Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 25 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ♦ ​Heading for the lost kingdom

After the Earl family’s ship set off from Penzance, they arrived at the Isles of Scilly prior to sunset of that day.
The Isles of Scilly, which were located on the western part of Land’s End, was a very small archipelago. In the vast and prosperous little harbour that people couldn’t associate at all with the ancient country Lyonesse, Lydia and the others docked the ship and tied it.
In order to leave for Ibrazel, they had to pass through Lyonesse. The map left behind by the former Blue Knight Earl said as such.
Now, the kingdom within the legends had already sunk to the bottom of the ocean, leaving only the small archipelago, or the Isles of Scilly. However, Lydia and the others didn’t know where on the Isles of Scilly to go to.
It probably wouldn’t count to just pass through there. Somewhere on the Isles of Scilly, there might be something essential in order to reach the fairy kingdom, perhaps it was better to think this way.
The silver-blue haired fairy might know something pertaining to the fairy kingdom as well. Furthermore, the matter that she spoke of about the Blue Knight Earl looking after that place also had to be properly investigated. And of course, the bracelet had to be taken back as well.
And not only that, Lydia heard about Francis from Nico, which made her very concerned as well.
The matter of him meeting with Ermine in secret. Regarding the matter of Francis and that fairy knowing each other, on top of what Nico said, because Francis said that Lydia’s bracelet was the key to the fairy kingdom, it caused that fairy to appear once more and take the bracelet away.
Perhaps Francis deliberately made the fairy steal Lydia’s bracelet.
But this sort of thing couldn’t be discussed with another person. Even though Francis concealed a pile of matters, and it seemed to be a fact that he was scheming something, it still couldn’t be determined whether or not he was truly a traitor, or if he had another reason for doing so. So prior to confirming this point, she couldn’t cause a crisis of splitting up between companions.
Thus, Lydia slipped away from the bedroom at midnight, quietly following behind Francis with Nico.
After they reached St. Mary’s Island, which could be said to be the entrance of the Isles of Scilly, they anchored the ship there, planning to spend the night. After Nico informed Lydia that Francis secretly went out alone, they got off the boat.
Francis crossed through the dock and passed the narrow town, wandering around to the back of a remote cabin at the end. He was planning to ride a horse there, which had been tied up earlier.
This must have already been prepared prior to nightfall without doubt.
“Is that guy going to leave on horseback? Lydia, if that’s the case, there’s no way we can follow him. ”
“Yes, what should be done?”
“Did you want to interrogate him here?”
Would he be willing to tell the truth in that case?
Concealing herself within the shadows of the cabin, Lydia pondered. At this time, her shoulder was patted by someone. She nearly let out a sound. She covered her mouth with both hands and turned her head to look; Raven was standing there.
“I apologize, because I saw the two of you running out.”
Raven pulled the reins, bringing a horse over.
“You’ve done well, Raven. This is quite clever as a matter of fact.”
“Because I anticipated that Mr Francis might ride a horse.”
“You were aware that we were secretly following him?”
“Because I do not trust him at all.”
Raven asserted.
Under the illumination of the moonlight, Francis already mounted the horse and was on the verge of leaving.
“Hurry, it won’t be good if we lose him.”
“Mr Nico, please get on my shoulder.”
Making Lydia sit behind and Nico on his shoulder, Raven then kicked the stirrups and began to set off.
Passing through the thickets filled with rocks and gorse, Francis continued onward. Arriving at the seashore, the moonlight that passed through between the clouds dyed his silver hair, making his advancing silhouette seem unusually conspicuous.
The fairy from Lyonesse also had silver hair like that. It probably wasn’t the first time that Francis, who knew her, came here. Thus, he advanced ahead without the slightest hesitation.
Fortunately, Francis didn’t turn around to look back at all, and the sounds of the waves concealed the sound of the horse galloping.
“Hey Raven, do you know what Edgar thinks about Francis?”
“The Earl always got along with guys that had unique personalities, didn’t he?”
Nico said. Lydia thought so as well. However, since Raven didn’t trust him, Edgar probably didn’t completely trust Francis either.
“Lord Edgar often probed into his true intentions. Although he believed Francis was a friend and a very interesting person, he could sense that Francis was hiding something.”
Until this incident occurred, Lydia had never thought that Francis would have things to hide.
“I feel that I truly have been too reckless...... ”
“No, Lord Edgar said that even though he is hiding something, he ultimately isn’t someone who would betray us. If he believes in the fairy kingdom’s Earl family, then he probably wouldn’t do anything to harm Madam Lydia, the fairy doctor. Thus, I have been instructed to make you maintain a state of not suspecting him.”
“So that’s it.”
Lydia was protected at all times. She could sense the carefully guarded love that Edgar contained within it.
On the other hand, Edgar ought to have considered the possibility that Francis would eliminate the “Prince” for the sake of the Earl family. Even so, he still had Francis by his side.
Now, what intentions did Francis have towards Edgar in the end? Was Lydia truly capable of continuing to trust in him?
“St Mary’s island is quite vast!”
A fairly long time had already passed since they got on the horse. Based on the impression of looking at the island from the sea, one would think that this was an isle that could easily be circled around, but regardless of how they forged ahead inland, the approaching opposite coast could not be seen. 
“I heard that this is the largest island of the Isles of Scilly.”
Raven said.
“Although this is true, this really is too vast. The dock is on the northern side. But we’re clearly heading north, it will be terrible if we suddenly fall into the sea.”
Nico looked up at the sky, gazing at the rays of moonlight that faintly passed through the thin clouds.
“What’s going on?”
“How would I know.”
“Madam Lydia! That’s---”
Raven raised his voice, pointing to the top of the hill. While sensing an unpleasant odour floating, a large black hound appeared within their sight.
Several of them emerged from the shadows of the rocks.
“Black hounds!”
Up ahead, there were also several hounds chasing after Francis, and after he noticed, he immediately spurred the horse to full speed and left. The hounds that remained turned around and approached Lydia and the others. The unsightly red gaze surrounded them, treating them like prey.
Raven changed the horse’s direction and rode into the low thickets, trying to draw the hounds away.
However, they shuttled between the gaps of the thickets, while still surrounding them flawlessly.
“Hey, what should we do? We’ll be eaten if this goes on!”
“Abandon the horse.”
Raven made a quick decision.
“Will that work?”
“We can only pray!”
“Madam Lydia and Mr Nico, please grab onto me tightly.”
After tightly grabbing onto him in accordance with his words, Raven chose an area of lush meadow and flew down from the horse.
Because she fell to the ground in a way of being held tightly, Lydia barely felt an impact.
The horse continued running onward in this way. They withdrew their bodies, hiding in the underbrush and concealing their presence, as the hounds passed through, chasing after the horse.
After waiting until their surroundings were completely quiet, Lydia finally stood up.
“Raven, you’re okay, right? Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I am okay, but Mr Nico, he...”
“Hey--- hurry up and put me down.”
A voice could be heard coming through from above. Upon looking up, Nico could be seen hanging on the branch of a small tree.
After Raven helped him down from the tree, Nico tidied his crooked necktie, and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he still didn’t have the time to tidy his dishevelled fur.
“For the time being, we’ve been saved.”
“But we lost sight of Mr Francis.”
“That can’t be helped. Hey, there’s a light over there, let’s go and have a look.”
Now, they were quite far from the town. They didn’t know where they were now, but there was also a possibility that the demon dogs would reappear as well.
If a house was nearby, they had to rest there first until dawn at this rate.  Lydia began to walk over to that side.
Coming close to take a look, she discovered that it was a small church. The cabin-like plain structure had a cross placed on top.
Peeking inside the chapel, although there was no sign of anyone, a lamp was lit. Could it have been left behind intentionally in order to maintain the church’s light for the entire night?
“Is no one there?”
“Do we stay here until dawn for the time being?”
“Yes, there are a lot of black demon dogs outside, so it’s quite dangerous at night. If it’s a church, Unseelie Courts can’t enter.”
Just as this was said, the inside door opened with a creaking sound. A middle aged pastor came in. It was because he heard the voice of Lydia and the others.
“This late at night, is….is there anything wrong?”
“I apologize, we have lost our way.”
The priest revealed an expression of slight disbelief.
“You successfully came ashore from this island? Because it is controlled by demons, it is impossible to go back and forth between the other islands. The villagers that escaped from the demons all came to take refuge in this church, we’ve been barely living a life of self-sufficiency.”
Lydia and the others glanced at each other. They also heard about these kinds of islands. Due to the dominance of the Unseelie Court, the ships were unable to approach.
It was an island of no return not only to humans, but even to fairies as well. Lydia and the others appeared to have unwittingly come to this island. 
“Um, could it be that this place isn’t St Mary’s island? We came from that port.”
“No, this is Cypress island.”
“However, we didn’t take the ship.”
The pastor still had an expression of disbelief, but he wasn’t surprised at all; instead, he nodded as if he was saying “this sort of thing has happened as well.”
“Then, you guys ought to have come ashore from Lyonesse.”
“Hey...... Lyonesse is a nation that sank a long time ago, right? But I heard that this place is a part of Lyonesse that remains as a hilltop above sea level.”
“That’s right. However, the continent known as Lyonesse is like an afterimage covering these islands. Therefore, the people who stumble upon Lyonesse and not the isles of Scilly due to something that made them come, all the islands that are connected can be seen as a continent. I also heard this tale when I came here. Legend has it that there was a traveler who had his hat stolen by a fairy living in Lyonesse, and he was able to pass through the islands on foot. It might have been because his hat was brought to Lyonesse, so he himself became able to enter Lyonesse.”
The pastor exchanged the candles with a calm and unhurried motion.
“Have you guys had something stolen by fairies?”
It was stolen. So only then did Lydia and the others not come to the Isles of Scilly, rather they stepped into the land of Lyonesse.
Therefore, they were able to ride a horse continuously north from the dock of St Mary’s island, heading in the direction which should have originally been towards the ocean. Then, under the circumstances of not sensing it, they came to this island, which seemed to be the organization’s stronghold.
Lydia glanced at Nico, and Nico nodded towards her direction meaningfully.
If Francis deliberately made the serpentine bracelet be stolen by the fairy, this was probably his goal.
He might have specially leaked information that would make the fairy want to steal something in order to make everyone able to land in Lyonesse.
However, it wasn’t clear why he didn’t explain, and wanted to scheme in secret.
“What has become of the village located at the dock of this island?”
Raven seemed to be concerned about the Prince’s organization.
“People who have been possessed by demons live there. Almost all of them are outsiders, and it seems that there are smuggling boats anchored there. The villagers that aren’t killed are bewitched to become their subordinates, and so on.”
“Is there any way to have a look?”
“For your safety, it would be better if you didn’t do so.”
He likely wanted to go and confirm whether or not Edgar was there. However, Lydia believed that Raven wouldn’t go. Because he was aware that this wasn’t his task.
“The chapel is too cold, please come in.”
Lydia and the others were introduced into the corner of a kitchen. This area had a desk and chair, and soup was boiling on the stove.
“The people that sensed danger and escaped, are they here?”
After sitting down, Lydia asked again. There were still many other things that she wanted to ask.
“Yes, they are all sleeping on the second floor or the attic.”
“I heard that someone from Cornwall left for the Isles of Scilly, but they never returned.”
“They were probably captured by the demons’ subordinates. Unfortunately, it’s only the villagers that have fled here, there aren’t any outsiders.  Furthermore, we have no way of going out from here.”
“Why isn’t there a way to leave this island?”
“Because there isn’t a ship.”
It sounded like the circumstances were quite grim.
The people living on this side weren’t like Lydia and the others at all, as they disembarked in Lyonesse.
“Even though there is a ship, if it is discovered by the demons’ subordinates, it will be attacked and sunk. Just because we could only obediently and quietly stay here, they let us go.”
The pastor sighed deeply.
“You guys as well, it will be very dangerous if you are discovered. Intruders that come from the outside would all be killed relentlessly. But the night is the demons’ territory, not acting blindly without thinking is a sensible act at this time. Because there isn’t a guest room, I can only ask you guys to rest here for the time being.”
The pastor stood as he spoke.
“This is already enough, thank you very much for your kind help.”
As soon as the pastor left, Nico immediately spoke, seemingly fed up. 
“Hey, don’t we have to get back to St Mary’s island on foot?”
“This can’t be helped.”
“Was Mr Francis planning to go to Cypress island from the beginning?”
This ought to have been the case. Furthermore, the reason why he secretly slipped away at midnight must have been in order to go and meet that fairy.
“Perhaps that fairy is nearby as well.”
Just as they were saying this, Nico made a big yawn, as if he was very tired.
“I want to sleep. Raven, you have to wake me up in the morning.”
Lydia also felt a sudden attack of sleepiness. Just by leaning her body against the back of the chair, all of her strength seemingly dissipated.
It was only Raven that still maintained his vigor as he quickly patrolled the surroundings.
“Madam Lydia, it’s quite strange, someone is hypnotizing us.”
“Eh......”
Lydia barely managed to open her eyelids, which were almost nearly shut.
“What’s... going on...?”
“Furthermore, starting from a moment ago, the smell of blood has come through.”
What is the trap?
Could it be that we were drugged? That isn’t too probable either. Lydia and the others hadn’t ingested anything.
Was it similar to smoke or gas? But if that was the case, even Nico, who was a fairy, wouldn’t be affected.
It’s because of magic. This was the only thing that came to mind. Lydia desperately gathered the strength in her body, and repeatedly examined all around the room.
“It’s a fairy......! ”
Lydia shouted with great difficulty.
“Raven, on top of the chest!”
He immediately reacted and threw a tablecloth. An unnatural shape appeared on the top part of the cupboard that was covered with the tablecloth, struggling continuously. Raven subdued it along with the tablecloth.
In the midst of it, like a curse had been lifted, Lydia was freed from the heavy sleepiness, and hastily stood up from the chair.
“If you’re willing to appear, we’ll release you.”
After Lydia said this, that object stopped struggling, as if it understood. Raven opened up, and a fairy that could approximately fit on the palm of a hand emerged.
“You’re a Pixie, right?”
The fairy had messy red hair and wore green clothes.
“Its size is fairly different from the Pixies that we saw a few days ago, but...”
“Their sizes can change freely.”
“It was you who bewitched me!”
Nico, who woke up with great difficulty, approached the Pixie. The Pixie drew back, trembling in fear.
(I’m s--sorry...... I was being forced to, so there was no other way......)
“Being forced? What’s this all about?”
(I came to the island under the circumstances of seeing a relative, but I was captured by a magician. I was ordered around by him at will, hypnotizing the humans that have come here was also one of my jobs.)
“What happens after they are hypnotized?”
(I’m not too sure...... but in the past, I’ve seen the pastor bury humans with blood all over their bodies in the courtyard.)
“Did that pastor do it?”
“Isn’t this a place where the villagers are taking refuge?”
(There aren’t any other people here other than the pastor. Only the magician will come over once in a while.)
Magician. Could he be talking about Teran?
There was a village controlled by the organization nearby. Additionally, the one who captured the Pixie, then mistreated and used him was most likely Teran.
“Lydia, let’s hurry and leave this place.”
Nico pulled her sleeve.
“But he was caught, we can’t abandon him regardless.”
Lydia approached the chest, staring at the Pixie on top.
“Are you the son of the Pixies in Penzance? You haven’t returned all this time, they were quite worried.”
(That’s right. My father, he... ahhh...)
Thinking of family, the Pixie that was captured covered his face sadly.
“How were you captured by that magician?”
(That... when I secretly entered this place, I found bread that seemed to be quite tasty, so I stole it. Then the magician appeared, saying that it was something specially prepared in order to capture me. Since I have already been taken away, I have to work to repay it.)
Not only was it for Pixies, as long as it was a fairy, then they wouldn’t be able to break one's word on something that was an established routine. Since ancient times, people have taken advantage of that to keep fairies by their side to work for them or to drive them away.
Using the Pixie’s situation as a point of view, as long as someone in the same building as him gives him anything that they have on him, he will disappear. This should be the same, regardless if he was staying in his own home or if he was under the circumstances of being captured to do forced labour.
“It’ll be alright. I came to help free you. This is for you.”
Lydia took out a handkerchief and gave it to the Pixie.
“We have already been allowed to stay in this building overnight. So I’m giving you something that I have on me, you should be able to leave in this way, right?”
Holding Lydia’s handkerchief, the Pixie jumped on the spot several times.
(Th...Thank you! You are a very wonderful fairy doctor!)
“You have to hurry and escape.”
The Pixie happily turned in a circle, then disappeared.
“Okay, we should go too, if we don’t want to be buried.” 
With regards to Nico’s urging, Lydia nodded in result.
The Pixie, who jumped and left the church, ran onto the meadow. Freedom at last. I can return like this. He hummed to himself, but his path was blocked by a figure standing motionless in front of him.
It’s the magician...
The Pixie, who suddenly realized, quickly jumped towards the right and rushed out, but was quickly pinched by the neck, unable to move.
Even the handkerchief was snatched away, as he began to cry. He was completely helpless.
“You are my slave, don’t think that it’s so simple to escape. ”
The eyes that were glaring at him were extraordinarily dreadful, making the Pixie tremble to the point of nearly fainting. The magician tightly crumpled the handkerchief in his hand that he grabbed, laughing nastily.
“I found you, young lady of the McKeel clan.”

***
​

The only human settlement located at what was called the Cypress isle, was a lonely little village. Being called the coast of the port, even the dock was merely made with a long plank. However, this place became one of the organization’s strongholds. In the morning, Ermine accompanied Edgar to this island.
This place as well, there were many hidden smuggling boats and pirate ships docked here. It had a place to sell alcohol and medicine, as well as a brothel.
In accordance with the organization’s demands, the villagers farmed, raised livestock, and fished. Despite nearly all the profits of labour being taken by the organization, they still simply worked in silence. Everyone’s expressions were extremely vacant. Although there were many villagers that died under this cruel labour, the organization continuously brought in new labourers from somewhere. A child that was sold off, a person who wasn’t able to pay back a loan, a person who was captured, everyone was deeply implanted with the fear of the organization. After being brainwashed in this way, even the strength to escape no longer remained as they continued to work in the village.
When brushing past these people, even though he saw them being mistreated by the organization, Edgar didn’t appear distressed at all.
Was he truly polluted with the Prince’s darkness already? Ermine merely stared at his back, which was the same as before and hadn’t changed.
Apart from the behaviour and talking of seemingly abandoning Lydia, and also becoming relatively silent, Edgar didn’t seem to change too much from before. Although he looked straight at the organization’s callous methods, he couldn’t make out any feelings of pleasure.
Because of this, even now, Ermine still couldn’t see the extent of just how much Edgar had been affected by the Prince’s influence.
“So this is Lyonesse? Its past glory hasn’t remained at all.”
Leaving the village, Edgar began to climb up the hill. The person he was speaking to wasn’t Ermine, but Ulysses, who was by his side.
Because he possessed information on Lyonesse and stood in a position higher than Teran, his mood seemed pretty good at present.
“This is merely a place that was once called Lyonesse, that’s all. This region of islands seemingly used to be an entire piece of vast dryland.”
“And the one that told you information about Lyonesse is a fairy that resides here?”
“Yes. That fairy once guided the Earl family’s ancestor to the fairy kingdom in the distant past. It’s quite possible that it is undertaking the same mission this time as well.”
“Where is that fairy now?”
“I will definitely find it.”
“Then, what about the Earl family’s ship?”
“That is still being searched. There is information that said that someone saw it at Penzance a few days ago.”
“If we don’t hurry and find it, we will be forestalled by Teran.”
Edgar pursed his lips into a smile, and Ulysses didn’t seem too happy.
“Since that would be troublesome, I hope that you won’t instigate him at the time.”
“Why would I be troubled?”
“Your wife will be killed.”
“Would you find it troublesome?”
“We can start at any time you want. But I believe that compared to killing her, she ought to have better value in being used.”
“Isn’t this quite amusing? The matter of her fate being decided by you or Teran is more foolish.”
Ulysses looked at Edgar, seemingly trying to get a glimpse of his expression.
“Are you serious?”
He ought to have asked carelessly.
After Edgar used his seemingly knife-like expression to stare at him, Ulysses suddenly looked away. 
“No, nevermind.”
Soon afterwards, Ulysses left hastily. He really seemed to know the timing of when to retreat.
As if taking Ulysses’ place, one of the servants approached Ermine’s side and whispered something in her ear.
Edgar walked even more up the hill. Only Ermine maintained a distance behind him.
Ever since reigning over the organization, he had prevented the attendants by his side from deploying at all costs. He seemed to want to deal with things alone as much as possible, it was even difficult for Ermine to approach him.
Now as well, Ermine could sense from the atmosphere that she should leave, but before that, she had to convey something to Edgar.
She silently followed behind him, waiting for Edgar to give voice first with difficulty.
Edgar stopped at the top of the hill. Ermine stopped and looked in the direction of the ocean. From this place, the dock could be seen clearly. In the surroundings of the narrow gulf, only scattered structures stood in place.
Under the gloomy sky, the wind incessantly blew. Edgar slowly examined across the shoreline. His gaze stopped at a quiet lone building that was concealed in the lush grass, some distance away from the village.
“That is?”
“It is a church. There is a pastor and dozens of people that have fled from the village living there. Because the sick and elderly there don’t have the ability to move, they cannot escape from the island. Since burning it was going to be quite inconvenient, it was left there for the time being.”
This is a land with very strong winds. If fire is used, it could spread to the dock.
“Leave it, huh. Ulysses was too careless.”
There was smoke coming out from the chimney. This meant that they weren’t lacking in food or fuel at all.
Did that place truly contain dozens of people living there?
This question emerged from within Ermine’s thoughts, without knowing whether or not Edgar sensed it. But compared to this, she determined that now was the moment to relay the message, and so she informed Edgar about the rumours of the servants from just now.
“Lord Edgar, Miss Kathleen has arrived. She is waiting for you over at the cypress pavilion.”
“She specifically ran to this kind of area to see me?”
“Because she was worried about the condition of your body up until now.”
“Isn’t that a little cute?”
Edgar smiled. Thus, Ermine carelessly revealed a dissatisfied expression.
“How are you planning to deal with Miss Kathleen?”
She even asked with such words.
“What do you mean how to deal with her, isn’t she my consort candidate?”
“Have you truly had a change in heart?”
“Regardless of what kind of woman she is, after getting a hold of her, I will lose interest. Lydia had already pleased me fully. That is merely the case.”
It was as if he firmly sealed those former days of happiness.
It seemed that he would no longer be moved by anyone or anything.
“If these are your sincere words, then I am unable to continue serving you.”
Ermine said boldly. Lydia was once an important existence to Edgar. If he could sincerely abandon Lydia, then no matter how similar to the past he appeared to be in her eyes, he was already no longer the Edgar that Ermine trusted. 
“As you wish.”
Without any emotions appearing, he turned around soon after he spoke. Almost at the same time, a woman riding a horse could be seen approaching the hill.
After discovering he was here, she dismounted hastily, grabbed her skirt, and ran over.
“...Your Majesty, you’ve regained consciousness... ahhh what a relief…”
The maiden who shouted out “Your Majesty” without hesitation gazed at him with what appeared to be exceptionally moist eyes. Those rosy cheeks were hot, which likely wasn’t only because of riding a horse just now.
In the past, Kathleen ought to have already been unhesitatingly rejected by Edgar once. But she who now smiled widely, as if she completely forgot that such a matter occurred.
“It was all thanks to you praying for me. I heard that you had come to visit me many times.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t able to see you, so I was extremely worried.” 
“I am completely fine now.”
“I heard that you came to the Isles of Scilly to recuperate, so I came here as well. It shouldn’t have caused you trouble, right?”
Recuperate. Teran said it as such.
But Kathleen only wanted to marry Edgar. She simply didn’t pay attention to what kind of person Edgar actually was, nor did she know the organization’s true colours.
“I am very happy. Although the air on this side is quite nice, it’s very boring. I just feel gloomy.”
She wouldn’t know either that if one day, Edgar found a more suitable princess candidate than her, she might be buried within the darkness. 
“Hey, there is a church over there. Shall we take a walk and have a look there?”
While whispering, Edgar wrapped his arm around her waist, which had been tied extremely tightly.
“Okay, I will go with you.”
Kathleen happily pressed close to Edgar. Then she looked towards Ermine.
“You over there, help me bring the horse back to the hotel.”
Truly a pitiful woman. After Ermine gave her a glance which was closer to a warning instead of sympathy, she pulled the horse and left.
“What’s with that attitude. Could it be jealousy?”
Kathleen deliberately muttered in a loud voice. Then, she observed Edgar’s reaction.
“Someone told me that she is your lover, is that true?”
“If that is true, would you be disappointed in me?”
“A woman who can’t be regarded as a marriage partner, regardless of how many people are in your surroundings, has nothing to do with me.”
But now, she was ingratiating herself with this man, and was already married. She probably didn’t remember this.
Perhaps it was as Edgar said, regarding the person he is now, a cherished wife and so on don’t exist.
As he himself said that the person known as Edgar Ashenbert has already died.
They walked for approximately thirty minutes. After approaching to take a look, they were able to confirm that the old building was indeed a church. A cross stood on the roof, but if that wasn’t there, this would merely be an ordinary cabin built temporarily.
Although he heard that villagers were hidden here, there wasn’t even a trace of a person in the surroundings.
“It seems that no one is staying here.”
“I heard that this place has a pastor.”
“Are you interested?”
“I rarely come here, I will ask that pastor about famous sight-seeing spots on this island.”
Whether it was the walls or floors, they were all dirty; Kathleen entered the church with much difficulty. Edgar alone peeked into the depths of the narrow church.
It seemed to be a shared room that acted as a kitchen and dining room.
After looking around, Edgar found a hat hanging on a chair.
It was very similar to Teran’s hat.
Of course, the matter of Teran coming to this island wasn’t strange at all. However, he unexpectedly visited this church, which ought to be where the villagers that escaped were hidden; this point seemed quite suspicious.
Somewhere in this quiet church, perhaps there was a mountain of corpses; he pondered, while confirming that he thought that “even if this is truly the case, it isn’t anything serious”.
When touching the Prince’s memories and bringing that power into his hands, he had already clearly understood what behaviours he ought to bring out, and how he planned to do so. 
As if to eliminate that dangerous way of thinking, the sound of footsteps gradually approached. Edgar turned his attention towards that place; there was a silhouette stopped at the opened back door of the kitchen.
“Oh my, may I ask who you are?”
That person wore clergy clothes. Even though he saw Edgar, he tilted his head, completely lacking wariness.
“I apologize, I thought that there was no one in this church.”
“You are...... could you be the companion of that dame from last night?”
Dame? In other words, there was a lady of considerable status that had visited here last night. Edgar sensed the disturbance in his mind and nodded.
“Ahh, as I thought. It is quite difficult for ordinary ships to approach this island. Although it probably drifted in the vicinity by chance, this place isn’t an area where a noblewoman ought to be.”
“Did that dame have other companions by her side?”
“Yes, I think that it was likely her attendant, a foreign young man.”
It was Raven.
Lydia and Raven were somewhere on this island. Edgar received this information calmly, then began to inquire.
“Has she already left? I have been looking for her everywhere.”
“She left not long ago. It would be great if only she could leave this island smoothly.”
“Have there been other visitors?”
“No.”
Sure enough, that hat seemed to be something of Teran’s. If so, why would the pastor cover up the truth? Did Teran come across Lydia and the others? Even if they still hadn’t come across each other yet, it was quite possible that Teran had already found out that Lydia and the others came here.
So much so that Lydia might have already been......
“You should also hurry and leave this place before you get noticed while you have the chance.”
“Whom are you speaking of getting noticed by?”
“By the demons. This island is controlled by demons.”
It was only natural that the pastor knew quite clearly about what happened to the villagers. However, if it was said that they quietly came here to live, their wariness really was too weak.
“Hmph, however, you haven’t considered that I might be an underling of the demons.”
“Because demons cannot enter a church.”
“That is a superstition.”
Even if it was Teran, who wasn’t able to enter a domain that had holy magic, he was able to go in and out of the church freely. Who was this God? Edgar turned around and faced his back to the pastor.
Edgar himself was similar to a demon.
Lydia might have already been discovered by Teran. Even though he thought that, he didn’t waver at all.
He defended his sense of self amongst his battle with the Prince, then parted with Lydia.
“May God bless you.”
When he left the doorway, the pastor’s words passed into his ears.
He returned to the chapel, yet didn’t see any trace of Kathleen. He looked towards the front entrance and found her sitting on a bench outside. It was probably intolerable for her to sit in the filthy indoors.
Edgar patrolled the entire chapel with his eyes, which stopped at the opened side door. He recalled that the door was still closed just a moment ago.
He casually looked behind the door; that side ought to be the graveyard. On several mounds, there stood crude crosses.
Then, his sight was attracted by what seemed to be a very new mound in front of him.
He felt chills all over his body as he passed through the doorway and approached the mound.
The earth still hadn’t been covered, which meant that this ought to have been dug yesterday or today. And in there, the corner of a white cloth was exposed.
He approached, cautiously approaching the cloth which was blown by the wind and drifted in the air, realizing that it was Lydia’s handkerchief.
Edgar remembered this handkerchief. On top, there was the embroidery of a chamomile.
It was there, underneath the earth.
Within a split second, the urge to cry out loudly rushed forth from within his heart, but like a wave, it withdrew almost instantly. There were no emotions left within him.
Now, it was merely a cloth and a pile, nothing more.
He sensed that Teran seemed to be spying on his movements from somewhere.
No, compared to Teran, it looked as if Edgar was actually under the “Prince’s” surveillance at all times.
Therefore, he didn’t think about Lydia. And he, who could accomplish this much, perhaps wasn’t able to love Lydia any more.
Edgar looked away from the handkerchief, turned around, and left.

​
***
Please read this chapter at Daydream Translations

Last night, Lydia and the others, who barely managed to escape the church, stayed overnight in a cave found in the rocky area along the coast.
As they thought that during the nighttime, when the Unseelie Courts were the most savage and rampant, taking action really wasn’t the most sensible act.
After waiting until dawn, the group planned to leave the cave and return to St Mary’s island where the ship was docked. They took note of whether or not the pastor’s accomplices were chasing after them, while heading inland as quietly as possible.
According to the map of the Isles of Scilly that Raven brought with him, Cypress ought to be a very small island, but regardless of how long Lydia and the others walked, they still weren’t able to see the ocean, which should have been located at the end of the plains.
It seemed that they really were in the mainland of Lyonesse.
“I wonder if Francis has already returned to the ship.”
“Lota and the others ought to be really worried.”
“That being said, it’s all Francis’ fault that things turned out this way. We must thoroughly  investigate that guy later on.”
He probably noticed that there was a possibility of Lydia and the others following behind him. If that was the case, then perhaps the only way was to find him and ask him directly.
Just as Lydia was pondering this, Raven made a sound.
“Ah, it’s a horse.”
In the direction that he pointed towards, there was a galloping horse. At first, they thought that it was the horse that they let go of yesterday, but it didn’t have a saddle.
That horse was completely concentrated on heading towards them.
“Eh, Kelpie?”
They knew as soon as they saw it approach. This pitch-black horse was too odd yet beautiful, and didn’t resemble any creature that belonged to this earth.
“Lydia, as I thought, it’s you!”
He gradually slowed down, finally stopping in front of Lydia.
I saw you running with a quick look. What are you doing in this kind of place?”
“Ehh, we had some problems…”
Lydia spoke vaguely, but Kelpie seemed to have felt that this matter wasn’t unimportant at all.
“Oh yeah, Lydia, come with me.”
“Come? Where are we going?”
“More importantly, come with me.”
Lydia was forced to ride on his back.
“Hold on Kelpie! ”
“I’m taking you to see the Earl.”
“Hey!”
Raven ought to have heard it. Although he tried to chase them, Kelpie, whose legs were nimble, completely cast them behind after a short while.
“The Earl came to this island as well. I wanted to tell you this, and planned to go to the ship to try and find you.”
Edgar was nearby. On the back of Kelpie, who was rushing forward like the wind, Lydia’s heart was excited and sped up as well.
“Has he regained consciousness? After he collapsed, what happened?”
“I don’t know, I’m not sure of the details.”
I want to see him. But the unease in Lydia’s heart gradually expanded.
“......Kelpie, is he still Edgar?”
“That I’m not too sure about either.”
“You couldn’t tell?”
“It’s a fact that he released the Prince’s powers, but it’s unknown as to how much of an effect this has on him. So today, we are only going to watch from a distance. If we do this, shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
That was true as well, if they merely watched from the sidelines secretly, there probably wouldn’t be an issue.
Honestly speaking, it was fine even if it was only a glimpse, she wanted to take a look at his conscious state. With regards to them now, compared to meeting together, the thing that ought to be done more is completing their own missions. For Edgar, this was a path of endless suffering, so Lydia couldn’t indulge in her own feelings either, saying that she wants to meet and other selfish words.
Although she understood the situation as well, as long as she saw Edgar in his conscious state, she could seemingly believe that he didn’t change from receiving the Prince’s influence.
Eventually, a pond gradually appeared before them. Kelpie stopped in the shadows of the rocks by the pond.
“He should be in this region.”
Crossing over the pond, the church from last night could be seen.
At the time, it couldn’t be seen clearly because it was too dark at night, but it turned out that there was this kind of pond at the back.
However, this church was controlled by the organization. Although she was worried that she would be discovered by Teran, that unease seemed to have been relieved due to the gap between the pond and having Kelpie by her side. Lydia began to concentrate on looking for Edgar’s silhouette. 
“I heard him say that he wanted to take a walk to this church.”
Although there was a distance between the gap, she was confident that she wouldn’t miss Edgar’s figure.
After surveying the scene, a silhouette emerged from the shadows of the building, and came to the edge of the pond. Lydia watched attentively.
It was Edgar.
Lydia got down from Kelpie’s back. She grabbed the rock in front of her and pressed up against it, planning to take a good look at him.
His glittering blond hair drifted in the wind. Whether it was his slender body wearing a frock coat, or his figure that held a cane, all of it was nostalgic, and made her eyes moist.
That familiar side profile was no different from the Edgar of the past, and she couldn’t see any evidence that he had become the “Prince of Calamity” at all.
She desperately resisted the urge to rush towards him, and merely watched him quietly.
Edgar looked towards the sky, and the faint sunlight that came through from between the clouds made him squint. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked back.
Lydia was startled and couldn’t breathe.
There was a woman wearing a high-quality walking dress running close to Edgar’s side. Underneath the hat which matched her dress, her honey-blonde hair swayed.
Kathleen......
She took Edgar’s arm like she was his lover. She suddenly stumbled; it appeared that she tripped on the ground that was full of stones. Edgar reached out and held her, in order to support her. Looking up at Edgar, who had her in his arms, Kathleen blushed happily.
Lydia abruptly turned her face, leaning her back against the rock and sliding down. 
Edgar was smiling at her. At first, she still believed that it was a smile that would only blossom for her.
“......Seriously, the timing was really bad. However, that sort of behaviour of the Earl towards women didn’t start now either.”
Although Kelpie said this to console her, for Lydia, Kathleen wasn’t a rival that she could feel at ease about so simply.
She was a survivor of the Sylvainford family. If she and Edgar got married and gave birth to a son, perhaps their son’s generation would be able to receive the Duke of Sylvainford’s title.
And it might even be impossible for Lydia to conceive.
Although she knew that since Edgar was in the Prince’s organization, becoming close with Kathleen, who was staying there, was something inevitable, but it was still hard to suppress the wavering in her heart.
The sound of their laughter came through, and Lydia rushed out, as if she wanted to escape.
“Hey, wait, Lydia.”
She left the pondside, running straight to the foot of the hill until she could no longer see the roof of the church. The presence of the two of them disappeared, and only then did she stop and sigh deeply.
“Hey, Kelpie, is it really okay to do this?”
Without knowing when, Kelpie transformed into the form of a human and quietly followed behind her.
“For us two, to head to the fairy kingdom together, is it truly not possible? Regardless of what Edgar becomes, I still love him. Even so, should I be with him and stay in the organization?”
“Teran is planning to kill you, right? So naturally, it’s impossible.”
She understood quite well. However, although she knew that it was impossible, she still couldn’t help thinking about it.
Furthermore, Lydia was a fairy doctor, and had to protect the fairies’ happiness. If Edgar was planning to make use of the Prince’s strength, then stopping him was her mission.
I can’t look upon Edgar as the Prince. Edgar won’t become the Prince.
I didn’t expect that I would actually waver to the point of thinking about stupid things. Thinking that this couldn’t continue on, Lydia raised her hand and rubbed the corner of her eyes, but was suddenly grabbed by Kelpie. She turned her head, and Kelpie pulled her close to his side roughly.
“Lydia, if you feel unwell, don’t continue. Although I’m not the Earl, I will help you achieve whatever wish you have.”
Because he was a fairy, he wouldn’t lie. Since he said so, it meant that Lydia could continue living forever in the constant gentleness of Kelpie.
Unexpectedly, his lips touched Lydia’s.
An aquatic horse couldn’t understand the meaning of a kiss at all and the passion that was represented behind this action; even so, he still copied the action of humans, trying to comfort Lydia.
The cold and refreshing sensation of water completely lacked the feelings of displeasure or guilt. A fairy’s kiss was as warm and peaceful as kissing a flower or a lamb, so it didn’t give Lydia any unusual feelings similar to discomposure.
Softly pushing him away, Lydia shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Kelpie. But this sort of thing, I won’t do with anyone else other than Edgar.”
“But that guy...... he might have already changed.”
A person’s heart was fickle. There were also things that would change and disappear because of this. Even so, because it changes constantly, there are ways to nurture love, and nurture something irreplaceable. Becoming deeper and more gentle.
Lydia believed that this thing existed between her and Edgar.
“I just whined didn’t I? However, I’m okay. I will definitely reach the fairy kingdom.”
Lydia stepped onto the ground and began walking forward again. And this time, Kelpie didn’t catch up to her.
Let’s return to Raven and Nico’s side. Lydia, who sped up, heard Nico’s voice in her ear.
“Oi-- Lydia--”
From across the hill, a cat running on its hind legs could be seen.
“Nico? What’s wrong? What about Raven? ”
“We found Francis! Raven is following him secretly!”

Kelpie sat at a waterwell outside of the village. A conspicuous blonde man approached in front of him.
He was clearly only a human, yet he was able to attract people close just by relying on his appearance. The strength that stayed in his ash-mauve eyes was something that fairies didn’t have.
It really wasn’t magic, rather something that seemed to be called character and honour that only humans possessed.
Now, this man probably had the ability to control the magic of Unseelie Courts to his desires, but in those eyes, which hadn’t changed compared to before, there still existed a power from when he belonged to humanity.
“Yo, Earl.”
Kelpie called out to him. However, Edgar walked right by him without even glancing at him.
“Have you already forgotten about Lydia?”
Kelpie had been waiting for the opportunity of Edgar being alone until now. Because he wanted to speak with Edgar no matter what.
Edgar finally stopped and looked towards Kelpie, as if he found it very unexpected.
“Lydia......?”
He spoke as if he had even forgotten that name long ago.
“She...... is still alive?”
“Hah? Don’t tell me you thought that she died? Yet you were able to be casual about it!”
Edgar didn’t reply. He lightly shook his head, and sank into contemplation.
“So you were planning to consider her dead, then marry that woman, right?”
“......When was it? When did you see Lydia?”
“It doesn’t matter when it was. I can see her if I want to. More importantly......”
“That is quite so.”
Edgar seemingly sighed and spoke to himself, once more planning to pass through straight in front of Kelpie. Kelpie stood up very quickly, blocking his way.
“Listen! Regardless of whether it’s you planning to become the Prince, or what your intentions are, none of it matters to me. But don’t betray Lydia!”
“......Then if you like her, I can give her to you.”
He spoke as if he found it quite dull, and didn’t even react at all. It was as if everything pertaining to Lydia, even her life and death, were all meaningless to him.
“What did you say?”
“If I think about it carefully, I truly don’t understand why you’re so attached to her. She’s merely a common girl that can be seen anywhere, isn’t that so? Is it because she’s a fairy doctor, so she’s very rare?”
Kelpie got very angry, immediately grabbing the lapels on Edgar’s clothes. The ash-mauve eyes narrowed, seemingly astonished.
“What’s wrong? You should be happy. Would it have been better for you to believe that I was dead all along?”
“......Ahhh, then I accept. The taste of Lydia’s lips had the flavour of tears. Even so, you don’t mind at all, right?”
He wanted to rattle Edgar, to infuriate him. If he didn’t get angry at even this, then Lydia was too pitiful. So Kelpie continued to talk without stopping.
“For humans, that’s something special, right? That fellow, she wouldn’t do it with anyone other than you. But you would do it with other women!”
The hand that grabbed Edgar’s lapels increased in strength. He frowned in pain, but Kelpie sensed that his pupils were filled with strength instantly.
At the same time, he mumbled.
“Let go.”
In that split second, Kelpie felt an electric-like power pass through his body, causing his entire body to go numb and unable to move.
“You’re only an aquatic horse, you’re not allowed to touch me.”
Edgar didn’t even move a hand; Kelpie was sent flying to a distance, and fell on the ground. Edgar’s cane pressed into his shoulder as he was trying to get up.
“You should have already known what would happen if you approached me, right? But you still came, don’t tell me that it was only to specifically say this to me?”
“......I came in order to check. To check whether or not you truly......”
Kelpie couldn’t continue speaking. The Prince’s strength, just by relying on sight, was enough to bind him.
The frightful and cruel destructive power became a sweet poison that poured into his body. Monsters that sampled this flavour only had the option of surrendering.
Even being suppressed by this kind of strength, he felt happy. I can only surrender.
Even though he tried to think of resisting, the strength in his entire body was gradually lost.  Kelpie sensed that he was being tightly pulled by the reins, and at the same time, he lost consciousness.
“Stupid aquatic horse...... I really don’t think that she would fancy your kiss.”
He felt cold water all over his body. At that moment, Kelpie suddenly opened his eyes.
He was lying down in a simple and crude cabin. Just as he was thinking that his lower body seemed to be covered by dry straw, he immediately sensed the presence of an animal beside him.
This place was a horse stable. Kelpie, who realized this, groaned slightly at Edgar’s malice.
“You’re finally up.”
A voice came by his feet. He lifted his head and saw a woman with men’s clothes carrying a bucket and standing there.
“You splashed the entire bucket of water on me just now, right?”
“That’s right, I thought that you would be a little more comfortable this way.”
She went as far as to feign a nonchalant appearance. Although the method was quite rude, it truly was a source of life with regards to Kelpie. 
“......Ahh, how refreshing.”
Although he still didn’t have the strength to stand, Kelpie propped up his body after much difficulty. The feeling of numbness still remained within his body.
“You truly are foolish, to go as far as to approach the “Prince”. This time, you won’t be able to disobey him anymore.”
Ermine put down the bucket and sat down on the wooden fence. Kelpie also leaned against the row of wood, sighing.
“That’s true. Although I knew that it would become like this, I wanted to check whether or not that guy was still the Earl from before in the end, no matter what.”
“You knew that he already liberated the Prince’s powers, right? There’s no possibility that he would be the same as before.”
“He did so for Lydia, right? In that case, I thought that Lydia’s treasured man in her view would not have changed.”
“Lord Edgar has been controlled by his vengeful heart. For him, the fairy kingdom has already become an irksome existence, and has lost concern regarding Madam Lydia’s affairs.”
Ermine lowered her eyes painfully.
“If it’s revenge, he’s probably going to overthrow the organization, right?”
“Merely destroying the organization isn’t enough to satisfy him. He hates everything that harmed the name of Duke Sylvainford’s family, so he plans to make use of the organization to accomplish his goals.”
“Hmph, even if that’s the case, does it not involve Lydia? If he isn’t planning to continue being the Blue Knight Earl, then Lydia won’t have any relations with the fairy kingdom either. I don’t understand why he would lose interest in Lydia.”
“Because involving Madam Lydia’s heart, which Lord Edgar wants to protect, is something that cannot be used to retaliate against Britain.”
“In other words, he thinks that revenge is more important than Lydia? I don’t think so. Besides, the Earl hasn’t completely lost interest in Lydia.”
Ermine looked inconceivably at Kelpie, who clearly disliked Edgar a lot, yet wouldn’t easily admit that he had already been polluted by evil magic.
“Why would you believe so?”
“He was jealous of me. I told him that I kissed Lydia, and then I ended up like this.”
At the thought of this, Kelpie wanted to laugh. That’s right, it was quite obvious that it was a reaction of jealousy.
Furthermore, he was seriously jealous, and genuinely felt unhappy. Kelpie was still practically unable to move his body even now.
“So, why does Lord Edgar feign that kind of attitude? Not only is he acting as the Prince in the organization, he even divulged information about the fairy kingdom, he plans to prevent Madam Lydia and the others from heading to the fairy kingdom.”
“He should have some reason for doing so, right?”
“Reason? Madam Lydia is heading to the fairy kingdom in order to save Lord Edgar.”
“Compared to him being saved, or the matters of governing the fairy kingdom, Lydia still ought to be more important to the Earl.”
Kelpie couldn’t understand Edgar. But there was only one thing he was certain of.
“If after encountering Lydia, the Earl understood that his heart obtained an irreplaceable cozy feeling by having her by his side, then it isn’t possible that he would forget her.”
Ermine looked at Kelpie with an unexpected expression. After staring at him motionlessly, she sank into a moment of contemplation.
“Because I was once human, I had always believed that I was capable of understanding human feelings, at least better than you could.”
“That is only natural. She probably understands much more than I do.”
“Is that so?”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s something that I can’t understand. That’s right, I found it quite strange before, does that have any meaning?”
That? Ermine tilted her head, puzzled.
“A kiss.”
Ermine revealed a very startled expression, then began to chuckle.
“You didn’t understand the meaning of a kiss, and yet you kissed Madam Lydia?”
“There wasn’t even the least bit of a happy feeling. It only felt sad, as if Lydia was transferring her pain.”
“If both people feel happy, that feeling will be doubled.”
“......Then, I won’t know what that feeling is? Because the person is me, Lydia would only feel sad.”
Kelpie buried his fingers into his curly dark hair.
He could only wish that at least Lydia could have a happy kiss with the Earl.
“You can’t think of another partner?”
“Another?”
“A human that would seem to like you.”
“I am an aquatic horse that belongs solely to Lydia.”
Ermine laughed softly once more.