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Hello, and welcome to another chapter of 'The Prince of Magic'! :D

As I've promised, this chapter contains a lot interactions and I suppose a glimpse of the trouble that our dear MC will be encountering soon.

There's more that I want to say, but I guess it can wait, so I'll see you guys below where I usually write my AN's.

Anyways, you guys know how this goes. ;)

Please leave a review, fave, follow, and (or) add this story in your library. Also, feel to leave a review and tell me what you think about the story so far.

Or, if you have any questions, either way is fine, and my answer your questions will be seen in the next chapter.

As for the ones who have questions in their reviews, my answers to your questions is at the very bottom of this chapter, so go there now to see if you want to know.

With that out of the way, onward with the story! :3

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"Words"

'Thoughts'

"Spells" or "Abilities"

Sound Effects

Chapter 6 — Clues (1)

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After finishing his morning routine, Hadrian dressed himself in one of his usual attires.

He is wearing a simple and modern black leather jacket with a gray thin hoodie beneath, and a white long-sleeve shirt for his upper body. Below, he is wearing a black low-fitting jeans, and black and white sneakers. He also wore several accessories, such as four rings, an earring pierced on his left ear, and the special glasses that a certain female Magus gave him.

Even though it was still early, Hadrian often liked to be ready since he has intention of going outside and walk around the city later on.

When he exited the bathroom/dressing room, Hadrian saw that Arturia was waking up.

The blonde haired girl slowly sat up from the bed, still managing to look quite beautiful and elegant as she so.

Fortunately for him, the sheets covered her upper body from his view, which made him sigh in relief inside.

Her shoulders are still bared and clear to see, but at least the sheets covered her front from the neck up.

"Hadrian?" Arturia asked, voice slightly rasped from sleep.

"Yes, it's me." Hadrian said gently, slowly approaching the bed before he stopped at the foot.

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you as well." Arturia smiled at him.

In turn, the sight made the ends of his lips curved into a small smile.

"Would you like to join me downstairs? I'm about to call the others, so that we can all have breakfast made by the hotel."

At the mention of food, Hadrian saw the drowsiness in her emerald eyes fade away in an instant.

"Ah, then I shall prepare myself now!" She said, green eyes bright with newfound energy.

Hadrian smiled, white perfect teeth flashing and small dimples showing.

"Su —"

He didn't even get to finish his words as Arturia quickly rose from the bed and dashed inside the bathroom, not forgetting to close the door behind her. Then, he heard the sound of water running a few moments later. All of these scenes had occurred in a matter of seconds, which would not be possible if Arturia was a normal human.

Hadrian chuckled, scratching his cheek with his right index finger.

"Well, that's a servant for you." The cyan eyed Master commented.

Fou, who was sitting by the foot of the bed and watched the female Servant dashed into the bathroom, can only nod her head in agreement.

"Kyufou."

…

…

Thirty minutes later, Arturia was dressed and ready for the day.

She is wearing a white blouse with long-sleeves and a pointed collar. Around her neck was a thin blue ribbon, and around her waist was a dark blue corset. She has a pair of white fitting pants with a brown belt, and ankle-length black boots with low heels. She also tied her hair in a low ponytail. Hanging off her right arm was a dark navy coat of modern design.

Usually, Arturia would not be the type to wear some stylish apparels. She was the kind of person to wear simple clothing instead of modern trends.

But, after she came home with Hadrian and lived with his family for almost a year, his mother had taken her, and later his other female retainers, out on many shopping trips. According to his mother, Lucia had taught them about modern fashion and, as she puts it, "how girls should take better care of themselves in this day and age". (1)

Hadrian does not have the slightest clue what that meant, considering Arturia and the other girls are more than capable of handling themselves in a fight. However, he has a feeling of what she meant that day was about something else instead of what came to his mind at first.

Nevertheless, Hadrian was happy to know that the girls always enjoyed themselves on their 'girls' only trips'.

Hadrian smiled at her when she entered the dining room and joined him at the head table.

Fou was near to his plate, eating her own portion of bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes that he cut into small pieces and served for her.

During the time Arturia was changing, Hadrian had taken the liberty to order a large feast of breakfast for the group before they arrived, making sure that there was enough for everybody to eat. Since he didn't know what everyone likes, Hadrian simply ordered the entire menu and had it all delivered promptly to the penthouse.

Hadrian closed his eyes and sighed, smiling wryly at the thought of spending quite a significant amount of money just for the group's breakfast.

'Now who's being wasteful?' His mind admonished.

'Ah no, it's for a good cause. These guys got big stomachs. Can't let them go hungry, after all…'

This was the line of thought that he tried to convince himself with, of which made his practical side only scoff but relent in the end.

While they are still Heroic Spirits, his retainers were given human bodies to fit in the world more and better hide their true nature from certain people. It was at his grandfather's insistence that they had to take such precautions, considering as there had been many gazes that were watching the family's movements, especially Hadrian's after he won the war.

The servants can still use their powers and are still in contract with him via the Moon Cell, but no magi can tell that they are Heroic Spirits by sight and magical sense alone anymore.

If anything, they would feel no different than a Magus with first class magic circuits. It helped that his retainers had taken his grandfather's advice in maintaining the illusion that they are humans by acting as humans do in public and in private, such as sleeping, eating food, and etc.

Arturia, for one, had no objections with the suggestions, especially when it comes to food.

Hadrian had a feeling it was an experience that she must have been deprived off in the past.

He was broken out of his musings when he felt someone nearby, causing him to open his eyes and look to the entrance.

Sure enough, three people entered the room and Hadrian smiled at them in greeting.

The first to enter was a young woman with long purple hair that went pass her waist.

She was tall, standing at the height of 5'7, and was absolutely stunning in every sense of the word. She has beautiful lavender eyes with peculiar pale irises that were in the shape of rectangles, which was behind a pair of round spectacles. She has a pale skin tone and a figure that is perfectly proportioned, one that men would quickly appreciate and many women would be envious of.

She has long toned legs, curvaceous hips and a large bust that can render a man speechless in awe. Her very appearance was almost a man's ideal. Her long, long lavender hair flowed down and around her in a perfectly straight river that would reached down her ankles, if not for the purple ribbon that kept it in place.

She was wearing a black polo neck top, blue jeans and black casual shoes. Like Arturia, she has a black coat draped on her arm, in the case that she wants to go outside in the city. (2)

This was Rider, one of his servants/retainers. She was also one of the people that he gets along with rather well, due to their mutual love for reading.

Even though Hadrian was already aware of her true identity, she prefers to be called by her Servant class instead of her real name, despite showing gratitude for his understanding of her situation.

The next person that came after her was another young woman.

Like the first, the second woman was extremely beautiful, and also has a perfect figure that men would find nearly ideal. Although, she was a bit smaller in height as she stands only at 5'5.

She has a long purple hair that was a shade darker and shorter in length than Rider's, reaching passed her waist. She has crimson eyes, red like blood, and a snow white skin tone that was a tad lighter in comparison to Rider's and Arturia's, but smooth and unmarred all the same.

She was wearing a dark gray dress that reached her thighs in mid-length underneath a charcoal modern coat with black glossy buttons. She also wore black leggings, and high-heel leather boots that reached her knees. The entire outfit made her stand out more in terms of modern fashion trends.

(Regardless, all of the three young women are beautiful in their own right in Hadrian's quiet opinion.)

The second young woman's name was Scáthach.

Unlike Arturia and the others in his group, she is not a Heroic Spirit, but she did willingly entered into a contract with him that was similar to one. A month after the war ended, Hadrian went on a short journey to test the limits of the Moon Cell after it had fused itself with his soul, accompanying him at that time was (of course) Arturia and some of his other retainers.

Eventually, Hadrian had crossed paths with Scáthach.

He helped her dealt with a problem, and she offered her services to him in return as repayment. It was an equal exchange between the two of them. Although, Hadrian didn't really accepted her offer at first, seeing as Scáthach was not exactly the type to follow orders due to her pride and noble disposition.

In his observation, Scáthach was too carefree and proud.

She was a free-spirit and an independent woman, and does not seem to be the type to serve people. Based on what he knew about her, it would probably be the other way around in her point of view, which is why Hadrian was confused as to why she seems content in following him around, no matter wherever he goes.

Hadrian had a feeling that Scáthach would even follow him in the depths of Hell if he has something to do there.

'I just don't get her…' He mused. 'Well, it's not like I'm complaining. Never really know when I would need her help in the future…'

Therefore, Hadrian had settled with leaving her to make her own decisions, including in letting her to accompany him wherever he goes. She seemed to respect him more because of that, but he gets the slightest feeling that she was frustrated with him for some reason.

They still get along whenever they speak to one another, like good friends who respects each other's privacy, but the feeling was there. Sometimes, whenever she thought that he was not looking or was distracted, Hadrian would see a strange look on her face that he can't quite understand.

For example, she would be smiling pleasantly on the outside, but the subtle hint of frustration was present as well.

Via 'Empathy', Hadrian felt frustration subtly emanating from Scáthach recently whenever they talked, which made him confused and unsure in how to act around the crimson eyed woman, especially when there is only the two of them in the room.

In the end, he figured that it was something to leave alone for now.

'It's not the right time yet…' Hadrian sighed in his mind.

Knowing her personality, it would be in his best interest to let her raise the issue instead of him.

The third to enter the room was a man, who appeared to be in his early twenties.

He was a remarkably handsome man with quirky long hair that was combed backward in a rough fashion with a strand hanging down his face, and a pair of bright amber colored eyes that look droopy and a small beauty mark that can be spotted near the low corner of his right eye.

He has a pale skin that was a bit tanned, and stands at the height of 6 feet. He has features that are capable of sweeping a woman's heart at a single glance, especially with his high bridge nose, his valiant eyebrows, his hard cut mouth that marks him with a stoic air, and his droopy eyes that made his gaze seem more brilliant.

Said man was dressed in an all-black suit that is similar in design as Charles', but he was wearing a dark teal-colored tie and around his right wrist was a silver bracelet of elegant style.

However, if one were to observe closer and ignore his appearance, the elegant air of his beauty is somewhat unnatural. While his features can be considered handsome, little did others know was that much of it comes from his spiritual power of charming women, due to the curse of his beauty spot.

The man who entered last is one of his male Servants/retainers, and his name is Dia, also known as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.

However, after having been summoned by Hadrian, the man simply referred to himself as 'Dia'.

At first, Hadrian thought that the dark haired knight would too proud and arrogant to be a proper retainer for him. But, after spending some time around the man, Hadrian found him accommodating and quite noble who only wishes to serve him as a knight to the best of his abilities.

One after another, Hadrian watched them enter the room with a smile.

The statuesque woman with long, lavender hair smiled at him beatifically once she saw him.

"Good morning, Master." Rider greeted, choosing the chair to his left, which was the direct opposite of Arturia's.

Hadrian smiled slightly.

"Good morning, Rider."

The beatific smile dropped as soon as she turned to Arturia, who was patiently waiting for the rest to come and join them in their fast.

"Good morning, Saber." Rider greeted her in a cold and prim tone, her voice nearly hissing and quiet.

If not for Hadrian's sensitive hearing and his seating position, he would have trouble hearing her properly.

In turn, Arturia returned the frosty greeting in kind.

"Good morning, Rider." Arturia respond in a cold and prim tone, her façade stoic.

Hadrian watched the two exchange their frosty greetings and sigh quietly to himself.

While their relationship was alright and stable enough for the two of them to work together without his supervision, the two would sometimes… clash for a reason that he was unaware of.

Hadrian had no idea when it had started, but if he were to guess, it would probably after a month when Hadrian came to know Rider's true identity and accepted her regardless of her past.

From their first meeting, Rider had been quite distant and almost robotic in her actions, but she was quite loyal and would never hesitate to shield him from harm. In fact, she would even stand between him and the enemy in one smooth motion before giving the offender a fearsome glare that can make a grown man whimper in fear.

After his reassurance of her secret, Rider became more open and talkative around him from then on.

It made Hadrian feel glad to see her being more open and sociable around him, but sometimes, she would differently around others, especially around Arturia. (3)

'Like in this situation, for one…' He thought as he saw the two stare each other down.

Obviously, the two seemed to be having a silent conservation with their eyes, and Hadrian was not invited nor privy to their 'talk'.

Therefore, he ignored the two women and turned his attention to the other remaining people in the room.

"Good morning, you two." Hadrian greeted them.

Dia, as per his custom, straighten his posture and bowed to him at the waist with one hand over his heart.

"A good morrow to you, my liege." The dark haired retainer smiled.

Then, he took a seat next Rider, while Scáthach turned to him with a small smile and a nod before she sat next to Arturia.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Master."

As they have all been around Hadrian for a while now, the four retainers did not touch any of the food and merely waited patiently for the others to arrive.

Although, while Hadrian was not aware of this fact, the retainers felt it would disrespectful to their liege if they were to start eating without him doing it first. Some of them suspected that it might have something to do with Hadrian's powerful charisma and presence that made them feel that way, but they were not sure.

Most of them simply followed their Master's actions and had adopted to the routine ever since, even without him telling them anything of the sort.

As they waited for the others to arrive, Hadrian broke the silence once more as he asked them all with one question.

"So…" Hadrian began with a smile, looking at the four retainers with an expectant eye. "I take it that you all had fun last night?"

At his question, the reactions from the four varied from each person.

One laughed nervously with a sheepish expression, one looked away (like a child) with a (cute) embarrassed expression on her face, and two were blushing but maintained their silence.

Dia, who laughed nervously, was the one to speak first.

"Eh… so we did."

"Oh, I bet you guys did." Hadrian affirmed with a nod, smiling relentlessly as he continued. "I had to clean up the mess that some of you had left on the floor, after all."

The topic of their conversation was about the party that his retainers have had last night.

Hadrian didn't know what happened nor did he know who actually started it, but one of his retainers brought up the word 'party' and most of them jumped on the chance to celebrate their arrival in Canada. To 'have fun and relax', as they said. Truthfully, Hadrian was not against it, seeing as they would be quite busy in the next day and he understood their desire to have a break.

But, he did not expected was for chaos to happen in the party.

Most of them had been playing console games at the beginning and they had ordered plenty of food to make the party a bit more festive, then one of them suggested a penalty for whenever someone lose in the game. But, one blur after another, it had quickly became a drinking contest after that.

What was more surprising to Hadrian is that two of his usually prim and proper servants, such as Arturia and Dia, got drunk and involved in the mess at the end.

Hadrian had expected for Charles, Astolfo and the others to fall into the chaos, but not those two.

Imagine his surprise when he came down the stairs and saw the chaos of a party that they were having last night after he had finished speaking to his grandfather about their current situation.

Before he left them to their own devices, Hadrian had seen them merely having fun and eating the food that he ordered from the hotel's restaurant. When he returned after an hour, Hadrian was shocked to find the room was in a messy state. It was as if someone had a party and a food fight at the same time.

Some of the glass windows were broken, and had smeared food and wine. The floor has small puddles of water, soda and wine staining them. Some of the walls were broken, and even the chandelier hanging in the center of the room was not safe as it was barely holding on for its dear life.

As for his servants…

Hadrian sighed, recalling how the retainers looked last night.

Charles, Astolfo and the others were already flushed, obviously drunk and gibbering nonsense as they went wild around the room.

Arturia and Dia were lying on separate couches, also looking flushed and passed out drunk.

Rider was asleep near the couch where Arturia was sleeping. Unlike the two, she only looked a bit flush and seemed to be resting contently as she unconsciously hugged the bottle of sake into her well-endowed bosom like a precious babe. Hadrian remembered that the bottle was the same one he bought for her last month, and it was not a cheap sake either.

Next to Rider was Scáthach, who looked quite content and relaxed than all of them combine. She too had a bottle of alcohol hugged into her equally well-endowed breasts, but the bottle was more of an intricate design and contains the divine wine that he also gave to her after he found it in the hero-king's treasury a few months ago.

Needless to say, being the responsible one in the group, Hadrian had spent quite a bit of time in cleaning up their mess.

He had to use one of his spells to repair the damages that they had done in the lounge. He cleaned up their mess in an hour, and spent another half in taking each of them in their respective rooms to sleep properly. After that, he spent thirty minutes in double-checking if there any damages or smeared food that he had missed.

Fortunately, there was no more, and Hadrian had spent the remaining evening in continuing his research with Fou as his company before cleaning himself and going to sleep. (4)

Hadrian sighed again, well aware of the four retainers' eyes set on him before he opened his eyes to look at them.

"Really, I expected this thing to happen with Charles and the others, but even you four?" Hadrian said in a weary tone, watching the four appear sheepish at his words.

"Apologies, my lord." Dia began, looking down at his plate since he couldn't look at his liege in the eye. "I had been swept by the festivities with the others."

"I as well." Arturia agreed quietly, a blush on her typically pale cheeks.

Rider remained silent, but she too agreed with the two knights' words as she nodded.

"In fairness, Charles and the others were the ones that started it." Scáthach muttered weakly, not being convincing as she looked away to stare out the window with a light blush on her cheeks.

"And to be fair, I expected either one of you four to stop them. So, why didn't any of you do it?" Hadrian smiled, then it dropped as a flat expression took over.

"Oh wait, you're all passed out. Did it not occur to any of you that you might not be able to handle too much alcohol you are used to than before? Mind you, the bodies you are inhabiting are closer to a human's, which will make you more likely to get drunk easily."

Seeing Dia, Arturia and Rider looking properly chastised, Hadrian then turned Scáthach, who was about to speak up but was surprised to find him look at her.

"Now, I understand these three, but you passed out as well, Scáthach, despite having a real body. I take it that the divine wine is too much for your tolerance to endure."

For her part, Scáthach continued to stare out at the window as if there was something interesting there, but the blush on her cheeks brightened.

"Apologies, Master…" The three muttered in unison, all gazes down at their respective plates.

After staring at them for a minute, which seemed to be enough to punish them, Hadrian relented and leaned back into his chair with a huff.

"Well, next time, try to tone down the enthusiasm. It's fine to celebrate every once in a while, but not often in times such as this." He advised them as he looked down on his empty plate. "Like I have said before to Charles, we are not here for fun."

Seeing them respond with either a nod or with words of "yes" and "okay", Hadrian turned his attention elsewhere as he noticed the small figure on Rider's left shoulder.

It was a tiny creature with a round form, and has a small pure white fur that covered its entire body.

In the far distance, one would be reminded of a soft, white round bun by simply looking at the small creature. It was only due to its bright blue orbs for eyes, its small mouth, the long white tail and its two white feathery wings that one can tell that it is a creature, despite its strange appearance.

Upon closer observation, one can find four stubby little appendages with the front of which he form little 'fingers' with, and on top of its head (?) were two triangular furry ears that looks similar to a cat's. On where its forehead would be, there was a tiny round diamond above and in between its eyes, and there are two small fangs peeking at the edge of its upper lips.

This was Ryu, one of his familiars. (5)

'Well… technically counted as a Familiar.' Hadrian corrected himself.

Ryu is a special case amongst his familiars.

What makes Ryu different is that it does not have a gender (but Hadrian likes to call Ryu a 'he' nonetheless), possess magical abilities that can put most Magi to shame, and also had an original owner before he met Hadrian. Ryu was given to Hadrian as his twelfth birthday gift by his father, who had also received Ryu as a gift from his deceased brother, Mathius von Aelfryth.

According to his father, Ryu is a living breathing Mystic Code that was created by his late uncle.

Thus, it did not really surprised Hadrian when he became aware of Ryu's true nature and capabilities.

Also, while Ryu's appearance was extremely cute, he is not without peculiarities of his own.

Should people carelessly stretch out their hands, Ryu would suddenly open his mouth and snap at a person with the fangs growing closely packed within. Having said that, Ryu's personality is actually cheerful and very innocent, so whenever he does such a thing, it was not done out of malice but mere curiosity.

It would be similar as to how a shark would open its mouth in curiosity and bite if there was something in front of their face.

As Ryu's owner, Hadrian had never been a victim of his quirks, along with a select few of others, including Rider in that aspect.

But, most of the people around him were not so fortunate.

He had seen a fair number of people nearly get bitten by Ryu for carelessly stretching out their hands to pet him. There were even some who did, and one of them being was his friend, Flatt Escardos. The scream that Flatt had let out that day echoed throughout the whole building of where Lord El-Melloi II's private office was located.

It was so loud that he would not find it surprising if Flat's scream that day had woken up the dead.

Hadrian smiled at the sight of his little round familiar.

"There you are, Ryu."

Noticing his master's attention on him, Ryu let out an excitable sound and flew straight to him from Rider's shoulder.

"Kyu!"

Hadrian laughed as the round familiar hugged his face with its round form, cuddling him.

"Hmm, I've been wondering where you had been. I take it that you were accompanying Rider?" He asked gently, holding Ryu in his hands with care.

"Kyuyu!" Ryu said in happiness and agreement, bouncing a little on his owner's palms.

"Ah, I see." Hadrian smiled, then glanced at Rider briefly.

Seemingly cheered up, Rider watched as the familiar and owner interact with a small smile on her lips, which widen as their gazes met for a moment.

Amused by the sight, Hadrian returned his attention to the excitable familiar.

"Good boy."

After patting Ryu's head and let him return to Rider, Hadrian looked around the room with a small frown.

"It has been a few minutes now and those five have yet to show up." Hadrian said as he glanced at his gold watch (a gift from his mother).

Seeing an opportunity to be of use to his liege, Dia spoke up, gaining Hadrian's attention.

"If you wish, I can fetch them, my lord." Dia volunteered, leaning to the table to look at his liege properly.

Hadrian was about to accept his offer when he sensed five people nearby, causing him to frown in thought.

"Thank you, Dia, but I don't think you need to do that." Hadrian said with a sigh. "The troublesome five are here."

Almost immediately after he said it, the Master and the four retainers heard the sounds of footsteps and five people talking outside the dining room.

The occupants inside the room became silent as they listened into the conversation with their enhanced hearing.

"Ugh… my head…" The first male voice said lowly in a pained voice.

"You're not the only one there… Mine feels like it's about to split." A second male voice said.

"Man, that wine that Master brought out was soooo good, but the hangover is really vengeful." A third male voice, Astolfo, said loudly.

"Agreed, it tasted awesome, but the hangover ain't so awesome." A fourth male voice, Charles, said with a sigh.

"Hm, really? I feel fine compared to you guys. It's probably because you all drank too much of that wine. That wine can pack quite a punch with its hangover, especially to normal humans." A fifth male voice said in an easy going tone with a laugh at the end.

"Tsk, Master is the one at fault here!" The first voice said with faux annoyance.

"Ha ha ha, true, but he ain't the one who told us to drink the wine down to its last drop, you know?" The fifth male voice reminded.

"Oh yeah! Didn't Master told us to drink it slowly? Why didn't we do that?" Astolfo asked.

"More like, why did we forget it in the first place?" Charles asked with a groan.

"That was your fault, pinky! Weren't you the one who said that whoever lost the most will have to drink until they drop?" The first male voice accused.

"Yeah, and weren't you the one who proposed the idea to drink all the alcohol and leave the divine wine for last?" The second male voice added.

"Like any of you got the right to talk! I only did that to make the game interesting. It's supposed to be a party, not a boring one!" Astolfo reasoned loudly.

"Well it happened anyways, so there's really no point in arguing about this…" The second said wearily.

"In agreement to that!" The fifth said in a cheerful voice.

"Yes, there's something more important to address at hand…" Charles started.

"Which is?" Three people asked in unison.

"Astolfo!" Charles shouted suddenly.

"What's up?" Astolfo asked, sounding unperturbed as he seems cheerful as always.

"Don't you 'what's up' me! You are one of the Holy Paladins, so why are you wearing those girly clothes again! Daddy is so disappointed in you, I could cry!" Charles scolded.

"You're not my dad! Besides, I have a super-good reason for dressing up like a girl!" Astolfo retorted. (6)

…

Inside the dining room, Hadrian heard Arturia made an idle comment.

"Those two are… intense, as always." She muttered unsurely.

…

"Argh! Shut up you two! Your shouting is making my headache feel worse." The first voice complained.

"Uh, guys, I think we have a more serious problem in our hands." The second began, nervous.

"And what is that now?" The first asked, disgruntled.

"It's Master. I think he was the one who cleaned up our mess last night. We just passed by the lounge and not a speck of dust or mess are in there." The second answered, apprehensive.

"Uuhh… now that you mentioned it, the broken stuff looks brand new too." Charles said, dread clear in his voice.

"Hmm, I also remembered Master bringing each of us back in our rooms." The fifth added, sounding thoughtful.

"… Are we in trouble? Cause I feel like we're about to be." Astolfo asked with a bit of nervous laughter.

"Okaaaay, guys! I'm gonna go last, you four can take the first step into that room. I'm fine being the last one to enter." Charles announced brightly.

"Huh?!" Astolfo shouted, sounding betrayed.

"What?!" The second asked in shock.

"Oi!" The first yelled indignantly.

"Whaddya mean 'what?' I already felt the full brunt of Master's glare yesterday, which ain't awesome, by the way! Now it's your turn, you bastards!" Charles retorted, also indignant.

"This is revenge from yesterday, isn't it?!" The first voice shouted.

"He he he, payback sure is awesome!" Charles ended with a weird laugh.

If Hadrian can see him now, he knew that the black and white haired retainer would be wearing a cheeky grin.

"Umm, I don't think I want to deal with that right now. Master's glare is scary. I mean, he's beautiful and alluring to look at, but really terrifying." Astolfo commented.

"… I don't know what's in that empty head of yours, pinky, but yes, Master's glare is terrifying." The second agreed in a deadpan tone.

"Ano, should we really be having this conversation right now?" The fifth male voice asked unsurely.

But, he was ignored as the others talked over him in favor to the subject of their conversation: their Master.

"True, true. Master's glare is quite something to behold, especially up close and personal. I thought I was going to piss myself yesterday when he glared at me." Charles agreed sagely with a nod.

"Yeah, and when Master does that thing where his eyes change color and squint them like this." Astolfo added cheerfully.

It did not took a genius to guess that the pink haired servant was demonstrating what he said just now outside the room.

As for the subject of their gossip, the four retainers inside stared at Hadrian, who suddenly went quiet as they listened to the five troublemakers outside talk about him without any filter.

Through the Servant and Master bond, the four can tell that Hadrian was irritated, despite his calm and stoic façade.

What they did not know was that Hadrian is irritated because the five were making the food he ordered go cold the longer they are outside, not because they were gossiping about him. (7)

Their attention however, was forced to return to the five troublemakers as their talk seemed to have taken a different turn.

"Still, I bet the girls would love to see that anyways." The first voice commented offhandedly with a grunt.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Charles asked curiously.

"Oh, I know what he's talking about!" Astolfo said in excitement, sounding giddy by the turn of their gossip.

"Ah, c'mon, Charles, I'm sure even you wouldn't be that obtuse. Those girls are thirsty for —"

* Whoosh *

In three milliseconds, five crimson spears with thorn-like designs suddenly appeared three feet above Scáthach's head, and shot itself like strong arrows in the air to the one spot (near the dining room's entrance) that she was glaring at with her narrowed crimson eyes.

Idly, Hadrian took note that her gaze seemed to have went pass below the waist of an average person.

One after another, Hadrian watched in curiosity as the spears zoomed pass and buried themselves into the wall so deep that half of its length was on the other side. The sounds of the spears piercing the wall worked in tandem like rapid noises made from a loud instrument.

As he expected, shouts of surprise and shock came from the other side of the room as soon as the spears had pierced through.

Hadrian figured that someone probably fell down as well, based on the sounds he heard and sensed.

"Hiiii!" The first voice and Charles cried out in unison.

Although, the fear and shock in Charles's voice was more clear to be heard.

"What in the hell?!" The second cursed in bewilderment.

"Whoa!" Astolfo said in surprise.

Then, a second later…

"Ha ha ha!" The fifth male voice laughed. "Honestly, I kind of saw that coming."

Footsteps were soon heard, then someone pulled a spear from the other side and a bright amber eye was seen peeking through the hole.

Said owner of the amber eye landed on a smug-looking Scáthach, who met his gaze confidently.

"Hey! Crazy woman, watch it!" The first voice shouted. "You almost killed some of us in the most horrible way possible, you know!"

"Well, it's quite rude to gossip behind someone's back, you know." Scáthach returned calmly, smiling with obvious satisfaction.

"I would have prefer if you used the real thing." Rider commented, looking nonchalant as she leaned back in the chair. "Better to lessen the bad influences around Master that way."

"Hmm, perhaps next time, I will." Scáthach hummed thoughtfully.

"You bitches, I heard that!" The person behind the wall yelled out in anger.

"Stop peeking through that wall like a weirdo and just get in here already." Hadrian cut in, looking a bit annoyed.

…

…

After an hour of eating breakfast and cleaning the dishes, they all adjourned to the lounge where Hadrian intends to discuss the plan for the day.

Like in every other room of the penthouse, the lounge area was also lavishly furnished.

Blue and white walls, a blue velvet carpet covered the white marbled floor, a U shaped sectional black sofa in the center and a black tuxedo couch at the middle of the gap, a flat screen 50' inches TV placed by the wall, and a glass coffee table in the center of the seats. Hanging directly above the coffee table was a small chandelier, and art paintings hung on a few walls.

With Hadrian sitting alone on the tuxedo couch, the others took their seats on the sectional sofa.

Dia was standing on Hadrian's left side, while Charles, who is dressed in his usual suit, stood on his right.

Both the male knights in question were smiling as they stood on either of his sides, as per their usual habit.

On the right side of the couch, there was Scáthach, Rider, and Arturia, who sat the closest to Hadrian.

On the left was Astolfo and his three retainers that had joined him on this case.

The one seated next to Astolfo's left is a man in his early twenties, who goes by the name of Arash.

He has a short black hair and dark brown eyes. He is 6 feet tall, has a light brown skin, and a muscular physique fit for combat. He was dressed in a cyan hoodie with the zipper opened, a black V-neck T-shirt, black jeans, and brown shoes. His features bears similarities to people with West Asian descent.

What stood about him the most were his dark brown eyes that radiated lively energy and positivity.

Next to him is another man in his early twenties and is of Chinese descent, whose name is Yan Qing.

Unlike Arash, Yan has a lighter skin tone, a lean but muscular physique, and is 5'6 feet tall, which makes him in equal height with Hadrian.

He has a long black hair that was tied into a low ponytail and extends pass his waist, and a pair of light yellow eyes. He has a young and comely features, and has a lot of colored tattoos that can be seen all across his upper body and arms. But, due to his clothes covering them, most of the tattoos remain hidden from plain sight.

Also, unlike his fellow retainers, Yan has foregone with the suit and settled for a set of custom clothing instead.

He is wearing a white classic shirt with a mandarin collar and long sleeves that was folded neatly up to his elbows halfway, a long Chinese tang jacket made of black linen, black tai chi pants and a pair of black tai chi shoes. On his left wrist was red braided band, and there is another of similar design around his neck, but is worn as a necklace instead.

And sitting at the end of their side was a young man of similar height with Yan Qing, but younger in terms of appearance.

He has a short dark brown hair, and dark amber eyes. He has a lean yet muscular built, and a somewhat comely features.

Like Charles and Dia, he is wearing an all-black suit, but less prim in appearance. His black tie was inside the coat's right breast pocket, his blazer was opened, the top three buttons of his shirt was left unbuttoned, and the sleeves of his blazer and shirt was up to his elbows. Also, there is a thin red cloth wrapped around his right wrist as an accessory.

Overall, he looks like a young delinquent still in high school.

The way he sat lazily, leaning against the arm of the couch, and the boredom in his amber colored eyes was clear for everyone to see.

This was Kieran, one of his retainers with a unique case in his group, and the third servant Hadrian made a contract with. (8)

Unlike the rest of his Servants, he did not have a true name, so Hadrian gave him a new one instead, which is 'Kieran'.

Also, Hadrian did not summoned him via the Moon Cell.

Instead, he found him by chance when he was investigating a certain past incident, and had even considered killing him the first time they met after he discovered Kieran's true identity.

One thing led to another, and Hadrian had decided to give him a place among his retainers. His decision was questioned by nearly everyone, even his grandfather had asked him to reconsider as they deemed Kieran to be a threat due to his past, but Hadrian has no intention of changing his mind.

What he did promised to them was that he will be the one to 'take care' of Kieran should it ever comes down to that.

But, in all honesty, Hadrian felt no motivation to follow through that promise after being around Kieran these past several months.

Hadrian and Kieran had a private conversation before, in which Hadrian realized what exactly Kieran wants in his life.

'To live freely…' was what Kieran told him before.

Knowing of his past, Hadrian knew that Kieran was telling the truth, and he did not need the Moon Cell to confirm it.

However, his grandfather's warning about rogue servant was also true, and Hadrian cannot take that risk, despite the chances of it happening were slim.

Kieran might not have a desire to wreak havoc upon the world, but it doesn't mean that there won't be others who will try to use him for their own gain.

Thus, Hadrian offered him a place in his group.

Of course, Kieran was wary of him at first, but after Hadrian explained his intention and the benefits of being his retainer, he accepted his offer in the end.

It helped that Hadrian assisted him with his issues and made a promise to let Kieran do as he please for as long he behaves while under his employment.

Since then, Kieran had been on Hadrian's side, though their bond is more akin to close brothers than a Master and Servant most of the time.

'Speaking of which…' Hadrian thought as he looked at Kieran.

While the retainer looked relaxed and lazy as he sat on the other end of the couch, Kieran would send a glare at Rider and Scáthach every now and then, which was quite telling that he had not yet forgiven nor forgotten what the two had said and done earlier.

For their part, Rider and Scáthach appeared amused and uncaring of his glares, ignoring him even as they turned their attention to Hadrian instead.

As for Kieran and the four who arrived late, Hadrian had intended to punish them before, but he figured what they had experienced outside the dining room was enough.

Based on what Kieran and the others were saying before, the sharp tips of the spears had almost skewered them below the belt, nearly grazing their private parts in the process, which Hadrian could not really blame them for feeling annoyed by Scáthach's 'fatal attack'.

It was only thanks to the sturdy wall that the spears had lost its momentum by the time they had pierced through. Also, Hadrian had a feeling Scáthach may have held back in shooting the spears via levitation spell.

Still, getting skewered via below the belt was a bit too much even in Hadrian's opinion.

In all honesty, he was only glad that Scáthach used non-cursed spears instead of the real Gae Bolg.

Else, Hadrian would have lost five retainers in one day because of an irritated Divine Spirit, who also happens to be his retainer.

With a huff, Hadrian began the discussion.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, we can talk about the plans for today." Hadrian announced.

He crossed his legs and leaned back into the couch, making himself comfortable as he waved his right hand before using it to support his head.

Through an amazing display of holographic magic, Hadrian made a detailed map of the city via the Moon Cell that he settled upon the coffee table.

Every location in the city, the name of the shops, building, streets and more are on clear display, including the movements of locals currently walking about in present time.

With the Moon Cell, magically conjuring a real-time holographic map of the city with a wave of his hand was easy as breathing for Hadrian. (9)

It was one of the tricks that he uncovered by chance after the Moon Cell had fused itself with his soul.

His 'private trips' on the moon several months ago were paying off.

However, most of the names disappeared as he discarded them and only a few were left on display.

The ones in particular are the specific locations related to the murder cases.

"As you all know, our scheduled meeting with the source is still tomorrow. But, today, we have another important matter to attend, and that is to look into these locations that the High Council has asked of me to double-check. Since these areas are too far apart for me to look into, I have decided to split the group into three. First, Rider and Scáthach will both go together and cover this area. Arash, Dia, and Yan will go here. And Arturia, Charles, Astolfo and Kieran will go with me in here."

As he spoke, Hadrian made sure to point out the locations of interest to each group, and the sections they are assigned to investigate.

The Master looked up from the hologram and to his retainers, who were paying his words with their undivided attention.

All of his retainers are wearing solemn expressions, which made Hadrian relieved that they were taking the situation seriously.

Although, he raised an eyebrow at Astolfo, who was staring at the holographic map with an unusual intensity in his purple eyes.

Said pink-haired retainer was wearing a pink shirt with short-sleeves that seems a bit large for his size and tucked in at the front, black hot-pants with a brown belt with a bronze buckle, gray socks, and a pair of pink and white high-top shoes with purple laces. He is also wearing a silver wristwatch, a purple necklace with a gold pendant, and a pink cap that is turned backwards.

Astolfo's overall outfit was really girlish, and it was (probably) the source of Charles's disappointment by the despondent look on the latter's comely face.

But, it is the unusually serious expression on Astolfo's face that surprised Hadrian, seeing as he rarely takes anything seriously in his entire life.

While taken aback inside, Hadrian did not let it show on his calm façade. He simply nodded to himself and continued on.

"Now, as for our goal in this plan, it would be to find anything that was overlooked by the other groups that investigated these areas before."

Some of his retainers perked up from his statement, but it was Charles who asked the question that was in their minds.

"What do you mean by that, Master?" Charles inquired curiously.

Turning his head slightly to the right, Hadrian answered him.

"It is exactly what I said." Hadrian returned his gaze upon the map. "The ones that tried to investigate these locations came up with results that the High Council viewed… unsatisfactory."

His lips thinned as he crossed his arms over his chest, brows knitting slightly in thought.

"Lehrer Melloi was supposed to be the one to come here, but since he was occupied with another task, the case was handed over to me instead. Even though I was his student only for a year, they have deemed my skills enough to act as a proper substitute for him."

Hadrian smiled faintly.

Even to this day, he found the idea of how the High Council sees him and their expectations uncomfortable.

"Since the meeting is still tomorrow, consider this one as a side-mission that we might as well finish today. All of you have your own methods with investigating, so I'm sure you guys will do just fine. If, however, you encountered something and you're unsure in how to handle it, then don't hesitate to ask the others of their opinion."

Hadrian blinked as he remembered something important.

"Oh, and don't let any humans see you entering these areas. Even though they have been cleaned, the government have restricted the public entrance to any of them for the time being. So, enter the areas in your astral forms and use a bound field around the perimeter if you must."

Yan scratched his head, looking a bit confused.

"Eh, Master, why the extra caution? Won't our astral forms be enough?" Yan Qing asked.

"It's enough, but sometimes, not everything will go the way you expect it to." Hadrian answered. "I learned my lesson in the war, so who knows what might happen once we venture into these areas. A fight might even break out and I don't wish the humans to be involved if it does happen."

By this admission, most of the retainers perked up in attention, making Hadrian sigh when he saw the hint of excitement in their eyes at the possibility of a battle.

Noticing his odd statement, Dia made a decision to ask his liege.

"Um, my lord, why do you expect a fight to break out if this is just a simple re-checking of the areas?"

Hadrian hummed in thought.

"Like I said, you never really know what might happen." Hadrian smiled disarmingly, making him more alluring to look at.

Charles and his retainers, who were a bit naïve, didn't noticed the hidden meaning behind his words.

But, some of the more observant ones understood, causing them to exchange brief knowing glances at one another.

"Before we set off…" Hadrian trailed off, taking something out of his jacket's right pocket before he turned to one of his retainers. "Here, Arash, catch."

He tossed a small device to a surprised-looking Arash, who snatched the item with one hand.

Together, Arash and the others looked at the object in his open palm.

The item was small and thin, about two inches in height and one centimeters in width. It has a cylindrical form made out of aluminum metal, and a button on one end.

When Arash turned it over on one side, there was a small bar in a bright green color located beneath the second button.

Ever the curious one in the group, Charles asked.

"Master, what's that?"

"It's the new device I made a week ago. It's magical, of course, and I call it the 'Finis', which means barrier in English." Hadrian announced with a grin.

Noticing the looks of curiosity and wonder, Hadrian explained.

"True to its name, that tiny metal can automatically deploy a powerful bounded field that can cover two football fields in 5 seconds. It will quickly prevent any humans from entering as long as the field is active, so you won't need to worry about needless casualties."

"I see..." Scáthach mused aloud, one finger on her chin before she asked. "But what if there are some that can enter the bounded field? What then?"

"Then, those are Magi." Hadrian answered with a small smile, as if he was expected the question.

"The 'Finis' has a sensory ability that can discern a normal human from a Magus, depending on its calculations on the quantity of magic circuits. In case you are not aware, there is a difference between the magic circuits of the two. A human's circuits is weak, almost miniscule in number and greatly lacking in quality. In other words, it is almost non-existent, but it is there anyways since it is a part of their souls. This fact applies to all living things. Otherwise, Servants in the past grail wars wouldn't think of using humans as an alternative source of magical energy."

Hadrian smiled faintly at the stoic and uncomfortable looks on the retainers' faces, but he pushed on regardless.

"Whereas the magic circuits of an average Magus, it is more clear and vibrant in color. If I were to make a comparison, it would be the same as holding two light bulbs with two different brightness. The first is more dimly lit, while the other is several times brighter. Following me so far?"

Amused, Hadrian smiled when Charles and the others nodded before he continued.

"I designed the 'Finis' to only prevent ordinary humans from entering the bounded field, not the Magi. Therefore, anyone who can enter the Bounded Field is seen as a Magus or more. So, make no mistake, if you happen to encounter one later, try to confirm if they are friendly or an enemy first. If it's the first, ask for their identity, their affiliation and their division. If they are not, then don't hesitate to do what is necessary and find out their reason for being there by force if you must."

"Got it, Boss." Yan Qing said with a smirk and a jaunty wave.

"Understood." Dia said with a slight nod of his head.

"Gotcha, Master." Charles and Arash said in unison, grinning.

Similarly, the others also voiced their agreement either with words or a nod.

Satisfied, Hadrian moved on with his explanation.

"Now, if you do happen to encounter a normal human inside the bounded field by chance, then use the 'Neurolyzer' of the 'Finis'. Arash, swipe your thumb on the flat surface of the other end."

Right after he said it, Arash did as he instructed and the device extended a little, showing a large lens and a button behind it.

The retainers turned back to Hadrian, who quickly explained the hidden feature of his new invention.

"The 'Neurolyzer' effect can make a person forget what they had seen in a single flash. Right now, since it is still in its experimental phase, I had set the time to only a few hours, which is perfect for our excursion today. So, just make sure the target's gaze is meeting the lens pointedly and press on the button once. Remember, only press on the button once, not twice. Otherwise, you'll cause the target to get a rare case of brain damage if you do it by accident. Also, don't look directly as the flash turns on, or you might be affected by it as well."

"Okay, just one press and don't look. Got it, Master." Arash affirmed with a nod, taking his warning to heart.

As for the rest, they stared at their Master in wonder and amazement.

Arturia in particular, looked upon Hadrian with soft fondness in her emerald eyes and a gentle smile.

"To create something like this. Boss, you sure are amazing." Yan commented, looking impressed.

"Indeed." Scáthach added, eyes closed and smiling in satisfaction. "What you have made can save a lot of humans from being killed by most Magi."

"Honestly, I was just tired of hypnotizing or erasing the memories of the witnesses to avoid a casualty, so I made that thing instead." Hadrian said calmly, deflecting the compliments with ease.

And it was true.

In the past, if there were normal humans that saw him doing Magecraft, Hadrian would be forced to resort to either hypnotize or erase the witness's memory of the recent incident.

With his wealth of experience and knowledge in magic, both options were not exactly difficult to do. But sometimes, he would have a group of witnesses and will have to go through the trouble of doing either choices one by one, which can take quite some time in his opinion.

In his belief, killing a witness of Magecraft should only be the last resort, which he was fortunate to have never done before in this life.

Eventually, Hadrian made a quick decision to make the 'Finis', and the rest was history. (10)

"Regardless, Master, it remains an impressive feat even amongst the Magi." Rider smiled at him.

Hearing a rare compliment from the usually stoic Rider, Hadrian was a bit caught off guard and he felt his cheeks redden a little.

In a second, Hadrian recovered from his embarrassment and was about to speak again when Charles beat him to it.

"Neurolyzer. Hm, I've heard of that before…" Charles said aloud, then turned to his liege with a cheeky smile.

Sensing a sort of déjà vu, Hadrian schooled his face into a stoic and kingly demeanor as he looked at Charles.

"Master, isn't that from a movie?" Charles asked in a teasing tone. "About people who are dressed in black."

Amused by the revelation, the retainers turned to observe Hadrian with small smiles on their faces.

In his case, Hadrian stilled and looked away to the window, as if suddenly finding it interesting.

"… No?" Hadrian said casually after a moment of silence.

'So obvious…' was all the retainers thought.

Fortunately for him, they remained silent and looked upon him fondly, as if used to his behavior.

Feeling a bit awkward by their stares, Hadrian coughed into his hand and composed himself after making a promise to punish Charles later on.

"Anyways, it would be best for us to get moving while it is still early." Hadrian stated calmly, his regal demeanor returning.

With a wave of his hand, the holographic map of the city vanished into particles of light before fading completely.

But, before Hadrian could rise from the sofa, Astolfo surprised him when he spoke in a solemn tone with an equally serious expression.

"Master, might I request something of you?" Astolfo asked, taking nearly everyone by surprise.

Blinking, Hadrian can only give his consent with a nod as he wondered what caused the usually carefree servant to be so serious.

"What is it, pinky?" Kieran asked with a raised brow.

Contrary to what they were expecting, Astolfo pulled out a magazine from behind his pocket and showed him one of its pages.

As he did so, Astolfo's solemn expression quickly turned that of a child begging for his parent to buy him something he wants badly.

"Can we please go to this coffee shop? I heard they put cute artsy stuff on their food there!" Astolfo begged, purple eyes glistening with little tears for effect.

"…"

The silence could not be more pronounced as the other retainers stared at the pink-haired servant with deadpan expressions.

To his credit, Astolfo remained unmoved and only focused on his master's response, who looked torn with indecision.

Recognizing the intense focus in his eyes, Hadrian knew he has to give him an answer.

Otherwise, the pink-haired retainer would be sulking all throughout their 'trip' in the city if his harmless request was denied.

"You want to… make a detour?" Hadrian asked unsurely.

"Yes…"

"Is it close to where we are going?"

"Yes! I checked the map you displayed here earlier."

'So that's why he was so focused earlier…' Hadrian mused wryly.

"… Okay."

"Yahooo!" Astolfo whooped in excitement.

Hadrian sighed as he and the others watched an elated Astolfo fist-pump the air, who looked quite pleased with himself.

…

Author's Note

…

Okay, that's another chapter done! :D

Hope you guys enjoyed this one as well, caused it took me a while to compile it all together.

I'm well aware that I have not updated for a while, and I'm really sorry for that, but that is due to my real life business.

Had to help my mother in babysitting my brother's kids due to an emergency. My nephew, who is three years old, had to be taken to the hospital to get his lungs cleared out of phlegm that accumulated for a while when he got sick in the past. Doctor said that it was about to turn into tuberculosis if immediate treatment was not done.

Long story short, my brother dropped off his kids in my home to be looked after, while he and his wife can watch over my nephew in the hospital. So, yeah, imagine how difficult it was to write in peace and silence while the kids were all going crazy near your room. Highly recommend not to do that because, I assure you guys, your sanity will just drop.

Don't get me wrong, I love the kids, but their energy can be quite tiring to endure, especially when two of them are screaming and one was bawling their eyes out for no actual reason other than to go home and be with her mother, who was not exactly there, mind you. Not only that, my godson was thrown into the babysitting mix and my days recently just became ridiculous.

Day and night, no actual peaceful rest and sweet dreams, nor do I have enough time and energy to write. Just plain craziness, I tell you.

As for my announcement, it's not really much. I just plan on creating a p-treon page in the future for my original stories, so I'm giving you guys a heads up of my plans for the future. Don't worry, I don't intend to make a profit out of my fan-fiction stories. My fan-fiction stories will always be free to read for everyone. But, not my original stories though, unfortunately. I'll probably make news there for all of my stories, including the ones for my fan-fiction stories because I'm kind of lazy like that. I don't want to always publish announcements here anymore because it feels like I'm click-baiting you guys.

Getting your hopes up just to see my rants leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If I do, then I'll at least give you guys something to at least make it worth your time.

Let's say, including a bit of a preview of the next chapter in my announcements?

Still, if you want, I highly recommend going there for news and plans for my stories. Of course, they will be separated. The news for my fan-fiction stories will be unlocked for everyone to read, but not my original stories. So, guys, keep that in mind.

I've always wanted to try my hand in professional writing, so I guess making an original story is the first step to get to that goal. So, I hope you guys would give my original story a try once I do make it.

Anyways, the numbers you saw in this chapter from time to time are my own comments for those certain scenes. I've placed them below and above the Q&A, so feel free to read it if you're interested, but I highly recommend that you do. They're like my little trivia for the content of this chapter.

Now, with those out of the way, let me first tell you guys how much I do appreciate your support and love for this story. It's really encouraging, guys. I know I've said it before, but I won't get tired to say my gratitude for your support, so I hope you guys don't mind me repeating it over and over again. I'm just really thankful because it means a lot! :D

Also, before I leave you guys be, I plan on taking a break for a while, which would last for about two to three weeks. Christmas is coming right around the corner and New Year's Eve is a week away after that, so during those weeks, I'll be really busy, more so than ever because I have plans in those times.

You know, the usual, real life responsibilities and meeting up with close relatives who I only get to see on special occasions.

So, the next update will probably be in the second or third week of January. In between those times, I'll try to write and stockpile some chapters, along with using other methods to find more materials for the story. I'll even probably make a new story if I'm feeling brave enough. The MC is still Hadrian, but he's in an alternate world. I'll let you guys know right away if I do.

I'm keeping my life organize, guys, so I can have more room to write for this story. So, please exert great patient until the next update.

As per usual, please leave a review, fave, and (or) follow this story. And once again, many thanks to the ones that did one or all of the above.

See you guys in the next update. Happy early Christmas and a New Year to guys. Have a great season, guys! :D

(Note: If you guys are curious about the MC's timeline of learning Magecraft, this is how it goes. Hadrian learned Magecraft at 5 years old through Waver, got taught by Lorelei at 6, then became self-learned at tender age of 8. He enrolled in the Clock Tower at 13, then he joined the war at 14 years old.)

…

…

(1) – Just imagine Arturia wearing fashionable modern clothes for women. Simple as that. Don't overthink it, and just enjoy the image in your heads.

(2) – Rider and the others' attires are actually influenced by their canon counterparts. If you look at their pages in Type Moon Wiki, they have official artworks in their galleries there.

(3) – This scene between Arturia and Rider. This was influenced by their relationship in canon. According to my sources (which is the Type Moon wiki and other fans I talked to), they're like frenemies, friends and enemies at the same time. So, I thought, why not make them be frenemies in my story as well. Hence, their strange interaction here.

(4) – See, guys? The MC is quite a responsible person. A real role model, if you ask me. Also, this scene was somewhat influenced by a movie called 'The Hangover'.

(5) – Ryu, hmmm… If you are wondering about his appearance, search for a Digimon named 'Tokomon' in Google. Look at its wiki page, then take off the antennas and replace it with white feathery wings, a pair of cat ears, cat tail, and the body of white fluffy bun. Bao shape, more like. I admit, I was kind of hungry when I wrote the description of his appearance! XD

(6) – Astolfo and Charles arguing over the former's clothing. Got influenced to write that scene because of Fate/Extella Link. And no, I still don't have any idea wtf is going on in that game because I have yet to play it. But, I figured I might as well watch its gameplay for more material on their bond and personalities since I'm not getting that game any time soon, much to my sadness. So, don't worry about mentioning spoilers for me guys, I don't mind. The more I know about the game, the better for me to use it as material for the story.

(7) – Take note of how Hadrian is in this scene. He's quite patient and lenient when it comes to those who are close to him. Mind you though, he's no beta nor is he naïve. I hope the previous chapter is informative enough about how he reacts to people with malevolent intentions, such as Twice for example. As for what Hadrian thinks about the man and his 'charming' personality, he hates the man. Plain and simple. Not just because Twice was literally the reason as to why the moon grail wars were so screwed up over the years, but he turned back on his morals and his faith on humanity, which Hadrian found understandable, but regardless, he still does not like it. Hadrian himself has no faith in mankind in general (no thanks to a certain vile Emperor and the people of Solheim), but he does have faith in the people that trusts him. Hence, his anger at the psycho. In Hadrian's mind, he made the wish to save the innocent and those he cared about. The only negative consequence to his wish was that bad people would also live longer as well, which puts makes him gloomy every time he thinks about it. Why else do you guys think that he mopes around whenever his thoughts flashes back to the grail war? It's not just the people that he killed, but also because he was letting evil people like Twice roam around the world again, despite of it all.

(8) – Kieran is a servant that Hadrian doesn't treat as a proper servant. A retainer, yes. But, as a Servant in contract, it's a no. Their bond is more like how Noctis acts around his retainers/friends. As for Kieran's identity, I left some clues in this chapter, so I'll leave it to you guys to figure it out. If you do find out, remember this, he's not the same as in canon and take note of his true desire, which is to 'live freely'. In the future, probably in the sequel, Kieran will have an important role to play.

(9) – Just imagine a holographic map like how the Ironman does it in the movies. I tell ya, the Moon Cell is just that high tech that it can put all of Tony Stark's inventions to shame. If I had a choice to choose between having either the Moon Cell or Tony Stank's genius-level intelligence, I'll choose the former anytime. So, Tony Stank who? :3

(10) – Yes, it's just what you are thinking, the Neurolyzer of the 'Finis' was actually the same one in Men In Black. I guess you can say that I'm paying homage to the legendary item. Of course, expect for other objects and elements from various animes, games and movies to be appear in this story. Like Bloodborne, Batman Arkham trilogies and more.

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Q & A

…

Krowlein:

A – Yes, I do have a reason for Charles being in the story, but it's not that vital to the plot. He was summoned because the Moon Cell found him to be compatible with Hadrian. Also, about the Harry Potter tag, it's because that is the next world that the MC is going into. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, but you guys will see how this story will go in the future.

Honestly, I both hate and love the HP franchise. I love the plot, the magic, and most of the things in it, but I didn't like how it had gone midway into the story. It just felt like Harry was lacking something, and he was supposed to be the "Chosen One" yet he's so damn naïve, and then the explanation of how he survived the cursed spell was so halfhearted it made me hated it.

So, I guess you can say that by choosing HP verse for the MC to be transferred into, this would be my consolation of how the story ended in canon. Not only that, but there were some things that I had found quite interesting about the HP verse that can be related to the Fate verse. Again, you guys will see what I mean by it in the upcoming chapters.

As for this story being a harem, I'm not sure yet, honestly. But, the sequel of this story is definitely going to be, that's for sure.

If I were to describe the bond between Hadrian and Arturia, then it would be really great friends that are comfortable in each other's space. They look like two people who are about to become intimate with just a push in that direction, but it's more they depend on each other's presence due to what they went through in the war, so them being a lot closer than good friends would actually appear is to be expected. It's getting closer to the line of romance, sure, but it is not quite there yet.

There will be romance in the future, but that will be once we are well into the story. Right now, I'm more focused on the MC's development, his bonds with others, his journey and the world building in general. I'm just not sure if I want this story to become a harem or not, but we'll see how it goes along the way.

…

Dxhologram:

Yes, it's quite an info dump, but like I said before, I just want to get that out of the way so you guys can be up to date to what was going on in his life lately in the Fate verse.

And as for the lack of dialogue, well, it's because of how I designed each chapter. The recent chapters were more focused on info instead of dialogue, and there will be more of those in the future, but it won't be as prominent as before. You'll probably see it every now and then, but for now, interactions is more present in the story.

As for Hadrian beating Gil, well, that's only possible because of his battle experience, his tactics and the Armiger Arsenal.

If you ask me who is stronger between Hadrian and Gil, it would be Hadrian, and this is not because I'm biased. More like, I'm being logical here.

Whenever Gil uses the Gate of Babylon, there's a second delay because the object would have to be shot out of the portals. With the Armiger Arsenal, Hadrian only need to make the weapons appear in whichever direction and spot that he wants and it will be there in a split second.

What's more, one of the reasons that Hadrian has the advantage over Gil is because he doesn't need to worry about his safety when it comes to his weapons.

Gil had to be careful not to let himself get hit by his own weapons once the fight become up close in range, while Hadrian didn't need to be concerned with his weapons in Armiger Arsenal due to three things: one, they abide to his wishes and can vanish at his will; two, they won't hurt him cause they are connected to his soul; three, he can control them to both attack and defend his blind spots.

That is the powerful versatility of the Armiger, because the weapons in the phantom treasury are already fused with his soul that they become in tune to his thoughts and will. Unlike Gil and Shirou, who both have to be careful in maneuvering their weapons and not endanger themselves.

Hadrian is like the ultimate hidden boss with his bloodline powers and the Moon Cell, which is one of the reasons why Charles and some of his other servants are a bit scared of him.

So ha ha, Gil and Shirou can suck on that! :D

There are more interesting abilities in the Lucis bloodline, but you guys will see in the future chapters I'm sure

I'm glad you liked the part about the Moon Cell. As for Twice, I don't really liked the guy, and neither does Hadrian, for a good reason of course.

You can't blame him either for killing the moron, not after what he went through in the war.

The idea had been that trope, but in Hadrian's case, he was more angry and annoyed at the fact that the moron who caused the wars was there and was demanding things of him that he has no right to whatsoever instead of being dead like he ought to be. In his point of view, the longer the moron spoke, the longer he breathed, so Hadrian skipped over the tradition and simply went in for the kill.

And as for Merlin, he might make an appearance in the future in this story. But I don't know when it'll be because I need to pour over his background some more to really get a hold of his personality, both in his wiki page and watching his interactions in the FGO anime. It'll be interesting to see how Arturia and Fou would react to his presence once he makes an appearance in the story! :D

…

Journey to the End:

Yup, you guessed it! :D

True, he had the option to still use Ea and just blast Hadrian out of the way, but again, how would he do that successfully if the guy can just teleport out of the way and get another chance to sneak and attack him again from his blind spots? I tell ya, don't underestimate an enemy who can teleport without worry of insufficient magical energy.

Also, I think you are overestimating Ea's power. Ea is not a planet busting NP. It's an Anti-World Noble Phantasm, not an Anti-Planet Noble Phantasm. The World and the actual planet are not the same thing in Fate. If you played FGO and got to the Shinjuku chapter, there are two lines that Da Vinci said that was interesting.

Da Vinci: To begin with, even if you release the full power of a Top Servant's Noble Phantasm, it still can't completely destroy the planet.

Da Vinci: Anti-Planetary (or Anti-Star in some translations) Noble Phantasm...even if such a thing existed...According to calculations it's still not possible to destroy this planet.

The only confirmed planet busting attack we have in Fate is Mortiarty's The Dynamics of an Asteroid, which requires a significant amount of prep and specific circumstances to work.

We have seen Ea being used a few times in the Fate series, but it was never to the point that it was planet busting. We saw Gil made large craters with it in his fight with Enkidu, but again, not to point that we see it put out enough damage to harm the earth in its entirety.

Granted, it's undeniable that Ea is powerful, but not enough to actually affect the planet. Still, it's among the top NP weapons in Fate and can rival even Excalibur's might, so it's still a boon to have it in one's arsenal (no pun intended). Honestly, I find Ea to be most useful when it comes to destroying Reality Marbles, which is why I wanted Hadrian to have it since Reality Marbles are quite tricky.

And I'm glad you like that part with Etro. I've been a fan of FF15 for a long time now. I still remember how disappointed I was that they had to scrap that idea in the end because I really thought that it was cool how the story relates with Lightning's story, but unfortunately, due to too many grim references with death, the devs had to remake most of the plot from scratch and start over.

Yes, the 'she' reference was actually Gaia. I'm well aware that she hates mankind, but with the MC, she made an exception. In this story (which follows most of Fate/Extra canon), the world was dying, and so Hadrian made a wish upon the Grail to restore it into its healthy state. As a reward for his efforts, Fou was given to Hadrian to be his familiar because she deems him as a 'special case' among humans. In a way, Fou acts as the liaison between her and Hadrian as a sign of her good faith in him for saving the earth (her), even if it was accidental.

But in actuality, this is what happened...

Because Hadrian didn't want the Magi to come up to the Inner Side of the Moon and live there where the chances of the Moon Cell being exploited is high (which is what happened in canon most of the time), Hadrian was left with no option but to make that wish, so that the humans will continue to remain on earth and stay there. Having experienced the war and desiring no more of it to happen in the future, Hadrian made that wish on purpose to direct the attention of the Magi elsewhere and forget about anything related to the Moon Cell.

Although, he did not expect to become the new owner of the Automaton.

As they always say, with great power comes with great responsibility, and the MC is quite a responsible dude.

Haha, it's long, but I hope this helps! (^_^')

And yes, there will be scenes of their bond in the next chapter. It might even seem intimate if you ask me. As for their time in the war, you'll see them in the future. For now, the upcoming chapters will be more focused on the present. Also, yes to the Gawain part. I don't know why they said on his background that he's not the type to look down on his enemies, then what the hell was that part when he trash talk your chosen Servant (Saber/Archer/Caster) in Fate/Extra? Lies if you ask me.

That's why I always double check on a character's background info both in their wiki page and in the anime.

You never really know how different they act in anime and what was written in their backgrounds. (-_-)

…

Gen2324:

Yeah, that's what I also imagined in my head if he faced the MC and Arturia (is the servant he summoned instead of any of the three) in the war. Gawain would probably have his tail between his legs and just become really quiet once he was in Arturia's presence, like a whipped dog not daring to bark insults at his King's Master.

It's actually a funny scene to imagine, if you ask me! XD

As for flashbacks of the final fight, yes, there will be some in the future, but for now, we are more focused on the present time of the story. The flash backs of the war will come once that's settled.

And yes, Merlin might make an appearance in the story as well, but again, it will be in the future because I have research his background more to capture the essence of his character.

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Kensei-1085:

Huh, that's interesting, and I'm guessing that Altera's connections with them is related to Velber isn't it? If it is, then I'm not really going to be surprised. Feel free to prove me wrong if not.

Velber's existence is literally one of the main cores of the Extella's plot and, if my guess holds some truth, then it's to be expected. It's fine if you give me spoilers because I really don't mind. No need to apologize. Spoilers can help me understand the story better, and I don't think I'll be able to get Extella Link anytime soon. It's sold out in my country and I also don't have any extra money to buy the game, so I'm forced to watch the game's walkthroughs in Youtube. So, spoilers about the game are fine from this point on.

Hadrian's Ring of Lucii is quite different from the original. It still has the same abilities, but it was tweaked by Etro and the astrals. It doesn't have the souls of his ancestors though.

And yes, Zelretch is talking about Gaia. She became fond of Hadrian after he saved the world (her), even if it was accidental. She still hates mankind, but she's causing less trouble out of her fondness for the MC. A bit of natural disaster every now and then, but she's mostly preoccupied in watching over Hadrian's journey with great but quiet anticipation.

I guess you can say she's got a new hobby now? (^_^')

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fruitspunchsamurai-987:

Ha ha, Hadrian would probably like Caster (Gil) more than the Archer version he met. :)

As for Hadrian being affected by Excalibur's light, I think the effect would only be minimal. First, Hadrian's soul is the holiest light itself. His soul is pure, like the rest of the kings and queens of Lucis, or else, the Crystal and the Ring won't accept them as the sovereigns of the kingdom.

According to FF wiki, Bahamut's element is holy light, the purest of them all. In the Japanese five elements philosophy, Bahamut can be seen as a representative of the highest element, "sora", which is most often translated as the "void", but also meaning "sky" or "heaven". It represents things beyond people's everyday experience, particularly things composed of pure energy.

It was also noted while seeing the light of Excalibur can be a life-changing experience for most people, there are a certain number that won't be affected much by it. Hadrian is one of those people, and that is because his soul itself is already on the level of Excalibur's light in terms of purity. Probably even more because his soul is not artificial made inhuman hands, he was already born with it.

So seeing that light, he won't be that much affected by it. He would be reminded of some memories, but no more than that.

If anything, Hadrian would probably saw something beyond that light, something unpleasant about it.

…

Doortolight47:

Expansions on fairies? I'm not sure yet, because I'm still deciding whether to go along with HP verse's fairies or Fate verse's.

I will admit, when it comes to the subject of fairies in Fate verse, my knowledge on them is still minimal at best. I didn't even know about the Fairy Knights because I'm still watching the Case Files, which I have to yet to finish watching since rl has kept me busy this year. Thanks for the info though, because it can help me with the story's lore about the fairies.

It's interesting subject really, the fairies in Fate verse I mean. I feel like those fairies are more at a higher level than the ones in HP verse, so I think I might be able to connect the two in some way. We will just have to see as the story goes. Still, it's quite an interesting subject. I might dabble with it later on and do more research about them in the future.

As for what Hadrian thinks of Excalibur's light, he would probably be impressed but won't be affected much by it. I believe I said this before, but Hadrian's soul is quite pure by itself, so he'll be one of those people who are not that affected by its light. Honestly speaking, I think Excalibur's light affects people who carries something heavy in their souls (like guilt or regret, for example) and is in need of spiritual enlighten. That's why, they are reminded of memories in their past once they saw its light.

In Hadrian's case, he won't be that affected by it since he soul is light itself and he doesn't really have that many regrets in life. What he did in the war was something he was guilty of, but he accepted his sins, his mistakes wholeheartedly, and moved on. He's quite strong like that, both in mind and soul. :)

Actually, all kings and queens of Lucis are like that when it comes to such things. If you go to FF wiki and read the descriptions of the royal weapons, you'll see that most of their original owners had led tragic lives. Noctis's himself was no exception to this. If you play the game or seen the anime, then you'll know what I mean.

…

Shirayasha Rises:

Arturia's POV will come in the future, but not yet. The next chapters will be more focused on the present instead of the flashback. Probably once we have gone pass it, then I'll try to write her POV down. And interactions are in this chapter and the next, so I hope you like this one! :D

You'll get to see more of Arturia's bond with Hadrian, so just wait patiently until then.

…

Lazymanjones96:

Welcome, and I'm glad to see you find the story interesting so far. Feel free to join the club of Q&A if you have any questions about the story so far.

I hope to hear more from you in the future as well! :)

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fahimshahriar871:

No, not yet. But he is quite close to becoming a Magician. He just needs to activate his own True Magic, but he will need to learn how to do it.

That is something that you guys will see as the story goes on. (^_^)

…

Farron:

Yeah, he's quite a trash talker, ain't he?

Which I find very odd to see in a knight of King Arthur, and I find it even strange that he wasn't aware of being capable of it in the game too. :\

…

Heron:

Yeah, the gods in both worlds are quite similar. But I think I like the astrals more than the gods in Fate verse, because they at least showed compassion and were even more active in their support for mankind's survival, going as far as to fight even their own kind.

I only liked a few of the astrals though, like Etro (I know she's not an astral, but she is considered to be a god in Lightning's story), Shiva (which is Gentiana), Ramuh and the Titan. I find them as gods who are actually good in nature. Not Bahamut and Leviathan though, caused they got shitty personalities in my opinion, especially the latter.

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Oran:

FF15 Dawn of the Future? I didn't even know that existed because I was more focused on the anime and the game. I didn't even know they had novels of FF15.

This is actually the first time I've heard of it. But yes, it would have been a good sight to see her have a larger role than she had in the game. I felt like her role there was too short, too abrupt, but she made an impression on me and I want to see her more in the story. Preferably with her own episode in the game.

There's the movie, but it's more focused on Nyx Ulric than with her.

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Shin:

Avalon? Hmm, there's a chance that it might happen, but we'll see! ;)

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Guest:

Yeah, he did, and he probably did it in a reckless yet ingenious way too. ;)

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Yevon:

Yes, that part with Alice really made an impact on me.

Sure, she was trying to kill you, but I don't even blame her for it either. Her life on earth was less than ideal, if not one of the worsts. She was ill and bedridden, her parents don't seemed to care for her as any proper (and sane) ones would for their child, her only companion was a book throughout most of her life, and wars were still happening around the world, which probably caused her death and then she was drop in the middle of a brutal event where there's only one winner/survivor.

What she experienced on earth and the events on the moon had probably distorted her views in reality and moral values of life. To her, the war was just a game, and she didn't mind that she had to kill people in order for her to keep 'playing'. I find that upsetting because it made me realized that she never had a proper childhood, and the MC killed her just to survive.

Things like that are something that stays with you even if you had moved on with your life, and Hadrian is no exception to this.

Hence, Hadrian's guilt over the matter relating to Alice.

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Garrick:

Yes, the spell is actually modeled after Tatsuya's Disintegration. I'm a fan of the anime MKnR, so you'll be seeing some spells there in this story.

As for Arturia using Rhongomyniad, I don't think that's possible yet. She doesn't even know Gray's true identity yet since they haven't really cross each other's paths that much.

Remember, Hadrian is the apprentice of Lorelei Barthomeloi, not Waver's. He had only been a student of Waver's for a year, and that was when he was a lot younger. But he does visit the man and his students (Flatt, Gray and the others) there in the Clock Tower from time to time.

Whenever they are in England, Hadrian is more likely to be accompanied by one or two of his male retainers than the girls whenever he goes to the Clock Tower. Sometimes, one of the girls would accompany him there, like Arturia or Rider for example, but that only happens in rare occasions.

The girls are more likely to accompany his mother or lounge around the Schweinorg castle and wait for him there after he's done for the day.

Still, if she does realized their relations with each other, I think Arturia would let her keep it. Gray's a good and responsible girl, after all.

…

Ina:

I think that will be the last time you guys will see the astrals. There might be reference to them from time to time, but no plans of actual appearances of them in the future.

The story is already in Nasuverse, after all. I think it would be catastrophic if one of them makes an appearance in that world. Gaia and Alaya might go nuts if that happens, and poor Hadrian would be caught right in the middle of that clash. So let's try to avoid that, shall we? Those two goddesses can be quite merciless when it comes down to a fight.

…

Guest:

Yes, he has access to Gil's Gate of Babylon, and using the power of the Noble Phantasms…

It's quite possible. The reason for this is because of the Lucis bloodline. Noctis and the past kings and queens of Lucis are quite known to be powerful warrior-sovereigns that can wield different types of weapons and even proficient with them, skill-wise. Gilgamesh got nothing on them since goldie only knows how to use them, but not to the point that he can be called skilled.

Pit Gil against Sasaki Kojirou in a sword only duel without the help of the Gate of Babylon, and he will definitely lose.

Gil's a collector, not a master of using weapons. But Hadrian is, particularly due to the Lucis bloodline, the Armiger, and the Moon Cell.

With these things, Hadrian can even be better than Emiya in that regard, because he has the Moon Cell's support, which stores a lot of data about weapons than the UBW could ever dream of.

…

Guess:

Ha ha, you mean the tantric ritual? The answer is no, but Hadrian did do the Mana Transfer with Arturia. It doesn't involved anything lewd though.

I don't know why most fans seemed to be hung up on that part, but there are other ways to do the Mana Transfer that doesn't involve the tantric ritual. Yes, I understand that I's fascinating, but not to the point I'm obsessing over it. I guess I'm just one of those people that don't really care much about things like that.

It was even mentioned in FGO, but it wasn't told how to do it though... yet. I'll just have to make my own, I suppose. Haa, the works… (-_-)

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Reed:

No, he doesn't have a car. He does have a motorbike though. Of course, like the Regalia, it's specifically customized to fit a King. :D

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Carrie:

Indeed, but hey, at least he was given a second chance to have one in the future.

That is, if he could put his responsibilities and duties behind him first and replace it with pleasure. (^_^')

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Lorenzo:

Arturia''s alters? I'm not really sure. Maybe I'll think about it in the future. Still, it's an interesting concept to think about, if you ask me.

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KingAllen:

Yes, Charles is Charlemangne. Charles is one of his nicknames in FE Link. In fact, he insisted upon his friends to call him by it. :)

I'm glad to hear that you love the story so far, and it's more like the MC will be going to the HP verse in the future. You'll see what I mean.

In this story, the two are not his servants. I just don't see them becoming so, because I think they are more suited to be Hakuno's servants than Hadrian's. They have strong independent personalities that blends well with Hakuno's quiet and laid back one, so I think Hadrian's chances to summon either of them is unlikely. Hadrian is more compatible with servants like Arturia and Charles than those two. And yes, the Moon Cell is going to act like a personal AI with a near omnipotent system for Hadrian, but a different kind of system that doesn't hold its owner back.

So, there won't be any quests, rewards system or anything that you see in most games, fan-fic and original stories with game elements.

The Moon Cell will be completely subservient to its owner's will (which is Hadrian in this case) and not hold him back with its 'quests'.

Just think of Ironman's AI in the Marvel franchise, except the Moon Cell has massive resources to call upon and is much more sophisticated than any AI's ever made.

...

Well, I hope that's everyone. Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter. Again, Merry Christmas and a great New year everyone! Adieu! :)