There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 399 - 391. A Firm Root

Chapter 399: Chapter 391. A Firm Root

"An academy is good," Radia nodded in agreement behind his desk. "I can finally give those people a different answer now."

"By people, you mean the guilds who had been asking for combat guide training?"

"Mm," Radia gave one last signature and told his secretary to get him some ’hard’ tea. "But you can’t establish it in three months."

Zein leaned his head back and groaned. "I know," he let out a sigh.

Having an idea was good and all, he also had the means to realize it. The problem was time. Three months was only enough to renovate the building, make a curriculum, and obtain the government’s permission. Students weren’t hard to obtain as long as he talked to other guilds and mercenary groups. But he wasn’t sure he would be able to gather the lecturers.

Ideally, of course, he would like to mentor them himself and establish a stable system of education. But he would be marching to the Deathzone in June, and he didn’t think he could leave the frontline until the campaign was over.

Radia did order everyone to have a break twice a year--mainly to visit a psychiatrist and make sure they were still of sane mind--but that was probably the extent of Zein’s willingness to pull back from the area.

"Still, just keep it going. Let your clan’s foundation do the rest of the work," Radia said. "The operating funds will be tight at the start--at least until it gets a stable flow of students and contracts with big guilds--so you might want to look for investors too."

"Investors..."

"Not from guilds or companies--I know you don’t want your academy to be steered by capitals."

Zein raised his brow and smirked. "Is that a way to say you can’t invest?"

Radia chucked for a while, before looking at Zein with a smile that the guide couldn’t decipher. "It’s not good for our venture to keep intertwined," he said. "People might think House Ishtera is a puppet of House Mallarc otherwise."

Zein blinked his slightly widened eyes. Was it because he was a new player? He hadn’t thought of this before. But now that he looked back, it was House Mallarc who became a guarantor for his identity, and he had been going around formal events with Radia and Ludya.

Even this trial was proceeded by House Mallarc as inquisitor.

"You’re right," Zein exhaled slowly.

He didn’t realize it before, but he had relied too much on Radia’s help. Sure, he had no ambition to turn House Ishtera into a mighty house, but he also didn’t want his father’s legacy to be known as a mere puppet clan--no matter how false that was.

"So that means I shouldn’t seek the other Houses too, right?"

Radia nodded and chuckled in amusement. "It’s weird to see you wearing that troubled expression," Radia smirked--especially one caused by money. He flicked his gaze toward his office’s door. "Do you not realize you are in a relationship with one of the wealthiest esper in Eastern Federation?"

"Talking about me?"

Zein turned his head to see Bassena enter the guildmaster’s office with a paper in his hand. "I thought you were here for guiding," Bassena put the paper in Zein’s hand--the schedule of when the espers would use the simulation chambers. He leaned down and lowered his voice. "I didn’t know you were here to talk about me. I would have stayed outside to eavesdrop had I known."

"You can go out now and we’ll continue," Radia raised his brow in challenge, to which Bassena only replied with a shrug before he sat on the armrest of Zein’s chair.

"So? What is it?" he looked at the guide, who was folding the paper in his hand and putting it behind his coat. "Something about money? Investment? Your academy?"

Zein looked up to be greeted by Bassena’s grinning face. The amber eyes were twinkling cheekily, and Zein couldn’t help but chuckle. "So you’ve been waiting," Zein smiled and stood up.

Waiting for Zein to finally ask him to be involved.

Such a precarious position, a lover was. Bassena had wanted to offer his own money, his mother’s foundation’s funds. But Zein had always said it was fine, and if he kept offering it, Bassena was worried that Zein would take it badly--as if he was belittling his boyfriend, for example.

So he waited, as always, until Zein felt his help was finally needed.

Stretching his lips widely, Bassena replied with a shrug. "Took you long enough to realize."

* * *

"Are you sure you won’t regret this?" Zein asked, staring at a folder stating Bassena’s financial report.

"Why?"

Zein looked at the amber eyes below, sneaking his hand on the platinum hair strewn across his thigh. He opened his mouth, but paused as he felt a hesitation. Only after a few long seconds passed did he finally speak. "I heard business and money are dangerous for couples."

"Only if they broke up," Bassena narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "Do you have any plans to break things up with me?"

"Not at the moment."

"Hey!" Bassena raised himself and pursed his lips--perfect for Zein to capture it in a kiss. "That’s unfair..."

And the gentle pat after that was even more unfair because Bassena could only melt beneath the guide’s palm.

"It’s fine as long as we put it under a clear contract, isn’t it?" Bassena laid his head back on Zein’s lap, lying on his stomach on the couch.

"But isn’t your mother’s foundation meant for something else?"

"She meant for it to be used for talented but underprivileged students," Bassena said. "She did not specify which students," he looked up and smirked. "Just awakened guides are also students, aren’t they?"

Zein chuckled and patted the esper’s head. "Alright, let’s do this," he said, to which Bassena replied with a grin.

It was fascinating seeing the bright expression on the esper’s face as if he was extremely happy that he could be involved in Zein’s effort. Such an adorable man. Would there be any reason for Zein to break things up?

Perhaps...a prize was in order.

"Let’s quickly plan everything with your agents since we haven’t got much time," Zein said. "And then, after I testify in the court..."

Bassena lifted his head, blinking expectantly. "After you testify in the court?"

Zein curled his lips at the esper’s sparkling eyes, the eagerness was written all over the handsome face. Zein had read about how people started to re-evaluate their view of Bassena because the Saint-class esper had been showing a softer, brighter expression these days. Naturally, because Bassena had been with Zein all the time, his softer side was the one that the world saw now.

Stroking the esper’s cheek, Zein felt he was rather happy that people started to see Bassena beyond what his power presented him as; a weapon and a monster. It was nice to hear that people weren’t as scared of him as before.

"Let’s have that vacation," Zein smiled. "For real this time."

Bassena sat up and stared keenly at the blue eyes. "Just the two of us?"

The caution in that husky voice almost made Zein laugh out loud. "Mm, just the two of us," he said. "No one else; no guards, no friends, no clan members. You can put a barrier around the estate if you want."

"Truly?" the amber eyes looked at the guide sharply. "Truly?"

"Well...we can’t do it for long since we still have a lot of homework, but..." he grabbed the esper’s jaw and pulled the man closer for a kiss. "You can have me fully for the duration."

The kiss that ensued after that was filled with the esper’s cheery laugh, even while their lips were touching each other.

Unfortunately for Bassena, the plan was being pushed longer than his patience could hold. As if mocking his excitement, the trial went slower than they thought, and it wasn’t until two weeks later that Zein finally stood to testify.

But thanks to the delay, they managed to consolidate the plan for the academy, collaborating House Ishtera with the Svadiva Foundation. They used the same company that managed Zein’s estate to fix the compound, and Zein had managed to talk with the patriarch of House Caishen and the heir of House Kamui before the trial--who seemed to support his decision to establish an academy.

During that time, he also made an appointment to talk with the representative from Mago Temple, although that talk would only be conducted next month. But it was good enough, for now. Zein would still need to look for lecturers, and the only people he could use were his own subordinates, or...some of his old colleagues from the borderland.

Hmm...should he call Nora back from Celestia?

"What are you thinking about now?"

Zein’s pondering thought was broken by Bassena’s sharp question. The esper was narrowing his eyes, staring at Zein suspiciously as they walked through the concrete path from the helipad to the cabin.

"You said it’s going to be just us," the esper whose patience had been tested for the past two weeks said in annoyance. "It’s not just us if you keep thinking about something else."

"Don’t sulk," Zein chuckled, taking the esper’s hand to appease the younger man.

But Bassena wasn’t satisfied yet. "It’s also not a vacation if you keep thinking about work."

"I got it, I got it," Zein rolled his eyes, waiting for a few seconds before asking. "Are you finished?"

Bassena tilted his head, and after three seconds of silence, lowered his head and gave the guide a quick peck. "I’m finished."

"Good," Zein smirked and resumed their walk to the house. "It’s also not a vacation if you keep nagging."