Inside the study, the two Beyonders from the Loen royal family who had been guarding Jevington II suddenly noticed that the king, who had originally intended to rest for a while, seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.
As midnight approached, a minister came to the study, intending to remind Jevington II that it was time to head to the high platform and deliver the closing speech for tonight's New Year's banquet.
Seeing the time inch closer and closer to midnight, he could only speak up and softly call out to Jevington II, who was lying on the sofa and appeared to have fallen asleep.
But there was no response, as if he had completely fallen into a deep sleep.
At this moment, the two Beyonders guarding Jevington II sensed that something was wrong. They stepped forward, gently patted Jevington II on the shoulder, and called softly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty…"
Yet even this failed to wake Jevington II. They exchanged glances, wondering whether they should use more forceful means to awaken the sleeping king.
Just then, they smelled a faint scent of blood. The source of the bloody smell was none other than the man lying asleep on the sofa before them, the King of the Loen Kingdom, Jevington II.
They hurried forward and shook Jevington II by the shoulders. After applying just a little force, Jevington II's head dropped straight to the floor, rolled several times, and finally stopped with his facial features, frozen in fear and resentment, exposed to everyone's view.
Blood gushed like a fountain from the severed neck, staining the brown leather sofa red, as well as the people nearby who had failed to dodge in time.
The King of the Loen Kingdom, Jevington II, had died just like that inside his study despite the tight security, precisely as the new year began.
Panic, fear, disbelief, and all sorts of complicated emotions began to spread, radiating outward from this small study as their center.
Before long, several of the most powerful members of the Loen royal family arrived, along with the high-ranking members of the three Churches who had attended the New Year's banquet.
They were all utterly shocked by the scene before them. They had not detected anyone infiltrating the palace, nor had they heard a single cry for help from Jevington II. Even the two Beyonders personally protecting him had failed to notice the slightest abnormality.
Yet Jevington II's death was an undeniable fact.
"The king probably died inside a dream. A powerful Beyonder assassinated the king within a dream, and the injuries in the dream were reflected into reality, resulting in the scene we see before us now."
An elderly bishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess offered his conjecture. But after saying this, even he himself doubted whether such a theory was feasible.
It was indeed possible to kill someone through dreams, but how had the murderer approached Jevington II?
If the distance between the two was too great, killing someone through a dream was basically impossible.
Not to mention, how could such fluctuations of Beyonder powers have escaped the notice of every Beyonder present?
There were seven or eight demigods attending tonight's New Year's banquet alone, and the Loen royal family even had a Sequence 2 angel on earth present.
The members of the Loen royal family who knew the deeper truth were also aware that their ancestor, William I, had kept his gaze fixed on Jevington II to prevent him from dying inexplicably as well.
Yet even under such layers of protection, Jevington II had still died in such a bizarre manner.
Furthermore, the assassin had deliberately chosen this exact moment to strike.
The new year had begun with Jevington II's death.
"Isn't the gaze of the gods also fixed upon Backlund? Could it be that even They failed to notice anything?"
Someone, overwhelmed by anger and fury, irrationally accused the gods of doing nothing.
In response, the high-ranking members of the three Churches remained silent and offered no explanation. Deep down, however, they sneered disdainfully.
He was merely a king who had ascended the throne less than a year ago. Did he really think himself worthy of the gods' attention?
Even the rise and fall of a nation was an insignificant matter to the gods, much less the death of a single king.
Although the members of the Loen royal family were furious, they did not dare speak too harshly. If the members of the three Churches accused them of blasphemy, they would basically be sent down to accompany Jevington II.
"Send someone to invite the ancestor!"
Prince Grove Augustus secretly dispatched someone to meet their ancestor, William I, hoping to learn from Him the truth behind Jevington II's death tonight.
He believed that their ancestor could not possibly have failed to notice what had happened tonight.
In the rear garden of the New Year's banquet, Earl Hall, who was strolling alone, heard a burst of commotion and panic coming from the newly constructed royal palace.
He merely watched silently for a few seconds before looking away.
In the past, whenever something happened, he would certainly have rushed to the forefront.
Now, under the suppression of the new king, Jevington II, he had essentially been pushed away from the political center of the Loen Kingdom. If not for his numerous investments and immense wealth, the Hall family might have already fallen into decline.
After spending some time investigating and understanding the situation, he had also learned why the new king had been suppressing him.
Aside from the fact that he had been one of George III's favored ministers, there were also the matters involving his daughter Audrey and Hastur.
Jevington II had somehow come to believe a rumor that Audrey and Hastur would one day throw the entire Loen Kingdom into turmoil and pull the Augustus family down from the throne.
To protect his daughter, he had deliberately sent Audrey to Southville County and asked Hastur to take care of her.
Even for this New Year's celebration, he had not allowed Audrey to return, instead having her remain in Southville County.
"It seems I need to find some time to arrange Audrey and Hastur's marriage. That way, I won't have to worry quite so much."
Earl Hall made up his mind. After strolling for a little longer, he headed toward the noisy area of the new royal palace.
Before he had even reached the second floor, he heard the news that Jevington II had been assassinated and killed tonight.
His expression changed drastically in shock, and he hurriedly questioned the nearby nobles to confirm whether the news was true.
When he confirmed that Jevington II was indeed dead, Earl Hall's heart gave a violent thump.
Could this incident have something to do with Hastur?
Jevington II had been so obsessed with the prophecy, while Hastur was a key figure in that prophecy. Now Jevington II was dead while Hastur remained perfectly alive and well. It was difficult not to suspect that there might be some connection between the two.
If that was truly the case, could the deaths of the previous three Grand Dukes of Southville also have been Hastur's doing?
The more Earl Hall thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
He deeply trusted Hastur's character, but this side of Hastur felt far too unfamiliar to him.
Soon, members of the Loen royal family began evacuating the nobles who had attended tonight's New Year's banquet, instructing them not to spread panic after returning home and to remain quietly in their residences while awaiting the results of the investigation.
Earl Hall quickly left the palace and returned home. He then entered his study, shut the door, and began writing a letter to be sent to Southville County.
Before he could finish the letter, a butler came knocking on the door, informing him that Archbishop Anthony of the Church of the Evernight Goddess had come to visit.
Earl Hall put away the letter before leaving the study and heading to the first-floor hall to meet Archbishop Anthony, the person in charge of the Church of the Evernight Goddess in the Backlund region.
"Earl Hall, Happy New Year."
Archbishop Anthony appeared to be in a fairly good mood, and Earl Hall could only politely return the greeting.
After Archbishop Anthony took a sip of Marquis black tea, he spoke through the curling wisps of steam.
"I came here tonight simply because I want Earl Hall to pass along a message for me."
"What message? And to whom?" Earl Hall asked curiously.
"What happened in Backlund tonight ends here." Archbishop Anthony spoke solemnly, then added with a smile, "As for whom the message is intended for, I believe Earl Hall already knows."
"…" Earl Hall remained silent. If before he had merely suspected that Hastur had something to do with what happened tonight, he was now certain of it.
Hastur had actually chosen New Year's Eve to send someone to assassinate the King of the Loen Kingdom, and had even drawn the attention of the gods.
Had he already grown to such a level in the mystical world?
Even the gods were paying special attention to him.
"The most important matter for the Loen Kingdom right now is still the conquest of the Feysac Empire. Other matters can wait until this affair is concluded before being dealt with."
Earl Hall frowned slightly and asked, "What other matters?"
Archbishop Anthony said nothing more. He merely revealed a meaningful smile before rising to bid farewell and leave.
After seeing Archbishop Anthony off, Earl Hall returned to his study, burned the letter he had originally written, and sat at his desk. After thinking for a while, he picked up his pen and began writing another letter.
…
Puning Harbor, Southville County.
Fireworks celebrating the New Year rose into the sky once again.
It only truly felt like New Year when you stayed up until midnight to welcome it.
Hastur, who had already gone to bed, got up again and went out onto the open-air balcony. Gazing at the brilliant fireworks in the sky, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not long afterward, Sharon also came out onto the balcony. She merely watched Hastur in silence, as if trying to see clearly what he was truly thinking.
"The new year has arrived again, and I still haven't given you a New Year's gift." Hastur smiled lightly. "Is there anything you want?"
"No."
"Really nothing?"
Sharon withdrew her gaze from Hastur and instead looked toward the starry sky, which was far more brilliant than usual.
"Sharon, shouldn't you give me a New Year's gift too?"
"I didn't prepare one."
"The New Year's gift I want doesn't need to be prepared in advance."
Hastur stood up, walked in front of Sharon, and looked at her with a faint smile.