There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Chapter 204. Beneficial Partnership

"Good morning, Captain!"

The ever-energetic sound of the youngest guide reverberated through the suite as everyone excitedly barged in as if they hated the thought of giving Bassena a peaceful morning with his boyfriend.

But he was in a good mood this morning, so he could tolerate it for now.

"Good morning," Zein replied back, calm and nonchalant, as if he had been used to it. Perhaps it flared up the memory of the borderland’s mess hall, where everyone would pour to eat all at once.

For obvious reasons of preventing any attention until the event started, the team had decided to have their breakfast in the couple’s suite while waiting for the guildmaster to arrive.

"Damn, look at your sparkling face, Commander," Rina, as usual, took Han Shin’s place for messing with Bassena.

"Why? You’d rather I looked like I want to choke you?"

"Such a kinky talk in the morning," the tanker scoff, which rewarded her a flick on the forehead by a wisp of darkness. "Ouch? Can you not hit my money maker, please?!"

"You’re a tanker," Bassena rolled his eyes, and this time, he was the one who got a flick on the forehead. Staring at the guide in shock, Bassena whined as if he was getting betrayed. "Zein, this is my money maker too..."

"You’re both noisy--just sit down and eat," Zein shot them a glare, and Reina took a seat with a sheepish grin.

Dheera giggled quietly at the view--where else could she spectate two five-star espers getting scolded by a guide? It was already known in the guild now that the only one who could control the high-rank espers in the Guildmaster’s absence was Zein.

It wasn’t something that could be seen in any other guild but Trinity. Even Azure Sky’s joint guildmasters, who were known to dote upon their exclusive guide, would never let the guide talk them down.

Thanks to that, the breakfast went peacefully, with the conversation going toward what might happen in the opening event today, and who else might be there. Bassena also asked Nadine and Dheera to ’guard’ Zein from any pests, to which Dheera responded with a salute.

"This is a nice scenery," a familiar voice--nice, soothing, and filled with surety--greeted them just after they finished their breakfast.

"You have impeccable timing as usual," Bassena smirked at the Guildmaster, looking nice in his black turtleneck beneath a black frock coat with golden buttons. With his deep red hair and crimson eyes, the man truly embodied the symbol of Trinity.

Radia took out a pocketwatch with a golden chain and looked at it, responding to Bassena with a little shrug. "I only have so much time of my life to waste."

Zein stared at the pocket watch, his eyes narrowed at the weight of the same item hidden inside his uniform. Radia had told him to bring the pocket watch--the inheritance from his grandfather and the proof of the Old Houses’ authority--to this event.

"You look like you have a lot to talk to me," Radia said after catching Zein’s gaze and flashing his all-knowing smile that always got Zein feeling a bit unnerved--because it did seem like the man could read his thought.

But he indeed wanted to talk to Radia alone, so he got up and patted Bassena’s cheek to tell the younger man not to follow him. He went after Radia--who already walked toward the other suite--to have their conversation without the probing ears of highly sensitive espers.

"Go on," the guildmaster said as soon as the door was closed by the summoned secretary.

Zein mulled over where he should start the topic while watching Radia light up a golden needle. He was contemplating threading it carefully, but when he looked into the crimson eyes, he almost scoffed.

Who was he kidding? He wasn’t facing his subordinates or a stranger whom he needed to mind his tongue with. This was what happened when he socialized too much; he became soft.

"You didn’t tell me about ’the vote’ thing," Zein said dryly, with a tone that was borderline accusing.

Perhaps because he was. Radia had all the time to tell him everything about what taking his family name entailed. And yet he just trickled the information down bit by bit, in a way that made Zein could do nothing about it. Certainly, the ’vote’ among the Old House was something important for the project, but he hadn’t said a peep about it.

It made Zein think that Radia played him somehow.

"Ah, Bas told you?" Radia responded with an easy smile. "Well...I was planning to--" he paused, looking for a suitable word, "--ease you into it."

"Ease me..."

Radia chuckled at the way Zein raised his brow skeptically. "Because you seemed to see it as something burdensome," he said, and Zein made an ’ah’ sound, finally letting go of that slight frown above his eyes. He sat on the desk and looked into the blue eyes, adding for a good measure. "Besides, yours was never in my calculation to begin with--we don’t even know you’re an Ishtera until a little while ago."

"Hmm..." Zein walked to the glass window while pondering that statement.

It was true enough, that Radia wouldn’t be able to put Zein into calculation until six months ago, and even more so, couldn’t expect to gain additional voting power until last month. He realized that he felt better about it, thinking that the person he had unknowingly trusted like his own brother was...well, still trustworthy.

Radia stopped talking then, taking the time to take a drag of his golden needle and giving Zein the time to figure out things by himself. The blue eyes flickered for a few seconds before Zein let out an incredulous laugh.

"That’s how you’ll use me?" Zein looked at the smiling esper in disbelief. "You’re going to give the Deathzone region to House Ishtera?"

"Giving...is a very samaritan word," Radia gave him a playful smile, before snuffing out his golden needle on an ashtray. "What I want you to do is becoming the center of the new region," he straightened up and walked toward the guide. "The overseer, a watchguard so our business partner abides by our rules and contracts."

Zein watched the esper walk closer, observed how the crimson eyes stared at the building outside the window. "As a member of a dying Old House, you have the status and the authority, but not the power," the red rises shifted to Zein then, and the red lips below curled. "Pouring a glass of water into a full bucket would make it overflow and threatening, but a glass of water in an empty bucket is--"

"Safe," Zein finished the thought.

Radia stopped in front of the guide. "Safer," he corrected. He reached out and brushed the guide’s shoulder, fixing the slightly crooked golden badge. "Don’t look threatening, but don’t look like you’re easy to be used," he touched the guide’s chin, and tilted the pretty face slightly so he could stare into the blue eyes better. "With your current gaze, it’s perfect."

He looked at Zein for a few seconds more, and nodded at the aloof and confident gaze before stepping back. "If you don’t want to speak, just follow me or Rina."

"Bas said the same thing,"

Chuckling, Radia turned around and gestured for Zein to follow him--so it seemed their private session had ended for now. "You can stay with him, but the attention would shift to your...romance, and as of now, your fame is still below him, so you might look like you’re riding on his coattail," he glanced at the guide and added in a firmer tone. "But we want them to see you, the Luzein Ishtera, not Bassena Vaski’s guide."

"Wouldn’t the same thing happen if I follow you?" Zein tilted his head. He was pretty sure that Radia was as famous as Bassena, especially among the elites and the member of the Old Houses. After all, Radia was the appointed heir and had the authority of a proxy, unlike Bassena who didn’t even have a voting right.

"With me, you’ll be seen as my...protégé, rather, as a member of the Old Houses," Radia said and flicked his index finger to the space beside him. "For that, you should walk with me, not behind me."

Zein arched his brow, and, with a slight chuckle, walked a half-step faster. _{free𝑤ebnovel.com}

"Although, you might have to face too many people for your own comfort," Radia added with a smirk, which erased the smile from the guide’s face.

Haa...Zein let out a long sigh before they exited the guildmaster’s suite.

He truly started to regret this.