Westminster Bank

Chapter 288: Chapter 174: I Really Want to Kill Him

’So you could tell just by the way I fell? You really have a sharp eye.’ Baron said, "Impressive, Miss Isabella. Since you figured it out long ago, why didn’t you expose me back at the banquet?"

Isabella said, "Because I want to make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Give me the Taboo Item helmet you stole from the collection room, and I’ll let you go."

’Well, I’ll be. I thought she was serving the public good, but it turns out this is just a case of one thief robbing another.’

Baron finally understood why Beowulf’s elder daughter had guessed his identity so early on, yet had let him go time and time again.

’But a Taboo Item that even Beowulf’s elder daughter desires... it seems my guess was correct after all. That helmet must hold some kind of secret.’

After weighing the pros and cons, Baron nodded. "Alright. I’ll give you the helmet, and you let me go."

He summoned Petra’s Helmet of Cowardice from the Holding Ring nestled in his robes. "Since this is a transaction, I trust Miss Isabella won’t go back on her word."

"Of course," Isabella said indifferently. She took the helmet, inspected it, and put it away in her Storage Crystal Stone.

Baron held out his chained hands, gesturing for Isabella to unlock them. But to his surprise, Isabella simply shook her head and sneered.

"I’ve changed my mind, Master."

’Knew it. Never trust a woman.’

Baron sighed, drew his Spear Sword, aimed at the chains, and pulled the trigger.

After a loud gunshot echoed, the chains were left with nothing more than a scorched black mark. Nothing else happened.

Baron’s pupils constricted. He then heard Isabella say in a low voice, "These are Alchemy Lock Chains, forged with Dragon Bone and Sky Turtle Shell Fragments. Aside from the key in my hand, they can only be melted by the intense heat of a Dragon Flame from a Third Generation Species or above."

Baron was speechless.

’What a coincidence. I just so happen to be... No, I can’t use the Dragon Flame.’

Baron’s mind raced. ’Using the Dragon Flame would expose my identity. And judging by my current "reputation" on the Inner Side, not to mention the conversation I eavesdropped on last night...’

’Unless Carmen was here to draw their fire, the so-called Dragon Spear Trial would turn into a trap to capture me.’

’This was especially true given that he was completely unfamiliar with the terrain of the Dracul Mountain Range, while a host of powerful figures from the Old Race were watching from the outside like hungry tigers.’

He said, "Is this how Beowulf’s elder daughter honors her agreements?"

"A Taboo Item Thief has no right to say such things." The tip of Isabella’s spear touched the edge of Baron’s mask, as if she intended to flip it up. "Let’s see just who you really are."

’The Chain of the Imitator is still on cooldown, so I can’t change my disguise. I don’t know if Isabella is friend or foe. If she sees my real face, with my luck, it’ll be game over in a heartbeat.’

’It’s not that my identity as Constantine can never be revealed, but I can’t let it be exposed now, for no good reason.’

And judging by the combat prowess Beowulf’s elder daughter had displayed, Baron knew he couldn’t take her down in a short amount of time.

’Master Jack’ sighed internally. ’If life is a play,’ he thought, ’then I must be a tragedy penned by Aeschylus.’

He said, "Miss Isabella, I advise you not to remove my mask."

Isabella’s brow twitched. "Are you threatening me?"

"Not a threat, a warning," Baron said. "We could cooperate, perhaps."

"Cooperate?"

"You must have noticed on our way here. The path I chose... we haven’t been blocked by a single Dragon Descendant. Do you want to know why?"

Isabella looked thoughtful. This was, in fact, the very reason she had chosen this spot for their confrontation.

Baron smiled beneath his mask. "This is a route I meticulously prepared for my escape. An ordinary Dragon Guide could never have managed this."

The reality was that Baron, while being dragged along by Isabella, had discovered that his mere proximity was enough to scare away any nearby Dragon Descendants, thanks to the Red Dragon Aura he exuded.

This phenomenon had begun after they entered the mountain range. Having never learned how, Baron didn’t know how to conceal the aura of a High Tier Dragon Race. He could only hope there were no human-shaped radars on the Inner Side like Silver Wizard Fei.

"Why do you think they’re called Dragon Guides?" Isabella let out a rare sigh. "I need Dragon Scales to complete my Trial, Master Jack." She enunciated the words "Master Jack" with heavy emphasis.

’It’s not my fault the Dragon Descendants flee at the sight of me.’

"I know," Baron said. "But I have a strategy that’s far more effective than just hunting for Dragon Descendants."

"What is it?"

Just as Baron was about to speak, Isabella’s expression suddenly changed. She grabbed him by the collar and, in a single leap, bounded up the mountainside to a higher vantage point.

Although Baron felt a little disgruntled about being constantly dragged around by a woman and taking another tumble, he reminded himself it was all for the sake of his disguise, suppressed his annoyance, and followed Isabella’s gaze.

Not far off, a pack of Dragons was in turmoil. From the outer edges to the inner circle, they were white-maned, blue-scaled, and silver-horned Dragon Descendants. Judging by their energy fluctuations, most of them were seventh or eighth-generation species. These were the ones stampeding outward in a frenzy.

Strangely, however, while these Dragon Descendants rampaged in the Dragon Tide, scattering in every direction and crushing countless trees, they completely avoided the area where Baron and Isabella stood.

"The outer ring is a pack of lesser Thunder Wolf Dragons. They must be stampeding due to the influence of that earlier roar... Seeing this scale, the outer ring has probably formed a small Dragon Tide that will rush down the mountain."

"In the middle are the Thunder Wolf Dragon group, along with their King and Queen. They are Fourth and Fifth Generation Species, all equivalent to the Bronze tier."

Isabella said coldly, "You picked a fine escape route. Another mile and we would have crashed right into the Thunder Wolf Dragons’ nest and been torn to shreds."

Baron remained silent. His gaze traveled past the scattering Dragon Tide to the core group of Thunder Wolf Dragons at the center. Though anxious, they were still relatively stable.

The Thunder Wolf Dragons in this group were far more robust than those on the periphery. A sharp, pale-cyan light, like crackling lightning, flowed along their scales. Their white manes, reminiscent of a gray wolf’s fur, were tinged with a faint gold. They were clearly the core fighting force.

As for the Thunder Wolf Dragon King and Queen at the very center, they were a full size larger than even the core dragons, towering like small mountains. The aura they emanated was that of a Fourth Generation Species on the verge of becoming Third Generation.

The Thunder Wolf Dragon King turned its neck, as thick as a tree trunk, as if searching for something, until its dark gold eyes met Baron’s.

"It’s spotted us... No wonder the Dragon Tide avoided us. They were probably making way for the Thunder Wolf Dragon King... I don’t care if you’re Master Jack or someone else. If you want to live, stick close to me."

Isabella said this, but her face held a hint of excitement. She gripped the dark red long spear in her hand, poised and ready for battle.

But a moment later, her excitement morphed into profound shock and confusion.

The Thunder Wolf Dragon King rose, let out a roar, and mobilized the core Thunder Wolf Dragon group. With a second roar, it led its Queen and the rest of the pack down the mountain in a completely different direction.

"What’s happening?"

Isabella murmured the question unconsciously, but no one answered her.

If she had turned around at that moment, she would have seen the golden light under the Silver Mask that had yet to fade.

But she didn’t. She simply stared, dumbfounded, as the dragons, led by their King, stormed down the mountain like Demons bursting from a cage. Unsure if they were driven by Satan from some deeper Hell or fleeing a threat from an unseen Heaven, they brandished their fangs and claws, sweeping down the mountain with the force of ten thousand Thunderbolts.

...

「At the same time.」

At the head of the path, the Dragon Guide, Jose, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stared into the distance in utter disbelief, his expression a mask of pure shock.

"What’s happening?"

The person with Jose followed the Master’s line of sight and froze.

...

Having just killed a Seventh Generation Dragon Shepherd Beast and taken the first Reverse Scale of this Trial, Tune noticed that the Silver Dragon Guide he had hired at great expense was simply staring blankly into the distance.

He found this odd and asked, "Master, have you discovered something new?"

Facing their employer’s question, the Silver Masters chose to answer with a single word.

"Run!"

...

[Secret Notes of Baron Constantin (Original Body):

October 11, 1980 / Plains / Overcast

Went to the Lancelot family estate to meet my fiancée. I didn’t see her, but I did run into her brother, Anthony.

Her brother is supposedly about to become a Silver Knight. He seems to despise me.

I really want to kill him.]