Hakushaku to Yousei

"I have no intention of making deals with you," Edgar snarled coldly as he ground his foot on the man"s head. "You"re obviously lying when you said you hid it. You"re better off handing it over right now."

"I-I got it...... I"ll give it to you......"

Edgar started to move his foot, but he kicked Slope again when he put his hand in his pocket.

"Edgar! Don"t be so violent......" Lydia shouted and tried to run to Edgar"s side, but Francis stopped her.

"He was about to pull out a knife."

Lydia gasped when she saw the knife laying on the ground next to Slope as he lay doubled over again. If he"d shown any mercy, Edgar could have ended up being stabbed.

"Lydia, he"s the man who caused your injuries. I can"t forgive him," Edgar said.

As Edgar picked up the knife, Slope looked terrified and scuttled backwards away from him. Reaching the stairs, Slope struggled to get to his feet.

"You"re quite vicious, aren"t you, earl? And you think you"re a normal human being despite that? It"s because you"re that way that I thought you"d caused Lydia"s injuries."

Aeris suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs and slowly started down the stairs. Like water, her blue cloak flowed down the stairs after her.

"I am normal. I can differentiate the vermin. You seeing all men as the enemy are the one who"s not normal."

Edgar turned his attention to Aeris and Slope took advantage of that, quickly getting to his feet and running to Aeris as thought seeking her help.

"I have the gold key. You want it, too, don"t you? If you help me, you can have it."

Aeris raised a white arm. The princess had once been called a witch. Slope stopped shocked when he caught sight of her surprisingly fierce countenance. The gold key came out from the inside of his jacket and floated in midair.

"You want me to help you? This was mine from the very start."

"I brought it. Aeris, Diana had found it and was trying to bring it to you. If that"s what your wish is, then I"d like you consider my request." Francis hurriedly stated.

"Too bad, what"s to be given in exchange for this has already been determined in my promise with Diana. Not to mention this isn"t my greatest wish."

"......So Diana had come here in order to give this to you in exchange for something?"

"That"s right. But since you"d stolen the key, she"d come here without the item she was to give in exchange, she ended up leaving having gained nothing. Cruel man, she risked her life trying to carry out her duty only to have you ruin everything."

"Risked her life. Could it be that Diana"s no longer alive?" Lydia felt that as she listened to them.

Perhaps Francis had thought that since she was missing, perhaps she"d ended up dying somewhere. He said nothing as he hung his head. But apparently, he was still unwilling to give up. "Diana forgave me...... So if possible, I"d like to carry out her last wish. Aeris, would you give me what you"d promised to give Diana in exchange for that key?" he finally grated out.

Diana was from Ibrazel, and since Edgar was its lord, perhaps that was part of the reason why Francis had sworn fealty to him. Aeris however, wouldn"t agree.

"Men can"t return from here alive, so what"s the point in giving it to you?"

Things were starting to get side-tracked. Mermaids appeared at the top of the stairs. Edgar quietly pulled Lydia"s arm. He had the reigns to one of the horses in hand.

"Arrow, now!"

The instant Edgar called, a silvery flash covered the area.

"Raven, Francis, let"s go!"

Unable to see well, Lydia felt herself being pulled up on a horse before setting off for the corridor surrounded by the walls. Edgar held Lydia firmly with one arm, but since they didn"t have a saddle, she felt very unsteady. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. Raven, with Nico and Kelly, and Francis followed after them.

Silvery light flooded the area behind them. Arrow"s magic was managing to keep the flood wave that the mermaids created in check. But despite that, the water covering the ground in the corridor was slowly getting deeper.

The horses ran on kicking up so much spray that it fell like rain. Looking up, the sky was becoming increasing red. From where they were between the tall walls, it was virtually impossible to tell where exactly the sun was, but there was no question that it was very close to reaching the horizon. The city would soon sink into the sea. Perhaps the sun was this very same colour on that final day so very long ago. The sky, the sea, and the granite coast line too, were all dyed the same colour.

No, this sea and coast were originally tinted red because of the magic stone. It"s the colour of the moonstone that sank into the sea together with the princess. Aeris said she"d let go of her betrothed"s hand. And she believed that with that, he could abandon her without being troubled by a guilty conscience.

Because it was a prearranged betrothal.

But even if he"d done it simply out of the kindness of his heart, perhaps the man who"d tried to save the princess right until the very last moment made some lasting impression in her heart. Like this sea and the rocks and buildings bordering the sea in this area, faintly and red.

"Lydia, is the water cold? You only have to endure it for a short while," Edgar said trying to cheer her up. Most likely because Lydia had unconsciously pressed her cheek to his chest.

She wanted to feel his warmth. Their escape wasn"t the same as the princess and her betrothed from that time. She prayed that they wouldn"t end up being parted like the tragic legend. In the end, Lydia still didn"t know what Aeris"s wish was, and Edgar was trying to force his way out. But Lydia couldn"t help feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty whether it was possible. For all that the city was close to the human realm when it showed itself above the sea once a year, it was still part of the fae realm, so it"s laws couldn"t be changed. Edgar, too, should be aware of that. That"s why she was afraid. That maybe a part of him felt that as long as she survived that"s all that mattered. Or whether he would continue like they were for as long as necessary, not give up, and fight to stay with her. But they were out of time. And they had no other choice. They could only continue to push forward.

(My lord, there are too many of them,) Arrow"s voice said.

Apparently, he was at his limits for holding their magic in check.

Edgar urged the horse to run even faster, but the water in the corridor was slowing the horse down.

"Edgar, the wave......!"

Looking back, a huge wave broke through Arrow"s silvery light and headed straight for them.

"Earl, move away from Lydia," Aeris"s voice said. "If you drag her down with you, you"re no different from that man. The man who killed his wife."

What happened to that Slope? Did the mermaids capture him and were they trying to drown him together with the city?

"You knew that the prince had driven your parents to their deaths and that he"d devised your family"s downfall, yet you still took possession of the prince in his entirety. You were born to want power and to control people; it"s part of your very nature. Just how evil that desire is..."

Edgar said nothing as he grit his teeth tormented.

"No doubt, one day, you"ll end up crus.h.i.+ng Lydia underfoot as well."

It"s not like that. Edgar had stolen everything there is to the prince in order to protect Lydia. Even if he ended up suffering, he"s always tried to bring happiness to those around him. And even though he was that way, being with Lydia gave him a little peace. So if in seeking peace of mind he wanted her, she wanted to respond to him in her entirety.

"Edgar, you"re a very kind person. If you weren"t, you wouldn"t be as hurt as you are...... You"re not evil."

I believe that you will never change and that you will always cherish me.

She heard the wave as it drew closer.

She clung to him firmly and pressed her head to him, but he didn"t hold her as firmly as he always did.

"Lydia...... I want to protect you, so what should I do......"

"No, don"t let go! Edgar......!" Lydia screamed as she watched the crest of the wave rise over top of them.

Edgar"s breath caught for an instant as the wave struck them. They were going to fall. When he realised that, Edgar let go of the reigns and grabbed hold of Lydia. He held them against wall to keep them from being dragged back by the wave then quickly got to his feet in the short instant the water stopped flowing. Even though they"d fallen from the horse, they were uninjured thanks to the water that had continued flooding into the corridor. Unfortunately, the horse ended up running off without them.

There was no sign of Raven and the others. Raven no doubt would manage somehow on his own. And most likely, he would be able to protect Nico and Kelly. As for Francis, he could only pray that he was okay.

"Lydia, can you stand? The island"s only a short distance away."

"Yes......"

He could see the island. But they hadn"t managed to get even half-way through the corridor. Most likely Lydia realised it as well, but she struggled to her feet and lifted her wet skirt as she continued forward. The water was already up to their knees. So even though they tried to run, they couldn"t move very fast.

His doing this was only pus.h.i.+ng Lydia closer to the brink of death. No doubt the law of the city would see Edgar dragged into the sea. He knew that, yet he was still trying to take Lydia away. For the sake of his own wicked pa.s.sion? Lydia said not. But Edgar didn"t know if he was doing the right thing or not.

However, Lydia held his hand firmly. So he was unable to let go of her hand and continued hurrying on ahead. He felt the flow of water around his legs change and realised that another wave was about to come rolling over them.

"Aeris, stop......! This has nothing to do with Lydia!"

"Then move away from her," her cold voice said clearly above the sound of the waves.

He may no longer have any other choice.

"Edgar, you"re not alone any more. Your past is a part of me now."

He couldn"t let go. It was thanks to his meeting this young lady that he"d been saved. And it was for that very reason that he didn"t want her to meet the same fate as him.

"Aeris, you don"t know anything, do you? Even though you had many lovers, you never knew true love, did you? But you want to know, right?" Lydia desperately continued speaking. "We"ll show you......! Regardless what happens, Edgar will never let go of my hand. We don"t mind if we end up dying together. After all, except for living our lives together, we realised that we have no future."

Her fervent words echoed almost painfully in his heart.

Yes, he must not let go of her hand. Because it would mean betraying her love. The two had come so far that they could no longer consider breaking their relations.h.i.+p for the sake of one of them. Despite his having taken on the prince"s memories, he was here now having determined to continue going through life together with her.

"......That"s right, Aeris. You don"t know, do you? Just how much I love Lydia......"

If there comes a time when he lets go of this hand, it would be for one reason alone. It would be when the prince took control of him. He was supposed to have already decided that.

"I"ll protect Lydia. Even from what is inside me!"

He held her hand firmly and pulled Lydia to him. They could no longer avoid the incoming wave. Stopping, he met Lydia"s gaze as she smiled as though prepared for whatever might happen, and held her. Feeling bliss the instant her slender arms wrap themselves around his back, Edgar closed his eyes.

For the New Legend

The royal city that controlled the kingdom of the sea was surrounded by high walls and was a fortress on the sea. The one who built that wonderful city was a lone princess whose mother was one of the fae.

She"s a witch.

Almost every day, someone whispered that. She must be using strange magics since it wasn"t possible to see the city surrounded by its rock walls from the sea.

This city is controlled by a witch.

In the palace, there were even those who said that the beautiful fairy, who"d been their now deceased queen, had been a witch and deceived the king. Peace was maintained thanks to fae magics, and the kingdom prospered. But the negative comments about the princess were unending as people said such things like even though she was a woman, she was involved in politics, or that she paid no heed to her father the king.

Lydia watched the story of the ancient royal city as it was revealed before her, and she wondered idly if she was dreaming. The streets were teeming with people, and they all looked busy as they went about their work. At the sound of the church bell ringing, a flock of pigeons suddenly took to the air from the belfry. But that scene wavered as though it were happening in the water.

Lydia had a bird"s eye view of women gossiping around the well and confidential talks at the palace. And if she tried listening in, she could hear what they were saying. If this was a dream, it was possible she was seeing Aeris"s dream of the distant past. When she thought that, she found herself in the middle of a room done in marble. And beyond several layers of curtains, Lydia caught sight of a woman who was propped up on one elbow as she lay on a Roman-style divan. She had wavy black hair and almost shaped eyes. It was the voluptuous princess.

"No one tries to understand how I feel. They just want this kingdom." The softly spoke words spilled from her lips.

"No, I can understand your lonely heart."

A strikingly handsome young man was kneeling next to her. Lydia sensed that he was the princess"s last lover—the one who betrayed her.

"You"re a clever person, you have the power to rule this kingdom, but the sages and ministers all try to push you aside simply because you"re a woman. I understand."

Lydia watched as that man is then enticed by another person. She somehow understood that the other person was the underling of an invader who was after that beautiful kingdom. G.o.d and the devil were images created in the legend. The princess was simply someone who was unlike other people because she carried fae blood, and she wasn"t a wicked woman.

Even so, the invader was contemptuous of her reputation, and had her lover steal the gold key from her while she was sleeping. In order to sink the city into the sea. With the floodgates open, water rushed into the streets, and people ran about trying to flee.

It hurt the princess to see that as she watched from the palace crying tears of dismay. She should never have trusted anyone.

"You"re still here? Princess, you must hurry and evacuate. I"ll take you out of here." The person who said that was a man wearing a red moonstone ring.

The princess followed his urgings and left the palace, but water had already started flooding into the evacuation route. He tried to get the princess to mount a horse, but the horse would be slowed with two people on it. No doubt they wouldn"t make it in time.

"Please go. This is my city. I will share its fate."

Because it was the one thing that never betrayed her and the place that gave her peace.

"No, take this. This is partially in the fae realm. If you use its magic power, no doubt..."

He handed her the red moonstone that he wore on his finger. It"s definitive sheen had the same appearance as the moon she could see in the sky shortly before sunset.

"But that is the magic power that protects you. There"s nothing between us. It"s magic will not save me."

"You"re my fiancee. I came here to ask for your hand in marriage."

"It"s something that others decided upon."

"Even so, since I accepted the proposal, I will love you."

"No, while it may be your honour, it"s not love. So you see? If I let go of your hand, you too......"

The princess fell from the horse, and she sank into the depths of the sea. Together with the city and her betrothed"s red moonstone.