Westminster Bank

Chapter 272: Chapter 167: Dragon Guide Baron (3)

On the other side, a Knight dressed in attire resembling the Snow Mastiff Armor, with a cross hanging from his breastplate, appeared to be one of those Faith Knights from the Holy Cross Association—the type who were always out making arrests, but whom Baron had never actually seen.

From the looks of it, he didn’t seem much different from Brother Sorrowful or Brother Honesty from the Inner Side, though it was impossible to gauge his strength for the moment.

Baron’s gaze shifted to another, less crowded side of the banquet. If the Dragon Hunting Ceremony banquet were to be divided into five sections, then in order, the first was the [VIP Spectator Area]:

This area was mostly filled with the families of the top brass from the Old Blood Clans or the Law Enforcement Organization, consisting mainly of ladies with their little brats. After them came the "minor bigwigs"—people with some status, but not too much—and the socialites weaving between them amidst the clinking glasses and subtle negotiations.

Of course, these socialites were not exclusively female.

Second was the [Blind Date Self-Help Area]: As the name suggested, this was where future major and minor players put on their best performances—though without any singing, dancing, or rap. You had your "Jade Leaves and Golden Branches" flirting and making eyes at each other, and you also had a simpler sort, like the fifth daughter of the Beowulf Family, who was dressed like a Daoist Nun and was using her fly-whisk like a napkin to wipe the grease off her hands.

Then came the [Participants’ Section]: This was the area where Baron, Jack, and Isabella were seated. Here, the elites of the various Old Blood Clans and the Law Enforcement Organization sat primly with the Dragon Guides they had chosen—or who had chosen them—awaiting the start of the competition. That is, assuming there was a host.

Baron discreetly counted the people in the participants’ section. Including the Dragon Guides, there were nearly a hundred in total. Aside from the highly anticipated Roy and Freya and the three Beowulf brothers, his "dear" cousin Windsor was also among them. When Baron’s gaze fell upon her, she tensed and gave him a nervous nod.

Baron’s eyes landed on her Dragon Guide.

A Black Iron Mask.

’It seems that while the Constantine Family and the Beowulf Family have been allies for generations in name, the actual relationship has grown quite distant.’

’I wonder whose fault that is.’

Thus thought Baron Constantin: the notorious Bloodless; the Lawbreaker who assassinated the Knight Order Leader; the fiend who abducted Lancelot’s legitimate daughter; the prime suspect in the murder of Bill; the mastermind behind the bombing of King’s Cross Station; the kinslayer who murdered his cousin Soron; and the arch-villain in league with the Dragon Witch.

Her brother, Baron’s other "dear" cousin Pound, saw her gesture and frowned. Assuming she was trading glances with some young dandy, he asked, "Windsor, who are you talking to?"

Windsor snapped out of her daze, her face flushing red. "N-no one," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

At her words, Pound’s expression soured further.

’First, he’d been provoked by that damn Dewey Frank. Now, his sister was acting suspicious. Then there was the fact that even though he was a representative of the Constantine Family, and the Beowulf Family had assigned him a Bronze Tier Dragon Guide, they had pointedly given his sister a Black Iron one.’

’And this was with his own uncle, Field, the acting Patriarch of the Constantine Family, right here in attendance!’

’Meanwhile, Hestia, Lancelot, and even the Frank Clan—be it Roy and Freya, or Dewey and his younger cousin—were all uniformly assigned Bronze Dragon Guides.’

’It was obviously a silent form of humiliation.’

’It was all Baron Constantin’s fault! That despicable Bloodless! If it weren’t for him, Windsor wouldn’t be getting treated like this, Brother Soron would still be alive, and the Constantine Clan wouldn’t have become a pariah that everyone on the Inner Side wants to strike down!’

Pound swore that if he ever saw Baron Constantin, he would beat him to a pulp!!!