There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 240 - 233. Because I Know

Chapter 240: Chapter 233. Because I Know

"Will you stay here...after it’s done?"

Senan asked it carefully, observing Zein’s reaction with rapt attention. The man in question let go of his esper’s cheek, and glanced slightly at the old man’s direction. It was clearly written in those eyes what the old man wanted to hear--what image he was drawing in his mind; remnant of the past that he failed to protect.

Zein understood this. But understanding and fulfilling it was a different matter.

"Hmm..." the blue eyes shifted to gaze at the esper that was patting his freshly squeezed cheeks. Bassena tilted his head, looking at the guide confusedly with a big ’what’ within the ambers. Zein smiled slightly as he made his reply. "I don’t think I’ll use it as a permanent resident."

Bassena blinked, feeling just as surprised as Senan. He personally thought that Zein would want to reside in this place after it was done, since it was very fitting with Zein’s style and personality; it was far from crowds and noises, it had a large body of water, it had a nice air and a lot of trees and plantation.

Bassena wasn’t really picky about where he would live, as long as they were together. Of course, it was quite a distance from Althrea, but they could just build a launch pad and a helicopter to commute just like this.

Why wouldn’t Zein want to stay here when he even reconstructed the whole place?

"You heard about it already, don’t you? I wouldn’t be here for the next five years," Zein said as he shifted his gaze back toward the lake.

Ah...somehow, Bassena forgot about this. Was it because they were just having fun playing skipping stone a few minutes ago? It made him think that their days would always be as bright as today’s weather.

"But...it’s not fixed yet, isn’t it?" the old man argued; there was a frown on his head and his voice. It wasn’t subtle at all, the way he implied that he objected to Zein going to the Deathzone. Surely, if Zein was truly his ’young master’, Senan would have told the man ’no’ and done anything to prevent Zein from going.

But Zein wasn’t truly his ’Young Master’. Zein did not grow up under him, and had ended up as this independent adult that could make his own decision without outside intervention.

So all he could do was merely express his concern.

"Oh," Zein, however, replied with a nonchalant tone. "My employer does not bet on something without making sure he’d win."

"Young Master..."

"It’s the reason why I joined Trinity in the first place," Zein said. His voice was firm and devoid of hesitation. "Because I want to get rid of the Deathzone."

"But Young Master--" Senan opened his mouth, before pressing his lips as he crouched down, closer to the boulder Zein used as a bench. "You said...you said you don’t want to be the vessel--"

"Who said anything about being a vessel?" Zein looked at the old man with a frown. "You think I want to do that because I’m supposed to be someone’s vessel?"

The frowning brows and sharp eyes clearly conveyed how offended the guide was.

"T-that’s..." the old man stuttered, before lowering his gaze and staring at the hard, cold soil instead.

For a while, he just kept his silence. And so did Zein, who just wordlessly looked at the lake again--at the serene water of the lake. The gem in his earring sent out a soothing sensation that swiftly calmed the guide, and as he took a deep breath, the old man finally spoke again.

"Then...why? You’ve been there, you already knew how dangerous it was..."

"Exactly," Zein replied without hesitation, eyes staring straight into the water. The water that was like a dream to him at this time last year, and the year before, and all the years he spent surviving. "Because I know," his voice dipped low and solemn, as his fingers clenched into a fist. "Because I know how dangerous it is, and how dangerous it would be if it were left unattended."

And because he knew, how it was living while longing for that clear water, for this fresh air, for the sun and the greens that people liked to take for granted.

And because he realized, day by day, that the only way things could change for people in the red-zone was for the red-zone to be disappeared completely. For a new beacon to be lit inside the Deathzone and for every drop of miasma to be cleansed from the environment.

It had nothing to do with becoming a vessel. It didn’t even have anything to do with an act of heroism or wanting to help people.

No--it had something to do with the frustration he had as he grew up in the suffocating air beneath the red sky. And it had everything to do with the oath he made to the twins as he blew the birthday candle.

"Young Master..." the old man let out a long sigh. But it seemed like he had given up on persuading Zein to stop going--not that he had any confidence from the start. "Yes, you really do things like Master Roan."

Senan smiled fondly as he looked at the back of the black hair which reminded him so much of his Master. But then he recalled that Zein wasn’t really fond of being treated like his father’s replacement. "Ah, excuse me--I don’t mean to..." he waved his hand in fluster and stood up, stepping back to bow apologetically. "I’m sorry,"

Zein did not reply, and the old man couldn’t see the guide’s expression from his position, so he just swallowed his sigh and cursed his stupidity.

In this atmosphere, Bassena casually turned around and addressed the young esper who had been staying quiet all this time, unlike his old vocal self. "What about you?"

Arlo blinked--it took him a few seconds to realize Bassena was talking to him. "M-me?"

"You said you want to go to Trinity," the esper smirked. "Do you still want to go despite knowing we might send you to the Deathzone?"

Arlo blinked again, and Zein had thought the boy would take more time to think about his answer, but surprisingly, it came out fast.

"Yes!"

And energetic.

The young esper had a sharp gaze and blazing eyes, answering with firmness and without hesitation.

"Arlo!" but of course, Senan couldn’t just accept the young esper’s willingness of throwing himself into danger.

It was one thing with Zein, since Senan couldn’t defy his young master, but Arlo was basically his nephew, who was born after they settled into the new place. He had been watching the boy grow up, so there was no way he could easily let the boy go to a possible death.

The young esper, however, repeated his answer--louder and even surer than before.

"Yes!" Arlo said with clenched fists behind his back, looking at Zein and Bassena. It might be a youth’s blind enthusiasm, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless. "Aren’t the Deathzione basically just a big ass dungeon? What’s the point of being picky about which dungeon I need to go to?" the boy argued with a shrug. "I don’t think someone like the Serpent Lord and the Crimson Summoner will send inadequate people to important places, so if they sent me there, it means it because I can survive there."

The young esper said with a firm nod and confident tone, which got Zein and Bassena to arch their brows. "Huh..." Zein stared at the young man who strike a proper pose, recalling the way he spoke before. "You’re way different from before."

Arlo coughed, awkwardly scratching his neck as he replied sheepishly. "Um, well...I just...started to learn things for the examination..."

"Heh," Bassena smirked. "Say that after you pass, boy."

"But didn’t you say you’ll make me pass the first level?" Arlo pursed his lips slightly, which reminded them of the young esper’s true personality.

"True," Bassena chuckled softly. He didn’t necessarily dislike this kind of person. "Yeah, so you have to pass the other three levels first."

"I can do it!"

This time, Zein also laughed slightly, smiling at the confident grin on the youthful face. Ah...the twins would be around Arlo’s age if they were still alive. "Look at that vigor," he commented with a gentle tone that made the young esper blush.

* * *

"You know...you can just live there after we finish the project," Bassena muttered suddenly as they lazily leaned into the bed while watching the fish swimming energetically inside Zein’s beautiful tank, wrapped in a fluffy blanket.

"Hmm..."

The guide, however, made a dry response. Bassena turned his face in surprise and confusion at Zein’s flat expression. "What?"

"How disappointing..."

"W-what?" Bassena almost choked on his own saliva, turning his body now so he could face Zein properly.

Zein, who was having his golden needle after a rather exhausting exercise, took a drag and left Bassena hanging for a while. "I thought we are going to build a house overlooking the sea?" he tilted his head, staring at the widened amber eyes. "Or was it just my misunderstandi--"

"We will!" Bassena hurriedly said, grasping the guide’s arm while the blanket slid down his bare body. "We certainly will!"

Stupid! How stupid! How could he forget that of all things! More importantly, it implied that Zein had a plan for them to live together in the future--in the same house!

We. ’We are going to build’. It would be their house, in their territory.

How could Bassena make such a blunder?!

"Hmm..."

Bassena shifted back and bent his waist, bowing until his head touched the mattress. "Please forgive this one’s incompetence and short-term memory, my liege."

"I’ll think about it," Zein replied dryly. "Maybe I should live in the lake house after all,"

"No, no, no--the sea!" Bassena lifted his head, waving vigorously with his hands. "The sea is bigger than the lake! Surely you’ll want to be able to wake up and fill your vision with water?" he moved closer again, snuggling into the guide and trying to act cute. "Imagine the refreshing breeze! Sunbathing!"

The amber eyes looked up and blinked adorably, and Zein couldn’t keep up his cold act any longer. Laughing softly, he patted and caressed the platinum hair while staring at the aquascape in front of him, muttering with a smile.

"That does sound nice,"