There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 353 - 345. Shifting Power

Chapter 353: Chapter 345. Shifting Power

"Why don’t you just stay the night? It’s quite far to drive back to your apartment," Laurel looked at Zein with a small pout, the disappointment of not having the guide there longer was palpable in her face.

Bassena was about to open his mouth to respond positively, but Zein beat him to it. "I’m sorry, but we’ll take our leave for tonight."

The esper raised his brow; not because of Zein’s rejection, but because the guide was holding his hand while saying it. Laurel looked at their intertwined hands and sighed. But instead of a pout, there was a smile on her lips.

"Fine, I get it," she glanced at Bassena and smirked. "Lucky boy."

"Huh?"

Ignoring the confused magician, Laurel scoffed and shifted her gaze to Zein again. "We’ll be leaving tomorrow, so I don’t think we’ll meet again, but..." she reached out and caressed the fair cheek softly, tucking a stray hair behind the guide’s ear. "If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my husband, alright?"

Zein widened his eyes slightly, feeling surprised at the casual offer. And as if realizing his hesitation, she added with a soft laugh. "Radia’s friend is also my son, don’t you know that?"

Zein couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how her husband said she was ’collecting’ them; sons. "Thank you," he said, glancing at the real son who was shrugging nonchalantly about their shared mother’s antics.

"Well then, be careful on your way tomorrow," Bassena said while shaking Calix’s hand.

Laurel tiptoed and hugged Zein briefly. "Please don’t give up on my son. I know he’s intolerable sometimes, but he truly cares about his friends."

"I know," Zein smiled and replied without hesitation.

He wouldn’t pretend there were times when he wasn’t sure about Radia’s character or whether or not he could trust the man. But over time, he came to understand the summoner more, and Radia had helped him numerous times that he came to see the man as a brother he could rely on beyond practicality.

Laurel smiled brightly, warmly, and patted the guide’s upper arms. "Thank you."

Another pat came his way, on his shoulder this time; firm and just as warm. "I wish you both luck in your mission," Calix said. For some reason, Zein thought luck was really seeping into his being just from that.

How weird. But nice.

They ended the goodbye shortly and walked to Bassena’s car with a wave from Han Shin, who decided to stay the night and gossipped with Laurel. Undoubtedly, the new couple would be one of the topics.

"What is it? Why do you insist on going home?" Bassena asked while putting on his seatbelt.

His answer, however, did not come in words, but in a kiss that he was totally not prepared for. The kiss was sweet and soft and accompanied by the weight of the guide on his lap, as well as an affectionate caress on the side of his head.

When the kiss ended, Bassena just stared blankly at the guide. "I just want to be alone with you tonight," Zein said with a smile, before diving for another kiss. Shorter this time, as if only for a taste. "Enjoying some indulgence."

He shifted back to his chair after, putting on his seatbelt with a smile on his face still. What happened to Joon and Radia made him feel grateful about his relationship with Bassena; how he finally stopped dragging things for so long, how they were still together facing the trouble in their lives.

And watching Laurel and Calix while having the warm, welcoming dinner made him envision the kind of future that he wanted to paint with the esper next to him, together.

So, while it was nice and fun tonight, he also couldn’t help but want to go home quickly so he could be alone with his esper, his lover, his man.

Turning his head, he chuckled at the way Bassena looked at him blankly, blinking dumbly. He patted the handsome cheek and caressed the esper’s nape. "Let’s go home. I’ll indulge you, tonight."

* * *

Mari, the ex-esper staff of Celestia, was typing on her tablet to make a note of the shareholder meeting that was happening in a luxurious meeting room of a hotel near Celestia’s building.

The task of recording the proceedings of the meeting did not hinder her from giving an update to her friends through a group chat, however.

As usual, the people who came to the shareholder meetings mostly were not part of the guild, and if she had to be nitpicky, they didn’t even have a part in the dungeon industry.

One of the major shareholders was a scion in the showbiz industry and mainly used the espers for models and actors. Mari knew that this person would immediately move his capital to Trinity if Radia Mallarc put his guild in the public market. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for Celestia, Mortix Group had enough money to operate Trinity without outside investors.

Of course, some shareholders actually had something to do with the espers and dungeons industry, from those dabbles in equipment and dungeon processing materials, to the ones owning shares in the government-owned Mana Stones power plant. Unfortunately, their capital still fell short of some financial companies and hedge funds, so the power still fell to people who didn’t even know how the field worked.

Until this emergency shareholder meeting, that was.

It was a short notice that those residing outside of Rexon either only sent their proxy or attended it through video conference. But perhaps because it was their first shareholder meeting in Celestia, the representative from Iron Shield, the new major shareholder, was present despite having to travel from another zone.

Mari glanced at the new nameplate she personally put at one of the front tables before the meeting started. Behind the nameplate was a middle-aged man with a tall and stout build. The suit he wore couldn’t hide the muscle beneath, and the magic energy emanating from the man told her he was an esper--a honed one at that.

And not just him, but also the two people accompanying him. They had the build and the gaze of veteran espers that weren’t only esper in name but had seen the interior of dungeons since they got their license. So not only they were part of the dungeon industry as a weapon maker, but also involved in fieldwork.

It was such a refreshing sight because that kind of esper usually only came from Celestia’s side. The shareholders and their proxy mostly were civilians, espers who only awakened but never got their license, or espers that was already retired without accomplishing much.

[But is it normal for three and four-star espers to be company executives instead of joining a guild?] Mari typed.

[I would say no, but then again...Radia Mallarc was a five-star esper and a Chairman for Mortix before he became a Guildmaster] a reply came from Carra.

[Heh, no wonder our Guildmaster is so sensitive about him]

[Sush]

[Is there any update?]

Mari glanced at the front, where the executives from the guild, including Darleon Belthera sat with a solemn expression that matched the news they were about to break to the board of directors.

With high accuracy, Mari typed both in her report and the group chat. [They told the shareholders about the Guildmaster’s disappearance now--whew, it’s rough]

[I can imagine]

As expected, the shareholders were getting restless, including the people from the Iron Shield who were frowning deeply--rightfully so, since trouble came just after they put their money in the guild. And when espers were frowning, they gave a certain aura that made regular people flinch.

She enjoyed it though, seeing those people wincing, including the guild’s executives. They frantically tried to explain that nothing would change as long as the news did not leak outside, as well as immediately stabilizing the order by appointing an acting Guildmaster until the end of the second quarter.

Immediately, the voice of unrest became the voice of incessant calculation. Those who were in favor of Varion Belthera’s faction were now in chaos, except for a few who seemed to know about it already.

Mari glanced at the front again, at the vice Guildmaster who looked calm despite the turbulence in the room. [Seems like Sir Linze already made a preparation]

[That’s so him]

[Eh, I guess anyone other than the Guildmaster’s faction is still better]

[Damn...I hope for a bigger change, though]

Without wasting any time, the executive moved the motion to appoint the current vice-guildmaster for the position. Meanwhile, Darleon Belthera kept his mouth shut and his jaw clenched. Of course, for him, it would only seem like these people were more eager to choose his son’s replacement than looking for his son.

And then, the representative of the Iron Shield, Senan Kovac, raised his hand and asked the important question. "Are we not going to look for the Guildmaster?"

Darleon Belthera raised his head, and the rest of the room stirred again.

"Of course, we are, Sir," the one who answered was the Head of Internal Security. "An investigation team had been created to search for the Guildmaster’s whereabouts as discreetly as possible. I assure you that nothing would hinder the guild’s operation."

"Hmm...I see," the man nodded. "But here’s the thing," the piercing grey eyes swept the guild’s executives coldly. "The reason why we investing in Celestia is not just for the guild’s reputation, but also the household name of Belthera."

Mari watched the shareholders looking at each other, and those on screen for video conference nodded in agreement. "So, if Sir Darleon would not come back, can we at least have someone who is actually the strongest in the guild as an acting Guildmaster?"

The corner of Linze’s eye twitched--not only this person just insinuating that he wasn’t strong enough for his standard, but also rejecting the proposal of putting him as the acting guildmaster.

But just like the other executives, he could not blatantly oppose a major shareholder. He just had to wish that the people who were backing him kept true to their promise.

"Are you saying the candidate proposed by the guild is not adequate, Sir?" a fund manager in charge of managing a hedge fund backing Linze asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, how should I say," Senan shrugged and cocked his head at the guild’s executives table. "Even from here, I could see there’s someone stronger than him."

The shareholders, especially those who were civilians, couldn’t tell the difference in magic energy level. But the espers could, and it was their subconscious reflex to look at the said ’strongest’ esper--aside from Darleon Belthera, of course.

And the person who received those stares blinked in surprise at the unexpected turn of events. Siyu, the Head of the Internal Security Department, looked at her teacher, Darleon Belthera, who hid a subtle smile behind his mustache.

The representative of Iron Shield, who just stirred the room again, said nonchalantly. "Why don’t we take a break and proceed with a vote?"

In the back seat, Mira typed on her tablet with parted lips. [Did somebody ask for a change earlier?]