Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 9 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 ♦ Unyielding Desire​

Kelpie brought Lydia to a cottage by the river.
As it was already pretty late when they arrived at the place , it was dark all around, and they couldn’t see anything. After Kelpie left, Lydia nearly fell asleep as laid on a bench,  listening to the sounds of flowing water and the creaking rhythm of a wheel.
 
When she woke up, the flames in the fireplace was started. No wonder it didn’t feel cold at all in here. However, Kelpie should not have been able to start the fire, so who did?
 
She wiped away the soot that caught on the  windowpane thanks to the smoke of the fire, and looked outside from it. It was dawn, and there was a white, smoke-like mist filling the horizon. The small bridge of the river and the surrounding trees could only be seen dimly. Thanks to that, the bridge and the trees across the river appeared hazy and flickering, almost as if they were illusions.
She opened the window and leaned her body forward, over the frame. Despite taking a closer look,  the other side of the bridge was obscured by the trees and the fog. She couldn’t see anything distinguishable, no houses or anything.
 
However, the lamp in the cottage had a trademark label that was the same as the one Lydia had at home. Therefore, they must not be in the fairy realm but the human world still.
 
She looked down at her hands. The moonstone on Edgar’s engagement ring was exuding light from her ring finger. The original owner of the moonlight stone was the guardian fairy of the first generation Blue Knight Earl, who was also his wife.
 
Only Edgar can remove the ring. That was why Kelpie could not ignore Lydia’s will and take her to the fairy world at the time.
 
If this was the human world, then they shouldn’t be too far away from London.
 
Did Edgar let Ulya go yet?
 
Then, a loud, pathetic voice interrupted her train of thought.
 
“Lydia...... Hey......”
 
She looked around the cottage, but she didn’t see anyone.
 
“Lydia --- help me.”
 
She turned to the direction of the sound, carefully searching the opposite of the ladder in the middle of  the room.  And …
 
“Nico! Hey, what are you doing here?”
 
Tied to a pole was a grey fairy cat. He had a look of anger, as he glared at Lydia.
 
“I’ve been calling you this whole time. How could you not have heard me? Kelpie, that bastard, he actually had the nerve to tie me up tight in here!”
 
Lydia hastily apologized, as she untied the knot around him.
 
“How did you even....were you caught by Kelpie?”
 
“God knows why. In the middle of the night, he suddenly broke in and grabbed me while I was sleeping. Before I knew it, he took me to this place. Then, he made me use a match to start a fire. Originally, it was my idea so now he’s letting me stay here for the time being. Despite that, he still tied me tightly on the pole.”
 
Even though Nico was a fairy, he was able to use a match. Therefore, Kelpie made use of him.
Nico unraveled the rest of the straw rope and quickly groomed his messy fur.
“Lydia, why on earth would you want to run away together with Kelpie? The earl was so lost.”
A sharp pain pierced her chest.
“Thanks to you, he caught me last night and went as far as to get me in his bed. Sometimes, he really seems like such a child. I really hope he could be more serious.”
Though Nico complained, he didn’t show an attitude full of outrage.
“However, recently, the relationship between both of you has gotten better,” Lydia commented offhandedly.
“Eh? To whom do you think I’m getting along with him for?”
He looked surprised, with his hands on his hips as he looked up at Lydia.
“Oh, it is true. I really had no idea how hard it was going to be.”
“Ah...?”
“Hey, what is it? Are you tempted by the earl?”
"You… what are you talking about...For that man who likes to play around with women?” 
 
“I say, I have been around you since you were born. Late one night, you snuck out. I don’t know what happened, but not long after, you came back in tears saying he called out another woman’s name. And then the very next day, you hurriedly rode back on a carriage to visit him. Even a fool can see it.”
Lydia bowed her head as her face began to redden.
“If it wasn’t for this, how could I ever be close to that kind of arrogant guy who treats me like a cat.”
Well, it may not be good to say, but I’m afraid the black tea and snacks also play a considerable role for you.
She quickly peeked at him with one eye. Feeling cocky, Nico strutted his head back.
“Anyway, other than this, Nico, what is Kelpie planning on doing?”
Because he thought Lydia was feeling very embarrassed, he turned his head away to one side and changed the subject.
“I don't know. At any rate, let’s try to head back since the horse is away.”
Just as he turned around, he found that Kelpie had been standing right behind him.
“I’m not a horse, you cat.”
Suddenly Kelpie appeared and kicked Nico with his foot.
Nico “meowed” aloud pitifully as he rapidly spun in the air a couple of times before landing on top of a shelf.
“What are you doing!”
Nico was so angry, that all of his hair stood up on his back. However, Kelpie ignored Nico’s threatening glare.
“Lydia, eat breakfast. You hungry?”
As he spoke, he threw a loaf of bread and a few pieces of cheese onto Lydia’s lap.
“It’s not stolen, I traded with wild ducks to get it. You can’t swallow a wild duck whole, right?”
It seemed like he wanted to show Lydia that he put in a lot of effort for her.
To this, she did feel really grateful. And had he dropped dead wild ducks on her lap, she really would feel quite upset.
“Hey, what about me?” Nico said, unsatisfied.
“Eh? You can figure that out for yourself.”
“You tied me up and threw me in here. You think about it!”
“Nico, I will share half of mine with you.”
“But, isn’t that not the problem? This guy’s condescending attitude really irks me.....”
Nico, who became angry, stamped his paws. Then, Kelpie swiftly grabbed Nico and lifted him up. Nico immediately lost his bold strength and shrunk into a ball. 

“And what are you doing? Hey, let me go, I don’t taste delicious at all."
“Wait, Kelpie, please stop.”
 
“I don’t want to eat this diseased cat. Listen up. You’re the only fairy who takes orders from the fake Blue Knight Earl. So, you reeking cat, inform my message to that guy: That Raven boy is in the nearby the private homes in London, the west side of the station. It’s the house with a red roof and a smoking, black chimney. In front, there’s a basin of daisies. You have to go now.”
With that said, he threw the cat out the window.
“Nico! What are you doing, Kelpie!”
Kelpie grabbed her, which made her suddenly feel uneasy.
He said that if he got Ulya, he will say where Raven was located. As Lydia thought that, after he confirmed the Nightmare in Ulya’s body, they would return back to Edgar with Raven’s location. However, Kelpie only sent Nico as a messenger. So, he didn't intend to seal the Nightmare nor have her return back to London.
“Kelpie, I want to go back to London.”
“You don't have to worry.”
Kelpie stood in front of the only doorway, blocking the way.
“What about the Nightmare?”
“Well, it ate a lot. And, along with the strong magic in Raven’s body, the Nightmare has grown considerably and can no longer fit in the human body. For the time being, it’s being kept all tied up at the London Bridge. The bridge was used to ward off enemies like that a long time ago, right? Anyway, that guy Ulysses tied the Nightmare over there so it would continue to grow. It is indeed a place that can draw out magic since people often come and go, and that can provide sufficient amount of bait for the Nightmare.” 
 
 So, this was what Kelpie intended to do. He already knew that Ulya could no longer cage the Nightmare again.
“Therefore, Lydia, don’t go near the bridge.”
But, he also gave his word to Edgar.
“So....why did you ask for Miss Ulya?”
“Because I couldn't trade for you in the deal. You wouldn't have come with me if I hadn't said that. Since you’re safe here with me, and because you’re not close to Ulya’s body which holds the Nightmare, you don’t have to return to the earl anymore.”
“You....deceived me?”
She forcefully tried to pushed him to move, but he didn’t budge.
“I have always been deceived, Lydia. Not only by allowing you and that Earl to get engaged, but I was also deceived by Ulysses too. So, I’ve reconsidered my ways on how cooperate with humans.”
 
It was just as Edgar said. You don’t have to lie in order to deceive, as long as it’s concealing the truth.
 
What is going on with me?
In the end, I still couldn’t see the truth.
Even though I clearly know this, I am always doubtful to the one I most want to believe.
I couldn't completely trust him, nor could I possibly tell him my feelings. I clearly agreed to stay with him, and yet I left him. I’m always afraid of getting hurt, but I constantly hurt him.'
 
“You must step aside, Kelpie. I must go back home!”
Kelpie was tall, built and nearly perfect. Even so, Lydia beat at his chest, but he remained completely indifferent to her.
Rather, Lydia’s hand began to hurt. Kelpie, worried that her slender fingers would swell up, took both of her hands in his to stop her.
“Do you hate me?”
“That is not the case. But, please ...”
“Please, I only want to protect you.”
He was actually pleading to her, which left Lydia at a loss as to what to do.
“The earl’s enemy is not an ordinary man. I should also say, he is not too good. It may be because he emitted dark fairy magic despite having the attitude of a human. No, although he is a human, I can feel that he has intense and endless resentment.”
It was difficult for Lydia to understand Kelpie’s suspicions. However, it was possible to imagine where the resentment came from. It must have been his expulsion from England, as well as the result of the war and the persecution of all his followers.
“Did you see Prince?” She asked.
“At a glance.”
“Like Ulysses, can he also use the fairy’s power?”
“It’s hard to say. For the negotiations with fairies, he seems to entirely rely on Ulysses to handle. But, even without that power, his very existence radiates a dangerous atmosphere. He had a strong, dark aura. How to say this. It was similar to the Earl, who has certain traits that attract people. Where people in this country would undoubtedly respect him as long as he is of royal lineage. It is this kind of power that can influence the fate of others. In particular, Prince attracts feelings of hatred and destructive desires.”
 
This was intended to make Edgar fall into despair, let his mind flooded with detrimental feelings and Prince’s domination. And he didn't plan on changing his ways so far either. He intended to slowly torture Edgar until the very end.
 
She could not leave him.
 
He told her before: “You’re not going anywhere.” When he asked if she looked down on him, he gave her such lonesome expression.
Normally, around Paul, Tompkins, and everyone else he was familiar with, he would be his flippant, arrogant self. However, Lydia knew that, even with Raven taken away from him, he did not want to lose hope in order to support himself.
Edgar had only exposed his weaknesses in front of Lydia alone.
It may have only been because her position was already at a place where his trust was a subtle difference from a companion. Even if that was so, she didn’t hate Edgar.
In her mind, even an ordinary girl like herself was able to understand him. The thought of him also being an ordinary young man in his early twenties, was the reason she felt that she could help him.
Even with this alone, staying by his side was valuable to him.
“....I want to go back.”
Lydia lowered her head as she squeezed the words from her lips.
Kelpie was worried about her. She fully understood that. However, she couldn’t stay here.
“Do you like the earl?”
Even though it wasn’t as strong as Ermine, Lydia liked him in her own way.
“But, would that guy take care of you?”
That could only be determined by Edgar’s heart.
She felt that, no matter where he was, she wanted to go back and be with him.
“Kelpie, you will not feel the pain of loneliness. Fairies and humans are different.”
“If being lonely makes it painful for you, then I will never let you feel that way.” He protested.
 
“No, it's not like that. It is only when other people can help you heal your loneliness that they are able to get rid of the pain in their hearts.”
 
It was until she met Edgar did Lydia realize that she had missed out on the joy of being needed. Because she has always had fairies with her, she always felt that she wasn’t alone.
Though she was never really alone, she couldn’t imagine being someone else’s consolation and savior. She wasn’t even sure if she was enough to bring a sense of fulfillment to anyone.
 
She had always lived with such a mentality and felt that she should not let her guard down around him, no matter what. But as she thought that, in the end, she had only fallen in love with him. Even though he would boldly touch her, speak to her with frivolous words and gazed at her as if it made him so happy.
When he was hurt, he needed Lydia. He said that as long as she was there, he could continue to fight.
“Therefore, I want to stay with Edgar.”
“You’ll be killed.”
“I want to save Raven with him.”
“I don’t know whether it’s a snake or a bird-like monster in that kid, but it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
"He's my friend.”
“Not now.”
With magic emitting from his black, pearl-like eyes, he gazed at Lydia.
A Kelpie’s nature can be very misleading to people. It was their magical charm that stopped people from thinking in order to lure them into the water and eat them. It was the natural force of water horses.
Then, Lydia felt her strength gradually disappearing. In fact, she felt lightheaded.
Kelpie was no longer hesitating to use his full magic. Therefore, it seemed the moonstone’s protection no longer seemed to be effective. 
 
In order to limit Kelpie’s actions, Lydia and Edgar only half-heartedly exchanged marriage vows. Although it was an obstacle to take her to the fairy realm, he never intended to let her return to Edgar. Therefore, his black pearl eyes were glinting at her with strong determination.
Kelpie stretched out his arms and held Lydia.
As if floating in calm, tranquil waters, she lost consciousness.
　　
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 Raven was near the London Bridge.
 
After receiving the message from Nico, Edgar immediately found that there were problems in the nearby houses. He therefore sent his men to closely survey the area.
On the other side of the London bridge, across the city, there was an elevated railway that linked to the station. Leaving the road before turning West, one could see the filthy landscape.
Several tall, slender private houses were lined up side-by-side. The features of the area that Kelpie told to Nico were exactly the same.
Edgar was investigating at the same time and had learned that Kelpie imprisoned Lydia in the cottage. But by the time he arrived, the cottage was found empty.
At dawn that morning, he took a carriage at an intersection, confirming the distinct four-story building, narrow and standing upright.
Then, Edgar, while waiting for his men's underlying report, was thinking about Nico’s words.
‘Because it is Kelpie, it is likely a place near water.’ 
 
Just knowing that it was the water’s edge made it impossible to start searching.Therefore, Edgar resisted the urge to run around and search for her on impulse. Instead, he remained waiting there.
Raven’s dangerous situation was a more urgent matter for him.
At least Kelpie wouldn’t hurt Lydia. Whereas for Raven, there was a chance he would’ve been murdered by the capricious Prince becoming erratic.
Prince wished to study Raven’s abilities and the secrets to his sprite. Therefore, he would not easily kill Raven. Edgar, despite taking all of it into account, did not know how to fight against those two on his own. Especially the case with Raven.
“Blue Knight Earl! Thank you for waiting!”
Interrupting his train of thought, Edgar didn’t know where the voice came from.
From the window, the leaves gently fluttered inside, unnaturally moving to the carriage seat.
Although Edgar could hear him, he couldn’t see him. This was the goblin’s way of showing Edgar where he was.
Edgar couldn’t understand what was going on. There were fairies like Nico and Kelpie that anyone could see. But then, there were fairies that were invisible to people, such as the goblins.
However, Edgar himself was the Blue Knight Earl who did not have the ability to see fairies. Coblynau didn’t seem to mind though.
“Fortunately, I’ve caught up to the earl. I heard that you were preparing for battle, so I immediately rushed here.”
The problem with goblins is that their values may still strongly remain in the medieval times.
“What’s the matter, Coblynau?”
Edgar picked up the leaves in his hand. He didn’t know if Coblynau was there but looked down in that direction, waiting for him to answer.
“In fact, our goblin family completed the creation of the Earl's armor.”
“The armor? What? That kind of thing in this day and age...... ”
Coblynau, in Edgar’s hand, was holding something like a silver coin.
“This is?”
“The armor.”
He spoke with great confidence in his voice.
“This is yours?”
“No, it is the Earl's. Please use it.”
“.....Well, thank you.”
“Oh, from now on, Earl, you and Miss Lydia must start making plans to get married as well. Once you two forge a formal marriage, the power of the moonstone will also strengthen. It will no longer allow for any opportunities as to when the water horse could interfere.”
He would have done so if it wasn’t so difficult.
Depressed, Edgar ignored the remaining words of the goblin, whose leaves gently drifted away out the window.
Perhaps, Coblynau also went away with them.
Appearing in the window instead were the twins from the Scarlett Moon.
“Lord Edgar, there is still no one inside. No sign of a fire or light.”
People had already begun to get out of bed, one after another as one could see the smoke emitting from the chimneys of several houses nearby. After the curtains were drawn, revealing the lights, the place was full of life. However, the problem with the house did not change.
“We attempted to pretend to sell items as we rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door.”
Listening to Jack and Louis’ report, Edgar placed the “armor” in his coat pocket, taking it into account.
Had Raven already been moved to another place?
“Last night, Ulya disappeared in this area, didn’t she?”
Yesterday, in order to fulfill Kelpie’s condition, Edgar slightly eased the security in order to give her a chance to escape.
She may have suspected whether it was intentionally done, since it was probably possible that they could track her as well. Therefore, she had fled to the London Bridge. As she crossed the bridge, she made a turn to the West and suddenly vanished without a trace.
If there was a hiding place of the Prince's organization, then Ulya may have escaped into it.
If that was the case, she might just be holding her breath and hiding inside.
In front of the family's door were decorated potted plants on the windowsill. It didn’t appear to look like a secret base. Rather, it looked exactly like a plain, ordinary home. The vibrant flowers were planted in the pots, as if a maid was going to come out soon to sweep the floor.
“Do you wish to break in, Lord Edgar?”
“Here comes new intelligence.”
He looked away as he spoke. It was morning, and the morning mist had yet to fade away. There was almost no one else around. However, his eyes rested at a carriage. Approaching near by was a fat man with a black beard who pulled out.
“Earl, I have kept you waiting long enough. I’ve already inquired about the predicament regarding the residents in this home.”
He was the leader of the organisation named Scarlett Moon, Slade.
He handed over a note, which Edgar quickly read.
The family name here was called Webster. Overseeing the former employees of the railway station,  Mr. Webster had retired and the old couple were living together. He frequently went to pubs, and recently, he mentioned that his brother had adopted a son from India.
“......Prince and Ulya.”
Edgar murmured, as he read.
If this was the case, the old couple were probably under Prince’s hands. Or, did Prince murder Mr. Webster’s real brother and impersonated him?
It was possible since, in the past, Ulysses had impersonated other people’s relatives to sneak into England before. Perhaps they used the same approach.
Because of his large burn on his face, which was wrapped with a bandage, the true brother would not be falsely mistaken if seen.
“When the one from India returned, he paid the couple to go travel on a small trip. Mr. Webster was telling the bar owner that, because he would not be home, he would not be visiting the pub for a while. This was said to have occurred two weeks ago.”
“Therefore, in order to go into hiding, they let the couple go?”
“That’s really good.”
Having heard this, Edgar resisted wrinkling his brows.
He felt a foreboding feeling in his heart and tragic scenes came to mind. However, for the moment, he tried not to heavily think about it and dismounted from the carriage.
With the Earl's family heirloom, the Merrow’s sword at his side, Edgar raised his head.
He didn’t know whether it would come in handy, for he lacked the ability to fight against magic.However, it at least had the effect of warding off evil fairies.
Of course, if his opponent was a human, then it was also a rather useful weapon as well.
“Go in and look inside.” Edgar said.
Slade, confused, then asked him.
 
 
“Lord Edgar, where are you going in?”
“In through the window. I must break the glass first, shouldn't I?”
“You wish to go in for yourself?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, it’s natural that our leader is the one who is Earl. If you do this kind of act that appears almost as if you are thieving, the people may be affected by this ...”
“In what section of the law states that a noble cannot enter through a window?”
“That may be so. However, there are legal provisions that suggest you cannot freely enter people’s private residences.”
“Slade, although you are a righteous thief, you are still nonetheless a thief. Therefore, why should you care for the law?”
“Nevertheless, in an event that the thief was caught, not only would they be sent to prison, but also subjected to ridicule. Especially for nobles who trespass civilian homes.”
Slade often detested Edgar’s independent, strategic approaches, but he had not the time to argue there.
“Well, I used to sneak into women’s homes, but I have never been caught before.”
He signaled Jack and Louis, motioning them to keep up as they moved toward the building.
“But this woman is an old woman!”
“Well then, I’ll just assume that I had mistaken her house for the neighbor’s.”
 
 
Slade was stunned. He seemed to be at a loss for words and was then in no mood for a rebuttal. So, Edgar continued:
“Slade, send two people from the back door. Then, arrange the guards outside. Their authority goes to you.”
“There’s no one living in the house next door at all.”
Vexed, Slade dropped this sentence and began commanding the men around them.
In any case, if Raven was in there, Edgar wanted to go in personally.
 
They sneaked into an empty bedroom on the second floor. After carefully inspecting the room, they found it was indeed a merely empty room.
“There may be a hidden room. Let’s just have a good look.”
“Understood.”
One of the men answered. Edgar wasn’t sure if it was Jack or Louis. Then, at this point, another man shouted from above the steps:
“In the attic, there’s Webster and his wife!”
When Edgar ran over, after seeing the two dead bodies, he sighed.
Though he predicted something like this would happened, he still felt this was too much and clenched his fists.
Prince knew Edgar would break into the building here. Because Ulya was caught, he must’ve certainly predicted it and wanted to make a mockery of Edgar.
“.....How could this be... this is terrible.”
A young man of the Scarlett Moon, ignorant of Prince’s cruelty, spoke in a trembling voice.
“What is this? It’s not two people but three. An arm.....there’s another.”
Having heard this, Edgar stopped his eyes at a cut in a black coat.
Picking it up with his cane, he confirmed it.
“This is Raven’s coat.”
Of course, Edgar was very disturbed.
He began to slowly breath and gradually moved his eyes from the arm to the skull.
The head rolled beside the closet.
With long hair, he saw it was a woman.
“Ah -- the third was the maid.”
“Yes, they had hired servants here. Was she the only one?”
At that moment, Edgar closed his eyes to pray.
“However, they seemed to only been recently killed....were they imprisoned here the whole time?”
 
 
“Let's not dwell on it anymore.”
"Because once they’re killed, they’re nothing more than corpses."
He muttered and walked back.
This was an invitation from Prince. At the thought, Edgar clenched his teeth in anger.

The banquet was about to begin.
“Lord Edgar, there is a hole in the back of the closet....!”
Feeling very uneasy, he hurried out of the attic to the man who shouted from downstairs.
　　
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He was like a beast, being locked in an iron cage.
Near the cage, Ermine held a lamp. Squatting, there was a poor boy inside. Not only was he locked up in such a place, his hands were bound as well.
“Raven, did you not eat your meal?”
Raven hadn’t touch the piece of bread which was rudely thrown into the cage. Well, indeed. It was difficult to grow an appetite for something like that. However, now was not the time to worry about food. He was trying not to respond to the will of the sprite.
Even under the light of the lamp, he did not seem to be glaring at anyone. If one were to open their eyes more to the lamp light, they could see his dark green eyes. 
It was just like a lost soul in the depths of his bottomless pupils. Because he was touched by the Nightmare, which had awakened and strengthened the sprite that dwelled within his body, it was slowly but surely devouring Raven’s consciousness. That was how Ermine felt.
In the past, he had been caught in this state several times before. After being possessed by the sprite, he would constantly vent its killing intent on others. But then afterwards, Raven was always tired, too exhausted that he became lifeless.
He could not control the sprite or its excessive use of power, and Raven’s human body could not bear the burden.
 
However, after he began following Edgar, this sort of thing no longer occurred. Ermine’s painful memories began to resurface as she gazed at her brother.
“Hey, don’t you dare let him out.”
Ermine slowly looked back behind her in the direction of the voice. There she noticed a brown-skinned youth, standing in the doorway and fully alert as they discreetly pulled out a weapon.
In that moment, she recalled there was someone named Ulya who also disguised herself as a man.
Ulysses said that though her mission failed, she was still alive and in good condition here.
What is going on? She thought.
“Did you not get caught?” 
 
 
Ermine asked as she slightly lifted her head, alert. Ulya didn’t feel her particular tension and replied:
“He let me escape and wanted me to become a decoy. To use such obvious measures as the master, he is not a great as the rumors say, is he?”
As far as Ermine knew, Edgar had never let the enemy escape back to Princ, for Prince does not forgive failures quite so easily.
“Prince didn’t ask you?”
Ulya chuckled a bit
“I am special.”
Then, she looked out the window in the small room. (So the original raws mentioned that, in the actual novel, the author used the word “he” instead of “she.” They mentioned they weren’t sure if this was intended or an error, but whoever did the raws used “she")
“The banquet hall is up front, directly opposite from the Tower of London. Prince should be resting.  There, he should be sitting by the sidelines in the Grand Gallery to watch the others battle. Also, he's assigned you a task.”
Ermine decided to come here because Prince had arranged something for her to take part in, but she suddenly felt an unpleasant chill in the air.
“You deceived Ulysses and secretly came here to see him. Prince seems to know that.”
“What’s his task?”
“He is to guide the dinner guest here.”
“.....Lord Edgar.” 
 
 
“That's right. You will do it well.”
Ermine’s eyes fell on her hands.
He’s still alive.
No matter what, Edgar never tried to become close to Ermine or threatened her life.
 
 
For although he was in possesion of her selkie fur, he had never abused that power.
Since you can whenever, why not just do it now?
To what extent much she betray him in order to die?
However, even if she felt she was not allowed to die, if that was Edgar’s wish, then she would accept it.
Despite that, as long as she was still alive, she couldn't disobey Prince.
“Even so, I still cannot understand it. It was risky to take advantage of the Earl’s servants for his bidding. Prince is certainly not an ordinary person.”
Ermine was motionless as she looked at Ulya. She didn’t understand why Ulya was in such a good mood.
In order to achieve her dreams, Ulya had remained by Prince’s side. But, in Ermine’s mind, she believed Ulya deserved some sympathy.
Ulya didn’t understand Prince.
“I despise Prince. He knows this very well, so he takes advantage of me.” 
As long as it was to torture Edgar, he would do it. If he no longer needed her, or if she was a threat to Prince, then she would be killed. It was as simple as that.
“Do you really believe that? About Prince helping you to return home.” Ermine asked.
“Are you suggesting I’m being foolish? Did you not pester the Prince by begging him to help you?
Ask him to let you become the Earl's woman.”
Ermine was silent. She knew that if she said such a thing to Prince, he would find it very amusing. However, Prince had already seen right through her act of pandering, and knew that she was secretly plotting something.
 
 
Prince would only really find it all too amusing. To request from him, making a claim, for her to be with Edgar. It was not practical to do, but she still continued to hold her feelings for Edgar.
"Are you and I not the same? Since you cannot do it yourself, you want to depend on Prince’s power.”
“No. I am not the same as you.”
Ermine unknowingly raised her voice.
“Perhaps, I was wrong. As I don’t depend on Prince, I also have the desire to achieve power. I have come to finally to realize this.”
Ulya said as she gave Ermine a smile full of contempt.
“Yes, I am the key. That is why the Prince wanted to have me.”
 
Suddenly, her tone of voice became extremely arrogant, and then she removed something from within her coat pocket.
“You are pale skinned, but you and I both have the same blood of Hadiya flowing in our veins, correct? Therefore, you are my people as well. In the future, you may also come to work for me, along with your brother.”
She held two pieces of the dark-green Diopside.
One of them was the killed victim’s possession, Mr. Kent, and the other was Ulya’s herself. The two pieces should have been with Prince.
“Prince gave them to me. It’s in order to allow the sprite in the boy to recognize that I’m Hadiya’s royal representative.”
It was to make Raven obey her.
Warriors of the sprite would serve those who held the gems of the Royal family. The elderly man had once said as Ermine listened to him in the forest. Therefore, they became the King’s most loyal guardians.
Despite that, Raven still served Edgar, who didn’t hold any of the stones. Recognizing him as his master, Raven had been able to control his sprite.
Could the Diopside’s magic be more powerful than Raven’s will?
Ulya slowly approached Raven in the cage.
Ermine could only hold her breath as she watched intently.
Placing her hands in the gap of the iron cage, with Raven’s head hung down, she gently placed the Diopside on his brow.
In an instant, Raven’s head slightly moved.
He held dull, glassy eyes. But, it worked. He then turned his attention to Ulya.
Has the sprite responded to the Diopside yet? 
However, Raven did not look as though he had awaken. His senses were still dull.
Ulya then took out the key and unlocked the door of the cage.
“Come, come out, my servant.”
With his hands bound, Raven carefully stood up.
He walked in unsteady steps, swaying side-to-side, one step at a time, from his cage. Ermine couldn’t help but hold her hand out to him.
In that very moment, Raven aggressively grabbed her hand, twisting it upwards before pushing her into the ground.
Then, he quickly struck a blow at her in order to keep her down. Had he been wielding a sword, Ermine would have died.
And his hands were still tied.
“Stop.”
From Ulya’s one word command, Raven released Ermine’s hand.
Even when Edgar was around, Raven couldn’t very well obey when in the state of battle. But here, he was completely subservient to the holder of the stones.
“It is such an obedient thing.” Ulya said, satisfied as Raven knelt at her feet.
“What are you going to do with Raven?”
“It appears Prince intends to use the boy to break the Earl of Ashenbert. Then, he’ll use the magic of the boy’s sprite in order to find the third  Diopside. Raven should be able to sense where it's located.”
"However," with a smile on her lips, she muttered, “Ulysses and Prince do not know, but I already hold the third stone in my hands. If I’m supported by Hadiya’s legendary sprite and the goddess of war, how much power would I gain?”
 
                                                                       ※
Lydia felt a light flicker in her eyes like a needle-like beam, and she opened them.
She sat up from the grass.
The sky was filled with clouds. The sun was obviously obscured, but it felt as if the sunlight was dazzling at her.
Her eyes inadvertently fell to the moonstone ring, which was emitting a faint light.
The magical moonstone shone in alignment with the phases of the moon. It looked even brighter than usual, because it was nearly approaching the full moon now.
Or could it be, this light was what made it possible for Lydia to wake from Kelpie’s enchanting magic?
She thought so for she didn’t see Kelpie anywhere. 
Across from the sparse trees, she was able to see the gentle, sloping hills. Although she didn’t see any houses, the grass left a path seemingly paved by foot.
She should be able to escape now. Thinking, Lydia stood up.
Kelpie must have thought his magic would have prevented the sleeping Lydia from waking up. Therefore, he left her in order to search of food.
Finding a way, she climbed down the steep slopes and went on the path. She decided to believe in the power of Edgar and his ring, continuing to follow along the trail.
Lydia actually didn’t know which direction she needed to head. However, because it was a path, there was always going to be someone there. Once she saw someone, she decided to ask.
Lydia’s first encounter was not a human being though.
Sitting on a small roadside stone, holding a smoke pipe in his mouth was a tiny fellow with wrinkles.
Whether she was overlooking the path or around the hills, she still found no other humans or any houses.
“Ah, kind sir, can you tell me something please?”
In the end, she ended up calling out only to the goblin.
“On which side is London at?”
Next, she took out a piece of cheese Kelpie given to her and placed it on top of the grass.
Hardly could it be called a hat, the woven leaves from the trees covered the goblin underneath. He snuck a glimpse at Lydia.
 
(Are you in a hurry?)
“Yes.”
Thus, the small, light-brown goblin, smoking a pipe, turned his head to the right.
“Thank you, kind Sir.”
Again, she continued on the road.
A few moments later, the sky suddenly became dark.
It was yet too early for it to be sundown. As she thought this, it continued to grow darker.
She then suddenly discovered that beyond the path was a large, luscious forest surrounding the end of it.
“Oh!”
Lydia cried out.
So, that’s how it is. This must be the goblin’s shortcut. That is very bad.
Though she was a fairy doctor, she still sometimes made small mistakes like this. Because of that, she really felt ashamed.
‘However, I can’t turn back now. I can only move quickly through it' She thought.
If I were to stop here and go in another direction, I would surely get lost. According to the goblin, he told me to go down in this direction.
Encouraging herself, Lydia gently caressed the moonstone ring and moved forward.
　　　　　
                                                                     ※
There was a large hole in the wall, hidden in the back of the closet. The hole penetrated through the narrow foundation of the wall, which led to the neighboring home next door.
Slade mentioned that no one lived there, but it seemed that Prince’s henchmen and Ulya must have broke in and occupied the place.
Edgar and the others quickly entered through the hole, crossing to the neighbor’s home. They soon reached a strange room with an iron cage sitting in the middle.
“Ah, what is this? Are they also keeping a beast?”
‘It’s Raven,' Edgar whispered to himself.
After inserting the key to the cage, the door gave a wide opening. However, the only thing that came out was a piece of bread that tumbled across the ground.
“The young entourage was kept in such a place?”
Where did he go this time?
“I forgot to tell you, Raven may now be in a state more dangerous than that of a feral beast.”
Dismayed, the Scarlett Moon members looked at each other with an astonished expression.
“Then, how would we rescue him after we find him?”
With that being asked, Edgar began to think of their next move. Suddenly, he felt someone was looking over his shoulder, so he turned his head toward the door.
Ermine was standing there.
 
 
“Please forget about Raven.”
Her gaze slowly swept across the unsuspected Scarlett Members, as she walked into the room.
“Why should I give up?”
“Raven’s sprite acknowledges the two pieces of Diopside held by Ulya, who is now King. He has become prepared to battle for the King, subjected to serve as a soldier for Hadiya. Lord Edgar, if he received orders to kill you, he will not hesitate to do it.”
In other words, more than losing himself, his sprite’s murderous intent has also gone ballistic.
Therefore, should we really give up?
Even if the sprite recognized Ulya, it was by no means Raven’s own will.
Edgar began to walk towards Ermine. Standing close, he sternly looked directly at her. She gave a puzzled expression, her beautiful face went rigid, but she did not look away.
“You were not ordered to come tell me this, is that right? You should follow the commands of Prince.”
“I still have a free will.”
“Therefore, you have come to warn me? Don’t beat around the bush with me again. You know where Raven is, don’t you? I will force you to speak if I must.”
 
 
Although it pained him to do so, Edgar still had to incite Ermine with hostility.
“…… To take you there, that is my order.”
“Hmm, so this is for Prince. This is quite an interesting scene.”
“I can only bring Lord Edgar. One person alone.”
Ermine whispered in a tone only Edgar could hear.
This was to avoid the Scarlett Members from causing tension and uproar between each other.
For Edgar, however, inviting only one person was what he would’ve wanted.
He didn’t want to let any members of the Scarlett Members to be harmed by Raven.
“I am not alone, Raven is here, too.”
He whispered.
Regardless of what state Raven was in, he was still Edgar’s most trusted servant.
He will bring Raven back. For when he does challenge Prince face-to-face, he’ll be sure to bring Raven along.
“Bring me over there.”
Edgar firmly ordered, taking the chance while everyone was uninformed of Ermine only bringing Edgar alone.
He placed his coat in his hand and double-checked his waist for the Merrows’ sword.
 
 
Edgar inherited the Blue Knight Earl’s name. The war was approaching soon to sweep England into a battle of the war goddess and the Diopside. Even if Ulya had gotten two pieces of the three stones, Edgar must still confront her.
 
 
The guardian of the Merrows’ sword and the Earl’s fairy Banshee acknowledged Edgar’s identity as the Blue Knight Earl.
He not only planned to rescue Raven, but to do everything possible in order to prevent the revival of the war goddess.
This task was entrusted to him by the woman who fought against Prince and his organization, Lady Gladys.
“Is it really not a problem?” Ermine asked.
“Even if you don't take me, Ulysses will come in your stead. And I certainly don't want to be escorted by him.”
Ermine extended her both hands to Edgar. Then, she placed one hand on his shoulder. The next moment, Ermine began to form a magical circle. Seeing this, Jack and Louis began to take action.
“It will be fine. Please close your eyes.”
Edgar closed his eyes only for a moment.
Suddenly, the surrounding scenery changed.
It was a deserted garden. It seemed like it was left unattended for a long time. 
The groves around grew freely, and the flower beds held withered flowers. It was a wretched sight. The brick sidewalks were broken and bare, littered with piles of fallen leaves.
Edgar and Ermine stood face-to-face under the arch of the pavilion.
Formerly very luscious, all that was left were the withered vines leaving branches and a mesh-like skeleton across the dome. If one were to look up, it would feel the same as being trapped in a bird cage.
Edgar, who looked around, then peered down at Ermine who was standing in front of him.
Her deep-brown eyes looked sorrowfully back at him.
Their eyes gazed so closely to each other. It was difficult to imagine what relationship they had, but Ermine’s eyes held no hostility nor hatred.
Regardless, toward Ermine, Edgar couldn’t believe she would leave him as his enemy.
“....When we escaped from Prince, we didn't sleep for three days and three nights. Do you remember that?”
To Edgar’s forward questions, Ermine naturally nodded. Perhaps, she was also reminiscing the same memories of the past.
“When we finally got rid of that shadow tracking us down, we hid in an abandoned garden, just like this one.”
 
 
All of them were faced with the same burdens and experiences as partners there. That time, they crawled up in the tent-like trees above the decaying pavilion, squeezing against each as they slept.
During their sleep, Edgar peeked up at the moon through the gaps between the leaves, thinking up all kinds of plans for the future.
How do you want to live? How do you want to protect your companions from the tracker in order to escape Prince? He had asked himself continuously.
It was also the same for Ermine.
“……How could possibly I forget.”
Ermine looked into his eyes, and her eyes were no different from that time.
In order for her to be happy, Edgar intended to always protect her.
But now, looking at her, he realized her affection for him was the same as in the past. He realised that he was being quite selfish, refusing to share her feelings yet praying for her happiness.
But, although he hadn’t thought much about it, Edgar was not the same as before either.
He was considered important to Ermine just as before, but he had not been the same.
He didn’t believe that was the reason for her betrayal. However, the fact that she couldn't find her place beside him may have been one of the main reasons.
“To have me wait and entertain me in such a place, Prince has poor tastes, doesn’t he?”
Hearing those words from Edgar, Ermine’s disappointment was shown by her lonely expression.
“I did not say that to reminisce the memories of Prince.”
She seemed to have awakened from a daze and turned her back to Edgar, ready to leave.
Edgar held onto her arm.
‘I might no longer have the opportunity to tell her this, so I must tell her now.'
He immediately thought.
 

“Ermine, I hope that you will forgive me.”
“……Forgive you? Even though I was the one who betrayed you?”
“I love Lydia.”
“I know.”
“Before, I used to believe that even if you hated me, I could still give you my life. But, I cannot do that anymore. My life belongs to Lydia. I can only die for her. I want to live together with her.”
He felt that these words were cruel to her, so he revealed a complex expression. Even so, Edgar still continued:
“You are in my heart. More than a lover, more than anyone else. I believe that, between us, the bond as family can never be cut off. The love you wanted from me was not long lasting, but I wanted to somehow convey that to you differently. I thought that I could bear all the burdens you suffered through. This was perhaps merely my own self-righteous thoughts.”
 
“Lord Edgar, it is not like that. I received more love than I had expected from you.”
 
 
“But I'm afraid that it wasn’t enough, was it?”
“.................”
“If you had only kept your distance, you'd be able to forget the painful past. I believed that because you were so important to me. However, perhaps I only wanted to make it easier for myself.”
Ermine should have expected it. Even though she was hurt, she continued to pursue him.
“After meeting Lydia, I understand now. Even when it wasn't becoming any easier, I still developed feelings that I couldn't get rid of, despite there being pain. Getting her involved in this, even though she may get hurt, I still don’t want to let her go. And I know that if anything were to happen to her, I would regret it to death, but I still cannot stop myself from pursuing her.”
Ermine sighed softly and seemed to smile a bit.
Edgar finally experienced what Ermine had always felt, but it was for another girl. Her lips twitched into a bitter smile.
“For Miss Lydia, as long as you do not anger her, it is fine.”
A sharp and blunt remark. That was truly Ermine’s style.
Edgar let go of her hand and she stepped back, looking up at the sky through the gaps between the dead branches.
“Prince is there. He has been watching your movements here.”
In the distant sky, there was a floating balloon. It seemed to be approaching the garden.
Did he wish to see Edgar and Raven, to fully enjoy watching Edgar’s torment of being killed by Raven, as Edgar tried to stop him without getting hurt?
Either way, if Raven was truly there by Edgar’s side, Raven himself would attempt to forestall the battle, careful to parry about so that his negligence would lead to him to being killed instead.
“Well, is this the fairy realm?”
“No, it's somewhere in the human world.”
That’s a little better. Nonetheless, that in itself wasn’t very helpful or good. He had just reduced the chance of being affected by the magic. As much as possible, he had to avoid the unexpected hardships that could come from it.
 
 
But, would Raven really wield a weapon against him?
He did not know how to regain control of his sprite, so his consciousness could only wait.
Then, suddenly, Edgar was pulled by Ermine. The rustling of the trees began to sway.
"Finally, I found you, Earl.”
However, the sound of the voice was slightly disappointing.
Later, it was the grey cat who jumped swiftly before Edgar, covered in the twigs of the pavilion.
“Nico!....how did you come here?”
Although Nico lifted his head in alert of Ermine, he rushed in his breath and said:
 
 
“The members of the Scarlet Moon were in chaos because you and Ermine suddenly disappeared. So, I had to hastily catch up. The guys, even though there was a big hole in front of them, couldn’t even see it in the cage.”
There was a hole in the cage?
“I’ve already told them where that hole is connected to, and they are now on their way here. No, actually, I still don’t know if they understood what I was saying. Really, doing good things is truly not easy. Anyway, Lydia escaped from Kelpie and is heading her way towards us!”
“Coming here? How does she know of this place?”
“Well, at first, Kelpie was in front of your manor roaring, ‘Give Lydia back to me' because she never came back. So, he went to look for her. I asked a goblin on the way here, and that was when I learned she was on her way. If she walked into the goblin’s shortcut, shouldn’t she be here with you by now?”
“What? Isn’t it dangerous for her to come here? This is Prince’s base.”
“Oh, really?”
Nico jumped in shock, then hid in the bushes, though his furry tail stuck out.
However, he seemed to have thought it over because, within the gaps between the leaves, he poked his head out and looked up towards Edgar.
“Lydia tried to arrive here early, and so she took the Goblin’s shortcut. She very much cares about you and Raven, that’s for certain.”
 
 
“Needless to say then, I’ll have to find Lydia and take her away from here.”
Nico nodded between the leaves.
“Lord Edgar, wandering aimlessly here is very dangerous. In these lush areas, there are a lot of places where the enemies could hide and may attack from.”
“It’ll be even more difficult to take Lydia out of here then. It would be better for Lydia to be away from here no matter what.”
“Ermine, from listening to your words, I cannot decide which side you are on.”
Instead of parting with words of farewell, Edgar smiled to Ermine who was silent.
For them to go their separate ways, that was inevitable. Although it was different from Edgar’s expectations of happiness, Ermine has already found her own path, while Edgar himself had chosen to be with the one he loved the most.
Not Ermine, but another person.
“As I said, with Lydia, I cannot control myself.”
With that said, Edgar left.