There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 201

Chapter 201: Chapter 195. To Grow New Sprouts

"That’s smoother than I thought," Bassena whispered, leaning on the railing of the terrace as his eyes followed the movement inside from the window.

Logan was in the middle of finalizing things with the Elder and Senan, and since Zein discussed everything he wanted to with the attorney, he asked to be pardoned for a breath of fresh air--which was why they were on the terrace right now.

"Why, do you wish for a fight?" Zein raised his brow, to which Bassena responded with a chuckle.

"I can go for a few spars,"

"Have some shame, Mister Saint-class," Zein flicked the grinning face on the forehead, although he had a smirk on his own face.

But soon the smile faded, and he was back to staring blankly into the air. Bassena tilted his head, watching the brooding face. He held his sigh and reached for the guide’s hand, stroking the tense knuckles. He recalled what Radia said to him; to keep reminding Zein of the thing he should not forget.

"Talk to me?" he said, gently, shaping it as a request rather than a suggestion. "Are you thinking about the house?"

Bassena could feel the hand flinch under his palm, so he knew he was right.

After they were done talking about the company and the foundation, the middle-aged man took out a box. It was filled with keepsakes; things belonged to Roan and Lucia, as well as a few things left behind by the previous patriarch, Zein’s grandfather. There was that wedding picture, and they saw a small photo album, a pocketwatch belonging to every head of Ishtera, and a box of Lucia’s jewelry--something that the group brought over because they thought they would be reunited with Lucia. Clearly, they didn’t.

Zein had to pause for a bit when he saw a ring that most definitely belonged to his father, but that wasn’t the thing that affected him the most. It was the folder beneath all of those things. Contained inside, was the deed to a lakeside house and a small piece of land surrounding it.

It was the house where Roan and Lucia spent their last days together; the house where he was conceived, and perhaps, where he was named.

--I know we haven’t gone through the procession yet, but I want to give you this as soon as I can.

The Elder had handed the deed and the box of keepsakes with trembling hands and a shaking voice. There was sadness, but also happiness and relief that the things he had been trusted with finally met their rightful owner after almost three decades.

He told Zein that no one had ever come back to that house again, worried that there would be surveillance. But after they heard about the Golden Viper’s fall and the annihilation of the Vaskis, they sent someone to check on the property.

Fortunately, since the place was rather remote, no one seemed to disturb the place. It was, of course, in tatters after almost thirty years, and the land surrounding it had grown wild. But as the deed was still intact, Zein was free to do anything with it--sell it, renovate it, or just leave it alone.

"What do you think I should do with it?" Zein muttered, staring at the leafless tree.

Bassena hummed and interlace their fingers, following Zein’s gaze and staring at the dark branches. "One thing I know for sure, you shouldn’t leave it alone."

"I know," Zein pressed his lips together. Leaving it alone was the same as running away, and he had decided not to do that anymore.

They returned to silence, both wondering about the possible course of action. In the end, Bassena grasped Zein’s hand and brought it to his lips, leaning closer to stare at the blue eyes. "Why don’t we look at it first?"

Zein raised his brows. "You mean, go there directly?"

"Yeah," the esper grinned. "It’s better to see it for yourself, and you might find how you feel about it after that."

"How I feel..."

"Whether you want to let it go, or keep it as a memory. Let’s see if...you know..."

"If I can bear it?" Zein let out a bitter smile, but he knew the esper was right. "Well..." he stared at the warm ambers and felt the bitterness melting away. "I can at least bear it if you’re there."

Bassena blinked, his body froze and his mind short-circuited, cheeks flared with reddish hue. And as if it wasn’t enough, Zein whispered sweetly. "Kiss me."

And so he did, soft and gentle, trying to hold himself back because they were not in the confine of their own room. "Should we go there tomorrow?" Bassena asked, hands on the guide’s waist as they leaned against the railing. "We can borrow the guild’s helicopter."

"Using an office property for personal use?" Zein arched a brow. "You’re setting a bad example, Vice-Guildmaster."

"Don’t you know executives are allowed to use them personally three times a year?" Bassena smirked. "Between us, that’s six--I mean, four left this year."

"Huh..." Zein had no idea. It was probably written somewhere in the section about facilities, which Zein didn’t bother to read much since his brain was too fried from the salary details.

"So?"