There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Chapter 39. Where One Takes No Bullshit

"A breeder," Eugene stroked his chin as if there were a beard hanging there. "Could that be the same creature that trapped Sir Vaski before?"

"Ah..." there was a collective exclaim as everyone turned their head to look at Bassena.

The esper, who was in the middle of moving out the rest of the corpses out of the way, paused. There was a deep smile etched on his face, and Zein, who stood the closest to him, could see the fire blazing inside those amber eyes.

"They better be," he chuckled; a bit eerie, a bit dark. "It'll be nice to focus everything on one single target."

A lot of killing intent.

Zein tilted his head, body swaying a bit from the pressure. It was the first time he was exposed to Bassena Vaski, the Serpent Lord's murderous intent. There was an effect of fear, mettle, that emanated from the imposing frame, which reminded Zein of a dungeon's commander beast.

"Ah," thankfully, the esper snapped and culled his fury before Zein totally toppled over. Swiftly, Bassena took a hold of the guide's waist, holding him tight. "I'm sorry..."

"Hmm..." Zein stared at the ground still, feeling the slight trembling in his hand. It was a sign that his body responded well to the killing intent, and recognized the fear instilled in one body toward such predator.

And yet his mind was calm, his heart was still. He didn't feel the fear in his heart. Such discrepancy was the first for him. Was it because he had become so familiar with Bassena's system? But during his time in Umbra and the Unit, he had guided the same people repeatedly that he could differentiate them just by sensing their mana cores. And yet, he wouldn't say that he became 'familiar' with them. It was like the difference between patients and close acquaintances.

Zein frowned, lips pressed tight at this sudden realization.

Or perhaps...it was because he considered the esper's attribute to be comfortable to have around? His body was grazed with the thick killing intent, but his heart and instinct told him that the fury would never hurt him.

"Zein? You're okay?" Bassena was no longer holding his waist, but grabbing his unresponsive face with two hands, voice laden with panic. "I'm sorry, are you—Shin!"

"Wait, I'm still calming these two!"

It seemed like the mettle seeping out of Bassena was enough to make the feeble researchers shiver in fear. Well, even the other esper flinched from that, so how could mere civilians leave unscathed?

And then there was Zein, who was right beside the esper. A guide's constitution was actually as good as a civilian, which meant lower than even the weakest support type esper. If Zein didn't build his constitution in his early days, and didn't have his reserve magic energy, he would have collapsed.

So Bassena was in a panic right now. That bloodlust was accidental. He didn't mean to let out any, but the thought of the time he spent inside that void, which resurfaced all kinds of traumas and nearly made him crazy, and the thought of what could happen to the rest of the team, to Zein, if he couldn't come out...

It triggered everything bad inside of him—everything Radia and Joon had trained him to bury. And now, now it was hurting someone he didn't want to hurt the most, and it was—

"I'm okay," Zein patted Bassena's pale cheek. Wasn't it ironic how the esper looked more frightened than he was?

"...you're...you're okay?" Bassena repeated dumbly, and Zein almost chuckled, if it wasn't for the genuine concern inside the esper's voice.

So he smiled, and while it wasn't visible through the mask, it was visible from the softened blue eyes, hand gently patting the younger's cheek. "You can let go of me now,"

"...oh, okay..." Bassena retreated his hands from Zein, standing still for a while, dumbly, before sighing audibly. "Sorry for scaring you."

"Hmm," Zein looked at the researchers, who looked okay now, and held out his hand to signal Han Shin that he was alright. "I'm not scared, don't worry."

Bassena paused, looking at Zein keenly, staring so deeply he felt the amber eyes might burn him. "But you were trembling earlier..."

"Hmm, yeah. The body of a guide can't handle that kind of pressure, just like it can't handle miasma. So of course, it reacted that way," Zein moved his hand, clenched and unclenched it several times. "But I wasn't afraid."

When Zein lifted his gaze from his hand to Bassena's face, he saw the remnant of fear inside the silent, parted lips that seemed like they wanted to convey something but couldn't. And then a slight relief, and a creeping blush that the esper quickly hid with his hand.

"Haa..." Bassena swept his head back, and took a deep breath, closing his blazing eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I told you it's okay."

"No, it's not for that," Bassena huffed, the heavy air mingling between the two of them. "It's just that...I don't think I could ever give up on you, even if you reject me again and again."

He smiled—not the usually confident, firm smile. This one was a little crooked, a little restrained. A mix of guilt and shamelessness. He reached out his hand to fix Zein's clothes, and pulled up the guide's hood again.

"You might get annoyed and angry later because of that, so I apologized in advance," he grinned, before taking Zein's hand and pulling him gently toward the other.

Zein looked at the wide back of the esper, wordlessly, as his mind swam in bitter conclusion.

Attachment was...contagious.

* * *

The closer they got to the center of the signal, the beast attacking them increased, swarming in hordes, as if the whole community had joined the war effort.

It might as well, since the one attacking them was now limited to one type at a time. And after that particular species got annihilated, no member of that species could be found after.

"Seemed like the last effort of the commander," Ron commented. "Kind of feel like we're approaching a fortress."

A fortress where the general sent out its squads one by one until none left but itself. "Whatever that is, it seemed to be intelligent enough to unite various groups, practice cross-breeding, and organize troops," the scout continued. "That kobold group attacking us must be part of them, right?"

"Weirdly, it seems like this...commander...is waiting right outside the area where the shard's influence reached," Zein frowned, sensing that one huge obtrusive energy preventing him to feel the shard clearer.

"...like the Wood Specter?" Sierra tilted her head.

"Hmm? Then wouldn't it seems like they tried to protect it?" Eugene rubbed his chin, again, as if he had a beard.

"That didn't make sense, isn't it? Since the shard supposed to kill them?" Zein looked at Bassena then, which in turn looked at him and nodded.

"It makes more sense if they act like a gatekeeper, so people who can utilize the shard, like you, do not approach,"

That notion of 'gatekeeper' seemed to be the most plausible explanation, and they decided to go with that. But it also made them think, that if every shard had a gatekeeper, then...

"Is it just instinctual?" the researcher muttered. "Or something ordered them to?"

The expedition team grew silent after that, as they each went into contemplation. Well, either option was bad for them—the difference was just in the degree of danger.

The fact that the beasts could cross-breed showed them the possibility of social structure among the resident of the Deathzone. If there was a foot soldier and a commander, they could have a king. Or something equal to that. Which meant there was a high degree of intellect presided within the Deathzone.