137 Nerfed
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Hadrian was not pleased.
Last night, his trek back to his private chambers in the Flamel's home was interrupted as he had to explain the presences of his retainers.
Introductions had been smooth, but the four's usual antics (Astolfo, Charles, Kieran and Yan Qing) grated a bit on Hadrian's long-practiced patience, much to the Flamel couple's amusement.
Fortunately, things had calmed down when King Hassan had announced that it was time for bed, practically commanding his more energetic retainers to go sleep as they were escorted to their designated rooms within the Flamel's mansion by Yuuri and Yuuki.
Astolfo, Kieran, and Charles were grumbling under their breaths, arguing that they weren't that tired yet, but a glare from the powerful assassin had them walk faster, almost breaking into a run.
His irritation subsided after a good night sleep, and increasing even more when he woke up to the sight of his two familiars, Fou and Ryu, greeting him with their adorable faces.
Just as he thought his day would remain that way – calm, productive and perhaps relaxing in a way, his good mood turned one eighty when he proposed a one-on-one spar to his retainers.
Even though he was in a different world, Hadrian saw no reason to change his schedule, so the first thing he did after his morning ritual was to urge the boys to train with him by the beach side below the Flamel's mansion.
He had a bit of small talk with the Flamel couple earlier when they were having light breakfast, what with Nicolas suggesting for them to go over their plans.
Nicolas wanted to speak to him, which might last an entire morning and probably well into the afternoon. But, Hadrian, who was a bit worried about the condition of his body, suggested that they do so later after one or two hours of exercise.
Luckily, the man agreed to his request, seeming to be in no hurry. His wife, Penerelle, even suggested for him to use the private beach to do his exercises.
The Flamel couple was more than happy to help him, and Hadrian was grateful for their assistance.
However, his good mood had gone south from there on.
Trouble was, Hadrian discovered that his body was weaker than he thought.
"This… is… pa…the…tic…" He said in between deep breaths, glaring at the bright blue skies that seemed to be mocking him.
Currently, he was lying on the sand on his back, arms and legs spread out as his chest heaved for fresh air.
The sleeveless dark gray shirt and black sweat pants he was wearing clung to his skin, wet from the amount perspiration he shed due to hard exercise.
Bits of sand were probably clinging onto his skin by now since his body just unexpectedly gave up on him after he ran five miles around the private beach.
Usually, his stamina would be able to endure a ten mile run without stopping for a breather.
But now, he was reduced to one and a half mile. He only made it to five since he literally forced himself to run, pacing himself on the way.
He didn't bother to mention sparring with one of them anymore. Trying to lift his head was proving a bit difficult for him to do as the seconds passed.
Thus, the end result of the situation.
Now… if only some of his childish retainers would just stop laughing at his current condition, his day would not be so bad.
"AHAHAHAHA!"
"FUHAHAHAHA!"
Astolfo and Kieran burst out laughing, almost kneeling to the sandy ground as they saw their master looking ragged.
The two troublemakers had been that way for quite a while, ever since he collapsed to the sand now that he thought about it.
Astolfo, Kieran, Yan Qing, Arash and Charles surrounded him, dressed in their training attire as they stood near to his prone position.
Although, while Arash, Yan Qing and Charles looked a bit concerned for his well-being, they too wore amused expressions.
King Hassan, as was the norm, did not accompany them.
The old man of the mountain did not saw a reason to join them as their activities, 'exercising', was not exactly fitting for someone of his station.
In other words, King Hassan felt awkward around a bunch of people who are younger than him, so he abstained from accompanying them, which was something that Hadrian did not mind.
The silent assassin was not really the type to mingle, and would only accompany Hadrian if the situation calls for it.
Most of the time, King Hassan would stay out of view, preferring to spend his time in a quiet corner, admiring serene views while drinking tea.
At the moment though, Hadrian felt it was a waste of opportunity to not have the old man by his side.
He could really need the assassin to keep the troublemakers in his entourage to behave.
Huffing, Hadrian took one last deep breath before he forced himself up, muttering a 'thanks' to Yan and Charles who helped him stand up.
"Ugh…" The young mage groaned, brushing off the sand from his clothes and body.
"Fuahaha! What was that, boss? Y-you were like, like a boneless chicken!" Kieran sputtered out in between chuckles.
"Hm, have to say, I agree." Charles sighed, scratching the back of his head as his lips quirked up in mild amusement. "You weren't like that back then."
"Back then." Hadrian retorted, brows twitching in annoyance at the grins on his retainers' faces. It was obvious they found his predicament entertaining. "Now, we're in a different world and I'm in a different body. Clearly, things changed, so adjustments must be made. The sooner, the better."
Inside, Hadrian frowned.
It was not just his body, but the world around him felt different.
This was not unexpected. In fact, he was forewarned by his grandfather about this world's condition.
The magic in this world was still strong, if not more potent than what had been in his world.
Before he made a wish to the grail to restore the earth back to its healthy condition, the magic there was almost to the point of being empty, nearly extinguished due to the amount of wars and conflicts the world had endured, no thanks to the machinations of a certain rogue AI.
However, in this world, Hadrian could feel that the magic was still present.
This theory was proven when he summoned a few portals earlier upon his awakening. Hadrian felt no resistance when he tried other spells, such as conjuring fire on his hand and a few primordial runes here and there. So far, spells that only require minimal cost of magical energy does not affect his body was of no issue.
For now, based on what he discovered so far, the condition of his body was the main problem.
Also, there seemed to be something weighing him down.
He was inside the wards of the Flamels', so his perception might be a bit off center, interrupted by the mixed signals caused by the many wards surrounding the ancient couple's home.
It might be a different story if he were to venture outside the mansion and try to sense the world's mana from there.
Hmm, an idea to test out for another time. For now, he need to clean himself from the sweat and grime that clung to his body.
Closing his eyes, Hadrian inhaled then exhaled, breathing through his nose.
When he opened his eyes, he found his retainers staring back at him, waiting patiently for him to gather himself again.
"So," Arash began, putting his hands behind his head. "What's next, master?"
"Yeah, we goin' to continue or what?" Yan added.
Hadrian shook his head, sending an annoyed glance at his body.
"As much as I want to, I don't think this body will be able to handle more exertion. I might collapse again if I push it." He grumbled.
Charles laughed.
"Then, it's time to return. After all, you still have to talk to the Flamels, no? Let's go, master." The black and white haired knight smiled as he gestured to the mansion.
With that said, the former Lucian King sighed, letting his retainers help him climb the stairs as they made their way back to the mansion.
It was an embarrassing moment for him, especially since Kieran and Astolfo seemed intent to ingrain his moment of weakness in their memories as he heard them laughing out loud every now and then.
Although, he did get the last laugh when they did came across King Hassan on the way, smiling at the rigid figures of Astolfo and Kieran when the old assassin looked at them sternly.
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