There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 387 - 379. For a Guaranteed Future

Chapter 387: Chapter 379. For a Guaranteed Future

"It’s complicated..."

"Just like your relationship," Zein commented, to which Radia responded with a laugh.

Well, he could laugh now because things had been solved between them, and everything just felt silly now. But indeed, their relationship was a complicated one.

"So?"

Radia smiled and rummaged through his inside pocket, taking out a small box containing golden needles. But before he took out one, he looked at the host first. "Can I?"

The blue eyes stared at Radia wordlessly, and the summoner sighed, putting the box back. Except during the raid on House Horin where he needed to spend a lot of mana, he had been cutting back on it. But this time...he felt like he needed one just to calm his heart.

"Here, eat this instead," Han Shin pushed a small box of chocolates in front of Radia, who stared at it with narrowed eyes full of disapproval. "It’s eighty percent dark chocolate that I was going to give Hyung, but..."

"Well, in that case."

Zein and Bassena pressed their lips as they felt the corners of their mouths twitch. So people in love were the same everywhere, no matter how cold, calculating, or mighty they were. To complement the chocolate--which Zein found to be too bitter for him--the guide provided the tea that Yuria Apsoro gave him as a courtesy gift the other day.

"Alright," Bassena leaned forward, propping his elbow to the table after the tea had been served. "Hit us."

Radia wiped his fingers with wet wipes that one of his summons provided, staring blankly at the lake while he pondered where he needed to start. "Joon was sentenced for desertion."

"Because he was missing?"

"Because he was leaving without permission for more than thirty days, while on active duty," Radia explained. "It was considered to be abandonment of military duty, and the punishment ranged from imprisonment to death."

Han Shin widened his eyes, teaspoon clattering on the table. "No, he won’t receive the death penalty unless he did it during a mission or war," Radia patted the healer’s head.

"Bu--but he did it to...to deal with that Operation!"

"That he did," Radia nodded, staring at the same tea he tasted when he asked Yuria to trace Han Joon’s crumbs. "But he did it on his own, so he was a vigilante at best. It’d be different if he made an attempt to alert the authorities--you know, the investigation bureau or presidential palace--but he didn’t."

Radia paused and, when he spoke again, it was with a heavy sigh. "Instead, he sent the data to me, and destroyed the place."

"So..."

"So he could be charged with erasure of evidence and leaking sensitive content to outsiders."

"How absurd!" Han Shin frowned and the teacups jolted slightly from his fist striking the table. "They wouldn’t find out about the Operation without him!"

Indeed, Radia also thought there was a factor of pettiness from the President. Han Joon got rid of the Specter core and the building, sending the data to Radia, and so, instead of the government, the one who became the Head of Inquisition was Ludya Mallarc.

"That result was what made him only being charged with desertion," Radia said, lifting his cup so Han Shin wouldn’t accidentally spill it from reasonable outrage. "The source of data used on the trial would be marked as being sent through an anonymous source. Otherwise, he could be charged with other things."

Bassena frowned and pursed his lips. "Can’t they just consider him as--what was it called again...whistleblower?"

Again, Radia sighed. "It’s because Joon did not send the data to the government, but to a merchant."

"...you," Zein muttered.

"Yes, me," there was a bitterness in Radia’s tongue that had nothing to do with the chocolate he just ate. "Joon’s plan was to get rid of the main server secretly and get out of there without anyone knowing. Then, he would slip inside a random dungeon and stage an anomaly, saying he was trapped inside another dungeon that got connected to that dungeon."

People might get suspicious, but with how much dungeon anomaly happening, it would be hard to refute, especially if they cleared the dungeon and the gate disappeared. He wouldn’t be a deserter then, just a soldier missing in action. Afterward, he had planned to resign from the military, stating that the time he was missing caused him post-traumatic syndrome. The data that he took would then be sent anonymously to the President, the investigation bureau, and the press.

At least, that was the plan.

And the one who ruined that plan was none other than Radia. "It’s me," the summoner said. "I’m the one who took Li Caishen there and ruined everything."

"No! If you didn’t come, he would be killed by that person!" Han Shin vehemently denied it. He would rather Joon’s plan get ruined than look at his corpse.

"But I’m also the one who baited the Horins and Han Gyeong to make a move," Radia shook his head. If it wasn’t for that, Joon would only need to face two guards before destroying the building. And this was the reason why he wanted to smoke.

"You were worried," Zein argued. "I would have done the same if Bas had come to me in the middle of the night all bloody."

No matter how mighty Bassena was, it didn’t matter. He would still worry about the esper’s safety, even if he knew there were only a few people who could go toe to toe with Bassena.

"Me too!" Han Shin clenched his fist. "If Hyung came to me like that, I would have done the same and looked for him! Do you even know how useless I felt all this time?"

For the first time, it was Radia who got consolation. The crimson eyes blinked in a daze from surprise. He was always the big brother all this time, as well as the Boss. It was a strange sensation, but also...not bad. It was as nice as the slightly warm sunlight and the fragrant breeze carrying the scent of plum and apple blossoms.

Radia smiled, and then chuckled. In a few seconds, the voice turned into laughter; a free, genuine laugh he hadn’t had for a long time.

Han Shin grinned at the laugh and the relaxed face. It reminded him of the face Radia would make when they were still at the academy. He had thought that Radia never make the expression again because the summoner had become an adult with huge responsibilities. But he knew now that the cause of that expression was his brother. It was gone when Han Joon was gone, and came back when they patched their relationship.

People might think it was bad to laugh during a solemn event like a funeral or memorial service, but Zein looked at the laughing summoner with a smile. He’d rather see a smiling and laughing face than tears today, because, for him, it was a good day. A celebrated day.

He got to fulfill one of his wishes, his promise, and although it wasn’t truly his accomplishment, he still felt proud.

He was happy, and thus, he wanted others to feel happy.

"But there was something else, right?" Bassena, however, was not satisfied with the answer. He tapped his finger on the table while pondering with a frown. "He has no record of misconduct before this, so normally, they would only give him a light sanction like a demotion or salary deduction."

"Or being sent to the Borderland Unit," Zein added, remembering his former commander, Agni Khan.

"That."

The Berserker wasn’t a deserter, but he refused to execute his superior’s order. He did get sent to prison, yes, but the prison’s name was Unit 04-2. The length of his ’disciplinary action’ was as long as the border still existed, so it was basically life imprisonment.

Of course, it would mean that he could gain his freedom through this reclamation project.

Bassena’s question put an end to the jolly atmosphere, as Radia put on an annoyed expression. He wasn’t annoyed at Bassena, however. "Of course there’s something."

Radia exhaled harshly and gulped all of his tea down as if trying to shove the annoyance down his throat. "It’s the military," he said with disdain. "Joon’s trial was being held by the military, and they have a lot of sentiment toward him."

"Why?!" Han Shin looked so offended, which was understandable. Operation Kronos wouldn’t be able to stop if it wasn’t for him, and yet they treated him like an enemy.

"Simple; because this whole case flipped the military upside down," Radia shrugged. "To investigate the military involvement, a thorough audit is being held. As a result, a lot of scandals and corruption came to light."

"What the hell? And they blamed Joon because of it?"

Radia turned his gaze toward the lake, using the calm surface as a meditative tool to calm his own heart. "That’s how people are."

Zein hummed and moved to refill his and Radia’s cup. "Won’t the President do anything?"

"Pfft--he’s just as petty as the military," Radia sneered. "The government wants to protect the military’s reputation, so they wrapped every case under the general public’s radar. That’s why they can’t designate Joon as a whistleblower, because it would mean telling the public that some of the high-ranking officers are trying to kill the citizens."

"What the fuck?!"

"Indeed."

This time, it wasn’t just Radia who tried to calm themselves by drinking the tea. Han Shin took out another box of chocolate with a strong sweet scent wafting up and started shoving the truffles inside his mouth while scrunching his face. It looked funny enough that Radia even forgot his own annoyance.

"But Joon said it’s better like this," Radia chuckled.

"What?!" Han Shin and Bassena replied aggressively. "How? Why?!"

"Because it meant he’s being discharged permanently from the military," Radia smiled deeply, holding a bitter chocolate in his fingers and twirling it. "And by law, the military would not be able to call him back to serve after he’s free, even if there’s a war happening."

Ah...so that was why Radia looked relatively calm, instead of trying to bring down the whole military system. They might have to be patient for a few years, but after that, there wouldn’t be anything left standing between them and the future they had promised each other in their youth.

"So, how long would it be?" Zein asked.

"Three years," the corner of the crimson eyes twitched slightly. "Well, it’s thirty-five months, but what’s the difference?"

"Hey, isn’t that quite long?" Bassena frowned. "There would be a lot of people that he put there himself. Would he be alright?"