Westminster Bank

Chapter 263: Chapter 164: Escape

Baron wrote down his speculations and a rough summary of what had happened in his diary to prevent himself from forgetting due to the side effects of the Chain of the Imitator.

After all, it seemed he was still caught in a torrent of misfortune, so he had to prepare for the worst.

Jack said, "Don’t worry. Your sister and brother are both being protected by Westminster... Westminster Commissioners, regardless of their Tier, generally receive this kind of protection. It’s to ensure the Commissioners can perform their duties with peace of mind."

’No kidding. Considering the way Westminster Commissioners handle containment, who would be willing to lay their life on the line if their family and friends weren’t protected?’

’Otherwise, I wouldn’t have woken up in Beowulf Manor.’

Baron said to Jack, "I’m about to deactivate the disguise from the Taboo Item. I might lose some of my memories, so remember to remind me to check my diary."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baron deactivated the Chain of the Imitator. He endured the discomfort of having a third of his Spiritual Power instantly drained and the unsettling feeling of having lost some memories. He looked at the two unconscious Guards and the exhausted Chief Steward, stroking his chin as he wondered why these people were in the confinement room.

He shot Jack a questioning glance.

Jack said with a straight face, "Since it’s come to this, I can’t hide it from you any longer. The truth is, we did a blood test a while ago. L, I’m your long-lost brother."

’You think I’d believe that? I’ve lost my memory, I haven’t lost my mind.’ Baron: "..."

He figured he’d somehow forgotten the last half-day’s worth of memories, likely an effect of his misfortune.

’Knowing his own cautious nature, he must have written everything down in his diary.’

He immediately flipped open his diary. After getting a grasp of what had happened and the crisis he now faced, he looked at the two unconscious Guards and said to Jack, "I have an idea."

...

「Ten minutes later.」

The squad of Guards Isabella had sent to search arrived at the confinement room. They saw two Guards standing at the door, chests out and looking exceptionally sharp.

’The perks of confinement duty must be great,’ the guards thought sarcastically. ’Standing so straight... the pay must be high, too.’

While the squad grumbled internally, their leader asked, "Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

The two confinement room Guards shook their heads.

"Is anyone being held in the cells? Who is it? I need to verify."

One of the confinement room Guards, a man with a head of blond hair, said, "There’s no one in the cells."

The leader nodded. "If there’s no one, then never mind..."

"BANG!"

A clang echoed from an iron door within the confinement room.

Everyone jumped. The leader immediately ordered his men to keep an eye on the two confinement Guards, who looked like they wanted to say something, and not to let them make a move. He himself went to see what was happening.

The leader snatched the keys from the waist of one of the confinement Guards and began opening the iron doors one by one down the long corridor.

The first few cells were empty. When he reached the last one, the door had barely swung open when a blood-soaked body slumped out, having been propped against it.

He propped the body up for a look.

It was none other than the missing Chief Steward!

He checked for a pulse. The man was still breathing, but just barely. The bloodstains were particularly thick between his thighs. ’What in the world did the intruder do to him?’

The leader’s heart skipped a beat. He was about to report back, but when he turned around, he saw all the men who had come with him were down. The two confinement Guards were just watching him silently.

One of them, a young man whose features were difficult to make out, gave him two choices:

One, do it himself and keep his dignity.

Two, have them do it for him.

The leader fell. He didn’t get to choose, so Jack helped him maintain his dignity.

Jack looked at the Guards Baron had felled in an instant. Even though he’d seen it happen with his own eyes, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

"Brother L, if you can just get through this crisis, I think you could even be the next Director of Westminster."

Such a young Bronze Knight, and a legendary Dragon Knight at that.

His "Destiny" with Taboo Items was also absurdly strong.

To put it bluntly, whenever Jack had infiltrated an Old Blood Clan for a containment mission in the past, he’d either get discovered, beaten to a pulp, and escape, or he’d get discovered, beaten to a pulp, and escape with some spoils.

Even when he did get away with something, the spoils were never high-grade. At best, he’d get some E Level Taboo Items, maybe a D Level on a good day. As for C Level Taboo Items, they were practically unheard of.

The root cause was that Jack’s "Destiny" with high-level Taboo Items was simply too weak.

The stronger a person’s Destiny, the greater their chances of encountering High Tier Taboo Items.

Baron didn’t know what was going through Jack’s mind. He just said, "Enough talk. I hear footsteps. More people are coming. Get all these guys inside."

Jack and Baron then stuffed all the unconscious people on the floor into the confinement cells.

They waited for the next search party to arrive, ready to repeat the process.

Baron’s plan was simple: rather than being discovered and forced to flee, they would take the initiative.

How?

Simple. If one person came, they’d knock them out. If a group came, they’d knock them all out. They’d keep doing it until no one else came.

......

In the middle of the night, Isabella listened to the search teams’ reports without a word. As more and more teams returned, she had the butler summoned to take a headcount.

The count revealed that three squads were missing.

Isabella had someone point out their routes, then led a group of her own trusted followers and the butler—who was anxious about the stolen Taboo Item—to the confinement room.

On the way, they ran into Roy from the Lancelot Family.

He asked what was going on.

An Elder began to explain, but before Isabella had to say anything, Jose arrived from another corridor and cut in with a smile. "Nothing at all. The Beowulf Family is just conducting a routine nighttime cleaning in preparation for tomorrow’s Dragon Hunting Ceremony. Young Master Roy, you should get some rest."

Roy nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the cold and stunningly beautiful eldest daughter. "It’s no bother," he said. "It’s a perfect chance to see the night scenery of Beowulf Manor."