There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 399

Chapter 399: Chapter 391. A Firm Root

"An academy is good," Radia nodded in agreement behind his desk. "I can finally give those people a different answer now."

"By people, you mean the guilds who had been asking for combat guide training?"

"Mm," Radia gave one last signature and told his secretary to get him some ’hard’ tea. "But you can’t establish it in three months."

Zein leaned his head back and groaned. "I know," he let out a sigh.

Having an idea was good and all, he also had the means to realize it. The problem was time. Three months was only enough to renovate the building, make a curriculum, and obtain the government’s permission. Students weren’t hard to obtain as long as he talked to other guilds and mercenary groups. But he wasn’t sure he would be able to gather the lecturers.

Ideally, of course, he would like to mentor them himself and establish a stable system of education. But he would be marching to the Deathzone in June, and he didn’t think he could leave the frontline until the campaign was over.

Radia did order everyone to have a break twice a year--mainly to visit a psychiatrist and make sure they were still of sane mind--but that was probably the extent of Zein’s willingness to pull back from the area.

"Still, just keep it going. Let your clan’s foundation do the rest of the work," Radia said. "The operating funds will be tight at the start--at least until it gets a stable flow of students and contracts with big guilds--so you might want to look for investors too."

"Investors..."

"Not from guilds or companies--I know you don’t want your academy to be steered by capitals."

Zein raised his brow and smirked. "Is that a way to say you can’t invest?"

Radia chucked for a while, before looking at Zein with a smile that the guide couldn’t decipher. "It’s not good for our venture to keep intertwined," he said. "People might think House Ishtera is a puppet of House Mallarc otherwise."

Zein blinked his slightly widened eyes. Was it because he was a new player? He hadn’t thought of this before. But now that he looked back, it was House Mallarc who became a guarantor for his identity, and he had been going around formal events with Radia and Ludya.

Even this trial was proceeded by House Mallarc as inquisitor.

"You’re right," Zein exhaled slowly.

He didn’t realize it before, but he had relied too much on Radia’s help. Sure, he had no ambition to turn House Ishtera into a mighty house, but he also didn’t want his father’s legacy to be known as a mere puppet clan--no matter how false that was.

"So that means I shouldn’t seek the other Houses too, right?"

Radia nodded and chuckled in amusement. "It’s weird to see you wearing that troubled expression," Radia smirked--especially one caused by money. He flicked his gaze toward his office’s door. "Do you not realize you are in a relationship with one of the wealthiest esper in Eastern Federation?"

"Talking about me?"

Zein turned his head to see Bassena enter the guildmaster’s office with a paper in his hand. "I thought you were here for guiding," Bassena put the paper in Zein’s hand--the schedule of when the espers would use the simulation chambers. He leaned down and lowered his voice. "I didn’t know you were here to talk about me. I would have stayed outside to eavesdrop had I known."

"You can go out now and we’ll continue," Radia raised his brow in challenge, to which Bassena only replied with a shrug before he sat on the armrest of Zein’s chair.

"So? What is it?" he looked at the guide, who was folding the paper in his hand and putting it behind his coat. "Something about money? Investment? Your academy?"

Zein looked up to be greeted by Bassena’s grinning face. The amber eyes were twinkling cheekily, and Zein couldn’t help but chuckle. "So you’ve been waiting," Zein smiled and stood up.

Waiting for Zein to finally ask him to be involved.

Such a precarious position, a lover was. Bassena had wanted to offer his own money, his mother’s foundation’s funds. But Zein had always said it was fine, and if he kept offering it, Bassena was worried that Zein would take it badly--as if he was belittling his boyfriend, for example.

So he waited, as always, until Zein felt his help was finally needed.

Stretching his lips widely, Bassena replied with a shrug. "Took you long enough to realize."

* * *

"Are you sure you won’t regret this?" Zein asked, staring at a folder stating Bassena’s financial report.

"Why?"

Zein looked at the amber eyes below, sneaking his hand on the platinum hair strewn across his thigh. He opened his mouth, but paused as he felt a hesitation. Only after a few long seconds passed did he finally speak. "I heard business and money are dangerous for couples."