Hello, everyone, and welcome to the fourth chapter of 'TPoM'!
I know I've said two or three chapters, but I've decided to merge them into one just for this site.
What you will be seeing in this chapter is a flashback, servants, and Hadrian himself.
I guess you can say that it's a bittersweet chapter. The bitterness comes first, then the sweet. You'll see...
As always, if you have the time, please leave a review, follow, and (or) fave this story.
More AN is at the bottom of this chapter, so I'll see you guys there! :D
Q & A
Chaos499: i already said this twice before but third times the charm so please give your mc a harem!
A - Haha, I'll have think to about it first, buddy. Although, like I have stated before, the story is mostly concentrating on the MC's development, his relationships with other people, how he reacts to his surroundings, etc. Romance will have to come later. There may be hints of it, but it doesn't mean that it is set in stone.
...
RoyalTwinFangs: Interesting chapter.
A - Thank you, and so are you! :D
...
Guest: Was kinda hoping to see some epic battles from the King of Lucis along with his charisma that even his servant can see that he is like that of a king despite being a human and not a heroic spirit. Speaking of which what would he be like if he were a Servant. Is his class going to be like that of Savior or Ruler?
A - Battles will come later on. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for it. Also, I think he's classified to be both, seeing as he did died for his kingdom and was a King of Lucis in his first life. So, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to meet the requirements for both.
...
Jenson: So is Hadrian's dad dead? It seems to be the case when no victor was announced even though Arin was there. Meaning he must've saw Twice and Savior and probably tried to fight him while lettering Waver escape.
Be cool to see Hadrian make an actual appearance. Would love to see more of his life in Fate universe along with his perception on Magi and the history of Earth. Quick question is he seen as an abnormality by Gaia? I mean he's human but from like a different universe as he was reincarnated. That and the power he has in Final Fantasy XV is not something humans in Nasuverse have.
A - Yes, he's dead, unfortunately. At first, I wanted him to be around Hadrian. But, I wanted to give the MC a purpose to join the Holy Grail War on the Moon. The MC had seen enough of wars. He's tired of it, but he also knew that it is something that will never go away for as long as humans are alive. Conflict is inevitable when it comes to humans. So, I've decided to make Arin be the purpose for the MC to join the Holy Grail War.
And don't worry, I'm not about to let the MC jump into another world without letting you guys see what his life is in the Fate universe. You'll be seeing more of his views of the Nasuverse in the next chapters in the future, including Gaia's views of him as well.
...
Hmm, I hope I didn't missed anyone. If there is, feel free to let me know! :D
"Words"
'Thoughts'
"Spells" or "Abilities"
*Sound Effects*
Chapter 4 — Reminiscence
...
Pain. Blood.
These two were the only things that he can think about.
The cuts, bruises, and broken bones that was done upon his feeble body. His blood was starting to appear under his prone form on the ground, slowly and steadily forming a small dark, red puddle.
Idly, he noted that his face and his hands felt a bit sticky, which was probably due to the blood that had stained some parts of his face and around his fingers.
'How did turn out this way...?' He thought, staring at nothing in particular, feeling hopeless.
...
...
*Clack* ... *Clack*
...
He heard the sounds of footsteps slowly make its presence known, coming towards his direction.
The sound was ominous and forbidding, causing his heart to beat painfully against his chest as the figure of death loomed near and grew steadily closer to him.
But, he didn't pay it any mind as thoughts of the events from earlier began to play.
...
...
His day had started out like any other.
Calm and peaceful. Mostly uneventful, as per usual. His homeroom teacher, Miss Taiga Fujimura was still the same, cheerful and quite clumsy. She hit her head on the podium again like yesterday, of which made nearly all students in the class laughed at her misfortune.
He was among the students that didn't laughed at her clumsiness. Rather, he felt concerned for her because he had seen her fell from the same action almost every time.
But, what he did not expect was for his life to be turned upside down in a span of a few hours.
When school had been done for the day, he left the classroom with the rest of his peers, also eager to return home, do his homework and procrastinate.
Then, just as he finished descending the stairs.
A flash of orange in the corner of his eye had caught his attention.
He saw that transfer student, walking in the direction where one of the hallways with a dead end was located. He followed the younger man and hid himself in the corner, silently observing.
It was Leonardo B. Harway, the new transfer student of Tsukumihara High School.
He saw him standing there in his peculiar orange uniform, standing in front of the wall that has a fire extinguisher in a boxed casing nearby.
The younger man stood out, with medium-length blonde hair and green eyes. He also wore white gloves and boots.
He was curious as to what Leonardo was doing, just standing there with one hand on his hip.
When two minutes had nearly passed, he was about to leave when Leonardo did something.
The wall, the one that he had first thought was uninteresting and nothing particularly special, moved in a way that was similar as to how a body of water would ripple when disturbed by an outside source.
The surface of the wall rippled, and Leonardo stepped into it as if there was a doorway to enter.
Shocked and surprised by what he had seen, he looked around and noticed that there was no one in the vicinity. All the noises that he heard were coming from outside, but none were nearby.
Disbelief and a dose of anxiety clouded his mind, he stood there, staring at the wall that he had seen Leonardo disappeared in.
After what he had witnessed, he found himself curious yet hesitant to make a decision.
He was curious to know what Leonardo got himself into, whatever he had done to make the door in to something like that, and what was on the other side of it.
But, at the same time, he had this feeling at the pit of his stomach that his life would change forever the moment he goes through that wall.
That it will never be the same.
Suddenly, a minor headache broke him out of his musings.
"Ngh...!" He grunted, raising a hand up to his forehead to ease the pain.
Lately, he was experiencing headaches these days and he found no reason as to why it was. Perhaps it may be related to something that happened to him in the past.
'Wait...' He asked himself, confused by the sudden thought. 'The... past...?'
He then quickly tried to recall his memories of his past, but to his dismay and concern, nothing came to mind. He found himself worried, wondering if he has a case of amnesia.
All he knows was the basic information about himself, such as his name, birth date, age, and etc. But, nothing more than that comes to mind, which greatly concerned him.
Then, before he knew it, he found himself standing before the wall and staring at it.
'Maybe...' He thought, feeling hopeful yet nervous. 'Maybe I can find the answer here...?'
No one can really answer his questions, and he was alone to find out for himself. While the life that he had experienced here was boring, he can't deny that it was quite peaceful.
'But...'
He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds of other people's laughter coming from outside of the school building.
The usual noises heard in school. The calm and peaceful atmosphere of the building.
As he thought about it, why does the feeling gave him the impression that it was not real?
What he experienced here. The peace, the bonds he made, and the people he met in this school. It does not feel like it was real to him. It was as if everything was simply a mirage, an illusion.
With only a few exceptions in this school, why does it feel like everything was fake?
And when he saw Leonardo did something to that wall, that was the first time he felt that something was real. It was as if his 'peaceful' reality was stained by what he had witnessed earlier.
He opened his eyes slowly, feeling even more determined as time goes on.
"So... I want to know." He muttered, solemn but calm and determined. "I need to know more, and I can't do that if I just stay the same... even if I'm afraid."
With a hand in front of him, he closed his eyes as he forced his body to stepped forward, bracing himself for the pain in case his thoughts from what he saw earlier was just an illusion.
His eyes opened wide when he felt himself go through and, surprisingly, not splattering himself dead on the center of the wall like stupid.
The small hairs on his body stood up as he go through. He feels a sort of energy wash over his body as he stepped forward a couple of times.
The sensation was quite weird. It was akin as to how a person would run through into a large sticky, plastic wrap in a sharp, burst of movement.
Then, his world had quickly turned dark, causing him to blinked rapidly to adjust his eyesight to the darkness. After a few seconds, his sight was adjusted and he found that he was in a dark room that only has a few low-lights to brightened the area.
If he were to describe the room and what was in it, then his answer would be the basement.
The room looked like a basement, and the description of it only impounded in his head as he looks around and saw the things that would be typically found in such a room.
... except for those human-size effigies that were standing a few feet away from him.
He stared at the effigies, curious and wary at the same time.
In any other event, he would not even give them a glance nor a thought. But after witnessing a wall, one that he had thought uninteresting and normal, rippled and actually turned out be a doorway in disguise, he was not exactly sure what to believe in anymore.
Moreover, there were strange glowing lines that are around the effigies' bodies. It reminded him of a circuit line that were usually seen on motherboards and such.
Ignoring the strange-looking effigies for the moment, he walked cautiously into the room, turning to look left and right, making sure it was safe.
And just as he was beginning to relax, a deep male voice spoke, startling him in surprise as it echoed and bounced off the walls of the room.
"Welcome, potential Master." It said in a cold and almost mocking voice. "Please take one Effigy, and prove your worth to enter this sacred tournament."
He looked around the room and noticed that there was no one present, which made him wonder as to where the voice had came from. It sounded as if it was nearby, but no one except him was there.
When he turned around, he received two surprises in his life.
One, there was now a digitized portal that appeared near the effigies. And two, one of the effigies is now moving and standing in attention in front of him, which almost gave him a fright.
Doing his best to suppress a shout of fear and surprise, he swallowed the urge down and looked at the strange effigy warily, noticing that it was just standing there, as if waiting for orders.
Then, the deep male voice spoke again, as if to answer his unspoken question.
"The Effigy in front of you will be your shield, weapon and the one that shall lead you to your true destiny. Use it to carve your way into this tournament, for it will only obey your commands."
The voice paused for a few moments, and when it spoke again, it gave him the impression that the owner of the voice was smiling for some reason.
"You may enter the portal door once you are ready."
Unsure of what to do in this strange situation, he stared at the effigy for a moment, idly noting that the circuit-like lines around its body was glowing blue, and walked to the portal.
He also took notice that the effigy was following him closely from behind, as if guarding him from an enemy, which makes him feel secure and somewhat happy to have the effigy by his side, despite still being confused by the situation he had found himself in.
However, before he could step through, he heard the male voice spoke again.
The impression from before, that the owner of the voice may be smiling, grew stronger as he was left with these parting words that seemed oddly ominous.
"Now... how shall a young lamb play with the wolves?"
...
...
After he was given the Effigy, he was taught how to command it. The instructions that was given to him were simple: use the Effigy to fight in his stead and pass the trial.
And that was what led him to his current situation.
The first few battles had been simple and easy to finish, due to his previous opponents being weak and unsuspecting of his strategies. His Effigy followed his every order to the letter, and the two of them ventured the place that was called the 'Arena'.
The 'Arena' was strange looking. It was a vast area that appeared to be under the sea. The walls and the ground was transparent like see through glass. It gave him the impression of being inside a large aquarium, due to how spacious it was and how deep the bottom the 'sea' seems to be.
But when he reached the end of the Arena, something dangerous had been waiting for him.
What happened after was quite a blur, but he still remembered it quite clearly.
He didn't know what had happened, but when he blinked once, the Arena he had familiarize himself in for a while was now gone. Vanished into thin air, and it was replaced by a new area instead.
It had disconcerted him at first, but he didn't let the change of scenery stop him from moving on.
He and his Effigy had entered into a large chamber with beautiful patterned stones art decorated on the white marble ground. Close to the center, there were three circles with odd inscriptions.
Coming from above the center of the room, there was a bright light that was fixated in the middle of the chamber, as if it was acting like a spotlight for the main event.
Interestingly enough, due to how fixated the light was in the center, the far edges of the chamber is dark and dimly lit, to the point that he couldn't see pass the edge other than the shapes and figures of something that was placed there.
He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was familiar. He just can't see it clearly for what it is.
What caught his attention though, was the Effigy that was kneeling on the ground, head tilted down, unmoving like a marionette that lost its strings.
He stopped, staring at the Effigy with wary eyes.
If his previous foes had been easy for him to defeat, the Effigy kneeling in the center of the chamber must be the 'Boss' of the Arena.
Meaning, that the Effigy was more powerful than the others that he defeated.
Nervous, he slowly walked to the center, feeling as if his every step was leading him to his doom.
And his instinct was right, the Effigy had been his doom.
He tried his best to command his Effigy efficiently, but the enemy was difficult to beat. Eventually, his own Effigy was torn apart, broken beyond repair and tossed to the far side of the chamber.
Without any means of protection, he did his best to survive the attacks, but his body was against him and he didn't last any longer than his Effigy did.
Hence, the reason for his current form, bloody and beaten to a pulp, nearly at death's door.
His injuries stung, persisting to gnaw at his consciousness like a vicious rabid animal as he tried his best to keep his body from shutting down.
The Effigy, who was the main cause of his injuries, was standing a few feet away from him, unmoving and unsympathetic to his prone and bleeding form on the cold, marbled floor.
He can even feel the temperature of his body turning cold as each moment passed by. His vision was blurred, but he finally noticed the peculiar shapes around at the edges of the chamber.
His eyes slowly widened as horror began to seep into his mind.
They were bodies. A lot of them.
People of various ages, but most were at his age range and dressed in a similar school attire as him. They too were on the floor. But, unlike him, they remained completely motionless.
Looking into their eyes, he could see that there was no signs of life in them, an easy deduction that they are dead. The stains of blood on their clothing and coming from bodies were telling enough.
The fact that he noticed them lying on the floor near where he was indicates that they too had fallen victim to the deadly Effigy in front of him.
He had tried his best, but the Effigy was too strong, too powerful for him to defeat on his own.
And so he fell, defeated like the rest of them.
He had collapsed near to the three circles with strange symbols drawn within.
Blankly, he watched as small amounts of his blood trickle its way in the deep carvings on the ground, filling the gaps with his blood.
As if to mock his abysmal fight earlier and then his defeat, he heard a deep male voice echoing throughout the chamber, ringing loudly in his ears.
"Hmm, and here I thought that you would be different. I suppose you are just as the same as the others, whose fate is to end here."
Hearing these damning words, he could not help but curl up slightly in hopelessness and despair.
It would be all too simple, too easy for him to just let go. To not cling to life anymore and let death embrace him. To take away the pain and fear he felt at his current situation.
...
...
... But...
'I can't give up here...' He thought to himself, trying not to cry out from the pain invading his body. 'Not here. Not when I have gotten this far...'
The pain would go away though, and he will no longer feel the terrifying emotion called 'fear' ever again. Maybe death would not be so bad compared to the situation now.
...
...
'No...' He thought angrily, cyan eyes brightened with life once more. Despair and hopelessness no longer present in them. 'I can't... let it end like this!'
He turned his attention to the Effigy, who was slowly moving in his direction in steadily and eerily, similar to an executioner to its escaped prisoner.
So busy was he in his thoughts, he did not notice the circle in the center suddenly began to glow with power, flickering on and off like a light behind him without his awareness.
He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm his pounding heart.
...
...
'I want... I want to live.'
At the realization of his own thought, his eyes opened in surprise at the severity of his emotions.
The desire to live, to survive this dangerous encounter, began to strengthen his conviction more, and that is to survive this terrifying event no matter what.
...
...
"I..." He began, gritting his teeth as he fought the pain and fear.
"I want to live... AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET IN THE WAY OF THAT!"
His words began with a growl and ended in a shout as a variety of emotions flowed from the tone of his voice.
But, he shouted out the words anyway, to declare his utmost desire to remain amongst the living, uncaring of the fact that the Effigy was getting closer to him.
He was still scared. Scared of the enemy, of the pain, and of death. But, he also knew that by doing nothing would also invite death anyways.
Therefore, he thought it best to try his chances and simply find a way to survive the situation. To try everything he can to live, to fight and survive this dangerous battle.
'Yeah, it's not over yet as long as I'm alive...' He thought, determined and resolute in his decision.
With a venomous glare at the enemy, he diligently ignored his body's strong protest to not make any movements as he looked around the area.
He was trying to find if there was a weapon nearby that can help at least keep that damned Effigy at bay to buy some time, but no such luck.
Just as he was about to crawl away from his current position, he suddenly noticed dual colors of a white and blue light glowing brightly near him.
Turning his gaze around, he saw that the circle in the middle was the source of the bright light.
The strange symbols were glowing with power, humming in a unique energy that felt oddly familiar to him. It gave him a sense of deja-vu, as if he had felt such a sensation before.
Strangely enough, he could put a finger on where or when he had felt exactly.
...
...
... *Thud* ...
An ominous sound made itself known behind him, interrupting his idle musings.
The tiny hairs behind his neck stood up as a shadow of a familiar figure towered over his prone form, causing his breath to hitch as dread took over his heart.
He looked over his shoulder, slowly, gazing upwards as dread rise in his heart.
He saw that the Effigy was now upon him with one of its arms raised up above its head, preparing to strike in for the kill.
But before despair could take over him, the light behind him suddenly glowed brighter.
Crackles of unknown energy was heard around the chamber. A storm of energy spread throughout the room and made its entrance like a large explosion.
Time seemed to have stop as he watched the featureless face of the Effigy became illuminated by the bright light. The arm that was raised made its descent in a slow motion.
He squeezed his eyes tight and raised his arms to protect himself from the blow, bracing himself for the pain of death with a grimace.
Then...
... *BANG* ...
A very loud sound was heard from behind.
Bright cyan eyes suddenly opened in surprise and shock, just in time to see the Effigy get thrown to the other side of the chamber like a ragdoll.
He blinked, trying to understand what just occurred in front of him a moment earlier.
'Wh-what the hell just happened...?'
He had seen the Effigy's arm descending on him. He saw it get closer, but there was something that got in the way. There was something that stopped its attack.
... *Clink* ... *Clink* ... *Clink* ...
He flinched.
There was a sound of metal clashing lightly against the floor (the footsteps of someone wearing metal footwear, it seems), cutting him out of his musings.
Then, the said footsteps soon slowly came to a stop.
... which seemed to be directly behind him.
'Haha... Fuck my life...' He cursed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry tears of blood at his pitiful situation.
He might have to choose the latter, considering as he was already bleeding a lot anyway.
Mechanically, he turned around carefully, and saw... silver metal and blue cloth(?).
Confused, he turned his gaze upwards.
Then, in that moment, he saw a vision that he would remember for the rest of his life.
Blonde hair tied into a bun, glistening under the light from above. Bright green eyes that reminded him of emeralds. Long blonde lashes. A heart-shaped face. Pale white skin.
The figure was of small stature, covered in armor that was both elegant yet simplistic in appearance.
She has a beautiful countenance that can easily be mistaken as androgynous, but the lack of Adam's apple implies that the being in front of him is a female.
The air of elegance around her and the light from above gave her an ethereal appearance.
...
...
"Are you my master?"
...
...
Bright cyan eyes with long lashes slowly opened, he blinked and breathed out deeply through his nose as he tried to clear his mind from his sleep.
Sleepily, he noticed that there was someone calling out to him from his left, causing him to turn his blurred gaze over in that direction to see who it was.
The figure was familiar. The voice, even more so. He knows this person.
"Master?" A deep male voice said, rendering more him awake than before. "Master, please wake up."
The voice was different from the one that he heard from his dreams. Unlike the one from before, this voice was calm, relaxed and collected. Also, it was the voice of someone who was close to him.
Suppressing the urge to yawn out loud, Hadrian Mathius von Schweinorg stretched lightly from his seated position on the chair, shaking the tiredness out of his body.
With a sigh, Hadrian rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand as he leaned off of the window sill that was present next to his seat.
He just noticed that he had leaning against the window sill with his right hand supporting his head as he slept earlier.
Perhaps, that was why his neck felt a bit stiff, due to his strange position while he was asleep.
Also, he noticed that he was actually inside an aircraft vehicle. The luxurious interior and spacious room indicates that it was a private plane.
'Ah yes, the jet plane...' Hadrian mused, recalling the memories of boarding the vehicle. 'How can I forget? We got in hours ago, and on our way to North America now. Then, I took a nap.'
Turning to the left, he then saw the person who had awoken him from his short rest.
It was a young man with black and white hair that framed the sides of his comely face, pale skin, and blue eyes. With the height of 5"9, he has a lean and well-built physique that indicates of his healthy condition and fitful form that was suited in combat.
He was attired in a black formal suit that consists of a black blazer with the lapels of the jacket in white, a white long-sleeve dress shirt with a velvet blue tie that was placed neatly around his neck, black pants and formal shoes made in black, glossy leather.
It was Charles, one of his Servants/bodyguards and, more importantly, one of his loyal friends.
With a quick look around him, he also saw his other retainers seated in their respective seats, but turned their heads to him when they felt his gaze upon them.
In return, he received various looks from each of them; some smiled at him, some of them waved to him (one did it in a cheerful way), and some looked at him in concern.
He sent them all a single wave of his hand and a somewhat tired smile, silently reassuring them that he was fine and no need to be concerned about him.
Once they all returned to their own respective businesses, Hadrian looked at Charles in curiosity, eyebrows slightly raised as if to ask him why he was woken up.
Charles smiled, then gestured towards the small window beside him.
"Look, Master, we've arrived."
Leaning closer, Hadrian looked out the window in curiosity and saw the visual of their destination was in sight, which was one of the international airports of Vancouver Island, Canada.
"Well..." He began, expression calm and unreadable as he watched (and feel) the private plane began to circle and prepare for landing. "We're here now."
Used to his liege's seemingly nonchalant behavior, Charles continued to smile and leaned back in his seat, which was a stark contrast to the expressionless facade that Hadrian had adopted.
"Yup." He chirped, taking his liege by surprise for a moment.
Looking at his happy-go-lucky retainer, Hadrian gave him a strange look, as if not knowing what to make of him, especially of what was about to happen in the coming days during their stay here.
Exhaling through his nose, the young heir to the Schweinorg house simply dropped the matter as he too leaned back into his seat.
Even though they had only spent several months around each other, Hadrian knew of his friend's personality the most.
Therefore, he was quite used to him being happy all the time, and was already desensitize to things that were his friend's habits by now. He would not even blink if Charles allowed a certain someone to run around naked in the plane, regardless of who were in the room.
Just as he was about to meditate and ignore his ever exuberant companion, Charles interrupted him with a question.
"By the way, my lord..." He began, continuing after he was sure that Hadrian was facing him. "What were you dreaming about?"
With one brow raised, Hadrian answered the question with another of his own.
"What makes you think I was dreaming something?" He asked in retort, lacking any heat in his tone.
Unexpectedly, Charles seemed to be prepared for it as he began his usual trend of eccentricity.
"Well, you twitched in your sleep. You made some sounds once in a while too."
He looked to the roof of the plane as if in thought, one finger tapping against his beardless chin before turning back to his liege, who was looking at him with a twitching eyebrow.
Hadrian remained calm and expressionless. But, the twitch of his eyebrow was a dead give away of what he was actually feeling inside for he knew what was about to come.
Charles actually had the gall to smile at him as he began making weird gestures that he 'saw' his liege had made during in his sleep.
"Then, you were doing this..."
'And here comes the teasing...' Hadrian grunted in his mind.
Charles's comely face distorted uglily, making him look quite silly. It reminded him of those famous memes Hadrian had been seeing around the internet.
The cyan eyed Magus, on the other hand, was not so impressed.
Hadrian wondered how many women (that saw and likes Charles) would cry out in injustice to the world for distorting his face in such a manner, and so carelessly at that.
His friend has got quite the comely face, and he literally saw quite a number of women blush like school maidens in his very presence.
'Sad thing is, I bet he doesn't even care.' Hadrian mused with a sigh, feeling a bit sorry for those women who liked his doofus of a friend plus Servant.
He zoned out of his musings, just in time to hear for the retainer to continue his fanciful tale and let his face return to normal, much to his quiet relief.
"... in your sleep. So, what were you dreaming about?" Charles finished, smiling and looking quite pleased with himself for some reason.
Too bad for him, Hadrian was feeling the opposite as he punished the cheeky retainer by pulling on his cheek, hard, and making sure that it was painful.
Lightly activating a few of his magic circuits helped in doing the trick too.
As expected, Charles reacted the Hadrian wanted him to, by crying out in pain and with tears nearly leaking out of his eyes.
"Orwh, Oooorwh, dyat wurt! Wuad I doh!" He whined, tapping on his liege's wrist in surrender.
Charles may be someone with great power, but against his liege, he was defeated.
"Now..." Hadrian began, 'smiling' in a not so pleasant way. "I would expect this sort of behavior from a certain somebody, but not from you. Remember, the place of where we are about to venture into is not a playground. So, quit the shenanigans."
After a whole minute, Hadrian had finally relented and let go.
Charles quickly held the cheek that was pulled harshly, massaging it to relieve the pain.
"Uwah, that wasn't cool, master!" Charles protested weakly.
"Silence." was the only thing that he got in response, but it was enough to make him submit.
"Yeesh..." He groaned, defeated and thoroughly scolded by his lord.
Sighing, Hadrian leaned back against his seat with a small frown.
"You guys have been hanging around my grandfather a bit too much, I swear. Don't think I haven't noticed. I might be busy most of the time, but I'm not unaware of what you guys do."
Hadrian leveled a stern eye upon the black and white haired servant, making sure that Charles was cowed by it before turning his gaze to the window.
If Charles had been born a dog, he would be whimpering in fear with his ears flat and tail tucked between his legs.
Anyone can say what they will, but his liege can be quite terrifying if he wants to be.
Hearing the round of chuckles and giggles flittering in every part of the room, Charles knew that his fellow servants saw the spectacle as well.
Turning around with a glare on his face, Charles met the eyes of every single one of his fellow allies (which are mostly in the male group, fortunately), mouthing a 'I'll get back at you guys later' to them after making sure that Hadrian was not looking.
In return, they merely gave out their own unique response and gestures, which either comes with a smile, a 'come hither' motion or a jaunty wave.
After a silent promise of retribution on them later, Charles leaned back in his seat with a sigh.
He glanced at Hadrian from time to time, looking like a kicked puppy.
His liege though, was lost in his own thoughts as he watched the clouds with a deep, thoughtful expression on his face, oblivious to his glances.
Charles pouted, feeling a bit drained and depressed.
Yesterday, Hadrian had been called into Lord Zelretch's private study, and it was there that he was requested to take on a small assignment at his grandfather's behest.
The assignment was to confirm about a peculiar information that the old Magician had heard from one of his sources. When he heard about it, he was not sure of its authenticity, but his suspicions is roused nonetheless. That's why, he had sent Hadrian to investigate the matter in person.
And so, here they are, about to land the soils of Vancouver, Canada, and spend a week to investigate a case that was personally handed to his liege.
Charles was just trying to make his liege relax and ease up from his much too serious behavior, but he got punished and scolded instead.
What sucked even more for him was that his fellow servants saw that embarrassing scene of Hadrian scolding him and then a punishment soon after.
'I'll get back at them later. Just you wait, guys...' He promised, planning his revenge.
His depressed state did not last long than a few minutes as Charles remembered his question had went unanswered earlier.
"Ah, that's right, Master. You didn't tell me what you were dreaming before." Charles said with a look of curiosity on his comely face.
Hadrian gazed at him with a hint of bemusement on his calm facade.
"Are you that curious to know?" His liege asked, one brow raised.
Emboldened by the chance to make the young master relax even for a little, Charles nodded his head in agreement.
"Well, yeah!" The cheeky retainer said with a smile.
Hadrian chuckled at his antics, causing Charles to cheer in his mind at the success.
His liege was smiling now, making him appear a lot more younger, carefree and unburdened.
When Hadrian takes on a serious facade, it often made him looked mature and elegant than what his age implies, but also difficult and nearly cold to easily approach for most people.
Charles himself doesn't know the reason why, but when a close friend of Hadrian explained it to him, the cheeky retainer finally understood.
People, both the ones in the moonlit world and the normal humans, were intimidated by Hadrian.
It was not just because of his background, his appearance, and among other things, but something else instead.
It was something that can't be explained with mere words, but if there was one for him to describe it, then it might be related to the strange aura that his liege naturally gives off.
The strange aura was familiar. Charles had some experience with it before, but the one that Hadrian exudes with such ease was magnitudes stronger than what he was used to.
In other words, whatever it was that his master possess was just on a whole different level.
One such example of it, was at the airport before they had left England.
Hadrian had been walking by the front of their entourage, leading the way as they all followed him through the busy airport of Heathrow, London.
There were throngs of people walking about in every direction, but when his master had started to walk forward, the wall of people suddenly parted into two, making way for him.
It was like watching how that person used his staff to part the Red Sea to create a safe passage for his people, as Charles had seen in one of those movies.
'It was cool.' Charles thought with a fond smile. 'I think some people call it 'Charisma'.'
t even made the servant wished that he can be as cool as his liege after seeing it.
In Hadrian's case though, he simply made his way through the busy airport with suave as if he owns the place, ignorant to the looks of awe and surprise that he received from the masses nearby.
It was very amusing to watch for Charles and his fellow servants.
What was even funnier was that his liege doesn't seemed to be aware of the natural effect that he has on people, seeing as he looked confused whenever they asked him about it.
Recalling the image in mind, Charles let out a brief laugh, causing Hadrian to face him.
"What's funny?" His liege asked, bemused.
"Ehh... you." Charles grinned, his good mood from before making a comeback.
"Oh? Elaborate, please." Hadrian encouraged, bright cyan eyes slowly narrowing with expectation.
Seeing the eyes of his liege narrowed in suspicion, Charles suddenly felt nervous. He could even feel some of his sweat making its way down at the side of his temple.
'Uuuhh... gotta be careful here.' The cheeky servant thought with wariness.
Some might call him a coward when it comes to his liege, but in Charles's opinion, those people can say what they want.
His master was not a joke when it comes to a fight, and his glares were something to behold and one that can be (justifiably) afraid of, especially if they know what his eyes can do.
Although afraid that another punishment might come in his way (again), Charles pushed passed it and went on a brief explanation, trying his best to maintain a smile despite his initial fears.
He's quite known to be frank with his words, after all, and Charles was not one to back down from anything.
Perhaps that's why his liege managed to summon him forth, cause they had something in common.
The unique courage and determination to persevere, no matter what comes their way.
"Ah, do you remember what happened at the airport?" Charles began with a simple question, swallowing his fears. "Before we left London?"
"Hn." Hadrian grunted in response.
"The looks on those people's faces!" Charles laughed. "It was really funny!"
Bemused by his sudden amusement, Hadrian was about to speak when someone suddenly hugged him from behind the seat, taking him and Charles by surprise as the Master and Servant duo both craned their necks to see who it was.
It was a young man with long pink hair and dark purple eyes. He has beautiful androgynous features that would make people easily mistook him for a female.
In addition to his beauty, he has a fair number of hair ornaments that most females would be seen to wear often. He was 164cm tall, has a pale white skin and a lean physique.
Like all of his servants, he was dressed in an all-black suit, but his own came with a customization, such as his pink tie, black shorts, and white boots with black knee-length socks.
The young man(?) in question was Astolfo, one of his loyal servants and a friend as well.
"Yeah, Master!" Astolfo grinned widely, hugging him from behind the seat. "Let's record it next time if that happens again. That was fun!"
"Astolfo, don't sneak up on us like that." Charles scolded him. "And don't hug Master too much. Give him some room to breathe. I think you're choking him."
Astolfo blinked, pausing before he looked down to check on their liege.
Sure enough, Hadrian was having a difficult time breathing and looking a bit faint.
"Ahahaha, sorry, master!" The pink haired Servant laughed, loosening his hold on Hadrian, but he did not let go. "Guess I don't know my own strength sometimes."
'What do you mean 'sometimes'...?' The other two thought in unison, skeptical.
"It's fine." Hadrian said with a sigh, resigned to his own fate.
The pink-haired servant was someone even more exuberant and happy-go-lucky than Charles could ever become. He had almost a year to get used to their personalities and eccentricities.
As such, Hadrian was not exactly surprised by the action. He was just resigned to it.
He supposed being around a highly eccentric grandfather can also be deemed as an experience in these type of situations.
As the two fellow retainers spoke over him (with Charles continuing to scold Astolfo and the latter defending himself), Hadrian noticed a mobile phone in one of Astolfo's hands.
Curious, Hadrian stared at the screen and noticed that it was currently playing a game. There was one thing that stood out the most to him about it though, other than being familiar with it.
"Ah." Hadrian said in surprise, watching the gameplay.
"Hm?"
Hearing the sound, the two retainers paused their argument and turned to him. Then, they also saw what was happening in the screen, and one of them was not happy.
Astolfo gasped, looking horrified as he (finally) let go of Hadrian and raised the device up to his face.
"MY FAAAAARM!?" The pink-haired Servant shouted in despair and shock.
Hearing bouts of laughter nearby, Astolfo quickly turned around and saw a familiar group of men were (obviously) laughing at his expense and reaction.
Infuriated, he stomped towards where they are huddled together, mobile device in hand and dark purple eyes glistening with tears.
Hadrian and Charles watched him go and disappear to the other side of the plane.
"Well, there he goes..." Hadrian commented, watching the scene with a small smile.
"Indeed..." Charles muttered under his breath, face palming.
On the other side...
"You guys are gonna pay for that!" Astolfo shouted angrily. "I just vanished for a minute, then you guys steal and wreck my farm!? I worked hard on raising those chickens!"
"Well, you should have been paying attention!" The first retorted.
"All is fair in war and Farma Villa!" The second one cheerfully said, unrepentant.
"Who said anything about allies in the game?" The last one said with a grin, equally unapologetic.
"Argh! Shuddap, ya three!" Astolfo shouted in annoyance. "If that's how its going to be, I'll vandalize all your farms then. This is WAR!"
"Bring it!" The three said in unison with matching grins, enthused by the declaration.
Seeing the four looked invested in the game, particularly Astolfo, Charles and Hadrian turned back to their seats and sighed at the same time, used to the group's behavior.
Charles faced his liege, who looked to be falling asleep again after seeing the usual peanut gallery.
"You know, Master, you still haven't answered me." Charles reminded him gently.
"Well... I was just dreaming about something that happened in the past." Hadrian said slowly.
"Hmm..." Charles hummed in thought, then he asked with a smile. "Is it a good one?"
Hadrian let a soft smile appear on his lips.
"Yes, and quite a beautiful one at that."
Charles looked satisfied with his answer, smiling.
The cyan eyed Master was left alone as his cheeky yet caring servant left his seat, excusing himself to get something to drink before the plane lands in an hour.
Hadrian nodded and waved him away with a faint smile.
However, his gaze slowly turned to the left and they met a pair of bright emerald colored eyes in turn, whose owner looked curious and surprised by the sudden meeting of their gazes.
Once he held that person's attention, Hadrian gave her a soft, genuine smile that caused the owner of the green eyes to blush, as he would have expected her to be.
Feeling accomplished, Hadrian chuckled and gave Arturia Pendragon a wink before he returned his gaze to the window, just in time as Charles returned with a bottle of water in hand.
Hadrian knew full well that he is going to get scolded by her once they arrive at the hotel that they made reservations in, but he feels that any time that he spends with her would make it all worth the light punishment that he would, no doubt, get from her later on.
'Hmm... maybe I've been infected by grandpa's mischievousness too.'
Although worrisome, the thought made Hadrian smile throughout the day.
...
Author's Note
...
Goodness me... This author has done it again... (T_T)
Well, my teacher had always often encouraged me to write 5k words per day. I suppose this is the result of that training.
Fortunately, I'm getting used to the routine, even though my hands feels kind of numb right now.
This chapter has reached passed 5k though. I think it's about 7k or more. Scary how the mind can wander and the body just responds like that. (O_O;)
As it was often requested, servant interactions has now appeared. I hope you guys are liking it so far! We've come a long way! :D
By the way, have you guys noticed how his personality became different from the first part and then to the second?
The reason for that is because of how his case was similar to the MC's of Fate/Extra.
So, no, he's not bipolar. Or suffering from a rare case of split personality.
And as for Charles, he's the one who often teases his Master at the wrong time. Hence, he's walking on eggshells in this chapter. XD
Oh, and if you guys are interested, I just finished editing chapter one, along with this one. There's a new content there now.
I hope you guys enjoyed this one and the new chapter one that I just updated! :D
Anyways, please leave a review, follow and (or) fave the story.
Next chapter would have to be delayed for a little while, due to real life issues (again).
So, please exercise great patience. I'll update you guys once it's ready. Now, I'm off to sleep, cause I spent hours on editing the crap out of this chapter.
I'm also thankful for all the follows, faves, and reviews. Please continue to look after this story now and in the future.
I look forward to hearing from you, guys! Stay safe and healthy now!
I bid you guys adieu! :D
(PS - If you guys are wondering what the MC looks like, he's on the cover of this story. That's him. Just letting you guys know.)