The Prince Of Magic

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'Bloody hell…' Hadrian cursed in his mind.

He didn't need to turn around to see his companions' reactions.

The silence in the room alone was enough for him to know that everyone were speechless by the current events, except for him and the two retainers by his sides. Unlike the others, Kieran and Dia were composed and relaxed, observing the conflicts with narrowed eyes.

The two servants had been through enough stuff to simply gape and question reality. Instead, he felt that they were more surprised by the new enemy servants and concerned for his other retainers.

"Boss…" Kieran said lowly, his amber eyes darkened as he watched the battles with a stoic expression.

"I know. But, it's not time yet…" Hadrian replied calmly, knowing what his retainer wanted to say.

With his retainers placated for now, the young magus returned to his thoughts.

He had already suspected that the intruders were servants. It was not a difficult assumption to make, in all honesty.

He already had entertained such a possibility when Arash reported to him of their encounter with an unknown presence yesterday when they visited one of the murder locations.

The unknown spells casted upon the cloaks might have given him a bit of trouble, but the way the intruders' managed to keep up with his retainers made it easier for him to reach such a conclusion.

It was an unsettling thought that kept bothering him throughout the day, but he was not surprised as it was eventually confirmed in front of him.

Also, he noticed the runic schemes on the cloaks through the monitors, and Hadrian felt that he had seen them before in the past.

He just couldn't remember where and when he did, for the life of him.

Moreover, what surprised him were the three intruders' identities.

The moment the cloaks were discarded and their faces were revealed, Hadrian didn't waste a second as he tasked the Moon Cell to collect all information it could dug up about them.

Information was precious and plays an important role in battles, and it was a habit that was pounded in Hadrian's head time and time again.

One of the main components he managed to survive the Holy Grail war.

It didn't took the automaton more than a few seconds to report to him its findings, and what Hadrian discovered made him realized how dire the situation truly was.

Because the intruders were Heroic Spirits, information such as their myths and legends were simply easy for the Moon Cell to find.

The alien artifact's only true objective was to record everything that happened on earth. However, it was their true identities, capabilities and current circ.u.mstances that caused him to feel as if he was in a Holy Grail war once again.

The Heroic Spirit in the west was a hero from the Greek myths, whose legends had spread far and wide across the world.

His true name was 'Alcides', but that was only the name he was known by when he had still been a mortal. Alternatively, he was more famously known as 'Heracles', the demigod who had been gifted with immortality by the Greek gods for his heroic deeds and more.

The one in the south was not a hero, but the opposite, an anti-hero, whose deeds (or in his case, misdeeds) were well-known throughout all of Europe.

The old man in the suit's true name was 'James Moriarty', the 'Emperor of the Criminal World'.

He was usually known as a genius in mathematics and considered as the greatest rival of Sherlock Holmes, the great (in)famous detective.

While these two servants were new and notably powerful in their own right, Hadrian was more intently focused on the last one that Medusa, Astolfo and Yan were battling.

'You again…' Hadrian frowned at the bloodstained knight.

Having encountered the knight not so long ago, he already knew of the white-haired servant's true identity.

The bloodstained knight in question was Lancer, whose true identity was the infamous Romanian King of the past, 'Vlad III'.

Vlad III was known as the 'Prince of Wallachia', a famous hero turned monarch in the history of Romania. However, he was more well-known by the name of 'Dracula', the 'Lord Impaler'.

After viewing the man's background, Hadrian can't help but conclude his life as tragic in every sense of the word.

The Vlad III in the automaton's records was the real man, who was the model for the legend of Dracula.

Many sources had depicted him as a fiendish tyrant, whose brutality and l.u.s.t for blood in battle was boundless. But, according to the actual information that the automaton provided to him, the man was a well-respected and noble warrior, who had rebuilt and maintained the kingdom of Wallachia as well as became the shield of the Christian world against the threat of the Ottoman Empire.

He had a very clear sense of justice yet was also brutal, having executed about one fifth of the population of his country throughout his life. His homeland, Wallachia, was a small country stuck between the large nations of Turkey and Hungary. He led a tragic life, during which he murdered his father, buried his older brother alive, and went to war against his younger brother.

His war against the Turkey was a desperate battle that included guerilla warfare and scorched earth tactics, and several times, he left mountains of Turkish enemy soldiers he impaled.

He was captured in Hungary due to political circ.u.mstances, and spent twelve years in prison. Then, in 1476, he turned his back on Orthodox Church and converted his country to Catholicism.

It was also that same year that he died in battle against the Turkish army and his younger brother, Radu, due to his nobles' betrayal at the age of 45 years old.

And so, the name Dracula, once the name of a proud family worthy of honor and respect, became one given to a monster whose past had been grossly distorted as a result of his actions in his mortal life.

The inevitable distortions and exaggerations of scholars throughout the centuries was unable to wholly cover the well-doc.u.mented horrors and atrocities committed by his direct command.

Although Vlad III was seen as a hero and savior to some, the lengths he went to preserve the independence of Wallachia and to repel the Turk had forever painted him as an incarnation of satanic evil on earth.

The man's guerilla tactics were the reason for his many successes against a demonstratively superior force, yet he was repaid with treason and slayed by his own allies in the end.

As someone who had been a king and led a great nation through war, he understood the choices Vlad had made.

The young heir may not have gone as far as Vlad did, but there were times that Hadrian had been close to make such decisions.

It was only thanks to the guidance of the seven astrals and the help of his subjects that Hadrian had managed to keep Lucis (and his people, by extension) safe for many years from the tyrannical advances of Nifleheim and its despicable emperor.

Without question, he held great respect for Vlad III for he was a man of true honor and never hesitated in battle to protect his beloved nation.

The one main thing that held him back from showing it outright, however, was the fact that Vlad and his female master, Run Ru, met him as enemies during the Moon Holy Grail war.

Like with the rest, the memories of intense encounters that he and Arturia went through against Vlad and his master were still fresh and quite unforgettable.

After sensing such bloodl.u.s.t from the bloodstained knight via first contact, Hadrian had been almost afraid to step out of the Private Room and throw in the towel.

It was only due to his d.e.s.i.r.e to survive through the war and Arturia's faith in him that made him moved forward and swallow down his fear.

Long story short, he and Arturia won against Lancer (Vlad III) and Run Ru during the fifth round of the Elimination Battle. They moved on to the next round, while the latter pair were deleted by the automaton for losing by force.

Such were the strict rules of the Moon Holy Grail war.

Seeing how the bloodstained knight looked unhinged, even when he was surrounded by the three retainers, Hadrian reminded himself that the Vlad he was watching through the monitors was simply a different version of the original.

The actual Vlad III was a noble and dignified man, this was not in question. The one he fought, the same one that was in the island, was similar, but clearly deranged.

The reason for the bloodstained knight's 'charming personality' was due to one of his skills, 'Protection of the Faith'.

Said skill was an ability bestowed upon those who have sacrificed themselves for what they believed to be for the greater good. Although obstinately a form of divine protection, it does not necessarily meant that one received the blessings from the gods.

Instead, it was a manifestation of one's absolute faith and self-righteousness.

The glaring downside of having such a skill was that the more powerful the ability was, the more detrimental the effect it would have on one's sanity and personality.

Thus, when he learned the details of said skill, Hadrian couldn't help but pity him and how the world dealt him with a bad hand.

At first, he had thought that the reason why the servant he met during the war was already the way he did (deranged and downright murderous) was due to the anger and disappointment he felt before he died, presuming that Vlad's grudges had somehow carried over even as his spirit entered the Throne of Heroes.

But Hadrian was proven wrong, eventually realizing that the bloodstained knight's mind and personality took a harsh toll was due to the skill in question.

'He gets to enjoy the benefits of the skill, but at the cost of his sanity. Tragic, really…' Hadrian mused, huffing in resignation.

Taking his mind off the deranged knight, the young magus focused on the matter at hand.

While it was concerning that the intruders turned out to be actual servants in the flesh, especially the re-emergence of one mad knight, what was more important was for him to make an assessment of the situation.

It would be unacceptable for him to stand by and watch, while most of his retainers were out in the island and doing their best to follow his command.

His servants would need all the help they can get, considering who they are up against.

Watching the individual battles with a critical eye, Hadrian began to make his observations.

First, he started to make comparisons of the three battles occurring in the island, assessing who was in real danger between the three groups of his entourage.

Scáthach and Charles seems to be doing quite well against Alcides.

They had a rough start, but were performing well enough to contend with a top servant, despite the pressure. Although, after seeing the two retainers' efforts, it was more like Scáthach was the one out of the two of them who was strong enough to go toe to toe with the enemy.

Charles was just doing his best to keep up with her momentum.

Hadrian can trust Scáthach to keep an eye on Charles throughout the fight.

Sometimes, the cheeky retainer has the tendency to overexert himself during intense fights. But with Scáthach present, Charles was in good hands.

Arturia and Arash were also doing quite well, executing a perfect level of teamwork as they go against Moriarty.

The enemy was an Archer class and held the advantage of long range attacks, but this was curtailed by Arash's presence, who kept assisting Arturia in the sidelines while she goes and initiate close range encounters, which was something Moriarty seemed to hate.

The fabled criminal mastermind would often resort to tricks and feints, trying out new methods to get away from Arturia. But Arash kept giving him a hard time with the amount of arrows that was sent in his way from time to time.

Needless to say, Moriarty doesn't seem to be having a good time, judging by the small frown on his weathered face.

Hadrian sensed that he has no need to worry of their situation as well, not when they can work together like a one minded unit.

Seeing the two groups work together with their partners, Hadrian concluded that they were doing well. At least for the moment.

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