Westminster Bank

"Brother L, it's me!" The cheeky voice could only belong to one man.

Baron lowered his gun. "How did you get out too?"

"And dressed like this, no less." Baron sized up Jack, who was clad in a suit of armor, his gaze lingering on the carved lion on its chest.

"It's a suit of armor from the Lion Eye Knight Order. I found it in Anthony's room. Besides, the helmet is good for staying hidden…"

Jack's words suddenly reminded Baron of the Undead Knight he first met in Prole. 'If my memory serves me right, that guy was also a Knight of the Lion Eye Knight Order.'

'As he was being annihilated by the Dragon Flame, he said two things: "It was you who killed the Red Dragon," and "So you truly exist." Judging from these two statements, he seemed to have a strong connection to the "Fall of the Red Dragon" from a century ago.'

'Deducing from the meaning of his words, the only one who could fit the conditions of both of the Undead Knight's statements was undoubtedly the Dragon Witch.'

'Besides, the cause of the Undead Knight's death was also Dragon Flame. While it's still unclear if the Dragon Witch can command Dragon Flame, since a Witch can Transform into a Dragon, it probably isn't an issue for her.'

"Were you trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in there? You should've said so sooner! Here, take this listening device."

Jack tossed Baron a strangely shaped earpiece.

Baron was surprised. "When did you plant a bug in there?"

Jack said, "A good containment specialist always cases the joint before a mission."

'That's the kind of prep work a thief would do.'

Baron grumbled internally but put on the earpiece. He and Jack slipped into a random room and hid, listening to the conversation. Although there was some crackling static, he could roughly make out a man's voice:

"Roy… Elder… using the corpse… revive…"

'Yeah right, "roughly make out."' The voice was intermittent, and he could only piece together the full picture from fragments of sound.

'Roy? Isn't he already dead? An Elder is using his corpse? To revive him… Are they planning to turn him into a Dragon Attendant?'

Baron instantly grasped the key point.

"Fla… Berthelili… The Dragon Feast Ceremony is about to begin…"

'Berthelili?' Baron frowned. 'That sounds like the name of a place. The Dragon Feast Ceremony starting is easy enough to understand.'

'Putting it all together, does that mean this Berthelili is another base for the Dragon Eater Association?'

Baron wanted to hear more, but he only heard footsteps and the sound of a door opening. Apparently, the two people were leaving.

After Baron told Jack what he'd overheard, Jack said in surprise, "Berthelili? Isn't that the small town where that young girl Vivian and her grandfather live? It's in North Wales."

'What a coincidence.'

Baron thought to himself how small Britain was, then said to Jack, "We'll find out if we go take a look."

The cry of a Griffin came from outside the window. Through it, Baron could see Freya, already helped into a carriage by a Maid. On the other side, an Elder from the Hestia Family also boarded a carriage.

The coachman cracked his long whip. The Griffin beat its wings, stirring up a gale, and pulled the carriage into the sky, causing the surrounding Maids to collectively hold down their skirts.

Jack watched and sighed with emotion, "Only rich people like them can afford to ride in such a fine Griffin Carriage."

"By the way, Brother L, if all of this gets resolved, what do you want to do? Interested in teaming up with me to do containment missions around the world?"

"I don't know. Let's talk about that kind of thing once everything is actually resolved."

Baron had a growing feeling that if he just went to Berthelili, he would find the final answers to everything. And if he didn't find any answers, he'd just blow up the Dragon Eater Association.

............

「Plains. The Constantine Family's Lake Castle. Clan Elder Council.」 The six Elders of the Constantine Family were gathered.

The meeting was convened in Lake Castle because of one person and one matter.

The person was Baron Constantin, who had recently been causing a great stir on the Inner Side.

The matter was…

At the long table, the Grand Elder stood up and spoke directly:

"Since Baron Constantin has become a Dragon Knight, it means he is no longer Bloodless. And since he is not Bloodless, the reason you all gave for expelling him from the Constantine Family no longer exists. I propose that now is the perfect opportunity to welcome him back…

He was always the direct heir of the Constantine Family, and now he is a Bronze Tier Dragon Knight. The Constantine Family could ask for no better successor!"

The Grand Elder was the only Elder in the Elder Council who had vehemently opposed the Constantine siblings leaving the Constantine Clan. He had been the one to teach Baron's father, Fran Constantin, his Knightly Skills.

He was a fanatical member of the "Pureblood Faction," and because of this, Baron's three maternal uncles had never much cared for him since they joined the Constantine Family and took on important roles.

*(Author's note: The so-called Pureblood Faction refers to the Old Blood within the clan who only recognize the purity of the Old Blood Clan's lineage.)*

For this reason, the Grand Elder almost never participated in the decision-making for clan affairs, big or small. The few times he had called an Elder Council meeting were only when the Constantine Family was pushed to its limit by outside forces.

And now, he had taken the initiative to call this meeting. His purpose, put simply, was this:

'Before, Constantine was Bloodless, and I couldn't do anything about all the crimes he committed on the Inner Side. But now, he has gone from being Bloodless to a Law Enforcer—and a highly respected Dragon Knight at that. As the direct heir of the previous Patriarch of the Constantine Family, he must be protected, no matter what.'

"I think this is improper," the Second Elder spoke up. "Although Baron Constantin has become a Law Enforcer again, he has far too many unstable factors surrounding him. He just killed the young master of the Hestia Family at the Beowulf Family's Dragon Hunting Ceremony. If the Constantine Family recalls him to the clan now, I fear it will invite hostility from the Hestia Family and other Old Blood Clans."

This was the Second Elder speaking. He was an absolute pragmatist and the one who had orchestrated the expulsion of the Constantine siblings and the entry of the Pell Clan.

*(Author's note: The Pell Clan is Baron's mother's family.)*

In the meetings following Fran Constantin's time, it was basically the Grand Elder and him standing in opposition to each other.

However, this situation improved later when the Constantine siblings were expelled from the clan and the Pell Clan was brought in, which led to the Grand Elder largely ceasing to involve himself in clan affairs.

"Hostility? Do you really think those people are truly hostile?" the Grand Elder sneered. "Baron pulled out the Beowulf Family's Dragon Spear, he's the world's only Pure-blood Dragon Knight, and a Bronze Tier at such a young age… Their so-called hostility is nothing more than posturing."

The Grand Elder continued with a cold laugh, "I'm afraid the number of people wanting to recruit Baron behind the scenes is no less than the number who openly want him dead. If I had to guess, the Patriarch of Lancelot's Family is probably still regretting the engagement his daughter broke off on her own whim."

"The Prole Court has issued a kill order…"

"To hell with their kill order," the Grand Elder said. "That so-called court is just a dirty trick by a few Old Blood Clans. I'm telling you, Baron Constantin must return. This is non-negotiable!"

"That's it. Meeting adjourned." After saying this, the Grand Elder turned and left directly, leaving the rest of them speechless.

............…

In the darkness, two people were talking.

Apostle Six said, "President, the mission has failed. The stone monument was taken, and that fellow Apostle Nine was killed by Constantine… That guy actually held back the Demon all by himself."

His voice was filled with apprehension. "He's completely slipped from our grasp. The Red Dragon has made it so we can no longer control his Destiny. If this continues, he might end up destroying the final ritual."

Apostle Six added, "We've also lost contact with Apostle Five. That guy hid on the train from start to finish and never made a move… If he had cooperated, the Stone Monument Fragment would have been successfully activated."

The President said, "He is a child of the Constantine Family, after all… But it's no matter. It was just one Stone Monument Fragment… A predictable loss."

"As for Apostle Five… don't worry. I have other arrangements. He is already on his way to the location of the next ritual, where a much greater 'substitution' will occur."

"It is also time for the Eleventh Apostle Society to show its face."