Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 13 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ♦ Changeling

Lydia and Raven had already been missing for two days. 
Edgar motionlessly sat on the sofa in the study room and pondered. 
Nico and Lota weren’t here as well. Their whereabouts were only known up until the pub that Lota frequently went to and where they went to next was completely unknown.
The pub owner said that he didn’t remember anything. 
Edgar was suspicious of the McKeel men who appeared at the Carlton household a few days ago so it was only logical that he sent “Scarlet Moon” to investigate them.  
Recently, only the black-haired man had entered and left the hotel, and it seemed that the red-haired youth wasn’t seen. The black-haired man was only in a meeting with his clansmen in London and there didn’t seem to be any suspicious activity from him.
What on earth happened?
Edgar closed his eyes, felt irritated in not being able to find a single clue.
His mind appeared to be filled with Lydia trembling while shedding tears.
If he didn’t force her like that, perhaps nothing would have happened. Once he thought of this, regret overwhelmed him. 
“Pardon me, my lord.”
Despite him praying that Lydia would miraculously and seemingly return when he opened his eyes, it was only Tomkins before him.
“The doctor has left, the young miss ought to wake up very soon.” 
The butler’s words reminded Edgar that he had recently brought back an unfamiliar maiden.
She was at the corner of the street and had suddenly dashed to front of his carriage. Although the coachman had just barely managed to get out of the way and did not cause an accident, the maiden fell to the ground, not getting up.
“Is that so? Luckily, the carriage did not hit her, but because she was frightened and fell down, it seems that she had a slight concussion.”
As a result, Edgar brought her back to the residence, but Tomkins looked at him worriedly. 
“As soon as she wakes up, I will send her home as quickly as possible. Her attire is quite beautiful, is it not known which family’s daughter this young lady is?”
“My lord, please allow me to speak, I think it’s best not get too involved with her.”
“What are you worried about?” 
“I’m worried that you’ll carelessly flirt with her.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.  With the current situation, how would I have the mood to do that sort of thing?”
If you weren’t in this situation, then you would flirt with her, right? From the seemingly distant look of Tomkin’s eyes, it was unknown whether or not he thought that. This didn’t bother Edgar as he got up, saying:
“I’ll go take a look at her situation.”
Edgar headed towards the guest room. Perhaps he was doing this because he wanted to get rid of his fretful mood from waiting and yet not being able to do anything.
When he entered the room, the maid assigned there bowed slightly. 
Although the maiden lying on the bed was around Lydia’s age, whether or not it was her brown hair or her features, there wasn’t any resemblance of Lydia. 
But when she slowly opened her eyes, they were a faint green. 
Those bright green eyes that greatly resembled Lydia’s made Edgar helplessly attracted as he came closer.
The maiden looked at Edgar, who leaned forward and smiled. 
That completely unguarded smile made him think of Lydia’s, although she wouldn’t show it often. But recently the smile that was finally revealed to him made him feel somewhat confused.
“Edgar...” 
In addition, she affectionately called out and extended her hand.
While Edgar was astonished, he held her hand, at the same time his heart was warning his abnormal self. Even if he was extremely worried about Lydia, it was only because her eye color was similar, and thus he regarded her as Lydia, but it really wasn’t quite right.
As long as he calmed down, then he would understand that a maiden knowing him wasn’t strange at all. For Edgar, unfamiliar women having favorable impressions of him were a frequent matter.
He composed himself and then he placed a simple courteous kiss on the maiden’s hand.
It seemed the maiden had suddenly came to her senses as she was surprised, hastily getting up.
“Hey, you’ve woken up? You almost hit my carriage. I took precautions just in case, so I asked the doctor to come and examine you, but you don’t seem to be hurt. This is truly great.”
She had a confused expression as she looked all around, and then she gazed at the hair that hung down to her chest.
Her expression seemed as if it was the first time seeing herself.
“This is my mansion. Since I don't know who you are, I had no better option but to bring you back first. How do you feel?” 
Not knowing whether or not the maiden heard Edgar’s words, she only appeared to be touching her face, spreading out her hands before her and repeatedly doing other ambiguous movements. Finally, she had an expression as if she gave up, and looked at Edgar. 
“Um... I-I’m sorry, I seem to have given you trouble…”
“No, our coachman also wasn’t paying attention, so don’t worry about it.”
“But, um... you don’t know…. who…. I am?”
Edgar immediately replied that he didn’t know, after she heard this, she seemingly appeared to be quite discouraged. 
“You seem to know me, but unfortunately it’s me who can’t recall who you are. Have we met somewhere before?”
From Edgar’s tone, he seemed used to being recognized by many people and not knowing them in return. This made her look more sorrowful.
“Could you tell me your name?” 
“I’m Ly…! Ly, um… uh, Liz.”
First, she energetically opened her mouth, but later became hesitant.
“So you’re called Liz. Where is your home? I’ll send you back, your family will be worried.” 
Edgar thought of Lydia and Raven, who were suddenly missing, thus he sighed quietly.
As he sighed, he thought to himself that it would be good if it were only a small mishap that happened to them, and that there would immediately be a messenger informing him that they were back safe and sound. 
Edgar waited for Liz’s reply, but Liz was suddenly silent. As a result, Edgar gazed at her face.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to go back?” 
“Um, I...” 
“However, we will contact your household first…”
“Um, that…. I can’t remember!”
Displaying an action of pressing my forehead as if I have a headache will make it somewhat awkward.
“I wonder where I came from?” 
In addition, this sentence was like a thought-up line.  
“You can’t remember anything?” 
“It seems that way. ” 
“But you called my name just now.” 
“Ah, y-yes... I don’t know why...  I feel as if I know you.”
Liz lifted up her head once more, she seemed very worried, as if she was going to cry at any time.
“That’s why, um…  I thought that you would recognize me.” 
Is that true?
Edgar was a little suspicious, as this might be a maiden who liked him and put on a small act in order to approach him, but there was a possibility that Liz really didn’t remember.
It’s just that the maiden had a genuinely confused, embarrassed expression, and as long as Edgar recalled Lydia’s unknown whereabouts and how she may be really worried, he couldn’t bear to drive this maiden away. 
“I understand. For the time being, have a good rest for today. Perhaps you will remember tomorrow.”

*

Lydia stood in front of the mirror and carefully examined her appearance once again.
The person in the mirror was a brunette with a maiden’s gentle features; there wasn’t a trace of Lydia at all.
Even if one night had passed, Lydia had of course still maintained the appearance of an unfamiliar maiden.
Kelpie used changeling magic on an item, which was a porcelain doll that Edgar gave to Lydia. Edgar said that the doll’s eye color was like Lydia’s, so he bought it. 
Lydia thought that the doll’s features were like that, but she felt that the doll was more beautiful than herself.
In short, Lydia used this kind of method to return to the human world, but once she began, she racked her brains thinking of how to get close to Edgar.
After all, with regards to Edgar, she was a strange woman whom he’d never seen before.
Although she paced back and forth in the mansion’s vicinity, she couldn’t suddenly pay a visit. She pondered whether or not there was any natural way to see Edgar, but because she couldn’t think of a way, she sank into despair.
Finally, when Lydia saw Edgar’s carriage, she ran forward, but even she was surprised that she came out unscathed. 
Afterwards, she was brought back to this mansion, which was practically an unexpected outcome.
Furthermore, even before knowing who “Liz” was, it appeared that she wouldn’t be driven away. 
However, the problem had only just begun. 
Edgar only needed to come and meet her, then he’ll certainly realize that she is Lydia.
Lydia needed to get power that could replace the Moonstone ring’s power to pull her back to the human world, so there was no other way.  
However, was this really possible?
The more she looked in the mirror and was even unable to recognize herself, the more she felt that there would be challenges in making Edgar recognize her. 
“No --- it’ll be alright. Edgar also said that even if he closed his eyes and touched someone, he would know who it is.”
Even if her appearance was puzzling, as long as there was the opportunity to touch each other, then he will know.
The changeling magic had only changed her appearance. Regardless of the figure or her complexion, with their hands touching, he will intuitively feel that she is Lydia standing before him. 
(Oh my, Miss Lydia, why are you in disguise?
Someone used the name “Lydia” to call her. Shocked, she turned her head.
Sitting by the windowside was a bearded petite goblin with a triangular hat --- Coblynau.
“You...recognize me?” 
(This is changeling magic, correct? Is this the Earl’s hobby?)
How is this a hobby?
(Goodness gracious, although the Earl wanted to dress the young lady in various kinds of dresses, I didn’t expect him to even want to change your hair and appearance. But overall, this case compared to being interested in other women is better. If, by using this as a pretext, this can change the mood and alleviate the Earl’s fickleness, then this can’t be any better.)
I have no choice but to match the things Edgar does one by one for his fickleness. Lydia thought as she sighed.
Since the changeling magic was a type of weak magic that only changed her appearance, Coblynau was able to recognize her true identity. In addition, he seemed to think that this kind of magic was equivalent to Lydia changing her dress or hairstyle.
“Coblynau, I’m telling you, this isn’t a game, you can’t tell Edgar that it’s me.”
Despite Lydia trying to warn Coblynau, he seemed to misunderstand. 
(Ahh, what if there’s a chance that you are suddenly made to run away from the mansion because of this? Ohh! you want to secretly change into a beauty that the Earl would like, and then satisfy his fickleness a little?)
“Eh, no that’s not what this is...” 
What do you mean, “a beauty that he would like.” ? Saying this made it seem like Lydia’s appearance wasn’t within his range of preferences. 
(I see, it is said that a good wife has her husband wrapped around her finger. It’s only logical that unfaithfulness cannot be forgiven, but excessively restricting them also isn’t too good. If the husband goes out and plays without telling his wife, he would certainly cherish his wife afterwards due to a guilty conscience.)
...Is that what is known happen?
In the time that Lydia was worried, she had already forgotten to retort, so Coblynau no longer felt doubtful regarding her so-called transformation.
(That being the case, then I, Coblynau, will support the Lady, so please don’t worry.) 
“Eh, wait a minute!”
(I won’t tell the Earl, and please do your best.)
Just like that, his presence disappeared.
Oh no, what am I going to do? But it seemed that he wouldn’t tell anyone, so there shouldn’t be a problem.
At any rate, if this appearance could truly attract Edgar as Coblynau stated, then the chances of Edgar touching her will increase. Liz’s true identity was Lydia, so this wasn’t considered as cheating.
Up until now, Lydia thought to herself very optimistically, that if Edgar liked “Liz”, then he should discover that she was actually Lydia.
“But..... would my attitude from yesterday be too plain…”
“What was too plain?” 
Lydia looked back, surprised, and saw Edgar standing by the doorway. 
“Liz, you seem to have recovered.” 
“Yes, um, thanks to you.” 
“You still don’t remember anything?” 
“...I’m sorry. ” 
Liz lowered her head, and Edgar walked over and stroked her hair.
Although Liz was shocked, Edgar answered with a perfect smile. 
She recalled that when Edgar did these kinds of actions, there wasn’t any particular meaning to it. However, if the both of them didn’t take a step further and touched, perhaps he wouldn’t discover who Liz was.
“If you feel better, then would you like to head out together?” 
“Eh, where to?”
“A tea party of an acquaintance. Maybe someone there will know you and looking for you, or perhaps they will hear about you through rumors.” 
Despite Lydia believing that there was very little possibility, once she thought of possibilities like the opportunity to approach Edgar, she nodded in response.
Not only do I have to hurry and make him discover my true identity,  I must also hurry and rescue everyone from the giant. Lydia felt considerably anxious.
However, Edgar didn’t look at Liz very frequently. Although when they took the carriage and left for the destination, or when they arrived at the mansion where the tea party was held, Edgar was escorting politely. Yet because the both of them didn’t seem to frequently have eye contact, she felt that it was odd. 
Before, Lydia never noticed that he would look at her frequently when they were alone, but she knew that whenever she looked towards Edgar, he was certainly gazing at her. 
It can’t go on like this. She had to make Edgar more interested in her. But even though she thought that, she couldn’t figure out a good way to.
It goes without saying, Lydia had never taken the initiative to attract Edgar’s interest from the very beginning.
But expectedly, it was Edgar who showed his passion every time causing her to be mindful of herself as she was still a maiden, thus she had to keep an appropriate distance from him.
In the end, how would she be able to take the initiative and shorten the distance between them?
During the time she was worried, the tea party had begun. The host was some baroness.
Although Lydia was introduced as “Liz”, Edgar seemed to want to offer extra cabaret for the party. Deliberately not speaking of which family she was from, he planned to grab everyone’s attention. 
He had a smile across his whole face like a mischievous child, proudly inquiring whether or not there was someone who knew Liz’s identity.
However, as Edgar’s gaze left Liz, his smile completely disappeared from his face. Lydia thought that he ought to be worried about Raven and herself.
Although Lydia didn’t know what the situation with Raven was, she really hoped that she would be able to explain the situation to Edgar as soon as possible. 
If he knew that Lydia was in front of him, at least he would receive a bit of comfort. However, Lydia was unable to speak this fact out, and this made her feel impatient.
Despite that, regardless of who spoke with Edgar, he would show his usual flawless smile.
Lydia knew that he was good at hiding his true feelings, but because of this, she wouldn't understand how miserable he felt with the secret he was harbouring. Thinking this, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
At that time, Edgar cried for help towards her, and Lydia also really wanted to save him. However, perhaps he felt that Lydia was unable to handle that secret, so he didn’t bring Lydia to step over that boundary of what she considered as “lovers”.
“My, you must certainly be a foreigner.”
Lydia heard someone talking to her and came back to herself.
“Are you Eastern European?”
“No, I’ve seen young ladies with very similar mannerisms like you in Rome.” 
When Lydia noticed, no, when she noticed as Liz, she was already surrounded by several men. 
“Where did you meet Edgar?” 
“Umm that...” 
“Is it a secret? You want us to try guessing, right?”
“Perhaps she’s a close person to Earl Ashenbert, such as his fiancée’s relative.”
“Ahh that’s possible, bringing a female friend to take part in this kind of social party, if his fiancée knew, she would certainly have suspicions.”
“Indeed. The last time he brought his fiancée, he truly seemed to be charmed by her as his eyes were shining, yet glaring at us and not letting us approach.”
Eh, was it like that?
Contrary to what one might expect, Lydia hadn’t noticed at all. She then remembered that regardless of whichever party she attended previously, she never seemed to have been surrounded by men like now. 
“The Earl’s fiancée couldn’t come because she had urgent matters, right? Since you’re replacing her attendance, you are surely are a relative of the Earl’s fiancée.”
“How about that? Did I guess right? Or are you Edgar’s relative?”
It can’t go on like this, I didn’t come here to make friends with them.


Lydia painstakingly left their conversation circle, but this time she wanted to approach Edgar, once again using her efforts. 
Girls gathered around him in large numbers. 
When Lydia went to banquets as herself, iit was never like this, so she was a little surprised. 
Sure enough, Edgar was very popular.
Witnessing this scene made her feel more restless.
According to this situation, even if Lydia apparently wasn’t present, he could immediately find one or two comforting women. 
I don’t want this. Lydia shook off this idea, and planned to approach him. But she was deliberately bumped into by people, and the girls having a conversation in front of her also obstructed her way.
Edgar didn’t notice Liz at all. 
Everyone alternately spoke with him uninterrupted, so he seemed quite busy.
At this time, there was some individual pulling Edgar’s arm wanting to bring him out, seemingly inviting him to head towards the balcony.
Lydia was blocked by the tables and the crowd, simply unable to move smoothly.
Moreover, she wore a dress with a crinoline, and was unable to pass through from behind the crowd. 
Not knowing why, she felt a little dizzy. 
“Edgar.” 
Lydia couldn’t help but call out, and as a result, everyone’s gazes simultaneously shot towards her.
People looked at her with an astonished expression, as loudly calling another person in social occasions was quite discourteous. 
Embarrassed, Lydia wanted to break into a run, but even moving her body was endlessly challenging.
She didn’t know what to do, and could only stand here. Edgar nimbly passed through the gaps between the ladies’ dresses and came to her side, and for her, this really was a kind of salvation.
“What’s wrong?”
“There are many people here, I don’t feel too well.”
“Then we’ll go to the flower garden, you should rest a little.”
Lydia breathed a sigh of relief, was lead to the flower garden by Edgar, and sat on the pavilion bench.
This place had a vast flower garden, it was truly a mansion that was worthy of being built on the outskirts.
A pond could be seen from within the pavilion, and on top was a supported wooden bridge. The wide field of vision made her feel quite cheerful.
“Wait for me for a bit, I’ll go and get a cold drink.”
Lydia nodded. 
Her stomach discomfort was able to settle because she was far from the sounds of the crowd and had escaped the hot and stuffy indoors.
Originally, Lydia revealed that she wasn’t very able to adapt to parties, but since the engagement, the opportunity to show her face had suddenly increased. Be that as it may, when she was together with Edgar, she never once felt that attending parties were a tormentous thing.
She thought to herself, Edgar truly protected her in all respects. 
However, when he really needed to be rescued, she couldn’t do anything to help. 
Lydia couldn’t help but loathe her naiveness.
Compared to protecting the person precious to her, could it be that respecting the world’s etiquette and common sense were more important? This was simply wrong.
Unable to say “I love you”, Lydia, who always expressed an embarrassed attitude, in fact she truly didn’t understand the meaning of love. 
Lydia heard a sound from the thickets, and raised her head. 
At first, she thought had Edgar returned, but appearing in front of her were actually the girls who had surrounded him a moment ago.
They were laughing. 
The girls snickered while approaching Lydia. 
Lydia was still sitting on the bench, and among them, one person put their hand on her shoulder.
“W-what is it?” 
The girls didn’t reply, silently pushing Lydia down, not letting her get up. Then, they grabbed her feet and took off her shoes.
Afterwards, they took the shoes and broke into a run. 
“Wait a minute, give it back!” 
Although Lydia chased after them barefoot, and when she almost caught up, they threw the shoes towards the pond. 
“Ah….!”
Her shoes landed on a small island in the middle of the pool, but thinking about it, it wasn’t a simple matter at all. 
The girls saw Lydia’s extremely perplexed expression and sneered once more.
“Why must you do such a thing!”
“Are you not ashamed of running in front of the Earl barefoot?”

“If you’re that girl’s relative, surely you’re also born from the commoners, so being barefoot shouldn’t matter, right?”
The girls finished speaking and left soon afterwards. Lydia turned away from them and sighed heavily.
They were unable to do this kind of thing to Edgar’s official fiancée, so they took revenge on the maiden with unknown origins that he brought by coincidence.
The one they wanted to bully was actually Lydia. But Lydia had not only visited Her Majesty the Queen and made her debut in noble society, at least on the surface, she already wasn’t a commoner. 
On the other hand, “Liz” was like them; they were not the woman chosen by Edgar. However, she called out to him using an attitude as if she were the most special, so they felt resentment towards Liz. 
Lydia sighed dejectedly.
If she returned to the mansion barefoot, she would certainly make Edgar embarrassed. 
She headed towards the middle of the bridge on top of the pond and looked downwards.
The small island with lush vegetation was just below the bridge, and perhaps she could go down from here. 
This bridge was built from round wood; a simple wooden bridge only for walking, and it wasn’t very high. 
A gust of wind blew, the sky was covered with clouds, and water droplets fell.
It was raining. She needed return before the rainy condition became worse. 
Determined, Lydia jumped onto the island then looked towards the bottom of the bushes.
She quickly found the shoes, but she discovered a serious problem.
Jumping down was very simple, but climbing up the bridge once more was a very difficult problem.
“...What am I going to do?” 
She tried several times, but there was no way.
The bridge was soaked by the water, so even if she wanted to climb up, her hands would slip.
“Liz!” 
After not knowing how many times she had fallen, Edgar’s voice came. 
“What are you doing? It’s too dangerous!” 
Edgar hastily ran over, gazing down from the bridge. 
“Um, my shoes fell.”
“Never mind that, grab on to me quickly.”
She grabbed the hand that was extended towards her. When Edgar leaned forward, his pocket watch slipped out of his pocket, falling into the pond. But he didn’t mind at all and held Liz’s body, gently and cautiously pulling her up, not letting her fall.
“Are you okay? It’s raining heavier, let’s talk later and go back to the pavilion first.”
“But your pocket watch......” 
“Don’t worry about it.”
Lydia ran forward, her hand being pulled by him. 
The moment they ran into the pavilion, a flash of lightning tore through the sky. 
Lydia was startled, and when she subconsciously held onto Edgar, she thought that now was the only opportunity. 
She didn’t know how she ought to create the opportunity to touch him, so if she let this slip, then there was no way to hold Edgar like this again.
I beg you, hurry and find out that it’s me.
While Lydia prayed, she used her hands to embrace his back. 
I’m here, I’m right here. 
I returned in order to stay by your side.
Edgar’s hand touched her shoulder. It was the pair of hands that would usually embrace her without the slightest hesitation. These hands originally ought to embrace her powerfully like as she imagined, even powerful enough to make her feel bewildered, but now he slowly pushed her away.
Lydia didn’t dare to confidently look up at him. 
Edgar was probably hugged by girls frequently, and only had an expression as if nothing happened. 
“You’re afraid of thunder? My fiancée is the same.”
Lydia heard him mention herself, therefore she was shocked.
“Although she always said that she wasn’t scared, as long as the thunder was loud, she would unconsciously panic.”
Regardless, this was better compared to Edgar not recognising her. This made her feigned brave attitude of wanting to retort the usual “I wasn’t flustered because of the thunder” somehow disappear. 
Edgar looked up at the sky with flashes appearing from time to time, gently narrowing his eyes as if he were gazing at Lydia. 
He repressed his mood of suffering and thought of Lydia, but he didn’t notice the truth before him.
Edgar refused Liz, showing that he had great affections for Lydia. However, for Lydia who had transformed into another person, because she was unable have him look at her, her heart was filled with despair.

*

Lota, Raven, and Nico were in a tiny dark burrow. 
This empty space seemed to be a hollowed out rock. Surrounded by rock walls all around, there was nothing like an exit. 
The giant had placed them there, and passed through the wall to exit afterwards. They didn’t know how much time had passed since the giant hadn’t returned. 
Lota wanted to discuss with the two men behind her on how to escape from here, but once she thought that they were fundamentally unreliable, she kept silent. 
Although Raven had outstanding fighting abilities, he should be completely unable to formulate battle plans. Right now, he was closing his eyes and was motionless, and she did not know whether or not he wanted to conserve his physical strength in order to deal with emergencies. 
The other one was Nico. He initially complained without end that his belly was hungry, and now he seemed angry, lying on the ground. But originally, Lota was unsure of what he was able to do. “Hey, is this place where the giant came from?”
Lota gradually could not bear to keep silent, thus she took the initiative to open her mouth and inquire.
“That guy’s place is very far. He should be here waiting for the connecting path to arrive back.” 
Nico replied. 
“If the connecting road arrives, then won’t someone among us go and get married with the giant?” 
Nico slowly got up, looking at her with that implied a meaning. 
“Hey, didn’t you say that you were willing to be the bride! Then you should go and be one. As long as you pretend that you’re the ring’s bearer, then Raven and I, who have nothing to do with this matter, can be free.”
“What did you say? How cruel! Raven, did you not also say just a moment ago that you were the ring’s owner? In order to be fair, we’ll gamble to decide.”
Lota took out a coin from her pocket. This was frequently used by pirates, a fraudulent coin with both sides being the same.
“I refuse.”
Raven calmly opened his eyes, but replied with a firm tone.
“Apart from being Lord Edgar’s soldier, I am unable to assume other roles.”
“Then why on earth did you say that you were the fiancee?”
“It was in order to protect Miss Lydia.” 
“You don’t intend to protect me!” 
“No matter what happens to you, it won’t be detrimental on Lord Edgar.”
Lota angrily scratched her head. 
“Arghh! Why was I captured together with these guys! I’m better off alone!”
Lota angrily threw the coin towards the rock wall. 
As a result, the coin seemed to disappear as it passed through the rock wall.
“Eh? H-how did that happen?”
Lota touched the rocks with her hands, but there was no hole or mechanism. She only touched rough rocks.
Nico hastily stood up and cautiously looked there. After that, he crossed his arms and mumbled “ahh.”
“Then it’s decided, Lota.  It’s better for you to be alone, correct?”
“What? What’s going on?”
“Raven and I are going to leave here and ask for help, you’ll stay here and think of a way to not let the matter of Lydia being the ring’s true owner be exposed.”
“Hold on, who are you going to ask for help? Don’t tell me it’s that guy Edgar? Will he face the giant head-on in order to save me?”
“He will certainly abandon you.” 
Although Lota was fully aware, for Raven to go as far as saying it so plainly still made her quite irritated. 
“However, concerning Lydia’s ring, the Earl will probably take action.”
I see, that was one thing Nico was best in, saying these sorts of things.
“The Earl is unable to withstand magic, but as long as he has the Blue Knight Earl’s title, it’s possible that the giants would be willing to talk to him. Until then, you’ll need to endure and be patient for a bit, Lota.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. Lota thought to herself. 
By saying that it was only possible, she won’t be able to feel at ease at all. 
“But Nico, you going to get out of here or something? If that’s the case, then everyone should escape together.”
“I found a small crack in the magic, but regarding the use of my magic, bringing one person out is the limit, and bringing two people is too much. If I exhaust my power en route, then you guys, who have no choice but to pass through the rocks, will be buried inside.”
Merely imagining it made her shiver. 
It seemed that there was no other choice.
Besides, Lota originally believed that there was no harm in being Lydia’s substitute. 
When Lydia was in the dragon’s incident, she saved Lota. Lota originally wanted to be a pirate for a lifetime, but when she was lost and unable to throw away the feelings of wanting to meet with her blood-related grandfather, it was Lydia who had subtly supported her.
It was only because she knew that strong human bonds could repel fairy magic, she believed that her grandfather, having the resounding title of the Grand Duke of Cremona, would acknowledge her, who was raised by pirates.
That being the case, the friendship between her and Lydia shouldn't be cut off by magic.
“I understand, as long as I stay here, thinking of a way to not letting the giant not discover Lydia’s identity will be better.”
After Nico nodded, he jumped onto Raven’s shoulder. Nico sighed in relief.
“This time we’re finally able to return. Well, Raven, run straight forward with all your might.”
Although he had to collide directly towards the rock wall, it was Raven who seemed to not feel fear, dashing in without hesitation. 
They disappeared without a trace.
“Will they really remember to come and rescue me?”
One was a cat with a negligent manner, one was Raven, whose mind only thought of Edgar. It seemed like once they got out, they would forget about Lota. 
No, things like that didn’t matter.
Me staying behind is all for Lydia. In order to shift the giant’s attention away from Lydia, I stayed behind. She mumbled in order to comfort her lonely self. 

*

As long as Edgar, within his drowsy state summoned Arrow before he sank into sleep, he would mysteriously appear as a clearly seen figure in Edgar’s dream. 
It seemed that he could only contact this fairy in his sleep. Perhaps, this was because Edgar was merely an ordinary human, and didn’t have sufficient power to make the sword fairy’s incarnation appear in its actual form. 
In order to talk with the fairy, it was unknown how many times Edgar had tried speaking. Once he recalled that the fairy initially appeared in his dream, he seemingly tried to have that previous dream. But recently, he had been unable to fall asleep, therefore he was confused until he was absolutely vexed with regards to being unable to control his sleep.
However, today he seemed to have finally caught him at good timing.
Perhaps it was because Arrow brought Edgar’s dream close to reality, therefore even if he was in a dream, he was still half-awake.
At any rate, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip by, so he asked about the things that he really wanted to know. 
“Do you know the whereabouts of the Moonstone?” 
Arrow, as the Star Sapphire in the sword, and Bow, who resided in Lydia’s Moonstone ring, became a paired existence. These two weapons were originally the belongings of the first Blue Knight Earl’s consort.
Because of this, the Moonstone ring became Lydia’s engagement ring. 
It is said that even if Arrow and Bow were separated, they would be able to know each other’s whereabouts.
(My lord, currently I only know two things. First, Little Bow seems to be in the hands of someone with formidable magic, so I am unable to call it. In other words, it’s possible that your fiancée was imprisoned by them, or that they snatched the ring away.)
“Are they human?”
(They shouldn’t be human, rather, some existence who has strong magic in itself.)
Edgar sighed. This time, it really had something to do with fairies. 
Since Lydia was watched attentively, he didn’t think that this was simply an incident caused by fairies.
Among this, it might involve a human’s plot. 
Would it be that Highlander called Patrick? Or was it Ulysses?
“If the situation changes, let me know.”
(I understand.) 
“By the way Arrow, Little Bow seemed to have informed Coblynau that an ominous sign appeared from the sword. Have you noticed anything?”
As long he placed the sword by his bedside when he slept, Edgar wouldn’t have nightmares again, but even he was unable to understand the sword’s condition.
(I have felt the changes, but I don’t know whether or not it’s an ominous sign.)
“But you said that this sword would grow according to the influence I have. In other words, it’s possible that it will grow towards the ominous direction.”
(My lord, the sword will change according to your desires. Provided that you do not wish for ominous results to appear, then everything will simply be unnecessary anxiety.)
He didn’t know whether or not Arrow disappeared. Edgar sank into a deep sleep, and when he recalled this conversation, it was already the next day in the early morning. 



When Edgar arrived at the Strand coffee house on the main street, Paul was already waiting for him.  He was a liaison between Edgar and the “Scarlet Moon.” Once he saw his unenthusiastic facial expression, without waiting for him to talk, Edgar knew that he was unable to obtain major information about Lydia and the others.
“Hey, Paul, I picked up a girl recently.” 
As a result, Edgar didn’t inquire about how Paul’s circumstances were, rather he chatted about a completely unrelated topic. 
“She can’t seem to remember where her home is, so I’m keeping her in my mansion for the time being.”
“Eh! ...Is that okay?” 
Paul frowned as this seemed to be a serious matter. 
“Why is everyone so worried? I don’t want anyone besides Lydia.”
I don’t need anyone else.
Edgar believed that as long as he could get Lydia back, he was willing to do anything.
“In that case, if you create a misunderstanding when Lydia returns, won’t it be troublesome?” 
“Yeah, that’s why Paul, you also need to help me speak. Can you testify for me? Say that I was kindly taking care of the pitiful lady and had no ulterior intentions.”
“Whaat?” 
Edgar believed that he had no ulterior intentions but whenever he looked at Liz, he had the urge to call her Lydia. 
Regardless of when, even at the tea party, it was the same at the time when there was a sudden thunderstorm. As long as Liz depended on him, he would feel that it was Lydia depending on him.
Lydia, who usually feigned bravery, would rarely show her unease, but once she displayed this kind of appearance, Edgar would want to recklessly embrace her. At the time, he was filled with distress.
When looking at her, will I overlap her together with Lydia, who is probably somewhere crying for help?
As long as the matter was linked with fairies, Edgar, who had the Blue Knight Earl’s title was in vain and was completely helpless. Would Lydia worry about him being like this?
“Will Lydia feel happy, being together with me?”
“Um, Earl, please don’t be so discouraged.” 
“Although she tried to display the appearance of a lover, regardless of whether it was the engagement or marriage, they were fairly exhausting matters. Perhaps she didn’t feel happy at all, because I asked for too much of her.”
“But, Miss Lydia pondered very earnestly over the gift that she wanted to give you.”
Edgar understood this point. Lydia was a faithful girl. 
Even if she knew of the matter that took place between Edgar and the Prince, perhaps she wouldn’t change. 
But after the matter is exposed, can Lydia truly feel happy from the bottom of her heart when staying by his side?
“Paul, could you forgive your father’s enemies?” 
Paul tilted his head, seemingly feeling very puzzled as the topic suddenly changed.
“If it happens that Prince hasn’t completely died.”
Edgar did not intend to say much more, but this was also his first time mentioning the possibility in front of a Scarlet Moon member who detested the Prince.  
“Scarlet Moon” had been fighting alongside Edgar against the Prince since the beginning, but now, it’s possible that Edgar had become their enemy. 
“It already doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, “Scarlet Moon” is an artists’ guild which my father was once a part of, and I became a member in order to protect myself. Furthermore, I simply want to help you. 
Edgar could only pray to himself that he wouldn’t betray Paul and the “Scarlet Moon” members as a companion. 
“Thank you, Paul. Oh, by the way, concerning that man named Patrick, I’m meeting with him here later.” 
“Eh, is it that man who may quite possibly have something to do with Miss Lydia’s disappearance?”
“It’s him who said he had something to tell me. You’re willing to accompany me, right?”
“Yes of course, but Mr. Raven isn’t present at the moment. No matter what, there’s no way for me to serve as your guard, Earl.”
“I tell you, Paul, I’m not so weak, it’s just that you need to protect yourself.”
Ahh it seems he’s come. Edgar said this while looking out the window, then Paul nervously straightened his back.
Immediately, there was a black-haired man pushing open the entrance door. 
He seemed to be alone, this made Paul feel relieved for the time being. He seem worried that the other man would bring a strong Highlander man.
Patrick quickly found Edgar, thus he walked over towards the seat. 
“Earl Ashenbert, I apologize for suddenly calling you out.”
He removed his hat, courteously beginning to talk. Edgar asked him to be seated, and waited for him to propose a request.
“To tell you the truth, my companion from before, Fergus McKeel’s whereabouts are unknown.”
Granted that “Scarlet Moon” sent people to keep a close watch, they hadn’t seen Fergus leave the hotel. As a result, Edgar already thought that perhaps he wasn’t at the hotel. But his whereabouts were unknown, which made him feel that it was unexpected.
Moreover, the day Fergus disappeared was also the same day that Lydia and Raven went missing. 
After Patrick more or less finished speaking, Edgar still remained silent. He felt that informing Patrick of his side’s intelligence was still a tad too early. 
This time, Patrick raised a question. 
“Earl, may I take the liberty to ask where Miss Carlton is? I heard my friend say that you didn’t escort your fiancée, but rather an unfamiliar woman to attend some tea party.”
“Sometimes there will be this kind of circumstance.”
However, Patrick ignored Edgar’s answer and continued to speak. 
“Fergus went to see Miss Lydia and didn’t return afterwards. If it’s possible, I wish to ask Miss Lydia, but she did not seem to be at home. If it isn’t you hiding your fiancée, then shouldn’t we share information?”
He seemed to be convinced that Lydia and Fergus disappeared together.
Patrick’s side, of course, sent someone to monitor the activity surrounding Edgar. 
Although this was within Edgar’s range of expectations, for Patrick, not only was it Fergus, but even Lydia also disappeared altogether. This point seemed quite important. This was the problem.
Since he had this kind of response, it meant that he definitely knew the cause.
“But according to what you just said, it seems like your young master mindlessly kidnapped my fiancée.”
Edgar cautiously began to speak, still not mentioning the fact that Lydia wasn’t here. 
“No, I’m afraid that Fergus was also kidnapped with her.”
Patrick firmly spoke.  
“Kidnapped by whom?”
“I only have one clue. But for some reason, there’s something occurring that doesn’t match up with this clue. So to say, Earl, you ought to have some clues, right?”
Of course, Edgar was worried about the possibility that it was Ulysses operating behind all of it, but he didn’t want to explain it to this man.
“What’s going on?”
“Unseelie Court are lingering around me. Although they are merely inconspicuous goblins, yet they seem to be monitoring me.” 
“In order words, you’re saying that it has something to do with the Unseelie Court?”
“Those fairies rarely move outside their own territory, someone ought to be controlling them.” 
“You think I know who it is? But didn’t you tell me this at the beginning? Saying that although I called myself the Blue Knight Earl, perhaps I already lacked that power from long ago. In fact, what you said wasn’t wrong. Regardless of whether it’s an Unseelie or Seelie Court, I can’t see them, nor do I know where they are and what they are doing.” 
“That being the case, I can still aid you in finding Miss Lydia.”
This man was a fairy doctor. For Edgar, who completely did not understand fairies without Lydia by his side, he would only hit walls everywhere continuing on like this. 
However, could he be trusted? 
Were the Unseelie Court really moving about? Edgar was unable to confirm this point, and had no other choice but to accept what he said.
“If you want to save Fergus, can’t you handle it yourself? For example, catching suspicious goblins, or thinking of other ways.”
Patrick fell silent and did not speak any further.
He seemed to be thinking about whether or not he wanted to speak of the information at hand.
“The reason why I concluded that I would unable to that, is because it’s possible that something by your side could be a clue.”
Edgar and Paul glanced at each other.
“That woman staying in your mansion has an Unseelie Court following her around. Would this be by chance? 
Liz’s side? 
Edgar barely managed to swallow that name.