Hakushaku to Yousei

"Hmm, well it seems that just her soul entered a dream again."
Nico stared at Lydia who was lying in bed, then turned to look at the worried Lota.
"Entered a dream?"
Lydia appeared completely motionless. Not only did it look like she wasn"t breathing, but there was no reaction to calling out to her or shaking her.
Because of this, Lota ran outside in a panic.
However, judging by Nico"s att.i.tude, Lydia"s condition didn"t seem like something that could be immediately restored.
"Ahh, that"s it. Lydia can"t leave this place, right? That"s why she slipped into a dream, in order to meet the Earl it seems."
"About the Earl, the Miss, to such an extent….."
Kelly was moved to tears. The girl was from a clan that Edgar was familiar with, and stayed by Lydia"s side as her maid. For someone like Edgar, Lota thought that he made a decent choice with Kelly. She never seemed to act on her own wishes or have evil ideas. It seemed quite natural for her to be by Lydia"s side.
That Kelly, not realizing that it was Nico who spoke, looked up at Raven, who was beside the cat, with wet eyes.
Raven, with the same lack of expression that didn"t give away any bewilderment, simply averted his gaze.
"Then, the situation is that Lydia came to know about Edgar"s present condition and went to go save him?"
"I think that"s probably the case."
"Then, we have no choice but to follow then. Nico, which way should we go? Where is Edgar?"
Nico heaved a sigh and started to think.
"If I remember correctly……I"ve heard that the undersea rocky area where the Blue Men have their nest is connected to some small island somewhere."
"I wonder which small island."
"Hey Lota, where did you encounter the Blue Men? I believe the probability that they live somewhere around there is high."
"Alright, I"ll look into it."
"Um, is there anything I can help with?"
Kelly seemed as if she wanted to be useful with all her might.
"That"s right," Lota murmured.
"It seems like Fergus and Patrick may pose a problem. With us away and with Lydia in this condition, they might get wind of something."
"As far as today goes, Mr. Patrick returned to the clan head"s estate, so I don"t think he will come until tomorrow. Furthermore, that person won"t make it a point to come to the bedroom to visit the Miss. As long as we are careful to not allow Mr. Fergus into the bedroom, then we can deceive them about Miss Lydia"s condition."
"Alright, then we"ll leave it to you, Kelly."
As Lota clapped her on the shoulder, Kelly vigorously nodded.
Raven looked towards the doorway as if he felt something. However, when he checked, there was already no one there.
After the door was closed, the mantle of the red kilt that had been holding its breath while under cover, softly fluttered.
 

                                                                                                                                        ＊＊＊＊
 

The ghost s.h.i.+p was already sailing in the ocean waters unnoticed.
Standing on the deck littered with holes, leaning on the railing that seemed like it could break at any moment, he gazed out at the ocean while a school of fish swam by before his eyes. Paul looked toward Edgar anxiously. Paul"s hair, with its kinks and curls, swayed like aquatic plants.
Edgar"s golden hair also swayed in the same way.
Rather than saying that it was alright, Edgar gave Paul a smile.
This area was probably the fairy realm. It seemed as such because one wouldn"t drown in the waters here, and even though there wasn"t any light, one could dimly make out the immediate surroundings.
The s.h.i.+p, as if it were drifting aimlessly, slowly moved forward.
"Paul, for the time being, once we reach their dwelling place, I"ll have you escorted back to the human world so please bear with it a little longer, okay?"
Being told this, Paul made a complicated face and cast his head downwards.
"Earl, I….."
"Since you"re a kind person, you might be thinking that you shouldn"t leave me alone. However, there"s no need to be concerned. After all, I hid the fact that I inherited Prince"s memories from you and from the other members of Scarlet Moon."
"That, since when…."
"Since the time we buried that "Prince". So that a new successor wouldn"t be born, I made this choice. I want to think that nothing will change, but I have been changing little by little. One day I might become like that man. Paul, the organization that killed your father is trying to get me to lead them."
Edgar recalled that Nico left due to this. He felt he had done something terrible to Raven.
In addition, though she verbally said that she had accepted this, Lydia was still unable to be together with him due to this.
As this rate, maybe she really does intend to break up with me.
"That"s why, Paul, it"s okay to think of me as your enemy."
"And what about Miss Lydia?"
With hesitation, Paul asked again.
Certainly, Fergus is much more of an ideal man for Lydia than I am. There"s no helping it if she becomes attracted to him. While thinking like this, Edgar was unable to come to terms with it.
"I know. However, Lydia is the only thing I won"t let go of. Even if she can"t accept the me right now with her heart, because I want her by my side, I need the medicine at all costs."
Paul looked at Edgar with a stiff expression. It even seemed as if he was angry. That"s not impossible, thought Edgar as he heaved a sigh.
"Do you not care whether or not I"m here?"
It was clearly an irritated tone of voice.
Unaware of why he was angry, Edgar tilted his head in confusion.
"Whether I think of you as an enemy or as a friend, doing as you please is…..Ahh!"
At that moment, the s.h.i.+p violently lurched.
Paul lost his balance and fell, tumbling about on top of the deck.
"Paul!"
Edgar, who had grabbed ahold of the mast, stretched out a hand towards Paul and somehow managed to grab him.
"E-Earl….., are you alright?!"
While saying this, he clung to Edgar.
"Don"t fall overboard, because in a place like the sea of the fairies, I definitely won"t be able to save you."
Nodding furiously, Paul desperately stretched his hand out towards the mast.
The waves surged terribly. Even though everything was quiet until just a while ago, it was enough to make anyone wonder what had happened.
"Captain! What"s going on?"
Edgar questioned the Blue Men whose form could not be seen.
(It"s prey, Sir.)
There was a reply immediately.
(There"s a fool who brought his s.h.i.+p out in bad weather. We"re going to take a small detour.)
It seemed that the blue ghosts were approaching a s.h.i.+p in the rough seas of the human world.
(We"ll capture them and make them our slaves.)
Just as they revealed their figures, they nimbly disappeared from the s.h.i.+p while creating whirlpools in the current. The waves continued to swell and the s.h.i.+p continued to sway while making a creaking noise.
"It doesn"t seem like something humans would ride," Edgar muttered.
A short time later, the swaying completely stopped and Paul lay down on the deck, completely exhausted.
Edgar stood up to check the state of their surroundings.
The ghosts, who seemed to have returned in no time at all, were gathered at the stern of the s.h.i.+p and seemed to be making a fuss about something.
In the middle of that circle was a human collapsed on the ground, tied up with rope. That"s right, he was most likely a human. Different from the ghosts, he was properly wearing a kilt.
A red-headed young man…….
It was Fergus.
Noticing this, Edgar stopped in his tracks.
His eyes were closed, and he seemed to have lost consciousness since he wasn"t moving at all, but there was no mistake, it was that man.
By saying that she was concerned about this guy, Lydia had ended her farewell to Edgar.
If only this guy wasn"t around. While thinking this, Edgar felt that if Fergus became a slave of the Blue Men and was made to work for eternity, then it served him right. He wanted to laugh and let this happen.
However, if he were to disappear, then would Lydia feel sad?
On the matter of whether she was being serious or not, Edgar was in doubt. But still, he thought that to Lydia, who was in an unfamiliar land, Fergus probably felt like a familiar person.
He didn"t want to hand Lydia over to the likes of another man. But on the other hand, Edgar felt hesitation at robbing Lydia of what she needed. He didn"t know if he could stay by her side and hold onto her hereafter and forever.
If something were to happen to him, then to Fergus….such things were completely out of the question because he won"t hand her over. Even so, he was frightened of letting someone who might be able to save her get s.n.a.t.c.hed away.
"Won"t you hand him over to me?"
As Edgar interrupted them, the Blue Men simultaneously turned to look at him.
"I also want a slave."
(Well of course, we don"t mind, Sir.)
(Hey, Captain, this is our slave.)
(Well, isn"t it fine? This Sir will free us from Master.)
(Does he really have that kind of power?)
(You saw his sword, right?)
(But still, we don"t know whether that will be effective against the Master.)
(If it turns out to be impossible, we"ll just make him a slave at once.)
(I see, as expected of our Captain.)
Though they intended to converse sneakily amongst themselves, Edgar could hear everything. Still, he quietly waited until they were finished.
Seeming to have reached a conclusion immediately, one of them handed over the end of the rope currently binding Fergus to Edgar.
(Don"t let this one get away. If you let him go, you lose owners.h.i.+p. Then if we catch him again, he becomes our possession, alright?)
Having said this, the Blue Men quickly disappeared.
The s.h.i.+p began to slowly move forward again.
"Earl……, what do you plan to do with that person?"
Even though Paul was completely exhausted, he was surprised at hearing that Edgar wanted one of the Blue Mens’ slaves and tried to get closer while crawling.
Edgar tried to nudge Fergus with the tips of his toes. As he did so, Fergus" eyes slowly opened.
He saw Edgar, and knit his brows together as if displeased.
"That"s right, should I make you work for me until you become skin and bones?" Edgar muttered, narrowing his ash mauve eyes. Although it was intended to be a joke, there might have been some seriousness behind his tone of voice.
Fergus suddenly opened his eyes wide and shouted, "Uwaaah!" as he jumped to his feet.
"W-Why are you…., no, where am I?"
"This is the Blue Men of the Minchs’ ghost s.h.i.+p. You were captured by them."
"Earl, is he an acquaintance of yours?" Paul asked.
"Well, kind of."
"……Then, were you guys captured as well?"
Fergus looked around restlessly before returning his gaze to Edgar again.
"No, we"re guests of this s.h.i.+p. You, on the other hand, have become my slave."
In a flash, his eyebrows furrowed into deep wrinkles.
"Slave, you say? I"m the son of the head of the McKeel clan! I won"t do as I"m told…."
Fergus, who tried to stand up, suddenly fell forward onto the floor. It was because Edgar had pulled tightly on the rope tied around his waist.
"Wh what are you doing?!"
While having his forehead pressed down, Fergus tried to raise his head, but Edgar kept it pinned down.
"As long as I don"t give you permission, you aren"t even able to lift your head."
Seemingly unable to find any strength, Fergus grimaced in humiliation.
Edgar crouched down next to him and pointed at the holes in the tattered floorboards.
"I wonder if you can see them. The slaves who keep this s.h.i.+p moving. You don"t want to become like them, right?"
Trapped in the s.h.i.+p"s bottom, they would continue rowing for eternity. Upon seeing the skeletons of former humans, Fergus turned pale.
Seemingly having lost all intent to resist, Fergus became unsteady on his feet and leaned against the side of the s.h.i.+p.
"Well then, shall I have you answer my questions? Fergus, why did you come as far as this rough strait? Did you know that I was still in the Hebrides and come to capture me?"
Nevertheless, Fergus had continued to try and untie the rope around his waist, but soon gave up and lifted his face.
"……Lota and your attendant came to where Lydia is. You and Paul…... is that him? They were talking about you both disappearing with the ghost s.h.i.+p. Since they said they were going to go with Nico to where the blue ghosts are, I came ahead of them."
"What? Lota and Raven are….? But Earl, since we"ve parted with them, it"s only been about two or three hours, right?"
Paul tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"The pa.s.sing of time in the fairy realm is different. To Raven and the others, it probably seems that a lot more time has pa.s.sed."
Because he had gotten separated from Edgar, did Raven go to Nico seeking a.s.sistance?
"So then, Fergus, just why did you purposely came all the way into the rough seas, trying to chase after me?"
"That"s because….Lydia."
"Lydia? Did something happen?"
Fergus hesitated to say. He pondered for a short while in silence, then lifted his head and glowered at Edgar.
"No, I came for Lydia"s sake. She said that she didn"t want you to do anything unnecessary."
"Anything unnecessary, you say?"
Edgar suddenly lost his cool and grabbed Fergus by the collar.
"Ahh, that"s right. Even without the medicine, given enough time, the wound will heal. Even so, you accompany the Unseelie Court, trying to steal the medicine, even though you might awaken the "Master of the Islands.""
"Don"t tell lies. There"s no way Lydia would call something like this unnecessary."
"In any case, give it up! If it"s for Lydia"s sake then even more so, give up. You should understand that she doesn"t wish for something like this, right?"
Without realizing it, he had clenched his fist tightly. However, at the same time he felt a deep exhaustion towards this guy who didn"t understand anything.
"Earl, please calm down……"
It wasn"t necessary for Paul to mediate, for Edgar took his hands off Fergus.
Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he sat down in a slump. As if at his wit"s end, he buried his fingers into his golden hair.
There was no mistake in what Fergus had said. Lydia definitely didn"t wish for Edgar to approach the Unseelie Court and use the power that came with Prince"s memories.
However Fergus, understandably, didn"t know even a bit about the earnest feelings between them.
"Lydia said she won"t accept any treatment. She insisted on returning to London with me, even going as far as to say that she would wait for death alone if I left her behind….. That was the first time she"s ever said anything as selfishly as a lover would, to me. She, who always thinks of others and never makes anything but the most humble requests, lay her feelings bare, went as far as to say that she didn"t care what happened, and asked for me. Those were her true feelings. That"s why, if there"s a way, I will sell my soul to the devil in order to try and grant her desire….."
Even supposing that Lydia had now lost those feelings, Edgar wanted the medicine for the sake of the Lydia at that time.
To him, Lydia wasn"t the girl who appeared in his dreams to bid him farewell, but the girl he deceived in order to leave behind, unable to utilize her selfishness, his fiancée.
Both were unmistakably Lydia. However, at any rate, the true feelings she was forced to display while at the village of the Connaught Clan couldn"t be thought of as anything else but signs of a farewell.
"………If you do something like sell your soul to the devil, it will only cause Lydia to become disillusioned with you." Fergus, his spirit somewhat weakened, muttered these few words.
"In that case, Fergus, that will just mean that she will also become disillusioned with you who was unable to stop me."

After that, everyone stayed silent for a long time.
Both Edgar and Fergus were sitting down without moving at all.
In the midst of those two, Paul opened his mouth to speak.
"Earl, I won"t return by myself."
At those sudden words, Edgar lifted his head while trying to remember what Paul was talking about.
"I won"t do a thing like leave you behind and return to the human world. I"ll follow you to the place where the medicine is supposed to be."
It seemed like the continuation of their conversation from earlier, before Fergus had appeared.
"Paul, what are you saying? Besides not knowing what lies ahead, it"s wrong of you to be put in harm"s way for my sake."
"It"s not wrong! Earl, isn"t it clear that you haven"t become what Prince wanted? Even now, in this manner, you"re trying to protect not just Miss Lydia obviously, but even the likes of me. You are someone who doesn"t hesitate to get his hands dirty, yet you are unable to allow anyone else do the same for your sake. There"s no way that you will be controlled by Prince."
Paul had become unusually pa.s.sionate.
"You"ve gotten your revenge against that Prince. I, along with everyone else in Scarlet Moon, were liberated thanks to you. Not only is there no longer any reason to fight, but we are also no longer frightened of Prince"s evil hand."
"Revenge?"
Fergus interjected in a puzzled tone, but this didn"t seem to reach Paul"s ears, who continued speaking pa.s.sionately.
"Earl, you aren"t Prince. You just became a sacrifice for everyone else"s sake and took responsibility for something abominable. That"s why, I"ll do anything in order to protect you!"
This was completely unexpected. He thought he had no choice but to fight what was inside of him on his own from now on, but perhaps this didn"t have to be the case.
"Paul…….thank you."
Starting to smile, it seemed that Paul had finally found relief. It was the usual, slightly embarra.s.sed smile that surfaced; this smile gave Edgar the confidence that the strength of Paul"s friends.h.i.+p hadn"t changed.
(Sir, we"re about to enter the rock face.)
The voice of a Blue Men came out of nowhere. Edgar looked around, and saw a towering rocky mountain up ahead.
Its peak was probably what was sticking up above the surface of the sea. The place where they lived seemed pretty deep and you couldn"t see above very well, thought Edgar as he looked around.
"Earl, we- we"re about to get sucked into the crack!"
As Paul shouted, the crack in the rock approached closer. The s.h.i.+p headed towards it just like that, and gained speed as it rode eddies of the current.
The s.h.i.+p began to sway greatly once more.
Edgar and the others needed to grab onto something in their surroundings in order not to get thrown off, but foaming water suddenly began to close in on them, so while unable to see anything, they clung to the hand railing for dear life.
However, the water wasn"t painful, and felt like wind to Edgar.
Once everything calmed down and Edgar opened his eyes, it seemed as if the s.h.i.+p was in the middle of some cavern and had been run aground.
This place was already not within the sea. The ground was just barely damp from seawater.
It seemed to be a beach that the tide had pulled away from, with tangles of seaweed and tide pools here and there.
The Blue Men got off the s.h.i.+p one by one.
Edgar and the others were also made to do so, using a rope ladder to descend onto the rocky area. Once they had done so, the s.h.i.+p"s captain came near and pointed out a narrow tunnel that could be seen towards the interior.
(From here we are already close to the Master"s dream. Up ahead is the entrance where you can go farther into the dream.)
(Unless you go through there, you cannot reach the source of the Master"s dream……However, as soon as you touch the entrance you need to cast away all wicked desires. If you don"t, you"ll feel the Master"s wrath.)
"Does that mean we"ll become just like you?"
(That"s right. You"ll become a ghost bound to this gloomy rock face. Night after night you"ll just go out onto the rough seas.)
"Hmmm, you pirates. It was probably because you tried to steal the master"s treasure."
Though Fergus muttered this, the former pirates smiled with nostalgia, as if even their humiliating pasts were long ago.
(Good grief. Even though long ago we had control over a great number of things in the ocean, to think that we would end up this far north, trapped in this narrow strait.)
(Sir, please destroy the Master"s dream and share the spring of magical power with us. If you do that then we will become free. We"ll be able to rampage out on the ocean as much as we please.)
"Don"t say such ridiculous things! If Unseelie Court fairies became free, then you"ll surely cause trouble for the islands" clans!"
The ghosts laughed at Fergus" outburst as if they were making fun of him.
(Either way, a calamity will soon befall the human world. The tear in the Master"s dream that exists here keeps growing, and I hear that even the Sluagh have been freely rioting in the world of humans.)
"That"s the doing of the Prince of Calamity."
(When the Prince of Calamity was born, it allowed the Unseelie Court to gain strength. Although that"s true, since long before that, in these islands, a seam opened in the Master"s dream, a tear large enough to produce the Prince of Calamity.)
"Why did the Master"s power weaken?" asked Edgar.
(Wasn"t that because, before the dream was completed, the humans weren"t careful when sealing the ripped seam?)
(The humans of that time had started to forget about the Master.)
(Master didn"t do anything. He didn"t even show himself. It was because he just kept dreaming. For humans, he"s likely a being that"s even harder to believe in than fairies.)
Whether or not it was because he couldn"t object, Fergus stayed silent.
"Let"s go."
Edgar started walking, heading towards the entrance of the Master"s dream.
Giving a firm nod of his head, Paul followed after him. Even Fergus who was still bound by the rope, rather than saying he had no choice, started walking by his own free will.
 

                                                                                                                                            ＊＊＊
 

The party of Lota and the others landed on the island they had marked.
The place was not too far from the island where Lota had reunited with Edgar and Raven, and since the weather was good today, its silhouette could faintly be seen.
After alighting on the very small uninhabited island, the first person to speak was Raven.
"I wonder if this place is one of the islands belonging to the "Master of the Islands.""
"By Master do you mean the guy Edgar mentioned, the one who has the medicine? If that"s the case, then I wonder if the medicine is also here."
The boat had finally been able to approach the cove where rocks were scattered about everywhere. One way or another, they climbed up a hill on which some gra.s.s had sprung up. Lota looked around and took stock of their surroundings.
"The medicine is within the dream right? Even if this is the Master"s island, unless we can enter the dream we won"t be able to find it."
Nico also stepped firmly on the ground with his two hind legs.
If one were to stand there, they could see the sea on the other side. What a truly small island this was.
Where was Lydia? The presence of the girl who had slipped into the dream couldn"t be felt here.
However, this was about Lydia. Before very long, she would surely need help and call for Nico. If she was close by, then her voice would reach him. He"ll be able to find Lydia. Thinking this, Nico came with Lota.
Since he didn"t see any sign of Kelpie, it was possible that he was with Lydia. However, even though he was a fairy with a huge build and powerful magic, the only one who could become Lydia"s emotional support was himself, thought Nico.
He knew Lydia way better than someone like Kelpie.
He had watched over her since she was a child.
Lydia was stubborn and pretended to be strong. Ever since her mother pa.s.sed away, she would act cheerfully in front of her father and grandmother. Even when she was treated unkindly for being able to see fairies, she didn"t cry in front of people. Only Nico had wiped away her tears.
Although he understood Lydia better than anyone, why did he become separated from her? While pondering this, he was feeling regret.
Was it because his duty, given to him by Aurora, to oversee Lydia"s growth into adulthood, had finished?
That wasn"t it. Nico probably decided to leave her because he realized that once Lydia got married, she truly wouldn"t need him anymore, and he hated that.
That"s why, when she appeared looking for Nico, he felt happy.
"Hey Nico, do you think this place is connected to the Blue Mens" nest?"
After Lota asked him this, Nico meaningfully combed his fur which had become blown about by the wind. Although he had been making a face like he was about to cry, Lota probably hadn"t noticed this.
"We"ll need to find a path that leads underground."
"Underground huh. Does that mean there are stairs somewhere? Raven, this has been an uninhabited island since long ago, right?"
"That"s what I had heard. In the past, this place was used to give offerings to the Master and the like. However, it seems that Englishmen had been targeting it and tried to gain occupation of it illegally."
"The Englishmen wanted an island like this? There"s so little gra.s.s you could barely raise sheep in a place like this."
"I heard there was something like jewels here, though."
"Jewels? It"s probably because it"s been said that the heart of the Master"s dream is made with a jewel." Nico muttered.
"Is that so?"
"Ahh, there"s a legend that back when the Blue Men were pirates, they were targeting it. In any case, if the story about the jewels is true, then the possibility of there being an entrance on this island grows higher."
Nico, who had been walking around on top of the hill, suddenly noticed something and stopped.
"There"s a cavity here."
"What, where?"
Lota rushed over and looked around hurriedly, but couldn"t see anything.
"From this point is the fairy world. However, unless you enter by yourself, I won"t be able to bring you along."
"If we can see it, can we enter?"
Raven, who had come to Nico"s side, peered in.
"Raven, you can see it?"
"Yes. There"s a hole here."
While thinking that this was unexpected, Nico inclined his head in puzzlement, but in any case, if Raven could see it then Nico could only take him.
Lota surprisingly accepted this readily.
"Then I"ll wait here. Raven, please take care not to abandon Paul."
Raven looked back as if surprised.
"Is Mr. Ferman with Lord Edgar?"
"Hah? You saw it too! Paul fell into the ocean with Edgar!"
As Lota pressed him, Raven blinked.
"……I remember now."
"Sheesh, did you forget about Paul completely?! Ahh jeez, I"m worried. You"ll definitely protect Edgar and Lydia, but you won"t pay attention to Paul at all huh?"
"For the time being, I will remember him."
That"s mere consolation, murmured Nico, as he jumped into the gaping hole in the ground that led to the fairy world.
Raven followed after him. The hole didn"t seem that deep, but when he looked up, he could no longer see Lota"s figure.
From there, a gently-sloping grotto that continued downward was connected.
"Let"s go, Raven."
"Yes."
After walking a bit, the path split into two. Having come to a standstill, Nico felt troubled and folded his arms.
"I wonder which way we should go."
"That"s right, it must be this way."
Nico took a wild guess and said this.
"As expected of Mr. Nico. You are very knowledgeable about the paths to the fairy world."
Nico was one who would get carried away when praised.  He pressed forward with confidence and his chest puffed out with pride. But, the path forked again.
Without letting on that he was lost, he quickly picked the right fork.
However, as the number of forked paths kept increasing, Nico began to feel panicked.
"Mr. Nico, isn"t this the three-forked junction we were just at?"
"Ah, ahh….., well, I made a small mistake. We actually have to go this way."
"We went that way before, too."
"Th-that"s right. This way."
"We just came from that way though."
"Ummm…."
Nico didn"t know what was what anymore.
He didn"t even know which way to return. Nico took his head in his hands and sat down.
"I"m sorry, we"ve become lost!"
"I see."
Raven said this without any emotion, but since it wasn"t different from his usual tone, Nico couldn"t tell whether or not Raven was disillusioned with him.
He sat down next to the disheartened Nico. Perhaps because he was also at a loss, he sank into silence.
"……I"m really such a useless fairy. Of course, I know more about the fairy world than Lydia, but I"m just an ordinary fairy. Unless one has a great number of special skills, they only have a bit of magical power."
"I know."
To this blunt statement that held no malice, Nico didn"t even have a reply. He became increasingly depressed and hung his head.
"But when I"m with Mr. Nico, I get the feeling that one way or another everything will work out. As if the situation will never become grave."
It seemed like Raven was trying to cheer Nico up.
"Surely, Mr. Nico is lucky."
It was hard to tell whether he was praising him or not. Nevertheless, Nico raised his head.
It looked like Raven was smiling just a tiny bit.
Perhaps he really thought so and had become optimistic.
However Nico was still pessimistic. If this path to the fairy world had been made naturally, there"s no way he would have gotten lost.
It seems like there was some special power at work here. It wasn"t like the magic of the Blue Men, so it was probably the dream of the "Master of the Islands" that was influencing this grotto.
Even Nico didn"t quite know anything about the Master. They had gotten lost in an unthinkable place.
"Um."
Raven started to speak again, as if he had thought of something.
"I thought that I should return this."
He took something out of his pocket and placed it onto Nico"s small palm. It was a polished round bloodstone.
"I thought this was something Mr. Nico lost, so I have been keeping it for you."
It was the stone he kept as a memento of Aurora, the stone he thought he had lost.
Nico gently squeezed it.
It had come back to him again.
It was the bloodstone that Aurora had taken from the casket in the Holy Land. It was the stone of the ancient legend, said to be able to save the islands and left behind by the Prophet.
It was something that would undergo a transformation if it came into contact with a new savior.
Nico couldn"t feel anything but a faint, comfortable vibration, but there was no doubt that it held a great and special power. That kind of bloodstone had once again returned to his paw.
"That"s right, Raven, you were probably able to see the hole leading to the fairy world because you were holding this."
"I wonder if this stone was mined from here."
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, it is just a hunch. I just suddenly remembered that the "Master of the Islands" is said to possess a jewel, is all."
I see, thought Nico as he folded his arms.
If it"s the Master"s jewel, then it"s likely that it would hold special magical power. Besides, this island was said to be the Master"s island and he had to agree that it had had an effect on Raven here.
"Yes, that might be true. In any case…….thanks for picking it up for me, Raven."
Nico started to put away the bloodstone in the seam of his necktie. However, his paw slipped and he dropped it.
Then, it began to roll away along the slanted ground.
"Ah!"
Nico started to go after it in a panic, but the spherical bloodstone rapidly rolled away.
"Uwaaa, wait for me!"
"Mr. Nico!"
Raven also hurriedly chased after him but, probably due to having let go of the bloodstone, he couldn"t see his surroundings very well.
The stone rolled along freely in this complex branching cave system. The decline increased rapidly, and Nico also became already unable to stop.
"Wawawawa……, ahhhh!"
Having stumbled on some pebbles by his feet, Nico started to fall forward, and at that same moment, Raven tripped over him.
The pair were flung seemingly into s.p.a.ce.
We"re going to fall, thought Nico as he shut his eyes.
He felt that a long time had pa.s.sed before their bodies. .h.i.t the ground with a thud, but that was probably a delusion.
In addition, what they fell on wasn"t the hard rocky ground, but a place where fluffy gra.s.s grew thickly and abundantly.
Taken aback, Nico got up.
Looking around, he saw that they were in a gra.s.slands where a gentle wind blew.
Next to him, Raven also stood up. He surveyed their surroundings as if surprised.
Then, he suddenly dropped his line of sight to a patch of gra.s.s and picked up a small globe.
It was a dark green jewel which contained a deep red, the bloodstone.
"I wonder if this thing showed us the way."
Nico muttered as he took it into his paws once more.
"I wonder where this is. Is this the Blue Mens’" nest?"
"We"re probably in the domain of the Master"s dream."
Raven stood up. Then he held his hand out towards Nico.
While holding that hand, Nico thought. This was the third person whose hand he had taken.
"As I thought, Mr. Nico is dependable."
Nico remembered the time when, long ago, a young Aurora had gotten lost and appeared among the mountains where Nico lived. Taking that hand, Nico went with her to her village.
Lydia appeared on the same mountain.
Having lost her way in the same manner, she appeared in front of Nico while crying. Once again, Nico went down the mountain with her.
If he just waited, someone would come for him……..
Since who knows when and for what reason did Nico wait, but it may have been for humans like them.
When Nico held hands with Aurora or Lydia, his loneliness disappeared.
Even if he were to pa.s.s away, the days he spent with Aurora would remain vividly within Nico.
They couldn"t be together forever. However, Nico kept his memories with humans close to him forever.
And now, Raven was gripping Nico"s paw.

"Which way should we go?"
Like a lost child, he tilted his head to one side in doubt.
"Let"s see, probably……this way!"
Nico had vaguely pointed in a direction, but Raven gave him a look of trust and nodded.

                                                                                                                                             ＊＊＊
 

​What seemed like a grotto was actually a vast underground cavern. Formed by seawater that had flowed in, a lake stretched out as far as one could see. Edgar and the others walked along  its sh.o.r.e.
Above them, a rocky ceiling hung over them. There wasn"t a single blade of gra.s.s around them, only a rocky surface that continued for some time.
They had come in quite far from the cove where the Blue Mens" s.h.i.+p had landed. However, they couldn"t tell whether or not they were close to the entrance of the Master"s dream.
Was it okay to keep continuing along the sh.o.r.e of the lake like this?
"Earl, what could that be?"
Paul pointed at a narrow path that stretched out towards the middle of the lake. Rock had gradually risen out of the lake and extended outward, forming a sort of path.
"It seems like there"s something ahead. Can you see it?"
"It"s the Standing Stone," Fergus answered.
Now that he said so, the single boulder really did look like it was standing straight.
"Is that the entrance?"
Muttering this, Edgar broke into a run. However after he had advanced a bit, he suddenly stopped and turned around to look back at Fergus.
Naturally, Paul and Fergus followed after him.
"I"ll be troubled if you always come along with me, you know."
"Like I care! You"re the one who won"t untie the rope."
As he finished speaking, Edgar withdrew the Merrow"s Sword.
"Wh what are you…"
Edgar cut the rope with one clean stroke, causing Fergus to stagger and fall backwards with his eyes open wide.
"……Why you, don"t look down on me!!"
"I just did as you wanted, though. With this, you"re now free so please hurry up and go wherever you"d like."
Edgar took off running again. Paul followed behind him. But Fergus wouldn"t let them go so easily.
"If you say I can go where I want, then I"ll keep an eye on you. I won"t turn a blind eye to you getting involved with the Master, because I don"t want to let Lydia near a person who does that."
Edgar didn"t care, and ran towards the Standing Stone.
As he got closer, he was able to clearly see what it really was. It was a black slab of rock that stood upright by itself.
Edgar grasped the legendary sword tightly.
"Hey, wait! If that"s the entrance, then only those who were invited can enter. If you destroy it, you"ll become a captive ghost just like Blue Men!"
Fergus grabbed Edgar"s arm and tried to restrain it.
"Don"t get in my way."
"I don"t want to become a ghost!"
"That"s why I let you go."
"….Let"s think of a gentler method! I didn"t think you were this reckless!"
Even if this was reckless, there was no way that Edgar would be invited by the ‘Master of the Islands.’" If he wanted to enter, he had no choice but to do so by force.
He flung Fergus aside. Fergus lost his footing on the rock and fell into the lake.
Edgar raised the sword above his head in preparation to strike.
"Edgar, stop!!"
Lydia"s voice rang out clearly.
Edgar looked around, but couldn"t see her anywhere.
"Lydia, are you there?"
"Please stop…..if you do something like that, you"ll definitely die."
It seemed as if the voice was coming from beyond the Standing Stone.
"Over there huh…… Are you inside the Master"s dream?”
"You shouldn"t come over here. Edgar, there"s no longer any reason for you to obtain the medicine, right? Return to London. There are plenty of suitable women for you there."
Edgar gently stroked the jet black surface of the stone. On its smooth, polished face, his own image was faintly reflected. While gazing at it, Edgar felt that Lydia was doing the same and touching the stone on the other side.
She must also be imagining Edgar in the same way.
When they met within a dream, if he searched for her, then she would answer him, even if a bit awkwardly. In this way, he could be certain that her heart was close to him.
Despite all this, had she really fallen in love with Fergus after all?
"Hey, stop doing such foolish things."
"Even if it seems foolish, it"s fine. I want to redeem myself. After all, I hurt you."
"I……..haven"t gotten hurt at all."
"I tricked you and left you. At that time, I think you were considerably disappointed in me. It"s alright, no matter who you choose to stay beside, I want to obtain the medicine. My Lydia, please let me grant the wish which you asked of me back then.”
Edgar hardened his resolve, then gripped the sword once more.
"Lydia, get away from the stone!"
Fergus" voice rang out once more, trying to get Edgar to stop, but Edgar swung the sword.
At that moment, the waters of the lake suddenly began to swell.
The waves rose higher and higher and fell upon the Standing Stone.
Edgar thought he felt the feedback from when the sword smashed the stone"s base, but the impact from colliding into the ma.s.s of water was so great that Edgar lost consciousness.