Chaldea and Staff: Translator to human language (233) (Patreon)

Of all the things in the world, Mozart loved music, good company, and relaxation the most, in that exact order. If one were to expand this list, it could include several more items, like movies, Marie Antoinette, or quality wine. In general, any good thing a person could enjoy. 

The list of things Mozart loved after the first five was actually pretty fuzzy. If something was ‘good’ or ‘exciting’, then Mozart could enjoy it. A swim in the sea, a good meal, or even going to the theater, all is something he enjoyed. 

Basically, Mozart could have enjoyed anything, the question was more about how exactly an event was experienced than what that event was.

On the other hand, the list of things Mozart disliked was much shorter and much less ambiguous; family drama, battles, and angry women. 

It didn't matter exactly how these things transpired, Mozart simply could not like such events in any way.

So how exactly did Mozart end up in the middle of Mordred and Arthuria's as they got one of their almost routine spat now? Exactly all the things he hated, right in one place, joy. 

Perhaps, there was a way that Mozart could launch into a lengthy account of his life and all the mistakes and events in the past that led him to his current situation… Or at least started the narrative with the words ‘two hours earlier’, but Mordred's blade whizzing two inches over Mozart's head put an end to such a decision.

Luckily for Mozart, Hector—a man born for the express purpose of turning his life into a cautionary lesson, ending with the words ‘that's why you should never do what I did then’, was also suffering at Mozart's side, blocking Mordred's attacks.

In addition, Mordred was also being held back by Cu Chulainn, the Celtic-born Caster had wisely kept far away from the two’s drama, but as is fated to all Cu Chulainn, his luck betrayed him. Stopping by the training ground at the wrong time, he had been fighting for his life ever since. 

On the other hand, he had come to the training ground to get some blood pumping through his veins by having a spar, so in a way, he had gotten the result he was hoping for. Not quite in the style he wanted, but still, his wish was practically fulfilled unchanged, unlike Hector and Mozart, who were involved in the fight against their will.

To the good fortune of all involved, Arthuria, who was looking at Mordred’s temper tantrum as she swung her sword around, had not actually engaged her, simply continuing to watch the events unfold before her. To Mozart’s and Hector’s misfortune, however, she was also not involved in stopping Mordred's furious onslaught, leaving the three to fend off the results of her last night of love with her wife and her sister's magic.

"Father! Father! Father! Father!" Mordred, already entangled on all sides by the magecraft of Mozart and Cu Chulainn and held back by Hector's spear, nevertheless tried to move forward, looking at Arthuria with eyes that were equal parts full of fierce hatred, blind adoration, and desperate pleading. "Father, why?!"

To the dismay of Mordred, whose mind was currently buzzing with hundreds of thoughts, Arthuria only stared at Mordred's eyes disinterestedly before saying calmly. "It doesn't make sense to do so."

Hearing her words, Mordred, who was holding onto her emotions with all her might, paused for a moment as if she was physically struck dumb by her father’s words. 

Before, she let out something between an indignant howl and a wailing cry. She jerked back, breaking free of Hector's hold before rushing out of the training room, nearly knocking Cu Chulainn on his ass. With the storm that is Mordred gone, the three were able to fall on the floor, groaning as they groaned in unison. 

"How many times has this happened?" After resting and getting their breath back for a few minutes, Mozart asked out loud to no one in particular, forcing Hector, as the only person who knew the story, to joylessly squeeze out the answer. 

"It’s the third time in two days…"

Eliciting a loud groan from the druid.

"Ugh, women… Don't tell the teacher I said that." Cu Chulainn complained from his position on the floor before raising his head slightly and looking indignantly at Arthuria, who just calmly looked at the damaged room. 

"Now, will someone tell me why I'm once again involved in something I don't understand at the moment?" The druid loudly complained to the most normal looking of Servants, Hector, the reason why he was here in the first place.

"Hector?" Mozart looked at Hector, who only gave an answer in the form of a look towards Arthuria. Who, receiving the combined glares of the duo wanting answers, simply shrugged her shoulders in an almost human gesture. "I refused to train Mordred because she killed me."

Hearing these words, Mozart let out a groan, he was joined by Cu Chulainn and Hector, yet another series of family drama from King Arthur and his son… Given that they were both women, and also the son killed his father before ending up in Chaldea, the two of them under the same Master, perhaps it is to be expected.

But it’s still tiring to be stuck in the middle of them.

Hector sighed loudly as he rose from the ground, dusting some dust off his pants, before glaring at Arthuria. "All right, I suppose it's not my place to judge who's right and who's wrong, that's entirely up to you two… But Arthuria, I can absolutely tell you that the frequency of your fights with Mordred has increased significantly over the past few days… Not that I'm prying into your personal affairs but…"

"I'm definitely not!" Cu Chulainn interjected. "Three times in the last two days I've been involved, against my will, mind you, in your personal family disputes! First in the cafeteria, then in the recreation area, and now! If I'm going to be involved in such matters, at least I deserve to know exactly what I'm suffering for!"

Mozart, not caring either way, simply glanced at Arthuria. He really doesn’t want to stick his foot in the Pendragon family's personal problems, it being a combination of his most disliked things. But at least for his part in stopping the rampaging Mordred, he deserved some compensation! 

Receiving an answer was the worst compensation Mozart himself could come up with, but at least it was still something!

Arthuria looked at the three pairs of eyes focusing on her, then glancing around as if considering whether or not she should answer such questions, with the three men debating whether to push the issue. Finally, she chose an answer and slowly sat down on the floor, disregarding royal etiquette with the three joining her in taking a seat on the floor. 

Not that the Alter version of King Arthur cared about such trivialities.

Therefore, casting a glance at the men, Arthuria exhaled before saying slowly, "In the past Singularity… Camelot."

Mozart prepared himself to hear a piece of information about Arthuria and a new piece of gossip, but after saying that, Arthuria did not continue speaking, instead only looking calmly at the watchers.

"Okay, Camelot, makes sense…" Hector raised his voice, trying to get the words out of the girl. 

"And… What next?"

Arthuria looked at Hector and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What next? As I said, I saw Camelot… And that's all."

Mozart looked at Arthuria and frowned for a moment before closing his eyes and trying to understand her words… Her one word answer.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Mozart was not gifted with the ability to read people's minds. However, despite the fact that Mozart himself considered himself a second-rate magus, one who could not have lasted three days in a Holy Grail War as a Master, he was still gifted in terms of music. So gifted, in fact, that it was noted even among his Skills that Mozart had the ability of absolute hearing, beyond that of humans. 

And so, he could hear far more than humans could say, but Mozart could not hear what was not said. 

Still, just from hearing someone speak, Mozart could infer some of the things that are left unsaid. He could hear exactly how it was said, and sometimes this information was quite enough to actually read the thoughts of the person speaking those words.

So for a moment, Mozart dissected Arthuria's words, trying to figure out exactly what she meant, what emotions she was feeling, with what kind of attitude she was talking about Mordred… And frowned a moment later.

Reading people's emotions was not a difficult endeavor in itself for Mozart, but such things required clarification in relation to the Alter versions of Servants. Many people were confused by the emotions of others even without the other person trying to hide it, let alone emotions altered by the Servant's new form and figure. A distortion of their true history, how could one gauge emotions then?

However, in this case, determining Arthuria's emotions was not difficult for Mozart, the latter did not hide her feelings at all, and despite the one word answer, Mozart had gathered a plethora of her true feelings.

Nostalgia, tinged in regret, and even something like empathy. Arthuria's emotions were faintly expressed in her voice, it was as if the changed King Arthur did not even try to convey them in her own words, but at the same time, she was not hiding them on purpose. Rather, Arthuria had simply assumed that her words would be understood in any case. Or, which was equally likely, she realized that her words would not be understood and did not intend to talk further in vain.

However, Mozart wasn't going to give up halfway through, and therefore helped to restore the full picture in his head before voicing it. 

"After seeing Camelot, you were immersed in nostalgia, experienced emotions, and brought them with you back to Chaldea… Especially with regard to Mordred. Regrets about the past, dreams about the future, actions in the present…."

To Mozart’s answer, Arthuria simply shook her head.

"I don't have regrets in terms of wishing to change a past fate, sometimes a sad event should only be accepted, and one should continue to move forward, rather than trying to change its outcome," 

Arthuria disputed Mozart's conclusion but reacted to his words with absolute calm, as if she had absolutely no emotion from Mozart’s rather personal words to Arthuria, which she would have every reason to consider secret. Mozart could not find in her voice any shyness or displeasure at Mozart digging on such a sore spot.

Something which did not fit at all with his perception of her in Mozart's mind. She was usually a much colder and distant personality, one that would not countenance Mozart speaking about her personal life. A cold glare at least.

"Hmm, in that case, has the frequency of conflict with Mordred increased simply because… You've begun to socialize more often?" Mozart bit his tongue a little before hesitantly continuing his thought, as if he was testing the waters. It was, after all, quite the ridiculous thought to entertain for the typically taciturn Servant. 

"Maybe even… On your own initiative?"

Such a question, Mozart thought, would likely have shortened his height by exactly one head in any other circumstances. And judging by the way the panicked looks his fellow male Servants gave him, he wasn't the only one thinking along similar lines. 

Arthuria, however, only glanced at Mozart with a look that made him shiver reflexively… Before, she nodded faintly, thereby instantly confirming the thought that had barely had time to form in Mozart's head.

Arthuria did not react to the revealing of her character traits and her emotions because she had already made the decision to reveal them. And if Arthuria had made that decision, that means she had already revealed them… 

If you think about it, it wouldn't have been a problem for Arthuria to interfere with Mordred's restraining, duty of the king and knightly honor and whatnot… However, she didn't do that. Mozart’s initial thought that Arthuria had done it out of personal sympathy for Mordred, Mozart dismissed as completely untenable, but perhaps… Was he wrong with that line of thinking?

"Okay, let's say that answers the question of the increasing number of spats I find myself involved in, but it doesn't answer the question of why I find myself involved in those… Okay, right, my bad luck could probably explain that, but what exactly caused this recent spat? What seemed to piss off Mordred so much!?" Cu Chulainn spoke up, rising from his seat as story time seemed to have already ended before it could even start, and assuming a comparatively more respectable posture. 

Even if the word ‘comparative’ was the key word in this case.

"What exactly did Mordred want to get from you this time?" Hector also rose to his feet, following after Caster, as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from behind his coat. Glancing at the people around him and finding that none of them seemed to mind his preferred method of impairing his health, lit one up and took a long drag.

Arthuria glanced at Cu Chulainn and Hector, and after a second of silence, answered their question honestly. As a king, she has no need for subterfuge. 

"Mordred has asked me to begin training her."

"And?" Hector raised one eyebrow, taking another slow puff of his cigarette.

"I refused, of course." Arthuria answered calmly, and then, after a moment, made an important clarification. "Mordred has killed me in the past."

At her ‘explanation’, Cu Chulainn and Hector could only sigh in unison. There were few clearer and simpler, unambiguous in their interpretation, reasons to refuse help to someone than the reason that the asker had killed the one whom he asked for a favor. And, what was most unfortunate, was that there was hardly any way to resolve the problem of one person having killed a second person in the past. 

No, perhaps the Holy Grail, or perhaps Ainz could provide a resolution to such a problem by altering the universe or time-traveling to a key moment. But, barring True Magic, the unknowable sinister powers of Ainz, and the raw power of the Grail, there was really no way in the world to ‘fix’ a past event. And it was unlikely that anyone could be just as easily persuaded to simply forget the fact their own murder had happened in the past and pretend it had never happened, much less someone as inflexible as Arthuria…

That last thought sliced through Mozart's perception, making him grasp onto a possibility for a moment.

Indeed, convincing Arthuria to forget the fact of her own death by Mordred's blade was almost impossible… However, in that case, how did Arthuria's previous words and actions fit in with that? 

Hadn't Arthuria just said that it was her own personal will to seek contact with Mordred?

Mozart listened to the words spoken by Arthuria, trying to discern the nuances in the tones of her words.

Arthuria spoke of her death with a slight tinge of irritation and sadness, a perfectly ordinary and understandable reaction to hearing that someone had killed her in the past… And yet with a kind of ease, if not even… Respect?

"You… You’re saying that even with Mordred killing you, it doesn't mean that you're angry with Mordred?" Mozart finally managed to piece together what info he could from Arthuria’s words, then uttered it with almost disbelief at his own analysis. 

"Rather… You find it praiseworthy?"

Hector cast an incredulous glance at Mozart, as if trying to ask him what he was smoking. Cu Chulainn showed an even more obvious reaction to Mozart’s words, surreptitiously moving away from him, waiting for Arthuria’s imminent retribution for his stupid words.

Arthuria, however, only faintly raised one eyebrow before nodding just as faintly, causing Mozart to close his eyes and sigh, feeling his head begin to ache even more as the situation cleared up. Contrary to the usual joy of completing a puzzle, instead it only brought more headache.

"So let me rephrase your words so that I can better understand it… 'She killed me' in this case means, 'I have nothing more to teach you,' right?" Mozart looked at Arthuria, inwardly even hoping that the cause of the fight that had happened was anything but the sheer obtuseness and unique way of thinking of the king, and how she expresses them.

Contrary to Mozart's hopes, however, Arthuria only frowned slightly as she looked at Mozart before clarifying. "I possess several unique abilities that Mordred does not. In theory, I could teach them to Mordred, but their effectiveness would be extremely low given the differences in our fighting styles… Barring that fact, however, yes, me giving any training to Mordred is useless. Like I said before, Mordred has killed me in the past. That means that our level is comparable, if not already equal… She would be better served looking for other teachers."

After saying the uncharacteristically long sentence, more words than Mozart had ever heard her speak, Arthuria let the rare emotion show on her face, a slight shadow of displeasure and bewilderment. 

"Didn't I already say that? I thought that it was obvious? Mordred had already successfully killed me, so I can't train her in the future."

Mozart sucked in air through his nose and exhaled slowly.

Of course, if one even thought about the meaning behind Arthuria's words in a rather special way, it was possible that they could be interpreted that way. But no person in their right mind would take them that way! 

Especially when considering that there was another, much more common interpretation of those words.

"And this is why I'm always getting roped into playing peacemaker?! Because the Alter-versions of kings can't speak a little more clearly?" Cu Chulainn let out a loud and long groan as he slumped to the ground, cursing his luck under his breath.

Hector, in turn, inhaled his cancer stick a lot more deeply, almost finishing it, dropping the ash on the ashtray that appeared as if from nowhere. He looked at Arthuria with an expression of joyless displeasure on his face, and then, swallowing the first unpleasant comment on his tongue along with the nicotine, spoke his opinion on the matter a little more diplomatically. 

"Ah, ahem… I see… So why not communicate such information to other people, for example, Mordred herself, more openly and perhaps with some explanations? In the future?"

"Why?" The question from Arthuria stumped Hector momentarily, cutting his breath short, almost causing him to cough. What argument on his part could Hector even come up with for such a question!? Other than ‘cause I say so’ that wouldn’t lead into a fight?

Mozart could hear perfectly, from the barely perceptible tinge of doubt in Arthuria's voice, that the problem was not that Arthuria did not realize that her words could be taken differently, but that she was not bothered by that fact. In all the ‘fight’ they had, Arthuria could probably overpower Mordred, and if not, Hector would help in that endeavor. 

In other words, Arthuria wasn't bothered by the fact that Mordred could get out of control, misunderstand her words, or fall into madness. Instead of trying a new approach to solving the problem, Arthuria was the kind of person who saw only one possible way to solve a problem, and even if that approach didn't work, Arthuria, instead of changing her approach, tried again, believing that she couldn't solve the problem because she hadn't put enough effort into it last time. 

In a way, this was even a positive feature of her existence, a rational mind, as any endeavor required confidence and total dedication. But if the initial approach to solving a problem was wrong, then all Arthuria could accomplish in this case was to keep banging her head into the wall until one of the two objects she was hitting cracked. Either the wall or her head, and she has a remarkably hard head.

Considering that the metaphorical ‘wall’ in this case was Mordred, a Servant who is half full of hatred for Arthuria and half of blind adoration, a cracked ‘wall’ didn't suggest anything good either.

"Mhm, and you don't want to tell Mordred about it because—" Cu Chulainn, not privy to the mysteries of the human words like Mozart and not having Hector's experience, asked. 

"What!? It’s a legitimate question!"

Arthuria glanced at Cu Chulainn at this question, as if with her whole being trying to convey to him the idea that his remark was meaningless, before answering him any way. To the great surprise of Mozart, who had pegged the king in one hole, only to find that he was wrong.

"Because she has declared herself my heir. If she is incapable of understanding the thinking of a king, then she is not one—which means there is no need for me to consort with a liar."

Again, it took the great experience of Hector, and Mozart’s almost cheat-like abilities to hear to understand what the King meant. Caster, of course, missed it entirely.

"But you do want to communicate with Mordred, don't you?" Hector tried to make Arthuria clarify her intention, causing her to hesitate for a moment and then nod, barely perceptibly, so imperceptibly that it couldn't even be seen with the naked eye. Even Mozart, who could understand that Arthuria nodded at Hector's question, it was only because he heard the barely perceptible wavering of the air as Arthuria's head moved.

After hearing this, Mozart pressed his lips together, trying to find an answer in his head to the question of ‘What was to be done in such a case?’.

If Ainz were involved right now, he, with his inhuman grace, would surely be able to solve the problem in front of him with a snap of his fingers. Unfortunately, however, the three men sitting in front of Arthuria did not possess such incredible abilities to solve all the problems in the world and create miracles. 

And therefore, they fell silent, trying to think of what exactly they could say or do to solve the case of two people who seemed to be dead set on having communication problems.

To advise Arthuria to consult a family therapist, perhaps? 

The idea was not without a grain of logic to them, but it was difficult to imagine Arthuria revealing the depths of her soul lying on a leather couch, even for Servants with the most developed imagination. Especially considering that Arthuria herself was clearly not seeking a solution to her problem—nor did she see it as a problem at all.

Not that Chaldea has a therapist on staff… Probably because the Magi that were supposed to staff Chaldea would sooner destroy their own Magic Crest than ever admit that they have a problem.

Maybe she could try to explain the current situation to Mordred? Perhaps the Berserker, walking around as a Saber class Servant, might even listen to what she was told… There's also a small possibility that pigs would grow wings. 

She was much more likely to attack the first person she came across, even suggesting such a thing. Half in rage, half in joy, moving rapidly from ‘How dare you make fun of me!’ to ‘I'll kill you at the mere mention of my Father!’.

The three men looked at each other, coming to the same conclusion, before crossing their gazes again at Arthuria, who, if she was interested in the Servants' reasoning, was clearly not acting like she does.

Of all the options, perhaps Mozart could think of only one that even had an infinitesimally small chance of success. 

And at the same time, Mozart definitely knew that this particular option was the most unpleasant in terms of its realization. At the very least, because it required the involvement of an outsider in the tangled relationships within the Pendragon family.

A translator from Arthuria's language to human language.

It required constant presence around Arthuria and Mordred, which in itself was an extremely unpleasant endeavor given the need to be near the two women, during their rather private moments. It required the Servant acting as a constant busybody, and, most importantly, it required an understanding of Arthuria's thinking. 

An ability that was definitely in short supply in Chaldea.

This Servant had to sacrifice himself to be a guide dog for Arthuria, given her absolute blindness to all social norms… And, most importantly, able and willing to endure a failed attempt to translate Arthuria's thoughts into human language if necessary.

In other words, durable enough to survive an Excalibur blast or three.

Mozart, having come to this conclusion, sighed, before raising his gaze to Hector…

Only to find a smoldering cigarette butt in an ashtray that had taken the spot where Hector had been a short time ago.

Apparently, Hector had come to the same conclusions as Mozart, but demonstrating his mastery of ‘tactics’ he chose the most effective one at the moment, and fled away, leaving Arthuria with the only Mozart and Cu.

Somehow bypassing his hearing, moving without the barest hint of a sound, something that Mozart had thought impossible… But, there was something more important than the fact that Hector had just struck Mozart’s identity, his continued survival.

Mozart glanced at Cu Chulainn, without much hope in his eyes, expecting an empty spot, however, he found a Caster staring at him back with a look of incomprehension… Ah, it seems that he hadn’t cottoned on to the ‘plan’ yet, he could still escape.

"Mozart," Arthuria's words, however, pinned the Musician to his seat, causing him to turn around to the Alter version of King Arthur. "Hector said you've found a solution?"

Mozart, hearing his sentence being passed, inwardly cursed Hector, then sighed. After all, it wasn't like Mozart had much of a life, Chaldea’s activities hadn’t really interested him much, and playing his music without an audience had bored him somewhat… At least watching the Pendragon family drama could throw Mozart some interesting rumors to amuse himself further?

If he survived the aforementioned and inevitable conflict, of course, given Mordred's predilection of masking her embarrassment, or any other emotion really, with violence.

But that didn't mean that Mozart would abruptly forget about Hector’s betrayal however!

"The plan… is that in the next couple of meetings you have with Mordred, I will be with you in order to… Ahem… Adjust your conversation…" After a moment, an idea suddenly caused Mozart’s emotion to suddenly brighten. An idea that would put him far away enough from any brewing conflict.

"As a speechwriter! Yes! Such people are necessary for persons of high status, right?"

Arthuria raised one delicate eyebrow and thought about it for a moment before nodding slowly, looking at Mozart with a look of disbelief imprinted even on her normally stony face. 

"Do you think it's necessary to meet with Mordred? With you around?"

"To keep the Chaldea topography intact, yes," Mozart exhaled a little sadly. "Communicating with Mordred… I realize that your desire comes from the depths of your soul and is generally good news, but I'm not sure that Mordred… Will be able to take your message correctly."

The main point of Mozart's words was to divert the topic away from Arthuria's inability to communicate with people and to shift the responsibility for her communication problems onto Mordred… Especially since Mordred really wasn't a model of prudence either.

Arthuria thought about it for a moment, but after a few seconds, she nodded slowly, "Good… At least you shouldn't give up on something you haven't tried yet."

To summarize these words perfectly, a voice echoed through Chaldea, making Mozart realize that his services would clearly be needed sooner than he had hoped, "Father! Father! Father! I demand your recognition!"

Sighing, Mozart rose from his seat after Arthuria, turning his gaze to the door.

"I hope you know exactly what you're doing. I won't get involved in other people's fights beyond my own will!" Cu Chulainn managed to exhale a sigh of relief…

Before running into Mozart's gaze, smiling at him with such a friendly smile that Cu Chulainn himself instantly sensed the impending, imminent danger to his hide.

"Arthuria, I think I absolutely need Cu Chulainn in order to… Solve this problem of Mordred." 

Mozart glanced meaningfully at Cu Chulainn, and he wasn't even particularly lying in that regard. 

Indeed, given the Pendragon family's potential for destruction as a result of a bad dialogue, the extra insurance of an extra Caster was paramount.

Cu Chulainn, momentarily paling, shifted his gaze to Arthuria, who simply shrugged, his fate was sealed. "If necessary."

Mozart, in return, only smiled, making Cu Chulainn curse all the gods and all the other luckier bastards on the Throne of Heroes.

If only he had a little more luck with his Luck score!