Westminster Bank

"But as a price…" He and the several directors beside him spoke in unison. "We need you to voluntarily resign."

Resign!

Director Number Nine's tone was grave. "What is the meaning of this?"

Several other directors looked around in confusion, clearly surprised and uninformed about the matter.

Director Number Eight said, "Hoover was undeniably a good governor once, but this contract with Yafurheim on the World Tree is utterly foolish. It might even be called the worst deal in Westminster's history…"

Director Number Nine countered, "But that's hardly grounds for Hoover's resignation. If you're proposing this simply because you're still bitter about the governor election years ago, then you're not acting in Westminster's best interest."

"But it's better than someone who trusts money too much… someone who's become completely obsessed with it," Director Number Eight retorted. "What do the rest of you think?"

Aside from the directors who had spoken in unison with him, no one said a word.

"It seems several of you already came to an agreement… And here I was wondering why a few directors who are usually late were the first to arrive today."

But Hoover just chuckled and stroked his beard. "You may have misunderstood me. While Nidhogg and my resignation are certainly important, they don't even qualify for comparison to what's next."

'Not even qualified?'

The other directors all looked at the old man.

Something that made even the Black Dragon Nidhogg and the resignation of the Governor of Westminster Bank seem insignificant… A series of possibilities flashed through their minds, and they unconsciously sat up straighter.

"Let's put the matter of resignation aside for now. What I mean is that Baron Constantin's promotion doesn't need an application; I will approve it directly… As for the so-called S Level, I don't intend to apply for that either. The level I intend to request for him is this…"

Hoover tossed a document from his hand. The other directors' faces changed the instant they glanced at it. Before they could voice their objections, Director Number Eleven slammed his hand on the table. "Triple-S Level! Hoover, do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Triple-S Level! Is this some kind of joke? Since the founding of Westminster Bank, the only people to ever receive a Triple-S Level rating had been the successive Governors of Westminster themselves. It was less a rating and more an honor.

Even the current star of Westminster, the SS Level containment specialist, was already an exception. And his ability to "contain Destiny" and his natural talent were both one in a million.

And now Hoover wanted to apply for a "Triple-S" rating for a Lawbreaker wanted by the entire Inner Side, a notoriously Bloodless man?

What kind of joke was this!?

"Absurd!"

"This is completely unreasonable!"

"Governor Hoover, do you know what a Triple-S Level entails? Are you planning to select him as the next Governor of Westminster?"

"Governor Hoover, you really are tired…"

"I disagree! I don't think Baron Constantin qualifies for a Triple-S Level, he might not even reach B Level… Although Howard gave him an S in his interview, we can't rule out the possibility that it was because of his rare Dragon Knight status…

"As for containing the 'Illusory Cocoon,' that doesn't prove anything. A typical S-Level Taboo Item wouldn't be so easily confined to a single room for him to contain. It doesn't represent his combat ability…

"The reason that SS Level specialist's containment assessment was S-rated is because he truly brought in an S-Level Taboo Item."

"Are you perhaps using this Triple-S Level gimmick as a 'broken windows' gambit to get us to approve Baron Constantin's promotion and his S-Level status?"

The directors all began talking at once, but their collective message was clear: Triple-S Level was impossible! To hell with Baron Constantin.

To their surprise, Hoover burst out laughing. The directors didn't know what had gotten into him and exchanged bewildered glances. But just as quickly, Hoover became calm again.

"You're all finance people, yet an old man like me gets his information faster… As directors of Westminster, you should cultivate the habit of reading the papers, just like our specialists. The *Westminster Times* and its reports on[Taboo Items]isn't the only important newspaper… I really don't know how you old-timers plan to keep up with the times."

With a wave of his hand, several sheets of paper drifted down from the ceiling, landing in front of the directors.

The directors picked them up and read the title, a collective shudder running through them: *Playboy Nude Photo Collection*.

???

Hoover glanced at it, silently cursing that old lecher Howard for his shoddy prep work. He then coughed, subtly performed a Magic Technique, and the Playboy instantly transformed into a newspaper.

The directors leaned in to look again.

It was a freshly printed copy of the *Mercury Times*. The headline was blazoned in large letters: *Lawbreaker Constantine Appears at Dragon Spear Plaza!*

Although Hoover couldn't see the directors' expressions, the way their hands tightened on the papers made it clear they were stunned by the news.

"Is… is this true?" one of the directors was the first to ask. "Is Baron Constantin really a Bronze Tier Dragon Knight? According to Howard's report, wasn't he just Black Iron? And why would he be at the Beowulf Family's estate, kidnapping their eldest daughter…"

"Half of what's in the paper is true, and half is false," Hoover said. "What's true is that Baron Constantin is, in fact, a genuine Bronze Dragon Knight."

"Then what's false? Is it that Baron Constantin's crimes are even greater than this? Even if he is a Bronze Dragon Knight, it doesn't erase the sins he committed on the Inner Side, or the fact that he's wanted by countless Prole Courts," Director Number Eight demanded.

"Number Eight, you're getting worked up," Director Number Nine said.

Director Number Eight let out a cold snort, but Hoover simply said, "Those are indeed facts. But there are many other facts that were covered up and not reported in the paper."

"What facts?" another silent director spoke up.

"What if he made a pact with a Pure-blood Ancient Dragon?"

The surrounding directors instantly sat bolt upright.

"Impossible!" Director Number Eight shot up, slamming his hands on the table. "There hasn't been a Pure-blood Dragon Knight since the fall of the Dragon Family a century ago… No Dragon Race member would ever make a pact with a Bloodless… Stop spouting nonsense, Hoover."

SLAP. A photograph was thrown onto the table. The directors looked at it, their bodies jolting once more.

"Wax Dragon Bad appeared at Dragon Spear Plaza. Under siege by the Law Enforcement Organization, Constantin was rescued by him, and they also kidnapped the eldest daughter of the Beowulf Family."

"This…"

The directors looked at each other, clearly at a loss for words.

Director Number Eight said, "You said he kidnapped the eldest daughter of the Beowulf Family, and the newspaper also seems to mention that she activated eight Dragon Patterns during the Dragon Spear ceremony, making her the most likely candidate for the next Patriarch of the Beowulf Family… Are you saying you aren't concerned that our dear Constantin hasn't committed enough crimes?"

"And what if he just so happened to pull out the Dragon Spear?"

Another photograph was slapped onto the table. It showed the silhouette of a young man wielding the Golden Dragon Spear, facing down the Dragon Tide.

The directors were rendered completely speechless.

Governor Hoover, however, spoke. "Director Number Eight, please continue with the previous topic… If I recall correctly, you were about to impeach me?"

Director Number Eight fell silent.

Just then, the Copper Bell in front of Hoover began to shake violently.

Hoover's expression changed as he grabbed the bell. "The bell is not to be rung during a board meeting unless it's major news… Speak. Did Yafurheim collapse?"

"No, Governor." It was Howard's voice coming from the other end of the Copper Bell, and it sounded strange. "That fellow Malozov went behind our backs and gave Constantin a combat containment rating…"

"Which Constantin?"

"Baron Constantin."

"What is he doing here… Are you telling me the results weren't ideal?" Hoover's old face wrinkled. The sound from the Copper Bell had drawn the attention of all the directors.

Howard didn't deny it, but his tone was peculiar. "Malozov gave a rating."

"What was the rating?" Director Number Eight asked directly.

His eyes, hidden beneath the mist, were fixed on Hoover. He knew that Malozov, the man from Moscow, had always been at odds with Howard.

"S," Howard said from the other end of the Copper Bell. "S Level… Malozov gave him an S Level."