Chapter 558: Cousin Edward

Chapter 558: Chapter 305: Cousin Edward

If this were the Inner Side, it would be simple for Baron to prove his identity. He would only need to activate his Golden Eye, and everyone would know he was a Dragon Knight.

The problem was, this was the Outer Side.

His work ID? But Baron had already been fired by Sheffield Bank, and his credentials had been confiscated back when he was in prison, so that was no good.

The young woman watched him suspiciously. She said nothing, but the door closed a little more.

Baron sighed, took an old newspaper from his coat—an Outer Side wanted notice for him—and handed it to the young woman. “I really am Baron Constantin. My picture is on here.”

The young woman took the paper, glanced at it, then held the photo up to Baron’s face. Her own face went pale, and she silently shut the door.

Baron: “…”

‘Why do I suddenly feel like such a total failure on the Outer Side?’

He sighed, thinking this was likely the arrangement of Destiny.

In the end, he didn’t ring the doorbell again. He placed the irises in front of the door and turned to leave. But then he saw a tall man, who bore some resemblance to Baron but appeared more imposing, standing stunned in the hallway and staring at him. The man was holding several large and small bags, his face filled with shock:

“Baron?”

Baron was just as stunned. “Edward…”

Before he could finish, he let out a grunt as the man punched him hard in the chest before clamping an arm firmly around his neck.

“You son of a gun! You really did make it back alive!”

A series of images flashed through Baron’s mind—he wasn’t sure if you could call it a ‘life flashing before your eyes’ moment. In the end, he just relaxed his clenched fist, slowly placed his other hand on the man’s shoulder, and allowed the corners of his mouth to curve up slightly.

“Yeah, I’m back…”

“…”

“Edward, I think you can let go now. I’m going to suffocate if you keep this up.”

…

In the living room, the two brothers, Edward and Baron, sat side by side on the sofa, recounting what had happened to each of them since Baron was imprisoned.

It turned out that after Edward learned from the newspaper that Baron had been arrested and imprisoned, he assumed the Constantine Clan was purging them. With the help of some friends, he immediately took Yelena and left Worlington Town.

The siblings had originally planned to go to Scotland to find an acquaintance who could help get Baron out of prison. However, on the way, they read in a newspaper that Baron had broken out. So, the two decided to return to Worlington, figuring Baron might come looking for them after his escape.

Baron felt a little ashamed hearing this. At the time, he hadn’t thought about them at all; his mind had been completely occupied with how to deal with the Time Death Judgment. As for his brother and sister… the only time he’d thought of them was when he confessed after being caught… ‘Thinking about it now, I was a real piece of work,’ Baron thought.

But when the siblings returned to Worlington, people from Westminster Cathedral found them. They were then arranged to live in this apartment. It was also here that the siblings learned from Westminster Cathedral’s newspapers what Baron had been doing and experiencing on the Inner Side.

Although Westminster Cathedral claimed they were settled here to ensure their safety and prevent ill-intentioned people from using them to get to Baron, they didn’t restrict the siblings’ freedom. They even helped Edward find a job at a newspaper in London and provided the siblings with a weekly living stipend of five hundred British Pounds—an amount equivalent to a blue-collar worker’s entire post-tax monthly income in London.

During this time, Edward, who kept track of Baron’s movements through the Westminster Times, was very worried. He had even tried to secretly buy a ticket back to the Inner Side to plead with the Constantine Clan. Unfortunately, due to the effects of Forgetfulness, he had mostly forgotten how to return to the Inner Side.

Baron picked up a few copies of the Westminster Times. The papers seemed to have been carefully selected. They contained only brief, concise reports on his life as a fugitive, focusing solely on things like “Baron Constantin has once again escaped his pursuers,” occasionally interspersed with embarrassing photos of the Law Enforcement Organization.

Furthermore, the latest newspaper was from three days ago, so it was no wonder Edward didn’t know that Baron had killed Elder Pence at Traitor’s Cliff and, with the help of Westminster Cathedral and the Golden Mage, had been cleared of his crimes by the Prole Court. ‘Hmm, that whole thing only happened today, actually.’

After Edward finished his story, he asked Baron to tell him about the things that weren’t in the news. Baron thought for a moment, then gave his brother a condensed version, omitting the more dangerous parts.

But even with so much omitted and condensed, Edward couldn’t help but feel his heart pound with fear as he listened. He never imagined his little brother had actually faced so many life-or-death crises on the Inner Side.

These figures, people he had only been able to read about in the newspapers since he became a Bloodless and was cast out by the family, had all tried to kill his little brother one by one.

Although Baron spoke of it lightly, Edward could still imagine the lurking dangers and killing intent hidden beneath that casual tone.

In the end, he just patted Baron’s shoulder. “It’s good that you came back alive. That’s more important than anything.”

As for how Baron became a Dragon Knight—and a Bronze Tier one at that—Edward didn’t ask a single question. He never pried into his younger siblings’ secrets.

Baron knew Edward wouldn’t ask. From the memory fragments in his mind, Baron knew that his older brother, Edward, was a fool who trusted his family unconditionally—those were the exact words from the original owner’s diary.

Just then, the young woman who had previously shut the door on Baron came out of the kitchen, carrying two cups of coffee for Baron and Edward.

“Sorry, I know you like tea, but we only have coffee beans in the kitchen right now… I’ll go to the convenience store and buy some later.”

Edward smiled, then introduced the young woman to Baron.

The young woman’s name was Maya. She was their neighbor, currently studying education at London University. She had an older sister who worked at the same newspaper as Edward, and she would occasionally come over to help him take care of Yelena, who had mobility issues.

Unable to use Spiritual Power for telepathy, Edward whispered to Baron, “She’s from the Outer Side. We can’t talk about Inner Side matters in front of her.”

Maya sat down on a chair to the side of the two brothers, holding her own cup. She took small sips of her coffee. After the two brothers had taken a drink of theirs, she suddenly asked out of the blue:

“Mr. Constantine, may I ask you a question?”

“What is it?” Edward and Baron answered at the same time.

Maya seemed startled. She pointed at Baron and said, “This Mr. Constantine…”

“Baron Constantin. What question did you want to ask?” Baron did his best to put on the amiable smile he used to wear as a debt collector for the bank, lest he frighten this girl like he had the Wizard who brought him tea at the London Tower.

“I’m sorry,” Miss Maya apologized, then paused before saying, “I wanted to ask, Mr. Baron, have you had any nightmares recently?”

‘Nightmares?’ Baron was taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected Maya to ask such a question.

He thought about it. He really hadn’t had any nightmares lately… That was true even if he counted the dream from the Shepherdess.

He shook his head.

A strange light flashed in Maya’s eyes. “Then what if, and I’m just saying what if… what if someone you despised was in your nightmare, and you accidentally killed them? Would you regret it?”

‘This…’ Baron suddenly thought of Roy and Elder Pence. He didn’t hesitate. “No regrets.”

“I see. I understand now,” Miss Maya said, falling into silence.

She remained silent for the rest of the conversation.

She seemed a bit reserved… No, to be more precise, restrained.

And she kept darting furtive glances at Baron.

Edward noticed this. He looked at Maya, then at Baron, and stroked his chin, asking in a low voice, “What… happened between you two just now?”

He wore a smile that only men would understand.

‘You’ve misunderstood. Nothing happened between me and this young lady.’

Baron was about to explain, but he saw Maya suddenly stand up, pull a kitchen knife from behind her back, and point it at him.