A bloodied, mutilated head! No, it was Bard's head! His eyes were filled with unwillingness and madness!
Just like the scene Hastur had seen when peering into fate!
------------------------------------
Damn! Hastur's eyelids twitched twice, his blood pressure increasing, heartbeat suddenly pounding.
He really hadn't expected Bard's head to appear before him in such a bizarre way!
Who exactly killed Bard, and even threw his head to him? Hastur's thoughts raced, his grip tightening on his cane, every nerve on high alert.
Is he really dead? Is this head truly Bard's?
Thinking of this, Hastur drew the sword hidden in his cane, stabbed it straight through the head's eye, confirming whether he was truly dead.
At the same time, he opened his spiritual vision, scanning the surroundings. Finding nothing unusual, he finally relaxed somewhat.
He stepped forward and used the sword tip to flatten the note.
"A friendly gift." At the signature was a large letter A.
"Mr. A…" Hastur's expression grew strange.
Such a style of action did indeed fit his impression of that madman, Mr. A.
What normal person would send over a bloody head to express friendliness? And in the middle of the night, no less!
Such a wondrous brain circuit, truly befitting the lunatic beauty of the Aurora Order!
"What exactly does he want to do?" Hastur thought of many things but couldn't make sense of Mr. A's intentions.
After all, he wasn't a lunatic; it was hard to stay on the same wavelength as one.
From the current situation, Mr. A seemed to be showing goodwill?
Does he really want me to join the Aurora Order that much?
Or is there something about me worth such attention?
"Could it be that when Count Richard held his ritual, Mr. A appeared there also to protect me?"
A terrifying thought sprang up in Hastur's mind.
Given Mr. A's level of madness, if he truly wanted to act, he would never have refrained out of fear of Miss Sharon.
That night he simply didn't want to act, that's why he coexisted peacefully with Miss Sharon.
Hastur frowned slightly, the more he thought, the stranger it seemed.
Were Mr. A's actions simply those of a madman, or did they hold deeper meaning? He couldn't figure it out.
With a sigh, Hastur set aside the messy thoughts, looking with a headache at the head before him.
Mr. A had killed Bard, whatever the reason, it was a good thing for him. But Mr. A had to deliver the head to his doorstep!
What could he do? He couldn't possibly act as if nothing had happened, could he?
After a while of pondering, Hastur destroyed the note, then hurriedly summoned Butler Neil and others. Pointing at the head on the table, he briefly explained what had happened and told them to go to the police immediately.
Pretending nothing had happened would certainly be easiest, but as a noble with a clean reputation, reporting to the police was the most reasonable choice.
Besides, the Night Watchers had been keeping an eye here. Though he didn't know where Mr. A had lured them, they would definitely return to investigate.
He couldn't afford to appear abnormal.
The one who came after the report was still Inspector Reid.
After a few simple questions and a written statement, Reid sent the officers out of the room, staying alone with Hastur.
"The murderer who secretly delivered this head is very likely trying to intimidate you with such madness. You'll need police protection for some time."
"Yes, you're right. I do need protection. This is truly a dreadful night."
"Think carefully about whether you've offended anyone lately."
"I don't think so. I rarely go out, let alone make enemies."
Hastur didn't mention Mr. A. He planned to explain things during the Night Watchers' dream investigation instead.
Only with a mixture of truth and lies could he deceive them. Sometimes, a little concealment is the best way to gain trust.
After hearing everything, Inspector Reid left two officers behind and arranged a few hidden posts outside the house.
Around three or four in the morning, Hastur was sleeping soundly,
Suddenly, a figure appeared in his dream. He wore a black trench coat, stood about 175 cm tall, with a blurred face, features indistinguishable.
The Night Watcher had come! Hastur instantly became alert, but quickly put on a look of confusion and panic.
Peter walked forward slowly, conjuring a sofa and a chair, gesturing for Hastur to sit.
Hastur dazedly sat on the sofa. Peter hesitated, he had invited him to the chair; the sofa was meant for himself.
"Baron Hastur Campbell, I have a few questions. Answer truthfully, without deception." Hastur only nodded blankly.
Peter sat on the chair and calmly asked, "How did you discover Dean Bard was a devil?"
"I've come into contact with some Beyonder knowledge. I know Devils like using live sacrifices… So many children died there, if he wasn't a Devil, what else could he be?"
Peter raised an eyebrow. "I meant, how did you discover something was wrong with Dean Bard?"
"I never trusted him. Dean Darn was stupid and greedy, not likely to be a cunning Devil. Only Bard, who liked pretending to be kind, fit the description best."
Here Hastur paused, then gave a silly smile. "Actually, I wasn't sure he was a Devil. But I thought you'd have a way to identify his true nature."
Using us Night Watchers as test kits? Truly in line with the nobles' usual style.
Peter continued, "What exactly happened tonight?"
"I was sleeping when someone opened the window and tossed in a big box. Inside was Bard's head. I was terrified, so I quickly had Butler Neil and the others report it to the police."
"Did you conceal anything?"
"Yes. Originally, there was also a small note on the box. I destroyed it because I didn't want more trouble."
"What did it say?"
"It said: This is a gift. And signed with an A."
Peter immediately grew vigilant. "An A? Do you know who it was?"
"I once attended an Beyonder gathering. The organizer was called Mr. A. I think it might be him."
"Why would Mr. A give you this gift?"
"I don't know." Hastur showed suitable confusion. Indeed, he had no clue of Mr. A's purpose.
"Why did you hide this note when reporting to the police?"
"I was afraid of trouble. The less, the better." Peter asked a few more questions, and Hastur cooperated as best as possible.
"In the future, don't think of lying in such matters, or you'll bring true trouble upon yourself." Leaving that final warning, Peter left Hastur's dream.
Hastur continued lying still, breathing evenly, pretending to sleep.
He knew that after this test, he wouldn't attract the Church of the Evernight Goddess's suspicion for now, they'd likely focus on Mr. A instead.
As for whether this would offend Mr. A? He was already targeted, whether or not he offended him no longer mattered.
Besides, since Mr. A dared to appear tonight, he must have prepared for discovery. The Night Watchers would have little chance of catching him.
Hastur didn't think further and drifted into real sleep.
The next day, news of Bard's death spread. Professor Wayne and Lecturer Fron specially visited.
They'd heard Bard had tried to assassinate a baron the previous night, only to be killed by officers lying in wait.
The police also announced Bard's crimes, naming him and Dean Darn as accomplices behind the Sunset Almshouse's tragedies.
The statement didn't mention Hastur, only that a baron had made notable contributions.
Knowing the truth, Professor Wayne and Lecturer Fron understood the baron was Hastur. After class that morning, they came together to visit him.
"It was my fault for trusting Bard too much, I didn't expect him to be the true culprit!"
Professor Wayne was filled with remorse. To express his apology, he gave Hastur a plantation deed worth over ten thousand pounds. This time, Hastur didn't refuse.
After all, the entire matter stemmed from Professor Wayne. Otherwise, Hastur wouldn't have gone to the Almshouse, drawing a Devil's attention and leading to last night's events.
One adventure, and he'd earned a plantation deed, quite worthwhile.
Hastur showed great magnanimity, with just a few words moving both Professor Wayne and Lecturer Fron.
After seeing them off, Hastur had Butler Neil send someone to investigate the estate's current condition.
Around 4 p.m., Inspector Reid came again. After a few questions, he brought a police reward, 2,000 pounds!
The Sunset Almshouse case had left nearly a hundred dead children, shocking all of Backlund.
Thanks to swift action, the police unmasked Bard in time and killed him on the spot, preventing further tragedy. They earned great credit across the city, even receiving the king's commendation!
As the biggest contributor to the case, Hastur naturally received a reward.
According to Reid, the king might even bestow a direct honor, but whether true or not, he couldn't confirm.
Another free bounty, Hastur was naturally delighted.
But then his expression froze. Half the credit for this reward belonged to Mr. A.
Otherwise, even the Night Watchers would have struggled to quickly kill a hiding Devil.
If Bard hadn't died, the case wouldn't have closed so fast.
Every gift from fate had long since been secretly priced.
He couldn't possibly believe he could accept Mr. A's gift with peace of mind.
Unless he uncovered Mr. A's purpose soon, he would one day pay a heavy price.
…
The Hall of Stars.
Hastur appeared as the Master of Stars, gaze fixed on the star where the Son of Chaos resided. He swung out a chain of order, drawing the Son of Chaos to him.