Beyond The Physical Realm

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The first thing that Hadrian noticed was the familiar figure of one of his retainers, Kieran.

Judging by the controller gripped firmly in his hands, the former rogue servant in question was currently occupied with playing a video game.

His usually lazy amber eyes were dead set on the flat TV screen, looking more vibrant and unusually focused as he stared at the modern infused technology that Hadrian had brought over from his world, much to the delight of the Flamel couple and the servants.

Oddly enough, the amber eyed retainer was the one that captured Hadrian's attention first, despite the distance between them.

What was strange about this scene that Hadrian and his retainer came across was the second individual that was a couple of meters away from where Kieran was sitting.

Even though he was within the shadows, the unmistakable pink hair color of a certain paladin knight was clear to be seen.

Astolfo was slightly hunched, standing a few meters away from the couch that Kieran was situated on, leaning his body against the wall near the doorway and with only his head peeking out a little.

The pink haired knight's brows were furrowed, his eyes narrowed slightly and lips pursed. Like Kieran, there was a strange focused glint in Astolfo's eyes that Hadrian found unusual from the normally vibrant knight.

The two retainers in question were so absorbed in what they were doing that they did not notice the presences of their master and fellow retainer nearby.

While Hadrian did not mean to encounter such a scene, the lounge (of which that Kieran was currently occupying) was simply one of the rooms connected to the large corridor that leads to the courtyard.

Sighing quietly under his breath, Hadrian cannot help but make a comment.

"What are they up to now?"

It was a rhetoric question, one that Hadrian was not expecting for anyone to respond to, but Charles, who stood vigilantly beside him as always, did so anyways.

"Well, I suppose this is one of the reasons why Kieran is being called a 'dog' by Astolfo." Charles said, shaking his head with a resigned smile.

Blinking, Hadrian turned to Charles.

"What do you mean?" The young mage asked, curious but hesitant on knowing why.

Instead of responding right away, Charles merely let out an amused chuckle before lifting a hand and pointing his finger forward.

"Take a look closer and you'll see." The cheeky knight grinned, looking a bit mischievous.

Slowly, reluctantly, Hadrian turned his head and directed his gaze to where the retainer was pointing.

It was the TV screen, and with a deadpan expression, Hadrian finally knew why.

On the screen, a beautiful woman with aristocratic features was on clear display.

She has short black hair, swept to the side, behind her right ear. She has a pair of bright amber gold eyes, wide and complimented with large black eyelashes.

With her stunning facial features alone, she was clearly of European descent, but he was not exactly sure which part of Europe she hails from, or that her appearance was influenced from.

Her skin was so pale that it caused Hadrian to ponder about her true nature. She was attired in a long white dress that seemed to be influenced by the ones made in the 1930's, but with some modern touches to make her outfit look iconic, memorable even.

Few sets of jewelry and accessories adorned her ears, neck and chest. Three flowers were pinned on the right upper side of her chest, above her heart.

Adorning her head was a black wide brim hat, and her hands with a pair of black leather gloves, which the young mage find rather strange.

She was tall, very much so, but given that she was an animated character in a game, Hadrian was not sure of her height, not unless he would make the effort to read her character overview in the game. It was the expression on her beautiful countenance that was the most attention-grabbing; at least it was in his opinion anyways.

Her facial exterior was calm, but the way her gold eyes glowed bright and her red peach lips curled up into a small smirk had caused her already stunning features to become all the more alluring.

Judging from the strong emotions that Hadrian can sense from Kieran via empathy, the amber eyed retainer was thoroughly fascinated by her.

He would even go as far as to say that his retainer seemed to be captivated by the tall lady in white, considering the way the retainer rotate her 3D model body using the controller, inspecting each part with an unusual focus that Hadrian found a bit strange and eerie.

It didn't help that the amber eyed retainer would rub his chin whenever he stops the camera at a certain angle of the noble lady's body.

With an exasperated sigh, Hadrian turned his gaze away, closing his eyes briefly as he did a face-palm.

"Oh, Kieran…" He muttered tiredly under his breath.

"He's a guy, alright." Charles chuckled, arms crossed over his chest as he watched his oblivious friends do their thing. "Still, can't say I blame for being besotted by her, even if she is not real."

"Indeed…" Hadrian deadpanned. "His… fascination for beautiful women extends even beyond the physical realm."

"When you put it that way, master, it just makes this situation even funnier." Charles chortled.

Fortunately (or unfortunately for Kieran), Astolfo made his move as soon as Charles was finished speaking.

The pink haired knight jumped out of his "hiding spot", startling the hell out of Kieran at the sound of his former's feet hitting the carpeted ground with a loud 'thump'.

"Cochon! What the hell are you doing to MY Lady Dimistrescu!" The pink haired knight shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the deer-on-headlights-looking Kieran.

"The fuck, pinky! You surprised the shit outta me!" Kieran complained, a hand on his heart to calm its rapid pace beating.

"Sans importance! (Unimportant!) What are you doing using MY save file to look at MY Lady Dimitrescu!" Astolfo demanded, looking a bit peeved.

"Hah? You deleted MY save file, but I can't use yours to admire milady over here?" Kieran retorted, scoffing as he gestured to the screen displaying the beautiful model of said woman.

"No, you cannot! I poured blood, sweat and tears into finishing the game! Those rewards are mine to enjoy, not yours!" Astolfo returned hotly, baring his teeth.

"Oh hohohoho! The hypocrisy is strong in you, pinky." Kieran chuckled darkly, slowly standing up.

"THAT'S IT!"

As the argument increased in volume and intensity, Hadrian exhaled through his nose and turned away, continuing his trek down the hallway.

Glancing between the two retainers (both who were now throttling one another) and the retreating form of his master, Charles made his choice and jogged after the young mage.

"Not staying to watch, master?" The cheeky retainer asked with a small smile.

"No, I've wasted enough of my time as it is, Charles. Having those wards up and active is main priority right now." Hadrian answered calmly, mindful to walk at a deliberate pace to prevent his familiars from falling off his shoulder and head.

Charles chuckled, nodding his head in relent.

"True enough. Then, lead on, master."

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