Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 24 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 ♦ ​That which bonds the two

Together with the rising sun, a faint mist drifted in the surroundings. The whitish bare rocks of the river mouth looked as though they were going to be erased from view. The chirping of birds which just awoke drifted amongst the waves.
This was a desolate place, with neither ports nor the presence of people. An uninhabited island not far off from the shores could be seen, as it rose up from the surroundings, isolated and blackish. The waters in this area had a lot of reefs and so ships which approached the area as a result of storms and such often ran aground. It was difficult for ships to enter the area if they weren’t familiar with the submarine topography.
It appeared that Prince’s Organization had utilized fairies to complete investigations of the seabed, and so the ship Edgar was on had gone round into the silhouette of the islands easily and positioned itself where it could watch over the river mouth.
The mist will probably lift soon. Once that happens, I should be able to see all the way to the river mouth clearly.
But Ibrazel’s ship, which is scheduled to exit into the seas from this location after descending down the river from inland, does not seem to be appearing; it could be because it is still wandering in the fairy realm.
Arrow hasn’t returned either.
I wonder if Lydia is alright. Edgar somehow managed to calm his anxious feelings and put on a face of calmness.
“Pardon me, Your Highness.”
He heard Ulysses’ voice. Edgar threw a glance towards him with displeasure, as he continued to rest his chin in his hand.
“Where’s the ship?”
An hour had already passed since Ulysses started searching for Ibrazel’s ship.
“I still don’t have any information worth mentioning.”
“Then, why did you come?”
“Won’t you punish Teran? The matter this time is an act of betrayal by disregarding Your Highness.”
Ulysses was the commander of the operations this time to capture Ibrazel’s ship unharmed. In order to grasp the ship’s location as soon as possible, he directed the black hounds and bogey beasts upstream in advance to keep a lookout on whether the ship had appeared. Those were fairies enslaved by Ulysses, who had done so by binding them with magic.
However, the ship did not appear and had gone missing. It was a problem for Edgar to disclose that he knew that which even Ulysses still didn’t. Because of that, Edgar had summoned Ulysses and only hounded him over whether the ship had appeared.
Ulysses probably noticed it was odd for the ship to not appear when it ought to be about time for it to show up in the upper reaches of the river. After making the fairies which were his underlings look into it, he realized that Teran’s subordinates had snuck into the realm between and were behaving suspiciously.
Assuming that the ship had escaped into the seas of the fairy realm, Ulysses was running about to track its whereabouts.
And so, Ulysses declared that it was Teran’s scheme that things turned out this way.
“There’s no evidence. Teran himself also isn’t behaving suspiciously; he is standing by obediently on his own ship, waiting for the moment when the ship appears at the river mouth.”
“But I found the presence of sluaghs in the waves of the realm between. He probably used that to attack the ship; Teran can use sluaghs.”
“If it’s about being able to use the Unseelie Court, so can you.”
“For me, it’d be a problem if Ibrazel’s ship is destroyed.”
“Then, it may be Teran.”
Ulysses ground his teeth at Edgar’s cold response.
“Meaning that isn’t proof? To you, it’s easier to get things done if Teran and I restrain each other. But that guy will kill that fairy doctor.”
Ulysses vented sarcastically. It was true that Edgar still wasn’t ‘Prince’ and even though he allowed Ulysses to return to the top brass, he did think that it would be good if Teran and Ulysses would destroy each other as they fought.
Of course, it’s precisely because Ulysses thought that, as long as Edgar had thrown himself into the Organization, there was no way Edgar wouldn’t crave for Prince’s power, that now he was closing an eye to Edgar’s scheme in order to retrieve his position.
Although Ulysses too would become a troublesome existence in time to come, for the present, Teran was the one Edgar had to suppress.
Teran wouldn’t just kill Lydia. In that sense, the demon which he sent would probably not kill everyone on board the ship immediately.
Although that too was rather pessimistic, Edgar placed his hopes on that as he made Ulysses search for the ship.
“If you’re attached to that girl, I don’t mind if you do as you please. If you’ll reign as Prince and give Ibrazel to me, I will even help you save her from Teran…”
As if he was cutting Ulysses off, Edgar laughed aloud. His attachment to Lydia wasn’t something that would be satisfied with just having her. It was precisely because it was his wish to respond to Lydia’s love and trust, that he could neither give himself up to Prince nor give up on Ibrazel.
Laughing while freezing his gaze, Edgar glared at Ulysses.
“Do you intend to negotiate with me?”
Seemingly taken aback, Ulysses took a step back.
“… No. Please forgive my impudence.”
He may had felt as though he saw ‘Prince’.
Was Edgar melting and merging together with Prince inside him the longer he stayed here?
Edgar searched for the puppy’s figure unconsciously.
Hiding underneath the sofa, the puppy watched him worriedly. Edgar’s heart was calmed by those peridot eyes.
I’ve infiltrated the Organization. It’s my role to lead the Organization towards destruction by grasping everything here.
If so, the first person to make use of is Ulysses.
Ulysses was different from Teran. For better or worse, he’s a human. And Edgar knew the ways to manipulate a person’s heart. If one knew the heart, one can move it.
“Why do you want Ibrazel?”
Ulysses, who was about to leave, stopped and looked at Edgar, as if he was trying to search for why Edgar’s asking this question.
“If you want to become nobility, there’s no need to be fixated over the peerage of the Earl of Ibrazel.”
“It’s the same as you. I want to retrieve my rightful position.”
To Edgar, his rightful position was that of the Duke of Sylvainford. His entire family was massacred, while he himself was treated as dead and his position was wrongfully snatched away from him. He did not want to be mentioned in the same breath as Ulysses.
Or was it that to Ulysses, he was referring to Prince’s rightful position as the King of the United Kingdom?
“You’re not a legitimate member of the earl family.”
Ulysses was the descendent of the illegitimate child of Julius Ashenbert, the Blue Knight Earl three hundred years go. He may have inherited the blood of the earl family, but that was all.
“The memories inside you are those of the first Prince. If so, I ought to talk to you about the promise the previous Prince made to me.”
The previous Prince. That was the man who robbed Edgar of his peaceful life and future as the heir of the Sylvainford dukedom, the man he hated the most.
“That person reigned over the Organization for a long period, of almost half a century. Of course, he is someone whom you’re also familiar with.”
Ulysses smirked.
“I was saved by that person.”
‘Saved’. There was probably no other word that was more unsuitable for Prince.
“The powers of the Blue Knight Earl was only sealed in the descendants of the illegitimate child. Putting aside when we were still a child, as we grew up we’d lose the powers completely. It was that person who broke the seal for me, and of course I’m grateful for that, but that’s not the only thing.”
Although he spoke with a self-important tone, Ulysses clearly wanted to talk about it.
“Even though you proclaimed yourself to be the Blue Knight Earl, you probably aren’t aware of it; the fact that there’s an arrangement, that if the heir of the earl family dies out, the one chosen from the descendants of the illegitimate child will be ushered in as the heir.”
Certainly, this was the first time Edgar heard of this. However, there was nothing strange with having such an arrangement.
For some reason, the Earl three hundred years ago had a child with his lover without getting formally married. Edgar thought that it was about taking care to leave a descendant of the earl family outside of Ibrazel, so that the powers would not become extinct.
“Yet, even though the earl family died out, no one came for me.”
“You believe that you’re the chosen one?”
“Because I have the mark when I was born.”
“The mark?”
“This.”
Ulysses brushed his shoulder-length hair to the side slightly and showed Edgar. On one ear which he had left, shone an aquamarine pierce.
It wasn’t just a normal aquamarine. It was a gem which belonged to fairies, called the Selkie’s Heart.
“I was born with this clutched in my hands. If this, which is one of the gems that belongs to the earl family, isn’t a mark of the heir, then what is it?”
This was a gem which Selkies would only entrust to friends worthy of their trust. Edgar didn’t know how Ulysses had gotten his hands on this, but it turned out that it was granted to the illegitimate child of the earl family as part of a promise.
“Yet, no one came to welcome you.”
“When I was twenty, I fell ill, and was told that I wouldn’t live. Even so, I waited… I believed that if it’s the earl family, they may save me. But they didn’t come. At that moment, Prince appeared and taught me: if I exchanged bodies, I’d be able to continue living forever. He told me that I have the power in me to do so.”
If that’s the case, it meant that this Ulysses wasn’t the second but the third Ulysses.
“And so, my seal was broken by Prince’s powers. I discarded my body which was dying from the illness, and obtained the body of my nephew who was ten years old then.”
“Your nephew’s…?”
“My brother’s son.”
In other words, Ulysses killed his nephew. On top of that,
“You killed your brother too right. In order to obtain the freya.”
“So you knew. Well, I guess so.”
Ulysses said so calmly.
Prince needed a freya in order to obtain a new body. Freyas were held by Wyrms but the Blue Knight Earl had sealed the Wyrm. So in order to obtain a freya, Ulysses, who had inherited the powers of the Blue Knight Earl, was necessary to Prince.
Prince had killed every single one of the descendants of the earl family’s illegitimate child because he wanted to ensure that an heir does not appear. On the other hand, by making use of hatred borne out from despair the bedridden Ulysses felt towards the earl family, and saving him, Prince dragged Ulysses over to his side.
“If I’m not wrong, the previous Prince who saved you was the fourth Prince. Does that mean that until then, Prince obtained new bodies without freyas?”
“That’s right. They still barely had that ability until the third Prince.”
Meaning the fourth didn’t huh.
The bloodline of the Prince of Calamity got thinner with each generation. For Prince to be able to call himself the heir of both the Stuarts and the royal family, the next Prince had to be someone from a long and distinguished aristocratic family with blood from both lines. This was what both the fourth Prince and the Organization thought.
That’s why Edgar’s mother and Edgar himself ended up being targeted.
The previous Prince was more of a boss-like existence in the underworld than a prince. If it was about the consequences of Prince’s blood, which was also the foundation of the Organization, thinning, then Ulysses had seen himself, as the descendant of the illegitimate child who was abandoned by the earl family, in Prince. Therefore, he identified with Prince.
It appeared that what’s inside Ulysses was gratitude towards the previous Prince. His fixation over the family of the Blue Knight Earl was probably because he wanted to show Ibrazel that he was supposed to be the chosen heir.
And he may know a lot more about the earl family which Edgar didn’t. Or, he may even know Ibrazel’s location and situation.
Edgar had not unravelled the mysteries of the map completely.
When Edgar fell into deep thought in silence, Ulysses exited the room without missing that opportunity.
At the same time, Edgar switched his thinking.
Compared to the mystery of the map, what was more important now was that he had to confirm that Lydia and the others were alright at the soonest.
I wonder how it’s like inside the ship. It’s frustrating not to know anything.
“… How I wish I can fly over to her side like Arrow.”
Edgar inadvertently spoke out his thoughts. The puppy whimpered as if it was responding to that.
Just as he thought so, the puppy suddenly crawled out from underneath the sofa and dashed towards the door and beyond.
“Hey, where are you going?”
Edgar chased after it.
The puppy which exited onto the deck, slid past the gaps in the railings and jumped off. Edgar dashed after it anxiously as he thought it fell into the sea, but when he peeked downwards, he found a boat, which was connected to the ship, floating there. The puppy had jumped and landed on that boat.
“You won’t be able to come back if you land in a place like that.”
Edgar descended onto the boat using a rope ladder. Even on a narrow rowboat, the puppy ran around in circles and so Edgar couldn’t quite catch it.
When he finally managed to catch it, suddenly, the boat swayed violently, and he fell on his behind while still carrying the puppy.
The sudden tall waves receded immediately. Edgar looked around his surroundings to see what it was. Because of the faint mist, the scenery in the distance appeared hazy as usual, but the ship which ought to be right beside them, appeared vaguely at a location a little away as it was shrouded in mist.
Edgar wondered if the rope which should had been connecting the boat to the ship broke. It seemed that he was slightly swept away by the waves earlier.
Edgar reached out for the oars on the boat. And by doing so, he started to row towards the silhouette of the ship.
The puppy stopped running in circles. It wagged its tail as it sat between Edgar’s legs and stared straight ahead of them. Even though it had jumped off the ship by itself, it seemed like he wanted to return to the ship which silhouette they were heading towards. 

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While she remained seated, Kelly opened the closet door slightly from the inside and checked her surroundings outside. 
She could see a table, bed and windows with the curtains drawn. It appeared that no one was around. She wondered if it meant that the female demon had gone off without pursuing her.
However, there was a small bite wound on Kelly’s arm. Kelly, who had just a little blood sucked from her, was assaulted by a severe sense of fatigue and dizziness, and it was all she could manage to hide in the closet and get by. If she left this place and ran into the demon, she would probably be unable to escape. It was probably safer to hide. But the demon took on Kelly’s form. What should she do if it attacked Lydia?
She was beside herself with worry, but she couldn’t move.
The outside of the window which she could see from the gap of the door, had become quite bright.
It appeared that dawn was breaking. The moon had set and the stars had disappeared. The purplish hue which dyed the skies was gradually getting fainter.
What should I do? I’m supposed to be by milady’s side, yet things turned out like this.
When she was about to cry, suddenly, the closet door opened. Kelly drew in a sharp breath at the dark shadow which reached in abruptly. She tried to escape right away, but because she couldn’t move as she wanted to, she ended up rolling out from the closet.
She looked up timidly at the shadow which looked down towards her without a word. It was Raven.
Is he the real Raven? Or the demon?
No, even if it’s a demon, Raven can’t be assaulted easily. But if it’s the real Raven, thought Kelly as she shrunk her body at the new fear she felt.
He might have seen the demon which impersonated as Kelly. Wouldn’t that mean that he’d probably not believe that she was the real Kelly?
Earlier, he had also raised his knife towards Lota when he saw her without hearing her out.
At this rate, I’ll be killed!
Noticing the knife Raven held in his hand, Kelly became ever more unable to move.
“I-I’m Kelly! Please don’t kill me!” 
She shut her eyes as she screamed.
“Ms Kelly, are you an adulterer?”
At such utterly unexpected words, Kelly’s jaw dropped while she became wide-eyed as well. Raven was looking down towards her with a serious expression. He was still holding on to the knife in his hand, but rather than saying that she was afraid, she was already simply baffled.
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“I heard that adulterers are those who hide in closets.”
“I… I’m not a man!”
“Of course. I won’t let you off easily if you are.”
A sharp presence flashed past in Raven’s deep green eyes before disappearing.
“It’s Lord Edgar’s order; that if I find a man in the closet of our house, I can have him half-killed.”
To actually order something that absurd, just how much is he worried over the mistress!?
Kelly suppressed her feelings of wanting to shout at Edgar. As far as Kelly knew, the usual master was a calm and fine gentleman, yet, perhaps because he doted on his wife too much, he would occasionally become a tyrant who lacks common sense.
Or perhaps, it was that she couldn’t understand the workings of Raven’s mind to begin with. If he was worried about the mistress’ fidelity, then it wasn’t a question of whether a man was hiding in a closet or not.
“More importantly, what are you doing here?”
Kelly regained her senses when she was questioned, and hurriedly talked unstoppably.
“I was attacked by the demon. That’s why I lost my strength… It’s true, I’m not pretending to be Kelly. S-see, my arm was bitten. I bled…. Though it wasn’t much… The wound is, huh? I-It’s not obvious but it’s this. It’s a bite mark!”
Why is it that the more desperate I am, the more it sounds like a lie?
Kelly got increasingly anxious, and because Raven suddenly pushed his fist out to right in front of her eyes, she shut her eyes again out of shock.
But, it wasn’t that she was punched. Raven remained silent. When she opened her eyes quietly, what she saw on Raven’s palm was a chocolate wrapped in thin paper. 
It was the one which Nico gave Raven earlier.
“I heard that eating chocolate will raise one’s spirits.”
“Eh… is this for me?”
“Yes.”
Even though it was something Raven received from his favourite Nico.
“Erm, do you believe that I’m the real Kelly?”
“Because it’s Lady Lydia’s order that we must not doubt our friends.”
Relieved, Kelly leaned against the closet.
“The objective of Teran and the female demon is probably to get us to kill each other. Lady Lydia is wise.”
“That’s right. Lady Lydia’s staunchly good-natured.”
Kelly broke the chocolate she received into half. Returning half of it to Raven, she placed only half of it into her mouth.
When the intense sweetness and mysterious fragrance filled her mouth, she felt as though a little of her strength returned. As she savoured the chocolate, Kelly smiled naturally.
“As expected of Mr Nico’s favourite food, it’s extremely delicious. It’s the first time I’ve tried chocolate that isn’t a drink.”
Raven looked at Kelly with a curious expression.
“Ms Kelly, you’re surprisingly adorable.”
‘Surprisingly’? Although she was slightly bothered, rather than that, because it was the first time that Kelly was told by a man that she was adorable, her cheeks suddenly turned hot.
“I’m ad….adorable?”
 “Ah, I’m sorry. Just because you have a baby face; it’s unpleasant to look like a child right?”
By adorable, did he mean child-like?
Kelly’s shoulders slumped in disappointment by as much as her feelings had soared earlier. As she did so, she tried to refute at least this point.
“Erm, I’m not baby-faced, I look my age…”
“But Lord Edgar said this before, that women are happy to look younger than their age. That’s great isn’t it? Having a baby face.”
It’s not!
Kelly, whose mouth twitched, was unable to voice any words.

Please read this at Daydream Translations
“It’s nothing serious. You’ll recover soon.”
Francis, who examined both Paul and Lota, said so confidently.
In any case, Lydia was relieved, but Lota had a look of displeasure.
“Can we trust this quack?”
“What do you mean quack? If I got serious, there isn’t a more accomplished doctor than me.”
“Meaning, you weren’t serious? Examine properly!”
“But don’t you look energetic?”
“I’m hot-blooded to begin with. But Paul still looks like he’s in pain.” 
It’s true that Paul remained seated, completely exhausted; he looked like he didn’t even have much strength to talk.
“Hey, Francis, the demon still isn’t caught. Even if it doesn’t suck our blood dry at one go, we may be attacked countless times and if that happens, it can be life threatening.”
“That’s true. It may be dangerous if Paul is attacked again.”
Kneeling down, Francis peered down towards Paul. He placed his hand on Paul’s forehead, and remained so for some time.
“Well, with this, he should be alright.”
“Hey, that’s half-hearted. What’s up with that charm?”
“Well… it did work. That’s amazing, my dizziness is gone…”
Paul’s expression softened right before their eyes.
“Thank you, Francis. Lota, you too…”
As Paul smiled, Lota appeared slightly embarrassed and she scratched her head.
“I didn’t do anything though.”
“You stayed by my side didn’t you? To be honest, if I were alone, I’d become faint-hearted, thinking that I’d die just like that…”
“But, it was also difficult for me to move.” 
It was rare that Paul was looking at Lota without being embarrassed. It was also rare that Lota appeared to be turning red. Perhaps he was being considerate, for Francis got up and signalled to Lydia with his eyes.
“We have to find Kelly. Darnell and Nico as well.”
“Ah… that’s right. I’ll go together with you. Lota, please don’t leave this place with Paul. Because we’ll bring everyone back here.”
After confirming that Lota had nodded at her words, Lydia followed Francis and walked out.
“I think Nico will be with Darnell. Since he calls himself the Prophet, it feels like he is unlikely to be attacked by the demon right?”
That may be the case. In times like this, Nico’s the sort to be in the safest place instinctually. 
As she nodded, Lydia looked at Francis. He was a sociable young man who plays the fool slightly. Because Francis was such a person, both Edgar and Lydia didn’t take time before they bonded with him as if he were an old friend.
He was cheerful, indifferent, acts according to his own whims and was somewhat similar to a fairy. All the more so, his core was shrouded in mystery.
Lydia wondered what kind of person Francis really was.
“Francis, you noticed that Nico’s a fairy right?”
“Eh? Ahh, he’s a fairy?  I see. I thought he was an unusual cat.”
Or is he just a natural airhead?
“Hey, how did Paul regain his energy?”
“Ahh, that? It’s all in the mind.”
Francis said so and laughed.
“Eh?”
“Somehow, when a person is convinced that they received some special treatment, they’ll become energetic. The thing that… if you tell the person it’ll work if they drink it, even wheat flour can cure an illness.”
Is that so? Thought Lydia, for she saw a flash of pale light coming out from Francis’ hand.
Lydia wondered how Francis got to know of Diana, who’s said to have come from Ibrazel. Although they may had met by chance, Lydia wondered if there was originally some connection between the two that led them to meet.
Finistère. Lydia wondered if it was a coincidence that his name held the meaning of ‘end of the earth’.
Since ancient times, people had overlapped images of places at the ends of the earth with places in the human realm which were the closest to the fairy realm. In reality, places with such names had people who were close with fairies living there.
The hometown of Lydia’s mother, the Hebrides archipelago where the McKeels lived, also means ‘the edge of the world’ in ancient language. 
The McKeels gave birth to the Prophet, and were also closely connected with the birth of Prince. On the other hand, the two ‘ends of the earth’ of Cornwall and Brittany, were marked on the map which showed the Blue Knight Earl’s Ibrazel.
And Francis was someone connected to Brittany’s ‘end of the earth’.
“Lydia, do you hear that?”
Francis said so and stopped in his tracks unexpectedly. Coming to her senses, Lydia listened carefully and caught the tone of a violin.
“It’s Mr Darnell’s performance.”
“Really? Could it be the demon?”
“It can’t be. It can’t play the violin right?”
Together with Francis, Lydia hurried towards the direction where the music could be heard. They could hear it from a room near the ship’s bow.
When the both of them ran into the room, they found Darnell playing the violin. Raven was there as well.
And then, Lydia found Kelly laying down on the sofa and ran towards her.
“Kelly! That’s great. Raven found you right? Are you hurt?”
“Milady, I made you worry. I was just feeling slightly better.”
“Because Mr Finn was walking around as he played the violin, we joined him.”
After Raven said so, Darnell stopped playing and nodded.
“I played the violin so that they would know that I’m the real person. It’s Mr Nico’s suggestion.”
“Nico’s with you too?”
“Yes. He’s there.”
Said Raven as he pointed towards a chair but Nico’s figure wasn’t on it.
“Hey, are you really Lydia?”
Such a voice came out from nowhere. Most probably, he was behind a chest.
“Nico, it’s fine even if you don’t hide.”
“Show me proof.”
Lydia saw a trembling tail jutting out and was exasperated.
“I get it. Shall I expose your embarrassing past which only I know?”
When she said so, Nico flew out hurriedly.
“St-stop! I believe you!”
Nico waved both his hands and Lydia looked down towards him with her hands on her hip.
“Nico, I have something I need you to do immediately. We’re lost in the seas of the fairy realm. Can you find a path back to our original route in the human world?”
“Eh~ if we go back, wouldn’t that guy Teran be waiting for us?”
“But we have no choice right?”
“As long as we’re able to chase the female demon off our ship, we can take on Teran even if he comes.”
At Francis’ happy-go-lucky declaration, Darnell turned to face him with a difficult expression.
“Are you going to take him on?”
“Raven and Lota will… I guess. I’ll be the advisor.”
“I only follow Lady Lydia’s orders.”
Raven said so decidedly. Francis shrugged his shoulders and turned to face Lydia.
“First, we need to think about how we’re going to deal with the female demon. It can take on Nico, Paul, Lota and Kelly’s figure right?”
“That’s right. We have to ensure that we do not act alone, so that things won’t get more confusing.”
As she said so, Lydia thought hard. She had to decide how they were going to protect themselves and how they were going to fight.
If Lydia made a mistake in her judgement, she’d get everyone and the entire ship into trouble. Edgar had always been shouldering such a heavy responsibility as he made decisions without error.
Lydia still didn’t understand the obligations of a noble. Even so, since she had decided that she would support Edgar, she couldn’t escape from this.
Strengthening her resolve, Lydia raised her face.
“Mr Darnell, please bring Nico and Kelly and meet up with Lota. Since Mr Paul can’t move and it’s also better that Kelly rest, please lock room door and stay by their side. And then, Nico, can you go to the pilothouse with Lota and steer the ship towards the human realm?”
“How about you Lydia?”
“I’ll lure the Baobhan Sith out. Since I’ll become the lure, I’ll depend on Raven. When someone approaches me, capture it when it reveals its true self as the Baobhan Sith.”
“Understood, My Lady.”
Encouraged by Raven’s clear reply, Lydia turned back as she braced herself.
“Huh? Then how about me?”
Ah. I forgot.
When she was about to stop at Francis’ voice, Raven closed the door behind him.
“He~y, Lydia, I’ll go too…”
“Let’s go.”
Urged by Raven, in the end, Lydia decided to do as Raven said. Raven probably thought that having Francis come along would only hinder them.
Even so, before long, Francis caught up with them.
“Wait for me! Even I should be of help!”
He dashed towards them as he was out of breath.
“If Lydia gets attacked, I’ll capture the demon!”
“If so please don’t make such a loud noise. We’ll lose the point of luring the demon out.”
Glared by Raven who turned to face him, Francis scratched his head.
“You’re right. Yeah, let’s go quietly.”
The three of them walked on. While they did so, Lydia felt the ship start to move. She looked out from a window nearby. Although the sky had gotten much brighter, the surrounding scenery remained unchanged, as they were still surrounded by the horizon. Even so, when the ship moved, she felt a sway that was different from how it was like earlier.
If it’s Nico, he’d probably be able to find a path that’d allow them to get out from this sea. Deciding to leave that to him, Lydia intended to focus on capturing the female demon.
At that moment, Raven suddenly stopped in his tracks, and stared outside the window.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just now, I thought I saw a human figure on the deck.”
“Eh, but there shouldn’t be anyone on this side.”
Nico and Lota should be in the pilothouse above. Darnell should be by the side of Kelly and Paul who had not completely regained their strength, and they’re in a room at the stern of the ship.
“I wonder if it’s the demon. Whose figure is it?”
“I don’t know, but it appears to be male.”
“Hey, go take a look. It may still be around there isn’t it?”
When Francis said so, Raven glanced at Lydia as if he had some concern.
“But… Lady Lydia, will you be alright alone with Francis?”
“Eh~ do you mean that I’m unreliable?”
“That too.”
“How rude.”
“Raven, I’ll be fine. I’ll wait here with Francis.”
Raven thought a little and then nodded.
“Well then, I’ll return in five minutes. Then, in order to determine if I’m the real person,”
Saying that, Raven made the sign of the cross over his chest.
“I’ll do this. Please don’t forget.”
If they were separated for even a short time, it was possible for the demon to swap in. Lydia saw him off while admiring Raven’s cautious attitude.
“…How distasteful.”
Francis hid behind the shadows of a pillar together with Lydia, and muttered to himself.
Even though earlier, Francis had also said that he wondered if a cross would be effective in dispelling demons, Lydia wondered why he would say this now.
When she thought about this vaguely, she felt Francis’ silver hair touching her cheeks. By the time she noticed, he had leaned his face close to hers, and whispered to her, as if he was telling her a secret.
“You smell nice.”
To think that she was this close to a man other than Edgar. Even so, because the other party was Francis, Lydia’s wariness was still low.
As men who were close to Edgar knew his personality well, they would similarly not do anything to Lydia that would cause a misunderstanding. Francis may joke around, but because she knew that it was always a light joke, this time round, Lydia also tried to think of it that way.
“I-is that so? I’m not using any perfume.”
“It’s a smell that seems delicious.”
If Edgar was the one who said that recently, Lydia had come to understand what he meant. But because she couldn’t imagine that Francis’ smile contained any amorousness, she was even more confused.
I wonder if this is a Francis-style joke.
“Hey, how did you meet Diana?”
Lydia said so in order to try and change the topic. She thought that if the topic became one on Diana, Francis would correct his joking attitude. However,
“Well, I wonder.”
It was a tone which sounded like he couldn’t care less about it. On top of that, when he pressed his face even closer to hers, he licked Lydia’s earlobe.
“Wh-What are you doing!”
Lydia tried to back away hurriedly, but she was blocked by Francis who placed his hand against the pillar.
“It tastes as I expected. I’ve always wanted to taste a fairy doctor once.”
Taken aback, Lydia looked into his eyes. The eyes which were blue, were muddy with a reddish-black colour.
It’s not Francis.
“You… You’re the Baobhan Sith aren’t you?”
The demon snickered while still in Francis’ form.
“What a fool. The foreigner earlier was wary towards me. Me who was left alone even for a short while. Yet, I wonder why he didn’t say anything.”
Raven was wary towards it?
This struck Lydia, and she wanted to curse her distracted attention.
That was why Raven asked her if she was alright to be together with Francis.
Raven had probably wanted to say that, just like how he had suggested to Lydia that for himself, even if it was just five minutes later, there was a need to verify if it was he himself when he returned after leaving her, they ought to check Francis as well.
But Lydia understood the reason why Raven did not voice out his wariness clearly.
“…He didn’t want to say anything which doubts our friends.”
Because Lydia had said that they should first stop doubting each other.
“I had requested that of everyone.”
“I see. So you’ve tightened the noose around your own neck?”
A sharp teeth peeked out from its smiling mouth.
No, this is better than being unable to trust our friends. That’s why Lydia thought that this was fine.
“You came to torment me right? But even if you did such a thing, it’ll be pointless. None of us will do things like hurting each other.”
“I wonder. Those who had their blood sucked, have fear planted in their hearts. They’ll become unable to trust people. Taken over by the fear of being attacked again, they’ll attack anyone who approaches, even if it’s their own family.”
“This ship will turn into hell,” said the demon as it laughed.
“There’s no such thing. Because we understand that we’re saved and supported by each other, and we have to work together. No one is afraid of you.”
“Such a brave front. The blood of those people who I have sucked dry, remember that fear. As an exception, I’ll show you, a fear that will make anyone fragile and break down.”
While still in Francis’ form, it revealed its teeth from its unnaturally red lips.
Lydia, who was pinned against the pillar, was unable to move, and had no choice but to expose her fair neck to the demon before her.
At the same time as she felt a cold pain and her consciousness drifting away, rather than the pain, a fear that felt like she was violently torn apart flowed into her.
She put strength into her entire being in order to resist. The demon’s body did not even budge, but Lydia desperately tried to escape as she struggled.
At that moment, something cut across her vision.
The moment she thought so, the demon was sent flying and it groaned.
Lydia gulped. It was a lion of a mysterious green that was bent over the demon which fell on the floor.
Its mane fluttered like flames and it bared its fangs. Underneath those sharp claws, the demon struggled as it revealed its female form, but it moved its snake-like long hair and strangled the lion’s neck.
Shortly after verifying the continuation of a fierce battle, Lydia felt her entire body’s strength depleting. Perhaps it was because her blood was sucked, for her consciousness started to fade. She focused her mind as she knew that she must not close her eyes, but her vision gradually turned dark.

*
​

As he progressed by rowing the boat, the outline of an anchored sailing ship on the other side of the mist came to view clearly.
Edgar, who was swept over on a boat, gradually started to notice an abnormality as he approached the ship.
The mist was clearing up. Yet, there was only that one ship in the surroundings. The Organization’s ships should have gathered in order to encircle the river mouth. However, he did not see land or even a single island silhouette, much less the river mouth.
And the only ship that was there, was of a completely different form from the ship Edgar was on.
Yet, he recognized that ship.
Be it the bow’s elegant curves or its sails which undoubtedly have full knowledge of winds, like water birds about to take flight. 
That form which burnt into his eyes, was the same as that of Ibrazel’s ship which Edgar had seen drawn onto the land from above a hot-air balloon.
“… What’s going on?”
Did I slip into the fairy realm when I was swept by the sudden wave? And conveniently, I arrived near Lydia and party’s ship?
It didn’t make any sense. But if this wasn’t a dream, then this was no time for Edgar to be in a daze.
When he rowed the boat closer, he found a door located on the side of the ship. Why is there a door in such a place? When he thought so, the door opened naturally, as if it was inviting him.
Edgar wanted to check the surroundings cautiously. But the puppy on the boat ignored him and jumped in excitedly.
“Hey, wait! We don’t know what’s there.”
Edgar too jumped from the boat to inside the ship, but he no longer knew where the puppy went.
The other side of the door was completely different from the ship’s exterior; it was like the entrance hall of a large mansion.
It was awfully quiet. As if there wasn’t a single person. That made Edgar recall the dream he saw last night.
The female demon sent in by Teran should have sowed discord in the ship.
Don’t tell me, it’s already…
Edgar told himself that there’s no way that’d happen, and walked forth. After some time, he felt in his body a sway that seemed to come from a ship starting to move.
Someone’s maneuvering the ship. Is everyone alright? How about Lydia?
When he opened the glass door from one of the rooms on the second floor and exited onto the terrace as he hurried, as expected, there was the deck. The gentle winds caressed his cheeks and the waves set off by the ship frothed in the calm seas below.
At that moment, Edgar felt something move behind him. Taken aback, he turned around.
The next moment, he felt the presence of someone closing in on him. A knife’s blade flashed across like the white belly of a fish.
Even as he twisted his body and tried to dodge, Edgar caught a glance of the other party’s face and stopped his movements at once.
The other party too, withdrew his knife as he seemed stunned.
“Lord Edgar.”
“Raven…”
Raven took a few steps back and knelt down, but he looked up and down over Edgar multiple times, as if he was making sure.
And then, he finally spoke.
“My apologies. Because I didn’t imagine that you would come here.”
“Naturally. I too wandered over here suddenly.”
Perhaps Raven was still not completely convinced that it was Edgar, for a look of wariness still resided in his eyes, but Edgar did not care; Edgar walked towards him and embraced him like family.
“I’ve been worried. Since I heard from Arrow that an abnormality happened to the ship.”
And then, he poured a mountain-like pile of questions on Raven. 
“How’s Lydia? Is there any change? Did she strain herself or something because she was so worried that I was gone? Although it was not my intention, I had no choice but to do so in order to protect her from Teran. No, more importantly, that guy’s Unseelie Court snuck in here. Since I wasn’t able to prevent that from happening beforehand, I wasn’t of any use to Lydia huh. Ahh…. If things are like this will Lydia give up on me? Hey Raven, does she hate me since I disappeared all of a sudden? I wonder if she still loves me. Don’t tell me that someone courted her?”
“Yes… Mr Finn courted her.”
“That guy?! Darn it. Taking advantage of the fact that I wasn’t around! If he were here, I might as well feed him to the female demon.”
“He’s here.”
“What did you say!? It’s no laughing matter that a guy from the McKeels got onto my ship. I’ll throw him overboard into the fairy sea.”
Edgar stood up and Raven hurriedly said to him:
“He saved Mr Nico.”
“… Raven, even so, even you don’t intend to welcome Darnell right.”
“That’s…”
Looking at Raven’s utterly troubled face, Edgar felt promising and inadvertently smiled. It was a little lonely that Raven was no longer a warrior for only Edgar. But if he had grown more human-like, by being able to treasure his friends, there was nothing Edgar was more pleased over.
“Well, that’s fine. More importantly, where’s Lydia?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right, do you need me to prove to you whether I’m real? Shall I tell you how much I love Lydia?”
“No, it’s fine already.”
Raven started walking promptly.
“What’s the situation now like? Any casualties?”
“There still isn’t any in particular.”
Somehow, it seemed like the situation here was different from what he saw in the dream. If that’s the case, then conversely, Edgar couldn’t imagine how the current situation was like.
It was certain that the demon tried to throw them into a state of confusion, so Edgar wondered what Lydia thought and how she tried to protect their friends.
“You wouldn’t know who is the demon right? How are you differentiating?”
“We’re not.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Lydia said that we don’t doubt our friends. Everyone’s doing so.”
If that’s the case, then the demon would be able to approach its target easily. Even if they moved in groups, it was possible for the demon to attack them by seizing an opportunity.
But Edgar thought that Lydia’s method had succeeded. At the very least, they did not attack their friends mistakenly. 
That’s why the worst case scenario like the one Edgar saw in his dreams did not occur here.
“He~y Raven, it’s bad!”
At that moment, they heard Nico’s voice. As usual, he was on twos; they saw his figure as he ran towards them. Nico said as he was running:
“Lydia’s attacked by Francis!”
“What did you say?”
As that was something inexcusable, Edgar grabbed Nico up.
“Which way is Lydia?”
“Huh, Earl? Why are you here?”
At that moment, with subtle timing, Francis appeared, tottering as he walked while leaning against the wall. Edgar, whose eyes fell on Francis, threw Nico away and grabbed Francis.
“Francis, what did you do to Lydia!?”
“E…Edgar...?”
“What does it mean when they said you attacked her?”
“He tried to kiss her.”
Because Nico said that, Edgar wrapped his arms around Francis’ neck out of reflex.
“Wa~h, that’s not me! I just encountered the demon and I was bitten when I was caught off-guard. That must be the demon who took on my form…!”
As he was about to be strangled, Francis defended himself desperately.
“Is that true?”
“It’s true! There’s no way I’d lay hands on Lydia right!?” 
Putting aside whether he should believe Francis, Edgar thought that more importantly, he should rush to Lydia’s side.
Pushing Francis to the side, Edgar dashed forth.
It was when he took a turn at the corner of a corridor. Someone jumped out from the shadows of a pillar. It was Lydia.
“Save me…”
Edgar caught her as she jumped straight into his arms. Both the slender shoulders and chamomile fragrance were his dearest Lydia’s. Edgar embraced her as if he was trying to confirm that.
“The demonic creature is over there!”
Even as she clung onto Edgar, Lydia pointed behind a door.
On the other side of the door which was left opened, was a woman collapsed on the floor. Edgar couldn’t see her face from where he was. But the hair which lay sprawled over the floor, was Lydia’s colour of sweet caramel; she was also wearing the same blue dress as the Lydia before him.
I see. The demon sucked Lydia’s blood.
“That thing, it attacked me.”
“Yeah, everything’s alright now.”
The white puppy was beside the collapsed Lydia. Crouching down, it cuddled close to her.
As Edgar watched that, he embraced Lydia closer to him with even more strength.
“I’m sorry. You must’ve been frightened right?”
“Yes, I was so frightened.”
Doing that, Edgar cast a glance towards Raven who caught up to him.
“Raven, bring Lydia to a safe place. Be careful. Don’t let anyone near her.”
They exchanged looks and Raven nodded. Edgar handed Lydia over to Raven, while smiling at her, in order to soothe her.
Lydia raised her voice, seemingly because her excitement still hadn’t subsided.
“Kill that thing. She attacked everyone you know. Wrap her up in chains and throw her into the sea!”
“Yes, I’ll do just that.”
Narrowing his ash mauve eyes coldly, Edgar muttered so. As he did that, he approached the Lydia who collapsed.
“Edgar, is that the female demon? Why is it unconscious? Did Lydia use a powerful charm or something?”
Francis peered towards them nervously from the doorway, but because Edgar had lifted her up in his arms so carelessly, Francis let out a ‘Wah.’
“It’s dangerous if she wakes up.”
“She’s Lydia. This here is Lydia.”
“Eh. But earlier, the one which Raven brought away…?”
“Raven understood my intention. He’ll keep the demon locked up.”
When Edgar looked at Lydia’s face up close, he was filled with strong feelings of affection. The feelings he had for the real Lydia, which he didn’t feel for the Lydia-lookalike demon, naturally swelled up in his chest.
My most important treasure.
He was so overwhelmed that it was painful.
Even though he felt that he couldn’t leave her now that they managed to reunite like this, Edgar thought that if it was for Lydia’s sake, he’d be able to make difficult choices, no matter how many times he needed to.
He gently wrapped her in his arms. He sensed that his wife’s body, which he had not held for a long time, felt slightly lighter, and he frowned at that.
“I want to let her rest.”
“Y… Yeah. There’s a bed in the small room over there.”
The room beside was a small bedroom. 
I made you go through a difficult experience. As Edgar placed the limp Lydia on the bed, he bore with the pain in his heart.
But she was an admirable Lady, more than what Edgar had imagined. She protected everyone on board the ship properly.
Francis said that she was considerate towards their friends and she dealt with the situation calmly. Thanks to that, things ended without him attacking Raven, no matter how reckless that was joked Francis.
“I was that crazed. But Lydia stopped me. Teran’s trying to take advantage of the darkness in people’s hearts. But it seems that method will not work against your wife.”
“That’s true. I have forgotten as well.”
Because Lydia was a girl with earnest feelings and who understood a person’s pain more than anything else, Edgar was saved by her.
“It doesn’t seem to be anything serious, but should I examine her just in case?”
Edgar nodded at Francis’ suggestion. Francis peered into Lydia’s face, then slowly and quietly placed his hand on her forehead. However, it was just a simple examination as that.
“There’s a wound on her neck. But she didn’t have too much blood sucked from her. The others are much paler than her so she should recover soon enough.”
Relieved, Edgar pulled a chair over and sat by the bedside.
“Well then, I’ll go and take a look at the other patients.”
“Francis.”
Francis turned around, and Edgar asked him the fundamental question which he held since earlier.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I appeared here?”
“I do want to ask, but do you know?”
“No, not at all.”
“I feel like I know. Both Lydia and you are bonded to each other. No matter how far you two are apart.”
In the end, it seemed like this wasn’t Francis’ doing either. If so, what was it then? Edgar wondered if it was really because Lydia and he were bonded together.
The white puppy entered the room as Francis left. As he watched it, Edgar suddenly realized.
Didn’t this dog appear? From the time when he wished for a bond with Lydia, as if it was a symbol of that.
“You… Did you chase the female demon away and save Lydia? It was also you who brought me here right?”
In exchange for answering Edgar’s question, the puppy changed its appearance slowly.
It turned into a light green-coloured lion.
That colour of oily green, closely resembled the green gem which appeared on Edgar’s finger unbeknownst to him.
The lion moved slowly and laid down beside Edgar, as if it was submitting to him.
“Who are you?”
The lion did not answer.
(It seems to be a fairy which belongs to Ibrazel.)
Edgar heard Arrow’s voice.
“Arrow, you’re here? Why didn’t you return?”
(My apologies. Although I came here using Bow as a mark, seas are difficult places for fairies as well, so I wasn’t able to return.)
“Were you hiding because you were afraid of the female demon?”
Perhaps even now, Arrow was guarding against the female demon which whereabouts were unknown, for it did not reveal its fully silver body and Edgar could only hear its voice.
(For the time being, I had been flying around nearby to try and find a path back. I had just hurried back because the ship started moving.)
That reeks of an excuse, but whatever, thought Edgar.
“What’s more important is this guy. Its true form is not a dog but a lion?”
(I wonder. Bow said that you two decided on its form.)
What does that mean? The puppy may be a form Edgar wished for, but if so, did that mean that Lydia wished for its form as a lion?
However, Edgar wondered why it was a lion.
As he mulled over it, Edgar’s eyes suddenly caught Lydia’s arm. She was wearing a bracelet he wasn’t familiar with. He wondered why she was wearing a bracelet, given that she rarely did so.
Edgar’s eyes were fixed on it. Then, it suddenly dawned on him.
It was of the same gem as his ring.
(That bracelet is made from serpentine which was mined in Ibrazel. It’s said that this gem was used for Ibrazel’s gatepost; it’s the gatekeeper’s gem.)
Though Arrow said that, it was probably the moonstone Bow who knew that, rather than it who was just born.
(The earl of the past made a bracelet out from the same gem as the gatepost and gifted it to the King of England. It seemed that the Queen had entrusted the Lady with this, at the time when she was heading for Ibrazel. She was being entrusted as the representative of the Queen, the ruler of Ibrazel.)
Is that so? The Queen thought of Ibrazel’s role much more importantly than Edgar had expected.
“Meaning that this lion is the bracelet’s fairy?”
(No, it’s a fairy of the gatepost’s gem itself. Its form as a lion is probably created by you and the Lady.”
Putting aside the puppy, because Edgar himself never had the image of a lion come to him, he could only tilt his head to the side. It may be an image conjured by just Lydia.
“Still, is it alright for the gatekeeper to leave Ibrazel?”
(I don’t really know, My Lord, but that has been by your side since before. Unbeknownst to us, it had created the cage which locks up Prince’s memories. Wouldn’t it be natural to consider that the Earl had brought it out when she left Ibrazel and locked the gate?)
If that’s the case, then it’d mean that the last earl, Gladys Ashenbert, had brought it out from Ibrazel.
And so, if it’s by Edgar’s side…
(One other thing which I also know, is that the things of the Blue Knight Earl’s family, be it the gems or the fairies, would change at the hearts of you and the lady. I too was born as a new being as your Arrow. The gatekeeper fairy as well; at the same time as it symbolizes the happiness of both of you as a puppy, it also symbolizes a ruler as a lion. It’s a natural turn of events that it obtained that form.)
Arrow spoke of a ruler because lions are a symbol of the English royal family.
But currently, Edgar and the others were dragged into the confrontation between the two royal families.
Did it represent the earl family as the Queen’s retainer? Or Ibrazel under the control of Prince?
Edgar wondered which royal family their future would belong to.
The image Lydia envisioned was undoubtedly the Queen’s lion and of course, Edgar too intended to be the Queen’s retainer. But he wondered if things would remain as it was forever, without the image of that lion being replaced.
“I will not devote myself to Prince’s lion. You should know my unchanging heart.”
As if he was telling himself that, Edgar murmured to the lion laying down beside him. Edgar did not know whether it understood him, for it watched Edgar intently.