There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 336 - 328. A Pillar Needs Foundation

Chapter 336: Chapter 328. A Pillar Needs Foundation

"That’s the first time I see Shin getting angry for real," Zein muttered on their way home.

It was always unnerving to see someone like Han Shin, who was always grinning cheekily or pouting childishly, giving them a cold look. He didn’t even ask why they hid it from him, either because he already knew why or because he didn’t care for any explanation. So there was no space for them to apologize, and it deepened their guilty conscience.

"Ah, I experienced that once," Bassena said. "Not to me, though. It was after that incident, when Radia sliced Joon’s neck. He was so angry that those two suddenly became...hmm...enemies."

"I see..."

"He stopped talking, not just to either of them. He didn’t even talk to me and Reina."

"Even Reina?"

Bassena chuckled. "It was like he was on a strike. But Radia locked himself inside his room for a whole week anyway, and Joon had to depart for the military base, so in the end, Shin had no choice but to end his strike so he could say goodbye to his brother."

Ah...Zein covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. He knew they were talking about something serious, but it was just funny that the people whom the silent protest intended to didn’t get affected by it at all.

"Well, Shin is the type that will cool down on his own after a bit, because he can’t stand being alone," Bassena smiled wryly. "I’ll apologize after he’s willing to talk again."

"Yeah, we should do that," Zein nodded. "But why did Radia go as far as slicing Joon’s neck?"

"Hmm..."

Bassena frowned slightly and propped his cheek against the windowsill, using only one hand to steer the car. He tapped on his temple as he recalled the event eleven years ago, trying to see it in a different light now that he knew one hidden piece.

"The thought of making Trinity; it was made for me to be able to get out of the Vaski household and the Golden Viper. The plan was for those two to create a guild first, and I would join as soon as I received my license," Bassena started the story. "But as you know, Joon suddenly told us he’d go to the military instead, which means the plan we had been cultivating for two years got scrapped."

"Hmm..." Zein crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to insert himself in that situation. "Did you not think he was doing it so Shin wouldn’t have to?"

"No," Bassena shook his head. "We’ve talked about it before. Joon had said he didn’t want to enter the military because then, no one would be home to protect Shin from their father’s violent tendencies. So we had agreed that the moment we made the guild, Joon and Shin would move elsewhere, preferably Mortix Hill, for protection."

Zein raised his brow. Now that was strange. No wonder they immediately got emotional. But that also meant something happened shortly before then that changed the soldier’s mind.

Something to do with Radia’s safety—although Zein couldn’t think what. What kind of safety problem had to be solved by making themselves apart instead of keeping the summoner close by? And from who? Which force wanted to harm the heir of House Mallarc?

"At first, I thought that Radia was angry for my sake, but...it wasn’t like we couldn’t make a guild without Joon," Bassena said, eyes narrowed and finger tapped on the steering wheel as he pondered about the event. "And then I told myself it was because Radia felt betrayed, since Joon broke their promise and joined the military even while knowing the Mallarcs didn’t have a good relationship with them."

"But it doesn’t seem like something that warrants a slice to the neck."

"Yeah," Bassena grimaced as he was thinking back to that moment. Even in his anger, Radia looked shocked; probably because he thought Joon would dodge it. "But now, I tried to see it from another angle, such as...what if their promise is not just about creating a guild? Now that I know they are lovers—or at least they used to be—well..."

Bassena shrugged, a wry smile on his face as he glanced at the guide. He didn’t think he would be able to ever hurt Zein, but seeing how agitated himself when Zein followed the priest to the Temple of Frejya...

Well, Bassena could never bring himself to hurt Zein, but he sure as hell had no qualms about tearing apart a whole Temple.

"So you’re saying that the feeling of betrayal went above and beyond?"

"Mm," Bassena nodded with a sigh. "Who knows? They probably made a promise to be with each other forever, to live together after they made the guild, to finally let people know about their relationship," the esper shrugged, lamenting the way those two ended up in this...chaos.

The car was immediately filled with solemn thoughts full of regret. In the end, Zein also sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "Let’s just hope that they can solve their problem after we find out what exactly happened to Joon."

Hopefully, before it was too late.

* * *

"Shin, can I come in?" Zein peeked through the gap in the door, looking at the lone figure hunching over a box containing a white stone.

Han Shin turned his head, black eyes narrowed slightly which made Zein think the healer would shoo him away. But after a few seconds of silence, Han Shin pursed his lips like a sulking child. "Close the door."

Zein let out a rare, sweet smile which made the healer grumble about how things weren’t fair for him. Bassena had said that out of the three of them, Shin would forgive Zein the fastest. It was only the next morning, but Shin no longer gave the guide a cold look.

"Have you found something?" Zein asked, looking over the table. There were six boxes, including the one the healer had been perusing under a specialized microscope designed to see beneath layers of mana. "He sent six boxes in total?"

"No, he sent eight," Shin shook his head. "But the other two are something that I requested, so I saved that for the last, since most likely, it had nothing to do with anything."

The healer shoved the box in front of him to the group of boxes, and took another one; a dark green crystal this time. "I’ve examined four materials and determined that they came from dungeons," he said while hitting the crystal slightly with a small hammer, producing a clear clanking sound that reverberated throughout the room. "After putting information about their characteristic, we will be able to know what kind of dungeon they’re coming from."

Han Shin stood up and walked toward a cabinet, rummaging something through the drawer. When he came back, there was a small laser pen in his hand.

"Are they coming fresh from the dungeon, or something from the market?" Zein asked, watching Han Shin chipping away a part of the crystal with the mana-fueled laser.

"I will need to use the lab in Mortix to do that, so I plan to go there after this," Han Shin said, putting the crystal shard away in a secure vial. "There are traces in these kinds of material that would tell us how many hands had touched it, or how long it had been exposed to the air outside the dungeon."

After tucking the shard away in another box, the healer proceeded to look at the rest of the crystal below the microscope while jutting down some data in the tablet beside him. "Whether they came from the market or the dungeon, we should still be able to find out where he’s been going all this time," Han Shin continued his explanation. "These aren’t common materials, so I don’t think it’ll be too hard to find the places that provide them."

"That’s a relief," Zein said, sincerely.

He realized even more that Han Joon, while mostly absent, had such a pivotal role in the life of the Trinity; the founders of the guild. Shin’s brother, Radia’s lover, Bassena’s mentor; if it wasn’t for Zein’s presence, Bassena probably would have been more distraught.

If something were to happen to that man...Zein had a dreadful thought that Trinity would really collapse. After all, the main pillar supporting them, Radia, wouldn’t be able to pretend he was fine like he had been doing for the past eleven years.

To think that the fate of the whole guild—and probably the reclamation project—lay in a man who wasn’t even part of the guild...

"Anyway, we should have an in-depth result by tomorrow night at the latest," Han Shin said firmly, the black eyes shining in determination.

"I see..." Zein just nodded, since he didn’t know anything about this kind of thing. While he was also a member of Mortix’s lab, his role was strictly bound to the shard fragment of Setnath and the Spectre’s core—which reminded him that it was time for him to do an interim check on those things. "Ah, if you’re going to Mortix, I’m going to tag along."

For the first time since their conversation started, Han Shin perked up. It wasn’t the usual cheerful exclamation, but the healer wasn’t pouting anymore. "Really?" a smile started to bloom there.

"Yeah, I also need to check on the progress of the shard—"

"Zein!"

Before the guide could finish speaking, the door opened rather harshly. With annoyance, Han Shin glared at Bassena, who did not bother to knock.

"Ah, sorry," Bassena smiled awkwardly—but only for a second. He immediately turned serious as he looked at the guide again. "Let’s move, we’ll go to Mortix right away."

Zein stood up, while Han Shin lifted his head; both of them looked flabbergasted. "Why? What happened?"

"Darleon called," Bassena told them grimly. "He asked Radia to secretly move him over to Althrea right now," he added, voice getting lower. "Along with Varion."