Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 14 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 ♦ ​The island where the Prophet sleeps

The Hebrides islands were said to be made up of nearly five hundred large and small islands; with regards to the border, it was very extensive.
Lydia followed after Father and Patrick, spending several days travelling until they finally arrived offshore of some island of the Hebrides. Hearing that the place that her mother lived in was another dozen miles north made Lydia dizzy.
Lydia and her father rushed to arrive at the McKeel clan head’s mansion just before sunset, where they were taken directly to the guestrooms so that they could rest a little.
It seemed like they would have to wait until dinner to talk to the clan head.
Father sat down in a chair, taking his glasses off to wipe them on his cuff while looking over at Lydia.
“Are you tired from the long journey? Take a good rest before dinner.”
Lydia shook her head, as she did not feel tired. Right now, Edgar was definitely caught up in a more difficult situation. Probably because she was always worrying about him, she felt considerably tense.
“Father, I’m sorry you had to accompany me to this place.”
“How could I leave you alone here? The university happens to be on summer break, and besides, going on a journey is not so painful for me.”
As long as it was to gather ore her father would always go, even if there was no decent means of transportation at the destination. Only this time the purpose was not to collect ore, it was an unexpected trip for her father too.
“But you and Mother had eloped, and now you have to meet her relatives because of me......”
Her father must have felt very awkward.
“This isn’t your fault, this is mine and Aurora’s responsibilities as your parents.”
Father said firmly, smiling comfortingly at Lydia.
“We don’t regret it at all, so you don’t need to worry about troubling the McKeel family.”
Lydia nodded firmly.
She had only been thinking about being able to help Edgar, and rushed here without any further thoughts.
“However, I actually didn’t expect to feel nostalgia. As soon as I recalled that this place was where your mother and I met, perhaps I myself also wanted to come back once more.”
Her father got up and headed towards the window and Lydia looked outside immediately after.
In the distance, there were only endless mist-covered peaks, with no buildings or figures in sight.
They hadn’t seen any homes on their way here, although they would occasionally see abandoned house-like buildings, there was no farmland nearby, only areas with long green grass where flocks of sheep were raised.
From this window, however, there were no flocks of sheep visible, possibly because of the more rocky terrain.
“Father, is Mother’s homeland like this too?”
“There is one difference. The mountains can’t be seen there, and the wind is particularly strong. However, when I looked at the sky with your mother at the time, it was the same as the atmosphere here.
“In any case, the landscape feels somewhat desolate.”
“I heard that there continues to be a poor harvest here, and the summer weather is nastier and colder than before, which is probably the reason for it.”
Indeed, the clouds hang low making it particularly chilly. It wasn’t only today that the sun could not be seen.
The furnace had been lit in advance, keeping the mansion warm.
“But the situation doesn’t seem so bad as what we’ve heard previously, isn’t there still a grassy hill near the harbor? There is plenty of lush grass on the south side of the hill, and there are also newly built houses. It appears to be full of vitality.”
“That is the land that was taken away by outsiders.”
There was a man wearing a traditional Scottish kilt standing by the doorway. This young man whose head was full of conspicuous red hair and a lively personality was Fergus McKeel.
When this clan head’s son saw Lydia for the first time in London, he very discourteously said that Lydia was his fiancée, yet now, he grinned at Lydia and her father.
Professor Carlton, I didn’t expect that I would see you here, your visit is most welcome.”
“I don’t plan on marrying Lydia off to you.”
Father gave him a warning. Fergus shrugged his shoulders.
“I heard it from Patrick. That guy omitted the condition of marriage to obtain the assistance of Miss Lydia. Honestly, he’s basically trampling on my feelings.”
Fergus voluntarily sat down in the chair, as if he wanted to hang out in Lydia and her father’s room.
“But you can rest assured, I will do everything I can to help Lydia, you came here in order to save your fiancé, right?”
He seemed to have already know everything about the situation.
Seeing Fergus not intending to persistently court her, Lydia sincerely breathed a sigh of relief.
“You said ‘taken away by outsiders’, what does that mean? Didn’t you say it just then?”
Lydia sat by the table.
“Oh that? The outsiders fancied the comparatively finer land of the island and then bought it all, thus our livelihood became poorer.”
“Why did the land have to be sold?”
“Because of continued poor harvest, even if they borrowed money nothing could be done, the landlord had to give up the land. The clan couldn’t support all the landlords and farmers who lost their properties, so there are constantly people leaving the island. Small towns and villages have also disappeared immediately afterward.”
Having said that, Fergus suddenly formed a solemn expression.
“The outsiders are raising sheep, because it’s the easiest way to make money. They have turned the suitable farming land into a pasture, then we farmed on the barren land, barely making a living. Regardless of which clan, the situation was all the same.”
The changes on the islands were unable to be completely understood at first glance, but it seemed to drive out the people who established their livelihood here centuries ago.

“Above all, it was especially serious three years ago, as there were many people who died because they couldn’t survive the winter.”
The head of the clan said this at dinner.
Gathered in the dining room were the important figures among the clan, but Lydia wasn’t clear about the situation in detail.
Almost all of the men were wearing formal Scottish kilts and had long beards, therefore everyone looked very much alike. Lydia just barely knew that the one sitting in the centre was the clan head. Fergus was beside him, and Patrick sat at the very end.
“Excuse me... I heard that many people died in the village that Aurora used to live in, was it during that time?”
Father asked.
“Yes, but rather than saying it was a famine, it would be better to say that the village was actually destroyed by sluaghs. Just because the clans were related to fairies, they were targeted by the Unseelie Court.”
“I remember Aurora’s younger brother was the village head at that time and he had also passed away.”
The clan head’s wife stated.
“The survivors had immigrated to other places and that village no longer exists.”
The heavy atmosphere surrounded the area. Although Lydia scooped up soup, she did not drink it.
Bang.... The sound of Fergus’ seat colliding with the table reverberated.
After the surrounding people watched him say “I’m sorry”, he continued on with his meal, not thinking much of it. Laughter came out one after another.  As if taking this as a signal, everyone finally noticed that it was meal time now and began to move. Lydia saw this and drank a mouthful of soup, relieved.
As soon as their gazes met, Fergus revealed a faint smile to her.
“Even so, we have already lived here for several centuries, regardless of what we ate or wore, it was all obtained from this land, but it’s the first time encountering such a severe situation. Unseelie Court will appear every night, snatching the lives of humans, livestock, crops, and various life forms.”
“Excuse me, the sluaghs won’t harm the foreigners?”
Lydia raised the question, and the person who replied was Fergus.
“It’s just that the outsiders haven’t realized it. The workers they hire would keep changing, and they won’t live here for a while; if the domestic animals become weak, they would immediately buy new ones. At any rate, the obvious effects that emerged began after the livestock ate the grass on the islands these several years.”
“The other clans on the island are also unable to understand the effect that the fairy magic caused, many of the island’s various deeply rooted traditions were abandoned in the past hundred years.”
Father nodded. He had asked the question in place of Lydia and so she slightly tilted her head.
“Yes, Lydia you should know Prince Charles Edwards’ rebellion, right? Because many of the Highland’s soldiers stood with the Prince, Britain’s management of the Highlands was quite strict afterwards.”
Prince Charles... That’s right, Prince’s organization originated from that war.
Lydia noticed the connection with Prince and the Highlands again, so she was very startled.
It’s because of this that Patrick would know of the Prince’s existence, therefore Prince also sensed a crisis impending on the Prophet.
“The Highland’s peculiar culture from the past was banned, and traditional kilts couldn’t be worn, but now it’s already been settled.”
Fergus added:
“The so-called traditions once gone can never again return. Only the McKeel clan is now left to continue on maintaining the dealings of the past between humans and fairies.”
The clan head’s sharp gray eyes turned towards Lydia.
“So, we can only choose to protect this island from the hands of the Unseelie Court.”
“Why would the Unseelie Court have such formidable strength?”
Does nobody prevent it? Lydia looked inquiringly at the people around the table, then the clan head replied to her question.
“Our opinion is unanimous, that the possibility is related to the Prince of Calamity beginning to act.”
Sure enough, the problem came from that “Prince”.
Lydia remained silent, intending to be a listener.
“It’s just as Professor Carlton said, during Prince Charles Edward’s rebellion, there were many Highlanders supporting him. Perhaps they believed that at least he was the Prince of the Stuart Family, as well as a Scottish royal, and would be more suited as their king compared to the Hanover family from Germany, who assumed post as the United Kingdom’s king. But supporters here in the Highlands were divided into two factions; us Highlanders originally thought the Scottish royal family was merely a foreign king.”
The clan head was quietly and carefully forming these words.
“However, the Prince was an extremely charismatic figure, and because of it, the Highlanders greatly admired him. I think you all already know, the one that was said to support the United Kingdom on the surface, yet secretly sheltering Prince Charles, who lost the war and fled to France, is a powerful clan living in the Hebrides.”
Father nodded, and Lydia felt as if she also heard this before.
“The problem lies after that. Unwilling to give up, the United Kingdom tracked down the rebels and kept the Highlands under strict supervision, and along with the rebels’ loyalty towards the Stuart royal family, they wanted to fight back. The subset of people dreaming to retake the throne and prevail began to gather. They began to plan revenge on the royal British family and it involved the use of occult like magic methods.”
They were gradually approaching the main subject, but even so, the clan head still spoke with a consistent tone, continuing on without a change in his feelings.
“I don’t know all the details, but it was said that Prince Charles had an illegitimate child. They considered that child as the new prince, and revered him as the heir to the throne.”
“But even if he was really the flesh and blood of the Prince, he had no rights to the throne by succession.”
Father spoke, to which the clan chief nodded and raised an objection.
“In any case, they were not a group of normal people. Since they used black magic, how can they casually use it? Wouldn’t there be laws relating to the use of it? As long as they believed that the child was Prince Charles’s illegitimate child, then it was enough.”
“Indeed, what you said isn’t wrong.”
The clan head looked towards Patrick, as the following subject ought to have something to do with magic.
Patrick stood up in order to continue the topic.
The fairy doctor of the McKeel family was amongst that group of rebels. He used knowledge related to Unseelie Court, which was passed down from the clan and had always been deemed taboo, and granted an infant magic.”
“Magic...?”
Patrick looked at Lydia who mumbled.
“It’s a magic that’s able to make someone proficient in Unseelie Court magic and become their leader. Because the person who was granted magic wasn’t an adult who could distinguish right from wrong, but rather an innocent child, that child was probably raised into a monster who couldn’t understand love and was without conscience.”
Lydia felt a shiver go up her spine.
“That child is the existence called the Prince of Calamity.”
This was the kind of person who had tortured Edgar to this day.
“The McKeel family gambled on the clan’s reputation to look for that fairy doctor, and then arrested him. That man was finally executed. He was the only one who knew the secrets of the Unseelie Court, so the precious knowledge that was imparted to us was lost following his death.”
Patrick stood in the position of a fairy doctor, and seemed to feel awfully sorry about this.
Having knowledge related to fairies was a fairy doctor’s weapon, especially when encountering Unseelie Court. Especially knowledge in relation to the Unseelie court, then that reason alone was enough to protect oneself from it, if one were to have the knowledge of evil magic.
Be that as it may, Unseelie Court were never close with humans in the past, so their magic and characteristics were a mystery. Nearly all of the fairy doctors only knew a little bit about the way to respond when encountering an Unseelie Court.
On the other hand, if humans could manipulate Unseelie Court magic and abuse it, then it would create a serious situation; this was an indisputable fact. Because of this, even if there was a fairy doctor on earth who knew this secret art, they would only cautiously convey this knowledge to a few people.
“The Prince’s organization couldn’t be captured?”
“They escaped. In the end, we only know two things; the Prince of Calamity and his organization made a contract with the Unseelie Court, and is using fairy magic to plan vengeance against the United Kingdom. It is said that the organization’s stronghold is here in the Hebrides.”
The people here didn’t know that the Prince’s organization was stockpiling funds in the United States and gradually preparing the plan for revenge.
But Lydia felt that she shouldn’t speak of the matters relating Edgar to the Prince’s organization. Likewise, they probably don’t intend on completely trusting Lydia without reservations.
“They must be treating this place as a stronghold, right?”
This is the birthplace of the Prince of Calamity; its association with him is deep compared to other places. Perhaps the Unseelie Court felt the Prince’s reserved power on standby, only then would they gather on this island. If the Prince calls them, they will most likely assemble here from all over Britain.”
Their numbers may exceed by far the Unseelie Court that the Prince gathered at London Bridge previously.
But Lydia was still able to remain calm, because she had heard that the Prince had died.
The person calling for the Unseelie Court should have already passed away, but the Unseelie Court gathering on the island autonomously was enough to cause grief to the residents.
“Then, can the Prophet really withstand the Prince of Calamity?”
Patrick looked at the clan head, who answered the question.
“The Prophet, who lies dormant in the holy swamp, will wake up and rescue us one day. This is a very old legend, and no one knows how long it’s been passed down for. And it is purely a legend so we do not have any clues to be able to determine whether it is true or false.”
“However, another of the McKeel clan’s fairy doctors who was proficient at the time, thought of accumulating power that opposed the Prince and covering it up as a legend to prevent it from being discovered by the Prince’s organisation.”
Patrick took over and continued the subject once more.
“In order to not let the fairy doctor, who inherited the secrets of the Unseelie Court, head down the wrong path, the McKeel family had someone in charge of safeguarding them; that person was the one who of course voluntarily became the Prophet.”
“Since he was able to act as the watchman, was the person who became the Prophet more powerful than the one who inherited the secrets of the Unseelie Court?”
“I heard that in terms of ability, the most outstanding fairy doctor would be able to inherit those secrets.  Another person would only have the ability to beat him, it’s plausible that he possesses some other special ability that can withstand fairy magic.”
“That man is asleep in the sacred land, right?”
“He obtained the Aurora fairies’ assistance, and planned to introduce fairy blood into the McKeel branch families. You and your mother are both descended from the families that the Prophet chose.”
Aurora fairies are Aurora spirits, and are also fairies of light who drive away the darkness. Perhaps in order to withstand the Unseelie Court, he selected advantageous fairies and made a contract.
Originally, there ought to have been many humans who were able to awaken the Prophet, after all, the outset of this plan was in order to have the people with this ability not disappear.  However, because everyone was related and lived in nearby villages, the bloodline was cut off.
Apart from Mother, who abandoned the island and eloped at a distant place.
This was such an ironic matter. Lydia felt this to some extent as she and her father looked at each other.
“However, Mr McKeel, Lydia and Aurora aren’t the same -- she’s my daughter, and so the fairy blood in her body should be very faint. If it happens that she has an insufficient amount of fairy blood, wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
Father took a cautious approach.
“There won’t be danger, the Unseelie Court are unable to enter the sacred land, and I will also go with her.”
It was not the clan leader who asserted this, but Patrick.
“I will go as well. Father, is that alright?”
Fergus spoke up, but the clan leader frowned.
“Fergus, you cannot enter the sacred land so you won’t be able to help at all.”
Patrick spoke over the next clan head nonchalantly.
“However, in order to not let anyone get in the way, someone will be required to keep watch outside. Father, please let me command the clan’s soldiers.”
“It’s only logical that we need someone to guard the ritual, but it will be decided later who will go.”
“Aren’t I Lydia's second fiancé?”
“Miss Carlton is just helping us this time and nothing more. She isn’t the Prophet’s fiancée, and has nothing to do with you, isn’t that right, Professor Carlton? ”
The clan head sought Father’s approval.
“Yes...... that’s right, Lydia has a fiancé already.”
The point of them not letting Fergus come in anyway made Lydia to somewhat mind, but she thought this shouldn’t be a big problem.
At this moment, the dining hall’s windows shook and reverberated unusually. Rather that saying it was the sound of wind, it was more of a buzzing-like vibration.
After that, the glass cracked open, and something flew into the room.
Something like a sphere of light became the appearance of a human that crouched on the ground, with it’s long orange hair emitting a faint glow.
“Brian...?”
Half of his appearance maintained the stance of a fairy, his hair fluttering despite the lack of wind and his body glowing slightly.
Several people stood up to help Brian to his feet.
Patrick ran over immediately, as if to say something to Brian secretly.
Lydia stood up hastily.
“Brian... are you alright? Where’s Edgar? You guys weren’t together? What‘s going on?”
She ran over and grabbed hold of Brian as she asked.
“Lydia...”
He raised his head and opened his mouth, but seemed have no strength.
“Let’s ask later, he needs to rest first.”
“He’s okay, right? Please, tell me!”
Lydia leaned forward, despite Patrick blocking her.
“Yeah...... he’s still alive......”
As Brian was brought out of the dining hall, his shoulders supported on both sides, these were the only words Lydia heard from him.
Afterwards, Lydia had finally gotten news that Edgar was still in the enemies’ hands, Brian escaped after much difficulty, and that the Prince’s subordinates had already come to the island in order to take the Prophet’s life, yet no one gave her more detailed information.

                                                                                                                        *

Outside the window was the grey sea underneath the gloomy skies and the vast horizon with distant scenery that couldn’t be seen clearly. Even the horizontal line had unknowingly fused together subtly with the sky’s colors.
There were islands of the outer Hebrides on the other side of the sea; the Prophet was asleep on the island where Lydia’s mother once lived.
Edgar pondered while gazing into the distance, where no silhouettes of the islands of the inner Hebrides could be seen.
This was an isle located in the Hebrides, and although Edgar arrived here with Brian via the fairy passage, Brian took advantage of the rift and escaped.
At first, Edgar did not think that Brian would be continuing to travel with him, so him escaping was an inevitable matter.
Upon entering the small town, he could not bind him or threaten him with the sword while walking.
It’s just that he wanted Arrow to chase after Brian and confirm the direction he went in, but in the end, Brian, who was afraid, turned into a fairy and flew past the passage. Arrow said that because he was half human, flying in the human world would be very strenuous.
Arrow didn’t enter the McKeel clan’s territory where Brian escaped to, so he turned back. That place seemed to be filled with magic that made it difficult for outsider fairies to trespass.
Arrow said that Edgar needed to take the sword with him or else he will not be able to intrude into that place alone no matter what. In any case, the situation turned out like this.
“Lord Edgar, the Connaught clan head asked whether or not you were alright with the long distance journey.”
Raven informed him, as he came over to his side. Edgar had just finished breakfast so it was the perfect timing.
This was Mr. Connaught’s mansion. Edgar was originally planning to head to the Hebrides, but he also prepared to visit Mr. Connaught at that time. Although it was a little ahead of time, after Brian had escaped, Edgar headed to the Connaught clan and arrived in the small town last night.
The Connaught clan head had of course been very welcoming to Edgar.
“Ah, that’s good. We can go and take a look at his land.”
“Then I will go and ask them to prepare.”
As Raven spoke, he noticed the sword standing upright against the chair.
“Arrow has returned.”
“Yes, it seems that Brian returned to the McKeel clan. Furthermore, there is another important matter.”
Raven watched Edgar intently.
“Lydia has already gone to the McKeel home in the outer Hebrides, Arrow said that he sensed Lydia’s engagement ring nearby.”
“As expected, Patrick......”
“Yes, he probably fooled Lydia cleverly and took her to the McKeel home, planning to make her go to the Prophet.”
If the matters were as Brian said, then Lydia’s lifespan will decrease as long as the Prophet awakens. Concerning this point, Lydia ought to have not been informed.
“We must stop this.”
“Yes.”
He was itching to break into the McKeel home at present and take Lydia away. As long as the full moon passes, they would have to wait another nineteen years to wake the Prophet.
By that time, the situation on the island and the McKeel clan’s troubles may change, and the chance of them needing Lydia should also be reduced.
However, there was also a chance that the Prophet may wake up of his own accord, and since the McKeel’s crisis was imminent, this possibility was higher.
During that time, the Prophet would surely think of a way to obtain Lydia and seize Edgar’s life.
He needed to bury the prophet before it awoke, or else it will be difficult so he could only bet on the opportunity of the full moon at night.
He cannot rush things.
In order to solve the surrounding problems one by one, maintaining friendly relations with the Connaught clan head was very important.
Edgar calmed his emotions as he left the room.

Mr. Connaught was very pleased that Edgar had come to the island so promptly. In order to maintain the clan’s livelihood, he needed to obtain funds as soon as possible, and nothing was better than gold to aid in the plan emerging sooner than expected.
He and Edgar rode along together, during the introduction of the islands and the spectacular view. The scenery was quite good; the more he saw the wilderness and rocky hills that lacked the signs of human intervention, the more he was able to sense the relentlessness of nature.
In fact, it was clearly early summer now, but even if farmland was seen, there were only crops grown in poor conditions within. Mr Connaught stated that there will be very poor harvest this year as well.
“The only harvestable crops are potatoes, I don’t know if we’ll be able to get through winter this year.”
Despite him happily receiving Edgar as a visitor, patrolling his own land still affected his mood sure enough.
“Only the grazing sheep seem to be thriving, how is the situation in that aspect? I heard that the price of wool is very high now.”
“Ah, almost all of the sheep are owned by outsiders, we couldn’t destroy the farmland and village like them and convert it into a sheep husbandry. We aren’t like them, where as long as the workers have a place to live then it’s fine. The clan still has women, children, and elders; for us, the food and residence that allows the clan to survive cannot be given up.”
“Indeed, when becoming head of the clan, one shouldn’t be purely obsessed with making money like a businessman.”
Edgar nodded sympathetically.
“We cannot make money unless we have a considerable amount of wool, and if the farmland is lost, many farmers will lose their jobs. Many farmers have already had their land taken away by outsiders, thus they had no other choice but to leave the island. ”
He was unable to change the current situation, and so he came to London in order to seek financial aid. But Edgar was unable to provide assistance in a situation without prospect.
“Mr. Connaught, you ought to understand, right? If you don’t make some changes and loyally keep everything the same, then it will be very difficult for me to lend a hand. If it’s hard for the clan to be self-sufficient, it must produce something that can be sold outside of the island.”
“However, the reason why outsiders can earn money via sheep husbandry is because they are able to process the wool into fabric. Even if we increase the number of sheep, we can only sell the wool for a cheap price.”
“That’s right, just sheep husbandry is meaningless. You need to add additional value to the sheep first. Even without mass production, as long as there is value, you can make a good sale.”
Mr. Connaught lifted his head slightly, as if he had felt a glimmer of hope. Edgar rode forward slowly while discussing alongside him.
“As long as you purchase a loom and produce woollen fabric in the clan, then you will be able to make better sales compared to selling wool. You guys already possess traditional weaving techniques, as long as you can increase the production rate, people will have work. Do you know how many people in the city want new fabrics? They want to wear both comfortable and beautiful clothing that no one else is wearing.”
“That is...... Earl, could you please assist us in this aspect?”
“I said from the beginning that I would be willing to provide assistance, because I want to preserve the good old traditions.”
Edgar gave an elegant smile.
The Connaught clan head’s blushed as looked at Edgar. He was completely charmed.
He should have not minded earlier that Edgar was too young.
So long as he could move the hearts of people just a little, Edgar knew exactly how to urge them to take action.
“But I have one condition. Rest assured, it’s nothing difficult, but it’s merely because of some personal affairs that I would like to ask for your help.”
“As long as it is something I can help with, I will be sure to do my utmost.”
He agreed without any objections, seemingly more worried about Edgar changing his mind rather than the details of the condition.
“You know of the McKeel clan, right? ”
“Yes, of course. Our clan has land at the outer Hebrides, and those regions are adjacent to the McKeel clan’s land. ”
“Then your clans have been neighbours and have been corresponding since the beginning?”
“Well, you could say that. If it’s there are clans on the island, the different clan heads will know each other, it’s just that the McKeel clan is somewhat individualistic.”
“Yes, I also get the impression that they’re quite odd. Their behaviour towards me in the past was somewhat rude.”
Edgar felt that the Connaught clan head’s dubious feelings towards the McKeel clan, so he deliberately used negative words.
“Yes... it was said that they were a bit separated from reality since the beginning, and recently they have said that the poor harvest was due to the Sluaghs.”
It seemed that Mr Connaught was relatively able to speak the truth.
“Sluaghs?”
“I heard that they are departed spirits that linger in the night, the dreadful fairies that everyone on the island knows of......”
He was afraid of fairies. But he probably knew that speaking openly about fairies was immature, thus he spoke of it hesitatingly.
“I don’t dislike the topic of fairies, you mustn’t forget that I am the Earl of Ibrazel.”
After Edgar spoke frankly, Mr Connaught gave a smile of relief.
“Yes, that was disrespectful of me... to speak bluntly, the McKeel clan have passed down many anecdotes about getting close to the fairies, they believe that their family’s ancestors first came from the country of the Aurora borealis.”
I see, Edgar mumbled.
It was the same as what Brian had said. There were only three human clans proficient in fairy magic, the McKeel clan was the last survivor.
“Um... having said that, Earl, what is happening with the McKeel clan?”
“Well, in fact...... to put it simply, the son of the McKeel clan head has feelings for my fiancée, so I am a bit troubled.”
“Indeed, that will not do.”
“I must protect my fiancée’s reputation, and for this reason, I hope that you will help me.”
“Of course, it would be a great honor for us to be able to help you and your fiancée.”
Mr. Connaught readily assured him.
At any fate, everything had been progressing according to Edgar’s plan so far.
What should be done next? Edgar thought quickly.
Although he could only look at the situation while taking action, what was most necessary for now?
“Thank you very much. I have several things to ask for, but first could you please prepare a ship to head for the outer Hebrides?”
“That is not a problem at all."
“Furthermore, after arriving there, could you please look for a woman for me? I hope that she’s a clever, capable, and fearless woman, and if possible, I ask that you keep this confidential.”
“Lord Edgar.”
Raven, who followed behind at a distance, interrupted, seeming to not have much to add.
“What’s wrong?”
“.......No, it’s nothing.”
He spoke while looking away, discontent.

                                                                                                                      *

Lydia was able to directly speak with Brian, as it was already the next day.
Even when she wanted to visit him, Patrick would stop her, using the reason that he was unwell. Today, she glanced down at Brian from the windows walking alone, and so she hastily chased after him.
Lydia had finally caught up with him at the road ahead, by the long and continuous wooden fences.
“Brian!”
Hearing Lydia’s voice, he stopped.
“Call me onii-sama.”
He still wanted to continue playing the brother and sister game? Lydia thought this, but called him once more in order to accomplish his desires.
“Onii-sama, where are you going? Patrick had just said that you had fallen asleep, and so I couldn’t talk with you.”
“Ohh, that was because I didn’t want to be questioned constantly, so I didn’t want to see anyone. But Lydia is different, yet Patrick, that kid doesn’t understand.”
He laughed and took a step forward.
“But are you okay?”
“I’m fine already.”
Brian said that he did not want to be questioned constantly, but Lydia, who overtook him, wanted to ask questions, yet he walked alongside her without the slightest hesitation. Lydia did not say anything, so he spoke first.
“You wanted to ask about Edgar, right?”
Lydia nodded sincerely.
“Honestly, I’m not too sure about Edgar’s situation because he was confined in another place, but he’s truly still alive.”
Brian said smoothly. Lydia didn’t know at all that what he said was hastily covered up with the help of Patrick last night.
Although he was alive, he was confined. As Lydia thought this, she was anxious to the point of having difficulties breathing.
“What kind of person was the Prince’s subordinate?”
“I didn’t see their face, because I was surrounded by demon dogs.”
“Were Raven and Edgar together?”
“That valet-kun? Probably. Lydia, they will surely be saved. Doesn’t Edgar have a magic sword? Those guys want to use the sword to kill the Prophet, so if only Edgar uses the sword, they won’t harm him. ”
Lydia nodded. She didn’t spend any extra efforts pondering whether or not she was being deceived.
Brian arrived at a tower west of the mansion, opened the iron gate and went in.
This was an ancient tower, with stone steps extending upwards in a spiral.
“The scenery up top is very beautiful.”
Lydia sensed him inviting her, and followed him up the stairs.
Brian, afraid that she would slip, held out his hand. After Lydia grabbed his hand, her body suddenly felt light, and went up the stairs lightly, as if she grew wings.
Having this kind of feeling was probably an effect of the Aurora fairies’ magic, who fluttered in the sky.
“But Brian, if you escaped, the Prince's men don’t know where the sacred land is, so what are they going to do?”
Lydia asked as they walked.
“Those guys should know the place, but perhaps they’re not sure where the entrance is, which is safeguarded by magic, so they wanted to use me. But no matter what I do, a person without a predestined relationship to the sacred land cannot go in.”
“Is that so? Are you saying... that they cannot enter the inside of the sacred land, where the Prophet is located?”
“The sacred land is inside a stone circle, the Prince’s subordinates cannot enter, unless he himself sets out...... But they intend to use Edgar, so they are likely unaware of that. As long as the Prince himself doesn’t think of sneaking into the sacred land alone, they won’t be able to stop us.”
“The Prince himself can enter the sacred land? Why?”
Brian stopped and turned his head, as it was unknown when the stairs had ended.
As long as one approached the rectangular cutout window, the island’s scenery below would suddenly become wide, as if the admirer became a bird.
In the distance, there were mountain peaks with drifting fog, there was a bay deeply cut into the land ahead, and the houses everywhere looked smaller than dollhouses.
“I really like the scenery from here.”
Aurora fairies dwelled in higher places, so it was no surprise that Brian would say that.
“Right now, I can’t fly to such a high place, but the sacred land will be filled with magic on the next full moon, and the sky world will be closest to the ground. Even if I am half human, I should be able to become a full Aurora fairy and return to the sky. When the time comes, even this island will seemingly become very small.”
You could undoubtedly stay in the McKeel family as is. Although Lydia thought this, Brian had eventually inherited strong fairy traits, and his dreams of returning to the sky were very special to him.
“Lydia, a long time ago, Aurora fairies fell to the ground, on that mountain peak. It is said that the fairies who were attracted by the beauty of the islands and stayed there were the McKeel family’s ancestors.”
“Then everyone in the McKeel family is related to Aurora fairies?”
“Yes, we are all the same, regardless of how close our blood ties are.”
Brian bore hints of loneliness, but he smiled faintly, and then pointed to the most prominent mountain peak.
“The sacred land is at the other end of that mountain. It can be reached by flying straight from here, and below should be the swamp and the stone circles.”
Even if one can see it, not everyone can enter.
“About the Prince being able to enter...”
Brian seemingly remembered something as he replied to the question Lydia just asked.
“Because he was born on the sacred land.”
“What?!”
She once heard that the Prince had been born on the island, but she didn’t expect that it to be that place.
“However, that’s because people imbued the abilities of manipulating Unseelie Court magic into babies, right? Unseelie Courts can’t enter the sacred land, so how will he be able to manage?”
“The sacred land is an area where magic is strongest, that’s for sure. What’s special is that the region’s most sacred aura is concentrated there. However, the sacred land also has a shadow, the sacred stone circle’s shadow magic is linked together with light of the sacred land, like two sides of a coin. That is where the Prince of Calamity was born.”
“....Even so, Brian, that was one hundred years ago, the Prince born at the time doesn’t exist anymore.”
“The Prince’s successor is the same as the person himself.”
The successor should also have died, and the remaining members of the organization would have no way of entering the sacred land.
“If they cannot get in, those guys will lie in ambush outside, and try to use Edgar to kill the Prophet when he comes out. But as long as the Prophet awakens, regardless of whether Edgar is threatened or manipulated by those guys, we can save him.”
Brian’s tone was very flat, as if he was narrating a script that someone taught him, but Lydia’s heart only relaxed at the point where Edgar could be saved.
She nodded strongly, as she felt motivated.
The wind blew as Lydia and Brian who were standing side by side, making their hair flutter.
The handkerchief in Brian’s breast pocket was almost blown away, Lydia quickly grabbed hold of it, bursting into laughter.
“It was nearly going to fly away.”
“That’s......”
Brian suddenly had a complex expression. Lydia found she had seen the handkerchief before.
“Is this... Edgar’s handkerchief....?”
“Ah, I was bitten by demon dogs, and Edgar tried to help me stop the bleeding.”
Brian was illuminated by the sun, so the wound that was originally flowing with blood had disappeared, and the handkerchief didn’t have a drop of blood.
“I’ll return it to you, because I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to see him again.”
He wanted to return to the sky, so even if Edgar was rescued, there wasn’t a chance for them to meet again. Lydia interpreted it like this, thus she nodded frankly.
Brian hurriedly looked away from the handkerchief. Was it her imagination? Even so, this handkerchief, in Lydia’s eyes, was certainly a sign that she would be able to see Edgar again.
“He’s unexpectedly a good man, isn’t he?”
Lydia who did not know anything, said this easily.
“When he confronts onii-sama, perhaps there is some distrust, but he really values the people around me.”
Brian frowned, as if he felt pain somewhere, but then, as if reinvigorated, said with a laugh:
“You really like him.”
Lydia blushed, nodding her head in an honest and unprecedented manner.
“Don’t you think he’s arrogant and suspicious?”
“In the beginning, I really did think that. But although Edgar has gone through many difficult experiences,  it made him be able to change into a variety of different facades, but he truly is a very considerate person.”

Brian had once thought this during his childhood, if his sister was going to get married one day, and smile from the bottom of her heart, perhaps he would be a little lonely.  But at the same time, would he be able to influenced by her happiness?  
Since his sister lived in the human world, her fiancé must be human, but he expected the man to be a rough, outspoken, Highlander.
In reality however, it was entirely different.
He was an annoying English noble. If it was merely this, then it could be forgotten, but he was a man who was proficient in Unseelie Court magic, and could unexpectedly use a sword that could kill fairies; not only that, despite him seeming to bear some complicated circumstances, it was an undeniable fact that he was linked to the organization causing the Hebrides to get caught up in a crisis.
How could he bless this relationship?
However, it couldn’t be helped. Brian said to himself.
After all Lydia had never been his sister.
Although she clutched onto Edgar’s handkerchief, smiling shyly, he knew that she would never get a chance to return it.
Patrick was taking Lydia to the sacred land not to save Edgar. Edgar, who came in order to kill the Prophet, couldn’t enter the sacred land, and thus would be killed.
Lydia would probably hate the McKeel family. Even so, she was still a fairy doctor. As long as she was close with the Seelie Courts and retained a fondness for then, surely she would be willing to help the Prophet in order to protect the island.
Recognizing that she did not have much of a future, surely she would be even more desperate to complete the fairy doctor’s mission.
That was what Patrick thought.
However, because Brian knew Edgar and Lydia better than Patrick, he felt a bit doubtful, but he had to dispel these doubts.
Brian thought to himself, were their feelings for each other only to such a small extent?

“Hey, wait a minute.”
Someone called to Brian, he stopped at the side of the well. He had just returned from the tower to the mansion and had parted ways with Lydia.
Looking back, he saw Fergus standing there, hands crossed over his chest. His short red hair looked like a flame, was it because he was angry?
“Why do you want Lydia to call you ‘onii-sama’?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“Your sister died even without being exchanged with Lydia, isn’t that so?”
Brian’s family had all been killed by Unseelie Courts a year ago. He stayed at the clan head’s mansion in the human world, rarely speaking with anyone other than Patrick.
Nonetheless, news of the clan members living in the fairy would naturally be told to the clan head, and surely as the successor, he heard it from his father.
“It doesn’t matter. At any rate, she could have originally become my sister.”
“Huh? Don’t be stupid, you obviously believe that your sister was killed because of Lydia.”
The sentence suddenly opened up Brian’s wound, and he fell silent.
Sorrowful memories emerged from the depths of his heart. It was because Lydia’s mother --- Aurora refused to have her child exchanged and came to retrieve her daughter at the time that Brian’s sister had lost her future.
If she were able to grow up, she would have certainly been very beautiful and would discuss love, but she died before experiencing these things. In human years, she was just five years old at the time.
Brian jumped and seemed to step away, but Fergus blocked his way, standing in front of him.
“Hey, what’s going on in the end?”
“I don’t think it’s Lydia’s fault, if I had to say, it should be Aurora’s fault.”
“You really hate her.”
Brian turned to face Fergus and glared at him.
“So what....! My sister was born lacking fairy traits, her body was unable to adapt to the magic air that the fairy realm possessed. Up until that point, our clan once had such a child born, and at the time, as long as the child married in the human world and conducted an exchange then it was fine. This was an inevitable rule, but Aurora refused the exchange. Not only did she take Lydia away, but she also thought of a way to make us unable to act. If my sister was able to live in the human world, she would have been able to live much longer.”
“After the exchange, were you not able to meet with your sister...? In fact, the McKeel clan living in the fairy realm, apart from the time of conducting exchanges, they cannot make contact with the human world, isn’t that so?”
What he said was right. Brian had managed to escape from clutches of the Unseelie Court and was saved by Patrick. It seemed that he was a special case, as he was able to stay in the human world as a half-fairy.
He certainly knew that this was the clan’s rule, and understood that once his sister was exchanged, he would no longer be able to see her.
But even so... Brian clenched his fist.
“....I hoped that my sister was able to live. As long as I’m able to imagine her grown up as an adult now, as long as I can imagine her smiling happily in the human world, that would’ve been enough...!”
Brian really treasured his sister, who was unable to fly, and also spent most of her time bedridden.
Living in the world of fairies, even if one’s possessed pure human blood, their fairy traits would become stronger. Although the clansmen of the same race would become aware of their siblings,  they wouldn’t harbor special feelings for their kin. For Brian, even his parents were indifferent.
However, he and his sister felt each other’s blood connection, and he felt that she was an irreplaceable existence.
Perhaps they were similar. They were similar in that they couldn’t completely turn into fairies.
His younger sister had few similarities to fairies which made her feel lonely and act spoiled with him. Brian knew it was his duty as an older brother to take care of her, thus he was unable to receive human warmth within the fairy clan, and so he received warmth and satisfaction with this kind of feeling.
During that time, the McKeel clan in the human world didn’t have a child suited for the exchange, he could only watch his sister gradually become frail, so when Brian found out that the elders had discovered where Aurora was living, and heard that she had given birth to a child, he felt very happy for his sister.
“Lydia is healthy, she would have been able to survive even if she was in the fairy realm. Furthermore, if she was able to stay by our side, perhaps she could have awakened the Prophet earlier, perhaps our village would have not been destroyed by the Sluagh.”
It’s true that the separation was painful, but Brian thought that his sister could have been saved this way.
“Even if I hate her, so what? You’re the same, if Lydia didn’t become the Prophet’s fiancée, you wouldn’t be troubled!”
The feelings that he originally wanted to suppress burst forth once more.
Brian snarled at Fergus.
“I heard that you like her? Don’t forget that you’re just as guilty as me, you’re wanting to sacrifice Lydia for the clan too, isn’t that right?”
“Sacrifice?.... What do you mean? Hey, there are dangers in awakening the Prophet?”
Seeing Fergus surprised, Brian couldn’t help but laugh.
It turns out this boy doesn’t know anything. Even if Patrick confronted the clan head’s son given that he was troubled, it seemed that he was able to lie nonchalantly.
“Not really, why would there be anything dangerous?”
He answered with contempt and Fergus frowned more angrily.
“What kind of mischief are you and Patrick up to?”
“Mischief? If it wasn’t for your father’s permission, we wouldn’t be unable to change a single thing in the clan!”
After spitting these words out, Brian left, as if wanting to get rid of Fergus.
No one noticed the the shadow surrounding the stone wall of the well, as there was a grey tail that protruded and then quickly withdrew as if nervously retreating.