Westminster Bank

"Though, it was also by comparing the handwriting on the back of the photos."

Jack took another photo from his pocket. The person in the photo was undoubtedly Anthony, clad in the Lion's Eye Armor with his Face Armor on, and Freya was leaning against his shoulder, looking poised and elegant.

Flipping it over, there was another line of handwriting on the back: "All sacrifices are necessary."

This was the ancestral motto of the Lancelot Family, if he remembered correctly. Baron had once overheard the Lancelot Family Head say those exact words to Freya.

The matching handwriting meant his speculation was on the right track, but to write "Fla, I love you" on the back of a photo with Anthony in it... didn't that imply the writer needed his head examined?

A strange expression crossed Baron's face. He had already guessed that Anthony had fallen for Fla, the personality inside Freya. But considering Fla was using Freya's body, and Anthony and Freya were siblings... the whole thing still felt completely fucked up.

There was still one thing he couldn't figure out, though: why did Fla want to kill Anthony?

From the photos and the information he had so far, it was highly likely Anthony already knew Fla existed as an Alchemy Creation. Otherwise, that phrase wouldn't be on the back of the photo.

If that was the case, then Lankao's relationship with the Hestia Family couldn't have been hidden from Anthony either. And the Dragon Eater Association was also closely tied to the Hestia Family. Following this line of thought, could it be that Anthony was silenced because he discovered the secrets between Lankao and the Dragon Eater Association?

'No, that's not right. Anthony was a Silver Knight and the future Lancelot Family Head. He wouldn't have been taken off the board so carelessly. The risk was too great. A single misstep could have exposed the Hestia Family as moles.'

'If I were the leader of the Dragon Eater Association, I wouldn't have done it that way.'

'There had to be a deeper, more particular reason.'

Baron suddenly recalled the conversation between the Dragon Devourer Cultists he had overheard in the Dracul Mountain Range, and what he had heard in the cave about the Immortal Fire and the method for creating Dragon Attendants.

Lankao's Twin experiment created the Dragon Eater Association's Dragon Attendants. A Dragon Attendant requires the fusion of a High-Tier Old Race's body with that of a Dragon Descendant. Lankao had said that only High-Tier Law Enforcers could ascend to the Spirit Realm under specific emotional fluctuations.

'No, Anthony becoming an Undead Knight wasn't just due to hatred. Jack said there were burn marks on Anthony's body, which aligns perfectly with the soul-preserving Immortal Fire... That's the key point.'

This act of preserving Anthony's soul was remarkably similar to the process of creating a Dragon Attendant. Could it be...

'Someone in the Dragon Eater Association had their eye on Anthony Lancelot's bloodline and his body as a Silver Tier Knight! And Fla, for Lankao's sake, deliberately lured Anthony into a deadly trap!'

The moment this thought struck him, Baron felt a sense of sudden clarity!

Putting it all together, the story went something like this:

The Alchemy Mad Demon Lankao, in order to preserve his experimental creation "Fla," targeted the Lancelot Family's legitimate daughter, Freya, and used a special ritual to give her "Dissociative Identity Disorder."

Afterward, Freya's brother, Anthony, accidentally discovered this. Through his interactions with her, he fell in love with the experimental creation Fla—the other side of his own sister, Freya.

Subsequently, the Dragon Eater Association, having targeted Anthony for his bloodline and strength, set its sights on his body. They then threatened Fla through Lankao—who had become a Blood Biter for love—forcing her to kill Anthony.

But Anthony's soul was preserved by the burning of that strange Immortal Fire, and so his spirit ascended to Prole, became an Undead Knight, and fought against Baron outside Fude City.

"Based on the information I've gathered so far, this should be the general situation. Any differences are likely just in the details."

"For example, why can the flames of an Azure Fire Dragon kill an Undead Knight? According to the Witch, aside from being crushed by a higher Tier or status, only the cause of death can cause death..."

"By that logic, the first Undead Knight was most likely killed by a Red Dragon's flames. Then the second, Anthony, should have been killed by an Azure Fire Dragon's Dragon Flame. But Azure Fire Dragons are Dragon Descendants unique to Prole... No, wait, the cause of death. If we're looking at the cause of death, Anthony wasn't killed by Mistletoe at all. He was burned to death."

"Could the Azure Fire Dragon's flame be the so-called Immortal Fire? No, that doesn't add up no matter how I think about it... Or was it the Magic Crystal on the Fire Element Staff?"

"Carmen said the Undead Knight's cause of death was an Azure Fire Dragon or a subspecies from the same Fire Dragon Faction. And in the Inner Side, the Alchemy Ancient Texts do record that Fire Dragons are among the Pure-blood Ancient Dragons... I just don't know if they have any subspecies."

Baron let out a long breath. It seemed that now, after all his effort, some of the fog that had shrouded him since the very beginning of his transmigration was finally starting to dissipate.

He believed that if he continued at this pace, everything would eventually come to light, and his name would be cleared.

"But there's still one question... If this theory is complete, why did the blame for the murder ultimately fall on me?"

"Is it all just a coincidence? Or was it just because I had a motive, a travel record for that day, and happened to be carrying a Canaan Tree Staff that could kill a Silver Knight, that they could just sentence me so casually?"

...

Baron considered this and had to admit, he did seem unusually suspicious.

But that was no reason for the Prole Court to sentence him to the [Time Death Judgment]!

"There must be something else I haven't noticed yet. All we have to do now is stick to the plan, wait in the room, kidnap Freya, and interrogate her to find out."

While Baron was still absorbed in his train of thought, Jack interrupted, "And I also found this in his room."

He pulled a test tube from his coat. It was filled with a bright red liquid—clearly the blood of some creature.

Baron was confused. Jack explained, "This is Demon's Blood."

"Demon's Blood?"

Baron couldn't understand why this would be in Anthony's room, nor did he realize what it meant for Jack to suddenly show it to him.

...

「Meanwhile, inside a phone booth on a London street.」

The call connected.

Jill said, "Constantine..."

He took a deep breath. "Baron Constantin not only became a Dragon Knight, but he might have even reached the Silver Tier now! What the hell is going on?"

"Weren't you the one who said you personally watched the Demon's Blood infect his body!?"

A calm, yet imposing, male voice replied from the other end: "An Old Race member infected by Demon's Blood, whether the affliction is removed or not, will inevitably become one of the Bloodless. The fact that he is no longer Bloodless means there are only two possibilities."

"One possibility is that he was never infected with Demon's Blood in the first place. His previous status as one of the Bloodless was all an act. But there's no motive for that. After all, if he had remained with the Constantine Family, given his status in the Direct Lineage and his bloodline, he was guaranteed to become the next Patriarch."

"The other is that he has become a Demon."

...

Jack slid a newspaper in front of Constantine. "It was under the vial of Demon's Blood."

Baron took it and read: [SHOCKING NEWS! HEIR-APPARENT OF THE CONSTANTINE FAMILY, BARON CONSTANTIN, CONFIRMED TO BE BLOODLESS DURING SPIRITUAL SENSE RITUAL!!!]

"Brother L, it looks like there's a reason you became Bloodless," Jack said, looking at Baron.

But Baron's expression was surprisingly calm, showing no reaction to the news.

'So the original owner of this body became Bloodless because of this Demon's Blood? And this Demon's Blood came from my dear brother-in-law? Which means he's the one who caused the original owner to become Bloodless?'

Baron thought silently, but he felt not the slightest ripple of emotion in his heart.

'Besides, my dear brother-in-law is already dead, and I've successfully awakened my Spiritual Sense now. Whether becoming Bloodless was part of some conspiracy or scheme... forget it.'

'My only lingering doubt is probably this—why haven't I grown any Beast ears?'

'Right now, I need to focus on what's important,' he thought.

Just as he was about to discuss with Jack how they would kidnap Freya, he suddenly heard a noise outside the door. His spirits lifted. 'Could that be Freya?!'

He exchanged a look with Jack, and the two of them quietly hid in the shadows.