Hakushaku to Yousei Vol 4 Chapter 1

P. 8

Watching that from the corner of her eye, she entered into the same building from the backdoor. 

This association of the spiritual and psychic that was an organization which gathered to call down dead spirits and make mysterious occurrences happen and be able to talk directly with the spirits was recently the fashionable thing between the people who were interested in spiritual occurrences and activities. Tonight, she was invited as a spiritualist to one of those associations of like-minded people who researched those kinds of spiritual phenomenons.

Though, all of the preparations were ready. She was going to need to act the part. 

The brightness of the gas lamp made her in turn more nervous.

The old woman spoke encouraging words to her, as she dimmed the lamp light for her.

The next room was where the spiritualism was going to take place, and so the gentlemen in that darkened room were sure to be wondering aimlessly about. As they were feeling fear, shame and curiosity in the ritual to call for the spirits of the dead.

She took the chance and courageously walked over to the door and opened the peeking window. 

Where ever he went, he stood out.

Even though he was just casually standing alone in the lingering crowd, the beautifully sculptured side of his face and his elegant impression emitted the aura of noble blue blood. He must come dressed in that old, worn-out evening coat so that he didn’t stand out, but it was apparent that he was from a different class than the poor nobles who had gathered.

The high-class English and etiquette of the upper-class that was soaked in him from the core and with his noble spirit of being born as a peer made him be able to walk amongst the leading members of the underground society.

His eyes scanned the inside of the room but his seemingly casual eyes didn’t allow anything to hide or sneak out of his vision. If one was looked upon by those eyes, she thought that they would be under the impression like he would be able to look through their mask and easily discover their identity.

“Lord Edgar…..”

Earl Edgar Ashenbert. That was his current name. 

However, it was unknown how much information he had grasped about them. 

She sat in the corner of the room with her head facing down. The only woman in the ritual room was this Mrs. Collins. 

P. 11

She was the wife of a wealthy man who had a number of cotton mills in Manchester. Her reason in coming to Londonwas to find a marriage partner for her daughter. 

On the other hand, for the aristocrats who had peer titles who were having a difficult time continuing their peer lifestyle are starting to search for lower class daughters whose parents were profiting in their businesses.

In other words, the spiritual ritual tonight was a particularly bizarre gathering that was held to call back her daughter and then choose a bride groom from the number of poor aristocrats who were so desperate for money that they would marry a ghost.

But there could be that possibility, as he was a man who would court anyone as long as it was a woman. He might have some interest even if it was a ghost. 

It was almost midnight, the perfect time to perform a spirit calling ritual.

“Let us go, Seraphita.”

At once, everyone’s eyes focused on her.

In order to successfully perform the ritual, she needed to confirm who sat where. 

She had thought she was prepared and took caution, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him for a while. Her face shouldn’t be able to be seen. And yet her heart beat raced and her fingers trembled.

She was sure to be seen with scorning, contempt eyes, but she had the desire of wanting to see him even if it was for just a bit, and she hated that part of herself. 
She somehow managed to take her eyes off of him, and from there, she didn’t look towards his direction.

P. 13

Peddlers with massive loads of luggage, families who were saying their farewells to loved ones, and dignified gentlemen and their ladies departing off to spend a small vacation trip. 

“Lydia, be careful by yourself while I’m gone.”

Lydia’s father, a professor in mineralogy had been invited to take part in an academic conference that was going to be held in Paris. He was just going to be away from London for a mere two to three weeks, and yet, as he kept checking the time, he seemed like he didn’t want to part with Lydia.

“Over there we had familiar faces all over town and it was a peaceful place, wasn’t it? But London is dangerous.”

“The earl…., oh, yes, the earl. I guess he could be reliable….”

Lydia was a fairy doctor. She could see fairies and talk with them. The earl who hired her as his private fairy doctor, was Edgar Ashenbert, who had the title of Earl of Ibrazel (the fairy realm.)

P. 14

Even now, the name of Blue Knight Earl that was associated from the family ancestors was the most renowned human name amongst the fairies.

Putting that aside, what Carlton was worrying about was the earl’s personality. 

“I’ll be fine, Father. I’m not that slovenly of a daughter.”

“Your mother made him look after it before she passed away. After you grow old enough, she wanted you to have it when you turn to an age when you would start to think about marriage.”

Oh, no, he doesn’t know, does he?

“Your mother said that I should maybe hand it to you when you turn sixteen or seventeen. I thought it was too early for you, but you are working as a fairy doctor, so I really shouldn’t treat you as a child forever.”

Carlton was taught that and so he must have been mulling over until today and he thought he should finally hand over the item that his wife had trusted him with. 

There was a pendant in it which dangled a clear gemstone with a faint blue hew. 

“It’s like….., the color of the ocean water.”

Lydia didn’t know about the homeland of her mother who left her house as she had pretty much eloped with her father. 

P. 16

“Thank you, Father. I’ll treasure it.”

“Take care.”

The steam train left Londonjust as scheduled as it headed off towards the English Channel.

[My dear Lydia, I wonder how you are when you are reading this letter. You said you wanted to become a fairy doctor like mother, so I wonder if that came true. A fairy doctor is quite a unique profession, so no one will lend you their hand. I worry that that doesn’t put you through any painful paths, but before you are a fairy doctor, please don’t forget that you are a young woman. Someone who stay by your side and support you will be your treasure.]

Lydia wondered if her mother thought she was also in love with someone just like how her mother and father met. 

“Maybe Mother thought I wasn’t suited in being a fairy doctor….”

Fairy doctors, who were specialists in fairies, gave their advice to people who were troubled by the pranks and magic of fairies and their main job was to solve those troubles. 

“That’s why I have no time to think about marriage,” spitted out Lydiaaimed at no one as she looked up at the sky from the bench she was sitting on in the park. 

She had her hour of coming into work to the earl estate shifted to afternoon so that she could see off her father. She planned on spending her time and drawed a deep breath.

“Oi, Lydia, the newspaper published another article on that scoundrel. Two pages even. He sure is popular.”

Nico skillfully folded up the newspaper which was as long as him with his two hands and tossed it down to Lydia.

Lydia’s employer, Edgar Ashenbert was, at the moment, the star of the gossip in the tabloids.

Coupled with the unique name of Earl of Ibrazel (the fairy world), there was an increasing number of interested individuals in the commoners class and there were reporters, who have never met the earl, who were scrambling to pick up and write his romantic relationships that had hardly any credibility.

The article this time read that the earl had dueled with a certain noble over a beautiful widow and inflicted a major injury to the other man. Another one was about how he made advances to a female spiritualist who was invited by the City of London’s Association of the Spritual and Psychic; both of which were stories that commoners would jump onto with interest.

P. 19

There was a voice that spoke to her right by her.

Just when she saw that, he quickly came around to seat himself down next to Lydiaand moved up right next to her as if they were cuddling lovers. 

“I just wanted to see you. I thought you would be here.”

She nearly watched in awe at the smile that was well-aware of how handsomely sculptured he was, but she hurried to shake her head.

Lydia made a strong fist with her hand that was placed on her lap and tried her best to talk in a calm tone.

Getting herself into an engagement with Edgar was like falling into the trap he had set for her. 

Taking advantage of that, since then, Edgar treats her like his fiancée as if he was trying to brainwash her and continued to woo her with sweet, courting lines. 

Go on a trip with him in Father’s absence? That would surely cause unwanted misunderstandings.

“I adore that cold-hearted part of you, but at this sake, I think we should step away from our daily lives and foster our love together.”

As Lydia glared at him with piercing eyes, she drawed a deep tired breath.

No matter how much sweet words he spoke to her, she couldn’t believe it was from his heart.

“You shouldn’t trust what’s written in the gossip papers. Hey, Nico, don’t you think so too?”

“Yeah, the gutter press papers are filled with lies, just like you are,” said Nico in a disgusted tone and vanished.

P. 21

However, now they were alone. 

“Hey…..Edgar…..”

“Pardon me, Earl Ashenbert.”

“And you are?” replied Edgar in an irritated tone as if to say don’t interrupt us.

The man apparently knew of Edgar and he turned out to be a police detective from the London Police Department. Lydia was filled with fear and nervousness, but Edgar didn’t change his insolent attitude.

It was about another woman again. But to have the police involved, this wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Her body was found floating in the Thames River. According to her seamstress coworkers, she went out saying that she was going to meet Earl Ashenbert, ….in other words you.”

He faced and spoke towards Lydia like he was trying to persuade her that all of the countless number of articles about his relationship with women written in the gutter papers were the works of those kind of men.

“Then I can relax that you’ve understood that I’m unrelated?”

“I don’t know.”

“I agree.”

“I would like to ask just in case, but where were you on the night of Friday?”

“On a picnic in the outskirts of the city.”

“Is that wrong?”

He replied with a number of names, but for some reason, they were all male. 

On the article about the duel, the name of the man that was inflicted with a massive injury happened to be one of the names that Edgar said.

P. 24

“Hey, how dare you say this is a fat lie! You were in a relationship with the widow…..”

“Widow?”

If the picnic at night was a gathering for a duel, then his opponent who was injured and his second and the witnesses would need to confirm that Edgar was at that place as well as keep a tight-lip about the illegal duel and claim it was a ‘picnic.’

“Why did you do such a dangerous thing? What happens if you were killed. Is it something so important that you have to risk your life!”said Lydia, pushing away his hand.

“Are you an idiot! You could have been the one who might have been injured!”

W-why would, I, worry.

P. 25

He hummed the words with a soft and sweet voice. For a moment, her mind went blank, but Lydia snapped back to her senses and let out another 

“You don’t have to promise!”

Oh, no, she finally realized her slip-up and shut her mouth.

“Ohh, a demon. So it was a gathering with occult-maniacs.”

“I understand, thank you for your cooperation.”

“Oh, so you had a fiancée?”

Since he looked over to Lydia with melting eyes of love, she wasn’t able to say anything to retort immediately.

Along with those words, the detective was quick to leave and didn’t look at all like he believed her to be his fiancée.

Well, one would think that of course. 

“……Do you see that. Who ever sees me, doesn’t see me as your lover. Even if a reporter for the gossip papers was here, they wouldn’t put me in an article.”

Oh, this is bad, sensed Lydia and hurried to stand up. But Edgar took ahold of her arm.

“Wh-what?”

When he brought that story once more, she started to become irritated.

“I’m just a friend with her. She came to me with the worry that that man wouldn’t break up with her, and so I went in between the two of them, but things didn’t go well and it ended up like that.”

P. 27

“However it was in the beginning, there are times when we end up as friends.”

“Anyways, don’t include me with all of your countless female friends or lovers.”

“Huh?”

I thought I said we aren’t engaged.

He says past, but it hasn’t been six months since he arrived in England and it’s unimaginable how many lovers he really had than just one or two. It was too suspicious if he really did end them.

“You are all I have.”

“How about the spiritualist? The dancer from Soho? The daughter from the family who owns a bank?”

“There’s no way to tell. Since you’re such a liar. You could say that you broke up with them, but you’re just thinking it’s safe as long as you’re not found out.”

“……..What’s so funny.”

“L-lover’s quarrel?”

Lydia realized how she had been acting.

“I wa-wasn’t pressing you or anything. I wanted to, that’s right, it has nothing to do with me. You just wouldn’t drop the topic so I….Oh, my, goodness, I just wanted to say that I’m not going to believe in anything you say!”

“You’re so adorable even when you’re angry.”

Suddenly feeling so tired, Lydia came to worry about herself.

P. 29

P. 30

In the members-only high-class club, which was the social gathering spot for the gentlemen, the night was filled with laughter and commotion as the men with leisure played throughout the night.

In club houses like these, normally women weren’t allowed. The English fancied just gathering with men, which was incomprehensible to Edgar.

“And so my lord, how was the spiritual ritual last night?”

With a quick greeting, they rushed into questioning him. The ones who brought the information about the spiritualist was these two, in order words, the secret organization ‘Scarlet Moon’ that were members of. 

“Yes, she was quite the beauty. She had her face covered with a veil, but I’m sure of it. Her figure was perfect as well.”

P. 31

Slade was starting to get heated up from irritation and Paul was trying to calm him down by his side. Edgar was satisfied that he was able to anger the short-tempered man and so he got to the point.

The one named Prince they were talking about was Edgar’s nemesis in America. The man had killed off his family and kidnapped him when he was still a child and made him his slave. 

It wouldn’t be strange if they were going to launch some plan they set for him pretty soon.

In order for that, he was proceeding with an investigation with the help of the ‘Scarlet Moon’ which was an organization that also held hatred for Prince.

This someone at hand went with the name of Ulysses. This man had accepted a massive amount from a money lender who did business with Prince.

P. 32

The name Ulysses sounded familiar when Edgar was being under the capture of Prince. He never saw the man’s face but he anticipated he was one of the most looked-upon subordinates.

What they were finally able to find out was the existence of a spiritualist that Ulysses if being the patron of. 

However this spiritualist went around announcing that she was an acquaintance of Earl Ashenbert and made contact with members of the upper-class who loved the occult, so it seemed like they had the intention of luring out Edgar. 

He thought that if there was a way for them to win without going as the enemy planned, then the first thing was not to be afraid of the enemy.

“Yes, she made her choice.”

“I didn’t meet her, so to speak…, it’s unclear. For now, there are four men, including myself that were chosen as candidates. They’re going to call us back on anther occasion. In the other three, there was a man who went with my name of Earl Ashenbert.”

P. 33

“I’m not sure yet.”

With the invitation to the London city Association of 

attended the spiritual ritual using an alias of Viscount Middleworth. 

The room he was lead to had all of its windows covered with thick curtains and there was a large round table placed in the middle of it. The carpet that was laid out on the floor erased any kind of footsteps and so the room was severely quiet even though there was a number of people gathered in it. 

The ton was a costly place. The nobles gathered here were ones who couldn’t afford that. 

「Gentlemen, thank you so much for your patience. We would like to start the ritual so please have a seat.」

The spiritualist wore a black dress and a black veil. Since her face was covered, her looks and age couldn’t be guessed. Edgar thought by looking at the faint line of her face that she appeared to be on the slimmer side and quite young.

It could have just been his imagination, but he felt like her eyes stopped to linger like a panic when they hit Edgar. 

「Is everyone ready. The one who we will be calling tonight is the daughter of Mrs. Collins here, the ghost of Miss Teresa Collins.」

「Mrs. Collins had come to London in search of a powerful spiritualist. 

Seraphita, it was a name of a beautiful angel. He wondered if she was just going to have someone introduce her name and not reveal her face or let them hear her voice. 

Seraphita lifted her hands to lay them on top of the table and took the hands of the men who sat on both sides of her. Everyone who sat around the circular table all joined hands with one another.

P. 35

At the same time, the room went instantly into pitch black. 

It was the low-toned voice of the spiritualist which had no intonation to it as she mumbled something that sounded like she was casting a spell. 

The men on both sides of him fidgeted, like they were starting to get seriously afraid of what was going on. 

Edgar was used to controlled and pressing down his feelings of nervousness and fear. This kind of darkness didn’t even fall under a dangerous situation for him. That’s why he was able to calmly think that there could be a possibility that the old woman could quietly come into the room. 

The spiritualist’s whispers had ended. At that time, the one in the room was the presence that seemed like it was slowly walking around the room behind the men who sat in a circle. 

P. 36

As Edgar was thinking that, he was reminiscing about those he lost. 

Ermine, who confessed her betrayal to Edgar when they faced freedom right before them in their grasp and yet threw herself into the ocean.

She had went through more grueling cruelty much more than Edgar from Prince. Because of that, he wasn’t able to realize that her soul was being under his control till the end. 

Just then, Edgar’s attention was immediately focused to what was happening. 

Ermine….

Ermine, are you forgiving me?

Mrs. Collins was crying in broken sobs. She must have completely believed that the presence just now was her daughter’s. 

「Was there anyone who felt the sign from Lady Teresa? We will have only those gentlemen come another day to meet her.」

「What kind of sign?」someone asked.

「Then it looks like I have qualified.」

「May I have your name?」

The old woman nodded and then another hand was raised from another seat. Out of those men, he heard someone introduce themselves as Earl Ashenbert and so Edgar slowly and quietly turned his head.

The gentlemen all created a stir as they must have known the name at least of the Earl Ashenbert. 

I heard the rumor that he doesn’t have any particulars when it comes to women…., was the next comment which meant they could have understood but kind of astounded at the same time.

「Then, later on, we would like to send out another invitation to those four,」said the old woman. 

Edgar was instantly captivated by that sight. 

He didn’t think and ran over to grab ahold of the spiritualist’s hand.

The old woman tried to get in-between them and Edgar paid her no heed and continued to get close to the spiritualist.

He guided her hand up to his cheek, and confirmed that yes, it was indeed this touch. 

Ermine, or a woman that looked exactly like her. 

But, he couldn’t allow himself to become emotional. 

“You are able to get your hands on the names of the nobles who participated in the spiritual ritual from the spiritual association, aren’t you? I’d like you to investigate about the other chose three men and the Collins family.”

“I will.”

“Raven will do fine. If I make the mistake and take those with me, then it’ll be too much trouble to put my attention in safety.”

There were members just in case who could handle weapons and those who would take up the chances of danger and work. In the beginning, this was an organization that started out as a decorative artist family who would secretly enter the castle of an important or leading figure and be sort of a spy. 

And if he could, he didn’t want any deaths to come out of the ‘Scarlet Moon.’

“I understand. We will do as you wish.”

「Earl Ashenbert, his next lover is a ghost daughter」

When Lydia commuted to the earl house, it was laid out on the table of her office. Lydia crumbled it up into a ball and threw it into the trash bin.

“I thought you would be curious.”

“I said that it has nothing to do with me!”

P. 41

Keeping your eye on him, more like you just like to read about gossip. Even if Edgar was plotting something, Nico was easily bribed with food or wine. He was Lydia’s partner but he was absolutely unreliable.

She cleared her breath before she asked him.

“Ah? Well, just skimmed through it.”

“If you’re curious, you read it.”

“Don’t you think you’ll be all right? Since you haven’t been used for an article even once all this time.”

Well, it’s all right that we are seen like that.

Yes, that was all, but it would be helpful to know just for reference. 

She pressed out the crinkles and picked up the printed words. It wrote that the wife of a wealthy man held a spiritual ritual in order to find a marriage partner for her daughter who passed away. And it said that Earl Ashenbert had participated as a bridegroom candidate. 

“……Unbelievable.”

She knew he didn’t hold any indiscrimination on women, but to go this far. 

“Yo-you’re right. I should have that verbally promised engagement called off immediately….”

Because there could be a fairy nearby who she couldn’t let hear about calling off her engagement.

“What, did he return to Scotland?”

The engagement that was supposedly only to get through a certain dangerous situation was something that would void the engagement of Lydia with Kelpie. 

However Kelpie wasn’t here. Which means, she would be able to make it clear with Edgar and have him agree that he would annul their engagement. 

“I have to devise up a measure on how I can cajole him into cancelling our engagement before he gets back.”

That’s why I need to come up with a plan. 

If she was going to have a deep thought, then being outside was more refreshing and it would calm her down.

Because, she thought she heard someone calling out for help.

Is it just the sound of the wind? No, it sounded more like the sounds of people talking, like the rumbling of the sea, or like waves….

P. 44

Lydia followed the voice and entered into an alleyway as she searched for its presence. And when she stopped, it was because she found a woman hunched down like she was squatting in the shadow of a lamppost. 

Did this person have a connection with fairy voice? Now she could hear nothing.

The woman managed to lift her pale white face and nodded.

She said that, but Lydia couldn’t allow herself to leave. 

And then, the woman looked at Lydia and crumbled her face like she was about to cry.

Like she was reminiscing about her daughter, the woman took Lydia’s hand.

Lydia picked up a hackney and accompanied the lady to her hotel and was lead into the spacious floor that she was staying on.

P. 45

A young maid who was apparently in charge of taking care of the woman had warmly welcomed Lydia, but when she tried to make her leave, she was offered tea and cakes and the like, and ended up staying. 

“But, uh, if we could just show you our thanks,”

“Miss Carlton, I would like to go out of my bounds and ask you of a favor. Would you be able to persuade my lady. I know it is out of my place to ask of such a thing to you who had just happened to show her lady your kindness, but, I don’t what else I could do…..”

“What kind of problem is there?”

“My lady had lost her young daughter over ten years ago. She is unable to forget about her young daughter, but recently she was starting to act strange, and had lost herself because of her love for her daughter. She is in complete belief that the young misses is going to come back and started to

Now that she recalled, the lady of the house did say something about Lydia being near the same age as her daughter. 

“Spiritualist?”

“Yes, you’re exactly right.”

The young girl covered in freckles seemed to care for the lady of the house from the bottom of her heart and deeply worried for her.

She didn’t think that an outsider would be allowed to but herself in. 

She must have thought she couldn’t say anything bad about the lady’s relatives so she stopped talking any further about the nephew.

“So you wish for her to get better.”

“I don’t mind if I just talk to her. But I don’t think that alone would convince your lady.”

More than for the sake of her Lady, Lydia gave her consent for the maid’s sake.

She gave a bow like she was relieved from the bottom of her heart and quickly left the room with hurrying feet.

Mrs. Collins who lost her daughter; Lydia who lost her mother. If she could be of any help, then this meeting must be fated somehow.

She wondered what that voice was. 

P. 48

“Please help me,” she suddenly said as she looked like she was fearing something outside.

How could she possibly know that Lydia was a fairy doctor. And her voice sounded similar to the mysterious voice that Lydia had heard.

“I’m a selkie.”

However, it was the first time for Lydia to ever see one, so she couldn’t believe her so easily. 

“Uh, then the girl just now is also?”

So she’s asking to help get her skin back.

Right in front of Lydia’s eyes, as she was still confused, suddenly white flames burst out from the selkie maiden's whole body.

It was an illusion of a fire. For Lydia, it only appeared to her eyes and wasn’t hot at all, but if the selkie maiden's skin was being burned, then it must mean that her soul was being burned to death.

Her mind was filled with the thought of finding her skin coat to put out the fire.

“What, but, I….”

Her body suddenly turned transparent as it was enveloped in the white flames and then, vanished.

But there was no time before she could turn around as she was restrained from behind.

She was made to smell some kind of chemical which made her mind dizzy and body numb.

From far off in the distance, she thought she heard a voice speak that.

What do you mean incompetent.
I’m a perfectly able fairy doctor….

Chapter end