Time flies, and the winter sun sets early. In a peaceful atmosphere, Tivian welcomes the last night of the year.
As night gradually envelops the city, the lights begin to flicker on, dispelling the darkness and illuminating every street.
On a street in South Tivian, a restaurant remains open even during the holiday season. Inside, Dorothy, dressed in a black cotton dress and a woolen hat, sits at a table. Across from her is Gregor, wearing a brown-yellow trench coat, enjoying a lavish turkey dinner together.
"Mmm... it’s so good... It’s been a long time since we’ve celebrated a holiday together. The last time was years ago at Aunt Hannah’s place. Back then, I never imagined we’d be spending New Year’s in Tivian one day," Gregor says, chewing on a turkey leg. Dorothy, meanwhile, eats a small piece of potato pancake with a fork and nods in agreement.
"Yeah, ever since you went to work in Igwynt, we haven’t celebrated together. At Aunt Hannah’s, the food wasn’t as good as here, but there were so many people, and everyone was so happy."
"Haha, of course. Now it’s just the two of us here, but back then, there were so many people... it was definitely livelier.”
"I recently sent some money to Aunt Hannah’s family. If they’re willing, they can move to Igwynt. Maybe we can visit Igwynt County together sometime."
As Gregor finishes his turkey leg, Dorothy changes the subject and asks, "By the way, Gregor, with all the holiday events in the city tonight, I noticed many places have hired extra security to ensure safety. Why aren’t you working overtime?"
"Ah... that. Well, it’s true that our company has received a lot of security requests for the holidays. But since I just completed a big mission and need some rest, I wasn’t assigned to overtime duty."
Gregor replies, and Dorothy silently sips her tea and nods. “Even though the current situation is a bit delicate, Gregor hasn’t been called to carry out any missions, neither from the Serenity Bureau nor the Eight-Spired Nest. It seems the spy incident has made both sides more cautious.”
Dorothy thinks to herself. Since Misha uncovered the spy Vihan within the investigation team based on Dorothy’s intelligence, she has become more cautious about using the remaining team members. On the other hand, after Vihan’s exposure, the Eight-Spired Nest temporarily halted Adelin’s activities to protect their informant, leaving Gregor with no missions for the time being. This unexpected free time allowed him to have dinner with Dorothy.
“Well, it’s nice that Gregor isn’t working overtime and we can have a meal together, but without him on a mission, I can’t get any updates on the Serenity Bureau’s movements. Those troublemaking indigenous people who were lured here haven’t made any moves yet. I wonder if they’ve been caught by the Serenity Bureau…”
Dorothy continues to ponder. What worries her now is the so-called revenge plot by the indigenous people that Kapak mentioned. According to Kapak, those individuals set off for Tivian over half a month ago. The usual time for a passenger ship to cross the Stellar Ocean between the main continent and the new continent is about ten days, so they should have arrived by now. The fact that there’s been no movement suggests they’ve either been caught by the Serenity Bureau or are preparing for something big. However, with Gregor on leave, Dorothy lacks information from the Serenity Bureau, making it hard to confirm.
“Earlier, I warned Misha as a detective to be wary of similar incidents. I wonder if she took it seriously. But judging by the increased police presence on the streets and the fact that even Vania has been temporarily assigned to the Serenity Bureau to bolster medical resources, it seems the Serenity Bureau is indeed stepping up security by borrowing personnel from the church.”
Recalling Vania’s earlier explanation, Dorothy feels a bit more at ease. With the Serenity Bureau enhancing its security measures, those indigenous people shouldn’t be able to cause much trouble—unless, of course, there’s a hidden hand behind them.
Lost in thought, Dorothy and Gregor finish their dinner. Since the evening event doesn’t start until around 8 PM, they aren’t in a hurry to leave and continue chatting in the restaurant for a while before heading out.
On the cold streets, Dorothy and Gregor walk together, quickly making their way toward the nearby square. As they get closer to their destination, the crowd grows thicker. Most are families of three or five, including adults, elders, and children. Many Tivian citizens, after finishing their dinners, choose to take their families out to watch the evening event.
After all, this era has no televisions, and entertainment options are relatively scarce. Many people opt to attend public performances like this, especially since they’re free and rare. Moreover, the event is organized by a royal princess, making it an opportunity no one wants to miss.
Amid the growing crowd, Dorothy and Gregor finally arrive at the venue—Bishop’s Square. The large square is already packed with people. On one side of the square, a massive wooden stage has been set up, adorned with exquisite carpets and various decorations.
In front of the stage, the square is bustling with noise and excitement. From Dorothy’s height, standing at a distance, she can’t see the stage clearly, only the sea of bobbing heads. Fortunately, Gregor notices this and pulls Dorothy through the crowd. Using the strength of a Chalice-auxiliary Beyonder, he clears a path, eventually reaching a prime viewing spot near the stage, just behind the security line set up to keep the audience from getting too close.
In this decent spot, Dorothy and Gregor begin to wait for the event to start. As time passes, the square becomes even more crowded, and Dorothy feels surrounded by noise.
Finally, after a while, music begins to play in the square. Behind the stage, a pre-prepared orchestra starts performing. The symphony of various instruments fills the cold night air, and the noisy crowd gradually quiets down.
Then, under the bright lights of the stage, a handsome young man in a well-tailored suit, with neatly combed hair, slowly walks onto the stage. As he reaches the front, the orchestra stops playing. The man spreads his arms and addresses the crowd in a loud voice.
"Good evening, citizens of Tivian! It’s a pleasure to gather with you all on this important occasion. Another year has passed. Since the Radiance descended to save our world from darkness, 1,359 years have gone by. Tonight, we will welcome the new year with gratitude to the Saints!"
The host begins his passionate speech, and the crowd erupts in applause from time to time.
Without a script, the young host delivers his opening remarks, which last several minutes before finally coming to an end. He then introduces the organizers of the event.
"Everyone, this grand event is a blessing—a blessing from many sources. The Saints saved our world, allowing it to continue to this day, enabling us to witness the changing seasons and the arrival of the new year. This is the blessing of the divine.”
"And the reason we can gather here tonight to share the joy of the holiday is due to the blessing of humanity—the blessing of our beloved royal family! Now, let us welcome the organizer of this event, the one who brought us all together, the gracious Princess Isabella! And our distinguished guest, the honorable Duke Barrett!"
As the host announces this, he gestures to one side. Following his hand, the crowd’s gaze turns to a brightly lit balcony on a tall building at the edge of the square.
On the balcony, far above the crowd, two luxurious chairs are placed. Seated on them are a man and a woman.
The man is in his fifties, slightly overweight, wearing a yellow coat. His hair and mustache are streaked with gray, and his kind face bears faint wrinkles. He smiles gently at the crowd below.
The woman, on the other hand, is a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen. She wears a white cotton dress adorned with intricate floral embroidery and a small white hat with decorative flowers. Her short, wavy golden hair frames her flawless, fair skin, and her beautiful face radiates a cheerful smile as she waves to the crowd below.
The appearance of the two royal family members instantly elevates the atmosphere of the event. The crowd erupts into enthusiastic cheers, waving and shouting Princess Isabella’s name. Dorothy, standing in the crowd, silently gazes at the figures on the balcony.
"That’s... Duke Barrett and Princess Isabella?"
Dorothy murmurs, and Gregor, standing beside her, also looks toward the balcony and replies.
"That’s right! Princess Isabella is said to be the royal family member closest to the common people, involved in numerous charitable activities. No wonder she’s so popular among the masses!"
Gregor says, scanning the crowd shouting Isabella’s name. The enthusiasm of the ordinary citizens seems to confirm his words. Dorothy, hearing this, becomes even more interested and takes a closer look at the young girl on the balcony.
“A princess beloved by the common people…”
…
Bishop’s Square, the crowd’s excitement reaches a fever pitch with Princess Isabella’s appearance. However, those watching the event aren’t limited to the audience in the square. Around the square, a group of people is also monitoring every move.
On the rooftops of buildings surrounding the square, many guards are stationed, keeping watch over the area while also observing the activity below.
Many of these guards are Beyonders directly transferred from the Serenity Bureau’s Hunters. Given that this event involves royal family members, the Serenity Bureau has taken it very seriously, deploying ample forces to ensure safety. These extraordinary guards are stationed at various high points around the square, guarding strategic locations and remaining vigilant for any unusual activity.
With such security measures in place, it’s unlikely that any unexpected danger will occur. Of course, if the guards themselves were to cause trouble, that would be a different story.
On the rooftop of a building in the southeast corner of the square, a guard wearing a helmet and a coat stands, intently watching the lively scene below. When he sees Princess Isabella waving in the distance, the corner of his mouth beneath his helmet twitches into a cold smile.
"Enjoy it while you can, fools. In a little while, many of you won’t have the chance to enjoy anything ever again..."
Gazing at the scene below, the guard mutters to himself. He then turns and slowly walks to the attic room on the rooftop, opening the door to reveal a dimly lit room with about a dozen figures inside.
These figures are mostly men, dressed in ordinary Tivian civilian clothes. They stand or sit scattered around the room, their eyes showing worry, fear, or determination... If not for their uniformly brown-yellow skin, they would look no different from ordinary Tivian citizens.
"Warriors, are you all ready?"
The disguised guard asks, speaking not in Prittish but in another language—Spirit Glyph language.
Hearing the "guard’s" words, a tall, scarred man sitting in the corner stands up. He approaches the "guard" and speaks in a steady voice.
"Of course, we’re ready. We can’t wait to make those white-skinned people and their families pay in blood."
"Is that so? Then may I see your preparations, Warrior Sado?"
The "guard" asks with a smile, his hands behind his back. The man named Sado glances at three men sitting to his right and says, "Get up, Aku, Pam, Kuzdo... Let him see our resolve."
Following Sado’s command, the three natives of the New Continent slowly stand up. They silently look at the "guard," then unbutton their coats to reveal rows of small sticks tied around their waists, connected by fuses—these are explosives.
The three men in front of the "guard" have three layers of explosives strapped to their bodies, ready to be detonated at any moment. This is Sado’s preparation.
"The pain of gunpowder is something you white people brought to us. We’ve remembered its power with the blood of countless tribesmen. Now... it’s time for your people to remember its power with their own blood."
Standing beside the three men, Sado speaks in a heavy tone. The "guard" nods and murmurs, "I’ve witnessed your resolve. Good... very good... Now, let others witness the weight of this resolve as well."