There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Chapter 111. Their Own Little World

The show was more interesting than Zein thought it would be. The one who led the direction of the discussion was pretty good at coaxing heated reactions but also dodging possible conflict from happening.

They were probably being extra careful since Celestia and Trinity were in the show together.

The panels were talking about dungeon anomalies, which seemed to be happening quite a lot this year based on the association’s data. While the expert talked about the many types of the anomaly and their impact, the espers provided on-site experience and insight on how to deal with a sudden change inside the dungeon.

Bassena was a certainty, but Zein had to admit that the haughty Princess was knowledgable too. It wasn’t a surprise though, having been groomed and trained to be an ultimate weapon since her childhood. Too bad that she wasn’t taught how to convey it nicely, because she always sounded condescending and even competitive.

What exactly was she getting competitive on, anyway?

Zein had wondered if that was what the man from Celestia meant when he said ’challenge’ to Bassena earlier. But the Serpent Lord didn’t look fazed even when the weird girl threw provocative bait.

Must have been those PR lessons and anger management training, Zein thought.

The guide had to admit, that this TV persona that Bassena used--alluring, mature, gentlemanly--worked well with the audience. He could see some of the staff swooning over the esper’s thoughtful remarks and charming smile.

But he’s not cute anymore; Zein crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

The face of Trinity did have obligation to carry as the guild’s representative. This version of Bassena annoyed Zein, simply because he looked like the typical esper that loved themselves too much. But while he felt annoyed, the thought of being one of the people who could witness the esper’s adorable, childish side was also... exhilarating.

While busily watching Bassena and following the topic of discussion, Zein didn’t realize that he’d been there without getting bored. He didn’t change his spot even until the shooting for the first part was over and the cast took a break.

"Huh, is it over?"

"Not yet," Jock answered him from behind. "It’s a lunch break before they resumed shooting another part."

Hmm...Zein tapped his masked cheek in ponder. They said this was a two hours talk show, but the shooting had been rolling longer than that. He didn’t know that it took a long time and a lot of effort to have a two hours talking show--perhaps he should watch them from time to time?

"Bored yet?" Bassena’s voice came to Zein while he was thinking about it.

"I can survive," the guide shrugged as a reply, eliciting a chuckle from the esper. "How much longer would it take?"

"I don’t know," Bassena frowned then, the smile receding from his face. "The second part is more like an interview with the espers, and while I’m planning to answer them as concisely as possible..."

Zein didn’t need to hear the rest, for they both glanced toward the other side of the set, where the Princess was being treated like...well, a Princess. A whole crew of Celestia workers was taking care of her needs, from fetching her water and snacks to massaging and fixing her makeup.

"Ah, it’s the weird girl," Zein muttered, and Bassena smiled in response, delighted at the dry tone and cold stare the guide gave.

But that smile receded again when Bassena remembered the cause of his distress earlier. The interview wasn’t a big deal for him, and Bassena was skilled enough to answer in a concise but nice manner. The same couldn’t be said with Senia though; a diva who wanted the attention to be focused on herself.

Suddenly filled with bad feelings, Bassena looked at Zein with worried and pleading eyes. "Just saying it now, but if we ended up staying here for too long, you can’t blame me."

Zein raised his brow, before smirking behind his mask. "I won’t blame you," the guide said light-heartedly while leaning on the railing behind him. But when Bassena started to let out a relieved smile, he added; "But I can’t say anything about the reward."

"No!" the esper wailed and prompted the crews around their proximity to turn in surprise.

What they found was a Bassena Vaski who covered his face with both hands, while the guide chuckled softly. The blue eyes that were usually hard and deep gleamed softly as the guide titled his head and spoke teasingly.

"Haha...it’s in that girl’s hand now,"

"Ah, fucking hell..."

"Seeing her reminds me of myself," Bassena continued, looking at Zein who was raising his brow in surprise. "The way I was when I was still with the Golden Viper," the esper added immediately, and Zein made an ’ah’ sound.

Bassena sighed at the sudden memory. So the bitter smile was more for his past self rather than for the girl, thought Zein.