Lord of Mysteries: Return of the Stars!

Ordinary families don't usually have much property, and in many cases, what's inherited might be debt.

Under those circumstances, property disputes rarely arise. Instead, eldercare disputes are more common.

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"What kind of outcome do you want the most?"

"Of course, I want our family to get along in harmony, to no longer be divided or have disputes because of money. I also hope my eldest son can be a bit kinder and treat his younger brother better."

"Then are you willing to leave your entire estate to your eldest son in exchange for his future care of the younger one?"

"…I no longer dare to expect such kindness from him. That's exactly what I've been struggling with."

"Then would you rather give the estate to your young son?"

"He's still too young."

At this point, Hastur already understood the middle-aged man's thoughts.

He preferred to leave his estate to his younger son, but he was worried the elder might act impulsively, which is what caused him distress.

Solving this dilemma wasn't difficult, he simply needed to delay the inheritance process until the younger son was older.

"You can divide the estate into two parts and find an excellent notary to help you certify and protect the property. Then, ten years later or after your death, have the notary distribute the estate according to your wishes."

Hastur offered a small suggestion, although this approach was a bit unfair to the eldest son.

But that wasn't something a lawyer needed to concern himself with, his role was to protect his employer's interests within the scope of Loen's law.

If the person seeking help today had been the elder son, he would likewise try his best to secure the son's rightful interests under Loen's law.

In this regard, the lawyer's stance was impartial.

The middle-aged man hesitated. "But shouldn't the right of inheritance belong solely to the eldest son? That's how the noble lords do it."

"First of all, you are not a noble, and your family holds no title that needs inheriting. Second, Loen law treats nobles and commoners differently in this matter. Finally, even nobles must meet certain conditions for the eldest son's priority inheritance."

Hastur explained patiently, "If the eldest son is poor in every respect, for example, extremely unfilial, has a bad reputation, and is poorly regarded, then it is possible to appoint a more suitable heir."

Loen's laws allowed some leeway in this regard, even for nobles.

As for a commoner like this middle-aged man, the law didn't strongly protect his estate distribution.

In other words, commoners had more freedom than nobles when it came to distributing their assets.

"Then, what if the notary embezzles my property in the future, how can I protect my rights?" The man was clearly tempted.

On this point, Hastur couldn't give any guarantees, even money stored in a bank could be embezzled.

"In any industry, there are trustworthy and untrustworthy people. You can only hope to find a truly fair and just notary."

The middle-aged man was silent for a long time, then stood up, removed his hat, and bowed.

"Thank you for your guidance."

"Being able to help you is the greatest compliment to me." Hastur replied with a smile.

"I feel I should pay you a number of gold coins as compensation, but then again, that feels like an insult to your noble character."

The man said this suddenly as he was about to leave.

"..."

Hastur's expression remained calm, though he was speechless inside.

After a one-minute break, a second visitor entered.

Judging by the voice, it was a woman, distressed about a divorce due to her husband's infidelity.

This issue wasn't hard to handle, either get a divorce or continue living together begrudgingly.

Of course, if things got heated, it might even escalate into a domestic murder case.

The woman no longer wanted to stay with her husband and hoped to use the affair as leverage to gain more financial compensation for herself and her child. This was a reasonable request and protected under Loen law.

But the two couldn't agree on the amount.

The husband thought she was asking for too much, while the wife believed she deserved it as the betrayed party.

After several unsuccessful negotiations, the husband flatly said: either accept the amount he offered, or take him to court.

After telling her story, the woman asked quietly, "I've heard people say that if I really take him to court, the judge won't side with me. They'll just think the amount I'm asking for is too much."

Hastur tapped his fingers lightly on the table to get her attention. Once she was quiet and focused, he began:

"Loen's law does protect the interests of the betrayed party in a marriage, and during a divorce, the compensation can be appropriately increased due to this."

"However, the law doesn't specify an exact amount, nor does it say what fraction of the property should be given. Normally, the law expects both parties to go through multiple rounds of mediation to reach a mutually acceptable amount."

"If your husband refuses to accept any mediation, then in the end, it will be very difficult for you to obtain sufficient compensation from him, even if it is rightfully yours."

In such matters, Loen's law still leaned more toward protecting the man's interests, because infidelity was not uncommon among the nobility.

But the way noble couples handled such situations was different from commoners, even if one party was unfaithful, they might still continue living together while each doing as they pleased.

In that case, infidelity was hardly a valid reason for demanding more compensation.

For commoner couples, however, if one cheated, it was a big deal that usually tore the family apart.

"What should I do to protect my own interests?" the woman asked anxiously.

Hastur smiled and asked, "May I ask , are you a follower of the Evernight Goddess?"

"Yes, I have always devoutly believed in the Goddess. She is the most important pillar of my soul. It was Her gentleness that helped me get through the most difficult days."

"Praise the Goddess!"

The lady spoke as she devoutly tapped her chest four times, drawing a crimson moon.

"And does your husband have any faith?"

"He is a follower of the Lord of Storm."

At this, the lady said through gritted teeth, "I should have listened to my parents back then and stayed away from followers of the Lord of Storm. They are so rude, so heartless, not suitable at all to spend a lifetime with."

Hastur thought for a moment and said, "He's still a businessman?"

"Yes, he does some maritime business. Over the years, he has made quite a bit of money. And it was during this time that he betrayed our love."

"Hmm, then take him to court. But before that, you can go to the Goddess's temple and tell your grievances to the clergy, let more people know about your husband's affair."

"Will that work?"

"It shouldn't take more than a few days before he comes to you to negotiate. By then, your demands will be met."

The lady did not understand why the lawyer behind the curtain was so confident, but his words were very reassuring and convincing.

They chatted for a while longer, and the lady made a small request, to open the curtain and take a look at Hastur.

For such a small request, Hastur naturally declined with a smile.

In the end, the lady praised Hastur's voice as being very gentle, then got up and left.

In the time that followed, Hastur upheld the basic qualities of a lawyer, providing appropriate advice to many in need.

The most memorable client for him was an elderly man, probably in his sixties. His voice was very low, and he had to pause occasionally to catch his breath.

Through his intermittent narration, a cruel story slowly unfolded.

The old man was not a native of Backlund; he came from Winter County.

Because Winter County is close to Feysac, the situation often changes with the relationship between the two countries. Some areas have been at war with Feysac for years, becoming generational enemies.

The old man came from such a family. His grandfather and great-grandfather had both died in wars with Feysac. After his father also perished, he inherited the iron-blooded will of his ancestors.

Without hesitation, he joined the army to defend the nation.

Over the years, he fought in hundreds of battles, large and small. On battlefields with terrifying mortality rates, he survived with courage and luck.

At twenty-eight, he was seriously injured and separated from the main forces. He fled across the border into Feysac territory.

He collapsed near a creek. Like the protagonist in a legendary tale, he was rescued, by a village under Feysac control.

To survive, he claimed to be a Feysac soldier who had narrowly survived a clash with the Loen army.

Maybe his acting was convincing, or maybe the villagers were simply too kind and naïve. He managed to fool them and stayed in the village to recover.

His scars made him seem very masculine, attracting admiration from many young women.

One of them made him lose control. They soon became intimate, and the girl ended up pregnant.

When she shyly held his hand, whispered by his ear, and told him she was carrying his child, he finally snapped out of that brief moment of tenderness.

He was a Loen soldier, and these were the people of Feysac.

They often spoke of how invincible the Feysac army was and how many enemies they had killed lately, Loen among them.

These were the enemies, the descendants of the murderers who killed his ancestors!

Feysac and Loen were eternal enemies.

He struggled, hesitated, and even secretly felt joy at having a child. But deep down, there was an unshakable fear.

He forced himself to make a cruel decision, like the cowardly apostle in old ballads, knowingly making a deal with the devil.

In the end, he acted.

During a harvest celebration in the village, he contacted a roaming Loen squad in the nearby mountains.

Disaster quickly followed, the entire village was massacred.

Even the girl who loved him and carried his child was not spared.

They all died, eventually burned to ashes in a great fire.

For this act, he, the butcher, was even commended by his superiors and rewarded handsomely.

He tried to stop thinking about the right or wrong of it and focused on fighting the Feysac army.

But the more he fought, the more confused he became.

Why was he even fighting?

To defend the nation?

But he was also a butcher of innocent people. Loen also had intentions of annexing Feysac, who was really the righteous one?

Eventually, he laid down his arms, left the battlefield, left Winter County, and came to Backlund, known as the City of Hope.

There, he saw what nobles really were, what wars were like child's play to them, and what mutual cooperation for profit looked like...

It turned out the ones who truly saw each other as mortal enemies were only the people at the bottom.

He looked at the capital of the kingdom he had once defended. If he had known earlier that his bloodshed was just a sacrifice in the power struggles of the elite, would he still have fought so desperately on the battlefield?

If he had been born in Backlund, would his attitude toward the Feysac army have been different?

In a daze, he dreamed again of the girl who had loved him with all her heart, and the child who never had the chance to be born.

Would it have been a boy or a girl?

If he had stayed in that village, would his child have grown up by now, married, had children, and lived a good life?

If he had stayed in that village...