The Prince Of Magic

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Hadrian would be the one to do it instead of forcing them, which would often surprise Kieran and the rest.

During the time they spent with him, Kieran and the others realized that their Master was someone unafraid of getting his hands dirty.

They all discovered as such when they saw the things he had went through in the grail war, but it had shocked them that the young mage was capable of brutality and ruthlessness.

Such was the effects of the brutal event upon their Master's state of mind.

The grail war made him suffer just as much as it had made him stronger, which often caused his retainers to worry over him. Kieran himself didn't care much about Hadrian right when he agreed to be one of his retainers, but over time, once he realized how much freedom and leniency he was given, Kieran couldn't stop himself from caring about his Master's safety.

Thus, Kieran did his best to improve his combat prowess and help Hadrian as much as he could, despite his great reluctance to fight.

Truthfully, he would rather dump all the hard work to his fellow retainers than do it himself.

But since his Master had spoken up and gave him an order, one that Kieran was always welcome to refuse if he really wanted to, the amber eyed servant forced himself to get off his behind and move to follow his king's order. Yes, Kieran knew that the young mage was reincarnated, but it was a well-kept secret that only a handful in the group know of.

It was a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e subject that was really not open for idle discussion.

The young mage respect each of their privacies and had no d.e.s.i.r.e to openly talk about their past, which was one of things that Kieran and the others admire about him.

It was a kind gesture that Kieran and a few others returned by not uttering a word about his past life to the rest of the group, though his present life was an exception.

Not that the young mage was aware of being gossiped by his servants behind his back.

It was rather amusing to Kieran, in all honesty.

His Master had been born a King in his previous life, and died as one in a grand heroic fashion. Then, he was reborn in a different world and later designated as a king once again.

The only difference is that his Master was selected as a king by an alien artifact and had no citizens to guide to a better future this time, only his subjects and family knew of his otherworldly kingdom inside the moon.

The young mage just seemed incapable of escaping his title as King, or the kind related to monarchy at least.

Hell, even the Mage's Association bestowed upon him quite a grand title, the 'Crown Prince', for his amazing talent for magecraft and the grand achievement of emerging victorious from the grail war, which only a handful of individuals in the organization knew about. The subjects related to the last war was kept as a tight-lipped secret, as it was ordered by the higher-ups of Clock Tower.

If that was not irony, then Kieran doesn't know what was.

"Funny how life works out…" Kieran huffed in amus.e.m.e.nt.

Dia, who heard his muttering, turned to look at him.

"What is?" The knight of the love spot asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just the Boss, that's all." Kieran said as he idly laid the gun on his l.a.p.

"What about milord?" Dia asked out of curiosity.

Aware that he needed to tread around the conversation carefully, Kieran kept himself cool and unperturbed, maintaining his gaze on the gun across his l.a.p.

"Just recalling the day I got this gun." Kieran answered in a bemused tone. "It's almost as if the Boss had already expected I would join the group."

That day, Kieran expected an unfair and nonchalant treatment from Hadrian.

The amber eyed servant was not exactly optimistic when it comes to expectations in life.

His view of the world had long been tainted with the utmost negativity, no thanks to what he went through when he was alive. Needless to say, Kieran was the type to always expect the bad things in life and never the good ones.

It was why when his master met him and took him in, treating him as part of his family, Kieran made the decision to assist him in any way he possibly can.

He might be the weakest in the group, but almost none of them had the advantage that Kieran has, which was his loyalty to Hadrian.

Wherever the wind may blow for his Master, Kieran would stand by his side. Even if the young mage start a killing spree of innocent people, Kieran would gladly join him if it makes him happy.

Kieran was broken out of his reverie when he heard Dia speak.

"Ah, if I recall correctly, that weapon's name is Dooley, yes?" The knight of the love spot said as he glanced at the firearm.

"Yeah…" Kieran nodded his head slowly.

"And milord was the one who named it, yes?" Dia asked next.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kieran frowned slightly, curious as to where he was going with the topic.

"In case you didn't know, I'm from Ireland, Kieran." Dia smiled knowingly as he continued. "Dooley means 'black hero' in my homeland."

Dark amber eyes blinked in surprise by the explanation, causing Dia's smile to widen as he saw his reaction.

"For milord to name that weapon as such, it's quite fitting, no?" Dia said with a chuckle.

Kieran frowned, feeling a bit annoyed by the amused look on the knight's face.

"No, not really." Kieran denied, his tone nonchalant. "In case ya'll haven't noticed, I ain't a hero nor do I intend to be one."

"Oh? Why are you here with me then, Kieran?" Dia asked in retort, quirking a brow for emphasis.

By his response, Kieran went silent, but it was enough for Dia to guess what he was thinking as he continued on.

"I know that you could have just stayed behind in the control room where it was safe, and yet here you are." Dia gestured to him with his hand. "Accompanying me to battle and following the command of our mutual lord nonetheless. For all your words and displays of negativity, you act how a Heroic Spirit should be."

Having enough of his assessment, Kieran scoffed and turned his gaze to beautiful underwater view, unconsciously gripping the handle of the firearm a bit tighter than usual.

"Yeah, keep talking shit, I just might up and leave you here, ya knight-bastard." Kieran growled, resisting the urge to shoot the curly haired imbecile.

Knowing that he overstepped his bounds, Dia simply shook his head and chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt.

They both turned their heads to the speakers, hearing a female robotic voice announcing that they have arrived to the top.

When the doors opened, Dia walked ahead for a few steps but stopped and glanced over his shoulder to look at Kieran, who stood up from his seat and holstered his weapon.

"Bit of advice, Kieran. From one retainer to another, do not let the past taint the life you made for yourself in the present." Dia stated, his tone confident and calm. "Whatever happened to you in the past should stay there. Let it rest before it eats away at you and ruins your life all over again."

With that said, the handsome knight of the love spot turned on his heel and left the spacious elevator, leaving Kieran to look on after his retreating form.

Processing his parting words, Kieran sighed as a small frown settled on his face.

"As if I didn't know that…" He mumbled, sounding oddly resigned.

Sometimes, Kieran really hates being seen through easily, particularly by stuck-up knights.

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