Hakushaku to Yousei

(4) The convoluted paths

Thanks to the favor of the elders, both of them were able to board the freight carriage and leave the next morning.

Although Frederick was once lost long ago, he was still able to walk back to the McKeel village, but the elder smiled and said that this place was further compared to before.

The wind that never stopped blowing across the island had somehow suddenly ceased, as only the freight carriage’s wheels made the gra.s.s sway. They crossed several smooth hills like this.

“The path through here is closed, and the standing stones are on the other side of the swamp, however the carriage cannot pa.s.s through.”

“Do you want to walk? It shouldn’t be a bottomless swamp.”

“It is a sacred swamp, there is no danger.”

The sacred swamp, isn’t that the place where Aurora’s fiancé was said to be sleeping?

Countless puddles were scattered everywhere, covering the fields. This is more or less the landscape of the swamp.

“I"ve heard about your fiance. When I stayed in the elders’ hall yesterday, they told me.”

"Yes, a marvelous story isn’t it? The person who died long ago, unexpectedly turns out to be my fiancé.”

“Well…... no one knows the real reason, but perhaps it is related to him having difficulties in stopping the disaster alone. He may need a partner who possesses some kind of strength.”

Aurora solemnly nodded her head.

Aurora"s grandfather was a fairy doctor, her younger brother will be the same in future. Was this bloodline directed to continue in accordance to that sleeping man?

“In other words, when the time comes, your marriage partner will be Kenneth, who was chosen beforehand?”

“……I heard that the magic was imperfect and had not been sustained for a long time, so he died.”

The Prophet wanted to create humans who were able to withstand disasters?

“But, I don"t understand. The fairy doctors’ ability is not to manipulate magic, rather when dealing with fairies, they can clear up the different characteristics and customs between them and humans, and strive to prevent hostilities from both sides. What’s important is the mentality, rather than bloodline or ability.”

“What does the disaster refer to?”

The sacred swamp. The man is asleep somewhere in this wetland.

When the gra.s.s swayed and the surface of the water rippled, Frederick saw the flickering shadow of a man sleeping under the reflection of the hazy water. He then felt dizzy and sensed voices.

You must not take the girl away.

She also wanted to leave this swamp quickly, and so her slender hand firmly took a hold of his hand.

He was planning to take her away from her fiancé and run away with her.

Not knowing when, the swamp that was originally thought to be never ending was far from their side.

Frederick suddenly realized that he was grasping Aurora’s hand, and so he relaxed his grip.

“If we cross through here, we should be able to see the standing stones.”

He pulled himself together and continued walking.

Aurora suddenly shouted, but by the time he heard her, he had already fallen into a cavern through a hole covered by piles of gra.s.s.

He felt as if he only fell several feet down, as evidenced by only a few scratches on his hand. But when he looked up through the round hole, the sky could be seen far above.

Aurora pried into the cave from a distance.

He replied while picking up his fallen gla.s.ses. After looking around in his surroundings, he discovered that it was pretty s.p.a.cious. This cave was practically like a huge flask.

Then he had an ominous premonition.

At the same time Aurora called out, a small stone immediately hit Frederick’s back.

Ah, that’s right, something like this has happened before.

He had previously seen a fairy among the stone rain.

“Please stop this, goblins!”

“Aurora, it’s dangerous so that’s why…”

Frederick hastily opened his arms in order to catch her.

I’ve seen this before, the same fairy...

But because Frederick stepped on a small stone and lost his balance. As he toppled over while protecting Aurora, his head banged onto the stone wall.

Frederick felt Aurora’s voice fade away as she called to him, thinking of one thing.

The same thing happened.

Since the goblins were noisy, she immediately knew that someone fell into the cave.

The goblins’ cave wasn’t too deep, so as long as she jumped off carefully, she wouldn"t be injured. However he, who wanted to catch Aurora, stumbled and fell on a stone, hit his head and fainted.

Aurora thought as he stared at him lying on the ground.

She heard that there seemed to be a fifty year old university lecturer who brought with him several students staying in the village’s inn, and suspected that he ought to be one of them.

No, ordinary humans wouldn’t notice such a thing.

Everything was different from the men on the island, from the ring with his school insignia and his cheeks without a beard. Aurora gazed at him motionlessly, with interest.

He showed a painful expression and suddenly opened his eyes, then locked eyes with Aurora at close range and jumped up, fl.u.s.tered.

“Go...blins?”

“I see....”

“Where is this? How long have I been out?”

“Fairies… right, am I dreaming?”

He stood up, picked up the fallen gla.s.ses at his feet and sighed.

“If you don’t have those then you can’t see anything?”

“Can you see me?”

He narrowed his eyes, seemingly wanting to focus his line of sight as much as possible.

“What?”

“Right now, you can’t see at all.”

When Aurora was introduced to Kenneth McKeel, who was said to be her second fiancé, he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction at the sight of her.

“Anyway, let’s get out of here.”

Aurora was filled with curiosity, so as they walked along, she kept asking questions.

There were theaters rather than show tents and opera performances every night. But also, whether it was the circus, zoo, and so on, these unfamiliar things could be seen at any time.

After finally leaving the goblins’ cave, an array of standing stones appeared before them on the plains.

He and Aurora approached the standing stones standing in line with each other and appeared to be growing from the ground.

He rushed to the pillars in astonishment.

Those crystals were the island’s guardian stones. Apart from him, even Aurora, who was accustomed to seeing them, would have her gaze taken in by the crystals every time she approached.

“You can come again next time.”

“Yeah. If I’m on break, I’ll be sure to come. Ahhh, but I don’t know how I’m going to come here, will I be able to reach here again?”

“Really?”

“If that’s the case, are you willing to bring me to the land that is unknown to me? I hope that there will be a day where I am able to go and take a look at Cambridge and London.”

Aurora couldn’t leave the island, and if she did, she could never return. In spite of this, she still seemed to have made a promise regarding his invitation.

“When we meet again, how can I find you?”

She prayed that he wouldn’t forget and told him her name. Even if she was regarded as a fairy, it was no bother, because compared to a thin freckled village girl, perhaps being a fairy would be able to leave behind some sort of impression in his memory.

When he was close to the border of the fairy realm and human world, she explained that he needed to go straight forward, and then left his side.

Aurora knew that she was about to part ways with him, so she wanted part from him in an area where she would be able to say goodbye.

He would surely forget about Aurora, as well as the promise to come back again.

After Aurora spoke of this matter, Nico urged her to go and explain everything.

"I can"t see him now, because if I go to see him, he"ll know that I"m not beautiful.”

“The next time we meet, the freckles may disappear and I will become slightly more attractive. By the way Nico, Mother also said that freckles will disappear after growing up, is that true? From now on, I will take good care of my hair that gets dishevelled by the sea breeze.”

Even so, this was a gamble for Aurora.

Oh that’s right, I hit my head and pa.s.sed out.

“Ahh! I--I’m sorry.”

“Uh... it’s just that, how should I say it, I behaved disrespectfully towards an unmarried woman.”

After she spoke somewhat forlornly, she stood up.

Although Frederick was still in the bottom of the flask-shaped cave, the direction Aurora pointed towards was a horizontal cavern.

Clearly they were in a cave, but what was strange was that their surroundings were not dark.

Really? Frederick asked as he used his hand to touch it and his face wrinkled from the pain.

“It would be terrible if a teacher as a scholar became a fool.”

“Often b.u.mp into? Why?”

She burst out laughing.

However, she never mentioned a similar topic.

There were stone steps that went upwards.

Then, what appeared before them was…...

Aurora stood on the meadow. Her hair was like fairy wings, as it spread out and fluttered within the blowing wind.

The sun shone from behind the pillars, causing the brown columns to emit a soft glow from within. Then, as if the columns were breathing, faint light was exuded.

This was no doubt the smoky quartz. The form and structure of these brown ores were huge crystal pillars that he had never seen before, and its transparency was nearly perfect.

Frederick walked over and touched it.

Aurora whispered.

“What I’m saying is that the paths are invisible to the eye.”

“People can if they can sense the power of the stones.”

“It’s interesting. As expected, these smoky quartz crystals don’t resemble the ones from the Highlands. Were it not for the fixed height of the mountains, the excellent transparency of the smoky quartz would not have been produced, however it’s not just this island, even the United Kingdom itself does not have such high and impressive mountains… would these have been moved here from a distant region?”

“The Alps.”

“It’s probably impossible.”

That’s right, this is the fairies’ domain.

“It’s not my area of expertise. I truly am grateful for this good luck that allowed me to encounter this wonder.”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to come here again.”

Promised...... He felt as if he’d heard that phrase here before.

“There’s a rainbow.”

On this barren-colored island with faint suns.h.i.+ne, even the rainbow’s prismatic colors seemed illusory.

He had also stood here watching the prismatic lights before.

The sky that was reflected on the surfaces of the smoky quartz as well as the prismatic lights that adorned the s.p.a.ce of the juxtaposed standing stones, made it all the more mysterious.

Frederick felt that reality and his memory conflicted, so he frowned.

That seemed to be his first time watching that mysterious scenery....

“What’s the matter?”

It was like that time too. The “fairy” girl who had always smiled. For Frederick, seeing a woman (though it was a fairy) talking with him so happily, was an experience he’d never had before.

The young girl pointed to the sky.

Was the Aurora Borealis.

Indeed, only this existed hazily in his memory, but he had forgotten about the matters with the girl.

A fairy?

“Hey Frederick, would men not sense fate for a split second?”

“Well, it varies from person to person.”

He thought Aurora was thinking about her lover and immediately calmed down.

He was not the man destined for Aurora.

However, he could not have promised to elope with a woman he met for the first time.

Although he only vaguely remembered a few things from that time, he believed that he wouldn’t be a mistaken regarding this point.

“Who knows...... I had never given it much thought before.”

“Why?”

Aurora somehow looked very sad.

(5) The departure.

On the other side of the hill, the ocean could be seen.

This was definitely a path of the human world. Although he was now pa.s.sing by carriages, people after going through a mysterious experience, contrary to his expectations, he wasn’t used to the natural landscape before him.

After getting on the boat and departing the island, Frederick’s responsibility would end.

“If that’s the only reason, then don’t take Aurora away.”

What if it wasn’t just that? Was it okay as long as there were other reasons? What kind other reasons?

“Hey, you really can’t travel outside the island alone?”

Aurora pointed to the direction of the sea, which remained faintly discernible on the other side of the hill.

That said, it seemed to be true. It was originally thought that there was only a little bit left to travel, but once the sea began to appear the same, only faint horizontal lines portrayed the distant landscape.

“What?”

“Sure enough, you think you have to bear responsibility, right? But I beg you, please do not hesitate, even if something happens after I leave the island, it’s not your responsibility.”

“This was what I promised you. I haven’t felt hesitant at all.”

“Do you know those reasons?”

Just then, she leaned over with her blue eyes.

“It’s a good luck charm.”

He did not think it was simply a good luck charm, as Aurora’s voice and shoulders were slightly trembling.

It should have been a sweet kiss, but it was filled with pain.

This pain was so strong that Aurora’s resolution to leave the island was conveyed. Frederick felt this pain and nodded.

What he was hopelessly attracted to and could not forget for a long time, was it really the smoky quartz standing stones?

Was Aurora nervous? Frederick wondered as she was tight-lipped and continued walking.

As they were walking side by side, Frederick tried to think what she was hoping for from her perspective.

“It’s that s.h.i.+p.”

To take the boat across the strait towards inner Hebrides seemed too simple. Moreover, who was going to steer the s.h.i.+p? There was no one to be seen in the vicinity.

He seemed to hear the sound of someone calling out, or was it the wind?

“Nico? Where are you?”

(Aurora, you need to hurry, otherwise you won’t make it…)

“Frederick, let’s hurry.”

It was Kenneth. Despite the two running ahead without looking back, the sounds of the hooves approaching were suddenly nearby.

“Watch out!”

It was ridiculous. This man called Kenneth thinks that hurting his fiancée doesn’t matter?

“Such a pity to run away so far, only to find that the elopement ends here.”

“Ohhh? Is that so?” Kenneth contemptuously laughed as if to say that she was making herself look like a fool.

Aurora nervously looked at Frederick, who was unable to answer.

“You’re not ashamed, are you? You say that she is your fiancee but you don’t consider her feelings at all. You’ve done terrible things to her and her cat and forced her to have no choice but to run away from home, right!”

“What, do you feel sorry for Aurora because of that? I really don’t understand, you clearly haven’t fallen in love with her, why on earth would you want to take her away? If you wanted to sell her somewhere, that would be a different story.”

“Hmmmm, but Aurora, does your so-called lover really exist? Honestly, I’ve always thought that it was something you made up and babbled nonsense to your father in order to have our engagement annulled.”

“What, I spoke correctly? Not even having a place to go, what benefit is there for you to leave this island?”

Angry, Kenneth grabbed Aurora and pulled her up.

Aurora urgently wanted to run over to Frederick’s side, but she was grabbed by Kenneth and simply pulled back.

Frederick immediately stood up, but he couldn’t move.

“Professor, let me give you a word of advice, even if you disappear, no one will notice. Getting the villagers to all say that they’ve never seen any scholar on the island is also easy.”

Saying this was the voice of another person.

“.....Father....”

“....No, her lover truly exists.”

“Oh? And how would you know?”

Frederick spoke firmly as he stupidly wondered why he would know these things, and felt that it made no sense.

“Do you like Aurora?”

He was in love. He fell in love with Aurora, who was single-mindedly and earnestly thinking about someone else. Because he couldn’t help falling in love with her when she entrusted her fate to someone else, and intended to cut off the sorrowful practices of the clansmen, so he understood her sincerity.

“Father!”

“She is a changeling.”

Frederick didn’t want to hear such a thing in this situation, so he blankly looked at Aurora.

“What does that…”

“You’re saying... she’s a fairy? She’s not human...?”

In order to strengthen the ability to control magic.

The practices of the clansmen that Aurora wanted to change was…...

And so she was constrained to this island by magic; once she cuts the magic off, she will no longer be able to return to the island.

Perhaps it was. However, it somehow didn’t matter to that man. While Frederick was confused, he took a deep breath in order to calm down.

Aurora seemed to be drained of strength as she had probably given up on everything; like this, she was grabbed by Kenneth and smiled weakly.

“Go back to England, Professor. The s.h.i.+p is about to leave.”

Frederick turned around and glanced, finding that someone unknowingly appeared by the side of the s.h.i.+p. While they were untying the rope, they looked towards here.

He originally should have come to confirm the existence of the smoky quartz standing stones.

He had a certain premonition that something was set to change. Even though he knew he was a very happy person, within the s.h.i.+ning prismatic lights of the smoky quartz, he realized that until now, he didn’t know that new part of happiness.

He didn’t have the ability to research the fairies’ smoky quartz, but she clearly exists on this side of the world, the human world. If this continues…...

He subconsciously reached into his pocket, rummaged around and came into contact with small stones.

When Kenneth"s attention was turned to the stones and when his gun was off him, his body began to move on its own.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

The bullet appeared to have shot towards a different direction. The next moment, Kenneth’s screams rang out.

Frederick instantly looked back and saw a large group of mice attacking Kenneth.

Was it Aurora’s cat? Or had he misheard it?

The s.h.i.+p slowly sailed away.

Frederick realized that he had taken his treasured daughter as he looked at Aurora, who was in front.

“U--umm, I’m sorry, I forced you here.”

“But, um... I’ll make sure to take responsibility.  No, umm, that sounds strange doesn’t it? I intend to escort you to your lover.”

“What!...I--if that’s the case... ah, that’s right, I am acquainted with many bachelors that you might like...

“Then what about you?”

“You are single and a fine gentleman.”

“Please marry me.”

“If it’s me, is it impossible? There’s no way for you to come to like me?”

“Then please make me your bride.”

If I’m in the situation of waking up without answering, I would surely regret it for a lifetime. He used his disordered head to desperately searched for words to be said, but doing so with this kind of mood was contradictory. After coming to his senses, he had already spoke out an extremely ordinary answer: “yes”.

He certainly felt Aurora’s warmth, he understood at this very moment that whether it was her existence or the conversation just now, it was no doubt real.

“That’s great, Aurora.”

“Your companions are also very happy.”

They were seals.

“Selkies, thank you.”

Was this the fairies’ ocean liner?

(Heeeeeeeey, Aurora…)

(You wanted to abandon me!)

“Nico!”

“Hey, let go at once, my fur will be dishevelled.”

“I’m still dizzy.”

“I’ve had enough of pacific herrings with Gaelic whiskey, I think Cambridge should have more delicious things.”

The cat seemed to be reluctant but Aurora messed up his fur without a care.

Well—— you didn’t do too bad, Professor.

A man who was only interested in stones, how could he succeed in proposing to such a beautiful woman? After being asked, he always didn’t know how to answer, thus he discovered this point.

The world believed that the more a.s.sertive women were, the more licentious they were.  But also, if there was no hope for a woman to be proposed to by a man, she will quietly leave his side.

So, even if he was believed to be a fool who was unable to take the initiative and propose marriage, it was no bother; he just didn’t want Aurora to be considered as a woman whose personality was overly unrestrained.

Aurora seemed to think the secret was very amusing, and Carlton knew that she didn"t think it was a bad thing. Because of this, he hoped even more that the beautiful memories between them wouldn’t be tarnished by the people’s unrestrained words and such.

Despite Carlton praying for a long time, he never imagined that his daughter’s fiancé would have a habit of whispering superficial brazenly sweet words whenever he was not shy, this philanderer of the highest quality.

After dressing up, Lydia peeked at the outside door from the study.

Earl Ashenbert stood in front of the Carlton house entryway, accompanied by the young attendant, looking flawless as always. Inviting him to an ordinary person’s home even made people feel scared.

But as usual, he gave his graceful smile to Carlton, which both men and women would swoon at.

“Welcome, and thank you for coming, Earl. Although it is a banquet, it is merely a family dinner, please consider yourself as family and make yourself at home.”

“Tonight is a night to remember, because I am able to visit here as a family member.”

Because he was not suited to this, Carlton had not yet grasped this sense of reality.

Still smiling, Edgar held a bouquet of pink daisies and handed it to Lydia.

“While I thought to select flowers that would make you more beautiful, but no matter what kind of bouquet it is, they lose their elegance before you. ”

“Did you know? Whenever I see you, I fall in love with you again.”

“Yes, that’s why my heart skips a beat every day.”

In the end, how exactly should his inherently flirtatious character be addressed?

“If the Earl sincerely wanted to do this…”

Although he was not a useless man who was unable to propose properly, but in another sense, unexpectedly, he was also considered to be a ridiculous man. But because he understood that the Earl was sincere, Carlton no longer contested.

After Carlton prompted the Earl to come into the house, his attendant bowed and prepared to leave. Lydia seemed to remember something and called to him.

“Is there anything you need?”

“Umm... Nico, he was going to ask if you wanted to come over for a little bit.”

“Yo, Raven. I got some rare wine. I will be drinking with everyone, would you like to join? In any case, it’s all right if the Earl returns before you do.

“Raven, it’s okay to relax occasionally, right? I’ll explain it to Tomkins afterwards and besides, it isn’t work that needs to be urgently finished.”

“Is this your command?”

“Although this is not a command, but if Nico’s invitation will make you happy, then I will also be very happy.”

“I’m sorry, Professor, is it alright for my attendant to visit too?

Even so, the young attendant ran to the driver who was waiting by the carriage, returned after explaining everything, and went up the stairs with Nico. He had no expression of emotions, but he should be pretty happy.

“It’s a Gaelic whiskey that I received from a colleague. I remember that Nico liked to drink it.”  

“Well, isn’t it fine?”

“By the way Lydia, has the wedding dress design been decided yet?”

“Ah.... yes, about that matter… Mother’s wedding veil was delivered today. So, I wanted to think about the style of the wedding dress a little more…”

Although they had just announced their engagement to the public, it seemed that the Earl wanted to get married as soon as possible.

The statement which had a implicit meaning made those who heard it blush.

“A--anyway, Earl this is a once in a lifetime event. ”

Lydia sighed softly. The more impatient the Earl was, the more her confusion seemed to increase.

Although Carlton didn’t know what kind of words the Earl used to propose, but if it is only by the virtue of a verbal agreement, then regardless of whether it was marrying into the Earl’s family and all kinds of estrangements taking place, or whether it was centered around the relations.h.i.+ps of the women by his side, as well as other kinds of problems, he wasn’t able to get over these doubts so easily.

He had difficulty explaining the matter of how he and Aurora got together. Everytime he looked back and recalled his feelings when suddenly taking Aurora away, as well as her acc.u.mulated feelings contained in the proposal, it all seemed destined, like everything happened the way it was meant to happen.

So despite Carlton’s worries, the Earl tenderly gazed at Lydia.

“What? uh, yes... it’s very lovely. It was woven by hand, I think you’ll like it.”

Rather than words or gifts, as long as they looked at each other’s faces, they will understand that the other person staying by their side was a natural thing. If that was the case, Lydia would no longer feel perplexed.
Because she is Aurora’s daughter.