The Prince Of Magic

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'Well, there's two, but I have this feeling that there might be more…' Bright cyan eyes narrowed at the thought.

He was snapped out of his musings when Kieran spoke nearby.

"Looks like the dudes and dudettes are doing just fine." He commented as he watched the proceedings through the monitors.

"Hm, our practice runs seems to be paying off." Dia agreed as he stood near to Hadrian's right.

"They got their asses in the bag, I'm s– oh, never mind. Should've kept my mouth shut." Kieran muttered under his breath.

The reason for his sudden change in tone was due to his fellow retainers' formidable encounters with the intruders.

His retainers held the advantage at first, but as the minutes went on, they seem to be having some difficulties in taking down their respective opponents.

Hadrian can tell that they were restraining themselves from going all-out, which would simply spell a lot of trouble for them.

Hadrian was tempted to open the mind link to provide them his commands to settle the battle in their favor, but seeing the looks of concentration on their faces, he felt that it was not the right time yet.

"Charles seems to be having a tough time out there." Kieran mused aloud, frowning at the screen.

True to his observation, the cheeky retainer was struggling a bit as he tried to move on the offense against the enemy.

Unfortunately for Charles, the intruder had proven himself to be quite a skilled combatant, given how seamlessly his enemy defended himself from both Charles and Scáthach's attacks.

The way the intruder moved, behaved and respond to their attacks, Hadrian was beginning to realize that the intruders might not be the average magi.

A thoughtful frown made its way to his face, something that Kieran and Dia took notice of.

"Milord?" Dia said in a low voice, catching his young lord's attention.

"Just thinking, Dia." Hadrian answered, smiling faintly at the look of concern that the servant of the lance gave him.

"Care to share, Boss?" Kieran asked, raising one brow.

When he saw Hugo and Edward turned their attention to him, Hadrian had decided to speak his thoughts then and there.

"Very well then." The young heir huffed, crossing his arms over his c.h.e.s.t. "Those intruders… they are not ordinary people."

The four men blinked, processing his statement before Kieran spoke.

"Obviously, Boss. I think being able to give our guys trouble to capture them speaks for that." The amber-eyed servant said with a skeptical expression.

In return, Hadrian gave him an exasperated look, something that only amused Kieran.

A cough nearby caught their attention, causing them to turn to Dia who was the source of the noise.

"I think what milord is trying to say, Kieran, is that the intruders are not ordinary human." Dia elaborated, turning to Hadrian for confirmation. "Isn't that right, milord?"

"Yes, what you said is correct." Hadrian agreed with a nod. "How the intruders fight are too graceful, which speaks of their immense battle experience, especially the one that Charles and Scáthach is fighting. The terrain they are fighting in is unknown to both parties, yet the intruders fought back with equal intensity. I find that suspicious."

"Perhaps the intruders have certain heritages then?" Hugo suggested, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I would've been inclined to consider that as a possibility if it weren't for the fact that there aren't many magical bloodlines left in this world with great potential like mine." Hadrian said with a sigh.

"That's true." Edward agreed. "There's not many mage families like the noble ones, nor any prodigious magi with great power known as of now."

"Cept for the boss right here." Kieran cut in with a small grin.

"Silence, you." Hadrian reproached in a calm tone, disliking the amber-eyed servant's unnecessary boasting.

"Just saying." Kieran chuckled as he raised his hands up in defense.

It was a testament to Hadrian's familiarity with Kieran that the blonde haired young man merely sighed again in response, used to amber-eyed retainer's behavior.

"Back on topic, the theory with the intruders being prodigious magi in disguise is also not possible. If they were, someone would have taken notice of them and the Mage's Association would have been aware of their existence, particularly opa." Hadrian stated with a thoughtful expression.

Hadrian gave Hugo and Edward a knowing look, something that the two older magi understood.

If there was someone who is well-informed of any changes occurring in their world, it would be the infamous Magician of the Kaleidoscope, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

Therefore, the two magi felt no need to refute the young heir's words since what he did say was the truth, which brought a question to their minds.

"Then, what do you think they are, young master?" Edward asked in a polite tone.

Silence pervaded upon them as the four males watched Hadrian mused quietly to himself, staring at the monitor with a calm and regal expression.

The look in his bright cyan eyes told them a different story though, they were focused and held a cold, calculative gleam that can only be seen on a first-rate magus.

It was something that Hugo and Edward were highly familiar with, considering as they had seen such an expression from their Lord Zelretch whenever he was thinking seriously, or intended to dissect a poor bastard for pissing him off.

The two magi felt a bit unnerved how similar the young heir was to his grandfather at that moment, judging by the expression he wore alone.

'Like grandfather, like grandson, I suppose…' Edward and Hugo both thought, unaware of each other's similar opinion.

"I have my suspicions…" Hadrian began slowly, watching the battles through the monitor. "But, I would rather not say."

"Why'z that?" Kieran asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I think we're about to find out anyway." Hadrian smiled grimly, gesturing in front of him.

As one, the four males turned their questioning gazes to the monitors, their eyes widening in surprise as they all watched the proceedings recorded in perfect clarity.

"Oh…" Hugo muttered in surprise.

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