There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 50 - 49. Nostalgic Voice

The agents sent by Director Lee Minho to the Central that afternoon went with a light heart. Trinity wasn’t really desperate for new recruits, and it was rare for someone new who filled Trinity’s requirements to emerge from monthly measurement.

So in a way, going there was as good as taking momentary rest.

Certainly, they didn’t expect to discover an A-class to come out of nowhere. And surely, they didn’t expect that their Vice Guildmaster would come looking like he wanted to wage war.

And now, they had to drive said A-class guide and the Vice Guildmaster to the guild with their back drenched in cold sweat from the cold silence filling the car.

The guide was nonchalantly leaning back with his arms crossed, calm eyes looking outside the window as if he was enjoying the scenery. Their boss, on the other hand, had his eyes closed and his brows deep in a frown. He buried his face in his palm for a while, before letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"What...why..." Bassena broke the silence with incoherent words. "What are you doing there?"

"Take a measurement, getting my license," the guide answered casually. He was so at ease that the whole tension felt ridiculous.

"...you never think of calling me first? Or Shin? Or Trinity? Hell—not even Mortix?" for the first time, the HR staff heard Bassena sound exasperated.

"I don’t know how," the guide shrugged. "I don’t have that commlink thing."

Bassena opened his mouth without a sound, looking down at Zein’s wrists, and let out another sigh. "So you just went straight to the Central?"

"I didn’t," Zein tore his gaze from the scenery, for the first time since he entered the car looking at Bassena. "It just so happened that the bus stop is not that far from the place, so I thought why not," he shrugged, before tilting his head with cold blue eyes. "I have no idea that you have the right to regulate my activities, Mister Vaski."

Bassena froze. Slowly, brokenly, the esper pulled away, and retreated into his side of the seat. But his eyes never left Zein, although the fiery eyes were filled with heartbreaking dismay.

It reminded Zein of Bassena’s state the morning after their sex.

"I’m...sorry,"

The HR staff had no idea that hearing someone apologizing could be this scary. Who the hell was this guide?

Zein sighed, melting the coldness in his eyes. "Why are you so anxious?"

Bassena wiped his face and swept his hair back, slumping into the backrest in a mixture of dread and relief. "You have no idea how vicious the big guild would act to snatch a talent they covet. Shin said Celestia is stealing you and...haa—sorry..."

"Celestia...that Askan guy’s guild?"

The amber eyes were blown open again. "You know him?" the low, husky voice almost sounded like a growl.

"Just met him once, during that incident," Zein stared outside the window again.

The car fell into silence once more, and it was Bassena who broke it again. "If you came to me—to Trinity first, we have a way to schedule a private, closed measurement. All of the top guilds always used it for their nurtured or contracted guides, so no chaotic situation where scouting agents flock about will happen," the esper explained, eyes still never left the guide.

"I’m not being nurtured or contracted by your guild," Zein smirked under his mask, his blue eyes gleamed. "What makes you think you have more right to recruit me than anyone else?"

"...what?"

"If we go by technicality, Askan Bellum asked me to join Celestia first, four years ago,"

"..." Bassena opened his mouth, but couldn’t find anything to say.

"I met him first too, before I met you. And today he gets to me first before you come," Zein continued, even though he could see how much his words pricked the other’s heart. "Just because we spent two weeks together, you think you have the right to drag me away like I have no say in the matter?"

The staff in charge of driving gripped the steering wheel tightly. For the three years that he worked at Trinity, he hadn’t found anyone capable of using a reprimanding tone toward the Serpent Lord except the Guildmaster. Even then, Bassena sometimes talked back. But now, the esper was only staring blankly in silence.

"What difference does it make between you and those guilds using—what did you say—’vicious’ ways to snatch a talent they covet?" Zein turned his face to look at the bewildered esper. He didn’t think their first meeting after two months would be filled with him lecturing the esper too, but he also didn’t think Bassena would come into him like he was a cheating lover or something. "What would that make you? Do you think it’ll be good for your reputation?"

"I don’t care about my reputation—"

"You don’t," Zein cut him off. He knew Bassena didn’t care about reputation, since a lot of espers had negative views toward him anyway. "But what about your guild’s reputation?"

For the third time, Bassena opened his mouth only to find out that he couldn’t force a word out. Zein sighed audibly, leaning his head back into the seat. "You were so sensible before, so what is this?"

There was a part of Zein that was annoyed at how he got dragged around by an esper. He couldn’t even say goodbye to an old acquaintance, letting himself be led out like an obedient lamb, even if he did it just so this tantrum child didn’t run rampage.

And that tantrum child suddenly slumped down on the seat and had his head pressed on Zein’s shoulder. "I got it—I’m sorry. I was...panicked. I don’t want to lose you to anyone else," Bassena muttered in a soft voice that got the two staff holding their breath at how bizarre it was. "I guess I really an that kind of vicious, selfish person."

"Why are you acting cute?" Zein looked down at the strands of platinum hair falling on his shoulder.

"So you’ll forgive me," Bassena replied with a sheepish smile.

Zein gave the man a side glance and an eye roll, before handing Bassena an envelope that contained the recommendation letter. The esper lifted his head and straightened his back, taking the envelope and opening the content.

"I’m going to say this now, but I’m here because the Captain feels it’s time I get a real license,"

Bassena took out the letter and read it. "You don’t have to go all the way to Althrea for that, though?"

"I don’t," Zein looked out, his eyes caught a tall building in the distance with a familiar logo on the side of its wall. "But I thought if I’m going to do it, might as well visit some old acquaintances as well."

The guide turned his face to stare at the blinking amber eyes. "I’m not here for Trinity or Mortix. I’m here to see Han Shin, and Sierra, and that really good cook. Maybe those funny researchers too," the blue eyes softened, the sharp daggers diminished for a bit, "...and you," he paused for a bit, letting the words sink into the esper. "But I haven’t thought about anything further."

After all, Zein didn’t come here for a career or anything. He just trying to see the world, and did a few errands while at it. He hadn’t thought about tying himself down, or thinking clearly about what he actually wanted.

He didn’t even know what he wanted from this vague relationship he had with Bassena.

He thought things would get clearer once he decided to step out from the mud of the end-zone. Turned out, opening a single door led him to a different pathway that made him lost.

"Alright," Bassena replied after some time, folding the letter and putting it inside the envelope again before handing it back to Zein. "Then, I’ll take you to your old acquaintances," the esper smiled, and the mischievous but warm amber in his eyes was the Bassena that Zein knew during those two weeks.

The guide let out a subtle smile as the car stopped in front of a gate. "And they are inside the Trinity building, I supposed,"

"Obviously," Bassena smiled charmingly. "Coincidentally, our Guildmaster is also here."

The car moved again after a brief inspection, and passed the gate with the security guard bowing politely toward the car. Zein tilted his head to observe the building, eyes traveling to the thinning peak of the tower-like building. "This Guildmaster is the boss of Mortix, right?"

"Uh-huh,"

"Hmm..." Zein leaned back in his seat then, tapping his fingers in contemplation. "I’ll hear it then, that offer of yours," he said, to Bassena’s widened grin.

"You know..." Bassena leaned down and rest his head on the guide’s shoulder again. "You scold me so much, but it’s nice hearing you speak a lot,"

"Something must be wrong with your head,"

The driving staff almost stepped on the brake just then. To hear someone hurling an insult to Bassena Vaski in his face...He glanced at his partner with silent dread, waiting for an inevitable outburst of rage from the Serpent Lord.

What they heard, however, wasn’t the angry shout they had expected, but a crisp, lighthearted sound of laughter. It accompanied the car into the front of the guild’s lobby, where the staff stopped with sweaty palms and relief sighs.

Once again, Zein stared at the tall building that was the heart of the Trinity complex. Aside from the guild building, there was an apartment building about two hundred meters behind separated by a small recreational park, as well as an aircraft landing pad, and a big warehouse where all the dungeon materials were kept before being handed to Mortix.

Or so Bassena told him as they alighted from the car and entered the lobby. As expected of a guild backed by a conglomerate, he thought. Zein obviously had never set foot on such a fine establishment, so he had no standard to rate the guild. Everything was bound the be new for his eyes, so he just silently followed Bassena inside.

The lobby itself was as big as his old Unit’s outer courtyard, probably enough to play some ball games there. He noticed how the security personnel instantly straightened their back at the sight of Bassena, and the people who walked about the lobby paused whatever it was they were doing before to stand and bowed politely toward the esper. Curious glances followed these gestures, as their eyes caught sight of the masked, all-black Zein beside their Vice Guildmaster.

A man about Zein’s age, with golden brown hair and green eyes, walked toward them, wearing a deep red suit and a gold Trinity badge. "The Guildmaster is on his way," the man said after politely nodding toward Bassena and Zein. "Sir Han prepared a room on the twelfth floor. He said it might be more comfortable for the guest," the man informed them as they walked toward the elevator.

"Heh, so he got some sense," Bassena smiled while gesturing for Zein to enter the glass elevator. "Who else is there?"

"Director Lee from HR and Guide Hagai. Also, I heard someone from Mortix will accompany the Guildmaster,"

Bassena turned to face Zein, whose blue eyes stared at the view below, feeling his scalp tingling for a bit. The esper touched his clenching fist, rubbing the tense fingers. "Do you want to see Sierra and Balduz too?"

"Will they feel comfortable?" Zein replied without averting his eyes from the shrinking scenery.

Bassena chuckled and took a chance to slip his fingers into Zein’s. "Probably not,"

"Next time then," the blue eyes shifted their gaze outward, to the complex’s ground, and finally glimpse upon the staff and members’ dorm, as well as the park filled with trees and greeneries, complete with a water fountain. "Haa...so absurd..." this time, he couldn’t help but mutter a commentary.

There was a green-zone. And then there was an up-scale green-zone. Even then, Zein believed the places that the Federation’s elites resided in would be even more luxurious. But he felt Bassena’s amused gaze upon him, so he averted his eyes and just stared at the elevator panels, releasing the esper’s fingers from his own.

Chuckling silently, Bassena pointed at the man standing beside the panel. "This is Lex, my assistant,"

The man turned his head and nodded with a little smile, although the rest of his face remained impassive.

"Assistant?" Zein tilted his head.

"He’s the one who managed my schedule and deal with all of the bothersome things,"

Zein raised his head and looked at the young man, who also had the badge of 4-star esper. In any guild or group, a 4-star esper would be qualified for a leadership position, but this man was an assistant?

But then again, it probably needed for someone whose job was taking care of Saint-class esper.

"Don’t worry, Sir—being Sir Vaski’s assistant is considered an executive position here," the man remarked casually at Zein’s gaze. "I have plenty of perks."

"Cheeky," Bassena smirked just as the elevator stopped and opened toward a luxurious lounge. The classy furniture and the soft carpet gave out a comfortable vibe, as if intended to spoil the guests. "Welcome to Trinity’s executive floor," Bassena waved his hand like a dedicated guide.

Two staff in black suits, which Zein recognized as civilians, greeted them in a trained manner. One of them swiftly led the way through a hallway toward a large double door at one side of the corridor. The moment Zein stepped inside, he almost got toppled by Han Shin’s energetic hug.

"Zein!!"

The way the healer called his name and latched onto him strangely reminded Zein of the petite guide of his old Unit, Yath. Han Shin was acting frenzy and Bassena peeled him off Zein with a grumble, and they started to bicker again like usual.

Zein stared at them in silent reminiscence. It was only two months, but this bickering voice and vibe already felt nostalgic. Even though they only spent two weeks together, Zein felt like he missed this peaceful feeling.

It was a strange thing to feel in the middle of a foreign place, but Zein found his lips stretched into a smile without realizing it.

"You guys are as energetic as ever, even when we have a guest,"

There was another door on the other side of the room, and a voice came from a person walking casually through that door. It wasn’t a loud voice, but the bantering duo stopped at once, and the other people there stood up.

The voice came from a man; an esper of average build—a bit shorter than Zein—with crimson eyes and short, deep red hair. His gesture was all casual, even while he wore a formal suit. An easy smile played on his thin lips, giving out a friendly vibe, but Zein could tell that except for Bassena and Han Shin, the others were holding their breath, almost as if scared of making too much noise.

As Zein watched the man walk toward the head chair, their eyes met, and Zein almost reached out for the dagger inside his clothes if not for Bassena calmly holding his hand.

Those red eyes were deep and consuming, like an abyss. Like they would play with him until he felt lost. It aroused his self-defense instinct, like a strange reflex of encountering a poisonous substance.

But that sensation vanished like a lie as the crimson eyes curled, and the easy smile widened. When the man sat down on the chair, Zein could only think one thing.

’Ah, so this is the Radia Mallarc.’