Leo was not a petty person. He had never really been one to hold onto silly grudges over miniscule things- that was more along the lines of Elise and definitely Camilla. Sure, he was slow to forgive, but that was more of a ‘punishment fits the crime’ situation. Someone who hurt his siblings could not be forgiven, for instance, whereas something so minor as Odin spilling wine all over a brand new blouse was to be forgiven after Odin returned from another one of those fake quests Leo and Niles devised.
So, if one were to look at Leo’s track record, they would see his penchant for casting spells in retaliation to something so trivial as an argument with the rival prince of a hated nation was near zero. Of course he wouldn’t break form just for this occasion- what was he, a child?
Yes. And also an idiot.
“Lord Leo, you have the eyes of a madman, up all night in an insane quest to find forbidden knowledge which only the dragons could speak-” Odin was cut off by a glare from Leo, although the red-rimmed look of his eyes and the dark bags beneath them gave his fanciful speech truth. Leo looked exhausted, to put it plainly.
“It’s nothing a cup of coffee can’t fix,” Leo muttered once Odin was done speaking, rubbing at his eyes, “there is something I need you to procure and it must remain entirely a secret between yourself and I.”
“What about Niles?” Odin asked, suddenly beside Leo and peering over his shoulder at the notes written on his desk, “Is this for a spell? What foul sorcery could you be casting, and on what such target, milord?”
“Niles will know what he figures out, I’m not concerned about him,” Leo said, “it’s the rest of the camp who cannot know. This spell is temporary, so it shouldn’t cause harm to the army, but… whatever the case, no one needs to know of our involvement.”
“Are you casting a hex? Oh please, Lord Leo, let me know who has incurred such wrath!” Odin was nearly bouncing on his feet with anticipation. How one person could have so much energy so early Leo would never understand.
“You’ll know the individual soon enough,” Leo said, “now what I need is one of Nyx’s hexing bowls- one she mixes ingredients in. A small one should suffice, but I’ll need you to take it without her knowing-”
“Are you sure we should be grabbing the attention of Lady Nyx? She is quite the formidable mage herself- dare I say a hex from her may surpass one of your own-”
“Now is not the time for questions Odin,” Leo grumbled. It was probably a lack of sleep or maybe the idea that he was so close to giving Takumi a taste of his own medicine, but his judgment was surely clouded- not that he would admit to anything of the sort.
“Alright, milord, I will return with a sacred artifact, plucked from under the nose of- hey, wait, why don’t you just have Niles steal it?” Odin asked, already on his way to the door.
“Because Niles doesn’t know anything about magic,” Leo waved his hand. The truth was Niles was already on a mission- not letting Takumi out of his sight. Leo needed to know his exact location if this spell was going to work and Niles would have to lead him straight to him at a moments notice. Yes, it was definitely the sleep deprivation keeping Leo from seeing any holes in his plan, but with retainers as loyal as Niles and Odin- and the consequences as low as they seemed, this bit of petty revenge seemed like a worthwhile risk to the mage.
“Maybe this will teach that asshole,” Leo muttered to himself as he stripped out of his nightwear and began the arduous process of putting on his armor. It’d take twice as long without Odin or Niles to help, “complaining about me being weak. Not everyone can have such a perfect physique. ‘Oh, I’m Prince Takumi and I use a bow and run all night and gods know I don’t sleep but who cares I have a perfect body.’” Leo shook his head, rubbing fingers at his temples. Maybe he was picking up a little too much from Elise.
