There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 434 - 427. Sabatical

"Azra, mind the timing!"

"I get it!"

"Stay back until Kei gives a signal!"

"Alright!"

Bassena playing as a Demon King of some sort--or rather, the villainous Serpent Lord--was fun, but Zein paid more attention to Senia. She could barely work together before, making him wonder what kind of raid she had been having in Celestia. She couldn’t match well with a trained squad, although it was understandable.

In a team play, what they needed the most was trust. But she was their adversary--if not enemy--before, so it was hard for them to trust Senia. Meanwhile, the Princess had been used to ignoring the words of those whose rank was below her, so she couldn’t receive instruction well.

It needed getting beaten up so much by Bassena and getting wordlessly scolded by Zein’s guiding to make her finally listen to the other espers.

At some point, Zein wondered if this was the method that Radia and Han Joon used on Bassena a long time ago.

But thanks to that, she could somewhat do team play as long as they gave her clear instructions and strategies. Of course, to match the level of teamwork from Anzus, who knew what skills and movements their teammates would use just by a glance at their limbs was impossible for her.

But at least, she was usable now. Just like Radia wanted.

She wouldn’t be in Anzus for long anyway, if Zein read Radia’s plan well. The guildmaster would send Senia on a different mission inside the Deathzone--especially after they established the first base.

But it was fascinating seeing her development as an esper, and how careful she became around guides. Technically, Zein was supposed to be the one who guided her, but he let other guides do it sometimes--as learning experiences for both sides. He also wanted to see if the girl only acted well in front of him, or if she could maintain it in front of others weaker than her.

Well, at best, it was awkward. On bad days, it would be a guiding session full of tension. But he could say that Senia made a significant change. Whether she did it to curry favor with Zein or something genuine did not matter. She would gradually learn how much better it was living with that change.

As for Radia, he just cared that she could be used.

He had to. If there was a weakness of Trinity, it was their size. Pulling it off while dividing between people to be sent and people to stay behind only with their manpower alone was impossible, so he would gladly welcome any additional chess piece he could use. Sure, they had hired mercenaries, but how many mercenaries was a five-star esper?

Talking about Radia though...Zein hadn’t been seeing the man often. It had down to once a week, on the day of the executive meeting--which had become weekly now with the impending start of the campaign. They would use the time to guide the summoner, before Radia was gone again, going around Mortix’s factory to take care of the logistics.

Everyone had been busy, even Han Shin, who had to juggle between being a healer and a researcher; attending the raid training as well as checking on all of the equipment and devices the guild would take. Zein did not fare any better, with raid training and preparing his kids thoroughly, not to mention taking care of all his side projects before he went away--especially the school and the Temple. With the little free time he had at hand, he could only start to make his will in the middle of May.

"This is almost as dizzying as taking care of tax," Zein felt his eye twitch from a bad memory.

"It’s not that bad," Logan chuckled. "You just have more assets now. It’s important for you to track all of them to make a detailed will."

"Hmm..."

Zein looked at all the papers in front of him while massaging his temple. Last year...yeah, last year, the only thing he had in hand was the salary he had from the borderland unit for four years, minus what he used to buy equipment and travel fees. It didn’t even amount to what he earned monthly now.

No--if it came down to it, he obtained more in a week than in those four years, with his guiding fare and what he received from Iron Shield.

How laughable.

"Seems like in the end, I use my grandfather’s will again," Zein snorted as he took out the previous patriarch’s will, the one dividing the clan assets into those for Zein and those for the Templar of Arms Master.

He had decided to use the will as an example and divided his liquid assets into percentages; for the clan and the foundation. He felt sorry for the Iron Shield, but most of his wealth would be put in a trust fund running the foundation. It couldn’t be helped--he had to make sure the orphanage and the school kept on running.

"By the way, it’s rare to see you without Sir Vaski," Logan said after Zein was done scribbling some calculations.

"He’s busier than me," Zein chuckled.

In fact, other than Radia, Bassena was probably the busiest. It was to the point that the only time they saw each other outside the house was during the raid training. The Head of the Strike Department had to check on the preparation of all espers involved--which was way greater in number than guides.

This included the condition of their equipment and their skills in cross-squad operation. While guides like Zein only needed to follow the esper from behind, the espers had to move following certain strategies to utilize their skills more effectively. Radia had even called for the military despite his aversion to them, asking for a short course on large-scale raids that the military was the best at.

It would be perfect if Han Joon could come as an official military advisor, but...well, it was too late now.

In the midst of all that, Bassena still had to attend some PR campaign that had been paused since Zein’s abduction. From press conferences to talk shows, he had to cover for Radia who kept fleeting all around the Federation. Thanks to this, he would come home totally drained. If it wasn’t for the presence of his beloved, he would have been under a lot of stress.

"Good work today," Zein patted the giant baby who immediately snuggled up to him the moment he came home.

"Mm..."

Bassena hated the day he had to appear in public because more often than not, he would have to stay until late at night, meaning he wouldn’t be able to feed Zein dinner. He had started to cook for the sake of gaining the guide’s heart, but it had become one of his emotion management therapies that filled him with joy at the thought of putting a blissful expression on his beloved’s face.

But he could rarely do that now, which frustrated him.

That being said, a single gentle stroke from the guide in his hair easily got rid of all the stress. He let out a content sigh and buried his face in Zein’s lap. "How’s your day?"

"Finally made that will," Zein chuckled. "At last."

"Ah, one thing crossed out from the list, then," Bassena nodded. "Just for your information, you are the sole beneficiary of my will--aside from a sum I left for Ayya."

Zein couldn’t say it was unexpected, but he felt rather guilty for not doing the same. Bassena felt the slight tension in the hand that was caressing him, and he laughed softly. "Don’t feel burdened by it," he said. "Unlike you, I don’t have a clan or a school to take care of. And I don’t care what you’ll do with my money--donate them, burn them..."

"I don’t think many will survive if you die, though."

Especially me--Zein added inwardly, recalling his mother’s history. He had no idea if he could survive losing Bassena after losing the twins.

"Then the beneficiary of your will could enjoy my money," Bassena rolled to his back so he could look at Zein. "Well, ideally, I don’t want any of us to have nothing but a happy end."

"Mm," Zein smiled and continued to caress the esper’s hair absentmindedly. Bassena tilted his head and held the caressing hand, prompting the guide to look down. "Anyway, what else is there on the list?"

"A lot," Bassena smirked. "A date at the red-zone, a date at the aquarium, a date at the sea, a date at--"

"Pfft--do we even have any time to go on those dates?"

"Well, not now," Bassena raised and stretched his back, yawning as his esper’s endurance started to hit the edge. "But we’ll have time soon."

Zein raised his brow dubiously, but Bassena just smiled and shrugged. "Radia would announce it soon."

Again, Zein raised his brow. He didn’t need to wait long, though. As time rolled and they entered June, the guildmaster summoned every single one of the guild members, making the Trinity compound the fullest since its establishment. Everyone from espers, guides, and management team filled the main conference hall on the second floor.

Radia wasn’t one to waste meetings with long speeches, so he only addressed the guild members briefly about how the start of the campaign was already in front of them. As Zein had found out before, he reminded each enlisted personnel to take care of their will and fill out the guild’s life insurance so their family or chosen person could receive the benefit should something befall them, including permanent disability and death.

It was a solemn and rather grim meeting, and Zein could feel the tension coming from the whole guild, not just the enlisted members. The Guildmaster did not make any grand promise that he would make sure no one became casualty, but he also looked calm and confident as always, which lessened the tension somewhat.

"The advance team will go to the borderland at the twenty-second, and the rest will follow after the establishment of the first base inside the Deathzone," Radia repeated what they had told over and over. "After that, you will have to stay there for as long as the campaign goes, away from your family, friends, and civilization."

The hall became grim again, as the unsaid words were left hanging in their mind; that they might not be able to see those family, friends, and civilization ever again. Radia smiled at their sullen expression and continued.

"So why don’t you take the time to enjoy them beforehand?" he looked at the surprised faces in front of him and continued. "Whether you’re in the advance team or the main division, we’ll give you a paid vacation from the eleventh to the twenty-first."

Zein blinked and turned at the smiling Bassena as Radia ended his announcement.

"Use it well."

Still with a smile on his lips, the esper took Zein’s hand and brought it to his lips. "So? Which date would you like to do first?"