A Nascent Kaleidoscope

Chapter 544:

It didn't look like Arthur was going for kills or slashing off limbs, so we at least had that. Though I truly wonder how this even got started because I know for a fact he wouldn't have initiated without a very good reason.

There was a moment when we came in that no one really noticed us, understandably so because of what was going on.

A handful of Goblins, well, I admit I was curious how they fought when I first met them. They had cold weapons but were rather short. But they were jumping around with an odd amount of grace and ease despite being fully covered in plate armor and wielding Halberds.

Arthur, however, dealt with them rather easily. He also had the mind to turn his blade sideways when dealing a 'blow' to take them out.

Despite being able to cut the entire building in half if he desired, he was using the barest power needed to either deflect or attack with each movement.

I hadn't actually seen him fight in a long while, and this was certainly far from his peak strength, but I feel like his movements were sharper and more precise.

Truthfully, Artoria and I just stared for a bit, I think she was genuinely confused and surprised at what was going on. Even with what Arthur was involved in, he never seemed like the type to get into a fight like this on a whim.

Well, that was until the Goblins sitting at their desks in their suits started climbing up and about to jump at him.

Artoria released her presence. "Enough!"

Well, except for Arthur who ignored the tension and knelt towards her with his sword stabbed into the ground, waiting for orders.

"Would someone kindly explain to me what is happening." Artoria's gaze cast over the crowd mostly consisting of Goblins. Thankfully, there were no other 'patrons' here at the moment, perhaps due to most parents and such seeing their kids off at the Train to Hogwarts. "My ward is under siege by many of your guards. If he is at fault, then I will bear the consequences with a rightful apology. However, I demand an explanation."

"I was attacked without provocation." Arthur spoke first. "I defended myself rightfully and even held my hand."

Well, the fact that there were no serious wounds on the goblins he took down spoke to his sincerity.

"You attacked first, human!" One Gobin, I think I recognized him as the bank teller from when I was here last.

"You attempted to apprehend me for no crime committed. I defended myself from unjust shackles."

"That's not –"

"Is this true?" Artoria looked at Arthur.

"I swear on my honor, my Lady." He nodded.

Her gaze flickered back to the Goblins who understandably flinched when she bore down into them. Odd that they were behind so….pressured, even if Artoria's Charisma was off the charts.

They were being deferral to her when the Goblins were much more standoffish to me.

"This is an attack on the goblin nation!" The bank teller got into a tizzy, nearly running up into Artoria's face after he took a moment to recover. "We –"

I was quick to dissuade him as he came to a stop, staring down two barrels.

"We can settle this matter with words –" She did a double take, looking at me. "Wilhelm, why do you have a gun?"

"Kairi gave it to me." I shrugged, still keeping it level at the Goblin.

I just randomly asked if he had any more at some point in the past and he just threw an old double barrel of his at me and told me to keep it.

Does she think I don't keep random toys in my ring along with everything else?

The funny thing is, they had so many magical defenses, that in a logical situation, a Gun would be superior here versus a wand for a 'regular' wizard.

Or that was how I was rationalizing it to myself. Honestly, I just had the random thought about firearms and the Magical society here and since it was on my mind when we came in, I just grabbed it.

"As I was saying." She blinked once. "We can settle this matter with words, preferably."

The Goblin audibly gulped.

I should use guns more often, I rarely have a situation where they're useful though.

"What is going on here!?" The back door slammed open and Ragnuk, the bank manager stormed out along with a plethora of guards at his side, looking ready to fight.

"I was asking the same question and I have yet to be given a suitable answer." Artoria responded, meeting his gaze.

The other Goblins, they were submissive towards Ragnuk, but once again, for some reason, Ragnuk sort of….cowled under her gaze.

Well, this was certainly interesting, and something was more assuredly going on.

Curious.

"If we are not given a suitable answer, I will be pulling my family's Gold from your bank." I backed her up.

If Artoria's gaze made him squirm a little, my threat made him pale.

Goblins certainly loved gold.

[***]

"Ahem." Ragnuk cleared his throat as Artoria and I sat across from him at his desk. "I believe there was a….misunderstanding."

"So, you're saying I won't have to pull my obscenely large hoard of gold from your management?" I hummed.

"Let's not make any rash decisions." He coughed into his fist. "There was simply a misunderstanding, and I will acknowledge our part in it. And since no one on your side was hurt, I believe we can move on."

"I disagree. If Arthur was not skilled, he would have been harmed. The intention is likewise of significance." Artoria interrupted.

"….and you are?" Ragnuk looked at her.

"Artoria Pendragon. And he is Arthur Pendragon, my ward." Artoria said firmly.

The Goblin twitched slightly, just barely enough that I almost missed it.

"It was his name that set them off, wasn't it?" I put the pieces together. "He must have introduced himself and for some reason or another, they took offense to his name." I pointed my thumb at Arthur.

"The Goblin at the counter became belligerent once I introduced myself." Arthur nodded. "He was insulting and demanded that I stop wasting his time and provide my 'real name'. I of course took offense and relayed my truthfulness, but he refused to believe me. It escalated until he demanded the guards detain me."

"Ragnuk, I wasn't being very serious with my threat, but if this is how one of ours is going to be treated, I don't believe business will continue. Despite your obvious dislike for Wizards, and perhaps humans in general, you seemed to be competent and somewhat objective in your business approaches. I would hate to have to go through the trouble of shifting everything around."

Artoria didn't speak, and I wasn't one for speaking on her behalf, but I was also involved on the business side of things, so I left an opening for her to contribute either way. She chose to stay silent, so I also didn't push any further.

He looked at me silently, then at Arthur and Artoria. "Your names are truly Pendragon?"

"That is correct." Artoria answered.

Ragnuk furrowed his brow. "And I assume that is not just a naming convention that you decided to take up recently?" He asked, though that seemed rhetorical.

"I invite you to contemplate how old my Grandfather is based on when he opened the vault and know that he is older than that." I offered.

Ragnuk frowned, seemingly deep in thought. "You used a sword…."

"I am a Knight." Arthur spoke firmly.

Ragnuk's mouth opened slightly and it shut again, he apparently was finding himself having trouble responding.

"I will listen to your explanation on the behavior of your subordinates. It is obvious that there is a reason. If the reason satisfies me enough, we will accept an apology and move on from this misunderstanding." Artoria stated.

"Assuming, you are not weaving an elaborate tale, I will answer sincerely." Ragnuk clenched his jaw. "However, if I find out that this isn't the case, understand that removing your gold will be the least of your concerns." He all but growled.

"Speak." Artoria demanded.

Ragnuk first let out a small sigh, removing his glasses, and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What do you know about the history of Britain on the Magical side?"

"Assume I know nothing and speak your matters." Artoria easily avoiding any pitfalls in her lack of knowledge.

"Very well." He grumbled. "You humans, you Wizards and Witches, you all hold Merlin up as your idol." He silently scoffed. "Oh yes, he was an impressive Wizard, even we acknowledge him as a genius never seen before. But it wasn't Merlin who united the lands, it wasn't Merlin who stopped the fighting, who gathered together not just the human nations but the non-humans as well."

Oh, I can see where this is going.

"You speak of the tales of Camelot." Artoria said softly. "Of…..King Arthur uniting the realm under their banner."

The Goblin seemed like he was about to scowl towards Artoria, but once he looked at her his expression stiffened and he adopted something a tad more polite, perhaps unconsciously. "Yes, the fairy tale story that even muggles know." He waived his hand flippantly. "Back when the tribes of the Centaurs were united, when the Fae still wandered the lands, and the Goblins lived above ground." He pursed his lips. "Before the line of Ragnuk, far into the past and with names lost to history, the Goblin King at the time swore fealty to King Arthur."

Artoria raised an eyebrow. "I see."

"Hmph." He nearly scoffed again, but Artoria's expression seemed to somewhat cowl him once more. "It wasn't merely bowing our heads. It was respect, earned that is. Our numbers were much fewer, we were all but slaves to stronger races, forced to forge weapons and do menial tasks. It is a dark part of our history, much is lost but we know that the Human King extended a hand and fulfilled every promise he made to our king and people. It's entirely possible our people would have died out if not for him."

"It appears you held the King in high regard." Artoria noted.

"Of course we did." Ragnuk smacked the table. "We are an honorable people, unlike you humans. And it wasn't just us Goblins! Every major tribe on these lands swore the same oaths! We held true to the ancient agreements forged by our ancestors to the King until the humans broke it on their end! Tell me, do you know when the first Goblin Rebellion occurred?"

"I do not." She answered.

The Goblin scowled again, not directed towards Artoria. "It was the precursor to the Statute of Secrecy. The ideals of it, the 'laws' that the humans paraded around and came together for, they trampled upon the promises and the rewards given to our people. Until that point, even after the bloodline of the human that our people respected disappeared, we still acknowledged it."

Artoria's brow furrowed as she seemingly processed that. "It sounds as though you were loyal until the end. You believed that my ward was insulting a figure exalted in your people's history that was owed a debt of gratitude."

I could imagine that Artoria's earlier anger had been relatively resolved after listening to his rant for several minutes.

The Goblin pursed his lips. "Unlike you humans, we do not forget debts or gratitude."

Well, I can't deny that humans have a short memory when it comes to things their ancestors did.

I could see how the Goblins would be pissed.

"I see, I can understand your viewpoint." Arthur seemed to accept it as well. "It must have sounded like a bad joke mixed with an insult when I introduced myself." He nodded in understanding.

"….yes." The Goblin seemed a bit taken back by Arthur's genuine acknowledgement of the situation.

Was he expecting it to be dragged out for some reason?

"However, I am the insulted party. My Lady, if it is acceptable, I will accept merely an apology for the misunderstanding. It is clear they hold my namesake in clear regard and as his descendant, I feel I must uphold his virtue." Arthur politely bowed his head.

"If Arthur accepts an apology, I will not bring it up again." Artoria closed her eyes.

Ragnuk took a deep breath. "On behalf of Gringotts Bank, I apologize for the Misunderstanding. As for compensation –"

"There is no need for compensation." Arthur interrupted him.

"…..pardon?" Ragnuk blinked.

"I said an apology is enough, I stand firm on those words." Arthur denied. "Truthfully, it was a curious way your guards moved with such heavy equipment, it has given me inspiration." He put a thoughtful hand on his chin.

"Just to clarify, you do not want compensation?" Ragnuk repeated again.

"Nay, merely an apology is sufficient." Artoria chimed in this time.

Ragnuk looked at both of them speechless. "….you said your name was Arthur Pendragon…?"

Arthur adopted an awkward smile. "It is not uncommon in my family for the new generation to be named after our ancestors."

"Family?" Ragnuk repeated. "There are more of you? We…..I…..it has long been thought that the Pendragon family died out…..?"

Ah, once the conflict settled, I guess it finally clicked and he's acknowledging that they weren't lying about their names.

"Yes, there are quite a few." Arthur nodded. "My sister as well, though she is named after Le Fay."

"We currently reside in Japan." Artoria said simply.

Ragnuk took that answer and didn't ask for clarification, but I could see the gears in his head spinning as he processed that information. And considering I was here with her, and who visited with me last time, it wasn't hard for him to put two and two together.

"….I do not know how the Ministry will react to knowing about your existence." He finally spoke up again. "Try to pull you in, dismiss you, condemn you, it could go any way. I suggest you do not make your names known unless you desire to deal with the consequences."

"We thank you for your council, we have no desire to integrate with the Ministry for the moment, we will be returning home once our business is settled." Artoria smiled lightly his way.

"….have, we met before?" Ragnuk finally asked.

"Pardon?" Artoria tiled her head.

Ragnuk cleared his threat, his previous goblin demeanor from the last time I visited was…..lacking. "I apologize, I don't know what's come over me, I simply have this feeling of recognition every time I look at you."

"Mayhaps, I have a familiar face." Artoria's smile twitched slightly, a clear sign of her amusement.

Ragnuk just shook his head like he was shaking away the confusion. "Before the incident occurred, I believe you were here to settle the matter from the letter." He fumbled with his desk taking out a parchment. "The weapons are ready, but payment still needs to be rendered."

"Take it from my vault." I chimed in.

Don't know what it costs, or what it's for or even what's involved, but I could at least pay for it.

And I do love being rich enough that I don't have to care.

[***]

"I believe that Goblin was thoroughly confused." I said to Artoria as we went Arthur on his merry way.

We sort of vacated the bank as quickly as possible. Despite handling things amicably, it was obvious there was still tension.

"It's unfortunate, I did not wish to lie to him, but telling him the truth would have likewise been a problem."

I shrugged. "You technically didn't lie."

"No, I merely mislead him with vague answers." She sighed to herself. "It was strange."

"What was strange? His reactions to you?"

"You noticed as well." She frowned slightly.

"You feel responsible?" I asked, noticing her expression.

She tilted her head back and forth in thought. "I know it is not logical for me to feel responsible for things that happen in worlds not my own."

"Emotions aren't always logical. Regrets pile up and we try to do what we can to bear them more easily."

"A great many regrets." Artoria acknowledged. "They have become less burdensome in recent days."

"Are you happy?"

Artoria turned her head up to look at me, a warm smile slowly formed. "You asked me that question previously. I am happy."

"Then keep doing what you're doing." I said simply. "You're cautious about meddling here like you did back home, yeah?"

"Correct." She nodded.

"Well, we have someone who's lived here for longer than any of us who's an expert in certain things. I could always give her a call?" I offered.

Artoria pursed her lips. "Admittedly, she may have information to quell my concerns."

I took out my kaleidophone and called up Medea.

She was very quick to answer. "Saber~"

"….Caster." Artoria forced out.

"I'm here too."

"I noticed." She rolled her eyes through the screen. "I hope you're not calling me because you need help, it's literally the first day of school and the kids are going to be arriving in a few hours."

"We just dropped Kunou off at the Train Station." I smiled.

She also smiled warmly. "She's going to love it here, I actually…..It's nice here."

"It certainly has its own charm." Despite the…weirdness I found with certain things, the Magical community here is certainly interesting. "I even got my own wand." I was happy to show it off to her.

"Huh, that was made then. I didn't think there was anyone here capable of handling materials of that level, I'm genuinely impressed. I heard the person…..I forget his name, the Headmaster mentioned him, but he handles the wands for most of the students at the school."

"Ollivander."

"That's it." She snapped her fingers. "I'll have to visit him and talk shop at some point."

Should I feel sorry for him? Should I warn him?

I think he deserves a warning.

"How much have you looked into things here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're going to need to be more specific."

"I had a matter I wished to consult with you, Caster." Artoria spoke up. "I met with the Goblins at the Bank, and they had an odd reaction to me, a noticeable one that I am concerned about."

"Oh." Medea's expression changed.

"Oh?" I repeated.

"Well, it's not like I expected this question. I need a moment." She went silent, and the images seemed to shuffle as if she was walking around. "Right, got somewhere quieter. I think I may have an idea, but I could be wrong. I've only been here like a week, so I haven't delved too deep into the history and all that, but I did figure out a few….interesting details."

"And it is relevant to my situation?" Artoria questioned.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Boyo, what do you know about the Magic here?"

"Uh…it's….interesting, I suppose."

For some reason, my answer made her really smug.

"So you don't know?" Her lips curled up.

"I don't, but apparently, it's something I should know by your look."

"If it wasn't Saber asking, I would have held this over your head and made more fun of you." She huffed. "But since she's asking, I suppose I can be generous."

"I appreciate any help, Caster." Artoria replied. "There is a relationship, an old one, between the King Arthur here, and the Goblins from many years ago."

"Kyah~ Alright. I'll answer your question with some questions of my own. Goblins are Magical Creatures, right?"

"….yes?" I mean, they are, their existences are woven with magic from what I recall.

"I also had an interesting conversation with Dumbledore, as I mentioned before involving wands. He told me a rather intriguing tidbit about Wands choosing their owners. It sounds rather nonsensical, doesn't it?"

"…where are you going with this?" I was confused.

"You said that Goblins were involved with Saber's true identity from this world, were there words used like 'Oath' 'Agreement' 'Treaty', or such and such?"

"Yes." Artoria nodded.

"Well, Boyo, you claim to be smart. You got enough hints here to figure it out." Medea chuckled.

I thought about those three points, she made and everything I knew already. Granted, I didn't research too much into this world as Gramps already assured me it was rather safe. Not to mention, in my preliminary searches myself, there wasn't anything overtly dangerous.

But then again, he mentioned something odd about this world, and I hadn't figured it out.

Wand chooses their wielder.

Goblins being magical creatures, and old 'oaths' being relevant?

"Oh." My eyes widened.

"Oh look, you figured it out." Medea grinned.

"…..really?"

"Yup, took me by surprise too. It's rather interesting, don't you think?"

"That's….a way to describe it." I processed this new information and I was…. "Thank you, Medea."

"No problem. I gotta go, last minute preparations. Bye Saber~" Medea ignored me and hung up, but my mind was elsewhere.

I blankly put my kaleidophone away.

"Wilhelm, what was Caster talking about?"

I was silent for a moment as I chose the best way to say this.

"The Magic here, in some capacity, has a will."

[***]

A/N 

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