There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 267 - 260. Pillar Support

Chapter 267: Chapter 260. Pillar Support

Ignoring his crimson eyes and deep red hair, someone could argue that Radia Mallarc looked like an unassuming man.

He had an average build, and an average look; okay enough to look at, but wouldn’t make people take a double look. Which was rather ironic, seeing how his guild operated. The only striking part of him was the signature red hair and eyes of House Mallarc. If one were to look at him from afar or through the screen, they would have a hard time picturing him as the powerful man that he was.

Until one had to face him in the same room.

Sadeva was cursing himself for thinking that the Mallarc only had money in them. Well, yes, they had money in them, but he forgot where money could bring people. For example, to his front door.

A nice afternoon enjoying those new numbers in his account, thinking about the vacation he had planned--and his front door was opened.

It didn’t even feel like a ’breaking and entering’. There was no ’break’. These guys just open the door as if it wasn’t even locked. Or as if they knew the passcode to his unit. And they entered so nonchalantly, as if they were entering their own space instead of someone else’s house.

It was too absurd for Sadeva to even get panicked or angry. He was just dumbfounded to suddenly see these espers--yes, they were espers--clad in black suits like bodyguards, entering his living room.

But his confusion turned into fright the moment his eyes caught the crimson among the black. And then he was face-to-face with none other than the Chairman of Mortix group. Instantly, he knew why this man managed to become a Chairman and a Guildmaster at such a young age.

One moment he looked at those crimson eyes, and the next moment he was on his knees already, without even being told so. It was only after his knees touched the ground that he pondered about the constricted feeling he had after looking at those crimson eyes. The feeling of getting sucked into a deep marsh full of poisonous substances. Trapped.

And there was only one person who could get him out of that place.

That person took a seat on his couch and just stared at him without saying anything, as if waiting for him to say something. To admit something. The stare reminded him of the time his parents caught him stealing their money, and they just stared at him with a simple ’we know what you’re doing’.

Except, this time, there were no words getting said.

There was no need for it.

"Forgive me!" he immediately placed his palm on the floor and bowed his head. "Please forgive me! I didn’t mean to record them, I swear! I just want to stream the inner sanctuary--it’s just a coincidence that they were there, Sir!"

He begged as if it was his lifeline. For all he knew, he might cease to exist the moment Radia Mallarc stepped out of his front door.

Why, Gods--why? Why would Radia Mallarc come down in person? He didn’t think he would be this scared if Bassena Vaski himself came to reap his life. The Serpent Lord might kill him in a second, but this man...this man might make his life miserable until he wished he would just kill himself.

And this was why he admitted what he did at once. Because he had an inkling that dodging it would just heighten his punishment.

But the crimson man just responded with a simple sound. "Hmm..."

"I swear! I swear! Please believe me!" Sadeva even brought his head to the floor. Anything to save himself.

"Proof?" the man asked simply.

"P-proof?" Sadeva raised his head and widened his eyes. "Proof...proof..." he looked around his living room, as if he would get the answer if he searched well enough. But all he could see was the black-suited espers that blocked all his exit routes.

And then, his eyes fell on the glasses he used yesterday, with a built-in camera he used to shoot the live stream. "T-that’s right! The camera has a recording function--you’ll be able to hear that I only meant to record the inner sanctuary!" he pointed to the glasses lying on the cabinet.

Radia Mallarc tilted his head and said flatly. "So you don’t mind if I take it, do you?"

"O-of course, please!" he scampered to the cabinet, still on his knees, and delivered the glasses to the Chairman. "H-here!"

"Seb,"

One of the bodyguards came forward and took the glasses from the infiltrator’s hands. The man disassembled the glasses with ease and pulled out an old-school memory card from within. Swiftly, a team of three worked on the card on top of the kitchen counter, connecting it to a tablet and another device.

"How is it?" the boss asked, and the one called Seb nodded in response.

"It’s good, we can extract the voice,"

"Good," Radia let out a subtle smile for the first time since he walked inside that room. "Process it immediately."

Sadeva widened his eyes in surprise. What...so that was what they were after? But he had no leeway to think too much about it, because his fate was still vague.

"Umm..." he peeked into the summoner’s face carefully. "Uh...you...you believe me now, don’t you? Sir?"

When the crimson eyes shifted to look at him, Sadeva immediately lowered his gaze again, his heart thumping loudly in his ears. The man curled his lips slightly and started to speak. "Sade--can I call you Sade?"

"You can call me whatever you want, Sir!" Sadeva answered immediately.

"The Night Star of the underworld, huh?"

"T-that’s..." he pressed his lips awkwardly. He used to be proud of that title, but he also knew, that even though Radia Mallarc and Han Joon had a bad relationship these days, they used to be close.

It was an awkward feeling of not knowing whether this title would put him in a positive or negative light.

But then, the crimson eyes curled and the summoner asked the following; "What do you say about working for me?"

"...yes?"

* * *

Radia told them to just sit back and enjoy, so that was what Zein and Bassena did. Sit back and enjoy, sheltering themselves from the world’s eyes by spending the rest of the day watching movies, learning how to swim, and making out in the pool.

That was as far as they went because Zein still felt as if his body was cracking everywhere.

And then, in the evening, the same clip of their visit to the Temple circulated again; this time complete with the sound. As they used the helicopter to get back to the guild the next morning, the video had already made a headline in the news, and it was said a lot of reporters had flooded the Temple’s estate.

Zein and Bassena wasted no time with anyone they passed by in the guild’s building. They went straight to the top floor, where Radia was supposed to be at. Indeed, the man was there sitting on top of his desk, staring at his tablet while giving instructions to his secretaries.

He glanced briefly at the couple and smirked. "You enjoy your day off?"

Zein didn’t answer, wordlessly walked forward to approach the desk and in one unexpected move, circled his arms around the summoner’s shoulder and pulled the man into a tight hug.

Radia blinked and, after two seconds of bewilderment, tilted his head to look at Bassena. But the esper looked as surprised as he was, and in the end, just shrugged.

"Thank you," Zein whispered after a while, patting Radia’s back before releasing him.

Even with the mask on, Radia could sense the smile on the guide’s hidden lips. He knew it was the most intimate gesture Zein had ever given to anyone else but Bassena, and he chuckled in appreciation. "You’re welcome."

"Ah, the robe," Zein pulled out the white robe he had worn two days ago from his storage ring. "I would like to clean it first, but I had no idea how..."

"Good call," Radia snapped his fingers to signal one of his secretaries. "It needs a special method for that. Did it serve you well?"

"Yeah," Zein smirked at the nonchalant way Radia treated this huge favor. The robe, the chance to sneak inside the Temple, and...

"Is it you?" Bassena asked the guildmaster while slinging his arm around the guide.

Radia curled his lips. "Which one?"

"The one who acquired the sound,"

The man didn’t answer it, and Zein, narrowing his eyes, remarked. "No, I think it went further," he said, tilting his head to stare at the summoner keenly. "You’re the one who ordered the recording in the first place, isn’t it?"

Bassena raised his brow, and Zein continued. "That shadow guard who disappeared after taking me through the lobby..." he tapped on his crossed arms, "He must have done something to weaken the spell barrier so whoever recorded it could go inside easier."

Radia chuckled and gave nothing but a simple response. "Nothing is truly a coincidence in this world."

"No, no," Bassena waved his hand in rejection. "It’s a coincidence that Zein found me in that cave five years ago,"

"Are you sure?" Radia raised his brow. "It’s not because the Serpent Bearer twisted the gate location to that cave?"

"...uhh," the waving hand lowered in confusion. That...didn’t sound too far-fetched either...

Radia scoffed and threw a file toward the esper. "Here; the people who put a trace on you and hacked your link. What do you want to do with them?"

Bassena glanced at the report once--it seemed like both were receiving their order from Vallaria. He sighed and threw the file back to the desk. "Do whatever you want. I have no time to deal with them."

Radia looked at the esper in surprise. "Really?"

"I have packing and moving to do," Bassena clicked his tongue.

"It’s my packing, though?" Zein rolled his eyes. But the topic got him thinking about someone else. "What about Nora and...that guide?" he still couldn’t remember the name.

"Both are in guild custody," Radia said. "We will expel the A-class guide after the project winner is announced,"

"To avoid leaks?"

Radia nodded. "The other one...it’s for you to decide. He is your kid after all," the guildmaster shrugged.

Zein couldn’t help but sigh. Honestly, he still didn’t know what to do with Nora, but...he should at least talk to the man first.

"Go and see those kids’ faces, they have been in chaos for the past few days," Radia said, shooing Zein and Bassena off his office so he could get on with his busy days.

The guide and esper left the office with a laugh, even waving their hands joyfully. Truly, all they needed to do was sit back and enjoy. "I feel like I know now, what it feels like to have a big brother who has my back," Zein muttered as Bassena accompanied him to the elevator.

Bassena smiled. He knew how it felt, since he already received that blessing ever since he knew Han Joon and Radia. "It’s nice, isn’t it?"

"Mm,"

"But you know I have your back too, right?" Bassena held the guide’s hand as they waited for the elevator.

"Quite literally," Zein answered with a smirk, a mischievous glint reflected on the elevator doors that prompted Bassena to take a double look.

"...pervert."