There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 261 - 254. Orchids Bouquet

Chapter 261: Chapter 254. Orchids Bouquet

It happened so fast; the Saintess raised her hand and unleashed a bolt of condensed mana bullet, straight into the other guide’s face.

They were standing close to each other, merely three meters apart with a marble table between them. Even if Bassena made his move to pull the guide away, without his teleportation, he couldn’t arrive on time.

"Zein!"

What Bassena and the Saintess expected, however, did not happen. In a split second, the condensed mana bullet slammed into a barrier and reflected back to where it came from at an angle. It went past the side of the Saintess’s head and struck one of the pavilion’s pillars, chipping away the painted timber.

"What..."

Both Bassena and the Saintess froze, staring at Zein who casually waved his hand to get rid of the mana barrier in front of him.

Well, calling it a mana barrier was too much. It wasn’t anything refined like what Espers did. Technically, it was just a thick wall of mana that Zein generated to prevent the mana bullet from reaching him. Making it bounce back wasn’t in his calculation.

But well, he wouldn’t complain about it.

That fact alone told them that Zein actually letting out a bigger quantity of mana than the Saintess.

"Y-you--!" the Saintess opened her shocked, trembling mouth. "How can you do that?!"

Zein was also dumbfounded, actually. All this time, he thought he was the only anomaly for this ability to use mana, but...what if it wasn’t an anomaly at all? Seeing what the Saintess did, it was clear that she also could use mana.

Perhaps...it was an ability granted by the fragment of Setnath? The Saintess could use it because she was the ’one chosen by the Goddess’, so to speak, while Zein could do it because, well...he was the fragment of Setnath itself.

And from Bassena’s late, shocked reaction, it seemed like this ability was a guarded secret, that even Bassena, as someone ’favored’ by the Saintess, had no idea about it. That was why the esper couldn’t react on time, because who would think the Saintess could make such a move?

No wonder she was so confident in their presence, without putting any guards around the garden. Because here, in this sanctuary, the only people with power and authority was her, the Saintess. She could overpower even someone like Bassena if she wanted, with the esper’s magic being sealed.

"Answer me! How can you do that?! I’m supposed to be the only one who--" she paused her yelling, staring wide at the male guide while shaking her head frantically. "No...no, that can’t be. You can’t be a--"

"It doesn’t matter why I can do that," Zein cut the Saintess with a frown. "The question is why did you use it to attack someone."

Bassena, who could no longer stay still, grabbed Zein’s arm and pulled him back. "I don’t think it’s good for us to be here any longer," he whispered worriedly. In a situation where he couldn’t use his skill, Bassena really didn’t want to risk it.

It was one thing to let himself be a target, but he definitely didn’t want any chance for Zein to get hurt.

Zein, however, raised his arm and patted the esper’s chest lightly with the back of his hand. "Wait just a little bit,"

"But--"

Instead of listening to his esper, Zein was frowning and looking up, feeling a tingling on his nape. It was then that Bassena saw the mark on the guide’s nape glowing slightly.

Seeing the two completely ignore her despite the situation, the Saintess got even more furious. "Stop acting so superior in my territory!"

She screamed and moved the mana in the surrounding air all at once, condensing several mana bullets in just a second, all pointing into Zein and Bassena and ready to be released with just a single thought. The surrounding air got sucked with the condensing motion and made it harder to breathe for them.

"Ah, fuck--" Bassena couldn’t care less anymore and pulled Zein by the shoulder. He would throw the guide outside if he needed to, shield the man with his own body.

"You stole my esper!" the air vibrated with her thundering voice. "Now you’re trying to steal my position too?!"

"What is she even--" Bassena gritted his teeth, eyes watching the bullets to make sure he could drag Zein out of the trajectory. They seemed to be trembling as much as the one controlling them.

Eyes glowing in the darkening space, Valleria pointed her hand toward Zein with hatred and anger seeping into each vibration. "Don’t you think I’m just going to let--"

[Stop]

The condensed mana bullets around them suddenly shattered, the escaping mana blasted around them in the swirling wind. Bassena blinked at this sudden outcome, and much more the Saintess.

"What--why...?"

Zein, however, still looked up with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. It got Bassena to recall the voice they heard just now. The voice came down like a thunderous roar and falling feather at the same time. So loud, and also so soft.

And while Bassena had never heard it before, he realized it was the voice of the patron deity;

The Goddess Mago.

But why...did the Saintess act like she couldn’t hear it?

She looked around, moving her hands as if she was trying to condense mana again, but nothing happened. Her face contorted as she fell into panic, before quivering in anger.

"You! What have you done?!" she glared at Zein again. "This must be your doing! What--"

[Enough!]

The voice again, this time felt closer. Still loud and soft at the same time, but rather than coming from the surrounding air, they felt it came from one direction; the path from the deeper sanctuary. This time, the Saintess could also hear it.

When they looked at the source of the voice, they saw a pair of Temple guards, and walking in front to lead them, was a middle-aged woman with glowing eyes.

"The Medium..." Bassena muttered in surprise, informing Zein of the newcomers.

"What..." the Saintess turned toward the guards and the woman, and almost immediately, dropped to the floor, head lowered and shoulder trembling even more than before. "L-Lady Mago..."

Zein stopped looking up, and shifted his gaze toward the woman--the Medium. She was also the ’chosen’ one, but not at all like the Saintess. For one, she wasn’t a guide, but a normal person. Someone who was born, lived, and would die in the Temple. She had one role, and one role only; to become the medium for the Goddess to communicate with the others should She decide to.

The key was if the Goddess wanted to.

But the Celestial Beings weren’t such a casual entity that would communicate with their followers once a week, or even once a year. It was such a rare occasion, and the last time the Goddess used the Medium was to give a joint order for the people to get rid of the darkness in the east.

And then this time.

"Guide Vallaria, from henceforth, you will enter seclusion in the deeper Sanctuary," one of the guards announced in a flat and formal tone, walking forward to grab the kneeling Saintess’s arm.

Although it didn’t seem like they still called her the Saintess.

"W-what? What are you talking about?" the hazel eyes widened. "Why are you punishing me?"

She yanked her arm off the guard and stood up with a shaking back and balled fist. "He’s the one who badmouth the Temple! He’s the one slandering us, so why?!"

[No, he wasn’t] the Medium--or rather the Goddess--said. [And even if he was, you can’t attack other Deities’ beloved children]

"What? Don’t tell me you’re going to make--"

Vallaria’s alarmed voice was suddenly drowned out by a sound of laughter. Heavy, mocking, bitter laughter.

"Hah," Zein laughed with a trembling shoulder, but the hands grabbing into the chair for support were knuckled white.

Bassena unconsciously swallowed. He knew the guide enough to tell that Zein was angry. He had been quite nonchalant before, even in the face of the Vallaria’s mockery.

But he was angry now, staring straight at the Medium--no, the Goddess.

"You do nothing when your people are doing damaging things, but now you make a move because you don’t want to anger another God?" he chuckled in a low, hurting voice. "Why don’t you protect the guides being trafficked and tortured, then?"

"How impudent--"

"You, shut up. I’m not talking to you."

The blue eyes glared sharply at Vallaria, making her flinch and staggered back in reflex, right into the waiting guard. They shifted back toward the Medium, who was holding back the other guard from stepping forward.

[You are angry] she said calmly, which only made Zein let out another angry laugh.

"No, no," the guide shook his head, lips curled on one side into a lifeless smirk. "I’m way past angry now. I’m just totally disappointed."

The Medium did not make any reply, nor any change in her flat expression. It was just a Goddess’ indifferent face, who only came down to prevent other deities from getting angry.

"She can’t attack other deities’ favored child?" Zein tilted his head. "You mean if we’re not favored by other deities, she can just attack us with no repercussion?"

The Goddess still didn’t make any reaction, but the corner of the Medium’s eyes twitched slightly, as if the human beneath wanted to respond to Zein’s words.

"Are you going to make an excuse that you can’t do anything outside the Temple?" Zein continued when she didn’t make any response. "Are you trying to say you can’t give any order to all these people living in the Temple to help?!"

Bassena hadn’t been there inside the guide conference before, but he already heard about it, and even seen some sneaked footage. Now, he knew what it must have been like back then, hearing the usually calm and nonchalant voice turned up in volume, strained and painful, filled with years of suppressed anger.

Anger that had turned into disappointment.

"Don’t bother with this act of protection," Zein straightened his back and threw a piercing stare at the Medium, the Goddess. "You all are just hypocrites."

Vallaria clasped her hands over her mouth, and the guards seemed like they were ready to hack into Zein in a single breath. Bassena reflexively stepped forward to shield his guide, but before anything could happen, the Medium already raised her hand to halt anyone from making a move. She stared at the piercing blizzard inside the guide’s eyes, and then, to everyone’s surprise, bent her waist for a polite bow.

Zein narrowed his eyes, and once the Medium straightened her back again, turned around with indignant air. "Bas, let’s go."

"...Okay."

Bassena looked at the Medium and the Saintess--who was probably no longer the Saintess--for the last time, before following his guide.

When they just stepped out of the pavilion, however, the Medium spoke again.

[The Northern Lake Temple] the Goddess said, and added after Zein turned his head. [Your mother’s lineage lies there]

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