Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 10 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 ♦ A New Promise

The sound of the cannon reverberated on the Thames at the dead of night.

The explosion sound awoke several of the strollers sleeping on the pier.  The cannon shot had seemed to hit it’s target, the “Ark”, thereabout sending out a  monotonous sound.

Carrying out surprise attacks on a moonlit night was Lota’s specialty. Hired crewmen, and several others on board that Lota had formerly knew--were all carrying out their tasks methodically.

Because the Ark’s sail had obtained some damage, it somewhat allowed the ship to have reduced its speed.  Lota neared her ship even more towards the “Ark”.

They issued one shot after another-- continuing on the bombardment successfully.  In order to not open any holes in the ship’s body, they only took aim at the sailcloth.

Certainly, if the bombardment was undertaken at such a river port, then there was also a possibility of the cannon shot to exceed its target and fall onto other anchored vessels.

There was no way she could confirm anything in the darkness, but because she planned on having Edgar deal with the aftereffects for her later on, she decided not to worry about that and just continued with the assault.

She settled that she could also consider that as a “gift” along with the cannon she got from him.

“Anyways, how is it that there isnt even a person on that side of the ship? ”

Lota murmured in a low voice.  She wondered if all the crewmen were hiding in the ship. Since the attack, surprisingly, no one had ran up to the dock to check on the circumstances yet, nor had they called on reinforcements for the fallen ship spar.

It was strange that they did not fight back despite the continuous attacks, and although the ship had tilted to one side allowing water to seep in, the “Ark” still continued to propel forward.

“It’s almost like a ghost ship. ”

Paul mumbled--and at the same time--Lota felt chills run up her back  because of the rare matter.

The Ark, with it’s broken sail, moved about by the waves under the moonlight, making it really appear as a ghost ship.  What was rather peculiar was that even though the sail had been heavily damaged, and although the speed had been reduced somewhat because of that, it still continued to move forward.

But whatever the circumstance, it really wasn’t a time to be puzzled because time was running out.  It had to be stopped in any case.

“Call off the bombardment.  Advance speed to flank it. Do we have everyone ready who will be transferring to the other side?”

The agile Crewmen readily complied with Lota’s instructions.  There were several volunteers who were also participating by remaining on standby.

“Bring down the spar of the boat, drop anchor, and stop that ship.  ”

At that time, Sailors took aim at a dark place to throw their ropes, and were ready to invade the “Ark”. The “Scarlet Moon” members  having been involved with the Ark, should have also made their invasion very smoothly seeing as no one has appeared.”

Lota piloted her ship to move together with the Ark, waiting on the reports from her crew.

“Captain, we didn’t find any sailors. ”

Not long after, she got the very first report there from a crew member who had returned.

“They didn’t even seem to leave any boats behind which means they probably fled long ago.  ”

"There is no crew?

How can there be such a thing. Although they had planned for the ship to explode, the Crew should certainly have attempted to escape in front of the London Bridge before the final moment. But it was impossible for them to have already escaped in such a short notice.

Moreover, there was  also no Crew aboard it, so how was the ship able to move?

The course of the river was not a straight line, and the direction of the wind was also expected to change at any time.  To be able to manipulate the sailboat should have required a considerable amount of manpower and labour.

“In other words, this is not the work of humans? ”

“There are only the hostages. It seems that they’re asleep and are being kept in locked rooms.  About a dozen of people. ”

Among those group of wealthy people, there probably was no chance of anyone starting up such a medicore ship.

"And the anchor?Can you put it down?”

"There is no anchor!”

“The rudder is also fixed in place!”

Lota curled her lip in annoyance as she kicked the gunwale of the boat.

The plan of  breaking the ship’s spar was underway, but Lota sensed that even without a spar, the ship would still continue to go forward.

“If we can’t stop it, then we’ll need to sink it.  ”

“But what about the hostages....?”

Upon hearing Lota think aloud like that,  Paul worried to inquire any further into the matter.

As if to console him, Lota patted him on the back.

“Don’t worry, I’m not so simple as to give up so easily.  ”

She then turned her head towards her Crew.

“Hey, are we able to release a boat into the River in order to remove the hostages?How long would that take?”

“It is too late for that, it will very soon be hitting London Bridge!”

Just then, Lota’s ship started to abruptly shake very hard.  In order not to fall into the River, Lota desperately tried to grab tight of the rope.

While also tumbling, Paul stretched out his hand in a panic.

When he managed to grab hold her firmly, the boat once again started to shake from the opposite direction.

Lota and Paul together rolled down on the deck, hitting the spar before coming to a stop.

“Captain...are you alright?”

"Ah?....Yeah "

As Lota climbed to get up, she noticed that Paul lay underneath her whilst cushioning her.

“Hey, Paul, you're fortunately alright.  ”

Lota at the same time helped to raise Paul’s head that had become dizzy after hitting the poll. She then simultaneously asked the Crewman.

“What just happened right now?”

"It is not clear. Only our ship shook. We were pulled back from the “Ark”. ”

“It may be the faes....”

Paul mumbled as he was still held by Lota. Although everything still appeared in a blurry manner, he desperately tried to align the focus of his eyes.

"What? There’s even the fairies involved? ”

“There seems to be something that is promoting the boat to advance in the River..... ”

Whatever it was that activated the “Ark”, had done so in order to attack and hinder Lota’s ship. (?)

“Can you return to the original position right away? Hurry up. ”

At the moment Lota gave out instructions, Paul finally became clear headed and realized his situation. Then he cried out in alarm and hastily moved away from Lota’s side.

“You didn’t need to get so shocked. Do you not often come in contact with women?”

“Ah, no it’s not like that. ”

“So I see. You’re still innocent”

“Uh...this matter...please don’t mention of it to the Earl. ”

"Why? Would that idiot Edgar joke about you because you were with a woman? ”

Lota could not have possibly understood; Paul was trying his utmost best not to get close to one of Edgar’s female lovers which was why he was against the idea of Edgar finding out about such an incident. (?)

“Well, that um....”

"Captain, look at that!”

Hearing the yell of her crew, Lota hurriedly stood up.  Luckily because of this incident, the misunderstanding that Paul had just spoken of was quickly forgotten.

Lota ran to the ship’s bow and there, across the River, she could see continuous intermittent flashes of yellow light.

They were gas lamps.  And the dark shadow of the London Bridge reclined in front of the gas lamps.

There was not a spar on the “Ark” anymore, and yet it still kept moving ahead.

The only option that seemed to be left now was to attack the boat’s body. But was it too late for that?

Even a little bit of frictional sparks was enough to ignite the gunpowder and blow up the ship. Moreover, what could they do about the hostages?

Lota clenched her fist.

                                      *

Edgar fell to his knees as he held Lydia's unmoving body in his arms

The sword had firmly stabbed her back and she lay there motionlessly with her eyes closed tight.

"Lydia · · · · ·"

He gently brushed aside her caramel colored hair from her face, and not knowing what else to do, he just embraced her again tightly, tangling her hair further.

"I said I will protect you, but why is it that you · · · ·!”

Although he could feel the presence of the fae close at hand again, Edgar already had lost all will to fight and just remained motionless

His reason to fight had disappeared.  He thought of his own self as the most filthy. While he was put in such a chaotic state, he didn’t think as much to consider if whether she was still alive or not.

He had just wanted to protect her, wanted to keep her alive and happy; and if only now there was still a chance for that, then he was willing to sacrifice anything in exchange for it. 

The fairy directed the tip of the sword between Edgar’s eyebrows.

I'll kill it!

Despite harboring such a thought and wanting to so much, he still owned the pride of the Blue Knight Earl so his hands were left tied. He daringly stared back at the silver fairy.

“She worked hard for the Earl's household, there was no reason for this to have happened to her!”

“Was it for the sake of the Earl’s residence? Or for you? The distinction of this is very important. I do not know which side she will be remaining on from now, however, my sword has reached a decision on it’s own. ”

"Decision? So she's dead?”

No, it did not seem as if that was the case because the fairy silently moved away the sword’s aim from Edgar’s eyebrows.

"The sword did not hurt her. ”

Edgar was taken aback--he hurriedly placed his hand on Lydia’s back.

He realized that while the sword had cut through her dress and corset, there was only the feeling of dry cloth and not a single drop of blood.

"Lydia · · · · is still alive?”

He reached out and pressed his fingers on her neck, soon enough feeling the vibration of her pulse.

She was still alive.

“As she was not able to withstand the powerful magic of the sword, she merely fainted.  ”

At that moment Edgar’s heart began to settle down as he hugged her tightly again while muttering the name of the absolute divine being whose name had long since been forgotten.

The two of them were tightly huddled together in the embrace.

He felt relieved at the fact that he had not lost her.  But despite that, he knew he also had to bring himself to consider where from now on,  he would end up taking Lydia.

Although she was connected with the fairies of the Blue Knight Earl’s family, it was uncertain to say she could really become his partner. But Lydia had still unexpectedly come along with him.

Because of that, Edgar did not want to understand any of it; he only knew that didn’t ever want to loosen his grip on her again.

The fae that had been looking down on the two, spoke as if he did not comprehend the situation.

“You are entitled to the sword and hold the key to the Earl’s house as it’s successor, but you bear tainted blood within you. The sword that should be unable to harm it’s wielder had willingly drawn blood from you. But she, who is thy betrothed, has been protected by the magic of that very sword. ”

That was indeed exactly how it turned out in the end.

It was the reason for the perplexed fairy’s inquiry.  But Edgar couldn’t possibly discern what the fairy of the Earl’s house himself did not even know about.

“What has caused such a distortion? If it is as I expect, if your blood is evil, then why are you not able to be killed immediately? ”

I cannot die yet.  Edgar raised his head.

"Arrow. ” 

He had been told by Lydia what the fae’s name was called.

“You should be my servant. Despite your vexation, this sword is still entitled to me, and you as being one who’s supposed to coexist with the sword together, should also become my possession.  ”

The fae carefully watched Edgar with a troubled expression.

“Although I do not wish for this in the slightest, it seems to be that case exactly. However, you still seem to not understand. I have decided obedience to your betrothed only.  Because it had been her who found the “Arrow”.  Therefore, I must see to the agreement and lend her my strength-- the strength that would also become the power you had so wished for. Is that in contradiction to what you had hoped?”

While Edgar did think it was a strange reason, he felt that as long as he could obtain the fae’s power, he certainly wouldn’t mind such a thing.

“Can you obstruct the masses of the evil Unseelie courts?”

“With only myself to do so, it would be very difficult.  Since for many years now, in order to provide protection for the Bridge’s barrier, my power has gradually weakened. I had been compelled to rest here after being attacked by the Nightmare. Although the Moonstone has helped, my power has only recovered a little. Therefore, I will be needing your assistance in order to proceed with this.  ”

"What should I do?”

The fairy slowly turned around, his eyes falling on the treasured sword embedded in the ground, and then stopping in front of Edgar.

The sword gently started to vibrate as it pulled out from the stones sewn to the ground and then floated in mid-air. It ambulated towards Edgar’s eyes and stood erect as if  held steady by an invisible hand.

“Under this Sword, please put forth your command on me. Have it lend it’s strength to me.  ”

"Command? Is the Sword and your heart not one vessel?”

“I have already been away from the Sword for too long.  The Sword has somehow been able to obtain a new Star which, while being embedded within it, has also been growing. It seems to also own the same name and even the same power as me. In this way, it appears somewhat similar as a brother. ”

With one hand still holding onto to Lydia, Edgar reached out his other one to pick up the Sword.  The cross of the dark blue Sapphire-star glittered as it emitted glory.

This was the “Arrow” while the Moonstone ring on Lydia’s finger was the “Bow” that existed together with it as a weapon.

“When I had casted it towards you, it seems the star had made the Sword deviate it’s direction in order to protect you, for you suffered only a minor injury. ”

Edgar then came to understand that he had not actually avoided the full on attack of the Sword on his own.  Edgar, while wearing a wry smile, pointed towards the flickering flare of the precious blue stone.

The current Star in the shape of a cross on the Sword, was a brand mark Prince had engraved on Edgar’s body which was symbolic for his captivity.

Edgar had handed it over to the Merrows who carved that same cross into the Sword as a substitute for the star.

At that time, Edgar had just escaped from Prince’s clutches and  in doing so, also obtained the status of the Earl.  The proof of this was his own new self.

The Sword had initially cursed Edgar’s blood. But despite that, he still did not give up on becoming the true Blue Knight Earl.

Edgar faced the glittering blue stone of the star and in a quiet voice said “my star”, while harboring a peaceful look.

“Arrow, please lend me your power. And together, protect London with your brother. ”

The sword began to glow at his voice.

The fairy held tight of the beam that the Sword let out.

There then appeared the form of another “Arrow”.

An Arrow of a beautiful silver monochromatic light. While Edgar was just becoming attracted to the beautiful light, the ground  around them began to violently shake.

The vibration caused the rocks of the wall to collapse down.

"There appears to be no time. Please come with me. ”

When Edgar asked where, the fairy pointed towards the sky.

"Please don't lose hold of your fiancée. ”

At the instant Edgar held Lydia firmly in his arms again, he felt his body float up in the air.

                                        *

“Hey, Paul, for the gunpowder warehouse that’s in the bow position of the ship, please give me the right sketch map!”

Paul rushed into action, he racked his brain with the determination that he at all costs, had to stop the ship.

“Pilot the ship onwards and have it pass the Ark!”

Lota stared at the diagram in her hand and then ran towards the Fort.

Just then, the silhouette of someone  came into sight as it jumped across the ship’s gunwale landing right on the deck.  A man with black curly hair stood at the frontage looking like he was not very pleased.

“Hey. The ship doesn’t appear as if it would be stopping any time soon.  What exactly is going on? ”

“····· You are Kelpie?”

“Lydia hasn’t left from the inside of the Bridge yet.  If the ship crashed into it, the Bridge would definitely be destroyed wouldn't it?”

“That is right.  There's no time. So I advise you do not cause any trouble for us.  ”

As Lota intended on pushing Kelpie out of the way, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to look back at him.

Indeed, he was a fae that perched within the waters. She had heard his kind could bring forth formidable forces inside or near water areas, so it was best to not go near a Kelpie’s Waterside. She was taught that by Lydia.

She had also once heard that Kelpies were capable of triggering floods, seizing the shores of all domestic animals near the bank, and causing other destructions of the sort.

“Hey. You can set off a big wave, right?”

"Ah?”

“In the opportune moment to my accordance, bring about a large wave.  ”

“Why should I have to do as you say?”

"Do you want to help Lydia?”

On the moment Kelpie heard Lydia’s name, he immediately made a stern face.

Not looking too much into his reaction, Lota concluded that he would help, she then rushed to the Crewmen to issue instructions.

“Well then, just above the warehouse, open up a hole on the side for me!”

“But Lota, if we fire off at such a nearby area, the sparks could trigger the explosives to explode.  ”

Paul called out in a worried voice.  Lota smiled as she turned her head around.

“Everything will turn out smoothly.  Kelpie, get ready!”

"Don't look down on me. What exactly do I need to get ready to cause a mere wave?”

“You really can be reliable.  ”

Lota confirmed the ammo of the cannon-shot and also personally handled artillery as she waited for an opportune moment. (?) 

Faintly visible in the opposite view, Lydia was precisely atop the London Bridge as she was being carried by Edgar.

She had already been extremely exhausted.  She didn’t utter the words at any occasion that she had wanted to be let down, her whole body did not posses any strength, and she certainly was in no mood to feel embarrassed either.

Edgar had not yet noticed that Lydia awoke, he just slowly went towards the railing.  The Bridge’s gas lamps, with the fine spacing arrangement, illuminated the River’s surface below.

It was just before dawn on the London Bridge, when even the shadow of a person could not be seen.  And at the Thames River, where it should have been very serene, echoed loud sounds of gunfire.

Edgar felt Lydia become frightened as her body slightly trembled to the sound of it, so he secretly watched her.

“Don’t be worried. That’s the sound of the battle that Lota is conducting in order to stop the Ark.  ”

“That, Edgar, why don’t you put me down?”

"Can you stand it?”

“Yes...probably. ”

Edgar was a little hesitant to do so but still slowly put her down on the ground.  He used his arm to pull in Lydia’s waist which still swayed, Lydia had no way to refuse that as she could only depend on him to even just stand there.

But more than that, she was still  worried about the Ark.  Lydia leaned on the parapet as she gazed about.

Under the still visible moonlight, the two ships advanced side-by-side towards their direction.  Among them, the one with the fallen spar, and tattered sailcloth, was the “Ark”.  The other one should have been Lota’s ship.

The sound of the cannon rung out again, and the Ark violently shook as it seemed to have taken a blow at it’s hull.

“The ship is loaded with gunpowder, right?”

“Lota should know how to go about handling that.  ”

If the spark of the cannon-shot caused the gunpowder to explode, then undoubtedly, Lota’s ship would also get involved and suffer damage.  However, quite contrary to such concern, the shell launched one more with the accompanying roar.  At the next moment, large scale waves smashed up against the ship.

"Kelpie?”

She looked out and saw a familiar black horse galloping on the River’s surface.  Lydia murmured his name in a low voice.

At this time, they noticed Kelpie was bringing about a wave onto the Ark, causing water to enter through the side hole on the ship’s body, that had been bombed to be opened up.  It was most certain that the water had soaked into there.

“Oh, Ah, I see....if the gunpowder was to become wet, then there would be no way to use it.  ”

Edgar stated, as he assumed that Lota had only been waiting for the right time until finally stopping the Ark with her own ship.

However, the Ark had still continued to advance towards the London Bridge. Even if the gunpowder did not explode, once the ship hits the Bridge, that would still be enough to leave it fragmented.  The hostages inside would also drown with it together.

Although the tattered sailcloth could not possibly bear the wind, and there appeared to be no steam being used, the ship still glided about without a sound.

An even stranger scene compared to that was the dark, thick cluster of living creatures like ants that hovered around the ship, instantly catching Lydia’s attention.

That was the evil group of the Unseelie court.

“Arrow, quickly stop those fairies! ”

Edgar shouted as he seemed to have also seen the jet black group. This meant that perhaps then, Lydia and Edgar were both still within the enchanted state of the barrier.

“Earl. Please lend me thy betrothed.  ”

The “star” said in a troubled tone, as it flew over his head.

"What?"

“Because only she is the holder of it, only she can use the bow. ”

“You’re going to have Lydia draw back the small bow? That’s an absurd decision.  ”

“The small bow will also help. ”

“Edgar....I’ll do it. ”

Edgar worryingly observed Lydia, he really didn’t want to release her from his hold.

Although she did not understand how to proceed with such a matter that didn’t even make sense to her, she still tried standing with her own strength.

“I have already become a member of the Earl’s home, haven’t I?”

Therefore, she wanted to fight together with him. Lydia gazed straight at him with her clear gold-green eyes as she said that.

The fairy shined a silver ray of light which indicated Lydia to raise her left hand; then as soon as she brought it out, the Moonstone became fully immersed in the moonlight.

At that instant, the ring immediately let out a light.

The Bow that looked just like a Crescent moon floated in the air.

The moment Lydia captured it, she felt a powerful force purge into her body.

She had become one with Bow.

Her body felt as light as a fairy’s when she gently leaped onto the parapet.

Lydia looked down upon the surface of the River while she stood high up.

The Ark constantly approached the pier.

The Silver “star” on Lydia’s head, transformed into the shape of an arrow.

Lydia stretched out her hand to hold tightly onto the arrow, positioning it accurately on the bow; the consciousness to naturally do something like that had also seeped into her along with the magical power.

Lydia had become surrounded by warm and harmonious power that she had totally became dependent upon.

The Bow of the Moonstone was outlined with a golden beam of light that radiated it’s shape.

The Arrow of the “Star” was then shot into the air.

Lydia looked up chasing the trail of the Star with her eyes.

The Arrow Star seemed like it was being sucked in the night sky as it continued to rise into the distant sky.  Then, in the blink of an eye, it sent out rays that turned the dark night into flashes of daylight.

At the same time, as the ray of lights were being withdrawn, the sky in Lydia’s field of view, became completely covered with a meteor.

With her own head in the center of the scenery, the figures of countless radiating stars descended below.

They were similar to the pouring rain, falling atop the London Bridge, on the Thames River, and the streets of London.

The dark shadow that overlaid the slums area started to retreat as it shrunk, eventually disappearing.

Lying atop the London Bridge, the Nightmare became bathed by the Meteor’s light, and the figure becoming weak, soon also vanished.

The stardust adhered on to the Ark, on the roofs of every household, the stone floor, and even accumulated on the sides of trenches instantly purifying them.

Lydia gazed at the scenery while pondering to herself in amazement.

Such a phenomena had been created with the union of the Sapphire Star of the first generation Blue Knight Earl and the Moonstone of the Fairy Princess.

She could not help but wonder if both her and Edgar had been deliberately chosen by the two mystical gems?

Edgar had no ties with the Earl’s house and Lydia was no more than a fairy doctor from the countryside.  Although that was so, he was able to attain the treasured Sword, had attracted Lydia towards him, and had even obtained the Moonstone again by chance since it’s disappearance,which all seemed like it was fated to be.

When Edgar had proposed to Lydia the very first time, she had been moved by his words, hence had accepted the Moonstone ring, though she felt it might have merely been a matter of convenience for them.  But because the vow of engagement had been made in the fairy world, her relationship with Edgar perhaps might have even held a special meaning.

As she began to think more about it, she suddenly realized that it was from that point on that Edgar’s words for Lydia had become more and more sincere, and that she in turn had also became more aware of him.

Lydia gazed at the River’s surface, noticing that the ones who’d been propelling the ‘Ark’ had finally disappeared. The ship was beginning to come to a halt in front of the London Bridge.

The golden Bow and Arrow from her hand then disappeared, and her body suddenly began to feel very heavy. That’s when she realized that she was about to fall off from the parapet.

What will happen to me from now on?

In Lydia’s prospective, love and marriage still did not feel real to her. She only knew she felt attracted to him, and so she did not dare think of matters further than that.

But it was also true that she was no longer the same person as she was before--someone who could only live together with fairies.

Lydia felt herself being held by Edgar. Hoping that these pair of arms would always hold her like this, she lost consciousness yet again.  

                               *   *   *

In order to avert the meteor shower, Kelpie dived into the depths of the Thames River and swam up to the outskirts of the countryside. After he came out of the River, he shook off the water drops while gazing at the sky above.

The clusters of meteors began to gradually disappear.  Occasionally, there still appeared to have been dispersive stars seen flowing from London’s direction, however that quelled away soon enough as well.

As soon as the East side peeped out shimmering light, the disappearance of those stars would only be a matter of time.

At the time Kelpie had gone under the Bridge, he was able to witness Lydia use the Bow to shoot the Star Arrow.  Whatever had seemed to borrow Lydia’s body made him feel Lydia become much more distant from him.

She had already become the Blue Knight Earl’s fiancée.  And that fact would most likely not falter given how stubborn Lydia was on her decisions.

But compared to that, Kelpie was more worrisome of Edgar.

He had now become“Prince”.  Therefore, it was possible for him to betray Lydia at any time.

"You seem to be very tired. ”

He looked up, following the sound of a voice, --a woman disguised in men’s attire had been standing beneath the shade of a tree by the River.

“Oh, it’s the Selkie.  ”

“I was beginning to think that you had ended up being banished together with the Nightmare.  ”

“I wouldn’t go down without a fight. ”

“Yes, it would be more like that.  ”

"Why are you here?”

"It’s accidental passing"

"Humm. ”

When the magic of the sacred Arrow’s light had spread throughout London to conquer the Unseelie court,  Kelpie as a precaution had slipped away and gone upstream away from London. Therefore, it should have been impossible for Ermine to still find him close by. But it seemed such a situation was actually set up by him.

It seemed Kelpie actually wanted to seek her out to inquire. (?)

“Did you predict that things would turn out this way?”

“Turn out like what?”

Kelpie asked her this without turning to look at her, so he answered with his back towards Ermine.  He wanted to know if she had influenced this outcome.

“The one to steal the Freya and give it to Ulysses was originally you.  As long as you have that, the most important part of ‘Prince’ would still continue to survive.  You had already anticipated on the possibility that the Earl would become ‘Prince ‘,  didn’t you?”

She kept silent.  It seemed as though she had already accepted that.

“Is that the reason why you decided to stand by Prince? Because this was a way you could stay with the Earl? As long as there’s no telling when he could betray Lydia and become the Prince of Ulysses and the organization again, then there was a way for you to be able to serve him again and remain next to him, right?”

She turned around her head while looking at Kelpie in anger but yet still maintained a calm voice.

“If I had known it’d turn out like this, I wouldn't have just stolen the Freya like that. ”

“Then for what purpose did you want to steal it for? ”

In order to enter Prince’s organization, one had to use flattery. (?)....0,o Although it was true that Ermine was in Prince’s organization, she had also continuously been considering her brother's and the Earl’s benefit, always trying to protect them in a discreet manner.

Had she not deeply cared for them so much, she wouldn’t have owned the Freya and recaptured it from the Earl to hand over to the Prince like that.

If she did not know the extent of the stone’s power, then wanting to hand it over to the enemy would have been more cautious.

“.....However, this is destiny.  So there are no other paths to walk upon. ”

Ermine did not have a true answer to Kelpie’s question and so she merely spoke what she felt.

However, Kelpie  kept on hanging onto one simple question.

Who did Ermine steal the Freya for then? If she had thought of other exits for her brother and the Earl, then wasn’t there someone behind her who had been encouraging her?

If it was only her personal assertiveness, even if she couldn’t become useful to the Earl, and it was still hard to imagine that she’d betray him in order to side with Prince.

By claiming the Freya, she was recognized by Prince, but at the same time, she lost the Earl’s trust.

Despite all of that,  who was it that actually led her to commit to such a thing?

“Who do you actually serve? That person is neither Prince nor Ulysses, so who on earth persuaded you to enter Prince’s organization for your brother’s and the Earl’s sake?”

“The Master of my soul is only Lord Edgar. ”

“But you’re acting on someone else's orders.  ”

It looked like Ermine was in no agreement to speak of her feelings.

“That is my own will. ”

She was meaning to say that no matter who the command came from, she would disregard anyone’s order since they were all the same. She then sighed softly. (?)

“I have no regrets but if all goes well from now on in a certain perspective, then it’ll cause Lord Edgar to become involved again. (?) However, I hope that such a matter will not occur.  ”

Even Kelpie expected what she had meant.

If the Earl and the Selkie came into contact, then that would lead him to come into contact with the Prince’s organization.

He had hoped that at least for Lydia’s sake, such a thing would not happen.

Because the Earl did not want to lose Lydia, he didn’t want to let her know that he now held the Freya. But was that the right choice?

Originally he had willfully wanted Lydia to always stay by him, thereby drawing her into dangerous battles. And Lydia herself  would also recklessly intrude in such danger after him.

 “Hey, since you were also human before, so you understand why humans have love affairs, why would one so desperately try to protect their partner so much? ”

“......It’s because the human life is very short. But as long as there are sincere feelings and the passion to move forward, then life would still be meaningful, despite being so short.”

After giving him that reply, Ermine left Kelpie’s field of vision.

“What kind of nonsense is that? ”

Kelpie sighed, while mumbling that.  

                                     *

 One night later, after bright daybreak in London, the concern of hearing artillery sounds at midnight was spreading amongst the townspeople, with the main topic being the sighting of meteors in the sky.  

For the public, the question as to why ragged “Ark” had ended up floating before the London Bridge had also remained a big mystery.

The people locked inside as hostages were peacefully let out the ship, but there was no one who understood the matter that had taken place.

As for Moses Albert and all the others who boarded on the “Ark,” even they had disappeared. Some people had even claimed that the man did not even exist. The higher ups within the Police force had been bribed by the character called Albert. Therefore,  they hadn’t even planned on investigating in the first place.

Greg and his associates had been locked up in the Ark by Ulysses’ orders and it seemed they were also to be killed along with the other passengers. Because they had participated in such a disgraceful incident, it was impossible to publicize the disclosure. So, they hurriedly became fugitives to avoid potential punishment.

Since the Unseelie court had disappeared, the spread of the disease under the slums had been brought under control and thus, gradually faded from people’s memories.

As for Prince’s existence, the Rebel Organization against England, and topics of faeries and sorcery, it was difficult to announce such things to society.

Compared to that, Edgar had also wanted to conceal his own past; since he had known of Prince’s schemes from the past, he’d known Prince prepared to vacillate the Royal court’s plot, therefore he was unable to rely on the State and the judiciary.  (?)

Because of this, he had promised Lota of her unreasonable demands that he would somehow wriggle her out from the matters of the “Ark” and how she opened fire at the port.

Before dawn, Edgar quickly finished with all  relating matters.

It was believed that the Barrier still protected the London Bridge atop the Thames River. Although it’s protection had weakened, it was still enough to naturally ward off any faeries from the streets of London.

“I will stay by Lady Gladys’ side until her power disappears completely.  ”

The Silver fae had said that and left.

“For a fairy, there would not come any change for generations. (?) ”

The cross Star on Edgar’s treasured sword still glittered; it was as if the new “Star” of the Blue Knight Earl, the “Arrow” fairy, had been breathing. (?)

With his mind and body exhausted, Edgar lay himself down onto the sofa, slowly feeling the weight of the sword's responsibility on his shoulders.

He had planned on the becoming the savior of the Blue Knight Earl’s family, but now, he was distraught at the possibility of leading the Earl’s family to destruction instead.

He wondered what would happen in the future.

“Lord Edgar, have you not yet taken a rest?”

From the opened door, Raven peeped at him worryingly.

“Oh, the sun has risen so high up already.  ”

Edgar had not even taken a little rest last night.

He had been busy with continuously handling matters that had happened after the event.

However now, he did not even have the slightest feeling of going to bed.

“What about Lydia?”

“She has not yet awoken.  ”

She had fallen asleep after losing consciousness on the Bridge.

Edgar stood up, handed his Sword over to Raven to put away, and began to exit the room.

“Lord Edgar, it is not necessary to take that along now.  ”

In that confound moment, Raven instantly touched upon Edgar’s coat.  Detecting the pistol within Edgar’s coat made Raven feel disturbed, it was rare for him to call out and stop his master like that.

“Ah....that’s true. ”

But after saying that, Edgar walked by his front side and just left.

He wondered about the turmoil in his mind made him so anxious.

Edgar left the manor and started to walk about aimlessly.

He had decided to come back to God, as he already crossed over to go into the Church of the neighborhood.

The morning mass in the Chapel had ended and so the whole building was left vacant without a figure in sight.

Through the stained glass, soft sunlight poured down below.  Edgar sat down at a long bench in the corner.

A very long time had passed by, but he just foolishly sat there. Occasionally, he would wonder why he was here and felt that even this peculiar manner of his was incredible.

Edgar did not believe in God.  When his fate had become distorted by a man nine years ago, he constantly denied the existence of God.

But he met friends who started to support him and was eventually able to escape alive from that hellish place-- he even obtained a new identity soon after.

Because of this, he no longer hated God and came to realize that his current circumstances were from his own choice.

He quietly opened his clenched hands.

The burn marks from when he’d touched the Freya had considerably weakened.  It was likely that they’d disappear in a few days.

He did not feel any change within him either. Since yesterday, he had been constantly persuading himself that if he retained his awareness as the Blue Knight Earl, then Prince’s memory would be nothing more than just information.

Edgar placed the hand that had come in contact with the Freya onto his chest, the pistol still in his coat pocket, and at the same time he felt the hardness of it. He couldn’t help but become aware of the fact that the muzzle was pointed directly above his heart.

As long as he died, Prince would be completely buried.  That was precisely it, and his innermost feelings had longed for the dark night to finally end.

This way would be so much easier than to worry about further matters in the future.

However, he still had Lydia.

At that thought of her existence, his arm could not help but lose it’s strength.

“.....Earl?”

The sudden voice made Edgar surprisingly withdraw his hand from his chest.

When he turned around to look, a man entered the Church, it was Professor Carlton.

The Professor still had tousled hair, and he also didn’t pay attention to his slipping spectacles as he walked forward and gazed upon Edgar’s crumbling face.

“Oh, so it really is the Earl. I recognized your pronounced, golden hair from the doorway.  ”

"P-Professor,  did  you come back from Cambridge?”

“Yes, I have to tend to a matter at the University of London today. Therefore, I conveniently traveled to your home...”

Edgar finally setting out to smile, stood up from the long bench.

“Did you ever see Lydia?I want to apologize for not reporting to you about what happened afterwards.  A few days ago she was in Scotland and then ended up returning here for a variety of reasons. But because her relation with a Fairy had consumed a lot of her energy, she is resting now. Her health did not suffer, so please feel at ease. ”

"Yes. I have already inquired with the Butler Mr. Tompkins about that. Lydia had just woken up and is now back to her usual cheerful self.  ”

“Woken up?I see...that’s excellent...”

“I heard the Earl had went out for a walk, so I tried to turn around and seek you out from the neighborhood.  In short Earl, I have come to give my reply today on the matter from a few days ago. “

When he had heard that Lydia had woken up, he felt a peace of mind for a moment but after remembering of the burn marks on his hands once again, Edgar felt he couldn’t just listen to the Professor’s reply like this.

He couldn’t conceal this from the Professor. In order to get permission to marry, Edgar had an oath to him to not hide anything.

"Professor, please look at this. ”

Before the Professor could reply, Edgar put his palms out forward.

"I was exposed to the magic of the flame of fluorite. It is said that this stone is capable of not transferring the soul from an aged body to a young body but actually transferring the memories using sorcery. I’m afraid, my body has been practiced upon with such dreadful black magic, which was mixed in with memories of that man.  ”

“Memories...you say? ”

“I still do not understand how exactly it’s all possible, but the leader of that Organization seemed to have transferred his memories more than once into bodies of other candidates in order to create an appropriate successor.  ”

Professor Carlton was intertwined with shock and confusion, as he gazed up on Edgar with a complex look. He appeared to have wanted to say something but still closed his mouth in the end.

This matter was not something that was indifferent to him. He probably had a really difficult time accepting how deeply involved his daughter had been with Edgar’s circumstances.

"Professor, it’s evident that I have no other choice but to break off the engagement with Lydia.  But I love her, and even if we break up, I’d also never be able to forget her.  However, if you would not allow it, she will not be made to go against her father and follow me.  ”

With harboring such a painful idea in his mind, Edgar finished off his last words with one breath.

But even if he said that, he himself was still unable to give up hope. And perhaps he would always still  continue to watch over her even from afar after being torn apart from her. Although he felt that’s what he would do, he could only say so much in this current situation.

“What will you do with her now?”

With an unexpectedly self-ridicule tone, the Professor said this, with his gaze moving towards the entrance of the Church.

Lydia had been standing there.

She immediately rushed over. While she held an anxious look, panting for breaths--she at the same time--had also been looking at him with a crying face.

She held a very angered appearance as she pursed her lips.  Without any proper regard, she neared towards Edgar and suddenly put her hand on his coat.

Lydia grabbed his coat tightly, stretched her hand into it, and quickly snatched the pistol before backing away from him.

“Edgar, did you not say you wouldn’t lie to me anymore? I made an earnest decision to believe in you, therefore accepted your proposal. Yet you’re prepared to break your promise with me?”

“That’s only there for self-defense. I put it there and just forgot about it. I'm not lying. ”

Lydia shook her head vigorously.

“You are lying! Raven had also been worried that you were still carrying this.  Even Mr. Tompkins was concerned with your strange manner, and though Raven seems to know the reason, he didn’t tell me anything. Regardless of what matter occurred, it doesn’t always mean that you have to resort to killing! ”

Her tears that she couldn’t seem to bear anymore, dropped down on her cheeks, and then she suddenly turned her back to Edgar and hugged her father.

“Oh good Lord!”

The Professor, still in a confused state, stroked his weeping daughter’s head.

“Lydia, you are embracing the wrong person. ”

“No...Father, I do not want to embrace Edgar. ”

“Well, aren’t you going to get married?”

She tightly clung to her father and after remaining silent for a little while, she finally said in flat tone,

“Yes. But, even so, I still do not want to embrace him. ”

Professor Carlton gave a wry smile and gently pulled Lydia away from him who looked like a child clinging onto his arm.

He handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears away and looked back towards Edgar and said:

“Well, I very much hope that you, Earl, will take great care of this stubborn daughter of mine. ”

"Professor · · · ·"

There was no need of asking if he had truly meant what he said or advise him to rethink things over. Edgar just closed his mouth.

The Professor had certainly considered Edgar honestly just a moment ago and as a result, he finally given his answer.

Since this was the important matter of his precious daughter’s marriage, he surely wouldn’t just display the temperament of a good-hearted father who went along with the idea. This person, through a Scholar’s sharp eyesight and unbiased judgment, had come to believe in Edgar’s oath of never changing his heart.

“Thank you very much. ”

Professor Carlton gently pushed Lydia’s back and turned around to leave. Edgar, towards the Professor’s leaving figure, deeply bowed his head.

After her father had left, Lydia--while pouting--awkwardly sat on the side of the long bench, while feeling embarrassed.

"Lydia. ”

"Don't come near me!”

“I’m sorry, for letting you worry so much. ”

She then lowered her head and said,

“I heard.... Prince died. But yet, you still do not seem to be happy.  I will not ask anything about it until you’re ready to tell of it yourself....but, please let me just believe in one thing. ”

"What is it?”

“Do not ever suddenly disappear without saying a word.....”

“Well, we had a promise. Regardless of what happens, I’ll always be by your side from now on. Lydia, even if you ran away from me, no matter where that would be, I’ll always chase after you. ”

Edgar sat down beside her and firmly took hold of her hands, resting them on his knees.

“And especially now. ”

“I will not run away.  ”

Lydia slightly regretted how it had turned into a situation with just the two of them now. She looked around their surroundings and saw that there was not even one person in the Church, so she just lowered her eyes anxiously.

“...You said that you wouldn’t let me get close to you. Is it also because you’re mad at me?”

“……”

“Do you not want to embrace me?”

“No, I do not. ”

He used his fingers to gently brush aside the hair on her face, Lydia then anxiously lifted her eyes. Her golden-green eyes, that were able to see unimaginable faerie magic, gloomily looked back at him.

He had finally found it, the gem which had just belonged to him.

“Is that so? Then, we do not need to embrace. ”

His lips slowly came closer and slightly touched upon hers.

“You lied,” Lydia mumbled.

“What did I lie about?”

“......We have never done such a thing. ”

Ah yes, when she had forgotten about their engagement, he had told Lydia that they had usually kissed like this.

As he remembered such a thing, Edgar began to laugh. Lydia did not think it was a laughable matter, so she pouted in anger.

He couldn’t resist such a sight of her that looked so cute, so he kissed her again.

“It is no lie. This will become a very common thing in the future. ”

“But, we’re in a Church.  ”

“Because we have exchanged vows of engagement, therefore even God has blessed us.  ”

Although she was still reluctant and wrinkled her eyebrows, she did not actually move her face away.

What happened to me? Edgar silently endured the slight pain in his chest. 

As long as there was even a small hope, it seemed that humanity would still desperately hold onto to it, to not die a lonesome death. It was no different for him--he resolved to annihilate Prince while still being alive himself. 

He did not know if such a thing was possible, but he hoped that he could continue on surviving, to not let Lydia suffer any misfortune.

For all this, he had been unable to let go of her warmth and would continue to fight for this reason in the future, too.

Edgar only prayed that Lydia would always have a smile on her face, no matter what. He wanted to believe that she needed him, too - as much as he needed her. He reached out his arm and drew her slender shoulders closer to him.