Chapter 167: Renie & Marcus
Clustervayne walked out of the swirling portal that led from the breach zone, with triumphant smiles on their faces.
The DSB agent watching from his position felt his jaw go slack, and his eyes widening with shock as he stared at the returning team.
He had been certain that this team, if they survived at all, would be coming out severely wounded.
But they looked fine.
Ethan walked through the portal last with several system notifications before his vision.
[You have completed self-imposed objectives]
[Boss Monster Defeated: Aranchras - 6,000 XP]
[Breach Monsters Defeated - 3,000 XP]
[Breach Zone Cleared: A-Rank Dungeon - 5,000 XP]
[Total XP Gained: 14,000]
[Experience Points Balance: 51,000]
[A++ Grade Mana Core added to inventory]
[Body of the Aranchras added to inventory]
[SR-Grade Blade of the Aranchras added to inventory]
Then he dismissed the screens with a thought and continued walking
-
A few hours later, Ethan was behind the CEO’s desk in his office at Stark Industries. Eduardo and Valerie sat in the chairs facing him across the desk.
They were deep in discussion concerning recent developments within the company. Eduardo ran through a few reports, production schedules, and shipment timelines for their airship orders.
Valerie provided updates on mostly supply chain logistics, and correspondence with various clients.
You see, while Ethan spent most of his time at the guild or in the workshop with Lucy, he let Eduardo and Valerie oversee the majority of other tasks pertaining to Stark Industries and their airship production.
Eduardo understood how the business operated, of course. And Valerie had proven herself to be invaluable in handling the minor details assigned to her.
This arrangement gave Ethan the freedom to focus on other priorities.
Speaking of other priorities, the mana cores acquired from the breach zone had already been delivered to the workshop for Lucy to begin integrating into the airplane prototype and the mecha.
All of them, that is, except for the A++ grade core, the Aranchras’s body and its weapon.
He left that one in his inventory as there was already an arrangement he planned out in his mind for what to do with it
-
Later that evening, Ethan sat in a corner booth at Ernie’s Cafe. There was murmur of conversation from other persons that filled the space.
He had just placed his Arcphone back into his coat pocket after replying to Bettie’s earlier text with a confirmation that yes, they could talk soon.
Then he looked around the cafe and sighed, settling back into his seat as he waited. This was the meeting spot Isabella had chosen for him to meet her friends.
Arriving ten minutes before the scheduled time of seven that evening was just an Ethan thing. More accurately, it was a characteristic that had carried over from his previous life as Allen the lawyer.
Punctuality had been drilled into him during law school and reinforced through years of court appearances and client meetings.
Not long after, Isabella entered the cafe and scanned the room briefly before sighting ethan, and her face lit up with an excited smile.
Eventually, the table Ethan had claimed was filled as Isabella’s friends had arrived shortly after her.
Marcus was a human boy, with neatly styled black hair and glasses that gave him a studious appearance. He wore a casual button-up shirt and seemed relatively reserved.
Renie was an elf girl with long brown hair, and her light-blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she settled into the seat beside Isabella.
Renie leaned close to Isabella’s ear and whispered with a grin, "Oh, he’s so cute."
Bella turned her head toward Renie’s ear to whisper back, "You should see him with his shirt off."
As she said it, Isabella with a teasing expression made deliberate eye contact with Ethan across the table.
Renie tried to keep herself from making any obvious reaction, but it looked exactly like what it was: two excited girls gossiping.
Ethan had heard every word of their whispered exchange due to his enhanced hearing. But did not reply to any, instead he took a sip from his drink, with a subtle smile appearing on his face as he set the glass back down.
Marcus, who sat beside Ethan, glanced at him briefly and muttered, "Women."
Ethan looked amused. He chuckled quietly and shook his head before replying, "Women."
The conversation flowed easily after that. Renie was energetic and outgoing, the type who could talk to anyone so easily. Marcus was more measured, thoughtful in his responses, and seemed to genuinely care about understanding things in depth rather than just making small talk.
Bella on her part made subtle amused eye contact with Ethan every now and then, as though checking to make sure he was okay and not feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation.
However, he wasn’t. They were good people, and the conversation was easy.
But eventually, the evening came to an end
-
Ethan’s vintage sedan came to a slow stop near a certain lane of the road. Taking the next right turn would lead directly toward the palace, which was exactly what they wanted to avoid.
As the car came to a halt, Isabella glanced over at Ethan in the driver’s seat and asked, "So what are you going to do about this Harold?"
They had been talking about the diversions and discovery not long ago.
"Come Tomorrow, I’ll be setting him straight." Ethan said.
Isabella nodded, and didn’t go any further with the question. Then her expression softened, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Did you like my friends?" she asked.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. They’re both chill people."
Isabella’s smile widened. Then she reached out gently, her hand cupping his jaw as their faces leaned in toward each other.
Their lips met in a kiss that lasted pretty long, and the world outside the car seemed to disappear for that moment.
Thankfully, Ethan’s sedan had heavily tinted windows, so there was no worry about Isabella being seen.
When they finally pulled apart, it was slow, as though both of them were trying to hold back a burning desire. Their foreheads rested gently on each other’s in a way that they could feel each other’s breath.
Isabella then said in a soft and sincere tone. "I love you, Ethan Alexander Stark."
Ethan smiled, his eyes meeting hers.
"I love you too, Isabella Berlene Tudor
Isabella chuckled, then leaned back and opened the car door. She stepped out onto the sidewalk, glancing back at him one more time with a smile before closing the door gently.