Westminster Bank

Chapter 296: Chapter 179: Robbery

Looking at Milton on the ground, beaten to a pulp, Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Did you have to beat him so hard for a robbery? Aren’t you afraid of retaliation?"

"If I wasn’t ruthless, it wouldn’t look professional," Baron said nonchalantly, rubbing his wrist. "Besides, he doesn’t know who I am. He wouldn’t know where to find me even if he wanted to."

This scion of the Merlin Clan was a tough one. It took a good long beating before he admitted he didn’t have any Dragon Scales, only a cheque for ten thousand pounds.

Baron thought the guy was nuts. ’Couldn’t he have just said he didn’t have any Dragon Scales? Did he have to take a beating first?’

Milton, who had been beaten speechless by a rain of fists: ...

Nearby, Pound helped his dazed sister up from the ground, reassuring her that everything was alright. It was thanks to Miss Isabella’s rescue, and they had to thank her properly...

Windsor finally came to her senses. She quietly wiped the tears from her face, forcing a smile onto her round, little face. "I’m fine, Brother. Are you hurt?"

A pang of pain, guilt, and inadequacy shot through Pound’s heart.

His sister, Windsor, had just turned eighteen. Yet for the sake of the Constantine Family, she had to follow him around to all sorts of mandatory events on the Inner Side. He had completely forgotten that she was still just an ordinary girl attending a Wizard School, who had only recently completed her professional contract with the Wizard’s Lawbook thanks to her excellent grades.

Pound said bitterly, "I’m sorry, Windsor. It’s my fault..."

He was about to say more when he saw Master Jack, the man who had just beaten Milton Merlin to a pulp, walk over.

Just as he was about to thank the man for his help, Master Jack said, "Enough nonsense. This is a robbery. Hand over your Dragon Scales, too."

The words of gratitude died on Pound’s lips. He swallowed them and stammered, "You... The Constantine Family and the Beowulf Family have been allies for generations!"

’Just as I thought. This cousin Pound is an idiot. Why does he think Isabella is wearing a mask? It’s obviously because she doesn’t want something as trivial as a robbery to affect the relationship between their families.’

’Everyone recognized her, but they all had a tacit understanding not to say anything. If someone were to be the first to speak up, given the Beowulf Family’s status and prestige on the Inner Side, it would most likely end with a symbolic punishment.’

’As for the guy who speaks up first, if his family is powerful, he might be fine. But if his family is mediocre like the Constantine Family is now, he might just find himself in the same boat as Baron the Escape King.’

’Though, in the end, it’s still about using power to bully others.’

Compared to her cousin who failed to read the situation, Windsor was much smarter. She ignored Pound, who looked like he wanted to protest but held his tongue, and quickly took out the Reverse Scales to hand to Baron. Her voice was reserved.

"There are three in total. They’re from a Sixth Generation Species, a Thunder Wolf Dragon Beast..."

"Windsor, you..." Pound was baffled by his sister’s actions. "The Constantine Family and the Beowulf Family have been allies for generations! Otherwise, Miss Isabella wouldn’t have risked offending the Frank Family to..."

"Brother, don’t say any more," Windsor interrupted Pound, her tone serious.

Pound was stunned. Windsor had tied up the long hair falling by her temples—a gesture she always made when she was being serious.

Then, Windsor nodded to Master Jack, to Isabella who was watching coldly from the side, and to Dewey, who was lying on the ground recuperating from what were said to be several broken ribs.

"There is no Miss Isabella here, and we never met Mr. Frank..."

After quickly disassociating herself from the situation, Windsor shot Master Jack a meaningful glance, then pulled her brother Pound along and left with their two Dragon Guides, who had been watching from the sidelines.

That glance made Baron’s heart skip a beat.

’Could she have seen through my disguise?... If I remember correctly, the last time I saw Windsor was at an engagement banquet. I was wearing a mask then, too, and I think I used a Glimpse of the Mysterious Crystal to fake an emerald color... Is this a woman’s sixth sense?’

Of course, Baron was just entertaining the thought. He didn’t really believe Windsor could recognize him just by his eyes.

Besides, he hadn’t revealed his identity at Freya’s engagement ceremony last time. Even if Windsor had figured him out, she couldn’t provide any useful information.

「Meanwhile.」

Milton used a Healing Magic Card to fix his "pig head" face, then went to heal Dewey, whose ribs had been broken by the impact. A group of Trial Takers still crowded around him, their faces showing slight worry and a degree of anxiety.

The reason for their anxiety was simple. The duration of the Dragon Hunting Ceremony was not fixed; it could last anywhere from five days on the short end, to ten days or even half a month on the long end.

In any case, the ceremony would only end an hour after all twelve seats for the Dragon Spear Trial had been filled.

But now, they didn’t have a single Dragon Scale among them. Forget the twelve seats in the plaza—they probably wouldn’t even be able to activate the Dragon Spear’s Guidance, let alone find standing room to experience the "Dragon Spear Baptism."

(Dragon Spear’s Guidance: Collecting enough Dragon Scales will activate a guide. Following the guide leads to Dragon Spear Plaza. Seats are then assigned based on the number of Dragon Scales, and the closer the seat, the better the effect of the Dragon Spear Baptism. Those who fail to secure a seat can still take a spot in a corner, as long as their Dragon Scale count meets the minimum standard for the baptism.)

Seeing that it was almost dark, and knowing the mountains would be much more dangerous at night, the Trial Takers wanted to hunt dragons and collect scales now, before the Dragon Calamity erupted, so they wouldn’t fall too far behind. However, Dewey was technically their employer.

These rich young masters still had some sense of contractual spirit when dealing with a power like the Frank Family, one of the Four Great Demon-Hunting Clans. If they left now, they would inevitably be given a hard time on other occasions, just like the Pound Siblings. Thus, they were caught in a dilemma.

At this, Isabella decided to do them a favor. She snapped at them, "What are you still gathered here for? Scram."

The Trial Takers left, dejected and unwilling, their heads hung low.

Their dejection and unwillingness were all for Dewey’s benefit. The message they were trying to convey was something like, ’We want to stay, but we’re powerless. So don’t blame us for leaving—blame the enemy for being too strong.’

Dewey knew he had been beaten this time. He sneered at Isabella... but then suddenly remembered he couldn’t win against this woman, whether in terms of family power or personal strength. So, he sneered at Baron instead.

Baron didn’t care. Let him sneer, jeer, or laugh like an idiot. He stopped the Dragon Guides who were about to leave with the Trial Takers.

The Dragon Guides looked with some confusion at this Master Jack, whom they had previously underestimated.

Baron said, "This is a robbery."

The Dragon Guides and Trial Takers were all stunned. "Didn’t we already give you all the Dragon Scales?"

Baron coughed, glancing at Isabella, who was watching with an amused look in her eyes. "The one who robbed your employers was this young lady. I’m robbing you."

The Dragon Guides were stunned for a moment. After thinking it over, they became furious. "This is outrageous!"

"We call you ’Master’ a few times and you really start thinking you’re some kind of master!"

"I bet your identity is fake! You only picked the middle path out of sheer luck!"

"Do you really want to test the sharpness of my blade?!"

BANG!

Baron fired a shot into the air, startling a flock of white dragon egrets.

"Five hundred pounds per person. Cash only, no cheques," Baron said. "No cutting in line. Form a proper queue and come one by one."