The Prince Of Magic

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'Spawns… great…' Yan deadpanned.

'That…doesn't sound awesome…' Charles added nervously.

'Search for food? How? What do they even round eat here?' Arash asked, morbidly curious at the thought of what a powerful alien considers food.

'Apparently, there seems to be a few strange trees around the island that sprouted after the Spider had begun living there. According to the Watch, the trees are the main, if not their only source of food on that island. That might be the reason why the Spider and its spawns saw no reason to leave their home in search of sustenance.' Hadrian added the last part almost as an afterthought.

'They eat trees? Are they vegetarians, Master?' Astolfo asked, finding the idea strange.

'Ha ha, no. If only...' Hadrian laughed, then proceeded to explain. 'No, the trees are not their actual main source of food. Rather, it's the things that grew from them. They are called 'Blood Beads', due to their tear-like appearance. The Watch had inspected one before, but never in person. They never got the chance to harvest one since it's quite dangerous to simply walk around the isle.'

'Blood Beads? Um, do they contain…?' Charles trailed off, eyes wide with grim expectation.

'Yes, it's exactly what you think. They do contain blood.' Hadrian confirmed. 'It's not known if it's the Spider's or a human's, but I suppose we'll see when you encounter one of the 'Blood Springs'.'

'Blood Springs?' Arturia echoed curiously.

'It's the name of the trees in which the Blood Beads grow out from.' Hadrian answered.

'Uh, Master, are you expecting for them to get some of these… Blood Beads for you?' Dia inquired in surprise.

'They are already about to venture into the island. I might as well request for them to get me some of them while they are at it.' Hadrian defended.

If the retainers were to see their Master's face, they would see him wearing a small pouting expression, causing him to appear younger and boyish.

'Yeah, that is if they can leave that island with their limbs intact.' Kieran scoffed through the mind link with a shook of his head.

'Ah, nevertheless, just remember to look out for snow-white trees with crimson tear-shaped objects growing out from their branches like fruits. Please get me five or ten of them if you happen to come across the Blood Springs along the way.' Hadrian requested, ignoring his amber-eyed retainer's negativity.

Hadrian has faith in the seven retainers to make it out of the Spider's nest safely. He had seen them in action many times in the past, and it was not as if he wouldn't be providing them support.

'Is it for your research?' Scáthach asked, joining the conversation.

'Yes. It can be vital for my own research.' Hadrian added.

'Then, we will keep a lookout for them.' Scáthach stated with a confident nod.

'Thank you. That would be much appreciated.' Hadrian thanked her with genuine honesty.

The crimson eyed woman may have sounded nonchalant, but it touched Hadrian that she didn't even hesitated in accepting his request, despite the threat that they might face.

His other retainers also voiced their own acceptance to his request after she did. Even Yan himself agreed, despite sounding the most hesitant.

'Will we be expecting for these… spawns to be as formidable as their sire?' Rider inquired.

'Good question. Hmm… based on the recordings and stats, I would say that they are formidable, but most likely not as much as the Spider. They are probably on par with the stronger Dead Apostles, but this is simply a guess on my part. It won't hurt to be cautious when it comes to testing out their strength if you do happen to encounter them.' Hadrian cautioned them.

'Stronger Dead Apostles… great… The f.u.c.k did I get myself into?' Yan asked himself in resignation.

'Yan, you can always return here if you really don't want to go through with this.' Hadrian offered, fully aware of his retainer's reluctance.

'Yeah, you're just going to have to come back the way you got there, bud.' Kieran commented with an evil smirk.

'I'll help if you want.' Arash chimed in, well aware of the glare sent at his way.

'Me too!' Astolfo pitched in cheerfully.

Recalling his embarrassing state earlier, Yan's right brow twitched as he frowned in annoyance.

'Hell to the no! I might as well go all the way since I'm already here.' The long-haired retainer refused vehemently.

Sighing at their antics through the monitors in the control room, Hadrian spoke again before their 'talk' could go on any longer.

'Okay, enough dawdling. The intruders might not be on the move, but it would be best not to keep them waiting anymore. In the meantime, I'll be watching from here and provide some support if there is a need. Now, please venture into the island, and be careful.'

With that said, the seven retainers began to venture into the strange isle that is the home to one of the most dangerous beings in the world.

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