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Welcome to the 10th chapter of TPoM! :)

I know I said that I would make shorter chapters to publish faster, but since most of you like long chapters and don't mind waiting a bit, I went back to the usual routine. So, longer chapters takes longer time to write. As always, more AN below. If you're interested, scroll down below after you guys finish reading the new chapter.

Also, feel free to leave a comment, fave and (or) follow this story.

To the ones that left questions in the previous chapter, your answers are at the bottom of this page. Please go there to see it! :)

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"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Spells" or "Abilities"

* Sound Effects *

[ Moon Cell ]

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Chapter 10 – Request

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[… The next day …]

Hadrian hummed as he picked up a small bottle of oyster sauce, inspecting its uses with a careful eye.

Standing beside him to his right was Arturia, who was patiently waiting for him to choose his ingredients with her hands on the handle of the trolley in front of her.

She was guarding their carts with an attentive eye, and to also keep an eye on the bag that Fou and Ryu were currently hidden in. It would disastrous if an ordinary human were to find out why there were strange creatures inside an unassuming shoulder-bag. Hence, her attentive

Nearby to his left was Charles and Dia, who were both being mindful of their surroundings while perusing the shelf for the ingredients he asked for them to find.

They are all currently inside at the grocery store of a shopping mall near the hotel.

Since they would be departing tomorrow afternoon, Hadrian had decided to cook for dinner later on. When he announced that he would shopping for food ingredients earlier, his retainers have offered to accompany him. Considering as he would be buying a lot of ingredients, for their dinner later and to stock up on his food supplies in the Armiger Arsenal, Hadrian accepted their help.

It was quite fortunate that they arrived at the market early in the morning. Otherwise, Hadrian and his retainers would garner a lot of attention from the locals, especially him since he was apparently in the headlines in London the day after he had departed to Canada if his grandfather was to be believed.

There were a few people in the market place who had the same idea as him and nearly every one of them stared, but at least they were bearable. Nonetheless, it won't hurt him to keep his head down and lay low since Hadrian confirmed there is an enemy hidden in the shadows somewhere.

As always, Arturia, Charles and Dia had decided to stay by him, while the others were somewhere around the vicinity, off to search and gather the other ingredients he needs.

Feeling Arturia's gaze upon him, Hadrian spoke up without looking away from the item he was currently perusing.

"Got something on your mind, Arturia?" He asked in a casual tone.

Hadrian turned his gaze to her, just in time to see Arturia's startled expression before it was replaced by her usually calm and regal façade, though there was a concern present in them as well.

"How are you today? Do you still get headaches?" Arturia asked quietly, stepping closer to him as she laid a hand on his right arm.

Seeing the genuine concern and warmth in her emerald eyes, Hadrian can't help but remind himself that his first retainer has truly grown far from the cold and almost business-like woman to a caring, thoughtful and loyal partner, who had willingly pledge herself to him.

'How far you've come… If only the people in your past can see you now…' He mused, feeling quite proud of her growth and genuinely kind-hearted character.

Hadrian smiled.

"A little, but nothing that I can't handle." He said to her as he laid his hand over hers and squeezed it gently before turning back to the shelf. "I heard that opa called you yesterday evening. What did he asked you?"

Arturia blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic before she looked away from him to regain her poise.

"He was concerned about you and asked me of the state of your well-being. It is most likely that he noticed the change in your health through that magic of his." Arturia said in a prim and calm tone.

Bewildered, Hadrian turned his gaze from the shelf and back to her.

There was something about her tone that he noticed when she mentioned his grandfather, something he rarely sees.

"Hmm… you're annoyed at opa." Hadrian stated casually and bluntly.

Hadrian smiled again, but out of resignation this time instead of fondness.

He knew he had hit right on the mark when he saw Arturia's body stilled for a moment and her emerald eyes widened slightly. By the angle he has of her face, Hadrian can even see the light blush on her normally pale cheeks, indicating her embarrassment at being read so easily by him.

Turning back to the shelf (to give her some room to breathe and not further embarrass her), Hadrian asked her in a casual tone.

"Why the annoyance at opa, Saber?"

Noticing his thoughtful gesture and silently thanking for it, Arturia composed herself and humored him by going along with the flow of their talk. His use of her class name made her smile faintly though, making her even forget her brief moment of annoyance earlier.

"My apologies, but you're grandfather reminds me too much of that man." She said with a weary sigh.

Curious, Hadrian blinked and turned to look at her again.

"That man?" He asked, head tilted slightly.

Feeling her heart skip a beat by the lovely sight, Arturia ignored the nervous and delightful fluttering of her heart by keeping herself composed instead.

"Your kind knows him most as the 'Mage of Flowers', but all of mankind knows him as my Court Mage of the Round Table." Arturia explained briefly.

"Ah… Merlin, yes?" Hadrian said, crossing his arms over his chest out of reflex.

"Indeed." Arturia affirmed with a slight nod.

Hadrian noticed that she doesn't seem to be happy when she mentioned the man by his name. The slight twitch of her eyebrow gave away her irritation regarding the man in question. At the same time though, there was a hint of fondness in her tone that tells him that she has an amicable relationship with Merlin.

"I take it that you don't think too highly of him, then?" Hadrian guessed.

Arturia scoffed lightly, which surprised him a little since the King of Knights was rarely the type to let go of her regal and clam demeanor in public areas.

Through her memories that he had seen via the dream cycle, Hadrian knows that Merlin has a rather peculiar reputation, despite his good deeds. The man was well-respected and known to be an ally of humans, despite being known as a half-breed: half-human and half-succubus. Being the Court Mage of the King Arthur had helped solidify his good standing in the eyes of the people.

What marred his good reputation was his eccentric personality and troublesome antics that seemed to had given Arturia nearly an aneurysm every time she heard words of strange situations related to the man, such as his cajoleries with the high ladies of the court, which unfortunately brought him into trouble with nearly all the noble lords more often than not, who also happens to be their husbands.

The tension that Merlin had with most of the noble lords in Camelot redirected itself to Arturia, and it was only through power and authority that she held as King that forced the group to stand down and endure Merlin's fooleries. Arturia herself had already punished Merlin for his scandalous transgressions, but he was still needed in her kingdom, so she let him off with a warning.

But, the noble lords did not forget Merlin's slights against them for taking their women and drinking their wine without restraint. Therefore, when Mordred's rebellion began and the whole of Camelot was thrown into disarray, the offended noble men did not hesitated to throw their own lot into Mordred's favor when Arturia left the kingdom for a while to take care of some business outside.

It was quite ironic that Arturia found out that the noble lords in question had been murdered by Mordred's own hand, with the latter publicly stating that she has no need for arrogant and petty nobles with questionable loyalties in her group, which Hadrian can understand since men like that are often the most dangerous, especially during times of war.

Fortunately, he did not have to deal with such things in his first life, thanks to 'Empathy'.

Hadrian's brief recollection of the war against the Empire was interrupted when he heard Arturia spoke, causing him to turn to her in attention.

"I respect him, but I also find him to be quite a troublesome man." Arturia stated in a deadpan tone.

'Called it…' Hadrian thought, seeing the clear resemblance between his grandfather and Merlin.

"It does not help that the man himself is attracted to all kinds of trouble, be it chasing the skirts of the ladies of the high court or blatantly being rude to other mages by making them feel inferior in his presence. Although, the former tends to happen more than the latter." Arturia sighed, recalling certain memories of her past related to Merlin.

Thinking of a certain Magician who he happens to share blood-relations with, Hadrian can't help but sigh along with her, sympathizing with her due to the similar troubles they had experienced under the hands of certain eccentric individuals who were close to them.

"Did you say Merlin?" A familiar male voice asked behind them.

In a rare moment of Master and Servant synchronization, Hadrian and Arturia blinked in surprise, then turned around to see Charles glancing between them with wonder and curiosity in his dark blue eyes. Looking at the cheeky retainer, Hadrian remembered that Charles was acquainted with Merlin when he was still alive.

This, he knew because he had seen the retainer's memories via the dream cycle, as with the rest of his retainers the first week he had summoned each of them.

Although, while he did saw them, he never uttered a word (much less mentioned) about seeing their past memories since it was a rather private and delicate topic to bring up casually. If his retainers did purposely mentioned it to him, then Hadrian would not hesitate to admit that he has seen their memories in his dreams.

Also, Hadrian was never really the type to simply tell people about the things related to his retainers. Their past was for theirs to keep, and he respect their privacy as they do with his.

Which was understandable when Arturia turned to look at him questioningly, silently asking as if he knew about the connection between her and Charles through Merlin.

"If you're not aware, Arturia," Hadrian began, smiling fondly at her. "Charles here knows Merlin personally."

"Truly?" Arturia asked, astonishment clear on her elegant countenance.

Hadrian simply nodded, his smile still present.

"How?" Arturia's emerald eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze piercing and observant.

Usually, such a look would quickly intimidate a lesser man, but Hadrian merely chuckled at her sudden change in behavior.

He was well aware that Arturia was not suspicious of him (thanks to 'Empathy'), but was more suspicious of Merlin's involvement with another King like Charles. Arturia knew that Charles had been a King before in the past and that he was assisted by a Magus before, but she never really did confirmed whether the myths were true.

Even more so, she didn't had the time to actually confirm it since they had been quite busy in the past several months. Furthermore, Charles was still new to their group since he had been summoned just two months ago, which was hardly enough time to truly get to know one another.

Instead of answering her, Hadrian let Charles do the honors as he stepped forward towards them with a basket full of different items that he carries in one hand.

"Well, he didn't exactly introduced himself to me as Merlin at first." Charles grinned, reminiscing his past. "He was acting quite suspiciously when we first met, but he got along with Astolfo quite well, so that makes him a good guy to me, despite his numerous love affairs and bouts of eccentricities. He also helped me fix some problems with my Paladins, so he's good in my book."

Arturia sighed in resignation the moment she heard Merlin's 'love affairs' and eccentric personality in one sentence.

"Yes… that does sound like him." Arturia relented, believing her comrade's words.

As the two retainers talked, Hadrian shook his head when he saw the contents in Charles's basket.

'Haaah… trust him to only fill it with snacks and food that he likes.' He mused with a deadpan expression.

Before the two could dive deep into their talk, Hadrian had decided to interrupt them.

"You two might as well speak about this subject later on since we still have somewhere to go after this." Hadrian then checked the time on his watch strapped on his right wrist. "We'll have to drop off the groceries to the penthouse and go right to the meeting place. We don't want to be late."

With that, Hadrian left the two former Kings to their own devices, smiling when he heard them talked amicably about the Mage of Flowers as he walked away to the other shelf.

He met with Dia, who walked up to him as soon as he saw him. The spear-wielding knight smiled in greeting once he came near.

"I have found every item that you have listed, my lord." Dia said with a slight smile.

"Thank you, Dia." Hadrian thanked him, causing the knight straighten his posture as satisfaction and proud exudes from him.

Dia was about to give him a small bow in gratitude, but noticed the two retainers talking amicably behind his Master.

Well, it seemed that way at first, but upon closer inspection, it was Charles who looks and talks amicably, while Arturia appears resigned most of the time. The spear-wielding knight turned to look at his Master, who didn't fail to notice the questioning glance sent in his way.

"Don't mind them, Dia." Hadrian smiled. "They're just talking about someone."

"And who might that be, milord?" Dia asked, curious.

Hadrian chuckled.

"A troublesome man who they were mutually acquainted with."

Without another word, Hadrian made his way back to the carts to where he can feel two anxious familiars waiting for his return with Dia following behind.

...

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[… Afternoon …]

After dropping off the groceries in the penthouse, Hadrian and his retainers had quickly gone to the place that he was assigned to meet someone.

Before he went to bed, his grandfather had sent him the address of the meeting place via text message.

Seeing no harm to make his life easier then, Hadrian used the Moon Cell to find the designated location. Now, he and the others found themselves inside a casual-looking restaurant that also happens to turn into a bar when night time comes. The establishment has a cozy and comfortable feel that visitors cannot help but relaxed once they are inside.

Looking around the restaurant, Hadrian was glad there were a few customers inside.

'Locals, most probably…' He mused after a few moments of observation.

Hadrian turned to his retainers, who were also glancing around the area with mild interest.

"You guys can take a seat somewhere around here. Order anything you want, just don't go crazy. We won't be staying here for long." Hadrian advised.

"Kay!" Charles, Arash and Astolfo said in unison, grinning.

"Gotcha, Boss." Yan Qing said with a small grin.

"Very well then." Scáthach said with a nonchalant nod.

Kieran, who had his hands inside his pockets, also gave him a nod. But, Rider, Dia and Arturia reacted differently from the others.

Rider was quiet, but staring at him as if she was reluctant to go. Arturia looked elegant and calm as always, but he can also feel her hesitance upon his suggestion.

Dia was more open with his concern than the two women, expressing concern on his face as he reluctant to stay with the others due to his concern over his lord's safety.

As for the others, Hadrian can sense that they too were all concerned for him. They simply weren't making it obvious through their expressions.

Thankful as he was, he does not see (nor feel) the need to have them around while he speak to the person he was about to meet. Besides, it might make that person feel intimidated throughout their talk if Hadrian lets any of them accompany him to the meeting.

"Go on, guys. I won't take long." Hadrian reassured with a small smile.

The three remained silent for a few moments, obviously hesitant to leave, while the others were simply waiting for the three to join them.

It was Arturia who finally gave in, sighing audibly.

"We will wait for you." She said, her emerald eyes resolute.

With that said, she turned to join her fellow retainers, while Dia and Rider gave him one last glance before slowly following after her.

Once he saw that they were seated on the other side of the room, Hadrian let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"Aaah, that stubbornness of hers…" He muttered, fondly recalling Arturia's determined glint in her eyes.

If anything, she and the others looked equally resolute in doing their duties as his retainers earlier, which Hadrian can understand and appreciate all the same. He just doesn't see the need to have them guarding him while he meets the person working for his grandfather, not when he can take care of himself.

'Well, might as well get to it…' Hadrian sighed.

Pulling out the PT from his pocket, Hadrian went to the gallery and clicked on an image that his grandfather had sent him earlier morning.

The image was a profile picture of the person he was about to meet today, and it was a photo of a man in his early twenties. He has blue eyes, short brown hair and Caucasian features. What stood out about him was the calm and confident expression he wore in the photo. All in all, the person in the image looks like a man who is comfortable in his own skin.

After memorizing the man's features in the photo, Hadrian put the PT on standby and returned it inside his pocket as he searched around the room for the man in question.

Since it was now afternoon, the establishment had gotten a little crowded, giving him an indication that the restaurant was a popular spot for locals. It took him a few minutes to find the person he was looking for, and when he did, Hadrian had found himself on the second floor where there are only few people dining in.

The man was in a corner near the open view that overlooks the front entrance of the restaurant/bar.

Standing at a certain distance, Hadrian observed the man for a few moments.

He was drinking coffee as he stared out the veranda and down below, eyes focused and observant. Although, while he looked calm and relaxed outside, to someone who was experienced in reading the body language, one can tell that the man was nervous.

The tense muscles around his shoulders and the way his eyes seems to be searching for something (or someone) below gave him away to Hadrian, which the latter finds interesting since what he was seeing from the man now was a stark contrast from the one in the picture.

'He'll look like an amateurish criminal who is about to prepare an unplanned heist if he keeps that up…' He thought in amusement.

The way the Moon Cell informed him of the man's identity amused him even further, what with the small blue box with a name and an arrow pointing at the man on the left.

After casting a privacy spell around the room, Hadrian slowly approached the table where the man was seated, stopping once he was near.

The man turned to him in surprise, obviously startled. Then, he did a double take when he saw Hadrian's face, recognizing him probably.

What happened next almost caused Hadrian's calm and regal façade to break.

The man tried to stand up from his seat, keyword being tried since he failed to do so when the cup filled with hot coffee (the one that he was still holding in his right hand) spilled a little and dropped on his pants, causing him to quickly let go of the cup and drop it on the saucer, nearly breaking them in the process.

The man yelped in surprise and pain as the hot coffee stained his front.

"Ah, damn it…!" The man cursed, taking a napkin to dry the substance quickly.

The entire scene nearly made Hadrian laugh, but he curved it just in time. It did made him smile faintly though.

"Are you Hugo Faust?" The Schweinorg heir asked.

Hadrian already knew who the man was since the Moon Cell had confirmed it for him, but the man didn't know that (nor does he need to).

Flustered as he was, the man shot up from his seat and put on a strained smile, probably from the pain and out of nervousness.

"Ye-yes I am!" Hugo Faust said, then he offered his hand in greeting.

After staring at the hand before him for a split second, Hadrian put up his right hand and shook the man's hand twice before letting go.

"May I sit?" Hadrian asked, gesturing to the other in front of the man.

"Ah yes, of course, please." Hugo nodded, laying the napkin stained with coffee on the table.

Once they were seated properly, Hadrian faced the man with a small smile, which somewhat put the man at ease.

"So… what is our meeting about?" Hadrian began, getting straight to the point.

Hugo blinked in surprise, as if caught off guard by his bluntness.

"Um, Lord Zelretch didn't tell you?" Hugo asked for clarification in the case he heard wrong.

"No, he didn't." Hadrian answered honestly.

"Err, then I think it is better that I explain the situation to you." Hugo scratched the back of his head with a sigh.

"That would be for the best." Hadrian smiled in gratitude.

"Um, first, please let me cast privacy spell, so that we wouldn't be overheard by anyone here." Hugo suggested, in the process of activating his circuits.

"There's no need for that." Hadrian cut in.

Hugo blinked, before saying "Excuse me?"

"I had already casted one, so…" Hadrian trailed off, giving the other Magus a knowing look.

"Oh!" Hugo said in realization, then asked out of curiosity. "When?"

"As soon as I found you." Hadrian stated simply.

Seeing how calm and relaxed the Schweinorg heir appeared, Hugo can't help but laugh nervously at the answer given to him.

As a Magus of average standing, Hugo finds the situation he was currently in to be unrealistic.

He considers himself to be powerful and resourceful enough to contend with most Magi, even the first rate ones, combat-wise. But now, sitting in front of this young man who comes from an ancient magical bloodline of the family that he (and his future descendants) had pledged to serve, Hugo feels small.

He had been through enough battles to sense the magical circuits being activated, but when the young man said he had already casted a spell, it made Hugo terrified at the thought that he had not even felt anything earlier before the latter appeared in front of him, which greatly reminds him of the current Head of the Schweinorg house, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

The realization of knowing that the future Head of the Schweinorg house has great potential filled Hugo's heart with joy and dread.

Joy being the fact that the future of his house will be safe and secured for many years to come, while dread at the thought of the fate of those who crosses this seemingly harmless young man.

In addition, Hugo heard from Lord Zelretch that the young heir has a great potential to become the next Magician in the future, which was considered to be a highly impressive feat to accomplish that was equally grand as the one of emerging victorious from the infamous Holy Grail War on the moon.

Being one of the close attendants to serve the old Magician, Hugo had been informed of the young heir's feats over the years, with the Holy Grail War being the most recent.

Even now, meeting the young heir in person, Hugo found it hard to believe that the young man before him was the one who had saved the world from the brink of calamity. But, the event did occurred and the holy grail war has ended, despite the fact that nearly all magi gained some kind of amnesia about the war since no talks of it were heard ever again, much less rumors of it.

It was as if all things related to the war recently has disappeared the day after the event has ended.

As mysterious as it was, Hugo has a nagging feeling that he was facing the perpetrator of why most magi had 'forgotten' about the event, not that he would dare to snitch on the young heir to the Mage Association about it. Hugo values his life too much to risk earning the ire of one official Magician and a Magus who is closer to become one.

Realizing that he was nearly staring, Hugo snapped out of his musings before the air between them becomes awkward.

Fortunately, Hadrian either didn't notice or simply didn't mind it, seeing as he patiently waited for him to begin.

"Ahem." Hugo coughed to clear his throat. "Then, I'll start explaining."

Hadrian leaned back in his seat, listening attentively.

"As I'm sure you are aware, our world is nearly on the verge of being exposed to the humans due to the mass murders being committed all over the world." Hugo gulped, choosing his words carefully since it might gain a reaction from his guest. "After the holy gra–"

Hugo paused, becoming silent as a mouse when the air at their table changed from casual and solemn to tense and stifling.

Looking at his young guest, Hugo can't help but shiver in his seat at the sight before him.

The young man has striking features that was soft, beautiful and perfectly symmetrical. His perfect and glowing skin amplified his beauty even more. Therefore, to behold the sight of the young heir wearing a stoic expression was like looking at a beautiful statue that was carefully and meticulously crafted by talented artisans. But, it was the intensity of his glare that caused Hugo to pause.

While nothing can be read on his calm and regal-looking façade, there was something mighty terrifying in the young heir's cyan eyes that felt suffocating for Hugo.

'To think that he would be this intimidating. If this is him just glaring, then I don't want to know how he is when angered…' Hugo dreaded, sweating out of anxiousness.

Luckily for him, the young heir seemed to sense his wariness because the scary feeling vanish a moment later, making Hugo sigh quietly in relief when the stifling pressure had gone away. In hindsight, it was also fortunate that there were no other people on the second floor besides them. The other customers must have left some time, which left them the only ones in the second floor.

Hugo can only wonder how normal people would endure the weight of the young man's intimidating presence, and he can guess that the result would not be good, not at all.

"My apologies, I did not mean to make you fear me. I'm not used speaking to others regarding that subject, specifically with people I have just met." Hadrian sighed.

Though taken aback by his genuine apology, Hugo was quick to collect himself and respond.

"No, no! Uh, please, I'm the one at fault for bringing the topic so carelessly, despite Lord Zelretch's warning." Hugo reasoned, shouldering the blame with a sheepish expression.

Hadrian raised an eyebrow.

"Opa has been speaking to you about me?" The young heir asked.

"Yes, nearly all the time." Hugo said with a laugh. "And even though I'm just one of his people, I can say with great confidence that Lord Zelretch is one proud grandfather."

At this, the younger man looked a bit embarrassed, but managed to remain composed.

"We're getting off topic, Mr. Faust." Hadrian reminded.

"Ah, of course. As I was saying before, after that event…" Hugo glanced at the younger man for a second, expecting him to glare. The older Magus was inwardly relieved when Hadrian didn't reacted like before, merely waiting for him to continue his explanation. "Magi from many different families in our society had died. This reduce our kind's numbers to 3000. But, when the mass murders around the world began, it has been decreased to a minimal amount of 1200 magi families left, and this is not even including the body counts of the normal humans."

Hadrian's cyan eyes narrowed.

"So many…" He muttered, expression darkening slightly.

"Yes." Hugo nodded grimly. "It was why the Mage's Association has declared an all-out investigation over the murder incidents to find out the true source and perpetrators behind it. Many organizations has also made official announcements to assist in the search, including Atlas and the Church. They declared the case as a state of emergency for magi to work together and put an end to it."

"Hmm, I'm not surprised they would." Hadrian said, looking down at the table in idle thought. "The murders did involve both magi and humans alike. I doubt those two groups would let such a thing go unpunished. But, I take it there is something more serious that forced you to meet with me today, isn't it?"

Hadrian gazed up to Hugo expectantly, who chuckled nervously.

"Yes, there is." The older magus said with a sigh. "And it requires the assistance of a powerful Magus, preferably a Magician just to be safe. But, since Lord Zelretch have utmost faith in you with this task, then I too will trust you with it, young master Hadrian."

"And what might that be?" Hadrian asked, slightly concerned.

Hugo began to look stressed out. The grim expression on his face was not going away, and he looked even more nervous than before.

Hadrian gave him some time, considering as the older magus seems to need it in order to compose himself.

Looking down at his coffee for a few moments, Hugo took a deep breath before looking back at him.

"The Spider." Hugo declared. "Lord Zelretch thinks that the perpetrators are after the Spider."

Behind the Mystic Eyes Killers, Hadrian's cyan eyes widen in shock.

"When you mean 'by after', do you mean…?" Hadrian trailed off in disbelief.

"Yes, we think that they are after the Spider to awaken it." Hugo answered with a nod.

Hadrian leaned back in his seat in shock.

"That can only end in disaster, if that's the enemy's goal." He pointed out. "The Spider's temperament is quite volatile, even amongst the 27 Dead Apostles. If that thing wakes up, many people will die."

"Which is why we have to do everything in our power not to let the enemy get to the Spider." Hugo said, giving him a pointed look.

Noticing the silent question in his eyes, Hadrian has no intentions to refuse, but he also wanted some answers first before he can agree.

"Has the Mage's Association been informed of this?" Hadrian asked, fingers drumming the table in thought.

"Yes, but since the search is still ongoing and the casualties that they suffered from the last war was still fresh, the amount of help that they can provide is minimal at best." Hugo shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Lord Zelretch has personally taken upon this task himself, but as you know, in his condition, he might not be able to assist actively in case the Spider is woken up."

"No, that won't do at all." Hadrian agreed, knowing of his grandfather's condition.

Despite being turned into a Dead Apostle, Zelretch still aged like a human. Being turned might have helped slow the process down, but the fact remains that his grandfather was no longer in his prime as he once did before he fought Crimson Moon.

Granted, he still has the Kaleidoscope, but as time goes by, his use for the Second True Magic decreases over time, reducing it to mere spells that only requires small cost in magical energy and not the powerful ones like he did when he punched the Moon back to orbit to prevent it from crashing into the surface of the earth.

It was one of the reasons why Zelretch seemed eager to train Hadrian at an early age, so that he can pass on his magic, his legacy, to his grandson. At the same time though, his grandfather seemed content to let Hadrian learn the ways of the mystical arts at his own pace, to let him cherish his freedom and have a sense of normality in his life.

However, reality can be quite unforgiving, and it's forcing their hands to choose and deal with troublesome issues such as this.

Hadrian closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

'First, the re-audits yesterday, and now this. Opa said it would be simple. To think it would get this complicated. Seems like I'll have to up the pace of my research and studies…'

Opening his eyes, Hadrian turned to look at Hugo, who was patient and courteous enough to let him think in peace.

"So, where do I come into this?" He asked.

"We're hoping that you might be willing to assist us in searching for the suspects that are targeting to wake up the Spider." Hugo looked at him imploringly. "The enemy has yet to know the location of the Spider's nest, which works in our favor since we can use that time to search for the perpetrators that might be in the city. I heard from Lord Zelretch that you did a re-audit of the recent murders in this city, may I know how it went?"

"Troublesome." Hadrian answered with a huff. "The suspects left no clue that can be pursued and I have checked thoroughly in the city. Nothing useful came up in my search, but my retainers did find something. There are people following us in the city, and they might be the suspects trying to locate the Spider's nest."

"Ah, so you have encountered them then?" Hugo asked, hopeful.

"No." Hadrian shook his head, causing Hugo to slump slightly in his seat in disappointment. "We didn't get to encounter any face-to-face, but we have our suspicions that they are here in this city. Or perhaps, some of them are. We're not exactly sure since the encounters had been brief and dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Hugo asked, curious.

Taking a deep breath, Hadrian briefly went on an explanation of what happened to his retainers.

"Oh, so that's what happened." Hugo blinked in surprise. "Wait, then the building that got bombed down –"

"– was one of our doing." Hadrian nodded. "It had to be done, or those creatures would have roamed free if the bounded field got unraveled."

"Perhaps that is for the best." Hugo agreed, grimacing at the thought of the worst case scenario.

"So, what now? I had been told by Opa that you'll be leading me to somewhere." Hadrian said.

"Ah yes, I have been instructed to escort you to some place he has made investments in. But, does this mean that you'll be helping us, young master?" Hugo asked, just for clarification.

"Of course, now lead the way. It's better to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible." Hadrian said, standing up from his seat.

"Very well then." Hugo smiled, a genuine one, for what seemed like the first time since their meeting.

As Hugo lead him downstairs to collect the others, Hadrian can't help but shake his head at the sudden turn of events.

'Hmph, would love to hear how the others would react to this.'

...

[... Omake (1) – The Unexpected Comparison ...]

...

During the time Hadrian was speaking to Hugo Faust, an interesting conversation has taken place between the retainers, who were waiting for their Master downstairs.

On their table was a feast enough to feed twenty people, which would normally be enough and more for seven. But, never for the retainers.

The retainers in question were all seated in a large table, and they are all conversing with one another to pass the time.

One retainer with amber eyes sees the moment of leisure as an opportunity to bring up a certain topic that's been in the back of his mind for quite a while.

Kieran glanced at Arturia, Scáthach, and Rider before turning to Astolfo, who was sitting in front of him.

"Oi, pinky, gotta ask you something." Kieran began, catching nearly everyone's attention.

"What is it?" Astolfo asked, curious.

"Why do you always like touching Master?" Kieran asked in a rather blunt manner.

Noticing Astolfo's raised eyebrows, Kieran elaborated more on his question.

"We always see you brushing Master's hair, rubbing his back and cheeks. Putting your finger up his nose, which I know that he doesn't like and irritates him. So, what gives? And, I know you ain't gay." Kieran gave him a pointed look.

At once, everyone on the table stopped what they were doing the second the question was dropped.

In one fluid movement, everyone on the table looked towards a certain pink-haired retainer with similar curious expression on their faces.

The ones who looked particularly interested in hearing Astolfo's answer were the three female retainers, Arturia, Rider and Scáthach.

A pin could drop and be heard given how silent the air at their table was in that moment, making Charles and Dia feel nervous (who sat beside the female trio) as the seconds goes by.

Mindful of the piercing looks sent in his way from the three beautiful women, Astolfo ignored them and merely laughed at the question as he turned to Kieran.

"Why, you ask? It's simple, really. But, I don't know if you guys will get it even if I tell you." The pink haired retainer said with a grin.

"Just tell us, anyway then." Kieran deadpan.

The others merely nodded in agreement to his words.

"Well, alright." Astolfo grinned as he dropped the answer next. "It's because Master reminds me of a very cute doll."

In unison, all retainers at the table blinked in surprise.

"… What?" Kieran said blankly, not expecting the answer.

"I like cute things, and Master is very cute and cuddly, especially when he has adorable bed hair. He also reminds me of a fluffy, tubby cat." Astolfo said with a grin and a V-sign using his right hand.

With the exception of Astolfo, all retainers at the table imagined their Master with a regal and calm façade and compared it to a fluffy, tubby cat.

"Pffft!" Kieran sputtered into laughter, highly amused by the mental image.

Charles, Arash, and Yan were not far behind from him as they laughed along with him.

Rider and Scáthach smirked, while Arturia herself smiled in amusement. But, they do share a similar emotion, which was relief though the three women would rather keep that to themselves.

The only one who was not laughing was Dia. Amused as he was, Dia can't help but simply sigh in resignation at his fellow retainer's oddity in imagination.

Yan leaned closer to Astolfo, chopsticks in hand with a piece of food between it.

"Here, pinky. Eat. Eat." Yan offered the food to Astolfo, grinning mischievously all the while.

Still feeling accomplished in making his fellow retainers laugh and tweaking the females' noses, Astolfo happily accepted it.

His eyes widened when he felt something solid in his mouth, nearly making him choke when he almost swallowed it. Taking it out, Astolfo saw that it was a small shell of a semi-cooked oyster.

"Oi!" Astolfo glared at Yan.

The long-haired retainer merely laughed out loud at the look given to him.

Fifteen minutes later, Hadrian came down from the stairs and wondered as to why his retainers were giving weird smiles, as if there was some inside joke that he was not aware of.

He also wondered why Rider, Scathach and Arturia were sending Astolfo glares every now and then, which the pink-haired retainer would respond with a wide Cheshire-like grin at each of them, further annoying the hell out of them for some unknown reason.

Hadrian shrugged, sensing that it was a topic better left untouched for the moment.

...

[... Author's Note ...]

...

Surprise, guys? I bet you guys didn't see that coming! :)

Now, I'm well aware that the Spider lives somewhere in Mexico, but I have decided to put it in North America since that's how I always imagined it where it would be the first time I had seen it in Type Moon Wiki. I'm also well-aware that it can't be affected by any weather, but I find it fitting to have it live in some place cold.

I heard that North America can be especially cold during the winter, especially in Canada, so I chose it on purpose.

Also, first Omake is out, so I hope you guys like it. I find it rather funny that some readers seems to think that this story has male to male relationships in it because of Astolfo's behavior towards the MC, so the Omake was made because of that reason.

To those who aren't aware of Astolfo, he's quite the ladies' man and is straight. Even though he acts silly and has feminine looks and strange quirks, he is a straight man. He got a few items-turned-Noble-Phantasms from the ladies he met in his past life in canon, after all. He's as straight as a true man can be, he just acts funny most of the time.

And, he does those things to Hadrian to annoy the three (Rider, Scáthach, and Arturia). He's mischievous like that.

Now, before I end things here, I just want you guys to be aware that the list for the MC's profile will have to be delayed. I know I promised that I would publish in this chapter, but shit happened and I couldn't find the file that I wrote the list in. It got lost somewhere in my folders and, shit, things got mixed.

Now, I'm currently in the process of rewriting the damn thing again since life just enjoys making things difficult for me when it comes to writing, but I got no choice but to do it either way. So, for the moment, the list will have to be delayed. I don't know when I'll get to publish it, but hopefully, I can make some time for it in the future.

As always, feel free to leave a review of what you think about this chapter, leave a fave and (or) follow this story.

And many thanks to the ones that did one or all of the above. I appreciate the support, guys. It's always nice to hear feedback.

See you guys next time. Adieu for now! :D

...

[... Q & A ...]

...

Dxhologram:

A – Me too, I surprised myself when I did it.

And really? Homage to Dark Sakura? I didn't even know that. Quite an interesting trivia, if you ask me.

...

Doortolight47:

A – No, I haven't yet. Been busy these past few days, so I didn't have much time to watch anime lately.

But, I did finished Babylonia in FGO, so I have a feeling of what's to come and it would no doubt give me the feels. I didn't like what happened to Siduri in the event and I'm dreading to see it in the anime. It's going to hurt me, I just know it.

...

Journey to the End:

A – Thank you. :)

Haha, I just couldn't resist the banter between the two. Zelretch is one of my favorite characters in Type Moon, despite having never made an actual appearance in the anime.

Also, I wanted to show my readers a more humane side to Zelretch since he's always viewed as a first rate Magus/Magician, prankster, troll and whatnot. I guess I wanted my readers to see a new side to him, a more humane one instead of the norm and what was expected of him.

...

Well, that's all for now. See you guys next time! :)