There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 561

Chapter 561: Chapter 555. Rebranding

Eight hours after finding the shard, they had a nicely cooked breakfast of warm stew, courtesy of sleepless Bassena. Thanks to the abundant water, they could even afford to have a hot shower each, as well as fill their drinking flask. Fresh and satiated, the group surfaced after Zein coaxed the shy shard to come inside his sealed storage space, and immediately headed toward the previous dungeon gate.

Fortunately, the purification device was still safely installed; meaning that no beasts attempted to come close.

Immediately, they were greeted by a sulking Spirit Queen who stayed inside the dungeon. It couldn’t be helped; without making a contract with anyone, the Queen might get corrupted by the miasma--just like before they liberated the dungeon.

But being left alone inside an empty dungeon must have been annoying, because she screamed at them right away. She was tiny and talking in spirit speech though, so it only sounded like a mosquito’s buzz.

While Eleanor tried to appease the Queen, Zein deliberately walked slower so he stayed at the back. Naturally, Bassena matched the guide’s pace, which made them nicely isolated from the others, who watched the Queen’s tantrum in amusement.

"Hmm...it’s almost as if you want us to have a little date back here," Bassena stroked his chin as he spoke with a lowered, dubious voice like some amateur investigators.

The esper chuckled at his own words, knowing it wasn’t likely the case. But Zein made an unexpected answer. "I do," the guide said with a smirk at Bassena’s flabbergasted face. "I kind of missed you last night."

"...oh," Bassena scratched his nape. The bed inside the tent was a row of singles, so he thought Zein wouldn’t notice. "Sorry, I had something...to think about."

"I know," Zein smiled behind his mask and held the esper’s hand. "Did you talk to Han Joon?"

"How did you--" Bassena closed his mouth, sighing. "Mm..." _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}

"Have you solved it?"

Bassena pressed his lips. Perhaps, he had been underestimating Zein too much.

Glancing at the esper’s complicated expression, Zein chuckled. "I might not care about a lot of things, but I should at least know when my boyfriend had some trouble brewing in his head."

"Uhh..."

Zein rubbed the esper’s hand, and they walked slightly slower to distance themselves even more from the group. "You’ve been quiet lately, except when you giving out orders. Especially when Han Joon was around."

This time, Bassena wanted to laugh instead. He really wasn’t as slick as he thought; perhaps...

Bassena started to think that Han Joon could probably feel it too. After all, Joon was Scatach’s favored ’hunter’, so he had an exceptional observation skill. Wasn’t that why the man called out to him last night?

"So?" Zein asked after giving Bassena enough time to laugh inwardly.

Bassena looked up; the swamp was dirty, and the dungeon’s sky was a muddy blop of grey. But at that moment, it looked nice. "I think I did," he said.

Zein did not say anything, as if waiting for more deliberation. Holding the guide’s hand relaxedly as if they were in the middle of a leisure stroll, Bassena finally asked Zein was had been making a knot in his heart.

"I was confused," Bassena smiled wryly. "I had known him for one thing, and then he appeared and turned out to be another thing."

The stoic, model student who seemed to uphold society by patriotically entering the military. A quiet big brother whose warmth could be felt from the occasional advice and reflective hit. A hardworking man who couldn’t care less about how people either mocked him or pitied him for his lack of talent.

And then he disappeared and practically told Bassena that he was just a selfish man who did everything he wanted for his own objective without caring for other’s feelings.

"Sometimes he felt like him, but more often than not a completely different person. I..."

Bassena’s voice faltered, and Zein completed the unsaid words. "You need to know if you can still idolize him."

Bassena chuckled awkwardly. It was weird hearing the word ’idolize’, but he started to realize that was how he saw Han Joon. A mentor, a big brother; someone he respected, and no matter what, he didn’t want a seed of hatred to sow in his heart. Wasn’t that why he became so upset and conflicted?