"Big Brother, this is so delicious!" Maple praised in between mouthfuls. "Big Brother, Cinnamon really loves your cooking!" Cinnamon praised.

"Feel free to eat as much as you want, okay? There's still plenty being cooked." Thirteen wasn't aware, but for the first time in forever, there was a very big smile on his face. This sight made Erica, Sherry, and Shana, who were looking at him, feel like they were just imagining things.

The smile on Thirteen's face seemed to grow even wider as he happily gave the twin girls the barbecued meat he was grilling using charcoal.

The expression of happiness on the two girls' faces as they ate their barbecue skewers made Derek subconsciously swallow his saliva.

Just like the teenage boy who was smiling from ear to ear, they were also grilling their own meat, which they had prepared using their own spices.

"Big Brother, your special recipe is really amazing," Maple said as she accepted the barbecue skewer her Big Brother handed to her.

"Big Brother, can you tell us the ingredients of the marinade?" Cinnamon asked. "I want Mama to grill meat using your recipe, please?"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to list all the ingredients without fail," Thirteen replied. "Now, eat up."

""Yay!""

Truth be told, among the grilled meat that they were cooking, the smell coming from Thirteen's grill made everyone's mouth water the most.

Even the Earth Dragons, who decided to join them for lunch, couldn't help but salivate because the smell of barbecued meat was increasing their appetite.

However, there was one problem.

All of them, including the Earth Dragons, had already tasted Thirteen's cooking once. They wouldn't be able to forget that bubblegum flavor even if they tried to forget it!

But seeing that the two girls were happily eating without problems, Derek and the rest thought that... maybe this time, it was safe.

After all, it was just barbecued meat, right?

How could it possibly go wrong?

Derek, who was no longer able to hold back his curiosity, approached his Master with a fawning smile on his face.

"Master, that smells so good. Can you please give me one?" Derek asked.

"Scram," Thirteen replied. "Who was it that said that he won't eat my cooking ever again? Go

away, or these kids might lose their appetite after seeing you."

"Master, don't be like this. Did I really say that? How can I possibly disrespect you?"

"I can clearly remember what you said, so there's no use buttering me up."

Derek lightly patted his chest as if he were a soldier about to go to war and looked at his Master with a solemn expression on his face.

"Master, I, Derek, isn't someone superficial," Derek stated. "I admire you the most in the world. With a single wave of your hand, an army of tens of thousands will move. With a flip of your hair, all the ladies will swoon.

"Under the heavens, I only have one Master. So, how is it possible for me to not respect you? Master, this humble disciple asks that you bestow upon me one of your barbecue skewers. We are Master and Disciple. This much is fine, right?"

Pica and Pico, who had also tasted Thirteen's cooking before, looked at the bootlicker in disdain.

Their inner Pocopoco senses were telling them that the teenage boy's cooking was dangerous, so despite the fact that it smelt so fragrant, the two Pocopocos remained beside Erica and Sherry, waiting for their barbecued meat to finish cooking.

"Fine. Since you're so persistent, I'll grant your wish." Thirteen then handed a barbecued skewer to Derek, making Cinnamon, who was about to get her share, pout.

Derek then blew on the skewer a few times. The meat was just freshly cooked, so it was still a bit hot.

When he determined that it was now safe to eat it, he took a bite with great expectations. The moment the tender meat entered his lips, an explosion of flavors exploded inside his mouth.

Derek's mind went blank as his entire vision was covered in white.

A moment later, he staggered and looked at the skewer in his hands with surprise. "T-This!" Derek gasped. "How can this thing taste like bubblegum?! Master, just how are you doing this?! I don't understand. I can't eat this anymore!"

Thirteen, who was smiling ear to ear earlier, glared at this bastard disciple.

Maple and Cinnamon did the same, especially Cinnamon, who was suffering from injustice because Thirteen handed the barbecue that was meant for her to another person.

"You don't like Big Brother's cooking?" Maple asked in disdain. "Is there something wrong with your taste buds? I feel sorry for you!"

"People who don't appreciate food are not appreciated by the Food Gods!" Cinnamon said as she pointed angrily at Derek. "Can't you feel the love and care that Big Brother poured into that barbecue?! You're making me angry. I want to bite you!"

Even Tiona hissed angrily at Derek. If her Master gave her the order, she wouldn't hesitate to bite the ungrateful bastard who dared to waste her Master's goodwill.

"Calm down, girls," Thirteen tried to pacify the two adorable girls, who were defending his cooking. "Don't let his uncultured swine make the two of you angry. Don't worry, I'll cook more for the two of you."

Cinnamon, who saw that Derek was about to throw the barbecue skewer in his hands, reached

out to grab it.

She then ate it while glaring at the swordsman, who was very close to being bitten to death by

her.

"I knew it." Pica chuckled.

"We dodged a bullet," Pico commented.

An hour later, after everyone finished eating, Thirteen took everyone to the beach.

This was supposed to be their day off, but they spent half a day in training instead.

However, since Maple and Cinnamon were there with them, Thirteen decided to take the two little girls to the beach so that they could have some fun.

When they arrived at the beach, several Walrus-like Jinns looked at them, but none dared to

block their path.

In fact, the Jinns even made way for them, as if fearing that the humans would be scared of

them.

Maple and Cinnamon, who had just eaten, looked at these Walrus Jinns while swallowing their

saliva.

When these monsters sensed this, all of them immediately fled the scene as if they were

staring at their mortal enemies.

The young men were already wearing their swimming trunks, and Thirteen had to admit that their bodies were very masculine.

Even Pietro, who was the skinniest among Thirteen's Captains in the past, had bulked up a bit after all the training that was done in the army.

When the girls appeared wearing their bathing suits and bikinis, the young men were unable

to take their eyes off them.

This was especially true for Roland and Joshua, both of whom were looking at Shana.

The Saintess was wearing a one-piece white swimsuit. But since Shana was a bit conservative,

she also wore a frilly white sarong that covered the lower part of her swimsuit, making Roland

and Joshua gulp.

"Zion, how do I look?" Erica asked as she posed in front of the teenage boy, who was holding Maple's and Cinnamon's hands.

Erica was wearing a red bikini that made her curvaceous body stand out.

Alcapone couldn't help but whistle after seeing the beautiful Sorceress who grew up in the

right places.

"It would have been perfect if your hair color wasn't dark blue," Thirteen commented. "But, I'll give you 8 out of 10 for the effort."

Erica clicked her tongue. Although Zion was looking at her, he wasn't reacting like the other boys, who were ogling her gorgeous body.

Sherry, who was wearing a dark blue one-piece swimsuit, had no courage to ask the teenage

boy how she looked.

However, Thirteen looked in her direction and gave her an encouraging smile.

"That swimsuit looks good on you, Sherry," Thirteen said. "T-Thank you," Sherry replied, a faint tinge of red spreading on her face.

"Hey, what is this discrimination?" Erica complained. "You didn't tell me that I look good in

my swimsuit."

Thirteen blinked once then twice as he looked at Erica from head to foot before looking

straight into her eyes.

"It looks good on you," Thirteen said in a monotonous tone, almost making Erica grab his

head in a headlock.

"Zion, you're so mean." Mildred, who was wearing a white bikini, giggled.

Mildred was quite petite, so she was wearing a swimsuit that looked like sportswear, which surprisingly made her look very attractive.

Diana and Piper, who were the only women among Thirteen's Squad Captains wore white and

pink bikinis that highlighted their beautiful figures.

Maple and Cinnamon were both wearing pink swimsuits. The two little girls had storage rings with them, which were filled with food and clothes.

Clearly, they could go anywhere and anytime, thoroughly prepared when they ran away from

home.

Everyone had fun on the beach, while Thirteen played with the girls on the sand and built

sandcastles.

From a distance, the Death Lord, Erasmus, looked at the teenage boy, who had a carefree

smile on his face.

He could still remember when he was dying, and Thirteen was mourning inside of his head.

Back then, he thought that his System was an emotionless being.

But seeing him now, the Death Lord couldn't help but smile. Thirteen once told him that he had gone through dozens of hosts, and all of them died pitiful

deaths.

Erasmus could sense the pain, and heartbreak in Thirteen's voice back then, so he promised him that he wouldn't end the same way as his previous hosts. However, Fate wasn't something that anyone could change so easily.

His only regret was that he was unable to keep his promise in his previous lifetime.

But now, he believed that with him and Zion working together, they would finally be able to break free from the shackles that had bound them three hundred years ago.