Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 25 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 ♦ The path to Ibrazel

Exiting the stable, Edgar walked along the coast as he headed for the wharf.
He wanted to cool his head a little with the night breeze. He wondered if he was a little too anxious.
Edgar wondered what he intended to do after he made Kelpie capture Lydia; he himself had no idea either.
In any case, he wanted to distance Lydia from Teran. At a corner of his heart, Edgar hoped that when Kelpie escaped, he would bring Lydia along, to somewhere where both Edgar and Teran couldn’t reach them. And it’d be good if she would give up on going to Ibrazel.
He ordered Kelpie to locate and capture Lydia. But since there’s no way he’d hand her over to ‘Prince’, Kelpie would probably come to his senses once he executed that order.
If it were Kelpie, he wouldn’t hurt Lydia. Even so, Edgar wondered if his ordering of Kelpie to abduct Lydia would end up hurting and causing her pain.
No, it’s sufficient for me to be the only one in pain. That’s why I did that.
Regardless of whether it’s Prince or Teran, I will no longer show my weakness. Although Lydia may be disappointed with him, this was because Edgar himself had to be the one to put an end to things in Ibrazel.
There wasn’t anyone on the path along the coast. There was only the sound of waves.
The shadows of the countless small islands and reefs in the surroundings couldn’t be seen clearly because it was dark. Once day broke, he’d probably be able to see more clearly.
I wonder where Lydia is in the Isles of Scilly now.
Is she getting closer to the fairy which is said to reside in Lyonesse, in order to obtain the guidepost to Ibrazel?
On the seas which weren't supposed to have anyone, flickered a small light. Taken aback, Edgar stopped in his tracks. As he assessed the situation while hiding in the shadows of the bushes, he could see a boat getting closer to shore.
The boat headed towards the beach as it avoided the pier. Even though there were supposed to be the Organization’s guards along the coast, Edgar wondered if the guards didn’t notice the boat.
When the boat reached the shoals, a single human figure alighted from the boat. He continued and proceeded inland.
Edgar ran towards a small guard house located beside the pier and peered inside.
“Hey. What’s that? It isn’t a ship which was permitted to land right?”
The guard who jumped up, fumbled out the words ‘Your Highness’, then strained his eyes as he looked towards the sea.
“There… isn’t any abnormality.”
“Can’t you see that light?”
That thing was clearly moving along the beach. Yet, the male guard tilted his head to the side.
He can’t see it. When Edgar realized that, he dashed out from the hut and pursued the intruder personally.
The small light from the lamp could be seen easily even from a distance. Despite knowing that he could be spotted easily with the light, that person still walked with a light in his hand brazenly; he had made it such that his figure couldn’t be seen by normal humans.
He had probably done so through something like magic, or it could be that the person wasn’t human.
Edgar, who shortened the distance bit by bit while taking care not to be noticed, caught a glimpse of that person’s profile. And Edgar was shocked.
“…Darnell?” 
The red-coloured hair appeared to be shining with the same colour as that of the flame’s light. Carrying a violin case as if it were a part of him, he walked along the rock-strewn beach; this scene felt out-of-place.
However, he continued on in a single direction without any hesitation.
Did Darnell make his figure invisible? If that’s the case, then it means that he can use magic.
He proclaimed himself to be the Prophet. The McKeel’s Prophet is also a fairy doctor. Although it may not be surprising even if he could use magic, he had not even shown any such hints in his behaviour thus far.
To begin with, shouldn’t Darnell have gotten off Ibrazel’s ship much earlier on?
Yet, why is he here now?
Did he come chasing after Lydia by himself?
‘The Prophet and his Betrothed will be buried in Ibrazel.’
The people mentioned in those words were gathering towards Ibrazel.
Edgar tailed after Darnell. Eventually, Darnell left the coast and proceeded on towards the wilderness. They probably walked for as many as tens of minutes. The moment they crossed the hills, their vision expanded below them, and they could see things shining here and there.
There were countless lights arranged before them where Darnell was headed towards. Those were stone pillars; they appeared to be shining from the inside palely. They were like stars which had fallen onto the dark vast lands.
Edgar felt that those stone pillars were filled with magic.
If it were him in the past, he probably wouldn’t have realized. Yet now, the thing that’s inside his body was reacting to magic.
He understood that this place here, where the lands exuded power, was filled with magic which was something chaotic and was neither good nor evil.
Speaking of which, tonight was awfully quiet. There wasn’t the presence of Unseelie Courts which were always surrounding him at a distance.
It was a night in which the stars were unusually bright. The original magic of this island had increased, such that other things were unable to get close to it; Edgar had such a feeling.
While Edgar was observing the state of his surroundings, Darnell proceeded on towards the space between the rocks which were arranged there.
Just as Edgar thought so, all of a sudden, Darnell’s figure disappeared.
Did he hide in the shadows of the rocks or something? I can’t lose sight of him, thought Edgar as he ran towards the cluster of stone pillars. Just like Darnell, the moment Edgar passed through the space between the rocks, his surroundings changed. 
No matter which way he turned, there were clusters of stone pillars as far as the eye could see. The stones which shone palely, extended endlessly until their boundaries with the sky.
There’s no way that the stone circle was this expansive, and Edgar had only just taken a few steps in. Yet, his situation was such that even if he turned back, he could only think that he had stepped deeply into the forest of stone pillars. 
“What… on earth… is this?”
Edgar wondered if Darnell had entered knowing what this was.  He couldn’t see Darnell’s figure, but there’s no mistake that Darnell’s inside here.
Perhaps, Lydia could be here as well?
When Edgar thought so, he fixed his gaze straight ahead towards the forest of stone pillars, and stepped forth.

“Lady Lydia-, where are you!? Please answer me!”
No matter how many times Kelly shouted, there wasn’t any response from Lydia.
After saying that she heard the cries of a puppy, Lydia suddenly vanished. Everyone who was left behind went around searching for her, while taking care not to be separated from each other, but they couldn’t quite find Lydia.
“I wonder if she went so far that she can’t hear us.”
“Catena might have done something. I mean, isn’t it weird that Lydia’s the only one who vanished suddenly?”
Lota nodded at Nico’s words.
“Do you think that fairy would harm Lydia?”
“I don’t know. Since both Lydia and all of us are taken to be imposters of the Blue Knight Earl, it’s certain that Catena doesn’t view us favourably.”
“Moreover, if Lady Lydia is found by Ulysses again…”
“Even Ulysses can’t get out of here easily right? Furthermore, since Lady Lydia is the Earl’s wife, I don’t think he’ll treat her roughly.”
Lota grabbed the collar of Paul who said so, and pulled him towards her.
“Paul, can you really think so?”
“Er….m”
Even though his collar was being grabbed, Paul turned red from the fact that their faces were close, and faltered.
“What do you mean by that?”
Kelly then answered Nico’s question.
“Master may have lost his love towards Lady Lydia.”
Kelly placed her hand softly on her neck. There should be a bruise-like mark caused by impact there.
“Before coming over here, we were nearly captured by Teran. Master also appeared, and I instinctively approached him for help. And when I did so he struck my neck…”
Kelly fell silent as it was difficult to say what happened.
“I was also unable to say this to Lady Lydia earlier. If I told her such a thing, I thought she might despair.”
"Yeah, it’s not something we should talk about here and now, since it’s also something which is important to Lydia. Even I myself don’t want to believe that. That guy, he fired a shot at me. See, there’s a hole in my clothes.”
There was really a hole in the skirt which Lota lifted up boldly. Her legs became exposed, but Paul was probably the only one who was bothered by that.
“Since it didn’t hit your body, could it be that he had at least shifted his aim?”
Raven said so, however.
“No, he shot me without any consideration. That’s the only way I can see it!”
“To begin with, Lord Edgar hates Lota.”
“Then, is this harassment!? What’s he going to do if it hits me!?”
“So it’s a question of whether he was serious, or whether he skilfully missed the shot in front of Teran.”
Nico said so as he stroked his whiskers.
“I can’t imagine that the feelings the Earl has towards Lady Lydia inside his heart has changed.”
Paul advocated so.
“If he has been taken over by Prince, it means that he may not be Edgar himself. Since the duration in which we met him was short, and it’s not as if I spoke with him, even I don’t really know.”
“There’s no way Lord Edgar would be taken over by Prince.”
Raven declared so.
“That’s probably just what you want to believe.”
“The Earl has changed.”
At that moment, they heard a new voice.
Raven looked up towards the rock behind him. When Kelly followed suit and looked up as well, she found Kelpie in the form of a young man standing at the top of the stone pillars.
“What do you mean when you say that Edgar has changed? Did you meet Edgar as well?”
“I did. And I went through a terrible experience. More importantly, isn’t Lydia together with you all?”
“In any case, don’t stand in such a place. Come down here.”
Nico said so, but Kelpie shook his head as if he was amazed.
“Isn’t there magic laid out all over? I don’t want to enter that kind of place.”
“Magic isn’t cast above the rocks? Then wouldn’t we be able to get out if we climbed up?”
Nico tried to climb up the rock close to him.
“There’s no use. Even if you climbed up, you guys can’t move about by jumping from rock to rock right?”
That’s right, it’s as Kelpie said.
“So, where’s Lydia?”
“We got separated.”
When Kelly answered him, Kelpie looked grave.
“She’s by herself? I’m worried… Actually, just a short while earlier, I saw someone unexpected.”
“Do you mean Ulysses?”
“Huh? Is that guy here as well?”
Kelpie’s expression looked increasingly serious.
“Putting that aside, who did you see?”
“You know, it’s that guy who boarded the earl’s ship unexpectedly; it’s that violinist.”
“Mr Darnell? That can’t be, we parted ways at Penzance. He even had a ticket for the stagecoach.”
Kelly was surprised, and became increasingly worried for Lydia. She thought that Darnell was a gentlemanly and calm person. But to Kelly, he was someone who was trying to come in between the married couple.
If possible, Kelly did not want him to get close to Lydia.
“Come to think of it, it’s also weird that that guy would return obediently. Since as the self-proclaimed Prophet, he intends to obtain his power from Lydia to defeat Prince.”
Nico crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.
“Then what is it? Did he intend to follow us all this while?”
“I don’t know what he’s thinking of, but it’s certain that he is here.”
“In any case, let’s search for Lady Lydia.”
Kelly said so as she was unable to remain still.
“You’re right.”
Nodding in agreement, Kelpie was about to leave.
“Please wait.”
Raven suddenly called Kelpie to stop.
“What business do you have with Lady Lydia?”
“‘What business’?”
Kelpie appeared to hesitate for an instant, but he continued.
“She’s lost right? We need to find her.”
“You met Lord Edgar, right?”
“What of it?”
Kelpie looked at Raven with a glare.
“A kelpie is an Unseelie Court. If Lord Edgar has control over you, it means you work for the Organization. There’s even the possibility of you causing harm towards Lady Lydia.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m a dignified kelpie. There’s no way a human would have control over me…”
Unable to finish his sentence to the very end, Kelpie averted his eyes from Raven.
“Raven, don’t you believe that the Earl isn’t Prince?”
When Paul questioned him, Raven nodded quietly.
“Yes, I believe him. But, as long as he is in the Organization, I can’t predict what Lord Edgar is thinking of. He’s an individual whom I can’t figure out what he’ll do even when I’m by his side. Furthermore, Lord Edgar hates Kelpie. There’s also the possibility that he might become emotional in a bad way.”
In the midst of everyone admiring Raven’s calm analysis, Lota muttered with a bitter expression:
“Ha-ha. It’s the same as when he shot me huh.”
“Emotional? That was calmness itself. On top of that, he has turned into an entirely cold-blooded person. Yeah that’s right, the Earl that guy, he intends to capture Lydia.”
After he said so, Kelpie jumped off from the top of the rock, as if he was running away from them.
“Hey, Kelpie!”
Nico tried to stop him, but Kelpie vanished right after he jumped off from the top of the rock.
“What’s going on? Edgar that guy, he intends to capture Lydia?”
“Even if she’s a danger because she’s the Prophet’s Betrothed…”
In the midst of everyone becoming uneasy, Raven was the only one who spoke up clearly:
“Lord Edgar will become overly emotional only when it comes to Lady Lydia. Even so, no matter what happens, he will not hurt Lady Lydia.”

*

​

The one who appeared before his eyes, was clearly not human. Edgar placed himself on guard while he tried to observe the other party properly.
The silver-blue hair, which extended to her feet, was glowing. She had on plain green clothes, but even her white skin which slipped out from her clothes appeared to be brimming with light.
Is she the master of this stone circle? This must be the real culprit who cast this strange magic here.
“Are you Lyonesse’s fairy?”
Edgar could only think of that.
The other party also appeared to be observing Edgar cautiously. After some time, she finally spoke up.
“You, you’re shouldering quite the awful thing.”
Then, she furrowed her brows deeply.
“I see. A human who drank and consumed demonic powers; a most abominable existence, created by twisting the original form of magic through one’s desires. The Prince of Calamity refers to you huh.”
“… Who did you hear that from?”
“A red-haired man came. He said that an abominable person has entered my territory.”
Just as I thought. Edgar suppressed his anger and displayed a smile on his lips.
“Do you trust what that person says?”
“It’s not about whether I trust that person; you reek of the stench of evil.”
Even though she had the appearance of a young girl, she had an enormous presence which wasn’t that of a human around her.
Edgar felt a danger to his being.
“I heard that you’re trying to kill every single person from the Blue Knight Earl’s family.”
Did Darnell say that as well?
“I’ll stop you!”
She jumped up lightly towards the top of a stone pillar. Just as he thought so, a silver light was fired towards him.
Light? No, it was something which was like a glowing chain, bent like a whip.
There wasn’t much space around for Edgar to evade it.
“Catena, stop!”
At that moment, someone shouted.
There wasn’t even time for him to realize that it was Lydia’s voice. All of a sudden, caramel-coloured hair spread across before his eyes, and at the same moment, she clung onto him in order to shield him.
You can’t…. Lydia…
Edgar desperately tried to push her away.
Then, something shining in green jumped out before the silver light.
It’s the lion. Ibrazel’s key.
As the two lights entwined with each other, they brushed past beside Edgar and Lydia, and collided into a stone pillar nearby.
At the same time when the pillar crumbled, a shockwave which extended to the surroundings assaulted them.   
The ground beneath them shook violently.
The both of them were thrown out together by the ground that swelled suddenly, and Edgar rolled off a heaving slope.
Although he embraced Lydia in his arms in order to protect her, since he didn’t even have any opportunity to grasp the surrounding situation, he couldn’t even open his eyes.
Even as he felt pain arising from his collision into a protruding rock, he held on to Lydia desperately as he thought that he would definitely not let go of her. However, at the same time when he felt another impact, Edgar lost consciousness.

Lydia opened her eyes from the pain in her shoulder which was struck when she was thrown out onto the grass.
Her mind didn’t work immediately when she thought about what happened. She tried to recall the events in sequence slowly.
She was thinking by herself about how Catena’s wish couldn’t possibly be fulfilled. As she did so while wandering about this maze, she passed through spaces between multiple stone pillars.
A sight which appeared suddenly before her, caused Lydia’s heartbeat to soar.
The person whom she wanted to see so much was right before her eyes. But he had on a grim expression as he faced off against Catena.
Noticing that Catena’s hair was increasing in radiance, she thought, it’s dangerous. And at the same time she thought so, she dashed out.
Lydia wondered what the bright green light which cut across before her eyes in an instant was. She wondered if it was the key’s puppy, no, lion, which Catena snatched from her.
The two lights of silver and green entwined with each other, and crashed into one of the stone pillars.
She remembered until that portion. And now, Lydia, having regained her consciousness, lifted her pained body from the grass, without knowing what had happened.
There was a slope which had protruding rocks right beside her. She wondered if she had rolled off and fell from there. However, the place where Lydia had fallen was soft ground covered with grass. Beside that was a thicket and on the other side of the thicket, there seemed to be a spring with water gushing out.
She wondered if it was potable water. Lydia, who thought so as she moved her line of sight, noticed the figure of a person who lay collapsed beside the spring.
“Edgar!”
When she ran over to him, she realized that both his hair and clothes were soaked in blood.
As she was about to cry, Lydia gripped his hand.
“Edgar, pull yourself together.”
When she saw that he furrowed his brows slightly, she was relieved as she thought that he was alive. However, he still wasn’t opening his eyes.
Walking over to the spring, she untied the ribbon tied around her collar and wet it with water. She had no choice but to do so since she had given her handkerchief to the pixie.
As she did so, Lydia kept looking back behind her, out of concern that Catena might appear again and attack Edgar.
It didn’t look like she’d appear. It’s probably because she didn’t know where Lydia and Edgar were.
With one of the stone pillars supporting the maze crumbled, a portion of the space was thrown into disarray and became distorted. Lydia and Edgar ought to have been thrown out from that space.
Although there’s no change to the fact that they were still in the maze, perhaps because a distortion was created, it seemed like Catena too had lost sight of Lydia and Edgar.
In any case, they could probably buy some time.
She wiped Edgar’s wounds gently using the damp cloth, while taking care not to hurt him. As she did so, Lydia let out a sigh.
This still wasn’t the time for them to be reunited. It didn’t look like Lydia would be able to reach Ibrazel. 
Around three hundred years ago, the Earl of Ibrazel, Julius Ashenbert, offered Catena a deal in which she would give any one of his descendants the guidepost to Ibrazel in exchange for them granting Catena’s wish.
Catena had agreed to that.
Was Catena’s wish to become human? If that’s the correct answer, then why did the earl make a promise he couldn’t fulfil?
Lydia continued to mull over this.
For starters, was there meaning in making a promise one couldn’t fulfil?
Even if she was able to become human, Catena wouldn’t be able to meet the girl who died more than hundreds of years ago. Yet, why…
“O…uch…”
Edgar murmured something. Lydia hurriedly looked towards him.
“Edgar, you’re awake right?”
The ash mauve eyes that opened, looked at Lydia with displeasure.
“Ah…. Does it hurt? I’m sorry.”
“Don’t touch me.”
Pushing away the hands of Lydia who froze, Edgar slowly got up.
It must be because he’s hurting everywhere. When Edgar leaned against a nearby tree, he was breathing in pain.
“Erm, you’re injured. Can you move?”
“Leave me alone.”
Lydia felt her whole body turn stiff at those cold words which she had never heard from Edgar before.
No matter what Edgar becomes… Even though that was her intention, it was sad for her to see him changed with her own eyes.
“But…”
“These are just grazes. It doesn’t affect my walking.”
Even though he said so, Edgar didn’t try to stand up. Although there’s no point even if he walked about and he may be planning to conserve his physical strength, either way, he didn’t want to walk unnecessarily.
“Edgar, have you forgotten about me?”
Mustering her courage, Lydia queried him.
Without trying to look towards her, he remained silent for some time.
“Sorry but I’m no longer Edgar Ashenbert. That’s why I’m not your husband either.”
What does that mean?
“Are you… Prince?”
When she asked so, he broke into a laugh. The gaze he threw towards Lydia, contained pity.
“I’ve decided to be the real me. Edgar Leeland. I no longer need the name of Ashenbert. As the successor of the Duke of Sylvainford, as the descendent of the Stuarts, I intend to challenge the royal family to a battle.”
The real Edgar. That was probably something which he couldn’t abandon. He had told Lydia that he stopped being fixated over Sylvainford and that he would live on as the Earl of Ibrazel. But now that he had obtained Prince’s power, it was not surprising even if he wished to be his true self.
If he’s saying that he wasn’t Earl Ashenbert, then it’s true that Lydia wasn’t his wife. Their marriage would also be non-existent.
“I see… but that doesn’t mean that you’ve forgotten right? About how we’ve come thus far together.”
If it’s not as if he was taken over by the other person known as Prince, then there’s still hope for Lydia. If it’s Edgar, he would definitely remember what it was he should do.
“Such as how I whispered words of love to you?”
Yet the current Edgar, was trying to deny Lydia’s existence completely.
“Words like that, can be said to anyone. It was interesting in itself to court an innocent and guarded girl successfully. Even though you stubbornly refused me, the moment you fell for me, you came to accept me happily; that too was interesting.”
Lydia had no choice but to cast her eyes downwards in order to hide her reddening face.
“So, what should we do to get out from here?”
Edgar changed the topic, as if his memories with Lydia were inconsequential.
Lydia barely managed to lift her face, and Edgar took a gun out from his pocket and pointed it at her.
“You’re a fairy doctor. Let’s have you lead the way.”
“I won’t escape even if you don’t do such a thing.”
There’s no way I’d leave Edgar behind.
“Moreover, I can’t lead the way. The fairy with silver-blue hair earlier is the only one who understands this maze.  Though I heard that if we’re able to grant her wish, she’ll recognize us as the Blue Knight Earl and give us the guidepost to Ibrazel. At the moment, there’s no way for us to get out apart than that.”
Edgar didn’t try to lower the gun.
“Her wish? What kind of wish?”
“… She said that she wanted to become human. But because that’s impossible, I don’t know what kind of deal Julius Ashenbert actually struck with Catena. Moreover, about her, though I heard that she’s the descendant of giants that used to live in Lyonesse in the past, I don’t know what kind of fairy she is.”
“Catena. Is that the fairy’s name?”
“That’s right. Both Francis and Ulysses seem to know her from before. They called her so.”
“Chains huh. I wonder why she came to be called that.”
“Chains?”
“It’s Latin right? Catena means chain.”
So that’s it.
Together with this unexpected hint, the puzzle pieces in Lydia’s mind started to come together.
Lyonesse’s fairy, the relation of Gods. And chains.
If that’s the case, then she…
At that moment, Edgar suddenly bent forward towards Lydia.
Edgar pulled her towards him roughly, and pressed the gun’s muzzle against her head.
After he did so, he stood up while holding on to her. He threw his gaze firmly towards the other side of the thicket; there, stood Darnell.
“Earl, please stop.”
“Mr Darnell… why are you here?”
Even with a gun pressed against her, Lydia was not afraid. Rather, she was worried for Edgar. Darnell viewed Edgar with hostility. It’s even more so now that Edgar had become one with Prince.
“To think that you tried to make a fairy assault me; how underhanded. I thought that you were someone of a little higher calibre.”
“You don’t seriously intend to shoot Lady Lydia right? If so, please lower your gun.”
“Hmph. You can’t instigate the fairy if Lydia’s by my side huh. No, you want to obtain Lydia and defeat me using the power as the Prophet. If the prophecy is true, then that’s the only way I can be defeated. Even the fairy called Catena wasn't able to take my life, so even if you instigate her again, it’ll be the same.”
Saying that, Edgar then smiled fearlessly.
“If the prophecy is true, then does it mean that if Lydia is gone, neither you nor anyone, would be able to lay their hands on me?”
“The prophecy is true. That’s why you can’t kill Lady Lydia.”
“Do you want to try?”
Edgar placed his finger on the trigger. Lydia heard the sound of the firing hammer move.
Am I going to be killed by Edgar? As one would expect, Lydia felt a sense of danger. However, if he’s under the influence of Prince now, then all the more so, she couldn’t be killed by him. That’s the one thing she felt strongly about.
She acted before thinking; Lydia clung onto Edgar. She then pushed him through the space between the stone pillars and the both of them fell through it.
In an instant, Darnell disappeared from their view, along with the place where the spring was.
Lydia, who was relieved, noticed that she was leaning over Edgar, and hurriedly tried to get up.
However, she ended up falling down over his chest once more. Because Edgar pulled her body towards him.
Embraced by both his arms, Lydia couldn’t even move a little. The only thing she could do was to listen to the sound of Edgar’s heartbeat while remaining glued to him. Lydia’s body stiffened, and Edgar wrapped his arms around her even tighter.
That wasn’t a restraint, but was clearly an embrace. Lydia could only see it that way. The palm of his hands wrapped around her as they stroked her head and shoulders, and he buried his fingers in her hair.
It was as if he was trying to ascertain Lydia’s silhouette and touch.
“Edgar…”
She felt the same passion as in the past. She felt that she was being longed for.
Yet he suddenly released his arms. He pushed Lydia away and got up.
“How foolish. That was a chance for you to be saved by Darnell.”
“You, you pointed a pistol at me.”
“That’s right. You’re my hostage. Yet, is there any meaning in you escaping from Darnell together with me?”
“Maybe there is.”
When she said so while looking straight at him, Edgar averted his eyes and seemingly stood up in anger.
The pistol fell beside them, and Lydia picked it up. Edgar took a glance towards her, but he didn’t say anything.
Then all of a sudden, Lydia realized. Although this was a pistol which could fire continuously, it wasn’t loaded.
Was that why Edgar wasn’t bothered even if Lydia picked it up?
But if that’s the case, it’d mean that be it during the time when he threatened Lydia with this pistol, or when he used her as a hostage to restrain Darnell, Edgar never had any intention to hurt her.
“Hey, this isn’t loaded.”
“… I forgot.”
His cold tone made her think that he knew that at the very least.
It was precisely because the pistol wasn’t loaded that he pointed it at Lydia. If it were loaded, even if it was to pretend that he was threatening her, Edgar wouldn’t point the gun at her. Lydia wondered if it was nothing but her wanting to think that way.
“In any case, I want to leave this place. Is there any other way?”
Blood from the wound on his forehead trickled down towards his temple. Edgar wiped that off with his hand casually.
He was full of injuries. Lydia was practically unhurt.
She had rolled and fallen off the rocky slope like he did. Lydia had lost consciousness, but she wondered if it was because Edgar had shielded her that she was unharmed.
But if so, then why was he taking on such a cold attitude? Even though there’s only Lydia here so there wasn’t a need for him to continue acting.
“Wait a little. Earlier, I was close to figuring something important out.”
“Think about it as we walk. Darnell may inform that fairy of our whereabouts.”
Lydia nodded and Edgar took her hand as he started walking. Rather than saying that his hand was to prevent her from running away, it was more like simply a natural movement for when the both of them walked together.
If we stay here, then Edgar would be targeted by Catena. I’ve got to find a way out somehow.
Lydia tried to continue her thoughts from earlier.
That’s right. Lugh’s Chain.
Lyonesse was Lugh’s land. If so, then Catena must be ‘Lugh’s Chain (Catena)’.
In the past, the people who spoke of the legend of gods, called the Milky Way, ‘Lugh’s Chain’. It was the glowing chain which the God of Light, Lugh, threw towards the heavens.
The Milky Way appeared to display a single track in the skies; what if Catena were to display the path to Ibrazel in the same manner?
Then how about the tears? The tears which became aquamarine displayed a path like they were stardust; such an image came to Lydia’s mind.
Although it was just a single drop of tear which Catena shed in the past, the Catena then was a giant. If the aquamarine Ulysses held was just a fragment formed from that single teardrop, Lydia wondered if it was possible for tears to form a guidepost.
The ancestors of the Blue Knight Earl taught Catena the pain of humans. That was her tear when she learnt about that. It’s also consistent with the fact that the ancestors obtained the guidepost in exchange for that.
On the other hand, another possibility also came to mind. Because the aquamarine Lydia held, wasn’t from Catena’s tears which fell into the sea, but from something else.
The source of a fairy’s life is its magic. That’s the same as the blood which flows in the body of humans. That’s why Lydia thought that if it wasn’t tears, then it’d be blood. She wondered if the crystal of Catena’s blood had become the selkie’s heart.
If that’s the case, then a new scenario came to mind. 
Catena caused the death of her close friend and the Knight who appeared before her taught her the pain of humans. In exchange for that, the knight obtained both the guidepost and the aquamarine tears. If the guidepost was blood and not tears, then it meant that the pain which the Knight taught was the pain of blood flowing and bodily pain.
There’s no mistake that that too, was the pain of the girl who died.
Lydia wondered if Catena’s wish of wanting to become human, was the wish of wanting to know everything about the girl who died, including her pain and suffering.
To Catena, be it in the past or the present, that close friend who died was the only human whom she cared about.
But if she wanted to know everything about humans, it’d mean that she wanted to know about death as well.
The same death as the young girl who was her close friend.
Lydia felt her body trembling.
Edgar looked towards her questioningly.
“What happened?”
“No… it’s nothing.”
If Julius Ashenbert had promised to teach Catena death in exchange for the guidepost.
No, that can’t be.
What he ought to be teaching her was heart pain. Would the Blue Knight Earl think of robbing the life of a fairy? Lydia wanted to think that he wouldn’t.
By teaching her about the human heart and obtaining Catena’s tears once more; that should be the way to get the guidepost.
However, Catena’s precious close friend was no longer around. Wasn’t it already impossible for her to have a farewell that she’d shed tears over?
“This is a dead end.”
Edgar stopped in his tracks. When she lifted her gaze, a sheer cliff lay before her, and the sea extended in front of her.
Lydia thought that this was Lyonesse’s sea.
This was the sea the ancestors of the earl family saw in the distant past, the sea that continued towards Ibrazel. Lugh’s Chain lay outstretched across the night skies.
“There aren’t stone pillars beyond this. We may be able to leave the maze if we jump into the sea.”
He knew that if they did that, they’d lose their lives. Edgar sneered at his own words.
“Hey, Edgar, if we can leave this maze, what will you do with me after that?”
She felt the wind. Once she thought about how there weren’t winds inside the circle, though this may be a dead end, this should be outside of Catena’s maze.
Lydia breathed in fresh air; perhaps because she felt a slight sense of freedom, she asked such a question.
“…I wonder, what should I do? How about you? Will you beg for your life or something?”
“Then I‘ll do that. Shall the two of us just disappear?”
Perhaps he felt fed up, for he furrowed his brows and averted his eyes from Lydia.
“Let’s forget about the Blue Knight Earl’s family, about Prince, everything. Let’s go somewhere far off, just the two of us.”
Even if they did such a thing, Edgar wouldn’t be saved. If it’s as Ulysses said, then as long as Prince exists inside of him, Edgar would continue to suffer. Regardless of whether he called himself the Blue Knight Earl or the Duke of Sylvainford, it’d be the same; even if he escaped from the current situation, he couldn’t attain happiness. Although she knew that it was meaningless, Lydia imagined what it would be like.
“How about if we board a ship and travel around the seas of the world? Without belonging to any country anywhere, if we simply watched the seas and the skies, we may be able to live on in the present moment without considering the past or the future. Hey, even if there’s only the skies and the seas, it’s enough for me to have you by my side.”
Edgar kept silent as he looked ahead, but she felt that his hand which was holding on to hers tightened its grip.
“Are you trying to court me?”
But both his expression and tone remained indifferent and cold.
“Is courting something like this? Then it may be good if I’m the one who courts you once in a while.”
If it were the times up until now, even before Lydia could feel like saying what she wanted, Edgar had already piled tonnes of words on her. He’d close the distance between them casually, and unbeknownst to her, the atmosphere between the two of them had changed into something gentle and heartrending. 
“That’s impossible for you. I’m not aroused.”
Yet now, those cold words stabbed her chest.
It was because Edgar had praised her that Lydia came to be able to have a little self-confidence. If he denied her, then she’s a Cinderella with her magic undone.
Someone who only communicated with fairies and whom no one paid attention to, an eccentric fairy doctor.
“That’s… right. Since I’ve never courted a man before.”
If he had truly forgotten his feelings towards Lydia and lost interest, then she should just make him turn towards her once more. Yet the more she thought so, the more she felt that she didn’t have feminine charm.
Although she felt frustrated at herself for feeling that way, the words Edgar said so far were not lies. Even if the current him felt that Lydia was a boring woman, when Lydia met Edgar, fell in love with him, and was able to step forth without being afraid of getting hurt, she obtained precious feelings. Lydia, who thought so, was no longer the young girl afraid of love.
“But if it’s the truth, it’s something that I can say. I don’t regret getting married. I don’t think that this marriage is invalid.”
Edgar suddenly shook off Lydia’s hand. He looked at Lydia painfully.
“You’ll soon regret those words.”
At the same time as when he frowned and said so, Lydia felt an impact at the pit of her stomach.
Edgar, why….
Edgar was no longer looking at her who had collapsed on the spot.
As I thought, am I getting in your way? Because I may be the Prophet’s Betrothed?
But, in the corner of her consciousness which was beginning to become distant, Lydia caught Catena’s figure standing on top of a stone pillar.
“I found you. I won’t let you escape.”
Edgar was already facing Catena and bracing himself.
“I’ve locked up the key’s lion. Don’t expect help.”
Her silver-blue hair increased in radiance. If the chains of light that could shatter even rocks were to be fired again, then Edgar will…
Lydia desperately tried to cling on to her consciousness, but she couldn’t even move an inch of her body which had collapsed onto the ground.
It looked to her that Edgar, who moved slowly, was trying to distance Catena’s powers away from Lydia.
Please read this chapter at Daydream Translations. Thank you!

Shall we go to the sea?
A girl said so from Catena’s palm.
Catena grinned. She then placed the girl onto a small boat and went into the sea.
Water fowls were chasing fishes. Dolphins were jumping and the water surface was glittering. After they spent an enjoyable moment, Catena noticed that the western skies were getting cloudier.
Let’s go back.
No, let’s go further into the open seas.
The weather will change soon. You hate storms right?
But the young girl stubbornly said that she would not go back.
Catena turned her gaze towards the land. Catena, being tall, could see that people were gathered on the beach. The villagers were calling the young girl.
Hey, they’re calling for you. They’re saying that a festival is starting.
I’m not going.
It’ll definitely be fun. There’ll be lots of food as well. A band is coming right? I like the thing called music.
Do you prefer a festival over playing with me?
There’s no such thing, but don’t you like festivals as well?
I hate it, things like festivals.
The young girl puffed up her cheeks. 
A large bonfire was burning at the top of a hill on the land.
Soon, the winds became stronger. Even so, the young girl did not say that she wanted to go back. The both of them went further out towards the open seas.
Hey, Catena, I like you. That’s why, let’s go no matter how far it is. I won’t return to the village. 
Together with the winds, the waves became taller. The small boat was rocked up and down.
Catena wasn’t interested in human villages if she could be together with the young girl. That’s why, Catena nodded amenably.
That’s great, said the young girl as she smiled.
The two of us will be together forever. Although humans have a short lifespan, it’s said that the soul lives on for eternity. That’s why, we’ll always be close friends.
Yet all of a sudden, a tall wave came crashing down…
The small boat was swallowed by the seas as if it were a leaf right before Catena’s eyes.
The aquamarine was hot.
This fragment of Catena’s, was enraged with intense regret.
Lydia slowly regained her consciousness because of that feeling.
As she felt a pain in her chest from having just witnessed the final words exchanged between Catena and the young girl.
She heard a sharp sound which sounded like metals clashing.
Lydia sprang up.
She wondered if the light which bounced off before Edgar was something released by Catena. It was just after he swung the treasured sword which shone in crimson.
Even though he moved backwards due to the impact, Edgar tried to hold the sword up against Catena once more. Although both he and Catena who was atop the stone pillar were glaring at each other, blood was flowing down from Edgar’s dominant hand. Lydia didn’t know if it was a wound from when he fell off the slope or an injury caused by Catena’s chain-like light.
Edgar managed to grip the sword, but it wasn’t certain whether he’d be able to withstand another round of attack.
“Wait!”
I have to stop them, thought Lydia as she shouted.
“Catena, you want to know about your close friend’s heart right? I’ll tell you! What she was thinking of at the last moment!”
From atop the stone pillar, Catena turned her face slowly towards Lydia.
“She died trying to protect you. Your carelessness wasn’t what killed her. That’s why, you mustn’t regret!”
“She.. protected me?”
“That’s right… Because the villagers feared you, they tried to entrap you. By having a festival to attract you over, they planned to entertain and intoxicate you, and tried to seal you within a border made from bonfire.”
Perhaps Catena was trying to summon and revive memories from the distant past, for she shut her eyes in silence. And then, she murmured slowly.
“…That child, she said that she hated festivals.”
“It’s because she knew about those plans, that she invited you to the seas in order to keep you away from the festival.”
She repeated the words of her close friend from the past tenderly.
“‘I’m not going back’, she insisted so.”
“She should’ve been afraid because a storm was coming. She knew that she may die.”
‘It’s said that the soul lives on for eternity.’
“She hoped that you’ll be able to live on freely forever.”
‘We’ll always be close friends.’
Gradually, the light of an aggressive colour which came from Catena faded.
On her white cheeks, flowed a transparent drop of tear.
It fell, then turned into a faint blue crystal and shone with a gleam.
This large drop of aquamarine which rolled over towards Lydia’s hand, was Catena’s second tear in this world.
Then, Catena wiped off her tears. After she jumped off lightly from the top of the stone pillar, she stood before Lydia.

​“My aquamarine and the Merrow’s treasured sword. You’ve met the conditions.”
After she said so solemnly, suddenly, she turned to face Lydia with a stern look.
“Then, how about death? Should I have you teach me the meaning with yourself as an example?”
Light came forth once more from her silver-blue hair. Steel-like chains rushed towards Lydia.
Huh… that’s, your wish?
At the moment when Lydia, who was frozen, held her breath, a red light cut across before her. Just as she thought so, Edgar, who had wedged himself between them, was sent flying as he was showered in silver-blue light.
“Edgar!”
Lydia ran towards Edgar. And at the corner of her vision, she caught a glance of the treasured sword with the star ruby encased, pierced through Catena’s chest.
“Edgar, please don’t die!”
Lydia hurriedly tried to help Edgar up, but the light which covered his body swiftly vanished. Although he was breathing heavily, he got up by himself and was unharmed.
What’s going on?
As Catena fumbled while moving backwards, she extracted the treasured sword from her body with her own strength, then plunged the sword into the ground. Silver-coloured blood flowed out from her wound. She looked at it with a look at amazement, then looked at Lydia and Edgar in turn.
“You people too? You can die for each other’s sake…”
After she let out an abrupt smile, she moved towards the edge of the cliff.
“Humans are unfathomable creatures. However…, with this, even I will be able to go to where that child is.”
Her body danced and her silver-blue hair billowed in the skies. The beads of light gushing out from her body dyed the surroundings, and fell into the sea together with Catena.
Her body turned into beads of light as well, and crumbled like a broken handicraft work made of beads.
Lydia’s vision when she looked down towards the sea from the cliff, was getting dyed by silver coloured beads.
Those were Lugh’s Chains, a Milky Way which fell onto the sea.
“It’s the guidepost...”
Similar to the silver-blue path which stretched across the heavens, this line made up of scattered light, continued endlessly on top of the surface of the sea.
The guidepost wasn’t tears but blood.
Even if it was necessary to obtain her tears as well, in the end, the guidepost could only be obtained in exchange for Catena’s life.
She pretended to attack Lydia in order to make Edgar, who held the treasured sword, slay her.
In order to guide Lydia, who obtained the aquamarine of tears, towards Ibrazel.
The Catena in the past, was probably able to provide the guidepost to the far-off Ibrazel by shedding a little blood from a small wound. But the present Catena had become small.
Even during the time three hundred years ago when Julius Ashenbert made the promise with her, the descendent of the gods should have already become small fairies. Catena probably knew that she had to lose a lot of blood in order to fulfil the promise.
That would lead her to her death.
And as far as Lydia knew, the only thing which could bring death to fairies, was the Merrow’s sword.
That’s why Julius left the sword with the Merrows to ensure that his descendants would be able to receive the sword. Their capabilities to obtain the treasured sword would be questioned, and trials were also set in place.
Because the ancestors of the earl family who first visited Lyonesse still didn’t have the treasured sword, it was probably the most they could do to inflict a small wound on her. However, if it were the Merrow’s sword, they should be able to send Catena over to where her friend was.
On top of that, that was something which only the current Edgar could manage. It was something he could do precisely because he had obtained the powers as Prince.
How ironic. To think that even those who truly had the blood of the earl family flowing through their veins, had become unable to use the magic of the Unseelie Courts.
The star ruby which shone on the Merrow’s sword, the one which was able to bring death to fairies. Even though it was something which the earl family had always sealed, this meant that Julius Ashenbert made the release of that ability as the criteria for his descendants to reach Ibrazel. 
Why was the ability which the Ashenberts had sealed themselves due to its danger, necessary once more?
Was there a situation in Ibrazel which required the power of the ruby?
Just like Lydia, Edgar also remained silent since a while back, as he watched the path drawn out on the sea. When she took a glance at his profile, she saw that he had an extremely grave expression once more.
“Lady Lydia-!”
She heard Kelly’s voice.
With Catena gone, the stone circle maze vanished as well. Everyone had only been wandering in circles in a space that wasn’t too wide.
Kelly, who appeared to have found Lydia, could be seen running over to her.
“Kelly, over here!”
Lydia stood up and was about to dash forth, but someone stepped out from the shadows of the rocks and blocked her path, in order to not let her do so.
It was Ulysses.
“Your Highness, I’m glad that you’re safe.”
“When one has useless subordinates, the monarch has to do the work himself.”
Edgar said so sarcastically, but Ulysses took no notice of that.
“About this woman’s usage, you can leave it to me right?”
“… Yeah, do as you please.”
Murmuring that, Edgar got up as if he found it troublesome, while turning his back to Lydia.
Ulysses approached Lydia.
“Why? Hey, Edgar…”
Are you handing me over to Ulysses? Do you really think that the only value I have is to be used for the sake of the Organization? If that’s the case then why are you the only one getting injured?
Did you try to save me, knowing that you and Catena would strike each other simultaneously? 
Lydia tried to grab on to Edgar, but Ulysses held her back.
No, it wasn’t Ulysses who held on to Lydia’s arm. That person swiftly raised a knife as he shielded her behind him.
“Raven…”
Ulysses fumbled and moved backwards. As he pressed against his arm which was injured, he glared at the dark-skinned young man who protected Lydia.
Raven said to Lydia while still maintaining his watertight combat stance.
“Swan has arrived to receive you. Please jump off while aiming for the ship. She will catch you with her sails.”
When Lydia looked beneath the cliff, she could see that Ibrazel’s sailing ship was getting closer to the spot right beneath the cliff.
Perhaps Lota and the orders had also jumped off towards the ship in the same manner, for she could see their figures on the deck.
Kelly was still standing on top of the cliff, as she looked at Lydia fretfully with both her hands held together.
“Raven, hand Lydia over.”
Raven’s eyes moved towards Edgar who said that.
Raven had the self-awareness that he would probably continue to be loyal towards Edgar. Lydia wondered if Raven would be able to go against Edgar’s orders.
However, Raven shook his head to the sides slowly.
“Lord Edgar, have you forgotten? You told me to bear in mind that your order to protect Lady Lydia cannot be negated, regardless of the kind of situation, even if it were your instructions.”
Lydia wondered if Edgar smiled. His lips curled slightly, but he lowered his eyes in pain suddenly.
“That’s right. But you know Raven, if you want to protect Lydia, then all the more so, you ought to hand her over to me. There’s no salvation in Ibrazel.”
“For now, I cannot trust those words.”
Averting his eyes from Raven who said that resolutely, this time, Edgar looked towards Lydia with eyes of entreaty.
“You believe me right?”
For that one moment, she could see the old Edgar, the one who needed Lydia.
“Lydia, don’t go. There’s no need to go to Ibrazel. Let’s go back to London together. You no longer have to fight.”
It was just like a temptation that they’d return to their lives thus far. However, Edgar said that he would leave Lydia in Ulysses’ hands. It’s not like he would long for Lydia like he did in the past.
“And then, you’ll take revenge against the United Kingdom? You’ll make use of me for that purpose, but you no longer have any love for me right?”
“I can promise to make you my consort.”
“Don’t take me for a fool!”
Turning her back against Edgar, Lydia stepped out towards the edge of the cliff.
“I’ll recover my Edgar.”
Swan was waiting in standby below.
It happened when she was about to jump off.
A black shadow flew out from nowhere, and caught Lydia in its arms.
Carried up by someone, Lydia was flying towards the sea.
Flying past the top of Swan in that manner, the black shadow which still held on to Lydia stood up straight on the surface of the sea.
“Kelpie.”
Lydia, I’m sorry. Kelpie, who murmured so, looked up towards Edgar who was on top of the cliff.
“Earl, I’ve captured her as you ordered.”
After saying just that with a raised voice, Kelpie transformed into a horse. Lydia, who had been held in his arms, was then placed on his back without any discomfort.
Just like that, Kelpie dashed off on the surface of the sea.
“Hang on, Kelpie! Return to the ship. I have to go to Ibrazel.”
Lydia protested, however.
“We can’t. If I get close to that island, I’ll be taken over by that guy’s power. I’ll end up having to hand you over to him.”
“Meaning that Edgar has control over you?”
“I can’t go against his orders. But, for now, I’m only ordered to capture you.”
Kelpie was being captured by the Prince's power. If so, then even if Lydia pleaded with him, Kelpie wouldn’t be able to act against his orders.
“Then, where do you intend to take me?”
Kelpie did not answer her. He continued running across the dark seas.
Lugh’s Chain shone in the heavens, whereas Catena’s guidepost rose up to the surface of the seas, like a path which stretched across the wilderness. However, that too went off into the distance gradually.
Lydia couldn’t understand Edgar.
Did he really change, because he had come into contact with Prince’s powers together with his memories? Even if he really did change, did at least a little of the feelings he had for Lydia remain?
Lydia felt tired.
Being taken away by Kelpie, she didn’t have to think about anything now; Lydia may be a little relieved by that.