The Prince Of Magic

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"Are you serious right now, pinky?! You just killed yourself by doing that!"

"Shut up! Those are my QPs and I'll do what I want with it!"

"Leave him be. You ain't going to be convincing him to save up on those things anyway."

"… Kieran, you're my bruh!"

"It'll be more amusing to see him bawl his eyes out later on when a great banner comes up though!"

"Turncoat!"

Hadrian sighed, leaning against the car window to watch the scenery passed by.

He and the others had just came back from Canada after a two-day tour that some of his retainers had insisted upon.

After several hours of flight back to England, he and the others were escorted out of the airport by a small group of private personnel that were all under his grandfather's employment.

Now, he and the others were on their way back to the Schweinorg.

While his retainers were all seated around him, doing whatever they want, Hadrian busied himself in musing over the events that occurred previously.

"Give me your quartz, fam!"

"No!"

"Get your own, assface!"

He would greatly appreciate it if his retainers kept their peanut gallery on a minimum level though.

With a slight clicked of his tongue, Hadrian glanced over his shoulder and saw his three of his servants roughhousing in the back of the small bus that had been lend over to them.

"You three better not resort to using your powers." The young mage called in a warning tone, eyes narrowing slightly for emphasis. "We are in a public area right now, so you better behave yourselves for now. If you want to knock each other's lights out, do it later once we get home."

His words jolted Astolfo, Yan Qing, and Kieran by surprise.

"Ah, sorry, Master!" Astolfo said with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, boss…" Yan and Kieran relented with sighs of their own.

The three then looked at another again and began arguing amongst themselves, albeit in a quieter yet furious pace.

Face-faulted, Hadrian sighed at his retainers' antics and turned around on his seat to return watching the scenery.

"They nearly just got killed in the island and they're already raring to go against one another…" Hadrian said with a shook of his head.

Charles, who was seated beside him, chuckled at his expense.

"Ah, but don't you think that's one of their charming points?" He asked with a grin.

"Charming?" Hadrian asked incredulously, quirking one brow up. "They're about to rumble in the back, and you think that's charming?"

"It's their way to relax?" Charles offered jokingly.

"I saw the sparks in their hands." Hadrian said offhandedly, brows furrowed slightly. "Those bloody fools were really about to duke it out over a game."

"Ahaha, fair point!" Charles conceded with a laugh, looking sheepish yet amused.

A few moments of silence settled upon them as Hadrian turned back to staring at the window.

The retainer beside him, however, noticed the look of contemplation in his liege's eyes and couldn't help himself from speaking out.

"Why the long face, master? We just got out of a near death situation, you should be celebrating." Charles inquired, tilting his head in curiosity.

"I'm just reviewing the events in my head." Hadrian answered in a low tone.

"Is it that interesting?" Charles asked.

"More like worrying." Hadrian corrected, shifting his gaze to the retainer. "That situation almost spiraled out of control. Is it not concerning for you?"

"It is." Charles admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked back on recent events. "But since I don't have the answers yet, why worry about it now?"

Hadrian looked at him for a few seconds before he let out a resigned sigh.

"I guess life is simple for a soldier." Hadrian commented.

"A knight, milord." Charles corrected with his trademark cheeky grin.

"A knight then." Hadrian amended with a wry smile.

Their conversation got cut off when his mobile phone rang, causing Hadrian to take it out of his pocket and open the screen.

"Hello?"

"Young master? Please hurry home!" A female voice said in an urgent tone.

"Hm? Why, what's wrong?" Hadrian asked with furrowed brows, suddenly attentive.

"It's Lord Schweinorg! His health –"

"I'm on my way." Hadrian said before he cut the line.

Then, he turned to look at Charles, who was watching him with a concerned expression.

"Tell the driver to move fast."

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While calm on the outside, Hadrian can still feel his heart pounding at a fast rate.

His retainers were behind him only a few steps away, while Hadrian was at the front.

His footsteps echoed just as loudly as his nervous heart as he walked up to the small steps that leads to his home. The Schweinorg castle was all white, about five stories tall and majestic in its form on both inside and out. The caste was situated on a private property that was well away from the town by hundred kilometers. Near the castle was a private beach that was on the ground level.

When Hadrian finally reached the front entrance, he went inside and made his way to the lounge area where he was told to go.

A bit of his anxiety showed on his face as he made that final turn.

Hadrian felt his heart drop to his stomach when he came upon the sight of his grandfather lying on the couch. Two female homunculi servants were behind him, keeping his grandfather cool with large fans on their hands. At first, Hadrian thought that perhaps he was being pranked, but the solemn expressions on the occupants' faces told him otherwise.

Slowly, Hadrian entered the room and approached his maternal grandfather, whose eyes were covered by a towel for some reason.

As if sensing his presence in the room, his grandfather shifted from his position and spoke.

"Child, is that you? Have you arrived?" Zelretch asked, almost hoarse.

"I'm here, I'm here." Hadrian said in a soft tone, taking a seat on the black wooden coffee table that was in front of the couch.

"I see… I'm glad to see you have returned home safely." Zelretch smiled.

"Thank you. But, how are you doing?" Hadrian asked, concerned for his grandfather's condition.

"Just as well." Zelretch said before he coughed a few times. He leaned back down when he was done, sighing. "Nothing could be done about this, child."

"Yes, but that won't stop me from trying." Hadrian stated solemnly.

In response, the old magician merely grinned at the determination in his voice.

"Get some rest, opa." Hadrian suggested. "We can speak later when you're better."

Zelretch was about to speak when a loud feminine sigh cut in, causing Hadrian to turn his head to the open doorway.

In turn, Hadrian didn't see his grandfather's body stiffened and gain a nervous expression as his attention went to the person who had just entered into the room.

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