Hakushaku to Yousei Vol 1 Chapter 7

P. 247

    Even if it looked like the sea, they were in faerie territory. It was a separate realm, cut off from the waters at the bottom of the sea and so they could breathe fine and not worry about drowning. The water wasn’t freezing cold and didn’t soak her clothes wet.

    A school of blue fish passed in front of them. Lydia followed after Nico as she was headed towards a faintly glowing light in the distance in front of them.

    There were buildings that looked like houses lined atop a hill, decorated with seashells and seaweeds. There was a bright shining light above them-it could be the fishermen’s souls that the merrows have collected.

    “It’s walking around freely.”

    “And what’s that small creature it has with it.”

    “Tsk, hey, we aren’t on exhibition, you know,” mumbled Nico, irritated.

    Stared at from the gathering crowd of merrows, Lydia stopped. “Excuse me, wasn’t there a human that was just brought here? Has anyone seen him?”

    She headed to the direction of where one of them pointed to.

    Schools of fishes circled around inside of the ranch. Lydia immediately spotted a blond-haired figure gazing dazedly at them.

    He turned to look at Lydia as she rushed over to him like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

P. 249

    “This isn’t a dream.”

    “Well, yes, this situation may look to you as if you’re in a dream. But, it’s not like I’m having a dream right now.” 

    “Ouch! That hurts, what are you doing!”

    “Oh, it doesn’t matter! Anyway, you’re coming with me. I’ll let you know that I’m here to save you!”

    “Save me? But even if I’m saved, there’s no hope for me. Ermine has died, and I didn’t have enough power to save Raven.”

    “If he were to be taken back to Prince, they would only use the spirit in him that obeys to me for evil purposes.”

P. 250

    “Didn’t I tell you it’s useless? Even all this time, I was under the impression that we were escaping his clutches, but he was only letting us roam free. And even you, I used a dirty trick on you, so there’s no reason for you to save me.”

    Lydia felt a bitter disappointment, but also thought that if that was the case, then she really couldn’t let him die.

    Edgar looked at Lydia with dark, grave eyes, and made a smile as he sighed.

    “I’m going to have you regret with all your heart that you tried to kill me. You’re going to see that when you sacrifice other people with that arrogant attitude of yours, that all the bad things you’ve done will come back to you. …..So, I’ll give you what you would have never gotten if you were to have cut me at that time.”

    “I can’t promise it will go well. But if it does, then you better repent with all your heart!”

    “Oi, now, we can’t have you release them as you please.”

    “I’m not doing this for a simple reason. I need to negotiate about him, so please tell me who’s in charge of taking care of this Earl’s sword.”

    “It’s a pity for the humans. If all the females were this head-strong, then they’d rather choose to have their souls become lights.”

    “Well, pardon me for being head-strong.”

    “I can’t promise you that we’ll be alright even if you try to flatter me.”

    When he figured she wasn’t going to change her mind, he turned to face Edgar.

P. 252

    “Nico, that’s useless. I had Edgar help me make a guide way for them. They wouldn’t do something like that against someone they owe.”

    “I feel sorry about what I did, Nico. Until the fur on your tail grows back, I’ll buy you a present of a long-tailed coat that will hide your tail for you.”

    “……Are you serious?”

    “Yes, I promise. Of course only if we’re able to return.”

    From the other side of it, a merrow appeared. 

    She took a look at both Lydia and Edgar, and let out a troubled sigh.

    “Are you in charge here?”

    “I would like to meet him.”

    They were lead into the room.

    The merrow that was her father was in a room that had a particularly beautiful pillar decorated with pearl oyster shells.

    “Hmm, who knows.”

    “My name is Lydia Carlton, and I am a fairy doctor.”

    “I’ve come to retrieve the ‘merrow’s star’,” and saying that, she held up the sword and the sapphire.

    “Is there anything else you can do? If this sapphire was once called the ‘merrow’s star’, then didn’t that mean your people had once put a star in it?”

    “He is the Earl. He obtained the gold and silver key and solved the riddle and made it to the hidden location of the sword. Your merrows should have promised to accept a new Earl who had fulfilled the conditions of the promise made with the Earl in the past.”

    “However, he has not fulfilled the last condition. Blood was shed by the sword.”

    “Why did you put the condition of testing the sword there? That was not the original condition, but a means to protect the Earl’s heir from all possible conspiracies, wasn’t it?”

    “There might be the possibility of someone taking the advantage of the one who was descended from the Earl. There could be the chance of someone deceiving and accompanying him to get their hands on the gemstone. But this is a sword made of magic. It cannot harm the Earl’s heir and his trusted accomplices. Am I wrong?”

    If he was the true Earl, then he wouldn’t misinterpret the meaning of exchanging with a star. There would be no way that he would bring someone as sacrifice, and the only ones he should be bringing along only the ones he trusted.

    “Then relinquishing the sword in exchange with the soul of the one who shed blood would mean you and your merrows have twisted your promise with the Earl.”

    Aaah, maybe it was foolish of me to think I could haggle a deal with merrows. This is bad, I need to think of something, panicked Lydia and tried to mull over a plan in her head.

    Lydia gulped down the anxiety that was building up in her throat. She had to somehow bring them to consent to their idea.

    The merrow glanced over to Edgar with openly irritated eyes.

    “Yes, he may be a thief and treat others like they were nothing, but the most important and only good quality about him is that he never abandons his duty of a nobleman.”

    Not paying any attention to Edgar, Lydia continued on.

P. 257

    “Hold on just a moment, Lydia.”

    “Well, yes. But just having the merrow’s acceptation won’t make me the lord.”

    “If you say you need the star that much, then I would like to ask you to understand our situation. Fairy doctor.”

    “Will you accept our duty to act upon what was promised with the Blue Knight Earl?”

    “Lydia, no!” shouted Nico all of a sudden.

    She looked down to see there had been water creeping up around Lydia’s feet.

    What was important for the merrows was that they didn’t break the promise with the Earl. Lydia intended to take advantage of that and tried to force them to accept Edgar as earl, but they had pulled the rug out from her feet.

    Even if there was a merit to make Edgar earl, they’re implying that there’s no promise of presenting a new star.

    Lydia was surprised and panicked at what he was suddenly saying.

    “I do, right here.”

    It looked too painful to the eyes to be called a star, and Lydia couldn’t bare to look at it.

    “What an interesting way of thinking.”

    The way Edgar spoke in such a firm and resolute attitude made him resemble the Lord Blue Knight who must have took a stand against the merrows at one time.

    The muddy water that had been sinking Lydia’s feet and lower legs, quickly retreated.

    A wind, no, a heave of the sea swirled up around Lydia and Edgar.

    “Here comes the wave,” butted in Nico, clinging onto Lydia’s skirt. At that same time, Edgar clutched Lydia into his chest. 

    “It looks like it’s going to get dangerous.”

    “No, for me.”

P. 260

    “Doesn’t it seem safer if I hang onto you?”

    “I also wanted to express my feelings of gratitude. For laying your life on the line to save me.”

    He pressed her tight to him. They were in a position where she was left with placing her cheek against his shoulder, but Lydia suddenly felt her body relax and tears watered her eyes.

    “That part about you is so, ……..”

    “Young lady, ……young lady, are you all right?”

    “Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake.”

P. 261

    “You were found collapsed on the shore. Although, we were the ones to find you, the owner of this house says they’ve never seen you, and you don’t seem to be a resident of this island, so does that mean you’re Miss.Lydia Carlton?”

    “Yes, …I am. Who are you….?”

    “It seems that two days ago, your father, Mr. Carlton, filed a report.”

    Lydia sat up in a hurry. Nico, who was right beside her, let out a meow.

    “By the way, we’d like to ask about the man who was also found collapsed on the shore with you,” said the policeman, who turned around to the direction of the open door of the next room, and Lydia was drawed to look that way as well, and she saw Edgar laying on the bed with his eyes closed.

    “He shares the same description as the thief who broke into the Gossam residence and said to have kidnapped you.”

P. 262

    While Lydia was scrambling to speak, one of the policeman noticed the sword that was laid up against the wall near the fireplace.

    “That sure is an anachronistic sword for this time. Were you perhaps threatened by this dangerous weapon and him….”

    Edgar sat up in a tired, slow manner in the next room.

    The policeman must have been taken aback by his sharp presence and decided to put it back in its place. But he recovered and turned to ask him.

    “My lord!”

    The one who came busting in was the innkeeper, or Mr. Tomkins, the Ashenbert family butler.

P. 263

P. 264

    So many of the butlers in his family must have waiting for the day to be able to say that. Because, he looked that emotional.

    “It’s alright, don’t fret over it.”

    “This gentleman is the the Earl Ashenbert, lord of this Mannor Island,” replied Tomkins.

    “Yes, since he has been away for a long time.”

    “Yes, immediately,” replied the butler, and happily headed to the kitchen.

    “Uh, this man just saved my life!” She blurted that out without thinking why she would have to cover up for a criminal like him.

    To top it off, she went after him to the merrow’s dwellings to save him, and so she didn’t have any intention of handing him over to the police now.

    “Eight men are passed out in an underground room? My lord, were you the one to bravely face such a number?”

    “Umm, …..that would be my friends.”

    Lydia didn’t know how to answer that. If she told them they were faeries, then they’re bound to laugh at her. 

    “That would be impossible. Since they’re faeries.”

    The policeman looked at the both of them dubiously.

    The one who came scrambling in was Carlton. Raven was also with him.

    Lydia ran over to her father and jumped up into his arms.

    She knew that for the both of them, this wasn’t an ending that they could wild with joy over. The sorrow of losing Ermine must be great.

    That’s why, most likely, the reason why Edgar didn’t cut Lydia but himself, was not only because he despaired over there not being a star in the sword.

    Like when he said he couldn’t lie like his usual self to Lydia as he cut himself with the sword.

    “Oi, Lydia, go outside and look.”

    Carlton was stopped by the policeman who was eagerly waiting for the two of them to end their happy reuniting and bombarded him with questions. After Lydia listened as her father explained to him that both Raven and he tied up the Gossam brothers to the gatepost of the castle, she took a step outside of the house.

    Completely different from when they first arrived on the island, the waves were calmly washing up onto the shore. 

    She felt that they would surely be able to go back and forth between the mainland and island safely now like they had in the past.

    She picked up the Blue Knight Earl’s sword that had been placed up against the wall near the fireplace, and looked to see that there was a crossed-shaped star that shined brightly in the middle of the sapphire.

    She didn’t notice that Edgar was standing next to her.

    For Edgar, that must have been just a part of the dream he was in, but for Lydia, it completely happened in reality.

    Even if it was just to reduce her embarrassment, she knew she said it in a way that wasn’t cute at all.

    But Edgar wasn’t cute at all in how he said that with that grin of his. It almost sounded to her like he was trying to pick a fight.

    “No, no. I’m really grateful. Plus, I’d like to think there was something special between us. It seems like you could never be able to desert me.”

    “Ah….., didn’t I tell you to not to get the wrong idea.”

    “I-I only wanted you to repent what you did! And yet, what is this attitude of yours after I went and saved you? And generally speaking, it’s a grave mistake to think about things in that they don’t go as planned and trying to make other people do as you say. It proves you’re insensitive.”

P. 269

    Even as she was made at his excessive smugness, she was nearly swayed by his graceful smile. Geesh, this man really is hopeless.

    Lydia slipped past him to leave.

    “It’s too late to try to cover up…”

    Lydia couldn’t help but blow her temper.

    “You’d be happy as long as you have the sword, right, then here. This make my job finished. I never want to see your face again. Don’t ever show yourself in front of me again. Understand?”

    Saying “Goodbye” as she panted, Lydia turned around to leave.

    “Father, let’s hurry home. I want to forget all the bad things that has happened!”

    He listened as Lydia complained loud enough for him to hear it, and picked up the sword as he narrowed like he was having a good time.

    “Lord Edgar, why did you purposely say something that would anger Miss Carlton?”

    “Um-hm.”

    “That shouldn’t be that embarrassing. I believe you’ve said much more embarrassing things on a daily basis.”

    “…..then, wouldn’t it be pointless if she cuts ties with you.”

    But he soiled his smile and quietly lowered his eyes into a disheartened expression.

    Raven went silent with his usual face expressionless, but looking closer, there was a complex mix of confusion and sadness in his eyes.

    “Let’s go pick some flowers. To pay tribute to her.”

    Two weeks had passed since Lydia and her father made it back to Carlton’s house in London and enjoyed Easter together and when Lydia gripped the newspaper and let out a howling scream.

    The problem was the part about how the legendary Earl family scion who was said to have land in the fairyworld, had hired a private fairy doctor.

    “You have to be kidding me!”

P. 272

    The cat was wearing a finely, tailored overcoat, long enough to hide his tail and proudly looked into the mirror as he satisfyingly fixed his fur.

    “Aah, yes, it just arrived. I was surprised he actually remembered his promise. He may be a scoundrel, but don’t you think he has good taste?”

    “Lydia, a letter arrived for you.”

    Lydia’s mind was still distracted with Nico and she took the letter without much thought, but when she saw the grand crest in the sealing wax, her brows knit together as her bad feeling grew even worse.

    [Dear Ms. Lydia Carlton,

    Sincerely, 

    Edgar J.C. Ashenbert]

P. 273

    Lydia trembled in rage as she balled her hands into tight fists.
    “……THAT LOUSY SCOUNDREL!”

Chapter end