There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 389 - 381. Suicidal Loyalist

Chapter 389: Chapter 381. Suicidal Loyalist

Zein looked around the table; they had brought several tables and put them together to form one big feast table, filling it with a rich and decadent spread of food. Bassena even took out his grill and let the young members of the Iron Shield--Arlo and his younger cousins--man the expensive meat he brought.

The highlight of it was the cured dragon meat which he grilled himself, since no one was brave enough to handle the kind of meat they never even dreamt of eating. Senan decorated the feast table with the flowers he personally picked from the garden, showing off an old man’s delicate side.

For this occasion, they even brought a cask of wine, generously served to everyone. Even the teenage kids were given a small glass, since it was a family event anyway. Those who were younger, however, were only allowed to take a sip from their parents’ glass.

"It’s Master Roan’s favorite," the Elder told Zein. "I’m glad they still produce it."

Ah, another thing to remember. Zein stared at his glass, which shimmering in a pale gold glow. Through the glass, he could see the others were looking at him; the Kovacs, the Euiya ladies, and his esper. He knew they were waiting for him to say something before starting the feast.

It wasn’t exactly his thing, but Zein had used to talk to his chicks back in the guild, so it didn’t disturb him anymore, to address a crowd. He stood up, rubbing his thumb on the side of the glass. The crowd, who was already looking at him, put their attention even more.

"I’m hungry, so I won’t say much," Zein said, and the younger Kovacs were cheering from the grill side. "I just want to say that today, for me, is a good day. To let my parents have their reunion at last, so they could travel the journey of the afterlife together. And so, I hope everyone also sees today as a good day," he looked up at the bright sky, a smile subtly drawn on his lips. "A day to be celebrated."

Zein raised his glass, and after staring at the Elder’s smiling face--albeit still with tears in his eyes, how worrying--he took a sip, to be followed by the others as they cheered.

Indeed, smiles and laughter were more suitable for a day such as this.

"I thank you too, for granting me the selfishness of putting two names in the family registry, although you have no idea who they are," the smile on Zein’s lips turned into a forlorn one, as the blue eyes dimmed a little bit. "But they are my younger brother, and I shall not let anyone say otherwise."

Unlike him, the twins had no Ishtera blood. Worse, they had the blood of the man who put Lucia and Zein in danger. For loyalists like them, it might be difficult to accept, having some strangers take the name of those they had served. But Senan raised his glass and spoke with a smile.

"That’s all we need, Young Master."

"And I thank you for that," Zein nodded, genuinely feeling gratitude for their acceptance, before sweeping his gaze across the table again. "As you know, we have decided to revive this...clan. And you must know that I don’t have enough knowledge about this matter. I do not know how to run a clan, and I can’t even say for sure that there’s a future for it."

The table became quiet then; even the youngsters around the grill and the kids running around the garden kept their silent as they felt the solemn mood. "I don’t mean to dampen your spirit, but this is the reality. the House of Ishtera was established to guard the seed of Setnath, and the objective had been met. My duty, however, is just about to start."

Zein paused for a bit, staring at his glass blankly. Yes. This was the duty he had decided to bear. "There are...the shards of Setnath scattered within the treacherous darkness of the East, and I will be there to protect those shards from the entities looming over the Deathzone."

Zein could see some of them started to straighten their back and put on a more serious expression. The older ones, especially. Those who had pledged to be his shield in his mission, to be his brigade.

"I had thought that I had to do this alone--well, I have some friends, but they have their own mission to carry," he glanced at Bassena briefly, who replied with a wry smile. "But it seems that some of you are kind of suicidal."

"Just like the Young Master," Senan shrugged, and chuckles broke around the table.

"And to that, I drink to you," Zein raised his glass again. "My suicidal loyal family."

They raised their glass and cheered, the family who had kept their loyalty to a crumbling name, whose heart laid on honor and valor. Indeed, they were the sturdy shield that had been protecting the name of Ishtera until the rightful heir came.

"Well, I said I wouldn’t take long, but I got hungrier now," Zein downed the wine in his glass and sat down and the youngsters on grill duty cheered for finally had a chance to eat the illustrious dragon meat.

"Quite poetic, I must say," Bassena leaned closer to whisper.

"I hang around Radia too much these days," Zein shrugged, twirling his empty glass as he mulled over whether he wanted to have a refill or not.

"That you do," Bassena nodded. "Just take another glass. You get drunk easily after all."

"But you’re here, aren’t you?" Zein curled his lips, but quickly added. "Don’t worry though, I don’t like it very much."

Bassena raised his brow. "No?" he thought Zein would want to drink a lot because it was his father’s favorite.

"Not my taste," Zein said, putting the glass on the table. "I prefer the sweet ones--like those Han Shin made at parties."

Bassena scoffed at that. "That guy mixed liquors like they’re chemical experiments. They do taste good, but also deadly. Although, I guess you two have the same palate for sweetness."

Zein chuckled and plucked a grape to get rid of the aftertaste in his mouth, while Bassena looked at him keenly. "What?"

"So you are different from your father," Bassena said.

Zein blinked and paused for a few seconds, before a smile broke on his face. "Naturally."

"Sir Vaski, how do we cut this?" Arlo came suddenly with the big tray carrying Bassena’s dragon meat. An army of boys and girls were behind him, waiting with drooling mouths.

"Have you mastered [Cut] number three?"

"Well...yes?"

"Then use that."

Arlo widened his eyes and exclaimed with a grin. "Yes, Sir!"

Zein watched the excited younglings run to the side table and Arlo made a stance with the kitchen knife, activating one of esper’s basic skills that had to be learned by damage dealers, no matter if they used cold weapons or magic. Before long, the dragon meat was getting sliced perfectly, enough for anyone to have a taste twice.

Immediately, the older members came over to make sure the kids did not steal the precious meat, as well as move the sliced meat to another tray so the adults around the table could eat it, including their young master.

"I don’t know you can use that kind of technique in the kitchen," Zein raised his brow in fascination.

"Everything is about mindset, honey."

Zein laughed and patted the cheeky esper, before deciding that his stomach could wait no longer. As he waited for the dragon meat to reach his plate, he took a heap of salad with orange dressing that the Eiyuta ladies brought with them--courtesy of the grandma next door.

"Never imagined we’d be welcoming a Vaski at a clan banquet," Senan remarked as he put two slices of dragon meat each on Zein’s and Bassena’s plates.

The old man didn’t say it in an agitated tone like in their first meeting, however. It was lighthearted and filled with laughter. He even chose the second-biggest slice on Bassena’s plate--the biggest, naturally, went to Zein.

"Stranger things happened in this world," Bassena smirked.

"Indeed," Senan laughed, placing a slice on his own plate and relaying the tray to someone else before taking a seat on Zein’s other side. "You might as well change your name to Ishtera at this point."

Bassena had been present in all of Zein’s meetings with the Iron Shield after all. The initial resentment of the name ’Vaski’ had been shifted into fondness, because they knew that it was Bassena who became Zein’s paladin. It was Bassena to whom they had to relay their gratitude, for coaxing Zein to step out of the borderland and enter the safer zone, which eventually led him to them.

And as far as Senan knew, they probably would stay together for the foreseeable future. He could see the way they looked at each other, reminding him of Roan and Lucia.

But then he realized Zein and Bassena were silent; a subtle smile playing on their lips, but also a hint of awkwardness. It occurred to Senan then, that he might have overstepped some lines.

"Ah, pardon me--"

"I don’t mind," Bassena said, lips stretching a bit further.

Zein looked at the esper, leaning back while raising his brow slightly. Bassena stared at the blue eyes with a smile on his lips. "I don’t mind," he repeated. "I mean, I only used Vaski to spite the rest of them, who were hiding," he added with a shrug. "Also because the other alternative is not feasible."

It wasn’t like he could use the name of the Royal Family in the South, after all, even if they had put his mother back in the family registry.

Zein leaned into his hand, which was propped on the armrest. "Oh?"

"Oh."

Well, it was hardly a secret, but Zein knew Bassena had his own plan, so he never asked. They already knew they would stay together as long as it was permitted by fate, even if they weren’t imprinted on each other.

Still, it tickled Zein’s heart to hear that Bassena would willingly take his name. Such an adorable man.

Gods--he loved this esper so much.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.