Chapter 85: Chapter 71: Would You Like Some Flower Tea?

The great battle began in the sky, and it was fierce.

Baron watched the Dwarf’s body grow cold against the wall, a sudden dreamlike feeling washing over him.

Even as Roy Hestia—that notorious scion of Inner London, a Bronze Griffin Knight who was both a scoundrel and a villain—drew his spear and slowly walked toward him, Baron still couldn’t snap out of it.

Not until the High Priest pulled out his Magic Staff and used a Magic Card to conjure a shield of flowing water to block the incoming spear.

The Priest shouted to him, "My Lord!"

Only then did Baron jolt awake as if from a dream. He deactivated the Chain of the Imitator to conserve Spiritual Power and ran in the opposite direction without looking back.

He didn’t even say thank you.

The High Priest now realized something was wrong, but before he could investigate, Roy was upon him, spear first.

When a Knight closes in on a Wizard, it’s a death sentence without some trick to create distance. So, the High Priest didn’t hesitate. Just like the Bone Department master before him, he took out a desiccated Dragon Heart, consumed it, and transformed into a half-man, half-dragon monster to fight Roy.

Roy said, "Tell me! Where is Baron Constantin!"

The High Priest roared, "RAWRRRR!"

His vocal cords had torn during his Dragon Transformation, and his breath reeked of sulfur.

The entire valley erupted into a battlefield.

Baron, running in the opposite direction, naturally drew everyone’s attention, like a fluttering Array Flag in a battle between two armies.

Two Griffin Knights in the air exchanged a look, then steered their Griffins into a dive.

The Griffins’ Sharp Claws clenched, their talons tracing arcs of cold light dozens of meters long as they descended, swiping down at Baron.

The Sharp Claws could tear through reinforced stainless steel. One could only imagine the scene if they clamped down on Baron’s head.

What’s more, the Griffin Knights were highly trained and gave Baron no chance to dodge.

As the Griffins spread their wings and dove like hungry hawks, the Griffin Feathers powered by their [Promise] ability shot forth from Spiritual Power-formed bowstrings, like a swarm of bees blanketing the sky to cut off the fugitive’s escape.

Unlike Baron’s [Dragon Flame], which he conjured from thin air, the Griffin Knights’ Promise, [Griffin Feather], mainly consumed the feathers of their bonded Griffins—specifically, their wing feathers.

The Griffin Feathers were as tough as steel, and piercing iron plates was a common occurrence.

Depending on how much a Griffin treasured its feathers, the number of feather arrows they could use at one time was at most a hundred.

Any more than that, and the Griffin would get upset.

Seeing his escape route cut off, Baron knew he could no longer hide anything. Spiraling Dragon Flame erupted from his body, incinerating his Dragon-Devouring Robe and the incoming Griffin Feathers.

But the sudden burst of flame only blocked some of the feather arrows; a few Griffin Feathers pierced through the fire.

These steel-like feathers clung to the Dragon Knight’s body like bloodthirsty leeches, tearing open one gash after another. When his blood dripped onto the ground, it actually caught fire!

"It’s a Constantine! It’s Baron... Constantin!"

The two Griffin Knights shouted excitedly from the air, their cries attracting Roy’s attention.

He kicked away the Priest who was charging him again, sprinted across the battlefield, and leaped onto a diving Griffin. Waving his spear, he commanded the Griffin to pursue the legendary Dragon Knight who had escaped the [Time Death Judgment].

Seeing Roy approach, the two Knights seemed eager to claim credit. They exchanged a glance, then pulled on their reins to split up, each choosing a different direction to pursue Baron.

A slender, dark figure flitted like a phantom along the mountain path. No one noticed that apart from the first few drops of blood that burned like oil, there were no more of his bloodstains on the ground.

The blood flowing from his wounds had been fashioned into sharp blades hidden in his sleeves. The rest was coagulated by Baron at the wounds themselves, intending to let his Dragon Knight’s superior Self-Healing Power mend them.

Just then, as if sensing something, he stopped abruptly. Stamping his foot, he shot into the air, twisting his body to slip between the talons of the two Griffins like a swift.

At the same time, two blades of blood slid from his sleeves, striking upward at the napes of the Knights’ necks.

The two Griffin Knights, not expecting Baron to dare counterattack under such circumstances, hastily pulled on their reins to dodge.

The Griffins let out fierce shrieks, but they faltered for a moment upon meeting those resplendent Golden Dragon Eyes. Then, the two Griffin Knights and their mounts crashed violently into each other.

They went down.

The Griffin Knights who witnessed this from high above were so shocked they almost stood up on their Griffins’ backs.

Those two Griffin Knights were among the best in the Griffin Knight Order and were both due to be promoted to Bronze Tier as squadron leaders soon. But the two of them, working together, just... crashed?

The other Knights were stunned.

Roy waved his spear. "After him! Don’t let Baron Constantin escape! Bring him back, dead or alive, and you’ll get a 5,000 British Pound reward and a three-month administrative leave!!!"

The Knights went wild, yanking their reins and chasing after the Dragon Knight who had once again disappeared into the mountains.

Baron emerged from the forest and paused.

Ahead of him, the path forked: one way led up the mountain, the other down.

Uphill led to a cliff. Downhill, he would run into the pride of lions led by Soron—he could faintly hear their roars and Soron cursing his name.

’Who would’ve thought I’d get a multiple-choice question while on the run,’ Baron thought. But this wasn’t a college entrance exam; the answer wouldn’t determine his university, but whether he lived or died.

After briefly weighing his options, Baron chose to go up the mountain.

Going down meant facing a pincer attack from the Griffin Knight Order and the Constantine Family. Going up at least offered a sliver of hope.

The relentless Roy sneered and ordered the Griffin Knights to give chase.

As the altitude increased, the vegetation on the mountain thinned out dramatically. Before, the dense forest had prevented the Griffins from landing. Once that obstacle was gone, the Griffins would demonstrate what it meant to be the true lords of the sky...

Roy’s pupils suddenly constricted.

He saw the black-clad Dragon Knight use Dragon Flame to repel an approaching Griffin, then leap onto its back. Kicking the rider off, he grabbed the reins and steered the Griffin into a steep dive down the mountain!

The sudden turn of events left Roy no time to wonder why the Griffin was obeying Baron.

He practically roared, "Quick! Stop him!"

It was too late. By the time the Griffin broke through the clouds again, soaring toward the sun setting between the mountains, the Dragon Knight was already holding a young man in a Mage Robe.

Soron Constantin.

Black Iron Mage, Baron’s cousin, the man with no eyes.

"I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you, don’t kill me! Baron... I’ll tell you everything... Anthony’s body had traces of being burned by fire..."

"And! And!"

Feeling Baron’s grip loosen slightly, Soron panicked. Even though he couldn’t see, the sound of the rushing wind and the helpless feeling of his feet dangling in the air drove him to plead frantically.

"The Judge who convicted you is Anthony and Freya’s grandfather! The jury members are all from Old Blood Clans connected to Lancelot’s Family! You ask which families? Uh...

I’ll talk! I’ll talk!

The Hestia Family, the Frank Family, the Walter Family, the Van Helsing Family...

The Constantine Family only knew the verdict! We absolutely did not betray you!"

"You’re asking about Bill’s death? I don’t know, I only know he was burned to death by fire... a fire like yours..."

Before he could finish, Soron suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of disbelief. A spear had pierced his left chest.

The spear’s owner rode his Griffin alongside Baron’s, and together they watched the sun set completely. Cold air and mist enveloped them both.

Only then did Roy Hestia speak, his voice low and haunting. "Mr. Baron Constantin, do you have any other thoughts about killing your own cousin?"

"He wasn’t dead enough."

Baron blew Soron’s head off with a single shot, then let the body fall. He aimed his twin guns at Roy and his Griffin, while Roy, in turn, aimed a [Promise]-conjured Griffin Feather at Baron and the trembling Griffin beneath him.

The two faced off.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wouldn’t kill him."

"After all these days of being hunted, I haven’t figured out much, but I’ve come to understand one thing."

"What’s that?"

"If the Judgement can’t guarantee fairness, then why the hell should I follow their bullshit verdict!"

Baron Constantin tightened his grip on the triggers and said coldly, "Give those bastards a message for me!"

"You tell them! Baron Constantin isn’t dead! He’s still alive and kicking, and he’s going to keep on kicking!"

The powerful headwind forced him to shout, "Until I’ve gotten my revenge... on all of you!"

He pulled the triggers.

The bullets and the Griffin Feather shattered against each other. The ricocheting shrapnel forced both men to dodge, nearly sending them off their Griffins’ backs.

The difference was that Roy managed to steady his Griffin, while Baron was thrown from his startled mount into the clouds below.

Night and thick fog enveloped Baron. He flipped over in midair and, against the violent wind, pulled a playing card from his coat.

He smeared blood on it and watched the Joker turn into the Big Joker.

When he awoke, he was lying in a sea of blue flowers. A Shepherdess reached out her hand to him and said:

"My lord, would you care for some flower tea?"

...

「London Tower!」

The young apprentice, tired from copying texts, glanced at his master, Isaac, who was resting with his eyes closed. A thought seemed to strike him, and he asked:

"Master, Anthony... did Baron Constantin really kill Anthony?"

"Why do you ask?"

The young apprentice rubbed his sore, swollen hands and said with a long face:

"I looked into Baron Constantin’s background. For six years in the Outer Side, he acted like nothing more than an ordinary Bloodless. How could he have killed a Silver Knight like Anthony with just a cane?"

"Or are those Old Blood Clans from the Inner Side and the Judges from the Prole Court all idiots? It’s not like they don’t know the difference between a Silver Knight and a Bloodless..."

The young apprentice pouted. "They even think Bill the Bronze Demon Hunter was killed by Baron, this newborn Dragon Knight... but according to the location and time of discovery Wilder mentioned, the facts don’t add up at all..."

"It is precisely because they know that they need Baron Constantin to be the scapegoat," Isaac Newton said with an air of sage-like calm. "An Old Blood descendant who knows nothing is much easier to deal with than one who knows everything."

"But wouldn’t the common people be suspicious after reading the newspapers?" the young apprentice said. "They’re not idiots either..."

"That’s why the assassination of Anthony has never been listed among Baron Constantin’s crimes in the newspapers,"

Isaac waved his hand, and a newspaper flew onto the young apprentice’s desk.

The young apprentice picked up the paper and had just seen the image of a burning King’s Cross Station when Isaac’s voice drifted over slowly:

"His crimes are arson for burning down King’s Cross Station and consorting with the Dragon Witch."

Isaac clasped his hands behind his back and looked out at the starry night of Inner London.

"Of course, now there’s another charge: he killed his own cousin, Soron Per."

"That’s so tragic," the young apprentice wailed.

Isaac stroked his white beard and muttered to himself, "It is indeed tragic. That’s why I sometimes wonder if Destiny is secretly..."

"I mean *I’m* the one in a tragic situation, Master! There’s so much to copy, I’ll never finish, I’ll never finish!"

The young apprentice deflated.

——