Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 9 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ♦ Nightmare Befalls London Bridge

Knowing that Edgar went out to town honestly made Lydia relieved.
He must have been anxious because of Ermine after all. Certainly, it also had a direct relation towards Prince’s movements as well. So regardless of the reason, Lydia thought perhaps Edgar was trying to hide his uneasiness.
After finding out about Ermine’s suspicious behavior, Edgar was heartbroken, so he went to Lydia for comfort. He was probably mentally prepared from the beginning. But because of her sudden betrayal yet again, Edgar must have surely felt it was unbearable.
However, right now, Edgar did not intend for Lydia to witness his own weakness.
This made Lydia feel slightly upset.
Even if it was only a little, she wanted to hear his voice. She was hoping to hear his true thoughts, even for just a moment.
Before, when she was attacked by him, she cried. It wasn’t only because of his ruthless behavior, but also the fact that he wasn’t true to his heart, so she felt shocked. However, at that time, the Edgar that was unable to cope with his suffering and had wanted to rely on Lydia, was the Edgar who was truthful.
That was why Lydia wanted to help him even though the one he needed was not her. Though, whenever he was urgent in his words or forcefully held her, it didn’t make her immediately uncomfortable.
Lydia, who was always running away, just didn’t want to admit it to herself. Her heart actually became anxious whenever she had to determine whether Edgar was truly sincere or not.
 
“Miss Carlton, you have a visitor.”
From her desk in her study room, she looked up and saw a maid standing at the door.
“A visitor? Who is it?”
“He only said that as long as he was called Ulya, you’d understand. Shall I prepare tea?”
“Mr. Ulya? Well... Please let him in.”
Fortunately, Edgar was not at home. What was he doing though? As Lydia thought, Ulya entered her study room, hurrying over towards her and said:
“Miss Lydia, Professor, he..... Professor Carlton has gotten into an accident in Cambridge.”
Shocked, Lydia immediately stood up.
“An accident, how...... Father did.... ?”
“The situation is not clear. The University received the telegram, but it had only said that much. Anyway, please come with me to the University. There may be more details. And if necessary, we must go on a trip to Cambridge with the university’s faculty.”
Lydia only nodded, while gripping the fountain pen in her hand not knowing what to do.
Standing on the side was the maid, who had no time for negligence during her working hour. She seemed to have immediately informed Butler Tompkins, who fetched a hat and a scarf.
However, first, he had Lydia sit down on a chair.
“Please remain calm, Miss Lydia. Let’s wait until my Lord returns, alright? In this case, I believe it’s better for you not to go out alone.”
“There should be no problem if she's with me.” Ulya said.
“However, my Lord has just gone to the University of London. Perhaps he had also heard about the incident and will return soon.”
“Well, why don't we go meet with him there if we're going to the University?”
“It’s possible that you miss him.”
“Even so, Mr. Tompkins, please let me go with Mr. Ulya.”
It is a waste of time discussing as to what to do. I need to know about Father as soon as possible. Maybe the University already received details of the situation.
“Then, you need to ask someone to escort you.”
“The carriage can only take two people.” Ulya said.
“I'll prepare the carriage then.”
“So, you don’t trust me. We're only going to the University, and you cannot allow me to take Miss Lydia?”
“I did not mean that.”
“Well then, please make the best use of your time, Miss Carlton.”
She nodded.
Her father had just gotten into an accident. For this important matter, to not even go and see him is too cruel, isn’t it?
She thought that Tompkins was being unreasonably suspicious of Ulya.
Edgar must’ve have ordered to let no man close to Lydia, but this was her father’s student, Ulya. To the person’s first arrival at the Earl’s residence, there was no reason to be so heavily guarded.
“Mr. Tompkins, it doesn’t matter. This is my father.”
Lydia finally stood up. Tompkins looked worried, but he raised no objections. 
 
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“Ceylon’s Diopside? The island itself is like a jewelry box, producing precious stones of various kinds.”
Langley said. He politely offered hospitality to Edgar who arrived in Professor Carlton’s study room at the University.
It was a mess as always for he completely got mixed up as to where to put his things in their former places. 
However, the professor’s favorite student was carefully walking, avoiding to trip on the dusty small stones left on the ground. Edgar didn’t know whether or not those stones were important for learning in the University.
Even so, though there was no logical reason, it gave an enchanting feeling. As long as it was in this room, even if it was dropped on the floor from above, it was as if an unknown person had left footprints on the ground with those stones. It was likely to be a remarkable worldwide discovery of the century.
“He is not a professor of romanticism, so he’s not too interested in mythology. However, there are very interesting stones, Sir Earl.”
“Oh? How interesting?”
“That stone, when thinly sliced like so and placed in the text above, it reveals a double image.”
“Oh, in the Greek language, it is also known as Diopside, correct?”
“You certainly know very well in detail. The professor had said your knowledge was profound. I would have thought you must have received a famous teacher’s guidance.”
All the knowledge Prince gained was instilled into Edgar. Therefore, he didn’t know whether or not he was taught by a teacher.
Ironically, the strict education proved to be necessary knowledge for Edgar in order to own his responsibility as Earl.

‘You’re just like Prince!'... He thought about what Lydia said. He did not know how much of himself was influenced by Prince, but he had a strong sense of revulsion at the thought.
“It is this way, Sir Earl.”
Langley, walking behind the screen, led him to a place similar to a warehouse.
Although claiming to be uninterested in mythology, Carlton’s collection held a large number of minerals relating to its origin from Fei legends. It was clearly seen that he knew very much about the minerals.
“In fact, the Diopside name is a fairly recent discovery. There is a similar stone mentioned in ancient literature, but whether this is the same stone, is difficult to determine. If this stone is associated with the myth, then it should be in here.”
Langley pointed to a shelf piled with documents.
“Ah, but it is also related to Ceylon. Unexpectedly, the collection of fairy tales fell into the hands of someone in India.”
“I didn't know this was related to India.”
“Well yes, most of the natives are Buddhists or Muslims. Before, it used to be an English colony, occupied by Portugal, and now even the Netherlands. It has became a rather diverse island. However, the information on Ceylon itself should also be in there.”
Finally, he pulled out a file.
It was, however, a thick document. Edgar went to the window, flipping through the pages as he skimmed for any keywords.
Lydia said three Diopsides respectively had engravings of the three member names of the triple war goddesses. However, those pieces of Diopsides were held by the descendant leaders of the Ceylon clan. But arguably, they were supposedly Irish goddesses.
If the gems were related to the Royal family, then they had to have appeared in mythology. There were always one or two legends regarding the magic behind them. Not to mention, there were three stones, which should mean to be significant.
By collecting gems associated with legends, the classification of minerals have unique insights for naturalists, or so Professor Carlton once said.
Edgar was now very close to a clue.

He continued to read the pages until his eyes soon stopped on a title, “Three-headed Serpent”.
“Once upon a time, the gracious island was ruled under the evil king of the three-headed serpent. The gods attempted to ruthlessly overthrow the fiendish king but were actually defeated. In legends, it was said to be due to a pledge in which all the former gods have vowed not to kill this devil. Though, in the views of other gods, because the king did not exchange vows with the humans, there was no other race but only humans that could defeat him.”
Edgar continued to read.
“The following is the birth and the adventures of a tragic hero, descendant of God. He endured through all trials and ultimately defeated the devil king. It goes without saying that this was a typical heroic myth found among Greece, Rome, and everywhere else across Europe.”
However, in terms of this, Edgar was more concerned about the Diopside. After carefully looking at Professor Carlton’s tiny handwriting, at the end, it briefly stated:
“The King’s three serpent heads were cut off into three pieces of dark-green gems. The hero’s descendants inherited these precious stones, and it was said that they were able to harness the power of the king to lead all fairies.”
“Ah, this was India’s classic epic. Because the story of the gem was so strange, it peaked the professor’s interest.”
“The gracious island, could that mean Ceylon?”
To Edgar’s question, Langley nodded.
“The epic seems to most likely allude to Ceylon.”
If the legend originated from one of the small tribal kingdoms, Hadiya, then the murder of Mr. Kent meant he owned one of the devil king's heads.
Undoubtedly, by virtue of the legend, it was hard to say whether it was truly a devil’s head. But regardless, the gems and the fairy magic seemed to be closely related. This was what he had learned from Lydia. It was said that the stones had hidden magical powers.
However, if the Diopside had this origin, then it was not clear what its relationship was with the war goddesses.
“Moreover, it was said that the source of the story came from a rough draft collection written by the 16th-century author, Brown.”
Langley mentioned as he flipped through further pages in the document.
“Are you saying it’s really by that Brown?”
The man was an ancestor of the Earl of Ashenbert. He was the one who compiled the Blue Knight Earl’s biography. At the time, Brown seemed to have good relations with the Blue Knight Earl during Lord Julius Ashenbert’s residency.
From there, he heard a lot of the anecdotal stories regarding the Earl’s ancestors. And so, in turn, Brown wrote a book.
Filled with fantasy-like adventures of fairies and magic, it now became England’s most classic fairy tale. However, it was certainly a known fact that the man, who was called the Blue Knight Earl, served under King Edward I of England.
For Edgar, this book was also an important clue to his understanding of the Earl's true ancestral history.
Immediately, he was reminded of the author’s name.
“Brown’s draft collections said he heard these incredible foreign tales from someone else’s words. At the time, it was the earl who told him the stories, so perhaps it was your ancestor.”
Though Langley was merely joking, Edgar couldn’t ignore this marvelous breakthrough.
The Earl of Ashenbert had once traveled around the world. So, it was very likely she also visited Ceylon.
So, if she had met with Hadiya’s royal family... Then, wasn’t it possible for the devil king and the war goddesses to be connected?
If this was the case, then 100 years ago, the Earl of Ashenbert was still battling against Prince’s organization to look for the Diopside. That would make sense.

“Excuse me, Lord Edgar.”
Raven’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Careful to avoid the mountains of books, he stepped out from behind the screen.
“What's wrong?”
“Just now, there was a message delivered from your manor. It said that Miss Lydia and a University foreign student named Ulya are on their way here together.”
“Lydia and that man together?”
At hearing Ulya’s name, Edgar impulsively felt an urge to hit someone. He immediately couldn’t help but clench his fists.
“He’d heard that Professor Carlton was in an accident at Cambridge, so in order to gain more details, he went to meet him with Miss Lydia.”
“Ah! Professor had an accident?!”
Langley was shocked.
"Did you not hear of it?”
“Ah.... no, I haven’t.”
“Even as an assistant you haven’t known, so how could an ordinary student like Ulya know?” 
As he wondered, suddenly an ominous thought came to his mind.
“Lord Edgar, please wait for just a moment. I’m going to the office to confirm.”
“No, wait a minute, Mr. Langley. Mr. Ulya..... By the way, I heard his adoptive father is English. Did you know?”
Not understanding why he asked such a thing, Langley gave a puzzled expression.
“Although I don’t know him, I have seen Mr. Ulya. I heard his father was returning to the country from India due to his physical disability, a gentleman in a wheelchair...”
“Wheelchair? Then, was there a large area of burned scars on his face?”
“Well, actually, there was indeed a bandage.”

...... It is Prince.
Suddenly, Edgar felt a cold chill and sweat building up behind him.
He didn't know how to take all of this in.
Ulya was blatantly watching Lydia, and he also expressed deep displeasure toward Edgar’s attitude. For Prince, that was certainly unlike his usual approach.
Normally, Prince’s men would have used a more relaxed method of vigilance. Because Edgar had such preconceived ideas, he believed Ulya to be an ill-mannered man.
However, did Prince just take advantage of this loophole in Edgar’s mind?
Unexpectedly like this, he didn’t even think they would approach Professor Carlton.
Edgar was nearly shaking in anger. However, compared to Prince, he despised himself even more that moment.
 
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Lydia’s mind was filled with thoughts about her father, restless in the carriage.
‘But I don't want to say anything right now', she thought.
By her side, Ulya remained silent.
“It wasn't a serious accident.”
Hearing him open his mouth to speak, she immediately lifted her head. He peered worriedly over her face as she then nodded.
“Ah, yes....”
Like Raven, he had black hair, dark eyes, and brown skin. Even with just his appearance, Ulya left a mysterious impression on Lydia.
As if obscuring the stars in his eyes, they seemed as deep as the hidden forest of the night. He remained motionless, as he stared into her eyes. Lydia began to feel uneasy.
Despite the urgency of the matter, she inadvertently went with a man alone. This man was her father’s student, but that was no excuse. For that, Lydia struggled to find other reasons to justify her decision.
She unconsciously diverted her attention out the window. Across from the building, there was a scenic view of the river bank.
The Thames River? The University should be in the opposite direction.
“Mr. Ulya, we’re going the wrong way. This is the London Bridge.”
As she planned to turn her head to look back, her hand was suddenly tightly grasped by him.
It was forceful, similar to how Edgar did it, but it was short of words and less tender-feeling.
In order not to let her escape, Ulya firmly grabbed Lydia’s hands, and she felt nothing but coldness. Then, he made a faint smile on his lips.
“You, what are you doing... please let go!”
Lydia said fearfully.
He did not answer. Ulya seemed different and so distant as if appearing in his eyes was a deep darkness all of a sudden.
He is not Mr. Ulya.
It felt like a dark shadow began seeping out from his whole body.
Next thing, he was surrounded by a formidable magic, something no human could have had. Something began to slip into Lydia’s mind, giving her a sick, nauseated feeling.
“...... Ah.”
It was difficult to even make a sound.
“Save me... Nico....!”
Although she remembered, as partners, she could call for him, but she also needed it to be heard. It wasn’t possible for him to appear if he couldn’t judge where the carriage was.
Sure enough..... He was useless, that fickle cat.....
As her body became paralyzed, Lydia’s conscious became swallowed up by an evil magic, sinking into a bottomless void.

It was Nightmare.
Thick unpleasant dreams, Lydia thought.
There was a hidden demon in the black Diamond called Nightmare, and Ulya was manipulating it.
The black diamond had been broken to pieces and scattered about at that time. But, the Nightmare in the Diamond must’ve survived. Then, most likely it had fallen into the hands of Prince’s right-hand man, a young boy whose mastery was in fairy magic, Ulysses.
Did Lydia fall into Ulysses’s trap?
The dream cannot be controlled. Although she tried, the twilight view gradually appeared in front of her eyes, hazily appearing due to the nightmare’s magic.

In the dream, it presented to her, within the darkness, a naked woman who appeared to be lying down.
She was covered with scars and bruises too horrible to look at. Lydia didn't know if she was still alive.
Trembling, she approached her.
Emerging from the dark, Lydia could see she had snow-white skin. Her deep, dark hair scattered messily across her pale face.
In spite of it all, Lydia was vaguely able to recognize her.
“Ermine.....”
Lydia foolishly stood there, looking down at her without any response.
Suddenly, she noticed the silhouette of a man nearby.
Edgar was sitting at a distance, unmoving.
He was watching Ermine.
His beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, hiding the flaming anger in his ash-mauve eyes. As if he couldn’t look away from her scars, he continued gazing at her.
Between the two, Lydia had no room to interrupt.
Lydia shut her eyes closed and prayed for the nightmare to go away.
 
“What are you doing, trying to escape from it all?”
Lydia immediately opened her eyes to see Ermine sitting up, facing her.
Then, Edgar’s figure disappeared.
“Or should I open your eyes and speak the truth? You wish to be my substitute and become Lord Edgar’s special woman in those eyes of his, correct?”
Unable to move her line of sight, Lydia gazed at Ermine’s incredibly red lips.
Only, her beautiful face held no scars or bruises.
“I can let you replace me. What do you wish for?”
Her face was right in front of hers, so Lydia involuntarily took a step back. This made Ermine chuckle.
“I’m not with him....”
“You have no intention of marrying him? Do you believe that, by saying those kind of words, you can escape from your own innermost feelings in this dream? You must make a choice. For Lord Edgar, there are only two women. Is it me, or a fleeting lover? If you wish for his heart, then please become me.”
Ermine reached out towards Lydia. Trembling, Lydia’s wrist was caught in her ice-cold hand. Lydia panicked and tried to get away.
But, Ermine had already pressed her body against Lydia.
Right then, Lydia could feel her. Ermine’s whole body was soft but cold. Her naked appearance made Lydia felt she was an incomparable beauty.  She was bewitchingly seductive and womanly. Yet, Lydia could not push her away.
Lydia didn’t have what Ermine had.
Ermine was enviably strong and beautiful.
From the moment Ermine spoke, Lydia felt like this.
Because she was strong, Ermine had the determination to leave Edgar’s side.
Perhaps her leaving was all for the sake of Raven because of her warning not to let Raven touch the stone.
Therefore, Edgar recognized her decision. Although he was unhappy, and felt betrayed once again, he had to let her go in order to respect her decision.
Even though they had to fight against each other as enemies, even if one of them would be killed, the bond that existed between the two, whether it was love or not, would never disappear.
Lydia was terribly envious.
However, no matter how envious she was, she and Edgar could never share the same past.
Now, in this dream, she did wish to become a little like Ermine. She didn’t want to be a “fleeting lover”.
Ermine, with her fingertips, scratched Lydia’s collar and sleeves, leaving bleeding cuts on her skin.
Her red lips was closing in toward Lydia’s. Paralyzed, despite Lydia’s efforts to move, their lips overlapped together.

At that moment, Lydia felt a little of the darkness that surrounded her. Moving slowly, little by little, a scenery from the outside filled her line of vision.
She could see the ceiling of the carriage and the dusk scenery outside the window.
The person in front of her was not Ermine, but Ulya.
Just left with a touch on the lips, was that Ulya?
Or perhaps it was in the dream.
Her mind was faint, and she couldn’t sense reality.
Ulya, with his dark eyes, was dominated by nightmare. He wouldn’t allow Lydia to move.
“Father's accident......”
In spite of this, no matter what, she wanted to confirm it. So, she so desperately tried to say those few words.
“Ah, I made that up.” 
She was so worried that, when she heard those words, she felt relieved. And now, thanks to that, she was beginning to feel more alert.
“I don’t bear any grudge against you, but I must do it. In order for the demon’s magic to grow, it needed bait for it to sustain itself. I only have this purpose.”
With his slender hands, Ulya caressed Lydia’s cheek.
She felt very perturbed, so she abruptly turned her face away.
Needing to escape was the only thought she had which held strongly in her mind.
“Well, continue to sleep for now. The day has finally turned dark, and the night is where the magic of the fairy realm appears.”
Dreaming of nightmares was bait for Nightmare. The longer Nightmare fed on nightmares, filling more with terror, it will eventually lead to the death of the prey.
If this continued any longer, she'd be killed.
“Don’t.....”
Lydia closed her eyes, in order to avoid the hidden magic of the demon. As she did, nearly drained of energy, she tried her best to push Ulya away.

Moments after, she didn’t know how she escaped from the carriage, but she ended up finding herself in a dark alley.
She was at the foot of the road, which emitted a foul smell due to the rain and mud. On both her sides were crowded buildings, while a mouse ran aimlessly on the ground. It was a terribly dirty place.
The street was filled with garbage, and incredibly there was not one shadow of a person in sight.
The demon was deliberately avoiding humans, or was this also a dream?
Lydia was confused. She ran through the alley, hoping to find anyone. She even stepped into small puddles, which splashed out sludge, though she couldn’t care less.
Soon, she arrived at a spacious place. However, there was no one there, not even a carriage. She began to grow frightened. Before she could restrain herself from impulsively crying out loud, she carefully looked around her surroundings. At long last, she found someone walking under a street lamp.
It was a slender figure dressed in elegant clothes.
A reassuring feeling suddenly poured through her heart.
“Edgar!”
Lydia cried for help.
She wanted to run to him, but then she stopped.
Looking back on his side, there was a young woman she never saw before.
Clinging to his arm, his intimate female friend asked:
“Who is she?”
“Hmm, who?”
Uncaring, Edgar gave a sidelong glance at Lydia. In reply to the woman’s question, the icy words he said shocked Lydia.
“Is that your former lover?”
“How could it be when I only love you?”
“Is that a lie?”
“It’s true.”
“Yes, well, now looking at her appearance, trembling and covered in mud, she really is not even worthy to be around you.”
The two people chuckled, as they were ready to walk away.
"You're such a liar!”
He wasn’t excessive, but that was rather too much. Lydia thought this, and then she rushed up to him and tightly grabbed him by the sleeve.
“You never said that to me, you said to me... You sincerely proposed to me!”
Then, Edgar shook off Lydia’s hand. He even used his strength, for she fell to the ground.
“What’s the matter with this woman? Edgar, you have mud on you now.”
“Oh, how troublesome.”
He said, unconcerned with Lydia falling into the puddle.
“Certainly, no matter what, he was all fun in games in the end..... yet I still wanted to believe him.”

I wanted to believe in him. She believed in his heart. Even if she wasn’t his favorite, she wanted to believe she was different from the other girls.
Because of this, she couldn’t help but compare herself with Ermine.
Even if she was his second favourite woman after Ermine, she was different from many other girls. She was unique. Perhaps, one day, she could maybe become his number one girl.
“Lydia.”
Edgar called out her name. From his voice, her heart felt a glimmer of hope as she raised her head. However, what she found was his sharp gaze peering down at her.
“You refused to listen to my words. You even left home with Ulya and kissed him. Unexpectedly, I didn’t think you were that kind of casual woman.”
Lydia immediately placed her hand to her mouth. What happened in the carriage, Edgar saw it all.
However, she couldn’t tell what was real and what was a dream.
And then, like that, Edgar and his companion left together.
She was only thrown off to the side. Not long after, Ulya appeared before her.
But, she had no more strength to run away.
“Did he abandon you? How pitiful. I’m here to save you now.”
Bending over toward Lydia on the ground, he forcefully gripped her throat.
“The pain is only for a brief moment. You will soon forget about everything and be happy. Come with me to the bridge.”
The bridge? The London Bridge...?
Does that mean that those cases, those victims were......
At that moment, a bright light flashed across the sky.
It was flash lightning. She had just come to understand that after there was a huge roaring of thunder, ringing in her ears.
Before she knew it, she found herself in the pouring, heavy rain. 
By the touch of the raindrops across her face and neck, she felt it was not a dream but complete reality.

Lydia woke up from her deep sleep.
She held her posture in the carriage which sat motionless on the side of the road.
Then, all of a sudden, a dark water horse opened the carriage door, dragging Ulya out.
“.......Kelpie.”
Before he grounded his foot on Ulya, with his sharp fangs he tore away at the dark shadow.
Is this another nightmare? It seemed as if the feral water horse was suppressing the shadow. Constantly fluctuating up and down, the complex figure was unable to maintain a fixed shape.
Kelpie was about to push the figure into Ulya’s body, when the shadow suddenly made a counterattack.
It sunk its teeth into Kelpie’s head.
“Whoa, this bastard .....!”
While on Kelpie, the moment of the black shadow’s teeth loosened, his body immediately flew away from Ulya’s body. It rapidly brushed past Kelpie, skillfully going at the speed of a leopard.
In a blink of an eye, the shadow was gone. Kelpie clicked his tongue and shrugged to the side.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Soon, we’ll be able to find it and fetch it back.”
Kelpie said, as he walked away from Ulya who was losing consciousness. Approaching towards Lydia’s direction, he asked:                                                               
“Hey, are you alright? Wake up already.”
“.....Well, but, Kelpie, how did you get here.....”
Lately, he hadn’t been around. She remembered Nico said he was definitely up to mischief, but how did he suddenly appear here?
When the lightning flashed through the sky again, Kelpie returned to being a human.
With black curly hair and a delicate, beautiful face, he was a human without any flaws.
He roughly pulled Lydia’s hand, helping her up to stand upright. His unruly manners were indeed his style.
Drenched in the heavy pouring rain, the water horse, who was in the water, revealed a happy, playful look.
“You’re all wet.  Are you cold?”
It was cold. However, she was more concerned about another matter than this one.
“Ah, Kelpie, what have you been doing recently?”
“Oh, just handling small matters. I’ve been taming the Nightmare.”
Taming the Nightmare?
Wrinkling his eyebrows, Kelpie frowned as Lydia seeked shelter from the rain. 
“Even if its power will strengthen again, as of right now, it had just been reborn. Once it starves again, no matter who it is, it will immediately attack using memories of the past.”
As he spoke, he used his palms to firmly wipe away the rain from Lydia’s cheeks. Although crude, it was his way of expressing his sympathy. However, Lydia still felt disturbed from the chaotic situation and was not soothed at all.
“... Why would you tame the Nightmare?”
“Some people want to keep it.”
“But who could that be?”
“Just a hobby of this kid named Ulysses. He used containers like Ulya to let it mature and grow. That way, it gets trained into the human body.”
“Ulysses is trying to use Mr. Ulya as a container to tame Nightmare?”
“Yeah. But that guy, Ulysses, seems to keep feeding the Nightmare bait. So, the power of the Nightmare became too strong. I was worried so I followed it, but I ended up losing it. I’d never thought it would attack you though. Luckily, I found you. Had it been otherwise, I would’ve been worried to death for you.”
Kelpie didn’t even notice Lydia was trembling with fear as he easily spoke those words.
“However, the nightmare got away. If I don’t immediately recapture it, it could start attacking people again.....”
“I.....I can't believe you’re doing this kind of thing for Ulysses! Why? Do you not know he is Edgar’s enemy?!”
Kelpie’s face suddenly became cross. He crossed his arms and peered down at her.
“I'm not like that guy. I'm doing this for you.”
“For me......?”
“As long as you stay around the Earl, you will be in danger. Ulysses wanted me to tame the Nightmare according to his conditions. As long as I do him the favor, he will not try to harm you you.”
He made a deal with Ulysses.
Lydia suddenly felt her anger surge.
She used both her hands to push him away.
“How can you believe in Ulysses’ words?”
“To believe it or not is a separate matter. This is still a deal.” 
“That guy is not only the master of fairy magic, but he is also very cunning. You ought to expect that he wouldn’t abide to the deal! In fact, I....I was attacked by the nightmare. Rather than it being a coincidence, it must have been Ulysses or Prince who ordered it!”
Going by Kelpie’s contract, Ulysses did not directly attack Lydia, but he allowed Ulya and his nightmare to attack her instead.
Kelpie’s expression changed.
“Really? Not a coincidence?”
“Yes, Mr. Ulya was one of my father’s students. He told me my father had gotten into an accident, and so he brought me here. You worked with Nightmare to attack me!” 

Nobody could be trusted.
Ulya and Kelpie were both part of the enemy that surrounded her.
Even Ermine rebelled against Edgar as an enemy.
Prince had already entered among them. Slowly and little-by-little, tearing them apart.
Lydia ran out into the heavy rain.
“Hey, Lydia!”
However, Kelpie hesitated. He didn’t immediately pursue her.
Lydia became very anxious. 'I must return quickly.’
Return? Return to where?
To Edgar?
At the sudden thought of him, Lydia became very distressed.
'You kissed Ulya. I didn’t expect you to be this kind of casual woman....' That was all a dream. Something nightmare had shown her.
However, she still felt his touch on her lips.
Tears streamed down her face.
I despise this. I don’t wish to cry for such a thing. If it was Ermine, she would not cry.
The more she ran, the more her vision blurred.
It must be the rain.
As she went about aimlessly, she unknowingly reached the London Bridge. 
There was a thundering storm, and there was not a pedestrian in sight. The carriages were full of people who moved about, but none of them took notice of Lydia. Though she ran through the mud, she didn’t care.

As she was deeply lost in her thoughts, a luxurious carriage pushed by two horses suddenly stopped in the middle of the bridge.
The door opened and someone came out. Because it was too dark, along with raining, it was unclear as to who it was. There was a man leaning on a walking cane, his legs and feet were not too agile.
Still, he kept his posture straight. His shoes that left footsteps were new, indicating he was from the upper class.
“Excuse me, Miss. Your formal dress seems soiled.”
The voice sounded like an older gentleman.
“If you don't mind, let me escort you home.”
Although his words sounded very gracious, as he approached, Lydia felt strangely intimidated. She couldn’t help but take a step back.
A lightning bolt flashed, revealing the face of the man who was wrapped full in bandages. It was such a terrifying appearance, it made Lydia catch her breath.
As the lightning continued to split across the sky, it clearly revealed to her eyes the boy who sat in the driver’s seat.
With a knowing smile on his face, was a pale young boy with golden hair.
“Ulysses...?” 
Lydia felt her legs buckle and her eyes turned back to the old man before her.
Could this be.... Prince?
'I have to escape!' she heard herself think in her mind, but she was unable to move a step as she wished. With all her strength, she could only, very slowly, back away.
She saw that, as the man approached her, he held a rope in his hand. But then, her back hit the railing of the bridge. There was no where else she could run to.
“She is Edgar's woman.”
Ulysses said, as he sat in the driver’s seat above.
Then, there came a chuckle from inside the bandages of the man’s face.
“I thought she would be a better woman. Before I was even able to choose and instill my taste in women and their uses within him, he ran away.”
Even though he was belittling Lydia, she had no time to put it to mind.
Already, she found that the rope was set around her neck.
This made her remember those bodies that committed suicide by hanging at the London Bridge.
It had now become apparent that Lydia was selected as Prince’s next victim.
Although she had just escaped from the hands of Nightmare, she could not escape her fate of Prince’s decision anymore.
That was all Lydia could think of. She had no time to resist. Then, he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back past the railing.
At this moment, she felt her body was floating.
She was going to fall over. However, instantly, the man’s hand loosened.
He immediately fell back, and a dark figure appeared behind him. 

Meanwhile, someone else caught Lydia’s arm. She felt her body jerk back from the bridge railings behind her. As she did, she heard the voice of a man who, in throaty hoarse screams, declared he wanted to kill someone.
Lydia just sat on the ground until she was finally able to look up. Holding a knife from his pocket, it was Raven standing beside a collapsed man on the ground.
“Prince... Is he dead?”
“That was only his shadow. It wasn’t him.”
From there, Lydia heard a familiar voice.
The man who, with his hands carefully removed the rope tied around her neck, was Edgar.
“Shadow......?”
“Prince himself can hardly move. He used his shadow as a replacement to go out on his own. However, his substitute was killed just now.”
“Ah, right, Ulysses is there!”
Lydia, with a panic-stricken look, looked toward the carriage. However, there was no one at the driver’s seat.
Though Raven checked all around the carriage, he returned to Edgar’s side, shaking his head.
The danger seemed to have passed.
However, Lydia’s heart was then filled with another kind of despair.
She thought about what the Nightmare showed her in her dreams. To look into Edgar’s eyes, she felt it was unbearable.
If she looked up, like in her dream, would he coldly peer down at her? 
And seeing as how Lydia’s whole body was covered in mud, perhaps she could frighten away a love of 100 years, cause them to vanish in thin air.
As she was anxious to fix her clothes, Lydia noticed the collar around her neck was split.
In the dream, it was from Ermine… or was it from Ulya’s hands?
She placed her fingers on the skin of her neck, feeling shallow scars.
Feeling Edgar watching her, she quickly hid her hands to the ground, away from sight. If her legs still had strength left, she would have ran away from there.
If Edgar wasn’t going to say anything, he should have just walked away.
But, he still remained here. Then, on her shoulders, she felt a warm feeling and so she looked up.
Edgar had draped his coat over her body.
“Don’t, don't do that.....It’ll get dirty.”
She hurriedly tried to return his coat to him. But, he took his folded-collared coat and placed it back on her. Tenderly, he gave her a smile and said:
 
“What you are saying... With this relationship between you and me, do you still mind such things?”
“I would mind... For that kind of relationship.”
“Lydia, are you angry with me? I’ve put you through such a terrible experience. If I had only been more vigilant.....”
“No, it was my own fault that I was careless. After I heard Father was in an accident, I was frightened to death. Then, the Nightmare from Mr. Ulya came out from inside of him.”
“I will patiently wait a while to listen to you, so speak again slowly. Before I came here, I found Ulya on the ground. So, the Scarlet Moon members went and escorted him home. Therefore, you must first calm down, and let’s take care of your wound.”
“I am not injured.... It’s just that the Nightmare made me dream. Through horrific kinds of nightmares, it tried to drain my energy and kill me.”
Listening to her fragmented story, Edgar had no way to completely understand. Even though he told her to take a moment before speaking, she couldn’t help but keep going.
“It was frightening. I was desperate to escape, and then later I found you.... However, when I asked for your help, you went away with another woman and walked away from me.”
“That was just too much. However, that was just a dream, right?”
She continued in a panic state...
“It was a dream. In the dream, you said that I was a casual woman.”
“Did I say that?”
“Yes, you also already said you didn’t like that type.”
This was a matter in Lydia’s in dream. Therefore, Edgar was actually blamed for, but he was certainly puzzled.
“Well, I am sorry. I owe you an apology. Forgive me.”
“Ah, what... that is. Don't apologize to me. Did you see it?”
Lydia had no idea what she wanted him to say.
“Well, what exactly did you see?”
“I kissed Mr. Ulya.”
“.....Well, though I may be petty and become a vexatious husband, I will not brood over what happens in dreams.”
“But, I don't know...... It may not have been a dream!”
“Not a dream?”
“I thought it was a dream.”
Lydia firmly grasped her opened collar.
Suddenly, she regretted saying those unnecessary words.
Ah, what to do. Even though she wanted to run away, her legs couldn’t muster up the strength to move.
However, Edgar put his hands to her ears and, burying his fingers in her hair, he pulled her towards him, holding her in an embrace.
Startled, she struggled at first, but he held her tightly.
Her face began to grow hot, and Lydia began to panic.
“Didn’t we agree for you not to touch me?”
“It was just in the manor where I cannot touch you, right? Now, we’re outside.”
He plausibly said that absurd reason and didn’t let go.
In the end, she gave up resisting.
“I'm sorry, I should have come earlier to save you.”
When he spoke, it sounded like he was in so much pain. She felt as if she really couldn’t push him away.
Edgar would always blame himself. Was it because he was unable to save Ermine from the experience?
However, as his hands gently caressed her hair, Lydia suddenly felt that her experience with Nightmare completely disappeared.

“Hey, how long do you plan on flirting?”
Nico’s voice brought her back to reality.
Raven stood in the rain, as if waiting however long it took. Beside him was a gray cat with a very displeased look, while his hands were on his hips and his nose snorting.
“Nico... you came.”
“When I came, I brought the earl. Lydia, you asked for help, right?”
“.... Yes, you heard me?”
“It’s impossible for me to hear you. It was the goblins nearby that told me. I'm the leader of the fairies in London. So, when the fairies are in trouble, I oversee them.”
“So, that’s how it is. Nico, thank you.... For what I said before, I’m sorry.”
Grabbing Nico’s hand, Lydia candidly expressed her gratitude.
She intended to hug him.
“Whoa, stop that, I’m going to get mud stuck on me.”
This cat was worse than Edgar.
Lydia flared up in anger and released his hand. But, thanks to Nico’s relaxed attitude, Lydia was able to calm down a little as well.
However, that moment was short-lived.

Raven, who always stood motionless, suddenly changed his posture.
The rain gradually became smaller and started to drizzle instead. Raven paused, his dark eyes intently gazing into the dreary darkness. Then, he swiftly rushed out.
It looked as if he was going to jump on the rail, but instead he turned back behind toward the stone pillars and swung his knife.
At the same time, fleeting glimpses of a figure escaped from Raven’s blade and kept running from there.
Unexpectedly, they quickly dodged Raven’s one-hit kill attack.
But, that was hardly surprising. Certainly, the one who truly understood him was Ermine.
“Did you come to spy, Ermine? Prince is really no good at employing his followers, then.”
Edgar said as he looked at her.
“I am not here to spy. I am here to catch the Nightmare that escaped. Because Miss Lydia was attacked by it, it appears Kelpie is restraining it.”
Ermine deliberately kept her distance from Raven, as she slowly walked across the bridge.
“I see. Then, where is it?”
“Please be careful, Lord Edgar. I'm afraid it is still nearby. Ulysses raises it here. Therefore, as its hunger is exceeding, it is prowling around here.”
“Are you still worried about me?”
He said it in a sarcastic tone. However, Ermine’s feelings and expressions did not change.
When Lydia spoke with her, she had the same strong will to suppress her emotions. She kept everything in her heart, never confiding in anyone.
The only way to understand her is to find her reason for betraying Edgar. However, so far, no matter what it was that was said to her, she had not yet wavered.
Her brother also had the same strong will.
Raven refused to forgive his sister, a traitor to Edgar. Aiming quietly at the gap of their distance, Raven once again jumped towards Ermine.
But, it was already too late to avoid it.
Ermine counter blocked Raven with the blade of her own knife. But she was kicked by his knee and and crashed into the bride baluster.
“Stop it, Raven!”
Even though he heard Edgar’s voice, he did not stop and approached Ermine, who was already unsteady.
“Did you not hear me?”
“Lord Edgar, regardless of what you say, even if I would even wager on my life, I must bring an end to this matter.” 
“Do not speak nonsense.”
“No. If I accept the return of my sister, it is equivalent to placing Lord Edgar’s life in jeopardy. If I continue on like this, I cannot serve you.”
“Raven, no one is perfect. Everyone will make mistakes.”
Edgar attempted to convince Raven further, but Raven was already close to Ermine. As if to restrain her brother, she swung her knife at him but, as her powers were not restored in enough time, he easily caught her wrist.
Raven twisted her arm, with his knife arriving a breath’s away from Ermine’s pale neck.
His hands stopped there, because he suddenly sensed a tense pressure filling the air. A dark shadow had already surrounded them all.
Lydia felt a dark, cold chill run through her. This feeling was the same as before.
 
“.... Nightmare!”
As her voice spilled out of her, the shadow rushed at Lydia, going at the speed of a panther.
Edgar quickly covered her, shielding her with his body.
And then, the two of them fell over to the pavement on the ground. The warm smell of blood grazed her cheek.
The demon’s magical shape was uncertain. Even if Lydia observed carefully, she couldn’t distinguish what it was. Edgar could clearly feel the evil aura, and so he moved Lydia’s body closer to him.
Side by side, they looked toward the shadow’s direction as it grew thicker. 
“Lord Edgar!”
Raven shifted his attention to Edgar, his knife instantly moving away from Ermine.
Ermine could have escaped her brother’s grasp, but she didn’t.
Nightmare responded to Raven’s voice, abruptly changing direction and started to pounce toward him instead.
It appeared that Nightmare had no sense of vision, for Raven noticed it had dug its fangs into Ermine instead.
Ermine, using her Selkie’s magic, shrugged off the Nightmare.
Suddenly, the presence of Nightmare seemed to disappear.
It was Raven who blocked Ermine from Nightmare’s attack. Her chest bleeding, she vigilantly shouted to him:
“Careful, nightmare is still nearby.”
“..... Sister, that Nightmare was released by your partner.”
Raven tightened his grip on the knife.
Did he really intend to kill her himself?
“Raven, quickly move away from here. Don’t fight against Nightmare.”
“I cannot forgive you.”
“Well…… I see.”
“You said you simply wished to serve Lord Edgar. I believed in you.”
“Do as you wish. However......”
“However?”
“However... please, you must listen to me one last time. If you touch Nightmare, the sprite in your body, will be under its influence....”
“As if I'd listen to you… !”
As he spoke, he swung his knife down.
Lydia, who was prepared for the worst, did not divert her eyes.
She felt Edgar’s arms tighten around her. But, it was too late. They could only sit and watch.
However, Ermine did not fall. Raven only slit Ermine’s tie that fell to the pavement on the ground.
He feebly placed his hands down, and Ermine slowly turned to look at him.
At the same time, Lydia felt that once again the aura of the nightmare was filling the air nearby.
She looked around and found the shadow standing next to the rail above Ermine.
Before Lydia was even able to make a sound, the nightmare acted fast.

Raven spun around and pounced towards Nightmare. However, the instant he made contact with the shadow, he was strongly pushed back.
“Raven!”
As Ermine rushed to him, a black figure caught up before her and became entangled with Nightmare.   
Suddenly, the figure knocked Ermine aside. On the railing opposite railing, it glared with hostile eyes at the Nightmare.
“Kelpie...”
Lydia whispered.
“Selkie, get back!”
Standing upright, Kelpie rushed over to Ermine with a shout.
"It escaped from its cage. It’s slightly troublesome.”
The so-called cage, is the one referred to Ulya, who was used as a container for the Nightmare, right?
In order to tame Nightmare, Ulya was used as both a container and a cage. If that was the case, then his physical body had considerable endurance to withhold the demonic power.
As of now, Lydia knew the story behind his upbringing was a lie, but what kind of person was he truly?
Before she finished her thoughts, the bridge began to shake violently.
She felt as if it was going to collapse.
And now, Kelpie was confronting the Nightmare head on.
However, this time, his battle with the Nightmare was different from the one with Ulya. He was struggling hard.
“Kelpie, the Nightmare’s power strengthens through dreams. Therefore, it will not work for you to use your usual approach...!” Ermine shouted to him. 
“Shut up, I know!”
Nightmare was no longer in the wild state of a beast. It seemed to constantly expand in its shadows, almost swallowing everything nearby.
“Raven, let’s go....”
Edgar came around to Raven who’d fallen, intending to help him up
.
“Hey! Earl, leave him! That boy’s sprite has been forced to awaken once he had touched Nightmare!”
Nico, who supposedly escaped with such stealth, suddenly appeared and shouted at him.
Edgar was taken aback.
That moment, Raven rose up with his eyes filled with murderous intent, forcing Edgar to take one step back.
Wielding a knife, he pointed it to his master.
Although he was able to avoid it from a distance, it still shocked Edgar.
The old Raven cannot control the killing impulses of his sprite. And when he loses himself, he dangerously and indiscriminately murders others. Even for Edgar, it was difficult to stop him, but Raven could never go against Edgar with a knife.
Though now, he began attacking all obstacles that entered his line of vision.
Ironically, that was one thing Raven did not take into consideration.
It was unlike Raven to give futile attacks as he did so towards Edgar. Or rather, due to the Raven’s vision, Edgar was evasive enough to move outside the gap of Raven’s sight, dodging his attacks.
“Lydia, run! The Nightmare has gone ballistic. It's impossible to stop it!”
Kelpie shouted, as he seemed to be at the center, wrestling against it at the same place.
The bridge swayed more and more wildly.
Still focused on Raven, Edgar desperately tried to restrain him. However, to remain close to Raven, who was wielding a knife, was no simple task.
“Edgar, it's dangerous!”
Lydia shouted. While trying to run to his side. But, the bridge kept rocking about making her unable to stand up.
She wanted to believe that all of this was not real. That the bridge was not shaking so vigorously, and that it was Nightmare's power distorting the space, causing the bridge to vigorously shake.
“Lydia, I’m okay... However, those are not Raven’s eyes.”
Edgar said bitterly. At the other end of his line of sight, Raven suddenly squatted down and fell to the ground.
Lydia then noticed that he was stabbed in the foot with a knife. In the opposite direction, there also appeared to be a few shadows.
One of them was Ulysses, but it was uncertain as to whether those men behind him were humans or his evil fairy subordinates.
“There’s only one way to grasp this beast. But, you must already be paralyzed, right?”
The shadowy figures instantly surrounded Raven, intending to take him away. 
Seeing this, Edgar wanted to rescue him from the hands of the enemy.
At the same time, he wanted to take Lydia away from this violently-shaking chaos.
However, didn't the dark nightmare's shadows deteriorated their perceptions of reality already?
Eventually, he made a decision, as he pulled Lydia’s hand.
“Nico, which way should I go?”
“It’s this way, hurry up!”
Nico seemed to have found an escape from the nightmares through a construction site on the road.
In Edgar's arms, Lydia finally tried to stand up.

“You cannot escape.”
From behind them came the voice of Ulysses.
“It has indeed been a situation where literally, one-by-one, everything you’ve had is slowly being taken away from you.”