A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 534:

Mordred Pendragon POV

Sucked that the Adulterer and the Bitch ran away, but at least they left behind some neat things. And I took her arm, that felt great.

Would have been more annoying to fight if Father's…..person wasn't helping.

I'm keeping the arm.

The Lance and Shield were mine too. I can't wait to show father my spoils when things are done.

I hope he isn't pissed though, I don't' know how he'd feel if we tried to beat up the Adulterer and his former wife...or whatever she was. The Gods here were fucking confusing and I was just happy to cut up the assholes if they were wearing the names of people I knew.

Dammit, I didn't get the chance to make any French jokes.

The Adulterer always got pissed when we threw those at him back in the day.

But this Lance and Shield are pretty fucking cool. I should find a good horse now that I got proper equipment for it. Don't even know if I could be summoned as a Rider, but I miss my horse. It wasn't really famous enough like Father's, so it's unlikely that it could happen.

Shame I couldn't grab that fake Excalibur, even if it was a pale comparison, it was a pretty good sword. I could just rename it and no one would have to know.

I looked up to the sky and shit was probably getting serious because the hurricane went away but thunder clouds started rolling in and I could practically taste the magic being thrown around from wherever the bastard was.

He got punched pretty hard, should be pretty far. But he's Father's lover, so he should be fine.

Said he wanted to handle it himself, so he gets it.

Today was a good day.

I can't wait to tell Father about it.

"Are thou going to simply stand there!?" The small Goddess yelled, and I think she was talking to me?

Ah, right, she was fighting the Valkyrie.

Well, her and the annoying blonde.

Huh, she wasn't all talk afterall.

The Blonde girl was using her rapier properly to attack the gaps that the Goddess was opening while they both fought the Valkyrie. Even if she was noticeably weaker than them, she didn't get in the way at all.

Guess she had some experience and wasn't just full of crap. But still, pretty damn far away from some grandiose title like 'Great knight'. I give her credit cause she's obviously some noble, she's got the steel to not hide behind a real knight in her dress.

Actually, her dress was gone.

Huh.

Don't know where the sword came from either, and it looked pretty good. I mean, Rapiers were trash, but it still looked pretty strong. Probably some kind of magical sword.

"Nah, you got it." I stabbed Clarent into the ground and leaned on it as I watched.

"Insufferable!" She shrieked, slashing that scythe of hers and cutting a building in half after she missed the Valkyrie.

"Well, I guess I could help ya a bit. How about some advice, yeah? A scythe is a farming tool, try using a real weapon ya bint."

She just shrieked louder.

Seriously, who the hell uses a scythe as a real weapon?

"Hey, you good?" I looked at probably the weirdest one out of the bunch and that was saying something considering who was around. Well, one of two actually, but the second girl was apparently an underling of the old dude we were coming to meet originally, so I didn't really care about her that much.

The poor girl who seemed to be very far out of her depth.

"Y-yes?"

What was her name, Yuri or something? I was barely listening when it was said before. First impression is that she kinda reminded me of that other girl that the Death Goddess brought around the other day.

She was what, a priestess or something? Even Mother said to be respectful to holders of religious positions. Never know when a Divine Spirit would get pissed off, so best leave them be if you could help it.

"I am fine, thank you….S-sir Mordred…?" She stammered out.

"What did you call me?"

"Uh….S-sir Mordred?"

"Well alright then." I smiled happily. Been awhile since I got the proper respect I deserve. "Just stick around me, girl, I'll keep ya safe, alright?" It was a knight's duty to protect maidens afterall.

Actually…

"Hey ya daft, idiot, why aint ya protecting her like yer supposed to?" I called out to the lanky boy who apparently killed a God.

"Huh, what? Me?"

"Who else would I be talkin to ya cunt?" Moron. "You call yourself a man? Get over here and protect the Maiden like ya supposed to!"

Jeez, why are people in this era so stupid?

"But I can't…!?" He looked at the one-eyed bastard.

"He said you can't fight." I deadpanned. "Not that you couldn't fuckin walk over here and keep this chick that has no combat ability safe."

"That is true." The God nodded.

"I swear, it's like I need to fucking write him instructions on how to woo maidens." I sighed.

"Aye, the kids these days. Back in my time, men would fight to the death just so a beautiful girl would look there way." The God shook his head.

"Are ya sure he's a Godkiller?" I asked the Old Man.

"As I can be."

"Fucking ridiculous." I threw my hands up.

The Witch, she was a real one. She would fucking smile while dripping head to toe in blood. And even the Bastard, he knows how to shut up and throw down when he needs to. I've seen him get serious and really fight. I respect that about him even if I wanna kick him between the legs every now and then.

But this kid?

Ugh, I hate even looking at him.

"Hey old man, why are they still fighting? Seems kind of pointless now?" I jerked my thumb at the small Goddess and the Valkyrie and the noble girl.

Didn't take a genius to know that things were practically over. Don't think the fight with the Bastard was gonna be much longer.

"They looked like they were enjoying themselves, so I wanted to let them have their fun."

"All of mine hate!" The tiny Goddess yelled.

"Um…Sir Mordred, aren't you worried about His Majesty?" The Priestess asked.

"Pfft, I can't even take it seriously with that title." It nearly made me laugh every time someone called him 'his Majesty'. "But nah, the Bastard's got it covered. Believe me, you would know if he was struggling."

I don't doubt the asshole is gonna have to put work into winning, but I'm confident he's gonna win.

"But I suppose you are right. The Campione is finished and should be returning soon, so I believe it's time to finish here." The Old Man tapped his cane against the ground. "That's enough Brynhildr."

"Yes, Lord Odin." She ignored the scythe scraping her shoulder in order to return to his side, kneeling down infront of him.

"Go ahead and return back to Asgard."

"As you command." She shot up into the air and disappeared from view.

"Thou art one of the most vile and despicable men this one has ever had the displeasure of meeting!" The Small Goddess growled, pointing her weapon at the Old Man.

"Hoh, rare praise indeed." He stroked his beard. "I do believe this is where we should part ways. Little Goddess…" He looked at the scrawny kid. "Campione. And…." He looked at me. "The interesting lass. I'm sure we'll meet again at some point."

"Wait, what about Voban!?" The scrawny kid called out.

"Oh, him? He got around my trick awhile ago and decided not to come back. Goodbye!" He turned and walked a few steps, but a hand reached out from nothingness and grabbed him.

"And where do you think you're going?" The Bastard said, reappearing, hand on his shoulder.

[***]

Wilhelm POV

"You wouldn't hurt an old man, would you?" Odin looked up at me.

"Yes, yes I would."

"He would. He's done it before." Mordred added.

"…thanks Mordred." I internally groaned. "I think you're forgetting something, hmm?"

"Ah, you're right." He snapped his fingers and the city returned to normal as the Runic Spells shined and enveloped the city, its pristine state revealed once more. "Well, I shall be on my way." He tipped his hat.

"Yeah, no." I said dryly. "So, where's Voban?"

"Hmm, tricky fellow decided not to come back it seems."

"Right."

"Alrighty, Godou, it's your turn. Since I took the last fight, you get to beat up the old man." I gestured.

"Wah!?"

"Bring it on boy." Odin swung his stick around.

"Wait, why do I have to fight!?"

"Actually, I think the blonde over there still owes you a fight, Mordred."

"Oh right, she does." Mordred grinned maliciously towards Erica.

"Meep!" She quickly hid behind Godou.

"Come on, you were talking that good shit earlier. What was this about a 'Great Knight'? Come on, show me what that means."

Odin turned and was about to step away but I quickly snapped my fingers and had a bolt of lightning drop infront of him. "I'm rather pissed right now, Old Man. I just got punched quite a few times by that God and my ribs are probably cracked, and my Shoulder most likely dislocated. Not to mention the bruises I'm going to have."

Truthful, it was mostly my fault. Was it smart to fight a god so martially focused in combat like I did initially? No it was not, but I can't deny it was a good learning experience. He was far from the strongest I've fought, even if I had to put in the work to win. It really did remind me of how far I've come. If it was months ago, well, a few of his punches would have had me on the floor crying for Avalon.

Now? Now, I can just say 'ow' and move on after winning.

"Well, I suppose you want some answers then." He casually stroked his beard. "Unfortunately, I already left." He smiled humorously.

I just stared at him for a moment.

Mordred, however, knelt down and picked up a rock, tossing it at Odin.

It hit him with a small thump.

Odin looked at it then back at us.

"….."

"…..ya didn't really leave, huh Old Man?" Mordred looked at him.

"I had thought that would work." He replied.

I let out a sigh. "Give me a reason."

As much as I was willing to look the other way, he did set me up quite readily for his own goals. Even if he believed I would 100% win the fights he tossed my way, I hated people using me like that.

"Why don't I stick around and teach the boy a thing or two, eh?" He pointed at Godou.

"Absolutely not." Athena refused.

"Does this really matter to you that much?" I crossed my arms, really looking at him.

Odin's jovial expression changed and his lips thinned. "Do not underestimate what I would do to obtain more wisdom, boy. The short one there is content to wallow in mediocrity thinking she is beyond the masses. But I refuse to let my questions go unanswered."

I narrowed my eyes at his tone, letting my power seep out. "I suppose it's inevitable then."

Very quickly, Odin's serious expression dissipated and his lackadaisical tone reappeared. "But I'd rather not descend as a Heretic God proper. It'd make me look like a right fool for how much I mocked the others. I'm content right now to just sit on the sidelines and watch from afar. I am patient."

But what went left unsaid was how long his patience would last.

He wanted answers to quite a few questions he undeniably has. Most of them relating to me I would assume.

And he's basically telling me that right at this moment, he doesn't want to fight so it puts me in an awkward spot.

I would much rather fight multiple Hanumans than one Odin.

"No, do not accept! I do not allow this!" Athena immediately protested again.

"….swear on your name that you'll bring no harm to them."

"I'll swear as your Brother." He stated and oddly, I felt my blood stir as it was laced with his Divine intent.

It was enough to send a shudder through my body.

"So…..training him?"

"Aye." Odin nodded. "Seems like the brat could use some help."

"No!"

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Godou whined.

"No."

"Nope."

"Nay!"

We all seemed to agree with that much. Truthfully, I felt and continued to feel bad for Godou, but I would rather he keep living. He needs a bit of a kick in the rear to get going. He's….better than when I left, but I would honestly hate for him to die, he doesn't deserve that kind of fate.

"If you want, I could always call Brynhildr back, she's quite the looker." Odin grinned, looking at Godou.

"W-what!? Why would that matter!"

"How treacherous, exploiting thy host's uncontrollable lusts for thy own gain." Athena snorted.

Well, this is a motley crew gathered around Godou.

At the very least, I trusted Odin to keep his word. If need be…..I would remove him if he became a threat….a bigger threat that is.

Bit of a messy situation, but at least it was….somewhat resolved to a satisfaction. I would keep an eye on things, but for now….well, I think it was time to leave.

Mostly because I didn't want to deal with the clean up!

Without saying a word, I grabbed Mordred and pushed her through a Portal, giving us quite a bit of distance from them as it deposited us on the other side of Japan.

"The fuck was that far?" Mordred huffed in annoyance.

"Sorry wanted to ask you a question and I didn't want to say it infront of them." And I wanted to sneak away.

"Whatcha want?"

"Do you want to go back home or do you want to go see Pandora with me?" I asked.

"The Goddess Chick that Father saw, right?"

"That's the one. Though technically, she may be your Grandmother in the future, considering…."

"What do you mean 'may'?" Mordred narrowed her eyes with an underlying growl. "Are you saying you're not going to Marry Father? Cause if that's what you're saying, I'm gonna cut off your dick right here."

"I think….you're making a few assumptions here." I quickly put my hands up backing away. "Artoria and I aren't really at that point yet –"

Mordred scoffed. "Of course you ain't. A proper Maiden needs time to court and my Father is the best so you have to put more effort into it! I'm not stupid." She huffed again. "But you better not talk like you ain't gonna treat Father properly." She warned me one last time.

Actually, it was kind of cute how protective she was of Artoria even if she was….misunderstanding some things. I couldn't completely fault her, her knowledge on this sort of thing was probably severely lacking.

"Just out of curiosity…..you wouldn't be against me marrying Artoria?" Not that this is anywhere close to being a reality at the moment, our lives are simply too chaotic to settle down like that.

"…..you make Father happy, so It's fine." She said quietly, crossing her arms, pursing her lips. "Could be worse I guess. Atleast you try to do right by Father, I can appreciate that."

…..I didn't know how to respond to that but I felt a warm sensation in my chest.

"Speaking of appreciating things, so….what happened to the loot, hmm?" I changed the subject because I think it was just a tad awkward for both of us.

"Uh….I don't know what you're talking about." She looked away. "They're mine…." She whispered under her breath.

[It's her first hoard.] Ddraig sounded…proud. [Let her keep them!]

Ugh, fine, whatever.

I knew Lancelot dropped some stuff in her haste, but whatever. If it makes Mordred happy, she can keep them.

"Come on, let's go meet Pandora. I have some technical support questions regarding my Authority."

I happily opened a portal to Momma Pandora's place but as soon as we entered, I caught a breath of that same aura that I felt multiple times at this point. It wasn't….dense like with Gabriel, but it was enough that it floated around in what should have been her Divine Abode.

Nearly immediately, I found Pandora lying on her couch, unconscious. But most drastically, were three numbers haphazardly and ruggedly carved into the wall right next to her.

'666'.

And then I heard her snoring.

[***]

A/N

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