Westminster Bank

Chapter 188: Chapter 128: Dragon Witch (2)

Baron’s mind was numb. He felt as if he’d spent the entire day with a million unanswered questions.

He refused to give up and was about to continue searching when he felt a sudden pang. Through a special connection, he sensed a new message in his [Secret Notes], which had been quiet for days.

He was about to open it when he saw Stephen Lewis and his companions approaching. With them was another man, also sharply dressed in a suit—a black man, Master Michael.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they bid their farewells. The conversation mostly consisted of Master Michael praising Baron for the contribution his [Periodic Table of Elements] made to the Alchemy School. They also took the opportunity to jointly condemn the "tyrannical and unjust" King Feinan.

As they left, a joyful smile spread across Lewis’s face.

Baron guessed that besides swindling a good amount of money from Ferdinand and other high-net-worth individuals, part of the reason was that Stephen had promised to help him lobby the First Hunter Association to purchase weapons from Fude City’s Mechanical School.

And to promote the custom-made mechanical prosthetics that Fude City’s Mechanical School designed for Law Enforcers who had lost limbs.

As Baron was leaving the City Lord’s Mansion, he saw Ferdinand in the distance, just getting into a car surrounded by numerous attendants. Their eyes met.

After a moment of silence, they both looked away at the same time.

A single thought surfaced in both their minds simultaneously—’I need to find a chance to kill him.’

’Three days from now... that’s a Foggy Day. Based on what Faraday said before, he’ll most likely attack me then and disguise it as a [Beast] attack.’

Baron understood that time was of the essence. He had to take the initiative.

’I don’t have time to worry about that Maid now. The top priority is to rapidly increase my own strength.’

’Tonight, I’ll go to the Shepherdess and die a hundred times!’

With this thought in mind, Baron hurried back to the Blood Church.

He pushed open his bedroom door, about to check the message in his [Secret Notes], but froze on the spot.

There was someone by the window—it was the Maid!

The Maid gazed at the bright, full moon outside the window and sighed softly. "Mr. Constantine, you certainly keep a lady waiting."

"BANG!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Baron pulled the trigger almost instinctively. The bullet spun out of the barrel but stopped just inches from the woman.

It hung suspended in mid-air, unable to move. The scene was strikingly similar to "The Matrix," a movie Baron had seen in his past life.

But he knew full well this was Spiritual Power, projected outward to catch the bullet.

To be capable of such a feat, even for a Silver Tier, one would have to be among the very best of them.

Baron’s heart sank. ’A Silver Tier expert... I can’t beat her.’

He saw that the woman was holding a bouquet of tulips. She stroked a petal, and the tulip actually opened its "mouth" and swallowed the bullet held by the Spiritual Power.

The strangely familiar scene left Baron stunned.

"Still haven’t figured it out? Or do I have to change my appearance for you to remember, Lord Dragon Knight?"

The woman took off her wig, revealing soft red hair. She then peeled away the disguise on her face, unveiling a beautiful countenance and a pair of red eyes that seemed to hold flecks of gold.

In the moonlight, every single strand of her hair seemed to be edged in silver.

’It’s... the Dragon Witch—’

"Carmen," Baron said blankly.

’Dragon Witch Carmen?’

’Is it really her?’

’But how could she be here?’

’Was she also chosen by the Dream Master?’

’No... no... this is too strange!’

The composure Baron had struggled to maintain was torn away along with the woman’s disguise. He stared at her blankly, speechless for a long moment.

Carmen watched him without speaking. After a long while, she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Hey, hey, Lord Dragon Knight. I know I’m beautiful, but don’t stare for so long. Are you mesmerized or something?"

"And another thing," she added, holding up a slender finger as if to show her displeasure. "I’m not Carmen here. Like I said last time, please call me KK."

Baron snapped back to his senses, watching as the Witch—whose personality was completely different from when they first met—tucked the now-ordinary bouquet of tulips into the slit of his breast pocket.

Making herself right at home, she sat on the edge of his bed and casually picked up a book from the table about the local customs of Prole, flipping through it.

She clicked her tongue. "Fude City is famous for its fine wine and cake... I wish they had pizza. Too bad the people of Gillian only like meat. And besides, I’m out of money."

She suddenly looked at the bewildered Dragon Knight, her eyes sparkling. "Constantine, didn’t you make a lot of money in the Hunting Competition? I’m hungry. I want to eat Fude City’s steam cake."

’Is the Witch’s personality really this cheerful? How is she so completely different from the person I saw in the sewers and at Lady Eleanor’s villa?’

’And why call her KK here? Is it a fake identity, like my "L"?’

Baron’s mind raced as he processed everything. "I can buy you cake," he said, "but in exchange, you have to tell me why you’re in Prole."

"Deal."

Carmen flopped onto the bed and, without any reservation or shyness, wrapped herself up in the blanket like a big burrito, poking her head out to speak.

"But I want a lot of cake. And as part of the exchange, you have to tell me why ’She’ chose you to be a Dragon Knight."

’’She’? Who is ’She’?’

—

Clearly, neither Prole nor the world of the Inner Side had the kind of nightlife Baron remembered from Star City in his past life.

After wandering the streets for a while, Baron found that besides the gambling dens and brothels in the underground streets, no shops were open.

「Half an hour later.」

The Witch munched on small cookies made by the novice Nuns of the Blood Church, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"’She’ is Carmen. I’m KK. We’re two sides of the same person, but it’s not Dissociative Identity Disorder, because our memories are shared.

"But she was influenced by the Red Dragon, so she has my memories. I don’t have hers, though. I usually only know what’s going on with her when she’s willing to share."

’Two sides of the same person? The Red Dragon’s influence?’

’This means the Red Dragon really isn’t dead. He must have left behind something important, maybe even his soul, within the Witch. Otherwise, there’s no way I could have received his acknowledgment and become a Dragon Knight. There was definitely more to the Red Dragon’s death back then.’

"Last time at the ball, I was the one dancing with you. Actually, I was the one playing the piano at first, but she suddenly woke up halfway through, so she was the one dancing with you after that."

’Switching personalities at will? That makes sense. If I think of the Witch I met at the entrance to the engagement banquet, the one who just wanted to eat Peking Duck, as a mischievous girl...’

’...then the Witch at the ball afterward was like a Queen. Thinking back, no matter how much a person’s personality might change, the leap and contrast wouldn’t be that huge.’

Witch KK took a fierce bite of her cookie. "Otherwise, I would’ve eaten a few more chicken legs at that engagement banquet!"

Baron: "..."

’Indeed, KK and Carmen are very different.’

’If I had to differentiate, Carmen is the artistic type, and KK is the sporty type.’ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

’Two sides of one person... interesting. Could this be the [Twin] phenomenon Lankao mentioned?’

’It’s a bit like one soul with two spirits...’

"The female reporter you mentioned was also me. Why did I do it? Just for fun. Think about it, ever since the Dragon Family fell, the Red Dragon hasn’t formed a contract with a second Knight in a hundred years."

"Even if someone signed a contract under the Knight Law, without the Red Dragon’s acknowledgment, that Knight could never become a true Contract Knight."

"So for a living, breathing Dragon Knight like you to suddenly appear... isn’t it normal to be curious?"

Baron seized on the key point. "Who was the first?"

KK thought for a moment. "It was a long time ago. But he died on the same day the Red Dragon fell."

KK continued, "As for why I’m in Prole, and in Fude City of all places... well, that’s because you’re here."

"Because I’m in Fude City?" Baron frowned, not immediately understanding what KK meant.

But KK continued, "For any Law Enforcer who has a contract with the Red Dragon—be they a Demon Hunter, a Wizard, or a Knight—I can use a Red Dragon Scale to teleport to their side through the contract."

"This time, Carmen was nearly captured by Silver Lion Wilder on the Inner Side. In a moment of desperation, she used a Dragon Scale to come to you."

KK finished her cookie, loosened the blanket, and flopped onto her stomach in a comfortable position, bending her long, fair legs back and kicking them in the air like a child splashing in water.