Westminster Bank

"A Level? If I remember right, the evaluation criteria for a field containment are different from the interview and containment tests... Isn't the current record held by that S-Level Commissioner? An A+, if I'm not mistaken. I heard he simultaneously obtained fragments of an A Level Taboo Object and an S Level Taboo Object…"

"I remember reading in the papers that this L guy was rated as an S-Level Commissioner. Apparently, his interview and containment tests were both S-Level. All he needs is a C+ on this field containment and his S-Level rank is pretty much locked in… So why is the betting pool only open for him getting 'A Level' or higher?"

"Is this a setup by the guys in logistics? Doesn't seem like it… If I'm not mistaken, the logistics department is on a team-building trip in Scotland right now… Besides, that guy Jack is still being held… This probably isn't a setup. It's free money. I'm gonna go call in a bet… You in?"

"I'm in."

The few commissioners walked off with their arms around each other's shoulders to phone in their bets.

The rest exchanged glances. If everything the others had said was true, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to make some extra cash?

And so, one by one, they followed suit to place their bets over the phone.

They were completely oblivious that the commissioners they had been following had disappeared around a corner, and that Jack, who was being held, had a smile spreading across his face.

"Mr. L, I can actually offer you one more choice." Just as Baron was about to enter the containment chamber, Governor Malozov suddenly called out to him again.

Malozov said softly, "You don't have to enter the containment chamber for the test. You have a Taboo Item on your face that conceals your appearance, anyway. All I need is for you to admit, right here in front of everyone, that your S-Level provisional commissioner status was fabricated by Howard."

"What do you say to that deal?"

As if to add to his credibility, Malozov even had the bodyguards release Jack, who they had been holding.

And Jack, like one of those magical ginseng fruits from the stories, hit the ground and vanished in a flash.

Baron: "…"

'Hey, man. Running off like that is a pretty crappy thing to do to a brother.'

Malozov said, "So? Mr. L? This proposal is much more lenient than the previous two, wouldn't you say? All you have to do is say the word…"

Baron said, "I refuse."

'The proposal seems decent enough, but there's nothing in it for me. I was just here to borrow an elevator and get out. Why should I have to put up with some bizarre, pointless test and another choice?'

"What…"

Malozov studied Baron for a few moments, surprised. He had only learned of the man's true identity during the board meeting when he reported Howard.

At the time, he had his secretary fetch all related files. Amidst a long list of the man's nigh-unbelievable achievements and news clippings, Malozov had drawn on his thirty years of experience and intuition as a governor in frigid Moscow to quickly slap a few labels on him:

*Unstable*, *Rather Self-Centered*, *Extremely Dangerous*, *Bizarre*…

It seemed his analysis hadn't been wrong.

"In that case, please…" Malozov pulled open the heavy door to the containment test. "Mr. L."

Baron had barely stepped inside when a voice echoed from a short distance away. "Malozov!"

The other commissioners turned toward the sound, their attention captured. They saw it was Deputy Governor Howard.

.........

「One minute earlier.」

"You're saying L is at Westminster? L… Constantine!"

"Malozov stopped him? And took him to the field containment chamber!? What is that damn Moscovite trying to do!?"

"You said all the Westminster Commissioners in the halls have been drawn over there?"

"You're saying that guy Jack and the logistics crew are there too… This is bad! Go stop them! What, the betting pool is already open? That fast?"

"Quick, go inform Governor Hoover… On second thought, I'll go myself."

Howard ordered the staff member beside him as he hurried toward his destination.

He soon spotted the circle of people formed outside the field containment chamber. Malozov was there, too.

"Malozov! As the Governor of the Moscow branch, you have no right to interfere with London's affairs! You're overstepping your authority!"

The man from Moscow saw him arrive and gave him a smile. Then, he pulled open the door to the chamber, letting an unknowing Constantine enter the field containment chamber right in front of him.

The door swung shut. Everyone in the hallway saw a screen descend from the wall, displaying a data chart that would represent his rating evaluation.

According to the established rules, all that was required now was for "L," from inside, to present the regulation-compliant contained items one by one.

Malozov looked at Howard and sneered. "Howard, you're one step too late."

Howard was seething. The old man, who always maintained a public image of dry wit, lost some of his usual composure. "L is the person the Governor specifically requested. Do you have any idea what you're doing right now?"

"I do," Malozov said, a cigar held between two fingers. "I'm taking back the seventy kilograms of Gold allotted to my Moscow branch."

Howard regained his composure. He cleared his throat and said:

"I do believe there is a need to test L's field containment capabilities, but Malozov, as the Governor of the Moscow branch, you logically have no authority to make L undergo this test… Besides, by any standard of examination, it hasn't even been two weeks since L was last certified! Even if a field test were necessary, it wouldn't be now!"

Malozov gestured with his eyes to an administrative manager at his side. The manager hesitated. Malozov let out a cold snort, and the manager finally stepped forward.

Howard frowned. "And you are…"

He didn't remember Westminster having such an administrative manager.

"The new administrative manager… a new proposal from the board of directors of the Westminster China branch, implemented just in the last two days..." the manager said. "According to Article 132 of the *Westminster Employee Handbook* issued by the board… Mr. Malozov, as a Governor, does have the right to exercise this authority over Mr. L."

Howard nodded, then suddenly asked, "Does an A-Level Commissioner have the authority to force an S-Level Commissioner to undergo a containment test?"

The administrative manager hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.

Malozov sneered. "Everyone knows L's rating is only because you went out on a limb to vouch for him... You just want to use his profession to curry favor and pull votes from Governor Hoover."

"Then let's make a bet."

"Bet on what?"

"On L's rating for this containment test."

"How much?"

"Whether he gets an A!"

"The stakes?"

"Seventy kilograms of Gold!"

"What you already owe me doesn't count."

Howard's tone faltered, then he said, "Fine, one thousand pounds."

"Seventy kilograms of Gold it is, but I have an additional condition," Malozov said. "If I win, in addition to the Gold you owe me, you will also publish an article in the *Westminster Times* under your own name, saying, 'Having been eroded by capitalism, my professional ethics are truly no match for Governor Malozov of Moscow. Long live the Soviet Union.'"

"If I win, you just have to erect a statue of me in front of the Moscow Bank," Howard said.

"Done," said Malozov.

"Done."

'Howard felt a pang of regret. It was just a goading tactic, but he hadn't expected Malozov to actually agree.'

'Constrained by the gazes of the surrounding commissioners, all he could do was silently urge Baron to give it his all. Then, his mind quickly started analyzing whether he could pull some strings with the seventy-kilogram repayment installments and the publication date for the newspaper article.'

The bank is a symbol of capitalism, and the governor is the bank personified.

In layman's terms, they might earn less, but they would never take a loss.

"Kasha? You're here too? Is your containment mission complete?"

Howard, who had been contemplating how to deal with losing the bet, suddenly noticed a woman in black robes and a black veil to the side.

Kasha nodded. "Mission failed. I taught a *Wizard Defense Class* for a month. Besides earning titles like 'that woman from the Middle East,' I found absolutely no clues related to any Taboo Items…"

"So you came back this time to…"

"Administrative leave. I got fed up with those little Wizard brats in my class, so I walked into the classroom, yelled 'Hallelujah,' and threw all the teaching materials and files out. The little brats all got scared and ran off… The result is three Wizard brats injured, and I get a half-month vacation."

"That must have been tough."

Kasha shrugged, then looked at the data on the wall and said, "Have you guys not noticed that his rating has been holding steady at A-Level this entire time?"