Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

'That way, they can keep each other company, and when no one's around, they can discuss which human acted dumb today.'

Hastur imagined the scene of two Beyonder dogs interacting in his mind.

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"Oh, do you know my master? Miss Audrey may seem so dignified and elegant on the outside, but inside she still has the heart of a child who hasn't grown up."

"Mm, my master also has a hidden side. Don't be fooled by his noble demeanor in public and that bright, sunny smile, behind the scenes, he's actually quite scheming and loves desserts only children would enjoy."

"Miss Audrey sometimes talks to herself and likes to ask me questions, but I'm just a dog! It's really hard to help her answer those."

"My master loves to tease me, but those antics seem way too childish to me. I can only be more patient and keep him company for a while."

"Sigh, they really don't let us rest easy. We're clearly just dogs, yet we have to worry about them so much."

"Yeah, we're clearly just dogs."

The two Beyonder dogs exchanged a glance and simultaneously fell into deep thought.

...

This scene feels way too familiar!

Hastur shivered and ultimately decided to give up the idea of raising an Beyonder dog to match Susie.

If they really got together, who knows what kind of conversations they'd have?

Most likely, his and Audrey's secrets would be completely exposed.

It's better to raise some other Beyonder creature, raising a cat sounds great.

Not only could it go out and gather intel, but he could also pet it during idle moments.

Ideally, he'd enhance its combat ability too, so it could chase Susie around in the future.

As Hastur's thoughts wandered, Susie, who had been napping on the floor, suddenly shivered, nervously scanned the surroundings, and finally cast a terrified glance at the deeply pensive Hastur.

The little bit of wisdom she had told her: this human is not to be trifled with, better stay away from him from now on.

Susie got up, went over to Audrey's feet, rubbed against her pant leg, then lay back down in a spot where Hastur couldn't see her and wagged her golden tail.

With no sign of Susie in his view, Hastur withdrew his scattered thoughts and refocused on the book in his hands.

Any book worth being collected by Greg must have something unusual about it. The content and thematic ideas of this legal book were both rebellious and righteous.

The author harshly criticized the flaws in Loen's legal system, arguing that it was overly focused on protecting aristocratic interests.

Yet the old-era nobles no longer had the capability to "bake new cakes."

Power should be redistributed, at the very least, diverted from the hands of the old elite.

During this process, the law must emphasize justice. Whether procedural or substantive justice, the common people must be able to see hope in equality before the law.

The more Hastur read, the more he felt the book's style resembled Lecturer Fron's, emphasizing justice through rules.

"Could this book actually be written by Lecturer Fron?"

He flipped a few more pages and increasingly felt the views echoed those Fron might express.

So, he turned directly to the last page, only to find that the author wasn't Fron, but someone named Professor Wayne.

Wayne Elric!

"Tsk, so Professor Wayne in his younger years is actually similar to the current Lecturer Fron."

Hastur smiled faintly and closed the book, momentarily losing the desire to continue reading.

Of course, Loen's laws had many flaws, but most of them were designed to maintain the nobles' interests, and he was a noble.

In the future, he wouldn't settle for being just a baron, he aimed to become a duke, even a prince.

This wasn't just the glory of the Campbell family's rise, but also a necessary step on his Beyonder path.

When he stood at the peak of nobility, his interests would naturally align with theirs.

To weaken his own interests in the name of improving the law? He didn't believe he'd make that choice once he reached that position.

Equality and freedom may sound beautiful, but they weren't suited to this era.

He quite agreed with the vision the priest displayed in becoming a god, it aligned with the tide of the times.

Every era has its own wave, and while he wouldn't stir up trouble in the dark like the priest, he wouldn't mind giving the wave a gentle push when the time came.

With the apocalypse looming, thinking about such things seemed almost trivial.

Hastur leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed in contemplation.

Only when the door opened again did he reopen his eyes.

Two figures entered: the host of the evening, Greg, and Audrey's elder brother, Hilbert.

"This is my good friend, Hastur Campbell, the current heir of the Campbell family," Greg said with a smile, introducing him to Hilbert.

"I've long heard the name of Baron Campbell from many noble ladies. Seeing him today, I realize they were being far too modest."

Hilbert cracked a small joke to show friendliness and goodwill.

"Seeing Lord Hilbert, I can now understand how handsome and charming Earl Hall must have been in his youth."

After a few pleasantries, Greg and Hilbert sat on the sofa.

From deep within the bookshelf, Audrey, who was flipping through a book, paused in her movements and listened carefully before quietly murmuring in her heart:

"So that's Baron Hastur Campbell… knowledgeable in mysticism. Seems like Glaint didn't overhype his friend this time."

Her first impression of Hastur Campbell was that he was the studious type, someone who loved books and delving into knowledge.

This made Glaint's praise about his vast mystical knowledge much more credible.

"Woof woof!"

Susie suddenly barked twice, breaking Audrey's thoughts and successfully drawing the attention of the three men on the sofa.

"My little sister is here too?" Hilbert still wore a smile, but his expression became more serious.

"She said she wanted to visit my study, didn't expect it to be this very room," Greg said, then turned to Hastur curiously. "Hastur, did you and Miss Audrey have an unpleasant exchange?"

That question stumped Hastur. From the time Audrey entered until now, he had only said one sentence to her.

To say that out loud would seem too impolite.

After all, facing someone as beautiful as Audrey, how many men could resist the urge to strike up a conversation?

Seeing Hastur silent, Hilbert slightly furrowed his brow, while Greg teased, "Hastur, as a noble, being overly enthusiastic in front of a beautiful lady might actually make her avoid you."

Clearly, both Hilbert and Greg had misunderstood something.

Hastur sighed, he hadn't tried to flirt with Audrey in the slightest.

"Miss Audrey's beauty stunned me so much I could only manage one word of praise," Hastur tried to phrase it as tactfully as possible.

"My dear brother, are your furrowed brows suggesting Baron Campbell might behave inappropriately toward me? If so, you may lose an excellent friend in Baron Campbell."

Audrey, accompanied by her personal maid, walked over with a smile, playfully teasing her brother to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Hilbert laughed. "Your beauty always makes this big brother worry about you. Any excessive concern seems reasonable in the face of your charm."

Just two lines of witty exchange were enough to dispel the awkwardness, truly the smooth, comforting words of nobles skilled in social graces.

As the host of the evening, Greg soon left to receive other guests.

Hilbert was very interested in Hastur. There were only two or three people Greg called friends, Hilbert himself was merely a partner, a political and business ally in his eyes.

Audrey was also very curious about Hastur's mystical knowledge, but she wasn't in a hurry. After chatting for a while, she left with her maid, leaving the opportunity to her brother.

"We've met before. You were very young back then, I didn't expect so many years to have passed since."

With no outsiders present, Hilbert's tone became much more casual.

"Mm, it's probably been five years."

Hastur had seen Hilbert once at a banquet back when Voltaire Campbell hadn't yet lost the house in the Empress Borough. As the heir to a hereditary earl, attending high-society events was normal.

"Five years, a long time indeed. Looking at you now, I can't help but think of my younger brother far away on the Southern Continent."

"He's probably on the Southern Continent missing his brother too."

Hastur smiled in reply, but secretly thought: If not for you, your brother probably wouldn't have had to leave Backlund to toil in the Southern Continent.

A noble house could only have one heir. Hilbert was luckier than his younger brother Alfred Hall simply because he was born first. And so, their vastly different fates were sealed.

If Alfred hadn't left Backlund, he would have spent his life depending on Hilbert, well-fed and well-dressed, yes, but with no hope of rising.

Going to the Southern Continent to fight for a future was Alfred's only option to preserve his dignity and prove himself.

...

The ball had ended. Those who fancied each other had already arranged to meet in the back garden. Those who weren't favored could only quietly taste the loneliness of the night.

Madam Germani, who couldn't take a liking to any of the men, was sulking in silence, enviously watching those noblewomen who now looked even more radiant than before.

What made her even angrier was that not long ago, Greg's butler had come to deliver a message: she was not to pester Baron Hastur Campbell again, so as not to damage his reputation.