The Prince Of Magic

...

...

But first, there were some things he must confirm.

"Before I state my decision on this matter, I must ask you two first… do you know what I am?" Hadrian inquired.

The Flamel couple blinked, turned to glance at each other before returning to him.

"You are a mage." Penerelle answered, slightly confused.

"Oui, what she said." Nicolas added, equally confounded.

"Yes, a mage. Although, the word 'Magus' is a more common term to describe people like myself." Hadrian explained, closing his eyes briefly.

Taking a moment to choose his words carefully, the young mage glanced upwards the ceiling with a thoughtful expression before turning back to the couple.

"I will not pretend to know how you wizards do things here, but where I'm from, magi are different. You could not find a more selfish, arrogant, cold and calculating race than my own. While there are some who can be honorable and trustworthy, nearly all mages were nurtured to become researchers. They prioritize the advancement of their research over anything else. Sometimes, even over their own lives."

With narrowed eyes, a thoughtful look fell upon the couple's faces as they absorbed his words.

"What are you trying to say exactly?" Nicolas pondered aloud.

"I'm an outsider, who is simply here to search and eliminate my target. But now, you are asking me to get involve on a matter that should have been resolved by the authoritative figures of your society a long time ago. I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that... is it really fine for me to get involve?" Hadrian asked.

The Flamel couple glanced at each other in surprise, communicating silently with their eyes, before turning back to him.

"I don't see why you shouldn't." Penerelle said, tilting her head in curiosity with a finger on her chin.

"Oui." Nicolas nodded.

Sensing that they didn't catch the meaning in his words, Hadrian exhaled through his nose before speaking again.

"Let me blunt then, the way we dealt with matters such as these might seem extreme in your eyes. I might –" Hadrian shook his head, then continued. "No, I will do things that would be considered inhumane, unconstitutional or even abhorrent by your people. So, I ask you again, will you be fine in cooperating with someone like me?"

"Are you saying that you're willing to kill and do underhanded methods if you accept our request?" Penerelle inquired, clarifying his words.

"Yes." Hadrian answered calmly. "I was raised as a researcher, and we, magi, are not afraid of getting our hands dirty should there is a need. You two might even experience some dangerous repercussions in the future if our association comes to light in due to my actions or if someone were to witness me casting 'dark spells'."

Nicolas and Penerelle blinked in slight surprise, staring at him in a new light as they both met his calm yet determined gaze.

Truth be told, unknown to Hadrian, they had been warned by Zelretch what the young man might say in regards to their request.

When they had first seen him, Nicolas and Penerelle had been reluctant to think that the newly awakened young man would be capable of such grievous tasks.

After all, no one would have guessed that a young man with a beautiful, baby-looking face such as him would have the determination and courage to hunt down a madman on the loose.

What was more curious was that they could not garner a hint of lie or weakness from his voice and posture.

It was as if they were not seeing a young naïve teenager, but someone older, who was regal, poised and has a limitless amount of resolve.

Most importantly, they felt as if they were in the presence of someone different, someone who was a cut above the rest and worthy of their trust.

It was a strange thought, but not unpleasant.

Hardcore prankster and master of mischief he might be, Zelretch was not one to make claimless boasts when it comes to his grandson.

For once, the old magician was being truthful. Not only does his heir have power and determination, but he also possessed a great character.

Slightly amused by this, Nicolas smiled as he came into a decision of his own, of which his wife also seemed to share.

The Flamel couple smiled at each other, holding each other's hands before returning their gazes to him.

"Haha, lad, we have live through many wars and seen thousands of conflicts over the centuries. We may be pacifists, but not to the point that we would ignore effective methods that could better resolve the war in our society and spare many innocents as possible from future tragedies caused by one egotistic wizard." Nicolas chuckled.

"Indeed." Penerelle agreed with a smile, sharing her husband's sentiment. "Many families had been affected by Voldemort's actions, and I'm not just implying the wizarding families. The non-magicals had suffered from his tyranny the most, seeing as they were the target of not just his contempt but also of his followers'. His victims might not remember since the incidents caused by Voldemort and his Death Eaters had been wiped out from their minds, a brief respite, but it doesn't change the fact that they too had suffered just as much as the witches and wizards. The non-magicals might have pushed us away, but that doesn't mean that we don't care for their well-beings. The numbers that do care might be a few groups of wizards and witches, but still, we consider them our estranged brethren regardless of our differences in the past, even if the bridge between our races can never be mended anymore."

"We would have done something about this matter ourselves, but as you can see, we're not powerful. We might have amassed a vast amount of wealth and garnered enough influence in most governments, but power is something that we sorely lack. There's the method of hiring other hit-wizards to do the dirty work for us, but we don't really have anyone we trust to keep quiet about this kind of problem. There's also the issue of trust and the possibility that anyone we might hire would turn on us. It's just dangerous for us to go on that route." Nicolas sighed, shrugging.

"Unfortunately. My husband and I, we have our own areas of expertise in different branches of magic, which we have acc.u.mulated over the years. But, like Nicky says, we lack the firepower to match Dark Lords in a straight confrontation, much less against the one who had been regarded as the worst and greatest of them all." Penerelle agreed, smiling sheepishly.

"And this is where I come in?" Hadrian supplied, smiling wryly.

In unison, the couple smiled, amused and looking a bit triumphant by how quick their young companion was able to catch on to their meaning.

"Oui, but think of it this way, we're hiring you to get rid of our world the most fearsome Dark Lord in the magical society. In return, we shall do our utmost to assist you in your assignment." Nicolas offered, smiling a little as he leaned forward in his seat.

Amused, Hadrian chuckled as he leaned back in the sofa.

"I thought that was already what you two had intended to do?"

"Actually, the deal we had with Zel was to provide you with a plausible cover, a safe house, and a bit of support from us as you go on about with your assignment." Penerelle calmly countered, sipping daintily on her cup of tea before gently laying it down on the saucer that she held in her left hand.

"Oui." Nicolas nodded, lips curling into a small smirk. "Should you accept, all of our resources shall be at your disposal. I'll even teach you everything I know in alchemy."

The suggestion had piqued Hadrian's interest, who lifted a curious brow at the wizard's counter offer.

Hadrian had to give the man a bit of credit.

If there was one thing that could tempt him, it would be acquiring more knowledge in magic. Just from their short interaction, the old-but-young-looking wizard seemed to have guessed that appealing to his studious nature would make his offer all the more tempting for Hadrian to take. The Flamel couple had Hadrian where they want him.

Hadrian chuckled, thoroughly amused by the course of the discussion so far.

"Make it in all areas of magic, then I'll accept." The young mage made a counter offer, causing the couple to laugh.

With a small smirk, Nicolas lifted his right hand and held it in front of Hadrian.

"Très bien (Very well), you got yourself a deal then." The old wizard grinned as the young mage shook his hand.

In response, Hadrian gave the old wizard a little smile that was somewhat strained.

For some reason, the mere sight of the man's grin had reminded him of a certain magician's trademark grin.

There was no veiled mischief behind the expression, but the grin merely appeared eerily familiar.

Hadrian supposed that the old wizard was truly his grandfather's friend, especially as they both looked a bit similar to each other in how their faces would a form the same grins.

...

...