There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 59 - 58. Grim Reaper

Zein didn’t recognize the man right away, but as he looked at Arden’s clique, it reminded him of the group of guides who used to antagonize him in Umbra. He observed the members one by one, and as his eyes fell into the green uniformed man in the back—lo and behold; the leader of Umbra’s clique was right there.

Nora was a guide who came to the red-zone just after Zein’s initial ten years slave contract ended. Unlike Zein, his C-class license was a legitimate one that he acquired before ended up in Umbra. Zein had no idea whether the man was kidnapped or came willingly, but he remembered that Nora became the Guildmaster’s pet soon enough, leading the group of guides with like-minded coquettishness like a queen—or rather, mistress?

He remembered the man as the one who actively tried to demean him and spread words that Zein was no longer able to guide well, though it helped him end his contract anyway, so Zein didn’t really care about that.

But he also remembered that Nora was supposed to enter the dungeon with the Guildmaster that day. A dungeon break only happened when the whole raiding members were annihilated, so Zein was wondering why Nora, who was supposed to be dead, was here in Trinity, perfectly fine and totally alive.

So he blurted the question swirling in his head right away;

"You’re not dead?"

For Zein, it was just a casual question, born of genuine curiosity. Was the man ended up not doing the raid and so not part of the casualty? Or was he managed to escape the dungeon before an outbreak happened?

Yes, Zein didn’t ask it out of malicious thought.

But unfortunately, perhaps because the counterpart was someone from the area, Zein asked it in a tone he used in the red-zone; deep, sharp, harsh. It could be called local tone for the end-dwellers, but for these people who lived their whole life in the safer zones?

It sounded bone-chillingly sinister.

The reaction was immediate; after a collective flinch, the clique was standing defensively close to each other, and even the C-class guides which had shed their defense around Zein earlier stood up and scooted back, stiffened in fright.

"Wh-what are you—" the haughty A-class guide stuttered. "I...is that a death threat?"

Zein was dumbfounded. What was this man even saying? He tilted his head and shifted, proceeding to stand up just to have all those guides stepping back in fluster.

"Huh? What is this about a death threat?"

Again, a new voice. Zein stood in his place, staring at the newcomer. It was an esper this time, wearing plain clothes and no visible badge, perhaps someone who came for the first scheduled guiding.

From the reaction, it seemed like Arden and his clique knew this esper well. They flocked to the esper as if looking for protection, and one of the B-class guides pointed harshly at Zein.

"T-that man! He threatens Nora!"

Zein tilted his head, confusion all over his visible eyes. When did he threaten anyone? "What are you talking about—?"

Instantly, the esper was already in front of Zein, grasping the front of his jacket. The C-classes behind them were shrieking in surprise, and the members of the clique smirked.

"How shameless!" the esper spat. "How could you threaten a guide?"

Rather than retaliating, Zein tilted his head to look at Nora, who was hiding behind the other guides, lowering his gaze without any intention to resolve the apparent misunderstanding. Or perhaps he was just too scared—Zein had no idea.

"Hey, fucker—where are you looking at?!"

"No—Esper Kane, you can’t—"

"He’s asking Nora why he’s not dead! He’s definitely done something bad to him before!"

Zein tilted his head the other way around. It was getting chaotic with the way people shouting around, and he lost interest in Nora then. He sighed—just came for some sightseeing and now this...

"I’m asking you a question!" the man barked again, and Zein finally looked at the esper. He was a bit shorter than Zein, with a lithe body. It seemed like he was an agility-type esper, probably a scout.

"What?" Zein asked calmly.

The indifference in Zein’s tone seemed to further irk the esper. "Did you really ask him that?"

"Hmm...yes," Zein shifted his eyes toward Nora for a second—he was confused as to why making a simple remark led to this kind of problem. Cultural difference? "But can you people calm down for a bit?"

"You! Do you not have any shame?!" the esper yelled again, and Zein was honestly getting tired of it. "Doing that to a guide—what with this mask anyway? Take it off you cow—"

The esper reached out a hand toward Zein’s mask, and the next thing he knew, he was laying on his stomach on the floor, hand locked in his back. A sturdy, heavy knee planted in the middle of his back as he froze, eyes blinking in confusion.

"S-sir Zein?"

"Haa...I just ask you to calm down," Zein sighed, pressing his knee slightly on the esper. Based on the man’s core, he was probably a 3-star at best. For Zein who had a fresh batch of magic energy from guiding Bassena for an hour last night, handling a 3-star scout was just a light exercise.

The room, which was rather boisterous earlier, suddenly descended into silence. The guides gasped; the C-classes stared at Zein and the esper with parted lips and widened eyes. Joan, who was in the middle of running out to call for Abel, paused and stood frozen near the door.

"W-what—who are you?!" the esper squirmed after coming out of his stupor, still confused as to how he could be manhandled in the blink of an eye by a stranger.

"I won’t let you go until you’re staying still," Zein spoke flatly, the low voice easily sounded like a threat with its coldness.

Arden and his clique gasped as they regained their wits and started shouting. "Wh-what is this? How can you do this—guards! Where are the guards?!"

Two of the B-classes suddenly bolted towards the entrance, probably to call for someone, but the door swung open before they reached it.

"What is this noise?" a frowning Abel walked in, with Brisk in tow and the male Sahaegi peeking in curiously.

"Chief!"

"Sir Hertz...this—"

People began to speak at the same time, but Abel couldn’t hear their voices. His mind was focused on the view near a seating area, where an esper named Kane was being held against the floor by Zein, who didn’t even look like he was breaking a sweat. The esper was squirming and struggling even now, but the guide didn’t budge.

"Zein?" Abel walked closer, dumbfounded. The esper stopped struggling the moment he realized Abel’s presence, and Zein looked up, still with the same calm blue eyes. "What happened?"

"Hertz, that man threatened our Nora! Who is he? We can’t let this slide—"

"Quiet!" Abel exclaimed, not very loud, but even the haughty A-class guide closed his mouth. "I want to know what happened, in order, with no yelling and no cheek."

Zein stared at the Chief of Guide, smiling behind his mask. Abel always gave a kind and soft impression before, but truly—Radia Mallarc wouldn’t give the man the head position without the necessary traits. Behind that nice personality, he seemed to have a stern and assertive side too.

Abel stared firmly at Zein, so the tall guide started to speak. "I saw an old...acquaintance," Zein turned his head at Nora, who was flinching immediately. "I had heard he was involved in a dungeon accident and presumed to be dead. So I was surprised to see him here," he shrugged. "And then they somehow thought I’m making a threat? And this one tried to take off my mask and I reacted instinctively. That’s all."

The esper beneath him stopped moving and tilted his head, and so was Abel. "That’s it?"

Again, Zein shrugged. He took his knee off the esper’s back and let go of his hands since the man had stopped squirming and seemed to be calming down as he asked before.

"I-it’s not just that!" Arden slammed his hand on a table. "You’re saying something about death—"

"’You’re not dead?’" Dana chimed in behind Zein. "Sir Zein just remarked because he’s surprised Nora is still alive when Sir Zein heard that he’s supposed to be dead," the girl summarize the situation tacitly. "It’s just that they have little comprehension ability and are misunderstood by themselves!"

Zein glanced at the girl, thinking about how she jumped in fright herself earlier, and chuckled. It was funny how she decided to use the opportunity to jab at the clique.

"What...that’s what happened?" the esper, who was slowly getting up, blinked repeatedly, feeling dumbfounded.

Zein just nodded casually. "I never made any threat—why do you think I was making a threat?" he tilted his head, feeling confused again. Zein truly never threatened others—he solved any beef by his fist rather than his words.

"Umm..." Silva coughed for a bit, glancing sheepishly at Zein. "It’s because you said it in a scary way...Sir..."

"I did?" Zein widened his eyes slightly, and Abel couldn’t help but broke his stern face to let out a laugh, prompting Zein to look at him. "What?"

Abel walked closer and patted Zein’s upper arm with a smirk. "You’re just overall scary for normal people, Zein. You need to soften up a bit—relax, yeah?"

"...soft?"

Zein looked as if his mind was filled with question marks, and Abel laughed again. "Well, it’s fine now, right? You all agree this is just a misunderstanding, yes?" Abel clapped his hands. "Guide Zein might look a little bit intimidating, but he’s not a bad guy, okay?"

Aside from the C-classes, the rest of the people there actually thought Zein was an esper, so they immediately froze and parted their lips in shock.

Particularly the dumbfounded esper. "A...guide?" he stared at Zein as if he was just meeting a ghost. "You’re a guide?"

Of course he’d be shocked when he realized he was just being manhandled by a guide. A little bit intimidating? A guide that could judo-flip an esper?

"Yes, yes, Guide Zein is our new Guide, there will be an announcement next week, so welcome him, yes?" Abel introduced Zein again, just as another group of guides came through the entrance.

"Hmm, what’s this? A gathering?"

"Nothing," Abel clapped once, face full of smiles. "Now, I need to go somewhere for a little bit, so be nice you guys, don’t make a mess while I’m gone or I’ll cut the snacks for next week!"

With a confused ’yes’ from the coming guides and the whining gasp from Dana, Abel pulled Zein out casually, laughing all the way despite the slight nervousness inside his heart.

Fighting. Running. Ugh—

Abel glanced at Zein—he was joking earlier when he said Zein might beat people if they gave a reason to. He didn’t really think Zein would truly beat people. Truly a combat guide, as the Guildmaster called it.

"Sorry," Zein said suddenly, as they walked toward the elevator. "Didn’t mean to make a scene..."

"Mmh..." Abel stared at the ceiling with a conflicted face. But he soon smiled and shrugged. "It’s not like you’re at fault. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to them properly later so your reputation doesn’t get ruined," he laughed, patting Zein’s back lightly.

"I don’t really care about that," Zein scoffed, but he paused as he saw his reflection on the elevator door’s metal surface. He rarely saw himself in the mirror, and even if he did, he never saw anything weird with it.

But looking at himself standing side by side with the smaller, gentle-looking Abel made him think. "Do I look scary?"

At first, Zein thought the other guides’ nervousness stemmed from the fact that he was an executive. But he just heard someone call him scary, and it made him wonder. He definitely looked different compared to the residents of the green zone, but he never thought it would cause...fear?

"Hmm...if we just go by appearance, you probably just looked like an esper with that getup, Zein," Abel answered with a smile. "It’s more of your vibe than your look."

"Vibe?"

"How do I say this..." Abel rubbed his chin in thought, "You seemed so tense, so guarded, as if someone will come out of nowhere to attack you. The way you look at people, and the way you talk...it’s as if the world is your enemy,"

Zein frowned for a bit, and Abel added hurriedly. "Zein, you lived in the red-zone, right? I don’t know how people lived there, but I assume your demeanor is something that was created out of necessity to survive,"

The blue eyes narrowed, as Zein’s mind traveled to his childhood. Right—survival. He had to be tough so people couldn’t mess with him. Looking at everything suspiciously, sleeping with his mask and his dagger...for a guide like him, it was either become a tough bastard or a coquettish slut—yes, for a guide to surviving the red-zone, it was either to become like Zein or like Nora.

And in the green-zone, they ended up looking either like a thug or a whore.

"You just need to adjust yourself to live in a safe environment, that’s all," Abel gave him a warm smile, the light coming through the opened elevator door made him look like an angel.

Zein smirked. Standing here, he kind of looked like a grim reaper with his mask and black combat jacket. Perhaps that was what normal people thought too when they saw him.

He never really interacted with people from other zones, so things like this never crossed his mind before. Bassena and Han Shin aside, the expedition team members were people who would not get intimidated by his demeanor, since they were people ready to delve into the Deathzone. He never talked with anyone on his journey, and he spoke softly to the little girl who gave him the candies, so she wasn’t feeling afraid.

It was only now that Zein realized people might be afraid of him. He didn’t care about reputation, but it wouldn’t be good if the workspace environment got disturbed by this. So he needed to work on it—his vibe or whatever.

Zein tilted his head then, as he followed Abel out of the elevator to the first-floor lobby. "You...didn’t seem to be scared yesterday," he stared at Abel, recalling that the man had been amiable to him from the start.

"Hmm? Ah..." Abel grinned, tapping his chin while answering. "It’s because you don’t give that vibe yesterday—well, at least not in the meeting room."

Zein narrowed his eyes—there was something suspicious about that grin on Abel’s face. "You know, compared to today, when I saw you yesterday, you were far more relaxed and at ease, like you knew you were in a safe space," the smaller guide smiled, and added with a teasing tone, "perhaps because the Vice Guildmaster was there?"

"Huh...was that the case?" Zein replied casually, to Abel’s disappointment.

"...why are you reacting so normally? How boring..." he pursed his lips, to Zein’s amusement.

’What reaction do you exactly want?’ Zein scratched his nape in confusion. "Where are we going, anyway?"

They had been walking through hallways, making a turn here and there that Zein wasn’t sure he could get out on his own without relying on magic energy detection.

"What do you mean where? Didn’t your link tell you?"

Zein raised his brow and looked at his bracelet, which had been blinking his schedule in the interface. [Uniform Meeting w. SavAsh - Conference Room s.06] was splayed repeatedly on the screen.

"Ah...that’s now?"

"Yup—here we are," Abel pointed to a slightly ajar door on their left, and proceed to open it.

Immediately, they were blasted by voices from various people, particularly from a petite woman in a ponytail, who yelled out orders while standing on what looked like a footlocker.

"Line that up there...be careful with that...No! I told you to put it between layers! Hey—are your ears just an accessory??" despite her size, she had a loud voice and barked orders like a commander.

"Is it always like this when making uniforms?" Zein asked the smaller guide. But Abel also looked as flabbergasted as he was.

The Chief Guide shook his head while replying. "We don’t do fitting at all, actually, just given the sets with our approximate size..."

"So what is this?"

"I don’t know?"

They looked at each other in confusion, but then, they heard a loud gasp. The ponytailed woman looked at them with widened eyes and opened mouth, and Zein thought that he made another person scared again.

"Oh...oh!" she suddenly jumped from the footlocker and almost ran toward them, moving so fast that Zein couldn’t react timely. The next thing he knew, his hands were being grabbed tightly, and he was face-to-face with a pair of glittering eyes and a bright smile, as the woman exclaimed energetically;

"My muse!"