There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 123

Chapter 123: Chapter 119. Dark Horizon

"Well, this is...interesting," Zein commented as he stepped into the Chairman’s office in Mortix’s headquarters.

Which very much identical to the guildmaster’s office in Trinity, except for the growth of the potted plants in the corner. From the color and fabric of the sofas to the way things were arranged on the large desk, they were giving Zein a sense of deja vu.

"What is?" Radia asked behind a computer screen, peeking out to look at Zein.

"Just this place," the guide shrugged while walking toward the sofa. Since the place was identical to the guildmaster’s office, he did what he usually did there; making himself comfortable on the sofa. "It’s intentional, isn’t it?"

Radia hummed in confirmation, the crimson eyes still locked on the screen. "It’s easier to juggle between two offices if they feel the same, so I don’t need to waste time for adjustment."

"Why’d you do it then?" Zein muttered while sitting down. "Working two places like that."

Radia, finally removing his eyes from the desk and swiveling in his chair to face Zein, smiled deeply. "Because I can."

Of course, Zein rolled his eyes. "I didn’t know you’re smoking too," he shifted his gaze to the stick between the guildmaster’s fingers.

"It’s made of golden needle," he said in response. One of the products from their dungeon, the golden needle was a type of grass with mana veins on them. It could be steeped into a very fragrant and refreshing tea, but consuming it after being processed into a cigarette allowed the user to absorb the mana into themselves. "I’m just inhaling mana."

And expensive as fuck, Zein bet. That kind of product, which contained mana, had a high production cost. Just like those limited edition chocolate with mana powder in it, or the liquor brewed in mana stone, only the highly privileged could get a hand on them.

But this highly privileged man, who was now walking toward the sofa, needed to supply mana constantly to his summoned creature, so the luxury was probably a necessity for him. Although why Radia always used summons to do secretary jobs, Zein had no idea.

"You looked like you need this more than me, though," was the first thing Radia said after he sat down, before inhaling the golden needle. "Did you have a burnout?"

Hearing the question for the second time made Zein think that espers seemed to know more about it than a guide like him. "Why do you think that?"

"Your eyes are dull," the guildmaster said, staring keenly at the blue eyes. "They were the most striking part of you when you’re wearing your mask, so it’s noticeable."

"Ah..."

Was that why? Zein hadn’t looked in the mirror in forever, so he wouldn’t notice the difference himself. He stared at the shiny surface of the coffee table, trying to look into his eyes. It was blurry, but it was visible that he didn’t look as sharp as usual.

"So?" Radia asked with a tilted head, flicking his cigarette over the ashtray.

Zein shrugged casually. "I don’t know, I just got tired from touching the fragment."

Would it be considered burnout if the cause wasn’t guiding? He did feel as lethargic as when he had one before, in the morning after he did it with Bassena. The water and the food provide his body with energy, but the exhaustion of the mind wasn’t easy to recover from.

Radia paused for a bit before responding.

"...yeah, that’s a better reason. I had been thinking you were cleansing Bassena so much during your honeymoon," he chuckled, prompting Zein to frown at the word.

"What honeymoon?"

Radia just smiled teasingly, flicking a screen in front of Zein to showcase the many articles regarding his yacht ride with Bassena; from the one calling it a date, to a more daring one who called it a honeymoon. Zein looked at them wordlessly before smacking the screen away--he already knew people would talk about it, but calling it a honeymoon was a stretch, wasn’t it?

"Have you eaten a proper meal?" Radia asked while Zein was scoffing at those articles.

"I had burgers."

"That’s not a proper meal," the crimson eyes narrowed disapprovingly, just as he did when Zein took a lot of sugar for his coffee.

The guide shrugged at that and replied nonchalantly. "They had meat and bread," he said. It was practical too, since he could eat in on the way here. Like rations the borderline unit had, buy taste much much better. What’s not to like?

"...I’ll take you to lunch later," Radia said with a sigh after, and Zein just shrugged again.