Westminster Bank

Especially since this woman was acting like a complete werewolf.

She would stop at nothing to become the Patriarch of the Beowulf Family. Calling her ruthless wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

’If Roy or those Law Enforcers outside use the position of Patriarch to entice her, she might just sell me out in a heartbeat.’

’Besides, unless it’s absolutely necessary, the drawbacks of exposing my identity far outweigh the benefits.’

’When you’re surrounded by a pack of wolves, you have to bear the risks that come with your identity being exposed.’

’Not to mention Taoist Nun Lucy was here. Based on the shocking impression she’d left on him, it was entirely possible she’d get inexplicably high on some drug, grab a megaphone, and run all over the mountain shouting his real identity.’

’At least, the diary of this body’s original owner mentioned similar incidents.’

Isabella countered Baron’s suggestion, "But I didn’t use Dragon Mighty, nor did I hear the roar of a High Tier Dragon Descendant in the mountains."

"Perhaps..."

Unprepared, Baron was at a loss for words, but Isabella clearly had no intention of letting him go.

"If you really are a Dragon Guide, you couldn’t have been ignorant of their questions earlier. But if you’re not, then what happened at the Dragon Gate? Why were you able to push it open so easily, without even needing to collect my blood..."

"Our deal didn’t cover any of this." Baron paused to think before giving an ambiguous answer.

"A pity there are no lawyers here."

The tip of her spear pressed deeper into Baron’s mask, and cracks began to appear on the Silver Mask.

Isabella said, "Last question. Why are those Dragon Descendants afraid to approach you? That includes the Third Generation Electric Dragon from before. Even with the enhancement from my Dragon Blood, my Dragon Mighty isn’t enough to make it freeze for that long... Who on earth are you?"

"Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is you’ve already gotten what you wanted, so why are you so fixated on who I am?"

Baron said helplessly, "Miss Isabella, I’ve already told you, I’m just an innocent thief who happened to steal a few Taboo Items from the Beowulf Family and was caught by you trying to slip away."

"Besides, you and I already made a deal. You’ve secured your seat, just as we agreed. Yet when it’s time to let me go, you insist on using this Alchemy Array against me."

A hint of anger crept into his voice. "Are the local Old Blood Clans all this discourteous?"

"Not to mention you haven’t even given me my final payment," Baron added resentfully.

With a flick of her spear, Isabella knocked his mask off.

"Bass!"

The Beowulf sisters spoke the man’s name in unison.

The slightly weary, utterly unremarkable face belonged to none other than Isabella’s Household Servant, Bass!

Isabella frowned. For the first time, a complex expression of shock and bewilderment crossed her stunning, icy features. "How is it you?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "This must be a disguise. Bass’s build and mannerisms are completely different from yours. Lucy, can your Array restrict the flow of Spiritual Power?"

"Let me see."

Munching on an apple, Lucy stared at Baron with wide eyes while fiddling with a Compass that had a small Paperman standing on it. As she manipulated the Paperman, Baron’s position within the Array shifted accordingly.

After about fifteen minutes, Lucy put down the Paperman and said to Isabella, "It’s not Spiritual Power. It’s a Taboo Item."

"Can you try to seal the Taboo Item?" Isabella asked, eyeing Baron’s Dragon Guide attire and trying to guess which item was responsible for the disguise.

"Can’t. Taboo Items are stained with [Mystery]. Only a Law can suppress a Law."

"And it must be the First Law," Lucy added after a moment of thought. "Isabella, see if you can find the Taboo Item or a Storage Crystal Stone on him. I’m dying to see what this guy really looks like."

Baron thought, ’This Lucy isn’t as dumb as she looks. If this keeps up, the Chain of the Imitator will be exposed.’

Seeing Isabella retract her spear and walk toward him, Baron said:

"It’s no use. The moment you realized I could disguise myself, all of this became pointless."

Isabella narrowed her eyes, pulled open Baron’s Dragon Guide coat, and reached for the long chain hanging at his waist.

She had noticed it the first time she saw Baron. As far as she knew, Dragon Guides rarely wore long chains at their waists, as any unexpected sound could cause an accident during the guiding process.

Baron said quickly:

"Since I can disguise myself as Bass, it stands to reason I can disguise myself as anyone you know. You already know how this will end, so why must you ruin our amicable partnership?"

Isabella didn’t stop.

"I have a way to get rid of the Dragon Scales on your face."

Isabella stopped.

Baron sighed. ’These women are all so greedy, one more than the next,’ he thought. ’Compared to them, the Little Nun Olivia is practically an Angel.’

"What is it?"

"Deactivate the Alchemy Array first. The chains are still on, so it’s not like I can run."

"And why should I believe you can get rid of the Dragon Scales on my face?"

Hearing this, Baron breathed an inward sigh of relief. Her question meant he was already halfway to success.

Isabella was a woman, after all. No matter how nonchalant she pretended to be about her appearance, she clearly cared a great deal about the Dragon Scales on her face.

It would be different if she were a man. Baron, at least his past self, would have thought having Dragon Scales like that on his face was actually pretty cool.

"For the same reason you didn’t believe I could open the Dragon Gate."

Baron watched impassively as Isabella placed her hand on the Chain of the Imitator at his waist. He ignored the twitching in the corner of his eye and spoke with forced calm.

Isabella froze at his words.

Then, she let go of the Chain of the Imitator and turned away. "Lucy, deactivate the Array."

"But, Isabella..."

"Do as I say. I’ll give you some of the Electric Dragon’s Dragon Blood."

The Dragon Blood of a Third Generation Species was an excellent material for Alchemy. Lucy hurriedly deactivated the Array.

Isabella looked at Baron. "So, what’s your solution?"

Baron told her to wait a moment, then rummaged inside his coat before pulling out a glass bottle and tossing it to Isabella.

It contained a viscous, bright red liquid, with bubbles rising to its surface.

Lucy was about to analyze the substance with the precision of an Alchemist, but Isabella simply uncorked the bottle, tilted back her graceful, swan-like neck, and drank every last drop.

Isabella wiped her mouth. "What blood is that? It’s so sweet."

"It’s not blood, it’s a potion," Baron said, lying through his teeth. He couldn’t possibly reveal his identity. "How do you feel now?"

"A little dizzy."

"Dizzy is good. That means the potion is working."

Baron had no idea if this was his Dragon Rider blood taking effect, nor did he know if his blood would work on Isabella as it had on Carmen. He had done it purely on a gambler’s impulse.

"But I suddenly have the urge to kill you."

Isabella said lightly, touching her face, which was still covered in Dragon Scales.

Baron froze, his heart sinking. He’d forgotten that he was still under the [Mercury Retrograde] effect of the [Lucky Goddess Necklace]. If he made a bet now, he would most likely lose.

He was about to make a run for it when Isabella tossed a key at him. "Forget it. You can go. You fulfilled your end of the deal. I don’t blame you."

’What does "I don’t blame you" even mean?’ The line reminded Baron of a famous, melodramatic scene from a TV show in his past life, where a character says something like, "My dearest brother, kneel before me, for I have but one small favor to ask."

But escaping was the priority right now.

Baron picked up the key, unlocked his chains, and nodded to Isabella. "Just wait a little longer. It should take effect soon."

After saying this, he picked up the White Mask from the ground and put it on. He handed Isabella the Dragon Summoner Badge, now fused with the Third Generation Dragon Scale, then turned and fled, his figure vanishing into the night within moments.

————————

[Secret Notes of Baron Constantin (Original Owner):

May 1, 1976 / Wales / Overcast

The day before yesterday, Lucy got some kind of alchemical drug called "Illusion Fruit" from her family’s Alchemist...

Isabella wrote to me later saying that after Lucy ate it, she ran around the manor shouting, "I wet the bed last night!" at everyone she saw.

I didn’t get a chance to try it, because when I got home the fruit was snatched by Pound and his older brother, Simon.

I heard from Master Zophie today that after those two ate it, they started relieving themselves all over Lake Castle. They’ve since been caught by my second uncle and put in solitary confinement.]