There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 48 - 47. A Girl and A Sweet Candy

Technically, the real safe zones in the Continent were those within the proximity of towers and temples. The approximately ten kilometers radius around these structures was the real safe zones where dungeons would never generate.

But due to this special condition, it was agreed that this zone, which was also called the white-zone, would be a free zone where the authority to manage it fell into the tower and temple’s management. This meant, no sentinel or government authority, as well as civilian residence could exist there.

Thus, the safest zone people could actually live in was not the safe zone, but the green-zone. Most of the big guilds’ headquarters, top companies, conglomerates, and other top figures of the world lived in the green zone. It was a place that could only be frequented by the elites, and the dream space of most people. The rate of dungeon’s generation was low, and even then, a lot of competent espers lived in the neighborhood, so casualties by dungeon were lower than a traffic accident.

That was why, the gate leading to the green-zone had that moniker; the Gate of Security.

Eastern Federation, which encompassed Area 10 to 14 of the sixteen areas under the World Government, had three towers and one temple in its territory—in other words, four green-zones. The Capital of the Federation was located in the green-zone of Area 12, Rexon, but Area 13 was its mecca of commerce and entertainment.

And now, Zein was standing inside the gate of Area 13’s green-zone, Althrea. The inter-zone bus could only come to the gate and not further. They had to go through individual inspections before they were given a pass—unless they already had a green-zone residence permit.

Zein had no residence permit, of course. He barely had a birth certificate, after all. But the Captain’s clearance also included a letter of recommendation to the Guide Central Agency, since Zein had finally thought it would be good to have a legal license. The letter itself gave him a clear, since the military seal from the Captain still hold some weight.

But what gave him further perks was the permit bearing the Mortix logo. Instantly, the slouching officers straightened up their backs, and they observed Zein more carefully then.

Zein didn’t exactly look neat, since he had spent days on the road. But fortunately for him, he wore the SavAsh combat uniform that Mortix provided for him during the expedition, as well as the high-end mask. His nonchalant, confident attitude and his clear, sharp gaze complimented this look, and the officers immediately thought he was one of Mortix’s staff—although why would a staff of Mortix traveled by normal bus was beyond them.

The misunderstanding not only granted Zein an easy pass, but also had him guided by an overly friendly officer toward one of the best-looking shuttle buses that would bring him to the center of Althrea.

It was then that Zein realized how big was Mortix’s influence in the Eastern Federation. Especially in this city dedicated to commerce, Mortix Group probably had as much authority as the government, and conglomerates like Radia Mallarc were probably treated like a king, seeing how nice they treated Zein with only speculation of him being a staff.

Well, Zein didn’t mind the misunderstanding much. The shuttle was even free of charge, so he could just enjoy the ride until he felt like stopping somewhere. He wanted to thoroughly enjoy the scenery—the lush greenery, the mighty architecture, and even the vehicle that made up the traffic were new to him.

But before he could enjoy them fully, his attention was dragged toward the huge screen on the side of a tall building by the road. Ron told him it was called a...billboard? Or something. The name wasn’t important for Zein—the content was.

A familiar face, so familiar since it constantly popped up in his mind. A sharp pair of amber eyes, luscious bronze skin, and platinum blonde hair framed an undoubtedly handsome visage with three scales adorning the skin below the left eye.

"Bassena Vaski..." Zein muttered unconsciously, eyes tracing the provocating smile on the esper’s face. From what he could tell, the screen was playing an advertisement for what was probably a very expensive watch.

"Oh—Mom, look! It’s the Serpent Lord that big sister likes!"

Zein turned his head at the little girl seated beside him. She pointed her fingers at Zein’s direction—or rather, at the window where they could see the screen. She smiled widely while looking back at her mother, who was sitting behind her.

"Sush, you can’t yell in the bus, Lina. And don’t point your fingers like that, you’re disturbing the Mister here," the mother scolded the girl, while looking at Zein apologetically.

Zein, meanwhile, just observed the girl for a bit, and after the little girl apologize with a grin, he turned his attention back to the road. He couldn’t see the screen again, but his mind could still play the advertisement.

’He really is famous, huh?’ Zein thought. Not just as an esper, but a commodity, as Han Shin said it. Bassena was not only the face of Trinity as their Saint-class esper, but also one of Mortix’s brand ambassadors.

And as if responding to this thought, the shuttle bus drove over another huge screen, this time advertising Trinity as a whole--which, of course, included the clip of said Saint-class esper in action. Actually, the bus had entered the flyover above the commercial area with a lot of such screens plastered on the building and the sky. But since the only guild Zein knew was Trinity, his eyes automatically only registered the one with the triangle, snake, and red flower logo on it, along with snippets of Bassena Vaski’s face.

"Feels like he’s everywhere..."

Zein muttered again, and suddenly felt his arm being poked softly. When he turned his head, the little girl was leaning closer to him with sparkling eyes full of curiosity. "Mister, Mister, do you like the Serpent Lord too?"

Zein paused for a bit, staring blankly at the defenseless face. He never saw such a carefree, innocent face on a child before. The children of the red-zone were fierce and cautious; some were outright wicked, and there was always a certain amount of fear in their eyes. There were days when he was sick of seeing that kind of face that he stopped looking at the mirror altogether.

This little girl’s face...yeah—that was the kind of face he wanted the twins to have.

"Mister?" the girl tilted her head at Zein’s blank eyes, snapping the guide back into the present.

"Ah...hmm," Zein glanced at the screen that was almost out of sight now, and smiled a little behind his mask. "I don’t know. Do you like him?"

The girl brightened seeing the older man’s response, and replied with vigor. "I don’t really know about espers, so I don’t know too. But my sister likes him a lot!"

"Hmm, so what makes your sister like him?" perhaps because he hadn’t spoken with anyone for the past few days, or because the girl’s innocent thirst for interaction looked adorable in his eyes, Zein replied in a softer tone than before.

"Big sister told me the Serpent Lord is strong, and handsome, and tall, and handsome!" she folded her fingers as she tried to remember what her sister told her, but the phrase she heard the most was that the esper was handsome. "But big brother said he doesn’t like the Serpent Lord..."

Zein pressed his lips to hide his laugh, and asked curiously. "Oh, why so?"

She tilted her head and closed her eyes, brow knitted in an attempt to recall something hard. "What is it...mmm...boy? Play...boy? That’s it! Brother said the Serpent Lord looks like a playboy!" she clapped her hand enthusiastically at her success on remembering the word, although her brow knitted again in confusion. "But I wonder why that’s a bad thing? What’s wrong with a boy who likes to play a lot? Aren’t all boys like to play? Girls too...hmm? Mister?"

Zein, in an attempt to stay quiet, was biting his lips, shoulder trembling to hold back laughter, leaning into the window and wheezing inwardly. "...yeah...I wonder..."

"Right? And then big brother said he’ll become stronger than the Serpent Lord and protect us!" she grinned widely.

Realistically speaking, Bassena Vaski was already the genius of the century, and to be stronger than him required a miracle—or second life, probably. But...

"Yeah...it will be good if he does," Zein smiled and replied genuinely. It was always good to have more strong espers like Bassena, and someone who had a mentality to protect others was most desirable, certainly. "I wish him luck,"

The girl stared at the blue eyes that slightly soften, shimmering like a pair of sapphire. Somehow, she felt a comforting wave wash over her, the feeling like he was covered with her favorite blanket. After blinking wordlessly for a few seconds, she suddenly took out her little bag, and rummaged through the content.

"Mister, Mister, would you give me your hand?" she asked suddenly, and Zein, after pausing for a bit, held up his palm. The girl put something light and round there, and when she lifted her hand, there was a package of candy on top of his palm. "Hehe, people always laughed at big brother...I’ll tell him you wish him luck, Mister!"

Zein stared at the little girl’s wide grin, and then at the wrapped candy in his palm. A surge of memories came over him right that instant, of the time he tasted candy for the first time.

It wasn’t something that was being sold at the red-zone, and Alma had shoved one into his mouth suddenly one day. He remembered being stunned by the sensation of melted sugar on his tongue, and blanked out for a few seconds, before his mind was torn between his own pleasure and the twin’s face. In the end, he hastily spat it out into his hands, but Alma pushed the candy back into his mouth, before dropping another three wrapped packages into his pocket.

—there, just enjoy this one on your own.

"Mister? Do you not like candy?" she tilted her head again, watching Zein cautiously.

"...no, I like it," Zein closed his hand, feeling the wrapper against his skin. Was it a coincidence? The little girl he didn’t know, who sat beside him on a random shuttle bus, gave him the exact same candy he received that day. "I was surprised because it’s my favorite,"

Zein had had the taste of other candies a few times after that, but he would never forget the taste of that first candy—that few seconds of bliss where he felt like being alive was something good.

Ah...Zein blinked as he fiddled with the wrapper. Being alive...was something good...wasn’t it?

"...can I eat this?"

"Of course!" the little girl answered while popping a candy into her mouth, and almost let it out again as he saw the Mister press a button and the mask retracted.

As Zein popped the candy between his lips, the little girl exclaimed suddenly. "Mister...I think you’re even prettier than that Serpent Lord!"

It was loud enough for the other passenger to turn their head and took a peek. But only the nearest ones had the fortune to see the beautiful visage before it was covered with the mask again. And those fortunate ones were too stunned to activate their commlink and snapped a picture, unfortunately.

The most fortunate little girl took a handful of candies again and shoved it into Zein’s hand, beaming joyfully. "Here, Mister, since you’re kind and pretty and like candy!"

Zein stared at his palm, and a half dozen candies crammed in there. Beauty was never a privilege in his life—it was a poison that made him sleep with one eye open, for people in his environment have a knack for defiling beautiful things. Being gifted something because he was pretty was...a new sensation.

And it was enough to make him uncomfortable. "...thank you," he said awkwardly, carefully putting the candies inside his combat uniform. "It’s...nice meeting you, little miss, but I have to get down here," he took a chance when the shuttle arrived at the bus stop, to avoid the uncomfortable feeling and the growing stares of the other passengers.

He still waved at the energetic little girl though, until the shuttle disappeared from sight. With a soft exhale, he sat down at the bus stop, observing the surroundings while savoring the sweet taste in his mouth, digesting the strange, uncomfortable feeling.

It took him a while to absorb the hustle and bustle of the busy street. Countless people pass by in front of him, each wearing thin, casual clothes that exposed most of their arms and legs. None of them wore masks, and most of their faces were bright, with sparks filling their eyes.

Zein looked up, and for the first time truly felt the warmth of the sun. Not the artificial light of the shard, but the blazing, blinding sunlight. Fresh air and soft breeze caressed his hair and what little of his exposed skin. They almost tasted sweet, the air, like the melted sugar in his mouth.

The ground in front of him was covered with concrete, but just by shifting his gaze for a bit, he could see fertile soil filled with greenery and flowers, organized to be pleasant for the eyes. Trees lined up along the streets like a canopy, and many pedestrians took cover from the sun beneath the green leaves.

It was a view that Zein had only seen inside a book or pamphlet, things that he had only heard from other people.

Ah...there was a day when all he wanted in this life was to move into this kind of environment and let his brothers see this kind of view. A day when everything seemed fine, even while nothing had really changed in their life. A day when they still dreamed of something.

A day when he still believed in things...in being alive.

He stood up, as if in trance, and followed the throng of people. Some people gave him a side glance or an obvious stare, perhaps because of his combat uniform and mask. But Zein just walked aimlessly, following the flow of countless footsteps, until his legs stopped.

He had no idea how long he’d been walking, but suddenly, his eyes fell on a rather big building. Or rather, his eyes caught the name of the building: Guide Central Agency.

Huh.

He stopped in his track and stared at the building. He did come to this city to get measurements, but what surprised him was that the first thing he felt was bitterness.

Yeah...once open a time, he had meant to go to a Guide Central and got measured. He had planned to work in the safer zone and gave a better life to his brothers.

Zein almost forgot, that he used to have dreams like that too.

"Hey, why are you standing around like that, move it!" a sudden voice and a pushing hand jolted Zein forward. It was then that he realized the building’s front was filled with people—guides mostly, and some people in suits. He’d been standing still for quite some time and became an obstacle.

As he got shoved to the side, his eyes landed on something like a notice board outside of the building, with a series of announcements. One of them mentioned today’s date as a ’Monthly re-Assessment and Measuring’ with bold, shining characters.

Huh...was that why the Captain told him it would be better if he arrived within today’s date?

While he was still contemplating in front of the LED board, a uniformed guard called put to him. "Hurry up, young man! They will start in a few minutes!"

As the throng of people entering the building hastened their pace, Zein stared at the board once more.

Oh, well...