There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 393 - 385. The New Old Tree

Chapter 393: Chapter 385. The New Old Tree

"It’ll be this Saturday," Radia told him when Zein and Bassena went to Mortix in the afternoon.

"On the weekend?" Bassena whistled. Zein looked at him with a bit of a scrunched nose and blinking eyes--something the guide always dis when he wanted an explanation. "The trial will be open to the general public, so doing it on the weekend means more people will tune in."

"Ah..."

The trial, as requested by the achievement-hungry President, would be broadcasted onlink. It would have been held behind closed doors if it was a regular House Trial. However, the victims of Operation Kronos came from all layers of citizens, so it was deemed to be best for the citizens to know about the trial’s proceedings.

The trial for Ishtera vs Horin, however, would be held as a House Trial--which meant the judge would be the appointed House Inquisitor, and the rest of the prominent Houses’ representatives would be the jury, using their voting right to decide on the punishment.

"I’m going to bring the prosecutor to where Varion is tomorrow," Radia said as he stood up from his chair. "I’m going to have lunch. Do you want anything?"

Zein raised his brow at the mention of a name he had already forgotten--even though it had only been a few days ago. "Huh...I want a salad."

"Ah, right. Kind of forget that he’s supposed to be a witness," Bassena tapped on his chin and pursed his lips. "They have braised ribs down there, right?"

"Anyway, didn’t know he had that recording," Zein leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms as he tried to recall that eventful night.

Radia tapped their orders on his commlink, scoffing at Zein’s remark. "He said he forgot."

"You believe that?"

"No," Radia smirked, signaling to his summoned secretary to make them some drinks. "However, it could also be the effect of the core. Well, it doesn’t matter since we have it now."

And since it became key evidence to start an investigation, they could forgive the man a little bit.

"Hmm...he must be thinking he won’t be able to go out forever if Torodeo Horin doesn’t get maximum punishment," Bassena said.

At first, Varion probably just wanted to avoid getting killed, since he knew now that the Horins wanted him dead and just exploiting him without even meant to give him any position. But during the idle time he had within his...’protective confinement’, it seemed that he realized dragging the Horins fully until they were no more of a threat would be difficult. And his memory ’returned’...or so he said.

While waiting for their lunch to come, Radia explained to Zein that the prosecutors would have to brief the man first, because his testimony would be used for both cases. Varion would most likely demand a lot of things--since he was sly and shameless like that--including being free of any accusation on the basis that he was being brainwashed. Radia explained it now so Zein wouldn’t get too surprised--and annoyed--when he found out later. After all, he was the main victim of the crime that Varion enacted.

"So...he’ll get out free after the trial?"

The one who asked was Bassena, but Radia glanced at Zein’s face as the staff put their lunch on the meeting table they used as an impromptu luncheon room. He had thought Zein would be annoyed, but the guide looked calm and nonchalant, as if he didn’t care about that man anymore. "That’s the deal in place of him spelling everything against Torodeo," Radia finally replied with a subtle smile.

"Hmm..."

The summoner glanced at Bassena then. "Why? Are you afraid Celestia will go back to its former state?"

"Well, kind of?"

This time, Zein looked perturbed. He didn’t care about Varion--whose name still failed to get etched in his head--but Celestia had become his investment now, and he quite liked the new one. Senan had shown him the new guide policy that the current executives made as the result of pressure from Iron Shield, and he wanted it to be implemented. If Celestia reverted back to how it was under Varion, why did he even invest there anyway? He had better use for the clan’s money elsewhere.

So now, ignoring his fresh salad and spring rolls, he stared at Radia keenly, waiting for an answer.

"Well, there’s a possibility, but..." Radia tilted his head and tapped the table with his fingers in contemplation. "I don’t think you need to worry much."

"Really?" Zein narrowed his eyes skeptically. If there was something he learned while living in this world, it was that people with powerful backing got away with everything.

"The trial won’t end until the end of this month, at the very least, and Varion will be under witness protection until then," Radia explained with a smile. "It’s enough time for the acting guildmaster to consolidate her position in the guild."

Bassena, who had been mixing Zein’s salad with the dressing so the guide could eat it right away, chimes in. "But, won’t Varion’s old people do something when they know--"

"What they will know is that Varion had something to do with the crime of kidnapping you, even if he was being brainwashed," Radia said, leaning on the table to look at Zein and Bassena with curled eyes. "Now, what do you think the people in Celestia would think?"

Bassena and Zein looked at each other inquisitively. That he’s bad? But Celestia members and staff already knew Varion had a bad personality. They were sure Celestia people knew Varion had been targeting Zein and were openly hostile to Radia and Trinity, and this mannerism was followed by his members. They even heard about how awful he treated the regular staff and those who weren’t part of his faction. For three years, no one seemed to criticize him for it.

Radia smiled at the doubt written on the couple’s faces. "That he’s a weak link."

Still skeptical, Zein tilted his head. "Is that so?"

"Let me take you from the start," Radia straightened his back and finally started to slice his steak. "What do you think Varion’s strength is? How did he get the Guildmaster’s position?"

"Because he’s the previous Guildmaster’s son?" Bassena shrugged.

"That," Radia snapped his fingers. "That is his credibility--the honorable name of Belthera. A lot of shareholders gave their support because of that."

"But if that’s the case, the current guildmaster is also the disciple of--ah..."

"As far as credibility goes, she has it," Radia nodded. "Now, about the shareholders; they are people whose interests aren’t in the well-being of society or anything of the sort. They are mostly merchants like me, and what is their interest?"

Zein replied easily. "Money."

"Money," Radia curled his lips deeply. "And what is money built on?"

Again, Zein and Bassena just looked at each other, devoid of answer. So they just waited for Radia to swallow his steak and give them the answer.

"Trust," the summoner replied after wetting his throat with a glass of water. "They believe that the money they spend will multiply. If this trust is broken, they will change ship as fast as they change the menu for their lunch."

Zein raised his brow and finally remembered that he had lunch to eat. Grabbing his fork to start eating his salad, Zein made his conclusion. "So, what you mean is that they can’t trust Varion again?"

"Let’s say it this way," Radia pointed toward Zein with his fork. "You have some money, and you give it to someone--let’s say just for safekeeping. And then you find out that person is getting hypnotized, brainwashed--so you, as someone who had given something precious to that person, what would you think?"

"That my money might be gone, given away to the people who do the brainwashing?"

"Exactly. Even if you find out that your money is safe, will you keep your money with that person, or will you take it away?"

"Take it away of course," Bassena said. "If he can be hypnotized once, who is to say he won’t get hypnotized again in the future?" he scoffed. "After all, it showed that he doesn’t have a strong mental fortitude, or at least equipment that could prevent such a thing."

"Excellent, student Vaski," Radia nodded and clapped his hands briefly.

Zein chuckled and shoved the colorful salad with citrus dressing into his mouth. "So...he won’t have enough support this time around?"

"I don’t think his former team is even willing to stand by him anymore--you know, like the weird girl you tell Bas about."

"Huh..."

Radia smiled and got back to his own meal. "Sometimes, for someone like him, being shunned by society and losing all of his past authority is a harsher punishment than being locked up," he said, lips curling and eyes gleaming in merciless glow. "Being free meant he would have to face the humiliation of being demoted from his previous position every day. He wouldn’t even be able to play victim because that would hurt his pride too much."

"But what if his father--"

"That would be a breach of contract, and he would have to pay us back twice the amount of investment we poured," Radia raised his brow and smirked. "You don’t think I’ll just let him take our money, do you?"

Zein chuckled. Well, he wouldn’t expect less from Radia Mallarc. As long as they were on the same side, the summoner would always be a reliable ally.

"Well, that old man should realized now that he had been wrong, letting his son do whatever he wanted," Radia added. "That is, if he’s still the same person we looked up to; the one who united five big guilds and created the giant tree for the Federation’s safety."

Suddenly, something occurred in Zein’s mind when he heard what Radia said. Glancing at the summoner, he asked curiously. "Hey, if Celestia is still like the old time...would you yield the reclamation project to them?"

Radia looked up from his steak, crimson eyes narrowed as if Zein had just asked something ridiculous. "Are you kidding me? Of course, I won’t."

The answer that came without any hesitation, for some reason, was very much anticipated. Respect was respect, but Radia wouldn’t be a Chairman of a conglomerate group if he would yield profit just for sentiment.

"No matter how big they are, they won’t have the purification device to create a temporary safe zone, or any means to manage the shard fragment of Setnath."

"What if I go over?" challenged Zein.

Radia shrugged and replied nonchalantly. "Then I’ll send Bas to seduce you."

"What if Bas goes over too?"

"Then I’ll send Joon to get you two back."

"...damn, that’ll work," Bassena muttered before biting into his braised ribs.

"And Joon will never go against him too," Zein shook his head, giving up.

"Too early, boys," the crimson eyes curled like the light of a hellfire. "You’re too young to go against me."