Hakushaku to Yousei Vol 1 Chapter 2

P. 52

    It was one of the very many stories that her father read to her after the death of her mother. She remembers her father saying that this is a true story. Of course, for Lydia who knew about the existence of fairies, she didn’t dare doubt about it.

    A book that modeled after Lord Blue Knight who was said to exist, most likely that was the part of the book that everyone believed to be real and naturally the fairy part was fiction.

P. 53

    Information about the treasured sword Edgar talked about is also available in this story.

    After that, it was said that a number of the heirs of Lord Blue Knight had appeared in the England royal court.

    And now, Edgar was that descendant.

    Finding that was the job that was offered to Lydia as a fairy doctor.

    “Hey you, weren’t you talking yesterday about how suspicious he was."

    I wonder if that threat was serious.

    “Just take it as money paid in advance. You’d better make sure to get your worth. Oh, but there’s always the idea of going on the run after getting the money,” said the carefree, irresponsible cat, tying a napkin around his neck and arrogantly used a knife and fork to carry a slice of bacon into his mouth.

    Though, as Nico says, unless they don’t run with the money, it would be difficult to refuse helping them. 

P.55

    “Dear father, it seems that I will be arriving in London later than I was planning. A gentleman called the Earl Ashenbert has offered me a job regarding fairies. He says he’s the descendant of Lord Blue Knight. I don’t know if he really is, but it looks like he won’t release me unless I finish the job.”

    “Anyway, please do not worry about me. Take care of yourself, so long.”

    Edgar came breezing in. He said good morning with a crisp and cloudless smile. His blond hair shined in the bright morning sun. He seemed so perfect that she began to feel jealous and wondered if God patronized him too much?

    “I thought we should discuss our plans in what we should do from now.”

    “First, would you look at this.” Edgar laid down a coin on the table near him. Lydia sat down on so as to face across him, and picked up the coin in her hand.

    “The Earl family coat of arms is on it. And can you see that there’s something written on it? According to our family, it’s writing that was inscribed by fairies.”

    “Even though you’re a fairy doctor?”

    “I understand. So, this is a photo of it through a loupe. Can you read it this time?”

    He could have just took this out from the beginning.

P.57

    “…This is unmistakably English writing. Are you testing me?”

    Lydia scowled even further. But it was annoying that she was underestimated.

    “This was inscribed by humans. If it is at the least of this level of detailed work, then it isn’t something that a human can’t do. It doesn’t serve as evidence that fairies exist.”

    “The sword of Lord Blue Knight itself only has a historic origin and doesn’t have any mystical about it. The issue is where it’s hidden. Fairy names are used as the words to guide us to its location. Lydia, you said that a fairy doctor’s weapon was their knowledge about fairies and negotiation skills. I just want that knowledge. I don’t need any magical powers. I just want you to be able to understand what the words inscribed on here mean. Would it damage your pride for someone like me who doesn’t believe in fairies to ask for the help of a fairy doctor in order to get that?”

    The bond between the fae and humans was so strong that just knowledge couldn’t unravel it. 

P.58

    “How reliable! Then would you first read this.”

    “[The green jack from spankie’s cradle. A dance with the pixies on the night with a moon. Beyond the silkie’s cross. The maze of the pooka.] ….What is this?”

    Just like those first riddles, there was more of it using other fairy names. Without stopping, Lydia decided to run her eyes through all of it.

    “The merrow’s star is most likely the star sapphire that’s on the treasured sword,” replied Edgar.

    “I don’t know about that either, and the rest of it."

    “My family has lands and buildings all over England.” Edgar spread out a map. There were red x that marked various places on it.

    “I want to know that too.”

    Well of course, from they’re point of view this is a job they offered to Lydia.

    In the end, it looked like she was left with the option of accepting it.

    If she wanted to become a profession, then she shouldn’t be hesitating at a time like this, and as Lydia felt desperate she stirred up her fighting spirit.

P.60

    She ran her eyes across both the map and memo and realized something about the names.

    “Oh, really? But, my family doesn’t have any estates or castles in Ireland.”

    She trailed the west side of the coast that was near Ireland. There was one mark by the coast connected to the Irish Sea.

    “Then let’s start from here.”

    “For your information, I don’t work for free. You’ll going to have to pay me up front.”

    Now that she thought about it, she never really did have a decent offer for a job up till now, and so she realized that she hadn’t really decided on an exact wage for her services.

    I’ll be disparaged if I make it too low. Daringly, she showed all five fingers on her hand in front of Edgar.

    Raven swiftly left the room without waiting for instructions and immediately returned with. Of course in his hands was an ebony tray with a cheque on it.

    “Is that enough?”

    If she was just thrown such a fortune so lightly, she in turn became embarrassed and couldn’t correct the misunderstanding.

    Just when Edgar stood up from the sofa, for the first time Raven opened his mouth to Lydia.

    It seemed he spotted her letter on the desk. He surely is a servant quick to notice. If it was in a normal situation, Lydia would think that, but for that place and timing she immediately sense a unnerving shift in the air.

    “It’s alright. I’ll send it out myself.” She hurriedly replied, but she knew that Edgar sent a sharp glance at the envelope.

    “...To father. I wanted to write to him to let him know I’ll arrive late to London. Is that bad?”

    “I’m just going to tell him that I’ll be late.”

    He didn’t say it in a harsh voice, but there was a force in it that didn’t allow any objections.

    Still feeling a faint urge to retaliate, Lydia remained silent.

    She wondered if she were to secretly send out her letter, then would she be thrown into the sea? His calm voice gave her that frightening idea. 

P.63

    The only thing Lydia understood was that, in the end, she was in the same situation as when she was prisoned by Huxley.

    Her letter to her father was still left on the desk, and the reason they didn’t confiscate it was probably because he was confident she wouldn’t mail it out. To prove it, Lydia didn’t have the strength to want to.

    It could be just like they were saying, that he would truly kill anyone who hurt Edgar.

    “He calls himself the heir of Lord Blue Knight, but if he’s a boy who refuses to believe that a cat can talk from the start, then he will never be able to see fairies, or come to understand them.”

    Either way, she had no choice in the matter. Lydia’s strength was drained from the thought that she’d become a captive.

    Unlike her strange, nondescript brother, she was cordial and talked warmly to her, but she didn’t know if that was just a mere show. Because she was the servant of Edgar.

    There were passengers who showed interest by glancing at the maid in men’s clothing, but Ermine paid them no attention.

    “The weather is unusually beautiful today for this country,” remarked Ermine. The side of her face appeared like she was remembering the sun of a foreign country.

    “Please call me Ermine. And yes, I am not British.”

P. 65

    “Do you not trust Lord Edgar?”

    She replied with only a soft smile, and didn’t mention anything about her master.

    “Raven is that kind of child. It isn’t that he’s been ordered to act so. Ah, but, if it was Lord Edgar’s order then he may do anything to follow it.”

    She must of sensed Lydia’s curiosity and answer her question.

    “Huh, but….”

    "…Well, yes, you may not believe me, but, the passageways are everywhere. On the border of shades and sunlight, places where the wind momentarily changes course, in the thickets of hawthorns and bushes of elderberries, and in the shadows of the shamrocks leaves.”

    “Eh, really? Then, he, can he also see and talk to fairies too?”

    She could understand about not wanting to talk to others about it. If Lydia had a quiet personality about it, then she would too have done so. But of course, in order to not forget about her mother, she always kept her attention open toward that magical world. But Lydia was also, whispered behind her back of being a fairy changeling from a young child. She didn’t resemble her father or mother, her eyes color was extremely rare, and her eyes would follow something when she was alone in the baby crib, and then suddenly giggle and laugh, and when she grew up, she would play by herself with something invisible and talked to it like it was talking back to her, and that had disturbed her nanny.

    “So he also had bad experiences. It’s something that other’s can’t understand.”

    “….Because he’s the Earl of the fairyland?”

    Sad? To Lydia he was arrogant and coercive, and manipulated other like a pawn of his own game, and seemed to be enjoying dangerous deals with others and treasure hunting.

    “The Lord’s kindness and strictness is a part of his sadness. And that’s why he accepts our sadness as well. I only wish that the fairyworld will bring true repose to him.”

    Because it was the place where the descendants of Lord Blue Knight will return to, or because it was her wish because he wasn’t the real heir, Lydia didn’t know.

    The alarm horn whistled. The low, vibrating sound was sucked into the darkening sky. 

P. 68

    It was an army patrol ship. The large black shadow headed in their direction. And then the ship they were on gradually slowed down.

    The room Ermine lead Lydia into, was Edgar’s cabin room. Edgar stood by the window, made an angry face and glared at the black patrol ship, but unexpectedly smirked as if he thought of something amusing, and turned to face Lydia.

    “Huh, that’s impossible. Are you saying he’s moving the army?”

    Huxley may be getting near to them, yet Edgar didn’t show any signs of worry. 

P. 69

    Perhaps Huxley protested to someone powerful he knew with that kind of complaint. There was a possibility that Lydia and Edgar were seen running onto this ship.

    “Go ahead. It would be troublesome for me if there was someone dangerous hiding in this room. There are rooms we aren’t using, so please inspect those as well,” said Edgar without hesitation, as he sat on the sofa.

    “Uh, about that stow-away, what kind of person is it?”

    “Well, the stow-away could be the one behind the robberies happening in London. We have a report saying the stow-away may have a hostage, and we decided this needed immediate action.”

    “Yes, miss. Said to have threatened and kidnapped a young woman. A girl about the same age as you.”

    From Edgar’s words, Lydia finally remembered the news written in the newspaper. She wondered if Huxley used an actual robbery where the thief was on the run. And by claiming that the thief had a hostage, he maybe having them look for Lydia as well.

    “Ah, I apologize. But, my lord, the rumor of him being the American killer was because they had similar characteristics. That murderer was executed.”

    “Lieutenant, about that thief, the report says that he’s a young man with blond hair and his eyes are purple…”

    “Loine. That’s enough.”

    Lydia couldn’t stop herself, she turned to look at him. Now that she looked at him, he did have the same feature. But if it was just that, then there were many others with the same trait.

    Lydia had a bad feeling, and couldn’t take her eyes off of Edgar.

    “Thank you for your service.”

    She whipped her head back forward, but because she did it so unnaturally, her suspicion of him must have been easy to recognize, and she hated herself for showing that.

    “Wh, What is it?”

    Without asking any questions, Edgar just smiled at her with his usual incontestable demeanor. 

P. 72

    “No sir, uh, Lieutenant, it was just that the Earl did resemble him.”

    “Yes, it did, but you can’t depend on a portrait. And…anyone can have that hair or eye color, but he has a distinguishing feature. If we verify that then everything would be clear.”

    “Then were you going to ask the Earl to stick out his tongue?”

    “After we asked something humiliating like that, and there was nothing, do you think we’d get away with that?  Of course he’d refuse and on top of that he’d put in a complaint. And to have a cross tattooed on your tongue means you’re a serial killer in America. If you want to mix that with the thief in London, just keep reading the gossip papers like the excited citizens.”

    The lieutenant faced his subordinate and openly shrugged his shoulders.

P. 73

    Hmm. Passing his paw over his whiskers, Nico watched as the officers passed by, and plodded back to Lydia’s room on his two hind feet and grumbled to himself ‘Now this is going somewhere.’

    The view from the window was repetitive and monotonous. And in the steam train, Lydia had to sit across from Edgar in a disquiet compartment which was unbearable for her.

    “Hey, hey, if you fidget like that, they’d get suspicious of you,” said Nico appearing in the passageway standing on his back hind feet.

    “If the officer said no, then wouldn’t you also think so?”

P. 74

    She reached that decision, but there was still something bothering her.

    “You know, you could just check his tongue.”

    “But, you normally can’t see another person’s tongue. And the story about the tattoo was supposedly on the American, so if there was nothing on him, that wouldn’t be proof that he isn’t the thief that’s been doing the robberies in London does it?”

    That could just be a coincidence. But, it could be just as Nico says.

    But, Lydia ended up not coming up with an idea and returned to their compartment.

    Maybe he was sleeping.

P. 75

    Lydia tiptoed over to him. He didn’t seem like he was going to wake up. Even though he was napping resting his chin in his hand, he was perfect, like if you would put him in a painting that would fit perfectly into an elegant frame.

    Lydia focused on his lips.

    If she were to stick her finger in his mouth, he was sure to wake up. Even though she knew that, Lydia was drawn to Edgar, and didn’t move from where she was bending down to look over him.

    Long eyelashes, finely shaped lips and a smooth thin chin. She had an urge to touch him, like with a feeling you’d get when observing a marvelous sculpture of art.

    He opened his eyes and looked straight into hers.

    Lydia froze. She had her index finger pointed near the tip of his nose.

    “Um, ...I was just…”

    “No, I wasn’t going to...”

    “Oh, I apologize; I shouldn’t have snubbed a lady’s offer. I would be more than happy to reply to your expectations.”

    “No, I, your tongue..”

    “Wh, what are you thinking, you….!”

    But, he didn’t pay attention to Lydia nearly being pushed down on to the seat, and remained expressionless as he placed the tea set on the table and was about to leave.

    “Raven wouldn’t stop me even if I were to snap your soft neck.”

    Rage bubbled up inside her. Her mind went blank for a moment, knowing that he was an Earl was the only restraint holding her back flew out of her head, and she whipped her open palm at him like she was going to do it to a scoundrel.

P.77

    “My lord!”

    But by then, the hot tea had already been splashed onto Raven’s arm as he cut in between them.

    “I am fine. There is nothing to worry. I will go make a new pot of tea.”

    He nodded to his master’s orders honestly, and Lydia watched as Raven left and heaved a sigh.

    “You, it’s your fault! You forced me…., and saying something scary like you’d break my neck like that.”

    “It would have been better if you got the hot tea on you! I didn’t have any intention of hurting Raven.”

P.78

    “Of course I don’t!” She snapped at him and rushed out of the compartment.

    He’s joking again. But she was still nervous, but also hesitant about ignoring him after she spilt tea over him.

    “Um, did it leave a mark?” She cautiously asked him.

    “Just like you said, I should have stopped Lord Edgar earlier.”

    “I never imagine that a lady would do such a thing.”

    “I’ll let you know that not all women would be flattered by Edgar flirting them.”

    His serious response apparently wasn’t intended to tease nor blame Lydia, but because he didn’t mince his words, he was probably easier to understand than Edgar even though he didn’t show any expressions.

    “I am eighteen.”

    “It’s because of this undeveloped face.” He even replied that seriously.

    “I want to ask you, if, Edgar were to try to kill someone, would you really not stop him?”

    Being able to say something like that so naturally sent a shiver up her spin. Unlike Edgar, when this person said it, it didn’t sound like a joke.

    “If I was to commit a crime, it would only be for the sake of Lord Edgar. He taught me that I do not have to kill other than his orders. Although, it took some time for me to understand that.”

    After looking up close she noticed that Raven’s eyes which she thought was the same color as his pure black hair, actually was a dark green.

    Then he also looked back at her.

    From unexpectedly ending up looking at each other, Lydia became embarrassed and started to rattle on and on, but when she stopped to take a breath, he interrupted.

    Where I was born, it was a thick tenebrous green where there is no light. The fairies of this country are too bright for me to see, but you might be able to see the spirit in me.”

    A magical spirit incarnate from a different country.

    The eastern oriental countries at that time, was a farther place than the fairyland, filled with mysteries and wonders to the British.

    Lydia had the feeling like she was taking a step into the old legend of the adventures of Lord Blue Knight.

    Or were they killer thieves?

P.82

Normally stations were located in the outskirts, and so outside the station there was only one dark empty street for carriages to pass by on. There weren’t that many other passengers besides them, and after all of them quickly dispersed, there were no other people besides them.

    “Mister, are you looking for a carriage? Where’s your destination?” Just then, a man spoke to them who emerged out from the dark shadow of the station building.

    “Oh don’t say that, sir, I’ll make it cheap for you,” said the man as he kept creaping up to them, and suddenly grabbed ahold of Lydia’s arm.

    Edgar and Ermine assumed a ready stance. But as they looked around them, they were surrounded by a group of men who stepped out from the shadows.

    Turning to face the voice which was a man who stepped out of the group and showed them a flash of the pistol that was hidden under his frock coat.

P. 83

    “Oh, so it was you Huxley. Although I didn’t know you went by that name,” said Edgar in a ridiculing tone.

    “Don’t give yourself such airs. Your pretend of being some sort of noble is absurd.”

    “Stop joking around! Are you enjoying an extravagant trip with our father’s money?”

    “Compensation!? After you stole everything, you plan on stealing the jewel our father is after? It’s your fault that father…”

    “Shut up! Shut up! I’ll make sure you never are able to open that cocky mouth of yours again!”

P. 84

    What was the meaning of this? Edgar was after Huxley’s father’s money and jewel? Huxley shot his gun and it hit his father?

    “Oh, then you and your father’s crimes will be made public. Would you like to accompany us to the gallows? Or, maybe that would be first.”

    With a ruffle of air like the faint beating of wings, the shadow flew back away from Lydia, lightly brushing against her cheek.

    The shadow danced further on.

    As if protecting from Huxley’s line of fire, he glided down in front of his master.

    Huxley’s men jumped all at once to try to hold down Raven.

P. 85

P. 86

    However there was another whirlwind that appeared.

    Lydia realized that her men’s clothing was for the purpose of flexible movement, but she couldn’t help but gape at them.

    Lydia then realized that Edgar was standing beside her. But just as she turned to face him, he grabbed and pulled on her arm.

    Raven dodged aside in a flash. His leg that was swung up high came down strong and hard to knock out the pistol gripped in Huxley’s hand.

    “My lord, there is a hackney at the corner just ahead.”

    “Please be careful.”

    The lamp that lit the carriage shined faintly far off in the deep dark black. However Lydia caught her foot on the hem of her entangled skirt and tumbled. Just when she heaved herself up, the tip of a saber pointed at the tip of her nose.

    Whose John?

    Why, she thought to herself, as her blood boiled with fury. Why does every single one of them try to trick me, and threaten me, and why do I have to listen to what they say?

    “Gossam, no, stop!” yelled Edgar.

    Shoved out of the strike by Edgar, Lydia witnessed the edge of the blade scrapping him on the shoulder, and slicing open his coat.

P.88

    When Huxley charged to strike again, Edgar, though he was injured, held out his walking stick.

    “Who…who in the world are you! Who is John? And Gossam…” cried Lydia, but Edgar stopped her screaming by slapping his hand over her mouth.

    Even though Edgar was injured and the situation looked like he was forcing a young girl into the carriage, which from a normal person's view would look like a kidnap, the driver didn’t ask any questions after he was tossed a wad of money.

Chapter end