't understand about Zion was the way he managed their Battalion.

For her, a true Leader should be strong, firm, merciless, and have a brilliant mind.

They should lead with an iron grip and rule their people through strength and fear.

But Zion Leventis wasn't like that.

Instead of ruling with an iron hand, he made sure that all Wanderers were cared for.

The way they fought monster hordes was the perfect example of how organized his army was.

Those who didn't manage to get any items would be positioned at the rear, while those at the front would cripple the monsters so that those at the back could give them the killing blow.

The distribution of Cores was also systematic, allowing everyone to get their share.

Siri couldn't understand why Zion was holding the hands of the Wanderers, making sure that all of them would get their share.

Even those who didn't specialize in fighting, like Kyle Walkers, the son of a carpenter, were treated the same as others.

While she did agree that those who have production skills were very useful, she still couldn't understand what Zion's goal was.

'Is he perhaps brainwashing them so that everyone will think of him as a benevolent leader?' Siri mused. 'Maybe he's just fattening them up so that they would become his slaves for life.'

Siri narrowed her eyes because she believed that this was indeed the case.

She then subconsciously caressed the bracelet in her hand, which was something her mother had given her.

This was an item that restricted her rank and power, greatly reducing her combat prowess.

If her true power weren't sealed, she believed that the "Fake Hero" Roland and the "Fake Human" Zion would not stand a chance against her.

'I will let everyone see your true colors.' Siri smirked. 'Your reputation that you've built meticulously will all come crashing down. And when the world turns its back on you, I will come to offer you a position as my subordinate. I'm sure mother will be very pleased with this development.'

Siri had an agreement with her mother.

She wanted to be free and travel the world, but her mother gave her a condition before she agreed to her demands.

"Defeat Zion Leventis by Brain or by Brawn. If you win, I will let you do anything you please. But if you are unable to surpass him by the time you turn eighteen, you will return home and be an obedient girl."

Siri accepted this challenge because she thought that it was going to be easy.

Since she was confident in her strength, this deal with her mother was something she wasn't too worried about.

However, her earlier confidence and bravado had disappeared completely.

Thirteen didn't hold back his punches when the two of them fought.

He would not even hesitate to hit her face directly, which was very important to a girl.

The only saving grace was that Shana was there to help heal her injuries, preventing her face from being disfigured.

'This hateful man,' Siri clenched her fists in anger. 'Just you wait. I'll make you kneel in front of me!'

The young lady believed that she had been born as a ruler.

Just like her mother, she wanted to be a Queen, that everyone looked up to.

A sigh escaped Siri's lips as she momentarily set her thoughts about Zion at the corner of her head.

She focused her gaze on the majestic city in front of her, which seemed to be made from white marble.

They had finally arrived at the Sanctuary.

Siri had heard about the Sanctuary and knew that hidden inside it were several treasures that would be useful for her.

The teenage girl didn't intend to share them with anyone, for she didn't trust anyone in the first place.

For her, all good things should belong to her, including loyal and capable subordinates who would pave the way for her to become the Queen that she always aspired to be.