119 The Briefing (1)
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Hadrian slept comfortably last night.
It might just be him, but Arturia seemed to be closer to his position on the bed.
Not that he was against it.
Truth be told, the feeling of her warmth next to his body, her heartbeat and the quiet sound she makes when she rests lulled him easily to sleep better than before.
Usually, Arturia woke up earlier than him. But, this time, Hadrian was the one who woke before her.
The young mage spent a few minutes of memorizing the contours of her face before the first sunlight appeared.
Strange as it was, he felt the urge to do so since she would not be coming with him on the next assignment.
Hadrian also had the pleasure of seeing her gentle smile and rosy cheeks when she realized that he was already awake before her, which was always a nice sight to see in his humble opinion.
But, all good things must end.
Morning came, and now Hadrian was making his way to his grandfather's office.
His strides were strong and firm, and his mind was clear of any doubt.
When he opened the doors to the office, Hadrian met the old magician's gaze as he entered the study.
Few seconds passed, and Zelretch smiled knowingly.
"Hmm… seems like you made up your mind then." The old magician commented.
Hadrian chuckled under his breath.
"A good morn to you too, opa." The young mage said as he sat down on a chair in front of his grandfather's desk.
"You do realize that you still have a day to think about this mission before the deadline, right?" Zelretch reminded with a raised brow.
"Yes, but I've already decided, so I might as well use that one day to prepare and know everything I can about this next mission." Hadrian said with a slight nod.
Zelretch blew out a sigh.
"Alright then, your choice." The old magician said with a shrug of his shoulders and a wry smile.
One split moment later, a calm and solemn façade replaced the amusement on his aging countenance.
"Then, I'll start with the briefing."
Zelretch cleared his throat before speaking.
"As I'm sure you're aware, this assignment was proposed to me by my client." The old magician began.
Hadrian smiled wryly.
"The one you can't refuse?" He inquired knowingly.
With a loud sigh, Zelretch gave an affirmative nod.
"You nailed it right on that one, enkel." He said with a weary tone.
Noticing a hint of discomfort from the old magician's body language, Hadrian kept his curiosity on the client's identity to himself and moved on with the discussion instead.
"So, this next assignment, what do I need to know? What do I need to do and what are the things that I mustn't?" Hadrian asked, straight to the point.
Rather than answering right away, Zelretch moved to grab a white folder in one of his drawers and presenting it to his grandson.
"Your next mission is to search and destroy Francesca Prelati." The old magician stated, watching as Hadrian opened and read the contents of the files inside the folder in his hands. "This requires the utmost discretion since it is highly likely that she made some allies in the other world, probably just as sick in the head as he – I mean, she is."
"Okay… and what else?" Hadrian asked as he looked up from the files.
"Eliminating that loathsome wretch for good is simply the other main purpose for this assignment, enkel." Zelretch grinned.
"Then, what's the other?" Hadrian asked slowly, feeling suspicious at the glint of mischief in his grandfather's crimson eyes.
The grin widened, and the young mage's suspicion grew.
"The other reason is to find the Holy Grail in his possession and destroy it." The old magician stated without much aplomb.
Hadrian blinked in surprise.
"… Pardon?" He asked, almost breathlessly.
Zelretch barked out a laugh.
"Hehe, I knew that would catch your attention." Zelretch teased, then shook his head with a wry smirk. "But yes, you heard correctly. The loathsome wretch has a Holy Grail in his disgusting hands."
Hadrian was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.
"…How?"
It was a simple question that seemed to have a complicated answer, given the annoyed expression on his grandfather's bearded countenance.
"No one knows how, not even me. I certainly didn't expect for that slimy git to manage to get his nasty hands on an artifact such as a Holy Grail." Zelretch said with a shrug. "The question is, what does he or she wants to do with it. Not the how, but the why is more important."
"I see, and this information is confirmed?" Hadrian asked, trying to make sure it was not based on assumption or theory.
"Do you remember the flash drive you gave us the other day?" Zelretch asked, continuing when the Schweinorg scion nodded in confirmation. "The clues were all there, and there was even a single photo of where the Holy Grail made a brief appearance. It's in one of those files."
Prompted by his grandfather, Hadrian opened the folder again and flipped through the files before stopping on one blurry image.
"The image is not exactly clear, but the silhouette of that object in the picture is undeniable. Without a doubt, that's a Holy Grail." Zelretch stated as he lit up a cigar by conjuring a small flame above the tip of his glove covered index finger.
Hadrian frowned thoughtfully as he looked up from the photo and back to meeting his grandfather's gaze again.
"You keep saying 'a Holy Grail'. Is this not the Holy Grail, opa?" Hadrian asked.
"No, the true Holy Grail is a legendary artifact created by the Biblical God. It was returned to Him by one of the Round Table knights." Zelretch said, giving the young man a knowing smirk.
"Galahad." Hadrian answered solemnly. "So, the legend is true?"
"They might be embellished, but all legends have some form of truth in them. In the case of the Holy Grail, it is true." Zelretch nodded his head with a deep chuckle.
"So, the one in Prelati's possession…?" Hadrian trailed off, coming into a conclusion.
"It might be the one that was used from the wars before." Zelretch clarified, crimson eyes glancing up briefly to the ceiling in a thoughtful manner. "Perhaps it's the one I helped create with those three."
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