There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Chapter 60. Unfamiliar Peace

"What is this?" Zein stared at the suitcases that came knocking in his room.

Reina did say she would send him the clothes she made in his image, but Zein never thought it would be this much. And not just that, she didn’t send it in package boxes, or even shopping bags. It was inside suitcases, in three different sizes.

If he had to use one word to describe her, it would be ’storm’. As if determined to annoy Bassena, she dragged Han Shin from his lab to follow them for their lunch, to which the healer agreed wholeheartedly. Zein ended up being dragged everywhere that day, including getting a haircut and experiencing the agony of accompanying a young woman shopping.

He was in a daze the entire time, getting pushed inside this circle of childhood friends that seemed too eager to welcome him in their midst. But it was better, he thought, than sitting around people who kept flinching at him because he had a scary vibe or whatever.

They didn’t let him go until after dinner, to the point he questioned if these people abused their power to skip work and have fun instead. He came back to his room with a bag full of snacks which the energetic couple poured on him.

Not that he minded.

But before he was done relishing his long-awaited alone time, someone knocked on his door, and now he was staring at the suitcases. He didn’t even have to open them to know what was inside, since the overly enthusiastic sender included a catalog that seemed to be personified for the guide, down to the combination he could wear.

Zein had no idea if he would really wear them, or if he had places to wear them to, but he sent a thank you message to Reina nonetheless. Either way, just like Bassena said, he lacked available clothes, since he came to this place without really planning to stay.

And he remembered what Abel said to him; that wearing more casual clothes would soften his impression, maybe made him look less like a grim reaper. He was also glad that Reina considered all of his answers and only sent him what he might like—those with long sleeves and calm, muted colors.

The best thing from the pile, however, was the sets of workout attires that he immediately fished out of the medium-sized suitcase. It wasn’t included in the catalog that Reina made, but she told him it was part of his uniform sets.

Of course—a combat guide would have a physical training regime after all.

After diligently storing the clothes in the closet, Zein stared at another amusing thing on the table; a bank book and green-zone residential permit.

He had thought he needed to acquire them himself, but the guild had already taken care of it, and both were accessible through his commlink. A bank account was one thing, but...to think he could get a residential permit in just a day...

It was a testament to the might of Trinity—or rather the Guildmaster. Zein had no idea whether he should say ’wow’ or ’as expected’ at this point.

Even after being deducted for tax, he still had more than a million in his new account, something that he never dreamt of—not even within his plan of moving up five years ago. A residential permit that he’d been trying to get for twenty years, obtainable in just a day.

It was so absurd that the room was filled with his bitter laughter.

If—if only...

If only he tried to run away with his brothers without caring about the contract with Umbra...if only he went straight to the Guide Centre in the orange or yellow-zone...even if they had to use some illegal means to cross over...

Would his life change earlier then?

Would his brothers stay alive...then?

That night, Zein ended up using the workout outfit and running around the compound until midnight.

Until he was too exhausted to think about anything.

* * *

"Good choice," was what Abel said as a greeting when Zein came to the seventh floor the next day.

Following the Chief Guide’s advice, Zein came wearing one of the clothes Reina sent him. Well, he didn’t really have a choice too, since his combat jacket was hospitalized. He took a deep red shirt, thinking that it was the closest he could appear as an A-class guide.

With his new neatly cut hair, and without the bulky, battle-worn combat jacket, he did look less scary and tense, even while still wearing the black filtering mask.

Zein woke up rather late that day, and since he didn’t really have anything to do until a lunch appointment with Eugene and Anise—the expedition’s researchers—he had a lazy morning where he spent time finding out the name of every plant in his room.

It was already half past ten when he came, and the seventh floor was packed with people, unlike yesterday. The hall was filled with espers waiting for their pre-cleansing turn, as well as guides fleeting about. Eyes were upon Zein as he walked to the waving Abel who stood leaning at the front desk, but they were filled with curiosity rather than guard.

"You don’t wear your badge?" Abel asked while pulling on Zein’s arms and folding the guide’s sleeves neatly like the excellent caretaker that he was. He admired how nonchalant Zein was, even as every pair of eyes were trained at him.

"I’m not on duty yet," the tall guide answered firmly.

"I didn’t expect this, but you’re actually the type that goes by the book, aren’t you?"

Zein didn’t quite understand what that meant, but Abel wasn’t wrong. Despite living in treacherous land, Zein always abided by the rule; it was why he never breached his contract, and he was strict in his principle. Probably why he took care of the twins too.

Abel kind of understood why the Guildmaster set him to be a mentor, not just a member of the new division.

"It’s crowded," Zein commented, eyes watching the screen showing the packed guiding schedule.

The siblings seemed to work hard today too, eyes glued to their computers. But they still greeted Zein dutifully, since he was officially their boss too.

"Because it’s Friday," Abel replied while looking at the tablet in his hand, eyes perusing the report keenly even as he gave an explanation. "It’s the last day to fill the weekly quota, so most idle espers go raiding the eternal dungeons today,"