Hello, and welcome to another chapter of TPoM! :)
First, sorry for the delay. I actually intended to update this two days ago, but there was some issue with the site lately.
I couldn't log in. Hence, the delayed update.
The devs really need to fix this site up. There were issues coming and going around lately, the site is being weird.
Anyways, without further ado, read on and enjoy the new chapter.
It's not much. Just a long discussion between grandson and grandfather, but the content in this chapter is wholly important for the plot of the story.
I know that it has been long, but I swear, the story is about to move forward, so thanks for your patience and enjoy, guys!
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Chapter 17 – Purpose
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[… Evening …]
Hadrian's talk with his mentor had gone almost the same as it did with Lord El-Melloi II.
Lady Lorelei was not one for nonsense, so Hadrian kept his report regarding his findings in Canada as precise and simple as he could.
He left out some things, such as the recent episode with his unnatural headaches. But, Hadrian felt that it was not an important subject to include it in his report. He was sure that his mentor would scold him for hiding it from her (if she did find out somehow), but he would rather keep that to himself since it was not exactly related to the murder cases.
By the time he left the office, the sun was nearly gone and the night was ready to take over.
After bidding his mentor and her secretary a good night, Hadrian left the Clock Tower with his retainers in tow.
Medusa had already arrived some time ago as well, patiently waiting for him to exit with her fellow retainers in the lounge.
Looking at the brown paper bag in her arms, Hadrian can tell that his servant had purchased herself some new books to read and pass the time.
It hadn't taken the car that he and the others were occupying to arrive at the Schweinorg castle, which caused about ten to fifteen minutes of travel time.
When Hadrian and the others entered the castle, the rest of his evening became somewhat of a blur for him.
He and his four retainers met up with the others in the castle, greetings were exchanged, and everyone was quickly escorted to the dining hall where a delicious food spread was served. No one complained since the food served on the table were carefully selected, particularly to the retainers' tastes. The homunculi maids of the Schweinorg castle had outdone themselves.
Dinner, of course, had been a lively affair, especially with Charles, Astolfo and his grandfather around.
Chatters and the tinkling noises of utensils being used filled the dinner hall, brightening the mood of the room.
When the hunger was sated, everyone had parted ways and retired to their assigned rooms to rest. Some, however, went outside or around the castle to pass some time before turning in.
Hadrian was of the latter category.
The sovereign of the moon was standing in front of a wall where pictures of his family were placed in frames, enjoying the peaceful moment of the night as the crickets and dragonflies made themselves at home in the garden that was near the room he was in. If he were to look out from the window that provides a clear view of the garden, he would even see his familiars playing there from time to time.
Bright cyan eyes rove from one portrait and to another, always lingering a few moments before moving to the next that caught his interest.
Looking at the photos of his family became something of a small time past time for Hadrian.
Not because he was being creepy and got nothing to do but make friends with the shadow of the wall, but to reminisce his time in childhood.
Life had been simple for him back then.
His father was still alive, his mother was not a widow and his grandfather… well, his grandfather was still the same as he was now, only he was more active with his pranks. Unlike now, his grandfather was not as active with the pranks due to the issues of the murder cases that have yet to be resolved.
Hadrian himself was happy, despite the nigh amount of expectations that were placed upon his shoulders.
Then, the Moon Holy Grail war began and his father joined, nothing was simple after that.
'Then again, when was life ever simple for a Lucis?' Hadrian asked himself, recalling the times he wished life were simpler.
*THUD*
*THUD*
He was broken out of his musing when he heard footsteps behind him.
Glancing over his shoulder, Hadrian saw the familiar face of his grandfather, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
Nodding to the man in acknowledgement, he turned his gaze back to the photos, unfazed even as the old magician slowed to a stop beside him.
It was quiet between them for a few moments, what with them staring at the portraits with different thoughts and mixed feelings.
Eventually though, the silence was broken.
"Good evening, enkel." The magician of the second true magic greeted with a smile.
"Hn…" Hadrian hummed in reply.
"How'd your visit went?" Zelretch asked.
"It went fine. A bit chaotic than usual, but that's nothing really new." Hadrian said, almost muttering the last part under his breath.
He still didn't understand why he got included in the punishment that Lord El-Melloi II was supposed to pass on only to his friends though.
"Hmm… I sense a story there." Zelretch appeared amused.
"Don't start." Hadrian deadpanned.
The older mage simply chuckled at his response.
A brief comfortable silence hang upon them, and both were in no hurry to break it.
At least, it was in Hadrian's case. The old magician beside him, however, seemed to have a different idea.
"I have an important matter to discuss with you, enkel. Walk with me."
Without another glance, the wizard marshal went ahead of him with his hands behind his back.
Hadrian stood there in silence, eyes slightly narrowed into focus as he stared at the older man walking away from him.
It might just be his imagination, but there was something strange in his grandfather's voice.
He didn't have much time to contemplate on it as the man in question turned around and met his curious gaze.
"Come along now, enkel." Zelretch urged.
Wondering his grandfather's intentions, Hadrian let out a small sigh as he followed after the old man.
Minutes later, the grandfather and grandson were taking stroll in the garden.
Hadrian couldn't help but smile at the sight of his familiars jumping in and out of the bushes and flowers.
The two familiars were obviously playing tag, and Fou seemed to be the one who was it since Ryu was flying away from her.
While his familiars were having fun, Hadrian turned to look at his grandfather, who coughed to get his attention.
"Earlier, before you returned, I received a call from your mentor. What was this list of materials and books you were asking of her to retrieve?" Zelretch asked, quirking one brow up.
"Well, I need a source to start my study on learning the first magic, so I thought it would be better to ask lehrer if she can retrieve them. Lehrer also asked me what I wanted as a reward for my efforts in the murder cases as well as surviving the recent events that occurred in the Spider's island, so I asked for the items and materials on that list." Hadrian explained.
Then, he paused, stopping in his walk and turned to face his grandfather.
"Why? Was that too presumptuous of me?" He asked, unsure of his choice.
"No, no." Zelretch denied, his crimson eyes alight with amusement. "As a matter of fact, it was an ingenious move. After what happened with the Spider, the High Council would probably bend themselves backwards to fulfill your request. Some might protest if what you're asking for was too much for them to grant, but with the right amount of pressure, I'm sure they'll give in eventually. Asking your mentor was also the right decision. Lorelei is one of the people in the Mage's Association that is highly respected and feared. If it's her, she can accomplish it."
"Speaking of which, I have a question." Hadrian said.
"Ask then, enkel." Zelretch gestured for him to proceed.
"I've been wondering about this for a while, but what do you mean by mastering the five basic elements? Do you mean to master a spell of one of the five elements or something else entirely?" Hadrian asked, curious of his grandfather's explanation.
"Ah, that." Zelretch nodded in acknowledgement. "Now that I thought of it, I never did elaborated what I meant, huh?"
"No, you did not." Hadrian smiled wryly.
"Okay then, I'll explain." Zelretch grinned.
"Please, please do." Hadrian sighed.
"You are correct in the assumption that you must master a spell of one of the five elements, but I also meant something else." Here, Zelretch shot a mischievous grin in his grandson's way. "Credits to you for noticing the true meaning in my words, enkel. Your skill in observation has improved quite a lot. That's good."
"I just try my best." Hadrian calmly received the compliment without much reaction.
"As you always should, enkel. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the other meaning." Zelretch rubbed his bearded chin in thought. "While mastering an elemental spell of the five elements would be the most ideal way to meet the demands in learning the first magic, it is not necessarily a realistic option. Mastering one spell for each element would take time to achieve, not to mention the energy and the effort that you will have to give. More importantly, the amount of time it'll take. The time that, mind you, you won't have much of in the future, enkel."
"Indeed…" Hadrian frowned slightly.
The young mage knew what his grandfather was implying.
A few weeks after the war was over, Hadrian was somewhat at a lost in what to do with his newfound title as the Sovereign of the Moon, along with its powerful reality-bending abilities.
That time, he was still feeling the after-effects of the war. Therefore, there were many times that Hadrian would just feel hollow and stare at the wall with the memories of battles from the war replaying in his mind, specifically the last moments of the people that were eliminated by the automaton for losing against him in the end.
When he noticed his own behavior, Hadrian sought to change it by busying himself with a lot of things.
Among them was learning the ancient artifact that unexpectedly became his, the Moon Cell.
For a month, he learned everything he could about the automaton. He had viewed the records of its origin, its purpose, its capabilities and its weaknesses. The amount of information he had gathered about the Moon Cell would be the kind of intel that many unscrupulous mages would kill others for.
The revelation of having a powerful artifact that can literally bend the reality to his will had caused Hadrian to feel some mixed emotions.
He was in awe that he has such a powerful artifact obeying his every command, but he was also a bit intimidated of the possibilities on what he can do with its powers. In his first life, he had been a king to a great, ancient kingdom of magic and light, but there were limits to power and he can do that time. Now, he was once again made into a king, but with a great difference from before.
He has no citizens to protect, no gods watching his movements and (or) provide him guidance, but he still has powers in this life at the very least.
Hadrian had earned his power and experience in the first life, but here in his second life, he would admit that the power he had achieved in this world was far more than what he obtained in the past. With the automaton in his possession, Hadrian was literally capable of almost anything. Granted, he can't enact actions on the level of a true magic yet, but he will learn to do that in time.
Such line of thought might sound arrogant, even to him, but it was merely an honest assessment of what he can do with the automaton's capabilities.
While he might do it for fun, Hadrian has no intention of abusing the gifts that the automaton had blessed him with, or to use it upon the innocent.
Hadrian considers himself a responsible individual for most of the time, but sometimes, whenever boredom kicks in hard, he couldn't help but think of scheming pranks from time to time. He doesn't know why his mind would go in that path, but it might be his grandfather's influence on him throughout the years.
The old magician was his grandfather, after all.
But, of course, there was a drawback to his situation.
Said drawback came in the form of an unknown enemy that had nearly destroyed the earth once.
Velber, the 'Umbral Star'.
How did Hadrian discover such a threat?
It was around the time when he was updating the automaton's system.
Before, he was just fiddling around with the security measures when an idea came to his mind. He was curious whether there were any entities outside of earth that knew of the Moon Cell's existence, so Hadrian went and checked the automaton's records for any clues as to who and what might be his (and the automaton's) potential enemies.
And lo and behold, Hadrian discovered Velber's existence through a piece of knowledge that the automaton had kept within its near infinite database
Velber, also known as the 'Harvest Star' (courtesy of the automaton), was a hostile alien that apparently appears through the Milky Way every fourteen thousand years.
'It' was a predatory star that travels through galaxy, and whenever it detects sentient life, it creates 'Anti-Cells' and sends them to destroy and devour all lifeforms. It liked to destroy all intelligent civilizations in its path, and in doing so, it would consume all digital data within its reach.
Due to the sparse knowledge that the automaton has on the alien threat, Hadrian lacked great info on Velber, particularly its capabilities and weaknesses.
What he does know about the hostile alien was that it seemed to be a product of the same civilization that made the Moon Cell. Hadrian would even go as far as to say that, maybe, they (as in Velber and the Moon Cell) were siblings, seeing as they had been created by the same civilization. Although, the latter's appearance and purpose were obviously different from the former.
The Moon Cell managed to get a chance to analyze its structure the last time it had passed through the earth's orbit. That also happened to be the first time that hostile alien had invaded the earth, wreaking havoc and almost annihilating all sentient life on the planet. If not for a certain Holy Sword wielder's interference, the earth would have turned into a dead planet and all races exterminated.
Now, the hostile alien had become Hadrian's problem, seeing as he was the 'Inheritor of the Moon'.
It had fourteen thousand years since Velber was last detected, and Hadrian would need all the chances he can get to get stronger. Or at least, become strong enough to face the hostile alien without worry of being killed. Hopefully, his grandfather had some kind of method to help him with his future problem.
Hadrian snapped out of musing when he heard his grandfather continue with his monologue, some of which he had missed earlier since he was deep in thought.
"Thus, I've devised a method will help you advance drastically with your research." Zelretch grinned, looking a bit pleased with himself.
"And what's that?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
"You'll know later on." Zelretch chuckled.
"Again with the suspense…" Hadrian muttered.
He blinked when he noticed the old magician was walking ahead of him.
"Umm… Opa, where are you going?" Hadrian asked, curious.
"I still need to scan your body for any changes, so let us adjourn to my lab and continue our talk there. The next subject we will need to discuss requires utmost privacy, and talking about it here in the open would just be an unintelligent thing for us to do, enkel, regardless of the bounded fields in place." Zelretch said without so much as a backward glance.
Accepting the older magician's reasoning, Hadrian followed his grandfather outside the castle, exiting the gardens where his two familiars appeared from the various flowers and plants and chased after them to accompany their master.
The older man's workshop was settled within a nearby forest that was close to the castle.
It was a large two story building with a modern abstract design. It has a private office, a library, a laboratory and a few other rooms.
It was his grandfather's private space where he can do his research without concern of being interrupted. Due to the tall trees nearby, the building was not so easily seen from observers afar. Trying to get a view of the building from a high perspective would not be an easy feat since the surrounding area hid the workshop well away from sight.
There surrounding area also layers upon layers of bounded fields, all of which were designed to punish (kill) anyone and anything that intrudes upon the private grounds without his grandfather's permission.
Hadrian himself had only visited the old magician's workshop a couple of times, and it was only after the war did the number rose recently.
He remembered being inside the workshop only two times when he was a lot younger, probably when he was four and six years old. Then, after the Holy Grail war, his grandfather became a lot more lenient into letting him to visit the workshop from time to time. Not that his grandfather didn't trusted him to make a mess or steal anything inside.
No, the reason he was not permitted to visit the workshop until recently was due to his age.
Hadrian may have been nurtured to behave and think like a magus, but he was still the old magician's grandson.
The old magician was quite overprotective of him. Therefore, visiting the magician's workshop was limited when Hadrian had been young, which was understandable.
His grandfather had a lot of things around the workshop, some of which were questionable in nature and not exactly suited to be seen by young children.
For example, the strange tomes regarding lost tantric rituals that were kept somewhere in the library.
Or the severed body parts that was on display by the shelves in the laboratory.
Hadrian didn't know why his grandfather would keep such things, but he didn't question him after being told that the severed parts were precious materials for some of his research. He didn't dare to even ask about the tantric rituals since the old magician used some of them to punish Hadrian for his cheek when he was a child.
Amusingly enough, he didn't even know that his grandfather had kept such useful but perverted tomes in his private collection for research purposes until recently.
His own ignorance can be quite astounding at times.
As for the severed body parts, Hadrian had the automaton subtly scan the body parts for their origins as he entered the lab after his grandfather, if not to sate his curiosity and concern. To his slight surprise, he discovered that they once belonged to certain powerful individuals that his grandfather had come across in the past.
Meaning, they belonged from the evil creatures and people that made an enemy out of his grandfather.
Staring at the deathly pale hand with sharp fingernails, Hadrian blinked as revelation hit him.
'Is it just me or is that the hand of a Dead Apostle?'
Before he could continue that line of thought, the whirling noises of machine coming to life and the lights turning on broke Hadrian out of his musings.
Looking around, he saw that his grandfather was already wearing a white lab coat, glasses on his nose and a tablet in hand.
"Okay, enkel, let's begin." Zelretch announced as he sat on a chair.
Having already done the process before, Hadrian took off his coat and, next, his shirt. He folded and left the two items on a table near one of the walls where his two familiars, Ryu and Fou were sitting on their hindquarters. Feeling comforted by their presences, the young mage couldn't help but give them a couple of rubs on the head for their support, to which the furry familiars were pleased by.
Hadrian then went to the white operating table, which was just a large block of white marble with a leather cushion to hold the head and upper body in place.
The scan didn't take longer than a few minutes.
During those minutes consisted of Hadrian lying on the table with his eyes close, patiently waiting for the series of lights that were rapidly scanning his body up and down to stop.
Several beeping noises later, the examination was done.
Now, after donning his upper clothes on, Hadrian watched his grandfather read the results on the screen of his monitor.
In the meantime, he was giving his two familiars head rubs and scratching their chins as he waited for the old magician to finish.
His grandfather wore a neutral expression as he was reading the results, and when the old man was like that, Hadrian knew better than to interrupt him from his focused state. Although, he was surprised when the old magician broke the silence in the room by speaking out loud and with his back to him, not even turning his gaze away from the monitor.
"Enkel?" Zelretch called calmly.
"Yes?"
"Have you told either of your mentors about your recent episode?".
Hadrian paused.
Then, he sighed, using his free right hand to sweep his hair back.
"No, I didn't." Hadrian admitted in a quiet tone.
"Why didn't you?" Zelretch asked right after, his tone calm and neutral.
Hadrian became silent.
In response, the old magician sighed.
Zelretch knew why his grandson didn't answer.
As a matter of fact, he already knew what his grandson would say, that his episode was not that important for him to mention to his mentors, especially to Lorelei Barthomeloi.
And this was where Zelretch disagree.
Stern and frosty her outlook may be, it was obvious to Zelretch, who had known the Queen of the Clock Tower since she was in her teens, that the brown haired woman cared about her student. The feeling was mutual as Hadrian, her only student, also cared about her well-being as well. It was also the same case to Lord El-Melloi II.
The problem was, his grandson can be as stubborn as a mule when it comes to his problems.
His heir has an unusual tendency to keep his emotions bottled up, preferring to keep to himself and internalized it.
Zelretch had first noticed it when his grandson was very young, specifically after his son-in-law, Arin, didn't return from the war.
Crimson eyes shifted slightly to the right where he can see the image of his heir's thoughtful expression through the glass of a third monitor that was currently turned off.
Looking at him now, Zelretch recalled certain memories into mind.
Before, his grandson was quite a carefree and happy child, always smiling and laughing. Hadrian was the adored child in the Schweinorg family, and he still was. Even the homunculi maids and guards were taken by his charming personality and well-manners. Despite being aware of their true nature as homunculi, the young mage still treated them with respect as if they were humans.
It was what made Zelretch and Lucia infinitely proud of him.
Even at a young age, Hadrian would exude a level of maturity in certain situations that would often caught people by surprise, including Arin, Lucia and Zelretch himself.
As strange as it might seem for a child to act, they all figured that it was simply one of his endearing qualities that make Hadrian the way he was. He was the prince of the Schweinorg family, the most ideal and treasured heir that many lords in the other mage families sought after.
After the Moon Holy Grail war though, his grandson changed.
Not significantly, but just enough that it was definitely noticeable.
Hadrian remained mostly the same. He was still the heir that was adored and cherished by everyone in the Schweinorg family, and the same child that likes a lot of simple things. He remained the same young man who follows his mother's wishes and whims, no matter how ridiculous they might be sometimes.
The same child, who was forced to mature early, was growing into a fine young man with a good heart and head on his shoulders.
But, as proud as Zelretch was of Hadrian, the change was both a fortunate and unfortunate thing to happen.
As a grandfather, it was never easy to watch children mature and lose their innocence, much less the ones related to him by blood.
It was bound to happen, but the circumstances that caused the change in the first place was something that always made Zelretch's chest ache with guilt.
The war had caused his grandson to become reserved and too independent, so much that he doubted Hadrian would ask for help even if he was on the brink of help. With the eccentric servants at his side, the old magician held hope that that part of Hadrian would slowly change in time. And he was still hoping it would. He supposed it was just a matter of when it would happen.
But, it doesn't make it less annoying whenever the old magician sees that side of his grandson.
In the end, Zelretch shook his head with a forlorn sigh.
He would probably be the one to break the news to his mentors, again.
Zelretch would give his grandson a break. Hadrian deserved a reprieve after what he had been through recently.
There was also that task he would need to assign him to. Notifying his heir's mentor would be a small task for him.
Still, his grandson wouldn't get away that easily. A reprimand must take place.
"Your mentors, they have the right to know about this." Zelretch stated.
"I know…" Hadrian responded in a quiet tone.
"I'll let them know since I don't trust that you would." Zelretch sent the young man a knowing look over his shoulder.
"Mhm…" Hadrian nodded his head, humbled by the mild reproach in his tone.
Exhaling through his nose, Zelretch swiveled his chair to face the young mage.
"One way or another, enkel, you're going to learn how to express yourself more. It's not healthy to keep those emotions all bottled up inside." The old magician admonished.
Seeing the thoughtful expression on his face, Zelretch knew better than to expect his grandson to answer.
Instead, he turned his attention back to the monitor.
"Anyway, onto other matters, I reviewed what occurred in the Spider's island and I noticed some things. Would you care to enlighten me about them?" Zelretch asked.
"What do you need to know?" Hadrian raised a curious brow.
"First, how did that spawn hit you? I've seen what happened through the Kaleidoscope. You were on guard, and the next moment, you got hit and were already on the floor. Was that spawn too fast for your eyes to track?" Zelretch inquired, curious to his grandson's answer.
The old magician had seen his grandson spar with his retainers before, and he has confidence that his heir was capable of going up against strong opponents on the level of Heroic Spirits and even high rank Dead Apostles. Not the ones that Zelretch was infamously a part of, but the ones that served under them.
To be specific, the Dead Apostles' minions and the small fries that served them.
Thus, it was surprising to Zelretch that his heir would get injured by a mere spawn that fast.
"Yes, and there seemed to be some sort of bounded field around that island. I think that fog was the cause." Hadrian sighed.
"Oh? What do you think of it then?" Zelretch leaned back in his chair as he asked.
"That fog was literally everywhere in that island, so I had the automaton scan it before the others and I retreated back to the Watch's headquarters. The result wasn't perfect though due to its alien origin, but I got the gist of what the bounded field was capable of." Hadrian stated.
The young mage looked a bit displeased by the recollection, causing Zelretch to smile faintly in amusement.
"The bounded field has the effects of weakening the physical and magical attributes of any creatures that enters the island. When I first step foot in that place, I didn't even noticed that my physical strength was less than it was before. All I had felt so far was dread during the entire time I was walking around that place. The magic energy in the air was too strong, nearly drowning my senses as I ventured deeper into that strange forest. With these effects, I was weakened to the point that only a single hit was enough for that spawn to break my ribs." Hadrian explained with a distant look in his eyes.
"That's unsurprising, but worrisome. The island is a nest to an Ultimate One. Thus, this is really not anything new. It just confirmed what was already suspected." Zelretch mused aloud.
Hadrian blinked.
"Ah, that's right. You went there first, opa." The young mage recalled.
"Yes, I did set up a bounded field that covered the Watch's headquarters and the island. Thus, I know the exact feeling you'd experienced." Zelretch confirmed with a nod.
The old magician sighed wearily, taking off his spectacles to clean them with a small white cloth.
"I had to set up that bounded field to prevent the fog from spreading out too much and risk the chance of normal folk noticing the abnormality. Before, the fog had bothered the locals living near that island, causing the Mage's Association a lot of trouble to maintain the situation under wraps for months. And so, they turned to the one person with experience in dealing with situations related to Ultimate Ones. Me." Zelretch smiled wryly.
Lifting one gloved hand, the old magician swept his hair backwards in exasperation.
"Of course, I didn't do that damning task for free. I demanded a great reward from the Lords of that time before I had that bounded field up and running. Then again, I suppose it was alright too since I did it to help out an old friend. Edward's father, I mean." Zelretch elaborated at Hadrian's look of confusion.
"Anyways, it seemed like that bounded field of mine is still up and fine. However, I didn't expect for the Spider's bounded field to be that powerful and sophisticated. It has been years since I stepped foot into that island, so the alien magical energy infused in the air must've only became stronger in time, probably poisonous to creatures of earth. Were your servants affected by it?"
"No, they sensed it, but I don't think they were affected like me." Hadrian answered after a moment of contemplation.
"It's most likely due to their true natures as Heroic Spirits. Even though they have bodies, their magic resistance probably helped in nullifying the weakening effect of the fog. Then, that leaves the creatures of earth. I suppose that's an Ultimate One for you. An average mage wouldn't have survived that place in under a minute. Thank the Root for your magic circuits, enkel." Zelretch exhaled.
"Yeah…" Hadrian nodded solemnly.
"I take it that's also how the spawn almost got to you?"
"Yes." Hadrian affirmed with narrowed eyes. "After that thing attacked, my glasses came off and my senses felt like it was being overloaded with too much information. The headache I got was quite painful; I barely managed to open my eyes after
that. Even I thought I was going to die with Arash there and then. But… that happened."
Wordlessly, Zelretch lifted a brow in silent inquiry.
"Fou, she protected me. She literally made that spawn back off. And what was even stranger was their reaction to her. They were screeching, almost as if they were terrified of her. There was also that weird static in the air that came from somewhere and the spawns just ran away." Hadrian frowned in thought as he recalled the scene into mind.
Blinking once, he turned to his grandfather.
"Why would the spawns be afraid of Fou? What is she, opa? Does she have a connection to those things?" Hadrian's bright cyan eyes alight with determination and curiosity.
"Hmm…" Zelretch turned his head slowly to left.
In turn, Hadrian followed his grandfather's gaze and saw the white furry creature watching them along with her fellow familiar, Ryu.
"Fou…"
"Kyuyu…"
The two familiars cooed questioningly at their stares, causing the grandfather and grandson to look at each other instead.
"Well… I guess you could say that." Zelretch settled, sounding unsure.
"How is she related, opa?" Hadrian pressed slightly, noticing the hesitance in his grandfather's voice.
"Err… you'll know in time, enkel. I can't say anything about her now since it's not really my place to do so." Zelretch reasoned.
In response, Hadrian stared at the old magician with a suspicious glint in his eyes, as if doing it longer would slowly break down his grandfather's reluctance to answer his question.
Unfortunately, his grandfather's walls remained strong and Hadrian was forced to put away his curiosity on the matter in the back of his mind.
Still, he won't let the old magician get away with it that easily. He might not get it now, but someday, he will.
Of this, he promised to himself.
'Again with the suspense and mystery. I wonder if he had been a detective in some previous life or so, he's almost like that detective, Sherlock Holmes. That dude also has a thing with being mysterious and suspenseful with his answers…' Hadrian thought in exasperation.
Zelretch coughed, breaking the silence in the room.
"With that out of the way, I wish to talk about the results of your scan now." The old magician stated.
Hadrian blinked, a bit surprised by the sudden change in topic before he regained his composure.
"What'd you found, opa?" Hadrian asked.
"Do you want to hear the good news or bad news?" Zelretch offered.
"Second." Hadrian chose the bad news first just to get it out of the way.
"Alright then…" Zelretch took a moment to take a deep breath before he started. "Bad news is that the magic circuits in your brain are still increasing. It's not even yet at half percent in awakening, so it'll take several years more for the process to be over. Which means, these 'episodes' of yours won't be going away anytime soon."
"Wait, so I'll have to endure these damn headaches for five years of more?!" Hadrian sputtered, aghast.
"Not five. Ten years, actually." Zelretch answered without blinking.
"What?!" Hadrian was in shock.
And to think he would be relieved to find out whether he would be finally free of the damn headaches.
"Pffft!"
The restrained laughter of the old magician snapped him out of his shock, causing him to notice the mischievous grin on the latter's aging countenance.
With an irate huff, Hadrian glared at his grandfather, who hunched over a little in his seat as he let out the wave of chuckles that he could no longer hold back.
"Bwahahaha! You should've seen your face, enkel!" Zelretch wheezed in between his laughter.
"Not the time to pull jokes on your grandson, opa." Hadrian scolded through gritted teeth, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Eh, relax. No harm done with a little jest here and there." Zelretch grinned dismissively.
"Then, what's the real estimate?"
"Six or seven years, give or take." Zelretch answered, having gone over his mirth.
"Oh, okay. Six or seven years of bloody annoyance then. That's great." Hadrian deadpanned, unamused.
"Well, you did awaken your mystic eyes just around six months ago. You're a late bloomer. Consequently, that makes your case understandable, unique even. Usually, most natural-born mystic eyes users awaken around the ages of ten and twelve. Compared to them, you'll have to play catch up in controlling those special eyes of yours." Zelretch pointed out.
Recognizing the truth in his words, Hadrian simply nodded his head in agreement.
"Also, from what I've seen of the results, it seems your mystic eyes are different." Zelretch added, pointing a finger on the monitor screen.
Hadrian lifted one brow in surprise.
"How so?"
"For one, it's quite unique. There were a few records in the Mage's Association that relates to your kind of mystic eyes, but the information about them was scarce. Thus, I had to improvise. I'd searched for more information via the Kaleidoscope instead. What I discovered was quite… interesting." Zelretch said with a thoughtful pause.
"Do tell then, opa." Hadrian prompted as he leaned back in his seat.
"There had been two users of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception." Zelretch stopped, thinking. "Actually, make that three if you count the legend relating to the eyes."
"You mean the God of Darkness, Balor?" Hadrian said, recalling the piece of knowledge from his own findings.
"Yes, but the ones that had been passed down to you and the two others seemed to be different. My sources indicated that the eyes that you and the other two had obtained are the watered down versions of the original. However, based on these results, I'm not exactly sure it's the same in your case, enkel." Zelretch frowned in thought.
"What do you mean?"
"Your mystic eyes are still evolving, that's what." Zelretch announced, causing the young heir's eyes to widen in surprise. "This means that your mystic eyes have yet to reach their full potential. Those little 'episodes' you've experienced so far, they're the signs. The magic circuits in your brain are not just increasing, it's also changing. Quality wise, per se. If I stake my bet on it, it's probably due to your origin."
At the last remark, Hadrian couldn't help but think back on his lineage in his first life.
For centuries, there had been rumors that the Lucis Caelum were descendants of the astral gods, Bahamuth and Etro.
It was a singular belief that many citizens of Lucis share, despite the fact that members of the royal family themselves believed that they were mere mortals. Even Hadrian was not an exception, seeing as he did his best in living his life the way he wanted to, despite having been shackled by the chains of his duties and responsibilities as the King of Lucis.
In his second life however, one thought brought a question in his mind.
Was there a hidden lineage somewhere in both the Schweinorg and Aelfryth that he was not aware of?
Perhaps something similar wtih the Lucis Caelum? Or maybe it was the Lucis Caelum that was at fault?
Regardless of which, Hadrian was not exactly surprised to acquire an ability related to death.
He had a similar one in the first life, but it was more of a spell than an ability that he could manually activated at will. Upon his reincarnation, he had somehow lost sight of the spell and was unable to activate it anymore. Hadrian couldn't even remember chant to materialize the said spell, no matter how much he thought about it.
Perhaps the mystic eyes were something of a replacement for that one spell that was lost to him forever.
"In other words, the process that seemed to be a highly occurrence when it comes to users of that type of mystic eyes."
"Did the other two users go through something like this?" Hadrian asked, curious.
"Why indeed, they had. Their own mystic eyes turned out differently from each other as well. They had their own little 'episodes' too when it comes to the mystic eyes of death perception. Theirs isn't a huge case of migraines though, but they experienced their own negative side effects nevertheless. I'm sure you've met one of them before in the war, no?" Zelretch smirked.
"Ah… yes, yes I have." Hadrian admitted with a strained expression.
"Miss Shiki Ryougi, was it? Hehe, hard to believe you'd survive that encounter, enkel. Even my colleagues were impressed." Zelretch chuckled, stroking his bearded chin.
"Well, it wasn't easy. That's for sure…" Hadrian sighed.
And it truly wasn't.
If not for Arturia's presence and his own mystic eyes, Hadrian would have died along with Arturia and Leonardo B. Harwey would have been the one to win the Holy Grail war by default.
Even though there certain elements that allowed him to survive that unexpected encounter, Hadrian was also sure that luck had played a major role in it.
He would even go as far as to say that his battle with the strange woman in a red jacket was far more difficult than the ones he had with Leonardo B. Harwey and, later, Twice H. Pieceman. While Arturia had been the one who did most of the fighting, coming up with strategies to expose the mysterious woman's ability and countering her moves had been quite stressful to Hadrian.
Regardless of her somewhat delicate appearance, Shiki Ryougi was indeed a 'monster' in human skin.
The automaton was not that far off in its remark, given her eerie ability to cut almost anything in her path.
Recalling how the woman in red had left the Moon Cell, Hadrian wondered if he would be able to replicate such a thing with his own mystic eyes.
Cutting the space to make a portal to earth was quite cool in his opinion.
"Well, that's one of the reasons for your headaches, let's move onto the next!" Zelretch announced jauntily.
Hadrian blinked.
"Huh?"
"I said that's one –"
Zelretch tried to repeat his words before, but Hadrian cut in before he could finish.
"I know what you said, but what do you mean 'one of the reasons'? Are you telling me that there's more?" Hadrian asked in disbelief.
"Yah, there is." Zelretch nodded with a smirk.
Hadrian blew out a weary sigh.
It was more of a subtle way to suppress the mild irritation at his grandfather's antics.
Other than being mysterious and suspenseful, the old magician also likes throwing people off their guard with surprises, much to the annoyance of those close to him.
The young mage closed his eyes before opening them again, waiting in silence for the old magician to speak what he had in mind.
"Okay, so, before I was interrupted, one of the reasons why you got those migraines was due to this." Zelretch stated as he pointed a finger on the screen.
Shifting his gaze, Hadrian followed where his grandfather was pointing and saw a thorough x-ray scan of his brain on display in the monitor.
The background was black, but the shape of his skull and brain were highlighted in bluish white light.
Some parts of the brain, however, were alight in blue, yellow and red. Most were the former, and a few can be counted by the latter two.
"As you can see here, this is the recent scan of your brain and these colors represent the level of migraines. The one in blue means that these parts are stable, yellow means mild danger and red is at critical phase. On the upside, most parts are still stable. But, what is worrisome are these. These parts are the reasons why you're migraines are getting worse lately. The automaton has done its best to mitigate the damage, but the red ones are the worse. They are overflowing with prana, which would damage some of the circuits here." Zelretch explained as he pointed to the red areas.
Hadrian frowned, absorbing the details in silence.
"The magic circuits in the brain work in a similar way as the ones in the body. They absorbed the mana emitted by the world and convert it into od, your very own magical energy. However, what caused the migraines to worsen was probably due to your sudden exposure to areas enriched with magical energy." Zelretch said with a sigh.
At his words, Hadrian's eyes widened in realization.
"Wait, you mean…?"
"Yes, the murder locations you had visited in the past few months." Zelretch finished with a slight nod. "From what I know, some of those locations are near to leylines. Your recent adventure in the Spider's island had mostly triggered the sudden spike in amplifying your headaches. Hence, why you were stunned and that spawn easily got the drop on you."
"Then, how do you prevent this from getting worse? You mentioned something about a solution earlier." Hadrian asked.
"I did. As a matter of fact, this was an idea I've had a long time ago when you told me that you have mystic eyes."
Zelretch turned his body and pulled the top drawer of his desk.
He reached out, grabbing something from within before displaying the item on the side of his desk for his grandson to see.
Hadrian blinked.
"A bottle of pills?" He said, unsure.
"Hey, these pills are manufactured by me personally." Zelretch defended. "I went through a few weeks of sleepless nights just to make these for you, so you better be grateful. These aren't mere drugs you can acquire from any hospital. No, these are suppressants. The pills are designed to lower the pain intensity of the migraines whenever you have your little episodes."
The old magician threw the white two inched bottle to Hadrian, who caught the object deftly with one hand.
Staring at it for a few moments, the young mage turned to his grandfather with a slight frown.
"Not to sound ungrateful, but don't you have something permanent?"
"You can try using the eyes more to lessen the magician energy in them. Train and get used to using them since you need to anyways, but don't overdo it too much. As for the permanent solution, ask me that question after ten years or so, enkel. Maybe you'll get one." Zelretch huffed.
Then, he paused.
Hadrian tensed as the mischievous grin makes it re-appearance on his grandfather's bearded countenance.
"What now?" The young mage asked, suspicious.
"Well, there's that method." Zelretch chirped.
"What method?"
"You could always lay with one of your female retainers." Zelretch suggested with a wag of his eyebrows.
"What."
"Do you recall our discussion about tantric rituals?" Zelretch asked instead.
"Yes, but what does sleeping with people has anything to do with that?" Hadrian retorted, firmly ignoring the heat rising in his cheeks.
"Intercourse relaxes the mind and the body, freeing both from stress. It is an unusual method, I admit, but it's a method nonetheless." Zelretch reasoned.
"No, I'm fine. I'll just make do with these pills." Hadrian deadpanned.
"Ahh, a hormonal teenager and you're refusing to take advantage of what God himself has gifted you since birth to score with beautiful women. So sad…" Zelretch bemoaned, wiping fake tears with a white cloth.
"Shut up, opa…" Hadrian grumbled, refusing to take the bait.
"Hehe, if you're really set on that, then you'll still experience the migraines." Zelretch pointed out with a teasing grin.
"I'll manage." Hadrian gritted out.
Zelretch chuckled, shaking his head at his grandson's stubborn nature.
Inwardly though, the old magician knew that he would have to bring the subject again in the near future should the young mage's condition get worse.
Who knows, really? Perhaps that path might make his grandson less grouchy and moody down the line.
"Well, that's one order of business done. Let's move onto the last, shall we?" Zelretch smiled.
In one smooth motion, the old magician reached behind him and threw a white long folder in Hadrian's way.
While a bit surprised, Hadrian regained his composure in a split second and caught the folder with his right hand.
He opened it and saw the contents, but not before shooting an annoyed look at the old magician.
What he saw was a photo of a young woman that even the automaton has no recognition of.
Confused, Hadrian looked up from the image.
"Who's this?"
The old magician chuckled, but it was not a sound that was lighthearted.
Rather, it was one that was ominous in nature, causing Hadrian to tense slightly in his position.
Unlike before, his grandfather's expression was dark and the grin he was wearing was equally forbidding, malicious.
"That, enkel, is Prelati. The true culprit behind the murders around the globe and beyond… and your next target."
"… Prelati? Wait, isn't that name from –"
"In minor myths related to Bluebeard, the once good guy turned insane serial child murderer after Jeanne D'arc was burned by the pillar? Yes, yes, it is." Zelretch cut in with a nod.
Hadrian blinked, shifted his gaze to the photo then back to the old magician.
"He should be long dead by the time the world entered the 20th century, so how is he still alive? Wasn't he a mortal? And if I recall correctly, Prelati was always described in the stories as a male, so how is this young woman Prelati? Is she related to the man, a relative perhaps?" Hadrian carefully elaborated, recalling the information from the books he had read in the past.
"From what I know, Prelati was an ordinary mortal. But, he was an apostle to an eldritch god long, long ago. He's weak but not an ordinary mortal. Information on his past is still scarce, so a small amount was all that I could get from a very reliable source of mine. Even I'm not exactly sure how old that wretched arse is when I heard of his existence for the first time." Zelretch huffed, scowling slightly.
"It sounds as if you've encountered him, opa." Hadrian said by way of asking.
Zelretch turned to him with a neutral expression that gave nothing away.
"I had, much to my luck and displeasure." The old magician admitted, looking a bit irritated.
"When?"
The old magician scratched his beard in thought, leaning back into his chair before meeting his grandson's attentive gaze.
"I met Prelati when I went to visit an old friend of mine in Romania. It was one of those encounters that you wish had never happened. This was years ago, so I doubt you would remember, enkel. You were probably a few months old back then." Zelretch added, noticing Hadrian's brows rose in surprise.
"It was that bad?" Hadrian asked, curious but slightly tentative.
The young mage noticed his grandfather's mood had soured by the topic's subject at hand.
"Hah, worse. It made me wish I had never noticed that wretched fucker." Zelretch scoffed.
Keenly aware of the clear irritation and disgust in his tone, Hadrian remained silent as he let the older man continue.
When his grandfather starts to cuss, it meant that he was about to go on a rant.
And just as he thought of it, the old magician did exactly what he expected him to do.
"I encountered him when he was about to kidnapped two children. I was only passing by, but I noticed him activating his circuits and I was disgusted, not just by his intentions and what he was about to do to those poor children, but by his very presence. The feel of his magical energy was so disgusting, it offended my sensibilities to the point that I want to kill him. Just imagine, there was a group of dead, rotten fishes situated near your nose. The smell wouldn't go away, even if you cover up nose and don't breathe for a few seconds. He was that unpleasant." Zelretch growled, crimson eyes flashing in anger.
"So what'd you do?" Hadrian asked, morbidly curious.
"I attacked him, of course. Bloody bastard was so occupied with what he was doing, he didn't sensed me approaching him till it was too late. He tried to put up a fight at first, but I just went and kept attacking him until he just turned into a small pile of nasty mush. I think he was too stunned with what just happened to him to retaliate after that. For the record, I don't know why he's a girl now, so don't ask. Chances are, he probably got tired of using male containers and wanted a change of pace by choosing the opposite gender. The wretched tosser is that sick in the head." Zelretch sneered.
Hadrian shook his head, if not to wave off the image of the last part that his grandfather had said.
"So you tried to kill him and it didn't work?"
"Hn, I did. But, clearly, it wasn't enough to really end the wretched tosser. At least Crimson Moon, the bastard, died at the full brunt of my true magic. That ancient pedo? Not so much." Zelretch said with a slight shake of his head, letting out a frustrated sigh.
"And you say that he's my target?" How in the Root am I going to kill him when you can't? I'm not a magician." Hadrian said, incredulous.
"I'm a Magician, but you have something that I don't." Zelretch said with a knowing look.
"And what is –" Hadrian paused, connecting the dots in his mind.
Silence took over the room for a moment before the young mage continued.
"It's my eyes, isn't it?" Hadrian uttered, stating it in a way that was not a question.
A small grin made its way back to the old magician's aging countenance.
"Hit the nail right on the head, enkel." If possible, the grin stretched further up as his tone became ominous. "When I say that your eyes special, I do mean it. I have never seen a unique and higher quality of mystic eyes than yours. At its current state, it would be powerful enough to overcome whatever aces that wretched pedo might have under his sleeve."
Even in the face of genuine compliment, Hadrian took it in slide, absorbing the words but not reacting much to it.
Instead, there was something else important and it was the one thing that occupied his mind at that very moment.
"What's the catch?" Hadrian asked dryly, observing his grandfather closely.
While young in body, he was not so naïve to think that everything would go as his grandfather was planning.
Everything has its downsides. It's not merely his opinion, but a fact of life that he learned through all of the hardships and countless of trials.
The grin on his grandfather's face turned wry.
"Thing is, while I had manage to successfully locate that wretch in no time, there's an issue that needs to be addressed."
Zelretch paused, crimson eyes roving upwards to the ceiling in thought.
Few moments passed, he coughed into his hand to break the brief silence.
"Well, a couple of issues, perhaps." The old magician admitted, appearing a bit sheepish.
Hadrian frowned, slightly annoyed by the older man's delay.
"Out with it, opa." The young mage urged.
"Alright, alright." Zelretch sighed, and then he met his grandson's eyes as he continued. "The ancient wretch is in a different world, so you'll have to travel there via the Kaleidoscope and eliminate the tosser for good to close the murder cases fully."
…
"… Pardon?"
For the third time of the day, Hadrian found himself shocked nearly to silence.
His mind ran rampant as he went over the ramifications of the new task that his grandfather was subtly proposing to him.
While Hadrian had already expected that he would be travelling into a different world someday, he didn't expect that it would be so soon and on his first time no less.
Contrary to what most mages think, his grandfather was quite careful and strict when it comes to travelling via the Kaleidoscope. Not once did Zelretch allowed Hadrian, his own grandson, experience the benefits of the second magic to travel to other places and worlds. They had discussed theories and other subjects related to the Kaleidoscope in the past, but there was never any hands-on practice.
Hadrian had seen his grandfather use the Kaleidoscope to travel, and brought along some friends of his from time to time.
But most of the time, the old magician would travel alone.
Hadrian doesn't know whether to be excited or disappointed that his first time to travel into a different dimension via the Kaleidoscope would turn out to be a search and destroy assignment instead of a mere pleasant visit.
Hmm… the urge to smack his grandfather out of annoyance was slowly becoming a bit difficult for him to ignore.
Sighing, Hadrian let himself relax and focus on what was important.
If his grandfather's antics continue to grind at his patience, he could always turn to his mother for help.
Lucia von Aelfryth Schweinorg always knew how to punish the old magician in a way that he never could.
"Okay, so this Prelati is in another world, which makes sense given my own success in trying to search for him." Hadrian mused aloud.
"Did you use the automaton to find the wretch?" Zelretch asked.
"I have. It was the first thing I did, and my own search left much to be desired." Hadrian shifted his gaze to the photo, observing the subject with keen eyes. "There were a few things I found, none of which were significantly useful. They were small pieces of information, such as height, shape of a person's body, etcetera. Still, all of them match the description of this person and I suppose it's enough."
"That wretch must have casted a spell to obscure his presence while he was gallivanting in this world. I wouldn't put past him if it's the eldritch kind." Zelretch grunted.
The word 'eldritch' caught Hadrian's attention.
"Eldritch?" The young mage blinked.
"I believe it's a term that humans came up to describe the creatures that are weird, gothic, slimy and wiggly." Zelretch grinned, genuinely amused by his own words.
In response, Hadrian rolled his eyes at his grandfather's antics.
"Moving on, I have it on good authority that Prelati, or should I say, Francesca Prelati now, has returned to the other world. Apparently, after having done what he came here for, he went to mess around for a while and just vanished to the other side. Left quite a bloody mess for the detectives to clean up too, that wretch." Zelretch sniffed.
"So, what's the plan? Do you just send me there with the others?" Hadrian asked.
"Sure, but let's make this official now." Zelretch cleared his throat. "Enkel, you have a benevolent and concerned client who wishes to hire you to get rid of her world of the wretched menace that goes by the name of Francesca Prelati. Do you accept this new assignment?"
"I do." Hadrian's lips twitched, amused.
"Alright, but there are conditions." Zelretch said, glasses glinting as he pushed them up his nose.
"You mentioned that before. What are they then?" Hadrian raised a brow in curiosity.
"First, you cannot have the automaton establish a link to that other world's moon." Zelretch stated in a firm tone.
Hadrian's eyes widened briefly, and then sighed before he nodded in understanding.
Establishing a link to a different world's moon was one of the automaton's features to acquire information in different dimensions.
It can be both rewarding and risky.
Rewarding as he can obtain an absurd amount of information that occurred in any dimension. However, it was quite risky as the world that the automaton was linked to can be in potential danger if the Moon Cell's archenemy, Velber, manages to sense the former's presence. His own world was already in danger since Velber was bound to come for the automaton in the future.
Hadrian would not know what to do if he becomes responsible with another world's destruction.
Seeing that his grandson understood the consequences of such an action, Zelretch continued.
"Second, you can only bring two or three of your retainers with you on this assignment. No more, no less. I highly recommend not bringing your female retainers on this one, enkel." Zelretch advised.
"Huh? Why?" Hadrian asked, blinking.
"Well, it's just one of the client's conditions. She had quite put a heavy emphasis on 'no bringing the female retainers' part. Her words, not mine." Zelretch added with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Also, it's because you're young and those girls of yours might distract you from your progress with the first magic. Hormones might fly, and –"
"Alright, alright! Just stop and move on. I'll pick the guys then." Hadrian grumbled in annoyance, glaring at the old magician snickering at him.
"Heh, anyways, those are the conditions of the assignment. As for the duration of how long this will take, I suggest for you to pack the things you might need in your daily routine because this will take you quite long to complete." Zelretch suggested as he stood up from his chair.
"Why? Is it going to take a month to finish?"
"Hmm… if I were to be honest, it might take you a few years to complete this one." Zelretch mused aloud, stretching his limbs.
"Ye–Years?! What kind of assignment is this?!" Hadrian exclaimed in shock.
"One you need to train yourself and improve your research with. Remember, I told you I have a solution for you to your Velber-pest problem. This is it." Zelretch pointed out.
"Yes, but you didn't warn me of how long this might take before!" Hadrian accused.
"Enkel, if you're concerned about the time, then you don't need to worry." Zelretch assured.
"Elaborate." Hadrian commanded.
"Time flows differently between our world and the other you're designated to transfer into. If you spend a year in that world, a few hours would only pass in here." Zelretch explained.
"Why is the time difference huge?" Hadrian asked, surprised.
"The world you'll be going into is a bit behind in the years compared to our world here. The past always seemed to flow faster compared to the present." Zelretch said with a hum.
Hadrian went silent.
While he was relieved to hear the news, the young mage couldn't find it in him to be happy.
For some reason, his thoughts went to Arturia and found himself surprised by the emotion that rose in his chest.
'I have yet to leave, yet I'm already missing her…' He mused.
Even the thought of leaving Medusa and Scáthach was enough to make his heart heavy, including his other retainers and his mother.
The thought of his mother made him stop and close his eyes with a sigh.
Just after he had promised to spend some time with her, he was leaving again so soon.
Hadrian was not worried about his grandfather since the old magician would probably be watching over him via the Kaleidoscope all throughout the assignment. His mother, on the other hand, was one of the people he was most worried of leaving behind.
His silence didn't go unnoticed as his grandfather coughed in his hand to get his attention, causing him to open his eyes.
Shifting his gaze upwards, Hadrian noticed the older man standing in front of him with a knowing smile.
"Enkel, I'll give you a day or two to think about this first. I know you already accepted, but it seems to me you're having second thoughts. Besides, it's already late and you're mother might barge in here to shoot me again if I keep you up any longer. Come, let us return to the castle."
With a sigh, Hadrian followed after his grandfather to exit the room and made his way back his own chambers with his familiars in tow.
Needless to say, the young mage didn't get to sleep well that night.
…
Author's Note
…
So, what do you guys think?
Feel free to let me know in the reviews.
Anyways, that's all for now. Thanks for reading.
More will come in the next update. Until then, stay safe and healthy, guys!
Au revoir pour le moment! :D