My Ultimate OP System: Summoning All Dragons, Gods, Heroes & Villains-Chapter 67: Securing Help (Bonus)

Eventually, it was break time.

And right now, Ethan sat alone at that same spot in the cafeteria where he and Percival would normally sit, playing around with his food without really eating.

There was a vampire clique a few seats away from him, drinking blood from cups as if it were juice, and a few noisy werewolf groups scattered around the cafeteria.

Then she walked in again, causing that same effect as the last time.

The noise of chatter reduced to a certain degree, replaced by whispers and murmurs toward her direction.

Isabella Berlene Tudor.

Although, of course, not on the same level as the first time she had walked in, since people were already used to seeing the princess on the school’s premises these days.

But it still carried just enough effect to make Ethan realize that the princess had just stepped in.

She was just who he wanted to see, actually.

And as soon as Isabella was done getting her food from the server, she turned and narrowed her eyes just a bit toward the direction she remembered Ethan sitting last time.

She saw him and suddenly beamed excitedly while walking toward him.

To be honest, she had actually been waiting on this break time the entire morning.

There were several times she grew restless during class lessons, hoping it would be break time already.

She approached and sat close beside him. "Hey."

Ethan said hey back, smiling. Then he added, "I don’t see you with that friend of yours today."

"Esiyae? Yeah, I had to leave quickly before she realized I was gone. I did not want to get dragged into sitting with her second-year friends," Isabella said, shaking her head dramatically.

Ethan chuckled just a bit, then his eyes glanced upward briefly as he said, "Speak ye of the devil."

He nodded his head forward to signal Isabella that her friend had just walked in.

Isabella followed his line of sight and saw Esiyae and the second-year elf Cyran. They were almost done receiving their servings.

She quickly turned to face Ethan on her right, shifting closer to him and raising her left hand to partially shield the side of her face in what she clearly believed was an attempt at stealth.

"Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me," she muttered under her breath.

Ethan chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

Unfortunately for Isabella, her attempt at invisibility failed spectacularly.

"They’ve spotted you," he said calmly. "Incoming."

She froze. "Wait. They’re coming here?"

Ethan gave a subtle nod. "Mm-hmm."

Her eyes widened, and right then Esiyae’s voice called out, "Isabella! I’ve been looking for you. When did you get here?"

"Yeah, we were looking for you," Cyran added.

In one swift motion, Isabella straightened in her seat, then turned with a bright, and slightly exaggerated smile.

"Oh. Hey, Esiyae... hey, Cyran."

Cyran then said, "We’re going to sit at our normal spot. Come with us."

He had not in any way regarded Ethan sitting close to her, as though he wasn’t there at all.

She shook her head politely. "Oh, you guys can go on. I’ll join next time."

Cyran asked, "Are you sure?"

Isabella nodded, but right then Esiyae said, "Or maybe we can just join you here," already moving to sit at the opposite side of the table.

That was when Ethan raised his eyes in a cold glare toward her and said in a wicked tone, "Move it, first year."

She was visibly taken aback and quickly stepped away from the seat. Then she gave a nervous smile to Isabella and said, "I’ll be going now. See you in class, Isabella."

Isabella nodded with a smile, and Cyran followed behind Esiyae reluctantly.

Truth was, he preferred the presence of the princess instead of her friend, but oh well. Too bad.

As soon as they gave some distance, Isabella nudged Ethan amusingly. "That was not fair."

Ethan chuckled. "Should you not be thanking me for helping you right here?"

She shook her head in amusement, and with that, they both fell into easy conversation and laughter that, of course, drew the stares of others toward them.

Including Cyran, who at different times had glanced angrily in their direction.

Esiyae, who actually had a crush on Cyran, had at some point asked him what was wrong. In response, he simply dropped his spoon angrily and left the cafeteria without a word.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

——

In between their conversation, Ethan adjusted himself a bit and said, "I want to ask something of you"

Isabella gave him a sweet smile. "Go ahead."

Ethan leaned forward and lowered his voice, making sure no one nearby could overhear them.

He explained that the failed hit on him had been carried out by a man known only as Hitman X. The same Hitman X who had murdered Lucy’s father.

"So this isn’t just about me anymore," he said quietly. "I’m doing this for Lucy too."

Even Isabella liked Lucy. That part alone made her expression shift.

Ethan then told her about his plan to take the assassin down by placing a bounty on him. When he mentioned the amount involved, her eyes widened noticeably, though she kept silent and let him continue.

Finally, he explained the complication. Placing a bounty of that magnitude was not as simple as it sounded.

Isabella nodded slowly, understanding the situation.

Ethan continued. "So the only real option is to get the King to sign off on it."

He paused, then looked at her directly. "Is it absurd of me to ask for your help with that?"

Isabella laughed softly for a second, then shook her head. "It’s not absurd at all, Ethan."

But then her expression changed a bit, and she added, "But... I’m trying to remain estranged from my father right now. And asking him to sign off on something like this would force me to make direct contact with him."

Ethan looked puzzled and slightly amused. "Estranged? From the King? Why?"

Isabella sighed. "We don’t have enough time left in this break to talk about all of that."

She paused, then added, "But I think I’d still be able to help you."

"How?" He asked.

Isabella leaned closer and spoke in a lower tone. "Just get the whole bounty proposal drafted up properly. Once it’s ready, I’ll take care of the rest."

Ethan’s expression softened, and he nodded. "Thank you"

She smiled back, then they took a piece of her last food and before you know it, their random talk continued.

A notification screen had popped up in between

[You have completed a self-imposed objective: Securing Isabella’s assistance with the bounty proposal]

[Reward: +2,500 XP]

[Total Experience Points: 35,450]