Hakushaku to Yousei Volume 16 Chapter 4

The Grand Duke of Cremona’s s.h.i.+p was a Dutch patrol wars.h.i.+p sold to the common people. Although it was a small s.h.i.+p, it couldn’t get any closer to the small island’s pier, which only accommodated fis.h.i.+ng boats.
So, the s.h.i.+p could only be docked in the middle of the sea and a small boat lowered from there. The islanders didn’t know what was happening, so they were all gathered at the beach to watch what was going on.
Edgar, who came out of the inn with Raven, stood in the spa.r.s.e crowd and looked at the figure of the s.h.i.+p, which was fairly st.u.r.dy for an aristocrat’s pa.s.senger s.h.i.+p.
“Is that Miss Lota?”
Raven kept his sight on the small boat that was docking on the plain pier built on the sh.o.r.e, and saw a woman coming down from the boat.
Whether it was the hair that was bundled into a ponytail or the rough way that she ran, that person was definitely the Princess of Cremona -- Lota.
“Edgar! I came to see you!”
Lota noticed the two of them and ran towards them with a happy look on her face for some reason.
Edgar calmly retreated behind Raven.
Lota ran towards them with opened arms and as a result was unable to stop. No, perhaps she didn’t intend to stop and so she hugged Raven in this way.
“Hey Raven, it’s nice to see you in good spirits.”
Raven’s whole body turned stiff and could only slightly turn his head towards Edgar to say:
“Lord Edgar...... please run while you still can.”
“Huh? What do you mean, don’t describe my friendliness as if it was an attack!”
“No matter how you think about it, it’s a disturbing attack. It’s about time that you should let go of Raven, he is too pitiful.”
Although Lota complied, she suddenly walked towards Edgar, thus Raven stood in between them once again.
Lota looked over Raven’s shoulder and glared at Edgar.
“If that is the case then Edgar, you should accept my embrace.”
“I only want to be embraced by a woman."
“I am a woman!”
“That might be the case, but even you wouldn’t acknowledge a slob as a man.”
“What........?”
“Hey, everyone calm down first......”
A voice without tension came from behind. Paul’s face looked very confused and he scratched his unkempt curly hair whilst walking towards them.
“Paul, you came as well?"
“Yes, Lota asked me to come with her.... because you never came back, I was very concerned about you.”
He said this very apologetically.
Seeing Paul like this, Edgar felt incredibly rea.s.sured.
Edgar, who was staying in the Hebrides islands, was an enemy of the McKeel clan, and because he possessed the Prince’s ident.i.ty, he was being targeted. Not only that, the presence of fairies could be felt stronger on these islands in comparison to other places. Even Edgar, who didn’t possess special abilities like Lydia, seemed to think that he could see beings that weren’t human due to the negative effects of the Prince’s memories, and thus, lost sense of reality.
Was he even still an ordinary human? Was he getting closer to becoming the Prince of Unseelie Courts? He almost couldn’t tell the difference and felt confused.
He also thought that the reason Lydia proposed a break up was perhaps because she was afraid of the changes in Edgar which he couldn’t sense himself.
But when Paul appeared before him, he was able to think that he hadn’t changed at all. So long as Paul could look at him kindly, he could believe that he was still Earl Ashenbert, the same as before.
“Thank you, I’m so glad to see you.”
Edgar grinned and gently put his hand on Paul’s shoulder.
“Earl...this is great, I was worried that something happened to you.”
“I apologize, I couldn’t contact you."
“No, I was wondering if I was meddling, but it would be great if there’s anything that I could help out with...... I asked Mr. Tomkins where you were, and came over."
Paul’s expression finally relaxed. Perhaps he no longer minded the incident where Edgar had tried to put some distance between them.
Of course for Edgar, he still didn’t want to involve Paul in this matter even more, because the one who murdered his father was ‘Prince’s’ organization.
However, Paul was innocently worrying about him as a friend now, and this made him feel thankful.
“Hey, where is Lydia?”
Lota looked around. Knowing that there were only ordinary pa.s.sengers on the s.h.i.+p, the villagers dispersed from the sh.o.r.e. Of course there was no sign of Lydia here, so she couldn’t help but tilt her head.
“She isn’t here.”
“Why, didn’t the two of you go to Lydia’s hometown together?”
Initially it was planned that the wedding ceremony will take place immediately after their return.
In the end, not only were they separated in two different places but Lydia even suggested breaking up.
Did she really fall in love with Fergus? If that was really the case, would a meticulous person like Lydia obediently accept Edgar’s kiss?
He thought that even though she was a little nervous compared to the past, she didn’t show any sign of reluctance.
But now, even if Edgar wanted to convince Lydia, he couldn’t even get close to her.
He could only worry as he struggled, hoping to obtain the medicine.
The only choice left was to find the spring water from the ‘Master of the Islands.’”
As Edgar was thinking, he looked over at Lota’s s.h.i.+p that was docked at sea.
That s.h.i.+p is quite fine. With that s.h.i.+p, one could sail through the countless waves thrown by the sea.
“Lota, could you lend me your s.h.i.+p?”
Edgar made a decision and said.
“What, why?”
“I want to find the ghost s.h.i.+p.”

                                                                                                                                                 *

As Lydia opened her eyes, she could see the moon hanging by the window. It was the same moon she saw in her dream when she was in the valley with Nico.
Kelly fell asleep in the corner of the room.
Lydia heard a creaking sound coming from the dark room and gently turned around.
She caught sight of someone leaving through the door.
The tartan-patterned cloak gently raised up as they disappeared through the other side of the door.
Fergus?
He went as far as to enter the bedroom without permission. Despite thinking that, Lydia did not feel angry with him.
In fact, she felt sorry for him.
Because even though Lydia knew of his feelings, she felt that she could no longer love anyone.
She didn’t hate Fergus. Even when she was tightly hugged by him, she did not sense any feeling of disgust in her heart.
However, he wasn’t like Edgar. Just the thought of him made Lydia’s heart feel warm.
Lydia couldn’t think of anyone who could disturb her heart like Edgar did, and so she felt that she wouldn’t be able to fall in love with anyone else.
Although she wanted to turn around, her body couldn’t move flexibly. It seemed that her body had yet to be fully integrated with her consciousness.
Lydia felt tired and closed her eyes again. She would probably be fully awakened by dawn. As she thought about this, she immediately fell into deep slumber. By the time she woke up, it was brightly lit outside the window.
“Miss! You’re awake!”
Kelly was looking over her in tears.
“Ahhh what a relief... you lost consciousness for almost the whole day and I thought something happened to you.”
“I’m sorry, I made you worry."
Lydia slowly sat up and did not feel uncomfortable.
She turned her gaze and saw a gray cat sleeping on a chair next to the bed. He opened one of his eyes and looked at Lydia without saying anything, probably pretending to be an ordinary cat.
Even so, Nico was still around when she woke up, which made Lydia feel at ease.
“Oh right, Miss, your cat has returned!”
Kelly said happily and suddenly picked up Nico, who was pretending to be asleep.
“He went missing in the Connaught village, right? Actually knowing where Miss’ location is.... he truly is an intelligent cat."
“Stop treating me like a cat...... ugh, let go of me."
Nico whispered as he disgruntledly twisted his body, but to Kelly, his voice probably sounded like meowing. Kelly pushed him towards Lydia, as if wanting to let her hug him.
Lydia, who was powerless, had no choice but to take Nico, but he wasn’t accepting of it and narrowed his eyes.
Kelly probably thought that Lydia would happily stroke the cat and so she watched from the side with expectant eyes.
In the dream, Even Nico was willing to be held, so it should be alright.
Lydia thought this and planted a kiss on Nico’s head.
Meow. He made a strange sound.
“Thank you, Nico.”
Nico revealed an expression that seemed to say "you really couldn’t help it” and then feeling shy, he quickly jumped out through the window. Lydia watched him leave and then got out of bed to change her clothes.
“I’ll put the clothes here."
Kelly’s movement was as smooth as ever.
This morning is the same as usual. But when Lydia stood in front of the mirror, she noticed a red mark on her neck.
“I wonder what this is?”
When Lydia reached out to touch it, a weird feeling emerged from her heart as if something even hotter had touched that spot.
She somehow felt her heart beating faster.
Kelly leaned over to have a look and as a result, she got shocked and turned red.
“I, I don’t know either... did you hit something?”
Can you actually hit this area? Moreover, no matter how you think about this, this doesn’t look like a bruise.
Kelly was obviously playing the fool.
“What is this? Please tell me.”
Lydia turned to face Kelly, but she was busy helping Lydia put on her dress and didn’t seem to want to look at Lydia.
As she revealed such att.i.tude, Lydia grew even more concerned.
“Hey Kelly, I ask of you, are you not my ally?”
Kelly quickly dressed Lydia up, but Lydia grabbed her hand to stop her.
She sighed and looked at Lydia, as if she gave up. She carefully selected her words as she explained.
When Lydia vaguely understood it, blood came rus.h.i.+ng into her head, making her feel dizzy.
While asleep, this area was actually kissed by someone. Just thinking about this made her blush.
Lydia remembered the shadow that disappeared behind the doorway last night, and thought that it was definitely him.
Lydia wasn’t wary of him since he was a relative and of course, he wasn’t a bad person. But why was he so discourteous?
“Ah! Miss!”
Lydia rushed out of the room.
She caught a glimpse of Fergus outside the house. It looked like he was giving water to the horse.
Lydia approached him angrily.
“Lydia, you’re awake?”
Fergus was surprised and looked at her happily.
“I’m glad. That guy, Patrick scared me when he said you might never wake up. Ah, are you able to get out of bed now?”
He had an innocent look. Lydia frowned with all her might, looked up at him and said:
“You entered my room in the middle of the night, correct?”
As a result, looking like a child who was caught playing a hoax, he looked away with confusion.
“Well, yes... I apologize, I was a little worried."
“Worried? So you thought that it was alright to kiss me while I was asleep?”
“What did you say?”
Fergus responded like he didn’t know anything, and Lydia’s anger suddenly calmed down.
“Could it be...... that it wasn’t you?”
Lydia couldn’t help but press on her neck. She still felt the heat, but a kiss that she didn’t want made her unexpectedly made her feel this way. She didn’t feel quite right.
“I--it’s nothing, forget what I just said."
As Lydia intended to leave, Fergus spoke.
“Was it about that?”
He frowned with displeasure as he stared at Lydia’s covered neck.
Nowadays, Lydia wore dresses with tight collars, so he shouldn’t have seen the mark on her skin.  But he knew that there was a mark on her neck, so he spoke as if it was really him.
“I did it."
Fergus buried his fingers into his red short hair, not knowing why he fretfully made that statement.
“......Sure enough, it was like that. That’s going too far, you know that I don’t like it!”
“When I saw you sleeping, I just couldn’t help it."
Lydia’s face turned instantly red and immediately raised her hand.
Even though Lydia’s palm hit Fergus’ face, he’d stare at Lydia intensely, not minding at all. Lydia couldn’t stand his stare, so she turned and fled the scene.
Why? She whispered.
By simply touching the mark on her neck, she could feel a wave of heat.
Why? Don’t I only have this kind of feeling towards Edgar?
Lydia was confused.
As a matter of fact, he was in a distant place, and Lydia couldn’t even hold his hand, but did her memory of his kiss in her dream switch with what happened in the real world against her will?
Or was she just a superficial girl, who was never satisfied with what she had?
Did she subconsciously think that since she decided to break up with Edgar, there was no harm in falling in love with someone else?
I had clearly fallen in love with the opposite s.e.x for the first time and decided to spend a lifetime with him, but to replace him with someone else, something must be wrong with me.
Lydia blamed herself as she was leaving the mansion and running to the fields.
She finally came to a stop as she reached a white rocky area which could be seen from the mansion.
She didn’t want Fergus to come after her, so she didn’t intend to go any further and decided to sit on the rock.
She didn’t want to regret waking up from the dream.
Will the day come when she will no longer miss Edgar?
Nevertheless, Lydia didn’t want to forget Edgar.
It was because she loved him that she decided to break up with him. She didn’t want to lose the feeling of being the most important person to him.
That’s why she won’t fall for anyone else.
Lydia lowered her head while holding her knees. A figure appeared in front of her. She looked up in surprise and saw a young man with curly black hair looking down at her.
“Good, I made it in time.”
“Kelpie......”
He rushed over and somehow made Lydia return from the dream.
“That fairy doctor called Patrick is here as well, isn’t he? That guy placed various talismans around the mansion, there’s no way Unseelie fairies like me can get close, it truly is troublesome.”
Kelpie complained as he sat down next to Lydia.
“Then I’ll just make a path that you can use next to my window.”
“I can enter whenever I want?”
“Why do you ask? You used to do that all the time."
As Lydia tilted her head, Kelpie supported his worried face with his hand.
“I was thinking if you’ve begun to hate Unseelie Courts after arriving at this island. I heard from the cat that the Unseelie Court here have done terrible things. Don’t you possess the bloodline of a fairy doctor that can expel those guys?”
That matter. Lydia changed the topic.
“That has nothing to do with this. Weren’t you willing to become my kelpie?”
“What about the Earl? Even though he has the power to control the magic of the Unseelie Court, he is your fiancé. The matters of this island have nothing to do with you, and yet you decided to break up with him?”
Kelpie stared at her and Lydia turned away from those black pearly eyes.
It doesn’t matter if Edgar is the Prince. Although Lydia tried to think that way, she was afraid that he might change.
It was because Lydia couldn’t completely believe that he wouldn’t change and therefore, did not want to be the cause of his change and wanted to escape.
“That’s enough, stop mentioning about Edgar."
Kelpie shut his mouth and gently sighed. As he was trying to change the subject, he suddenly said:
“Hey, you’re not gonna thank me?”
“What?”
“You can do the same thing you did to your cat."
Then, as if he was looking forward to it, he looked at Lydia and smiled.
Lydia remembered that she kissed Nico’s head because he was worried about her. As she carefully thought about it, Kelpie had also been worrying about her endlessly, and it was also thanks to him that Lydia was able to wake up safely.
“Where did you see that?”
“I didn’t see it. Not too long ago that cat was grooming his fur while shouting: "That Lydia, she actually kissed my head”......he also seemed to be showing off a very pleased att.i.tude."
That cute and ridiculous appearance made Lydia laugh. She stretched out her hand towards Kelpie’s face.
He was quite tall and even when he sat, his head was still above Lydia’s line of sight, so Lydia wanted to hold Kelpie and pull him closer. She dropped a kiss near his forehead, which was covered with black curly hair.
Lydia could sense the clear and calm presence of the water. She leaned against Kelpie, put her head on his shoulder and let her body immerse in the feeling of floating in water.
“I see, this somehow feels pleasant."
Kelpie, who said that, did not understand a human’s tendency to touch each other, but he still took hold of Lydia’s shoulder.
He had only seen the love expressions humans made, and so tried to imitate it. In spite of this, Kelpie felt the warmth which was absent among magical fairies, through Lydia.
It was probably because of this that he had always been staying by Lydia’s side.
She wouldn’t act like this towards human men again, but Kelpie was a fairy, so he was allowed to touch her. As Lydia thought about this, she sat quietly.
“Hey Kelpie, once my injury is healed, everything will be the same as before. I want to return to the village and live leisurely with the fairies. Rather than getting married, this way you won’t be bored, right?”
“For me, I’d rather see you smile than worry about being bored."
“I will be able to laugh......I definitely will."

“What’s wrong with your face?”
Patrick saw Fergus’s red cheeks and frowned sympathetically.
“Fergus, although I did say that it was a good opportunity to pursue her, being too anxious will have a counter effect."
Fergus glared angrily at Patrick.
Of course he was aware of that. Fergus thought that it would be fine to spend time with Lydia to slowly get closer to her.
It was all because Patrick said too much that things had become troublesome.
Even the incident that happened shortly before Lydia fainted was caused by Patrick who used the Earl’s incident to blame Lydia.
Fergus tried to comfort Lydia who obviously seemed hurt, but he couldn’t help but embrace and confess to her.
Besides, the incident of the kiss mark on her neck that turned into Fergus getting a slap in the end was also because of Patrick.
Last night he really did enter her bedroom, and when he stared at Lydia under the moonlight, he noticed a red spot on her neck.
Who on earth was it? He thought desperately.
There were only female servants around Lydia. Kelly certainly wouldn’t do such a thing, and it was hard to imagine the maids doing it out of mischief.
The anxious Fergus felt that it was impossible but still pressed Patrick for an answer.
Patrick’s answer was very simple.
“It should be Earl Ashenbert."
How was that possible? Fergus said.
Although Edgar was still staying somewhere in Hebrides islands, at the very least, he wasn’t anywhere within the McKeel clan’s territory.
There were no decent roads in the wilderness, and this wasn’t the kind of place that outsiders could find without a guide, so it was impossible to invade the house in the middle of the night.
“They had a lover’s rendezvous in their dream.”
They are an officially an engaged couple, and describing it as a lover’s rendezvous seemed rather strange, but that was Patrick’s answer.
“Miss Lydia was probably trapped in her dream and so wasn’t able to wake up. If that was the case, then the place that she went to should have been was by the Earl’s side."
These words made a person understand but not truly understand.
Even if they did meet in their dream, Lydia was sleeping right here, so how could it be possible to leave such an obvious mark on her body?
“When the heart receives a strong impression, it will affect the body as well."
Was she not disgusted or angry in her dream? Did she put on an expression which Fergus had never seen before when she looked at the Earl?
As soon as Lydia woke up, she rushed angrily to question Fergus. It seemed that it did not occur to her that it was a mark left by the Earl.
In real life, the person who she could reach within an arm’s length was Fergus but could he not win against a man whom she could only meet in her dreams?
WIth frustration, he lied.
He said that he kissed her while Lydia was asleep.
Just by telling the truth, she would feel at ease, and then would she reveal a shy expression that could only be seen by a lover from afar? Fergus didn’t want to know such things.
He didn’t want to see Lydia’s response when she and Edgar were together.
If that was the case, then even the anger didn’t matter, as long as he kept the emotion to himself.
He was distraught with anxiety, so even though it turned out this way, he was satisfied.
Patrick wanted Lydia because her blood was useful towards the McKeel clan, but it was different for him. That’s what Fergus thought, and it was rare for him to have a rebellious heart towards Patrick, whom he regarded as an elder brother.
“You shouldn’t interrupt on every single matter, I have my own way of handling things."
He wouldn’t use such clever and calculative ways to pursue Lydia, and he didn’t know how to be tactful. What’s wrong with facing her wholeheartedly?
“Would you be able handle it?”
“Don’t treat me like a child, I’m the one who brought Lydia here."
“The Earl isn’t someone you could deal with using ordinary means. The reason he left Miss Lydia in your hands is because he calculated your usefulness. He definitely intends to immediately take Miss Lydia away one day."
Patrick was probably right and this made Fergus angry.
Fergus seemed to understand that he couldn’t refute. Revealing an anxious att.i.tude, he turned around to face his back towards Patrick.

                                                                                                                                                 *

Dark clouds began to pile up in the sky.
The sea seemed to be roaring with waves and the s.h.i.+p shook more violently than before.
Lota hurriedly gave instructions to the s.h.i.+p’s crew and the sails were put away one after another.
The vessel stopped moving forward and was merely beaten around by the waves, floating aimlessly.
“The waves are getting big, are we still going to continue sailing?”
Edgar stood at the deck near the s.h.i.+p’s bow and kept looking ahead. Lota approached him and asked.
“Your s.h.i.+p can’t even withstand these waves and sea breeze?”
“Huh, don’t look down on this. Although the s.h.i.+p is old, it’s strong and the performance is good as well. It has even sailed smoothly through several storms. Merely encountering the bad weather in these straits is nothing at all."
“Then there’s no problem. I heard that the Blue Men of the Minch will appear in the sea when the big waves rise. This weather is just perfect."
Edgar said as he stared into the sea.
The clouds covered their field of vision and they couldn’t see the shadow of the islands. Although this area was the straits, it was quite far away from the Inner and Outer Hebrides. It was said that although this was the inner sea, there would frequently be upsurging large waves.
“It seems that Paul’s current state is even more worrying than the s.h.i.+p."
Lota was pointing towards the rear with her thumb. Paul’s seasickness was so serious that he was grabbing on the handrail of the deck. He was lying in the cabin earlier but probably came out for some fresh air.
“It’s alright, Earl...... I’m fine......”
Even though he looked pale, he still insisted.
“I’m sorry, please bear with it a little longer. It probably won’t take long."
Saying that, Edgar sensed a rotten smell mingling in the air since earlier.
Raven said he didn’t sense anything; Lota and crew members did not mention any abnormalities as well.
This is the presence of the Unseelie Courts’ magic.
It was something that Edgar knew of from the Prince’s memories.
Once upon a time, Prince drank the fairy’s essence in order to obtain the Unseelie Courts’ magic. Edgar was once again forced to experience this disgusting smell again. He vaguely sensed the same scent in the wind.
Nothing could be seen around the sea, but there was something approaching them.
Black clouds quickly spread to the surroundings, and lightning was striking across the sky.
Large raindrops suddenly started to fall and the tall waves were rocking the s.h.i.+p.
“Is that......?”
In the depths of the waves in the sea, at the other end of the veil formed by the heavy rainfall was a huge shadow. The shadow was slowly approaching them.
There was something in the faint white light that floating along the sea with the shadow.
“Edgar, don’t lean out of the s.h.i.+p! You’ll fall into the sea!”
Lota shouted.
“It’s the Blue Men of the Minch."
Edgar pointed straight ahead. Although Lota gazed intently, she still tilted her head.
“I don’t see anything?”
It seemed only Edgar could see it. In that case, it was most likely that no one saw the huge shadow that was surrounded by pale spirits.
That object had the shape of a s.h.i.+p.
As it came closer, a tattered sail could be seen entangled on a mast-like black pillar, making a noise like it was being beaten by the wind.
However, the entire s.h.i.+p looked like a drawing. It seemed like a dark flat object, and it got bigger as it approached.
Edgar kept his eyes open in the intense rain.
The shadow was close enough to hit Lota’s s.h.i.+p, and it was so huge that one needed to raise their head to look upwards. As he thought this, the s.h.i.+p was. .h.i.t by the shadow and swayed violently.
Lota raised her voice and instructed the crew members. Edgar managed to grasp the handrail as he looked up at the shadow that was surrounding and shaking the s.h.i.+p.
The pale spirits jumped onto the deck. Although they were gathering at a distance, they were encircling Edgar.
“Lord Edgar, please grab the rope!”
Raven threw over a rope and secured the other end to the mast in order to steady his body.
But Edgar did not tie the rope to his body. He steadied his feet as much as he could and stood upright, looking at the shadow of the ghost s.h.i.+p.
“The Blue Men should know who I am, right? This is the place where the contract was made with the Unseelie Courts according to his memories."
Edgar felt something and it seemed to be approaching him. So, he called out to the Blue Men.
“Listen up, imprisoned pirates, you are all my servants!”
The wind suddenly stopped.
The s.h.i.+p also stopped shaking, but it was only for a moment, and this time, there was a huge wave targeting the deck.
The seawater covered the s.h.i.+p and flushed everything on the s.h.i.+p out to the sea.
Edgar slipped and was washed away as well.
“Lord Edgar!”
Raven stretched out his hand but couldn’t reach him. Instead of grabbing Raven’s hand, Edgar desperately grabbed onto Paul’s coat, so he was also washed away.
“Earl......”
Paul called out in a weak voice, but in the next moment, they were both pulled into the sea.
“Hey, Edgar! Paul is being washed away!”
But oddly, Edgar was looking up at Lota’s boat from the sea.
The sea was obviously churning endlessly but he couldn’t feel the waves and he could look through the transparent water to see the conditions of the sea.
Raven leaned out of the deck and looked around to find Edgar.
But this scene gradually disappeared.
Edgar was holding on to Paul, who had lost consciousness, and slowly drifted in the water.
Even though they were in the sea, it was as if they were wrapped in a ball of air. They weren’t soaked with water and furthermore, they weren’t in pain. He was surrounded by spirits with a strange pale flame-like form, and didn’t know whether he was sinking deeper or floating.
When he came to, Edgar was already on board a s.h.i.+p.
The s.h.i.+p was floating in the sea and he was standing on top of it.
The thin moon was floating in the night sky. The sea returned to calmness and gently carried the vessel. Sure enough, his body was not wet. Edgar stared down at Paul who was by his feet and he seemed to be dry as well.
“Paul, are you alright?”
He opened his eyes slightly, then got up and looked around. He had apparently forgotten about his seasickness from earlier and shouted.
“Wh--what’s with this s.h.i.+p!?”
The mast was bent and the broken sails were rolled up on top of it.
There were holes all over the deck and their whole surroundings were covered in seaweed.
The ropes, which were on the verge of rotting, resembled organs twisted into a spiral, and emitted a strange light.
The s.h.i.+p looked like it just came up from the bottom of the sea and was soaking wet everywhere.
“It’s probably the ghost s.h.i.+p."
As Edgar answered readily, Paul frowned pathetically.
Upon listening carefully, moaning sounds could be heard from the bottom of the s.h.i.+p. A sound similar to a door creaking to a steady rhythm could be heard.
“What is this sound?”
Paul carelessly went to the rotting cavern of the deck and looked down, as a result, he screamed and retreated backwards.
Edgar went over to find out what was happening and the result was depressing.
“I see....this is a paddle s.h.i.+p."
The slaves kept rowing the oars at the bottom of the s.h.i.+p, so even if there were no sails on board, the s.h.i.+p could still move slowly.
“T--that’s not the problem......”
What the pale looking Paul probably wanted to say was that the chained up oarsmen were nothing but bones.
“Those should be the men caught by the blue spirits to be used as slaves.”
“......Is it possible that will we end up in that way?”
“I don’t know. I pray that it would not be so."
In an instant, a large number of figures appeared on the s.h.i.+p.
Pale looking spirits dressed in tattered clothes and holding crescent-shaped knives were surrounding Edgar and Paul.
The thought of having the Merrow’s sword by his side flashed through Edgar’s mind. The sword’s fairy sensed his intention and the star sapphire emitted a bright light.
This sword holds the power to slay fairies. Although the chances are slim facing this many enemies, it should have a deterrent effect.
While he was pondering, a ghost with a tall stature emerged from the group.
(Are you the Prince of Calamity?)
Hearing this, Paul stared at Edgar in surprise.
“No, I’m the Blue Knight Earl."
Edgar answered.
(Blue Knight......I don’t know who that is. But you said we are all your servants and you also mentioned that you were the one who made the contract with the island’s Unseelie Courts.)
“That’s right, that contract is within me...... Prince is dead and the contract was inherited by me."
“Earl, what’s going on......?”
Paul was confused and looked up at Edgar nervously.
He never thought that Paul would find out like this. But Edgar must protect Paul from the ghosts, therefore, he needed to declare that “Prince’s memories” were here.
“I’m sorry, I’ll explain later."
Upon saying this, Edgar a.s.sumed himself as the leader and glared at the ghost who seemed to be the captain of the dead pirates.
The ghost captain twitched his crooked nose and said:
(I can sense magic, but it is too weak. If you are the human who turned into the Prince of Calamity then show me the evidence.)
Evidence? What should I do?
As Edgar hesitated slightly, the ghost beside the captain waved the knife around.
(If you don’t have any evidence then hand over your souls!)
The ghosts came towards them.
“Wah!”
Paul covered his head and screamed as Edgar called out Arrow in a whisper while holding the sword in his hand.
When he waved the sword, the star sapphire on the sword became a ruby.
The red light together with the sword drew out an arc. The moment the sword split the ghost, it let out a high-pitched scream and disappeared without a trace.
The surrounding ghosts were in an uproar and retreated together.
(......So that’s how it is, I’ve heard of the existence of this sword. Being able to control this sword, it means that you are indeed our Prince.)
If the one who inherited the Blue Knight Earl’s bloodline was truly a descendant of the Earl, then of course he would be able to bring out the sword’s star ruby power.  But that ancient bloodline had been cut off, leaving only the Prince who had this power and survived.
However, even though he obtained this power through Prince’s memories, Edgar still intended to maintain his ident.i.ty as the Blue Knight Earl.
(Prince, what would you like us to do?)
The captain asked. Edgar laid down his sword.
“I want you to take me to the ‘Master of the Islands.’”
The ghosts were excited.
(Then, you want to awaken the Master? The sword might be able to do it.)
Once the Master is awakened, we can be liberated from the dark rocky area. Our decaying bodies are trapped in the rocky area, and we are able to turn into ghosts to invade the human realm only during bad weather. Now we can escape from this fate.)
“If we can be freed, we will be happy to help you curse the human world."
Edgar did not come here to liberate them. However, it didn’t matter if that was what they thought.
“There’s a spring in the Master’s dreamland, correct? Can you take me there?”
This time, they suddenly looked furious.
(The spring? Ahh that’s right, in order to awaken the Master, we need the magic welled up from the deep spring. But we are unable to go near that place. That is the main source of the Master’s dreamland and it is surrounded by gemstones.)
Was he referring to the gemstones that these pirates wanted to steal before?
(It’s not easy to intrude into that place. Those who are not welcomed will be become imprisoned spirits like us.)
“Just bring me there."
Edgar slightly lit up the sword, and the ghosts vanished from his sight, seemingly returning to their respective duties.
The boat started to sail, as if it was gliding on tranquil sea.

                                                                                                                                                *

Lydia was sitting on Kelpie’s back, galloping along the beach. Despite knowing that she couldn’t go too far, the feeling of going against the wind was very comforting and helped her forget all the unpleasant things.
It would be great if she could run like this to Edgar’s side. She drove this thought out of her head.
The sun was s.h.i.+ning down and the clouds moved as if it were rus.h.i.+ng.
Kelpie approached the water and started to play by the sea, splas.h.i.+ng water all over Lydia.
“Goodness, I’m all wet."
“If that’s the case, how about a stroll in the sea?”
It could be done if she followed Kelpie, but Lydia thought it would be better not to.
“Rather than that, Kelpie, I want to go somewhere further."
Lydia had to stay within the area where the sea cape was visible. The suitable magic treatment was concentrated on that cape and she had been warned that the further she distanced herself from there, the more the wound would hurt.
However, was that really the case?
Of course, it was needless to say about Patrick, but even in Fergus’ case, she didn’t know whether or not he could be trusted.
“It could be done but the magic flow ahead is different."
“I’m only going for a little while."
Kelpie slowly walked forward along the seash.o.r.e. However, with just a few yards away from where they started, the wound on Lydia’s back started to hurt.
Her hand that was grabbing on to Kelpie’s mane couldn’t help but tense up.
Kelpie seemed to have noticed it, and so he stopped.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Yeah...... sure enough, it’s impossible."
Just as Kelpie was turning around to head towards the other direction, a man riding a horse stood ahead of them.
“It’s Kelpie, he was also hanging around Miss Lydia when he was in London......”
It was Patrick, and he was holding an exorcism dagger. Kelpie retreated slightly because the dagger was exuding unpleasant magic.
Patrick dismounted from the horse and put up a defensive posture as he approached.
“I heard that Miss Lydia came out for a walk alone and I felt that it was very unsual.” Unexpectedly, an Unseelie Court has invaded this place."
“Mr. Patrick, please stop......”
But Patrick was threatening Kelpie with the dagger.
“Put her down and leave this place.”
Kelpie was slowly retreating.
“This Kelpie is a friend of mine."
Lydia called out and Patrick looked at her with cold eyes.
“Even though you are a fairy doctor, aren’t you putting too much confidence in your abilities? He isn’t a fairy that you can trust."
“This has nothing to do with my ability, I know him well!”
Patrick exposed a puzzled look for a moment, but put his attention back to Kelpie, who was intending to make a move.
Kelpie kicked the ground and headed towards Patrick.
“Move, Lydia!”
The moment Kelpie said these words, Lydia fell from his back. No, it should be said that she was gently put down and sat on the sand. But when she hurriedly looked up, Kelpie was already charging towards Patrick.
However, something invisible repelled Kelpie away.
“d.a.m.n it, he actually used several kinds of exorcism tools......”
Kelpie fell to the ground and seemed to be unable to move.
Patrick intended to get closer.
“Disappear, Unseelie Court."
He wielded the dagger. Lydia ran forward.
“Lydia, don’t come here!”
She ignored Kelpie’s instruction and intended to rush forward to protect him.
The dagger came towards Lydia and she instinctively closed her eyes, but in the next moment, she heard the sound of clas.h.i.+ng metal and opened her eyes in surprise.
The dagger flew in a curve and pierced the waterside.
Unable to move, Patrick dumbfoundedly withdrew his right hand as a young man with brown skin held a knife to his neck.
“Raven......?”
“Would you like me to kill him?”
He asked with an expressionless face.
“S--stop it, don’t kill him.”
Lydia told Kelpie in a whisper to take the opportunity to escape immediately.
After Kelpie disappeared, Raven removed the knife from Patrick and stood by Lydia’s side, as if to protect her.
“Are you hurt, Miss Lydia?”
“I’m not, we just had a little misunderstanding, Mr. Patrick isn’t an enemy......”
“I understand, but he could have hurt you earlier."
“What is Earl Ashenbert’s valet doing here?”
Patrick wiped off his cold sweat and looked at Raven to make sure.
“I brought him here."
He turned his head upon hearing that voice, and saw Lota casually pulling up the skirt of her dress as she skipped over the rocky area.
“Lota!”
“Lydia, I came to find you because I was so worried!”
Lota ran over and happily embraced Lydia.
“I’m sorry...... I couldn’t contact you. Ah that’s right, I was supposed to have returned to London earlier."
“It’s alright, it’s so nice to see that you’re well. I was shocked to hear that you received a near-fatal wound.”
“I was able to live a normal life while I was here, but......”
Since she came to such a distant place with Kelpie, Lydia’s wound had started to hurt.
Lydia’s mood relaxed upon seeing Lota, but the pain had caught up to her consciousness once more and she couldn’t help but show a painful expression.
“It’s best to return to the mansion soon or else Miss Lydia’s condition will be affected."
Holding Lydia, Lota nodded in response to Patrick’s words.

Not long after Edgar and Paul disappeared together with the ghost s.h.i.+p, Raven decided to visit the McKeel clan’s land once more.
To Raven, the idea of being separated from Edgar was absolutely unacceptable.
However, questions such as, how could he catch up to the ghost spirits, and where Edgar currently was, he did not know the answers at all.
In the end, he thought he could only discuss it with Nico.
Not only was Nico a fairy, but he had lived on this archipelago for a long time. He should know about the Blue Men as well as the ‘Master of the Islands.’”
He had previously suggested to Edgar to look for Nico. Although Edgar did not come to any conclusion at the time, nor did he give any instructions to Raven, it seemed that there was no other way.
As for Lota, she observed the sea along the straits for a while, but the weather was recovering and she judged that Edgar and Paul wouldn’t be returning, so she steered the s.h.i.+p towards the island where the McKeel clan’s land was.
Her original intention of coming here was to see Lydia, so it was understandable that she would do that.
Kelly was informed of Lydia’s whereabouts through the Connaught clan head, and Raven had long known about that, so there was no issue.
It was said that it was located at a cape along the coastline, so they were able to determine the location of a lone mansion with a telescope from the s.h.i.+p.
And so, Raven rode on a small boat with Lota to come ash.o.r.e.
Although he encountered the scene where Kelpie and Patrick were confronting each other, being able to protect Lydia made Raven feel very satisfied.
Being able to see Lydia also seemed to make Lota feel at ease. She was now accompanying Lydia, who was resting.
On the other hand, Raven sat on a bench at the back of the house, thinking how he could see Nico.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
The one who said that and stood in front of Raven was Fergus.
“I am not obligated to answer."
“Hmph, in that case the Earl must be scheming something. But even if he wanted to find the medicine to withstand the Aurora fairies’ blade, it’s futile."
“Lord Edgar will be the one to judge if it is futile or not."
“All in all, if Lydia doesn’t stay here, her wound won’t heal. You know that too, right? Quickly return and inform the Earl."
Raven stood up.
“No matter how many years have pa.s.sed, I do not think that Miss Lydia will fall in love with you."
Fergus frowned.
“How would you know about that?”
“Lord Edgar has been putting forth his best effort for a whole year. Before then, I have not come across any woman whom Lord Edgar could not pursue within an hour."
After Raven said that with a serious expression, Fergus said with a surprised look:
“What? How could there be such a guy?!”
“At any rate, there is nothing you can do."
“......Lydia is already willing to open up her heart to me. Besides, speaking of one year, I have even more time for that."
Fergus probably noticed the murderous intent in Raven’s gaze and retreated back after saying that.
Raven exhaled deeply.
“It’s unfortunate. If Lord Edgar was here, I could beat you up until you’re half dead."
He turned around and left the area.
As he walked, he tried to reorganize his thoughts right before Fergus interrupted him.
In the dream, Nico could be seen standing on the mountain. In short, he had to go there.
Although he had thought to discuss this with Lydia, but making her overly worried probably isn’t Edgar’s intention.
Moreover, he couldn’t let her good physical condition deteriorate, so he really could only rely on Nico.
Raven looked around the surrounding landscape. The terrain in this area was undulating and there were no mountains to be seen.
“Mr. Nico, where are you......?”
“I’m right here."
Raven stopped in surprise.
When he turned around to look all over the place, a gray cat that was laying on the gra.s.s sat up.
Hey, Nico held up one paw.
“Did you come with Lota? A huge s.h.i.+p stopped at the sea, so I thought something was up and went to take a look."
Nico had a leisurely face and looked just like his usual self.
“Were you by Miss Lydia’s side......? You said previously that you could not bear to watch, so I thought that perhaps you were not here."
“Yes, that’s what I was planning at first, but I still couldn’t let go of Lydia."
He stood up, placed his paws behind his back and nodded.
“She wants me to stay by her side. It was inevitable that she felt lonely because I was gone. Well, we’re just like family after all."
At the corner of his eyes, Nico looked down, as if he was not as annoyed as he would have Raven to believe.
“Mr. Nico, do you not feel lonely all by yourself?”
“Huh? Ah, why would I feel lonely? I am an extraordinary gentleman."
Nico’s whiskers kept twitching, but Raven did not notice it.
“You are right, I cannot imagine the scene of Mr. Nico holding Miss Lydia and crying."
Nico narrowed his eyes and stood stiff in place, but Raven did not notice it.
“......Speaking of which, what are you doing here, Raven?”
Raven remembered his main purpose and looked tensely at Nico.
“Mr. Nico, do you hate me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was hoping to borrow your wisdom, but it is something related to the Unseelie. Lord Edgar would use any means to get back Miss Lydia. In order to obtain the medicine to eliminate the Aurora fairy toxins, I was wondering if I could discuss it with you, and so I came here."
So that’s how it is. Nico looked down.
“Are you doing this according to the Earl’s command? Then I will only hate the Earl alone."
“This is not a command."
Raven said firmly.
“Lord Edgar did not give me any commands and boarded the ghost s.h.i.+p. I wanted to go after them."
“Ghost s.h.i.+p?”
“Yes, that s.h.i.+p belongs to what is known as the existence of the Blue Men. I heard that if it is that s.h.i.+p, then it can get close to the ‘Master of the Islands.’”
“......As for this, I think that there’s nothing you could do even if you were by his side. Whether the Earl is the Blue Knight or Prince, I don’t think he has the power to awaken the Master. If you do not succeed in achieving your goal, you will be trapped in the Master’s dreamland and turn into Blue Men like them. These are the only two possible outcomes."
“But, I have to go."
Nico lifted his head and looked up at Raven in wonder.
“This is your own opinion, why did you decide it to be so? Is it because without Edgar, the sprite within you would go on a rampage?”
Raven had never revealed his thoughts to this day, but now he clearly understood that he came to Nico’s side due to his own volition. He thought hard about Nico’s question and finally answered:
“Indeed, it is difficult to suppress the sprite with my own will...... but no matter what, I want to stay by Lord Edgar’s side."
At this moment, Lota rushed out of the mansion. After she saw Raven, she ran hurriedly towards him.
“Hey! Raven, it’s bad!”
“What is the matter?”
“Lydia’s… condition….”