Chapter 354: Bed room conversation
"Who sent that man?!" King Carson’s voice thundered through the throne room. "Who let him into my country without informing me?!"
His gaze remained fixed on Iroh, who stood with his head slightly inclined.
The general accepted the King’s displeasure without interruption.
Dark Nova used to be lauded as Gritnia’s No.1 hero, who had built a reputation for taking everything to the extreme. His sense of justice allowed absolutely nothing to slip past him, whether great or small.
As a result, his presence brought discomfort to everyone, both the innocent and the guilty alike.
It was precisely why, when the Western Coalition called for a new generation of agents about five years ago, his departure had come as a breath of fresh air for many.
Even the King.
At that point in time, the large doors of the throne room slowly opened and the hall fell silent as footsteps approached.
Dark Nova entered, his black cape trailing behind him. He walked with composure until he reached the foot of the throne before inclining his head respectfully.
King Carson looked down at him. "Norman."
Dark Nova raised his head. "I could hear Your Majesty’s discomfort with my presence from well beyond the palace walls."
King Carson frowned. "Then perhaps you should also know to answer the question... Why are you here, and who asked you to come?"
"I requested this assignment, Your Majesty." Norman answered. "I asked President Julius to send me to Gritnia."
The King’s brows furrowed. "Why?"
"Because I watched Gritnia slowly being plunged into darkness." Norman’s voice remained calm.
"Only a few months ago, someone committed the unthinkable. They entered this very palace and desecrated the seat of authority belonging to the ruler of this nation."
He was referring to Audrey, whose failed attempt had long since become public knowledge.
"The Western Coalition is fully aware that demons have begun making their way into Gritnia, and so am I," he continued.
"This nation is one of the strongest bastions on the Western Continent. I could no longer remain idle and simply watch."
"So yes, I personally requested President Julius to assign me here on a mission to deal with all of these."
King Carson clicked his tongue. "That damned Julius..."
The throne room fell quiet as the two men exchanged several more words.
Eventually, the King let out a long sigh before leaning back on his throne.
"Listen carefully." Carson began "I don’t particularly care what you do with the other demons you’ve come here for. If they’re breaking my laws and entering this country for the wrong reasons, then do your business."
"But there are certain individuals within this kingdom whom you are not to lay a finger on."
His tone left no room for misunderstanding.
"They have been granted the Crown’s protection. Iroh will explain the details to you."
With that, King Carson rose from his throne, no longer interested in continuing the discussion.
He waved a dismissive hand before walking out through the chamber behind the throne.
Silence lingered for a moment, then Iroh calmly stepped forward toward Dark Nova.
——
At the Stark Residence...
By the time Ethan returned to the living room, he had already cleaned himself up.
The dust from his spar with Hayley and the brief clash with Dark Nova, all gone.
Hayley, however, was still in the shower, making use of one of the rooms she had been given to occupy within the manor.
And everyone else, was still gathered where he had left them.
The conversation had continued for quite some time after his return, revolving around Nathan and Irene, and everything they had learned from Eduardo’s journals.
Eventually, Ethan broke the discussion. "I’ve been thinking about it."
The room gradually fell silent as everyone’s attention shifted toward him.
"I think... we should let them be."
The words caught them off guard.
Bernadette looked as though she was about to say something, but Ethan gently raised a hand, asking her to wait.
"At least... that’s what I’d like to do."
He lowered his gaze for a brief moment before continuing. "But I can’t honestly bring myself to leave it there. A part of me still wants to know, whether they’re truly alright."
"Not because I want to drag them back, but just to clear every remaining doubt."
He looked around at everyone before speaking again. "So we’ll do this carefully. And I say we start with what I’ll call a soft search."
"No one is to leave the city, travel across countries, or actively hunt for my parents. I don’t want people roaming the world looking for them."
"If any of you use your resources, your contacts, or happen to come across information naturally, that’s enough."
He paused. "And if, by chance, they’re found, I don’t want anyone approaching them either, or making them aware that you’ve found them."
"Simply confirm, from a distance if possible, that they’re alive and doing well."
His expression remained thoughtful.
"If they’ve managed to stay hidden all these years, then it’s for good reason for it. The last thing I want is for us to become the reason that cover falls apart."
Francesca and Eduardo found themselves with mixed feelings, while Bernadette was plainly dissatisfied with the decision. Even so, all three understood that Ethan’s reasoning was sound.
The discussion continued for a while longer. Several possibilities were raised, including the dangers that could come from conducting the search carelessly.
One concern, in particular, was the potential involvement of dragons—a possibility that could place not only his parents, but all of them at risk if they approached the situation the wrong way.
By the time the conversation came to an end, no one remained opposed to Ethan’s proposal.
It was also that very possibility—the chance that dragons might one day become involved—that lingered most in Ethan’s mind.
Because if searching for his parents ever led them down that path, then he needed to become stronger.
Strong enough that, should they ever cross paths with dragons, then he would be prepared accordingly.
——
Later that night...
Both Ethan and Isabella lay beneath the sheets, their clothes discarded somewhere around the room.
At first glance, Ethan appeared to be staring absentmindedly toward the ceiling.
In reality, his attention was fixed on the translucent blue windows of his system that only he could see.
The experience points he had gained today, from the brief sparring session, to the clash with Dark Nova, and finally reaching an agreement with Eduardo, Francesca, and Bernadette, had brought his total Experience Points to;
[375,750.]
’Less than twenty-five thousand more,’ he was thought to himself.
He needed exactly 400,000 Experience Points to advance from his current Summoner Level 25 to Level 26.
That was only the beginning of his final run toward Level 30, which would grant him the last of the four key fragments needed to gain access to the mythic summoning space.
He had been able to gain the third key within the last three months, and it had even come with an additional new skill called
[Proxy.]
Meanwhile, Isabella’s head rested comfortably on his chest, idly scrolling through her Arcphone and occasionally smiling to herself at something on the screen.
After a while, the system windows disappeared from Ethan’s sight.
He drew a slow breath. "Babe."
She lifted her head slightly to look at him, a gentle smile already on her face. "What is it, my love?"
Ethan remained quiet for a brief moment before finally speaking. "There... is something I want to tell you."
His voice was calm as he thought carefully how he wanted to present the heavy words to his wife.
"Sure go on" she replied, looking keen to hear about it.
In no time, he went on to tell her about Hayley, his discussion with her earlier, and his intention to get her engaged.
When he finally finished, silence lingered between them for a brief moment.
Then...
Bella smiled.
"Frankly..." she said, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You’re about two months too late."
Ethan was taken aback by the reaction. "What?"
She laughed softly. "I honestly thought you’d do it about a month after we got married."
That answer left Ethan even more surprised.
Bella shook her head, still smiling.
"I genuinely had it in mind that one of the reasons you wanted us to get married as quickly as we did..." she said, "...was so you could finally stop holding yourself back with Hayley too."
Ethan stared at her for several seconds. Then, almost cautiously, he asked, "Do you think I prefer Hayley more?"
Bella immediately shook her head. "No, I don’t."
She reached up and gently brushed a strand of his hair aside. "But, I do think the two of you share a connection that only the two of you can truly understand."
"And I understand that as well."
For a moment, Ethan simply looked at her, then a smile slowly formed across his face.
——
A/N: Kindly accept one Chapter from me today. Work has really been hectic and i wouldn’t want to rush content and ruin the overrall quality. But we’re back to full throttle in 48 hours.
Ethan’s overall system window is attached further below
Ethan’s current summons:
1. Nina Dragonheart (Half Dragon Summon)
2. Albedo (The Sedductress)
3. Arael( Angel summon)
4. Rue (Mrs. Cat Woman)
5. Joe (The Hitman)
6. Bierzim (Old Demon/Gotten from Dante)
7. Xylo (Demon Taint/Assassin who came for Ishtar)
8. Whispering Corridors Of Slow Madness (The Maze)
9. Finn The Shot
10. Andrea Tudor
11. Emperor Nishi Imagawa [Gotten from Lucien, same way Bierzim was gotten from Dante]
12. Casper Novachrono
13. Titania
14. Arthur Pendragon
15. Jenner Hemilton
