There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 205 - 199. What Comes With A Name

Chapter 205: Chapter 199. What Comes With A Name

"It’s quite funny if I think about it," Radia smiled as he put down the old book he had been reading on his lap. "The way House Ishtera comes to be."

"What do you mean?"

Zein turned his head toward the man seating beside him in the backseat. They were on their way to the Civil Registration Agency of Althrea branch, where they would put Zein’s name in the family registry of House Ishtera.

The Elder was already there, and Radia came as the representative of House Mallarc. Apparently, in the case of a prominent old House like Ishtera, entering a name in the family registry without the previous Head’s direct endorsement, a witness from one of the other Old Houses was needed.

Thankfully, the Mallarc was one of them--the one which was still active, nonetheless. So they decided to do it in Althrea while at it, the one under House Mallarc’s influence.

Bassena was rather peeved that he couldn’t sit with Zein, but there was no story where Radia Mallarc would sit in the front seat. Not that he could deny Radia’s order.

"Based on your vision, your ancestor came from Eastern Federation’s Deathzone," Radia said, threading Zein’s first experience with the shard.

"Right,"

"It seemed like she moved from shard to shard, and gained followers along the way, which became the foundation of House Ishtera," the man continued. "They settled in what is now the Northern Alliance, made a name there, and stayed near the Central Plains."

Central Plains was the area under the influence of the Temple of Freyja. It wasn’t included in any of the four nations, and became the neutral area where the headquarter of the World Government, as well as the Sentinel Association, stood.

Based on the record in the book that Radia was reading just now, the first clan house of Ishtera was located on the border between Central Plains and Northern Alliance.

"And then the betrayal happened, and the core of House Ishtera was wandering through the Northern Alliance, all the way to the Eastern Federation," he returned Zein’s gaze, along with a meaningful smile on his lips. "Back to where they came from."

"Ah,"

It wasn’t just Zein, but Bassena also exclaimed softly at the realization.

"And after we succeed with the reclamation, you will come back to the starting point, his ancestor’s place," Radia said, as if he was already reading the guide’s mind about staying near the sea.

As if he was sure they would definitely succeed in conquering the Deathzone.

"Huh..."

The car went into silence for a while as they digested the implied meaning behind the summoner’s words. Yes, they would earn the right to that project. Yes, they would succeed in eliminating the Deathzone. Yes, they would have a future that each of them had dreamt of.

"You know, I thought your ancestor came from the North at first; because of your eyes and some of your sharp features," Radia spoke again after a while, putting the old book aside inside his storage ring. "And while both of your parents have mixed genes from the North and East, it turns out that your eyes have nothing to do with it."

Zein wordlessly watched the man chuckle, and after a while, called out his name. "Radia,"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you,"

Bassena glanced at the back seat through the rear-view mirror; at Radia’s calm smile and Zein’s solemn gaze.

"There’s no need," the summoner replied casually. "It’s a contract, remember? And you’ve already paid the fees."

"Hah," Zein scoffed, a smirk playing behind his mask. "I guess."

He leaned back on the leather seat, shoulder getting more relaxed. The blue eyes gazed at the grand building of the metropolis outside, the view of a busy street. The view of life.

"...in that case, can I ask for another request? I don’t care if it’s a new contract," Zein said, turning his head toward the man beside him again.

Radia didn’t even look at Zein when he replied calmly. "I already working on it."

"What?" Zein frowned slightly in confusion.

"Your request,"

"I haven’t even said anything yet..."

Radia paused for a bit before replying in a solemn tone. "Your parents’ remains," he said, prompting Zein to freeze. "You want to search for them, don’t you?"

Bassena too, widened his eyes at the guildmaster’s words, turning his head around to catch Zein shifting away slightly, shuddering.

"You are one scary man,"

Radia laughed briefly, and responded with a gracious smile. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It is a compliment," Zein said. After all, there weren’t many things in this world he considered scary.

Radia chuckled, just as the car turned to enter the Civil Registration Office’s complex. "We’re here," the guildmaster announced with a smile, as he saw a middle-aged man standing in attention in front of the lobby, as if eagerly waiting for someone.

As the registration would be done in Althrea, they had sent transportation to the people from Mimera, as well as providing accommodation. The Elder, as the current head of the household managing House Ishtera’s asses, would be the guarantor for Zein’s identity, while Radia would be the third-party witness.

The car stopped in front of the lobby and Bassena came out first, prompting the office staff around there to pause and gawk. Immediately, Senan ran over to the car and opened the back door before Zein could even do so, prompting Radia to chuckle.

The guide sighed and alighted, greeting the middle-aged man on the way. It was rather sad when they still felt awkward around each other, even though in another story, Zein might cordially call the man ’uncle’.

But who knows--perhaps someday he would be able to bring himself to get closer to these people. He had already planned to ask Senan’s help in supervising the lakeside renovation anyway. He had met several companies with Bassena, and fortunately found one that he liked. All he got to do was finalized the transfer of property and made the contract with the company.

But that was something to talk about later.

For now, he had a document to sign, and a name to take.

Since it was a matter regarding Old Houses, they didn’t do it in a regular office. The mere presence of Radia Mallarc, Bassena Vaski, and the mysterious guide was already creating an uproar in the building. The officials in charge of the registration were under a strict warning of confidentiality, so no one knew those three would be there until they showed up.

They were led to a special room on the top floor by the branch head herself. In the lobby outside the room, there was already the Elder along with two other members of the Templar, as well as Logan.

The current generation had never heard about House Ishtera--after all, they were only familiar with the twelve Great Houses. But the fact that Radia Mallarc himself became the witness was a testament enough that this unknown House used to be a prominent name.

And it did, although their name was more well-known in Northern Alliance. The registry itself was under the World Government’s management instead of the Eastern Federation, which showed they were truly a part of the Great Houses of the old days.

That being said, Radia Mallarc had asked them to keep the matter confidential. The matter of Old Houses should only be known by the Old Houses; that was the unspoken rule of the continent.

So even the making of the new identification card was a guarded secret. It was delivered inside a protective case; an identification card that was more like a key. The name was carved boldly and proudly in black letters and golden lining;

Luzein Ishtera.

As he read the name silently, Zein could finally say he did not regret his decision of taking the name.

"With this occasion, you can finally have your true identification card," Radia commented as he watched Zein staring at the card intently.

As someone who didn’t even have a birth certificate, Zein had been living without a proper identification card. All he had was a piece of paper saying he had a residence in Araka. So all this while, he had been using his guide license as its substitute. The feeling of holding on to one now was the same as when he held his legitimate guide license for the first time.

It was funny, the ticklish feeling of his existence getting validated.

"It’s still January 1st," Bassena commented as he peeked at the card, reading the stated date of birth.

"If we don’t know the exact date, it’ll always be written as January 1st," Radia explained.

At the mention of Zein’s unknown birthdate, both the Elder and Senan stiffened. The middle-aged man muttered hesitatingly; "The due date should be around March or April, but..."

"But with the situation at that time, we don’t know if she gave birth normally or prematurely," Radia finished the thought that got those people sighing.

"We might know the exact time if we can find that man," Bassena suddenly said.

"You mean Tadros?" Zein replied while putting the card in his pocket.

The name brought a harsh reaction from the Templar--ex-Templar. "That scum!"

"I don’t think he’d care enough to remember it," Zein scoffed and started to put on his coat again.

"Well, you might be right about that,"

"Anyway," Radia finally stood up and walked toward Zein. He stopped in front of the guide, who had finished wearing his coat and stared at the summoner’s solemn gaze in confusion. "As the representative and heir of the House of Mallarc, I greet the head of House Ishtera."

Radia reached out his hand, which Zein looked at weirdly. The people from Mimera, however, looked at the two men with quivering eyes. Especially the Elder and Senan.

The Head of House Ishtera. A greeting of acknowledgment from another Old House. Oh--how long had it been, since they witnessed this kind of honorable moment.

"Your tone feels weird," the guide said, before hesitatingly taking the hand.

"It’s the tone he used in a formal conference," Bassena told him from behind, chuckling.

"Well, I’m talking to the current head of one of the old families," Radia shook and gripped the guide’s hand firmly. Before he let go, Radia added, this time in a casual tone. "If a gathering of the Old Houses occurred again, you might receive a summon."

"What--no one told me about this,"

"I’m telling you now," Radia winked, enjoying the flabbergasted expression on Zein’s face. He stepped back, and before turning around, suddenly added nonchalantly as if it was just an afterthought. "Ah, I should tell you that the President might be interested in you once he found this out."

"What the hell?" Zein hissed, and the member of the former household, the Kovacs, coughed in response.

It had been too long since House Ishtera had any significance that even they were forgetting the House was supposed to be one of the prominent ones in the continent in the past.

Radia just shrugged and smiled in response. "After all, he’s also a member of the Old Houses."

Haa...

Zein closed his eyes. He might start to regret this a little bit.

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