There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Chapter 153. Guarantee

"Why don’t you use your mother’s name?" Zein asked as they climbed to the topmost level of the burial ground.

There were only a few lots here, each with the gorgeous landscape of the valley as a backdrop. Zein supposed that was why the maintenance cost was astronomical.

"Well...she was already thrown her name away. That’s basically the reason why she made the deal with the Vaski,"

"Deal..." Zein stared at the white stone path below them. He wondered who made the deal with Marshal Todres; Lucia herself, or his father? He looked at Bassena, wanting to ask about the deal the esper’s mother made, but Bassena already gave an answer before Zein could speak.

"My mother came from the South, a runaway...rich girl," Bassena told him. There was a slight pause, along with an awkward gaze, that prompted Zein to think she was more than an average rich girl. Zein didn’t want to probe, however, and just continued listening to the esper. "But it’s quite hard to earn citizenship in other areas if you have no job or guarantor, and my mother also not exactly wanted her family to find out where she was running away to..."

"So came the Vaski," Zein concluded, to which Bassena responded with a nod. _{ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm}

"Yep. She met them at a continental party, and my mother...used to be so random and reckless," Bassena chuckled slightly; it was a sound filled with nostalgic melancholy. Bassena leaned down slightly and whispered to Zein, as if they were talking about someone who walked in front of them. "To be precise, she was wild."

Zein glanced at the grinning esper, and recalled the face of his mother. It was actually not that hard to imagine that fiery eyes and energetic smile making impulsive decision.

"Long story short, she made a deal to be smuggled out of the South, in return for a large sum of money, which she took from her inheritance," Bassena continued. Here, his expression turned rather forlorn. "They married my mother to the youngest son; someone younger than my mother, and sickly."

Different from how he talked about his mother, Bassena spoke about his father with a dry tone, as if he was talking about someone distant. That being said, Zein didn’t detect any hatred that Bassena usually showed when the members of the clan were mentioned.

"It doesn’t feel right to say it, but...I am always glad he was born sickly, so he didn’t have a chance to grow up rotten like his brothers," Bassena smiled bitterly. "Well...that also means he couldn’t survive long."

From how close Bassena was with his mother, Zein had a feeling that the esper rarely spent time with his father. Perhaps because of that illness, or because they were ostracized. Zein wondered if Bassena wished he could talk to his father more before; the esper looked quite sad, and Zein had an itch in his heart and his hand to stroke those cheeks.

Before Zein could follow his instinct and raise his hand, however, Bassena already speaking again. "In that kind of household, power is everything, and he just didn’t have it--or rather, lose it. I had heard the house staff talking about how his illness wasn’t of natural cause, but because the brothers poisoned him," the esper paused, and then laughed a little bit. "Apparently he used to be so talented, or so they said."

"Hmm..." Zein glanced at Bassena and tilted his head. "Well... looking at you..."

It was natural to think that Bassena received his tremendous mana and talent from somewhere. Getting rid of the biggest competitor to the ’throne’ seemed like this clan’s method from generation to generation, since the brother’s children also did the same to Bassena.

The only difference was that they were failed. No, actually, their plan worked. Bassena was on the verge of erupting, after all. They just didn’t think a random overqualified guide would come across the dying esper and saved the day.

Thinking about that put a better smile on Bassena’s face. Zein never seemed to realize it himself, how big of an impact he was; not just to Bassena’s life, but also to those who were affected by Bassena staying alive.

Was it preordained? Was it fate? Who knew. Who cares.

"My mother didn’t love him," Bassena pulled Zein’s arm slightly to enter another path. "But she didn’t hate him too--well, the same goes for me. It’s just a marriage business, and she worked as an esper like she had always wanted."

"And made a side business too,"

"Haha, yeah--ah, we’re here," Bassena stopped, a smile on his face, and Zein looked over the small grave in front of them.

Just like everything else they had been encountering on the way, the place was beautiful. The thumb stone was of white granite, standing between a sea of white flowers. Zein had no idea what kind of flowers were they, each with different sizes and shapes, but they were all beautiful, sparkling under the sun like Bassena’s hair.

Hmm...Zein turned to look up at the esper’s head. Was that why?

As if reading Zein’s mind, Bassena spoke with a smile. "My mother loved white. She loved her hair color, and she loved it because I got the same one," he smiled as they walked through the cobblestone path toward the small clearing surrounding the tombstone.

Zein followed slightly behind the esper while retracting his mask, looking at the granite behind the wide back. He wondered now, whether his mother had a grave, or if she was cremated without trace, just like the twins. Zein didn’t think he would like to have a reminder of someone’s death, but that was just him.

Bassena stood there silently for a while, before crouching in front of the granite. "The good thing about this place is that I don’t have to bring flowers," Bassena chuckled and brushed the perfectly pristine granite. The staff must have cleaned it today, since it was her ’day’ and they knew Bassena would come.

"Mother, I didn’t bring you chocolate today," Zein stared at Bassena, who spoke casually as if he was having a cordial conversation. That must have been how they talked to each other when she was still alive, with the child Bassena. "But I come with someone who likes chocolate as much as you do."

Zein raised his brow, but he said nothing while Bassena kept talking. "I confessed to him so many times, but he keep rejecting me. Don’t you think he’s rather heartless?" the blue eyes twitched, and Bassena still continued. "How is it? The next time I come here, do you think we’ll already--ouch, okay, he’s hitting me now..."

Bassena laughed as Zein knocked the top of his head again. He grabbed the hitting hand lightly, still with a cheery smile on his face as if the drenched zombie from last night never existed. The amber eyes gleamed softly as they stare at the granite, and Zein had no heart to pull away, just let his fingers be played with, and stood wordlessly beside the crouching esper.