The Prince Of Magic

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After an hour or so, Hadrian was finally given permission to leave the office.

Any thoughts to discuss their plans in advance was put on hold as Nicolas and Penerelle seemed intent on milking his grandfather for any information that they thought vital.

It seemed like the discovery of powerful aliens living in their world was enough to send the couple into bundles of curiosity.

Of course, his grandfather indulged the couple's curiosity by providing them information in a simple yet precise manner.

Although, some of their inquiries were outright denied by his grandfather, of which the couple were surprised but relented in pursuing explanation in respect to their mutual friend's privacy.

Perhaps the Flamel couple thought they were being invasive with some of their questions. Hence, the reason they stopped pushing for explanations and simply moved on with different ones.

While Hadrian could not blame curiosity, some of the questions they did asked had difficult answers.

The kind that would only lead to more questions, and the ones that Hadrian would even hesitate to explain to them, or anyone for that matter, in depth.

By the time he was given leave, the trio of elders were discussing about his grandfather's colleagues.

The Dead Apostles, that is.

Shaking his head in amus.e.m.e.nt, Hadrian smiled wryly as he followed after his retainers to the fireplace.

When he mentioned of his retainers' plans for the afternoon, the Flamel couple were quick to suggest to him to use their fireplace, which they quickly explained to him and the others as one of the modes of magical transportation in the wizarding society.

The Flamels gave him a brief explanation of what they call the 'floo network' and how to use the substance called the 'floo powder'.

Needless to say, their curiosities were aroused and now Hadrian was following after his retainers to the main lounge where a large fireplace was located.

One of his retainers, King Hassan, had opted to be left behind again, preffering to sightsee the beautiful scenery of the large garden that the Flamels have by their courtyard.

Feeling a bit guilty, Hadrian let the assassin leave, but not before asking the twin maids to provide the old man with his preferred tea and food, along with promising King Hassan to bring him back some food before he and the others returned from their tour around the city.

Walking beside him were Arash and Charles, and two steps ahead were Kieran and Yan Qing, who were arguing to each other about something again.

At the very front of the pack was Astolfo, who was skipping ahead of them while humming happily under his breath.

"Lalala! Come on, guys! Daylight's burning, let's go!" Astolfo urged them, grinning.

"Someone's excited…" Charles muttered beside him, observing his fellow knight with curious eyes.

"Too excited." Kieran scoffed, then rubbed a hand to his face. "Ugh, f.u.c.k, I'm too tired to be hyped up for this shit. Why couldn't we go tour tomorrow?"

"The sooner we get to tour the city, the sooner we'll get to familiarize ourselves with the common things in this world." Arash answered with an easy-going smile.

"True, true." Yan Qing agreed, nodding his head with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hmm, the era this world is currently in is a bit behind master's time, so it's better to see what people are into these days than later." Charles added with a sigh.

"Didn't the automaton covered that up by giving us info last night?" Kieran questioned, brows knitting in thought.

"Yes, but sometimes, information isn't enough. It's better to see the actual thing yourself." Hadrian reasoned with a small smile.

In response, Kieran simply let out a deep sigh of resignation, shoulders slumping a bit as he dragged himself along with them.

Hadrian glanced at the amber eyed retainer, noticing the few signs of exhaustion on the latter's face.

"Didn't you just took a nap, Kieran? Why do you look tired then?" Hadrian asked.

"I don't know." Kieran groaned, eyes closing briefly as a deep frown marred his face. "I felt fine when I woke up earlier, then I slowly just felt tired for some reason. Maybe this'll go away when I sleep some more after we come back from whatever the f.u.c.k this pink cretin is planning for us."

"I heard that, cochon (swine)!"

"You were meant to, dumbass!"

Ignoring the two trading insults, Hadrian hummed instead of replying to Kieran, a look of contemplation fell on his face as he stared at the retainer's back with a calm, observant eye.

It was strange. His retainer should be in fine form, despite his less-than-desirable parameters.

And yet, Kieran was complaining about feeling exhausted for some reason.

Blinking, Hadrian tilted his head as he realized something.

Perhaps Kieran might also be experiencing the strange pressure that he was feeling somewhere outside the wards.

Although, clearly, the side effect was different in the retainer's case. In hindsight, Hadrian had also experienced extreme exhaustion in the past few days during training sessions, but that was mostly due to his body being weak and unused to physical exertion.

Bar Kieran, his retainers seemed to be fit and healthy, displaying none of the weakness that Kieran had shown him so far.

Hadrian sighed quietly to himself.

Theorizing on an issue with a solid lack of evidence would do him no good at this point.

Mayhaps, once he goes outside, he would be able to find the clue that he was looking for to solidify the foundation of his suspicion.

His observation went unnoticed by Kieran, Yan Qing and Astolfo as the three were conversing with each other.

Charles and Arash, on the other hand, were not as oblivious as the trio.

The two servants exchanged glances behind their master, communicating silently with their eyes before they shrugged their shoulders in unison.

Knowing their master, they would eventually be told of what was in his mind if there was something wrong.

Having explored the estate before, it was not long when Hadrian and his retainers found the fireplace.

Standing in front of it, Hadrian tilted his head as he observed the fireplace, or what the Flamels had called the 'Floo Network'.

At first, it was a simple fireplace. A bit decorative as there were silver and gold ornaments displayed here and there, but a fireplace designed with a modern outlook in mind.

Then, as one glanced to the large dark brown leather pouch filled with dark green powder, one might find the scene a bit strange.

It was a strange sight to see a large pouch near a fireplace, but nonetheless, it was subtle enough to be dismissed.

If Hadrian had not been made aware and an average mage, he would have thought that the fireplace was just that, a mere fireplace that was a bit lavish for his taste.

With a huff, Hadrian turned to his curious retainers, who happened to be standing behind him.

"Okay, so here it is, the Floo. Now, who wants to go first?" the young mage asked.

Upon his question, one hand went up immediately.

Unsurprisingly, it was Astolfo.

"Oh! Me! Me! Pick me, master!" The pink haired knight exclaimed, looking a bit distressed at the possibility that he won't be first.

Shaking his head, Hadrian beckoned the retainer to go ahead, causing the latter to whoop in joy.

"YAY!"

"Ugh…" Kieran groaned, watching the pink haired knight with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Disappointed? You can go second, Kieran!" Arash teased, smiling widely.

"Ugh, f.u.c.k off, arrowhead."

The radiance from the archer's smile caused Kieran to close his eyes, as if blinded temporarily by the former.

Although, he gave the bowman an annoyed glance before moving closer to the fireplace, watching as Astolfo conversed with Hadrian.

"Okay, you remember what I told you, yes?" Hadrian asked.

"Take a handful of this and say the location!" Astolfo answered with a grin.

"Yes, and you need to say the location in clear voice. No stuttering or mumbling."

"Got it!"

"Also, once you're there, just wait for us then. Don't go wandering off." Hadrian warned.

"Ah, got it, master!"

"I heard a pause there. Are you lying to me?" Hadrian deadpanned.

"Non, non! Absolutely non! I'mma wait for you guys there! I promise!" Astolfo denied, shaking his head rapidly.

"Really?" Yan Qing asked, skeptical.

"Oui, really! I will! I won't go anywhere!" Astolfo retorted, determined.

"We'll see." Hadrian sighed.

Behind him, a certain cheeky retainer whispered conspiratorially to a tan skinned bowman standing beside him.

"Watch him do the opposite later on."

"Yeah, I get that feeling too."

To Hadrian's left, a certain amber eyed retainer face-palmed, groaning into his hand.

"F.u.c.k, I'mma need some aspirin after this…"

On that matter, Hadrian could not agree more.

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