The flickering candlelight shifted between brightness and shadow. Screams rang out, people scrambled to hide, and the once harmonious ball descended into chaos.
In the face of this growing disorder, Hastur remained calm. Lowering his head slightly, he looked at Audrey beside him tonight.
She wore an elegant beige gown, its voluminous skirt swaying lightly. Emerald jewelry adorned her delicate, fair neck and earlobes, while her golden hair was woven like flowers, cascading past her ears and over her shoulders.
Her figure was slender, her forehead smooth. Taken as a whole, she was the very embodiment of elegance and nobility.
Under the flickering play of light and shadow, a subtle veil of mystery was cast upon her beauty.
At this moment, her face showed no sign of panic; her eyes instead sparkled with curiosity.
To her, what was happening tonight must also be a rare and novel experience.
Hearing Audrey's question, Hastur withdrew his gaze and looked toward the source of the wind blades. Calmly, he said, "Mm. Qilangos made a move, but it failed. Duke Negan was already prepared, there are powerful Beyonders all around him. He must be trying to escape now."
Audrey also looked over, but she could not see the Beyonder battle clearly. All she saw was the chaos of people fleeing in all directions. After watching for a moment, she asked curiously,"What Sequence is he?"
"He should be a Sequence 6 Beyonder, a 'Wind-blessed.'"
"Oh? Then how does he dare attempt to assassinate Duke Negan?"
"The glove on his hand is likely a powerful Beyonder item."
A trace of shock flickered in Audrey's eyes. She had already learned such information from Mr. Hanged Man.
But Mr. Hastur? He could deduce Qilangos' level and abilities from analysis alone.
If no one had told him beforehand, then his knowledge of the occult was truly terrifying.
Audrey thought for a moment, then smiled. "Does this count as my first cooperation with Mr. Hastur?"
"Of course. Miss Audrey is the true focus of tonight's ball."
"And what about you, Mr. Hastur?"
"I prefer to stand at a distance. I'm not suited to stand under the spotlight."
"Why not?"
"Because unlike Miss Audrey's flawless self, if I stand in the spotlight, my shortcomings would be easily exposed and pointed out."
Audrey narrowed her eyes slightly, smiling.
"Mr. Hastur just said he wasn't good at complimenting others."
"That's because these compliments aren't insincere."
Had such words come from another noble, Audrey would have found them perfunctory and false.
But from Mr. Hastur's lips, they felt surprisingly pleasant.
After all, praise coming from someone more capable than oneself is always more delightful to hear.
"What a pity, tonight still has its flaws."
Hastur sighed lightly, sparking Audrey's curiosity.
"What part is imperfect?"
"Tonight was supposed to be the first dance I invited Miss Audrey to, yet before it even finished, it was ruined by Qilangos."
Audrey glanced around, then looked at her hands still resting in Hastur's palm and on his shoulder.
She chuckled softly. "Even now, we can still dance."
To dance amidst darkness and chaos, that was quite an interesting attempt.
Hastur recalled the steps they had paused at. Audrey, however, was already guiding him into the next movements.
In dancing, Hastur was slightly better than most men, but Audrey far surpassed him.
Meanwhile, Qilangos' face was filled with terror as he looked at the Beyonders' surrounding him.
He had barely made his move before realizing the place had been set up as a trap.
Clearly, his assassination had already been exposed in advance!
He could not fathom how he had been discovered, but now was not the time to think.
Escape, fleeing this place, was the only thing that mattered.
The glove on his left hand writhed slightly, its surface covered in a layer of fine, dark-golden scales.
His pupils paled and elongated into slits.
A wave of invisible ripples spread out from him in all directions. Wherever it passed, gentlemen and ladies who had barely maintained their composure were suddenly overwhelmed by an immense fear.
They could no longer hold onto their reason and scattered, shrieking and stumbling away.
Many of them even stumbled directly into the encirclement around Qilangos.
The Beyonders surrounding him grew hesitant, wary of harming the nobles.
Seizing the opening, Qilangos no longer hesitated. A violent gale swirled around him as he sprinted toward the windows.
He crashed through the protruding bay window and, borne aloft by the wind's blessing, glided a considerable distance before finally leaving the confines of Duke Negan's mansion.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Qilangos bolted toward a nearby grove. If he could just reach the trees and delay pursuit a little, he could widen the gap.
Then, with a change of appearance, blending into the crowd, he would be utterly untraceable.
After all, Backlund held over five million people. With the aid of the Creeping Hunger, he would be like a drop of water in the sea, impossible to find again.
This was his greatest assurance in taking on such a dangerous mission.
Some time later, a breeze swept over Duke Negan's mansion as Archbishop of the Church of Storms' Backlund diocese, "Spellsinger of God" Ace Snake, arrived with several Mandated Punishers.
Alger was among them. His mood was foul. From the shattered window, it was obvious: Qilangos had already escaped!
"If not for… the delay…" Alger cast a sidelong glance at the Spellsinger of God, his fists tightening.
When he had first received Miss Justice's message from Mr. Fool, he had immediately reported it to his superior.
Yet the man's efficiency was appallingly slow. Only when Beyonder fluctuations appeared at Duke Negan's estate had he finally believed the intelligence and rushed over.
But by then, Qilangos had already slipped away. Knowing Qilangos, he would likely suspect Alger of betraying him. That would be dangerous.
Qilangos had to die in Backlund.
Would Mr. Fool's other followers make a move?
Nearby, Hastur and Audrey had also come closer.
The furious Duke Negan, the embarrassed Ace Snake, the brooding Alger… Hastur observed each of their expressions, his gaze lingering on Alger.
The Hanged Man, disheveled deep-blue hair, rugged features, bronzed skin. One glance marked him as a man of the sea.
But his face now? Clearly vexed by Qilangos's escape.
Hastur shifted his gaze again, this time toward the famed Spellsinger of God.
Despite wielding the powers of the storm, his sluggishness was infamous. In the end, he was even reassigned away from Backlund. Truly, a pigeon spirit.
Audrey returned to her father, Earl Hall's side, listening as Duke Negan voiced his fury. Inwardly, she felt a flicker of pride.
She had been a Beyonder for less than two months, and already she could affect the life and death of a duke of the Loen Kingdom. Such progress was astonishing.
Would Mr. Hanged Man be satisfied with her performance?
He should still be at sea, shouldn't he? Audrey's gaze swept the area, finally landing on Alger.
She studied him carefully, pupils widening slightly. Then, deliberately, she stepped back to avoid drawing his attention, even though the distance was not close.
She continued watching him from the corner of her eye, comparing the man before her to the image of the Hanged Man in the Tarot Club.
The more she looked, the more alike they seemed!
A fellow Storms believer, a life spent at sea, involvement in the Qilangos affair…
"Could it really be Mr. Hanged Man?" Her suspicion grew stronger, though she dared not be certain.
Before she could observe much longer, the Mandated Punishers departed with the others, likely in pursuit of Qilangos.
Audrey did not linger either. Glancing once at Hastur, who had quietly withdrawn to the sidelines, she thought, 'As expected, Mr. Hastur does not like standing in the spotlight.'
She ascended to the second floor, joining her mother and the other noble ladies.
"My Audrey, where did you go just now? In such chaos, you weren't hurt, were you? Come, let me see."
"I'm fine. The commotion didn't affect me."
After a round of reassurances, her mother was finally relieved.
Originally, Audrey had planned to come here to accompany her mother after exposing Qilangos's true identity.
But then she had met Mr. Hastur and accepted his invitation to dance, leaving her mother worried.
Now, recalling it, Audrey's cheeks warmed faintly.
A while later, Earl Hall appeared at the door. Audrey found an excuse to step out and walked with him to a nearby balcony.
"Father, is something wrong?" Audrey's bright green eyes gleamed with youthful innocence.
Earl Hall smiled.
"It's been resolved. You don't need to worry anymore."
"Mm… Also, did you tell anyone else that Baron Germani was an impostor?"
"Yes. Other than myself, the only one who knows is Baron Hastur Campbell."
Audrey's eyes shone brightly. What she said was the truth, without a trace of a lie.