There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)

The heir of House Kamui, who had been listening to the conversation around the table wordlessly, watched the guide in fascination.

Unlike the other patriarchs, he was merely a child when the incident befalling House Ishtera and killing Zein’s father happened. Obviously, he had never heard about Alteroan or the Paladin, so he couldn’t chime into the conversation. Instead, he took the time to observe the young patriarch.

A young patriarch always meant one thing; a tragedy. Because it would mean the previous patriarch departed young, or that a generation was being skipped for whatever reason. Sadly, it was rare for young patriarchs to succeed in leading their clans. More likely, they would end up as nothing more than a puppet for their relatives or vassals. Only an exceptional talent that came once every century could escape this shackle--like Radia Mallarc.

Seiji knew this. He had become the crown prince the moment he was born as the eldest son, and he felt the privilege of a successor came with a poison of fake vassals trying to curry favor while ignoring the other children. The privilege also came with the burden of having to prove himself to be deserving of being the heir.

It didn’t necessarily have to do with the expectation and burden of duty itself. Sometimes, just the fact that he carried an Old House name behind his own already felt like an iron cuff around his neck, reminding him that he had to mind what he said and how he acted in public.

And so he found himself wondering how Zein felt. The guide was younger than him, but the blue eyes had never wavered in front of the other clan leaders. He wondered if Zein felt the same burden he felt, or was the man simply took it easy because there was no one left in his family to pressure him.

"But Ishtera, are you still going to the Deathzone?" House Caishen’s patriarch asked with a frown. His concern was understandable; Zein was the last remaining Ishtera, and yet he was going to embark on a mission with a high mortality rate.

Ludya Mallarc stirred at this, slightly leaning toward the young patriarch. "That’s right. Couldn’t you just stay back like my grandson?"

"No," the guide replied calmly. There was a fascinated look in the blue eyes as he realized these clan leaders were worried about him--or at least his clan. "I am the combat guide in charge of the main vanguard," the blue eyes glanced toward the table where Bassena Vaski was. "And I know the Deathzone more than anyone who will get involved."

Those were irrefutable facts. They couldn’t expect the five-star espers and Bassena Vaski to keep going back and forth after each battle to get guided by Zein. But of course, for Zein, that was just a surface-level reason.

"But you’re--"