Chapter 557: Edward's Cousin

Chapter 557: Chapter 305: Edward’s Cousin

“343 Maria Street. Make sure you don’t go to the wrong place, Mr. Constantine.”

The door closed behind Baron.

Baron looked at the flowers in his hand and swallowed. The dread in his heart had yet to fade.

He had made some preparations for the reunion in his journal, like discreetly gathering information on his brother Edward’s and sister Yelena’s hobbies and interests to avoid looking clueless when they finally met… though he was already feeling quite a bit of that.

His memories were just scattered fragments, far from a complete picture. People who spent a lot of time together would inevitably notice… ‘Damn it, why didn’t I think to just ask Westminster Cathedral for my brother’s and sister’s files?!’

‘Maybe… I just shouldn’t go back. I’ve been on my own for this long anyway… I could just use the Secret Notes to contact Yelena… I could try to make an excuse, like working overtime at Westminster Cathedral… Right, the Edward and Yelena from my memories aren’t gullible little kids.’

Lost in thought, Baron was nearly knocked into as a man rushed past him. The man had almost collided with Baron’s shoulder, but a Dragon Knight’s innate instincts had made Baron subconsciously step aside.

“Sorry, sir… I’m in a hurry…” the young man called out, glancing back at Baron in a panic before continuing his sprint without another look.

Baron patted himself down. Nothing was missing. Not a pickpocket, then.

The good, honest folk of England—it was no exaggeration.

His eyes narrowed slightly, following the young man’s retreating figure. He had caught a familiar scent on the man, a very faint floral fragrance. It seemed to stir a phantom from his memory, a shadow climbing slowly out of a deep abyss…

He shook his head, dispelling the phantom. More pressing matters were at hand. He began walking with renewed purpose toward the address the Golden Mage had given him.

………

「Westminster Bank, Governor’s Office.」

Howard, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly slapped his thigh. “This is bad. Hasn’t Baron Constantin been making heavy use of the Illusory Cocoon lately? Going by the timeline, the price for that should be coming due right about now.”

Hoover, however, simply smiled. “Not to worry. The entire debt Baron Constantin was due to pay has been transferred.”

“Transferred?”

“The Mystic Law is like a spiteful little girl,” Hoover explained. “The Illusory Cocoon was shattered by the Golden Demon Hunter. You could say that was the Demon Hunter Law overstepping its bounds and infuriating the Mystic Law. And the Mystic Law is the First Law. When offended, it naturally seeks revenge on the offender.”

Governor Hoover added calmly, “Therefore, any outstanding debt Baron Constantin had to pay has likely been transferred by the Mystic Law to Abraham.”

A knock came from the door. After receiving Governor Hoover’s permission, his secretary, Stella, entered. “There’s been a massive explosion at the Demon Hunter Association’s London Headquarters. A large herd of Unicorns escaped from underground, triggering a tidal surge of Spiritual Power. They’re requesting that Westminster Cathedral deploy Taboo Items to suppress the surge. Their offer is 100 kilograms of Gold.”

Hoover looked at Howard. “See? I told you. The Mystic Law is like a spiteful little girl.”

…..

The street was in a central district of Outer London, only three or four miles from the Westminster Bank headquarters. It was lined with London plane trees, completely different from the jacarandas of Worlington Town he’d read about in the journal. The plane trees were tall, their withered branches leaning against each other like old men holding one another up for support.

The street was lined with small, four- or five-story apartment buildings. Pansies and holly grew outside each one. Baron finally stopped before a building with Christmas roses planted out front. This deep red, Victorian-style apartment building was his destination.

He passed by the Christmas roses. From what he could recall, Christmas was only a few days away.

No wonder some of the London plane trees along the street were already dressed up like Santa Claus.

‘Christmas is almost here,’ he thought. ‘That means the Lunar New Year isn’t far off, either.’

As he mulled this over, Baron slowly climbed the old staircase, finally stopping before an elm door. It was the same deep red as the building, with carvings picked out in gold lacquer.

He hesitated before the door for a long time. He felt like a schoolboy from his past life, lingering outside his house with a bad test score. Finally, he steeled his resolve and rang the bell.

The bell had barely rung when the door was opened.

But Baron froze. The person who opened the door wasn’t his brother, Edward, or his sister, Yelena, as he’d expected from his memories. Instead, it was a bright, beautiful young woman.

Baron glanced at the door number. He hadn’t made a rookie mistake like going to the wrong house. The only other possibility was that the Golden Mage had given him a fake address.

The young woman looked at Baron, momentarily stunned by his handsome features. Then she pulled the door partially shut, leaving it only a crack open, and asked cautiously,

“You are…?”

Baron introduced himself. “Baron Constantin…”

Before he could finish, the young woman’s eyes lit up. “You’re Edward’s brother? Quick, come in…”

She pulled the door wide open, but just as Baron was about to step inside, it slammed shut again. If not for his quick reflexes, he would have been caught in it.

The young woman held the door nearly closed, leaving only a sliver of space. A single, light-blue eye peeked through, glittering with the caution of a young animal. “You say you’re Baron Constantin. Then prove it.”

‘Prove I’m Baron Constantin?’

Baron’s expression was strange. He honestly couldn’t think of a way to prove he was himself.

‘An ID card? The United Kingdom in 1987 didn’t seem to have a national ID card system. A driver’s license usually served that purpose, and the current Baron didn’t have one.’