Hakushaku to Yousei Vol 5 Chapter 6

P. 197

    It was completely out of the blue for a black wavy-haired young man to appear at the university laboratory that Professor Carlton was spending the night to prepare the drafts for his seminar.

    In addition, he suddenly called Carlton ‘Pops.’ Carlton’s first thought was I am not your father because he had a vague feeling that this was the fae that was trying to take Lydia as his bride.

    Carlton pushed up his round spectacles and gathered up his scattered out documents.

    “She’s not there. Where is she wandering around at?”

    There was another voice from a different direction. Carlton watched as the young man walked over to the cupboards and spotted how the tourmaline crystal that was placed there was strangely wobbling around.

    The young man plucked something up with his fingers and the tourmaline crystal also went floating up into the air.

    Carlton figured out that there was an invisible fairy from just listening to its voice as he rested his cheek on his palm.

    “Why, look at this finely detailed granite stone.”

    “Oh, my, that will not do at all. A stone is in other words a part of the earth’s mystery. Gemstones are not the only wonderful thing on this earth.”

    “Who cares about that, more importantly, you said that Lydia is with the earl, where is that?”

    “Oh, please, no, stop, they are at the place called a harem.”

P. 199

    Carlton finally realized that it was a matter of emergency and quickly stood up. 

    “The Lord Earl had prepared a wonderful room for the young lady. If the two of them would spend some time alone together, I can guarantee that their love for each other would deepen.”

    And besides, it was midnight right now. Not being at home at this hour of the night and that she was with the earl was something that was unforgivable in the first place. 

    “Oh, is that so, then as long as the young miss is there, that would mean there is no one who can pull those two apart. Well, good indeed.”

    “It’s in a shop called Madam Eve Palace. Uhh, the address is….”

    The young man created a whirl wind that swept up all the papers in the room and vanished. It seemed like the voice-only small fairy had also disappeared.

P. 200

    After a little while, he darted out into the hallway and ran over to the room that his apprentice was in that stored all the reference works and files of information material.

    “Professor, if there is something you would like to look up then please list them in priority. I haven’t completed with today’s list yet.”

    Langley finally lifted his head up.

    “Uh, it seems to be a harem kind of place, but isn’t a harem like a seraglio of a polygamous country? I’ve heard that in a polygamous country like that, as soon as the kings or feudal lords found a young girl who caught their eye, they would capture them and take them to their harems to make them their wives.”

    “You know of it.”

    Carlton wobbled wearingly away from the desk.

    “……..No, nothing.”

    Even though he thought that was impossible, Carlton didn’t quite have his share of trust that the earl was a normal, decent human being. 

    Carlton also felt that the reason for his daughter to still be by his side and living in the human world was all thanks to the work of that earl. 

    The Carlton family wasn’t in the upper-class, but in their hometown they were a well-known family line from the old days and in the present day they don’t have the feeling of belittling themselves against nobles.

    But he wondered how Lydia felt about this. When he started to think about that, his mind suddenly drew a misty cloud over his rage towards the earl. 

    She might appear slightly unconventional in comparison to the current female trend as the ideal woman to be naïve and submissive, but even her mother was the same kind of woman.

    On the other hand, if she were to seriously fall in love, then he thought that she wouldn’t go to anyone for help or advice and would take care of things on her own. 

When he started to recall certain things, he had expressed signs of dislike at the rumors between Lydia and the Earl and had taken the attitude like he disapproved of her loving someone or getting married. Of course, that was because of his selfish feelings of loneliness as a father, but if she thought he was going to disapprove, then that could have just made her not be able to come out with what was going on.

    No matter what Lydia’s feelings were, that earl might not be the typical kind of man, but he isn’t stupid. He should know that that sort of act wouldn’t be dismissed as just a passing fancy. 

    When he came to that decision, Carlton returned to his laboratory and pulled on his coat and ran back out the door.

    The Nightmare is stirring. 

    It was a nightmare where she wasn’t able to escape out of the maze made by the goblins. Lydia wandered aimlessly in the dark holes and tunnels.

    You can’t have the diamond, said Edgar who was standing near them out of the blue. 

    In that moment, Lydia felt like her body was slashed through and her mind was thrown into dizziness.

P. 204

    What is that supposed to mean. Are you just going to say a quick sorry and sacrifice me?

    The most important thing to Edgar was his revenge at Prince, and if it was for the sake of avenging for his friends that were killed, then he was sure to abandon Lydia. 

    He says he has feelings for me and he wants me to marry him, but that’s all a lie. 

    Lydia whispered ‘help me’ and then felt the shine of the moonstone ring fight back against the power of the Nightmare.

    Ulysses replied ‘then in exchange I’ll have you die.’ Just as he was ordered, Edgar aimed the pistol towards his head.

    No……….

    Isn’t this just a nightmare?

    If you don’t want either of this, then you need to get away from him. 

    Yes, you might be right.

    She was somehow mixed into this situation and was set up as his fiancée, but it wasn’t like she hated him and she wanted to help him, but there was a limit to be by his side just by feelings of sympathy.

    And yet, Edgar told her that it was right of her to scold him from her sense of righteousness on things she couldn’t agree on. He needed that sense and so he wanted her to be by his side.

    If she stayed by Edgar’s side without completely understanding him, that would only increase her distrust in him. Eventually she would become his victim. 

    If that nightmare was going to become reality, then it might as well as be best for them to part.

    Lydia felt someone’s hand touch her cheek and opened her eyes. She was able to feel like she had finally escaped out of that nightmare but wasn’t able to realize that Edgar was right in front of her at first.

    “It’s all right. You were just dreaming,” he answered.

    And realize what she was doing.

    She tried to back away from him, but her body didn’t respond as she wanted. 

    I need to get away from him.

    Lydia didn’t want to become a victim of Edgar and didn’t want to make him a victim. 

    “Hey, you, don’t touch Lydia.”

    “K-Kelpie……?”

    Kelpie transformed to his human form at once, pushed aside Edgar and pulled up Lydia’s arm. 

    “He can’t come. I can only take one person, and if I separate you from the earl, then he said he wouldn’t lay a finger on the fairy doctor. So I’m taking only you.”

    Edgar stood up with a look like this was all bothersome, but he didn’t try to stop Kelpie who was lifting Lydia up to carry her.

    “Stop it, Kelpie, put me down!”

    “Edgar, say something!”

    Kelpie arrogantly slung Lydia over his shoulder and leaped into the mirror. 

    Or maybe he didn’t have any intention of stopping me?

    Kelpie kept on galloping through the darkness.

    She was wearing Edgar’s coat and still had on the black diamond. 

    Being and in the setting of Ulysses’ scheme, surrounded by goblins, Lydia thought there was no other place safer than riding on the back of Kelpie, but then her mind drifted to the thought that maybe Edgar had come to that idea as well.

    Since he knew that a water horse is a dangerous fae, he wouldn’t be able to get his hands on her that easily.

    Then, does that mean the one that Edgar wanted to really protect was the black diamond?

    If the kiss she was made to have unwillingly was actually a lie, then this was too sad.

    Do you need me? Or do you not?

    Lydia thought that strongly. 

    The ring of Glendolyn was radiating with light.

    No. I’m not going to marry Edgar.

    Lydia let her hand go from Kelpie.

    Her body fell.

P. 210

    Edgar, who was now alone, walked over to the hole in the wall dug open supposedly by the goblins.

    He imagined it would be cramped, but there was enough space for him to stand up and walk easily. It seemed like it adapted to the height of who was in it. 

    I see now. He was convinced that once someone leaves the previous place, they wouldn’t be able to return to that spot.

    Edgar turned back to the dark passageway and walked on.

    “Is this place the Moebius strip?”

    Just when he was thinking what he should do next, there was a flickering light coming from up ahead.

    “Lord Edgar!”

    “Raven, you were all right.”

    “I am terribly sorry. Because I was away from your side unduly, I was unable to return.”

    “Did something happen?”

    “Well, I was alone with Lydia. And on top of that, she’s wearing a thin piece of clothing, and she was weak from fever, so I had such a terrible time trying to hold myself back.”

    “But, I have to say, women who have a fever are three times more seductive than they usually are. Her cheeks were blushed with pink, and she looked up at me with such moist, damp eyes, I could only think she was inviting me. Thankfully, I remembered how I was clawed yesterday, so I was able to refrain myself.”

P. 212

    “Did you see?”

    “Lydia’s bellybutton.”

    Seeing as Raven averted his eyes away from their eye contact, he must have taken a very good look at it.

    Even as he made a faint smile, he made sure that there was a strong hint of the meaning in his order.

    Raven bowed his head.

    Behind Raven, there was a cat wearing a necktie and stood up-right on its hind-legs.

    “More importantly, where’s Lydia,” asked the feline fairy.

P. 213

    “If it was the marquis, I have cornered him in a room filled with portraits and tied him up, but it seems like that room has also become a part of this maze, and once I stepped out, I was unable to get back into it,”explained Raven.

    Edgar didn’t know why Nico was here, but it seemed like since he was a fairy, he was able to figure out which way to go.

    “It looks like there isn’t any particular exit. And I don’t have the animal strength like Kelpie to pound open a hole.”

    As he said that, Edgar stood up.

    “Are you going to use him, my lord?”

    The young man looked back up at him curiously, but didn’t hesitate to reply ‘yes.’

P. 214

    “Gahhh, but I don’t want to be anywhere near that Ulysses. There’s a chance that he might come to where the marquis is, right?”

    Nico placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes with discontent, but he swirled around to face the other direction, and started to tread on as he swished around his tail.

    The place where Lydia fell down into was where the goblins gathered into a circle as they were in the middle of a feast.

    She looked around to spot one of them picking up a bottle of spirits that was as big and tall as their height and chugged it down its throat like it was a fountain but then swiftly started to make a loud ruckus which sounded like a frog.

    She watched as they all died down and their distorted faces turn to Lydia’s direction one-by-one.

P. 215

    (How did you come into here?)

    Because her attire was different from was in her normal clothes, she didn’t have her usual, hidden stash of hawthorns which had the power to ward off fairies.

    (It’s the black jewel.)

    Lydia realized what it was referring to, and swopped up her hand to hide the necklace.

    (Is that true?)

    Lydia stepped over to the shadow of the hearth to hide her body and quickly took off the necklace and dropped and hid it into one of the pockets of the coat she was wearing.

    “……….Please help me……”

    She shifted her eyes towards that direction and strained to see what it was in that dark corner, and saw that there was a small boy surrounded by goblins and cowering in fear.

    He was that bad-mouthed boy that she met at the earl’s mansion library.

    Lydia kicked aside the goblins and rushed over towards him. 

    She remembered Edgar saying something about a boy being captured by Ulysses. Lydia decided she must save him and tried to carry him up into her arms, but then the goblins suddenly broke out into chaos.

    (You can’t do whatever you please.)

    One of them had poked Lydia’s leg with a small shovel.

    “These creatures said that I was a hostage so that they could trade me with the diamond,” he explained.

P. 217

    (The master said so.)

    Oh, no, what should I do? thought Lydia.

    But, she wanted to help Jimmy.

    Lydia came up with a good idea, and stood up so that she could look down at the goblins around her.

    She opened up the palm of her hand and showed the goblins the black, sparkling stone.

    “So, it’s a trade then.”

    All of the goblins panicked and rushed over towards it.

    “Now, hurry. We need to run, now.”

    “The diamond….., you’re crazy to hand over the diamond when it belongs to the earl.”

    And you were the one who said yourself that you were a hostage for the diamond. Lydia was silently surprised at how he still was keeping the stance of mocking her.

    “…..Coal?”

    They had agreed to exchange Jimmy for what Lydia had showed them.

    “Tricked them….., it was to save you.”

    There were buildings hovering over them on both sides. It was a path that went through a poor area of a city, with old and crumbling bricks, shattered glass and windows with broken slatted shutters and window frames lined unevenly on the walls of the buildings.

    Lydia started to get lost with the direction and when she stopped running, Jimmy snapped his hand away from her that she was leading.

    “Yes, he’s here. We all separated to search for you.”

    “Did you steal the earl’s black diamond?”

    He suddenly held something pointing out of his closed fist and she saw that it was a piece of glass with a dangerous, sharp edge.

    “Wh-what are you talking about?”

    “Hold on just a moment, Ulysses and I have no….”

    “You’re wrong. Believe me. I…..”

    “You’re wr-…”

P. 220

    With the glass shade in his hand, he leaped towards her. Lydia didn’t know what she should do. 

    Ermine had a grip on the boy’s arm and pulled him away from Lydia. 

    Jimmy realized Ermine and in surprise, let go of his strength. However, he still wasn’t able to let himself trust Lydia that easily. 

    He shook his head in disarray and suddenly dashed off in another direction. 

    She must have decided that if she went after Jimmy, then she would become separated with Lydia.

    “Yes. But, Ermine, how did you enter this place?”

    “That must be because the goblins had dug these tunnels. The space you were in must have been pulled into the maze. I think Edgar and Raven are also here somewhere, as well as Marquis Barkston and Ulysses.”

P. 221

P. 222

    “A number of the Scarlett Moon members were also looking for Jimmy, so I’d wager that they were pulled into here and lost as well.”

    “For the mean time, let us both keep moving. I’m sure Lord Edgar will be needing you.”

    With Jimmy being so insolent towards her, she had lost all of her confidence. Making her wonder if her golden-green eyes and the fact that she could see fairies really gave off such a creepy impression.

    Lydia said that to herself in her head and pressed on through the tunnel with Ermine.

    I wonder if she thinks I came to investigate about Edgar having an affair.

    “Uh, Ermine, about the clothes I’m wearing, it wasn’t like I’m wearing this because it was my wishing so.”

    “Huh? Why?”

    Lydia realized Ermine was actually the type of person who didn’t have trouble saying such embarrassing things.

    “He must have not had the confidence with ending it with just viewing.”

    Lydia thought she needed to change the subject. 

    “You know, I feel like the goblin’s maze is starting to become smaller.”

    “It looks like they are trying to gather everyone near the center.”

    As Lydia was thinking, a hole suddenly opened up under her feet. 

    The distance they fell was a short one. It wasn’t that hard of an impact as it normally would be in reality, as the two of them were able to bring out their hands to softly land on the ground, but when Lydia tried to stand up, she felt the cold, piercing edge of a blade against her cheek and froze.

P. 224

    A young boy of a man with faint blond hair with a grin on his face came into her view. 

    Ermine tried to go into a stance to attack, but Ulysses wrapped his arm around Lydia and pulled her right up next to him, making Ermine stop. 

    A crowd of goblins appeared and circled around them. They were all screaming and shouting as they kicked and stomped down on Lydia’s foot.

    However, lucky for her, it seemed like Ulysses still didn’t know that Lydia had the real black diamond with her.

    “Don’t try to talk like you’re a saint. I wouldn’t mind if I kill her, you know. If I kill this girl and you claimed you tried to save her but it was impossible and went wailing to him, then I’m sure the earl would forgive you.”

    “I see. No matter how many of his lovers die, it would be hardly possible that he would lay his fingers on Prince’s old woman.”

    Lydia had heard that all of them were slaves. However, seeing how Ermine was burdened with a different kind of pain from Edgar and Raven, it made her crushed with pain and suffocation. 

    Ulysses ordered Ermine as he still had the knife in his hand pointed at Lydia. 

    “Ermine, I’m fine.”

    Lydia wasn’t able to understand their pain, but it wasn’t like she remained here with the intention of becoming a baggage to them.
    After Lydia agreed with a firm tone, Ermine nodded and started to walk in the direction Ulysses pointed to.

Chapter end