[Third Person's PoV]
Arthur was now seated once again in Goburk's office, having just said a reluctant farewell to Seraphinix. Her egg rested warmly in his lap, and he gently caressed it, comforted by the heat it radiated.
"Lord Pendragon…" Goburk began, but Arthur raised a hand to stop him.
"If you don't mind, may I speak first?" Arthur asked with a faint smile.
"But of course. Go on, Lord Pendragon—whatever it is you require," Goburk replied respectfully, his tone soft and obliging.
"I need the bank's assistance for a business endeavor," Arthur said, grinning. "I want to start my own enterprise. But to do that, I'll need help from the bank. With your support, I'm certain things will move along smoothly and quickly."
At the mention of a business proposal, especially from a Pendragon, Goburk's eyes lit up. Doing business with a Pendragon could only mean one thing: wealth and prosperity. Still, he knew better than to jump in without due diligence. Money, after all, was a goblin's lifeblood.
"A business, you say…" Goburk repeated, rubbing his hands together, a large grin spreading across his face. "And what exactly would this business entail?"
"Everything," Arthur replied. "I want to sell everything—my books, magical items, potions. Anything a witch or wizard might desire."
"I see… Wait, your books?" Goburk asked, raising a brow.
Arthur smiled. He had thrown that in deliberately, bait for Goburk to catch. "Yes. Have you heard of Arthur King?"
Goburk blinked. "No."
"..."
"Phttt." Merlin clamped a hand over her mouth and turned her head, her shoulders trembling as she fought back laughter.
Arthur's cheeks flushed slightly. Goburk tilted his head, still confused. Arthur cleared his throat.
"Just know I'm a published author who's made a fair bit of money from his work. So rest assured—I'll bring you profit."
"Ah, right! Of course! Arthur King! Yes, yes, I remember now—you're that young author everyone's been talking about!" Goburk exclaimed, slamming a fist into his palm.
"There's no need to lie," Arthur said flatly, his eyes dull with exasperation.
Goburk blushed, realizing he'd been caught. "Sorry…"
Meanwhile, Merlin was hunched behind Arthur's chair, gripping it for dear life as sharp gasps of suppressed laughter escaped her.
Arthur stared ahead, blinking slowly, expressionless.
"Don't mind her," he said in a monotone. "Now, as I was saying. For you to understand the business I'm proposing—what it entails, the type of products, and the potential profit margins—you'll need to understand the books I've published. It all ties together."
He then launched into a brief summary of his publications, specifically those involving magic circles.
"…So once that's established, we'll sell parchments with single-use spells. Imagine it—spells that can be activated just by tearing a piece of paper. The possibilities would be endless. They'd fly off the shelves—"
Arthur didn't need to continue. Goburk had already stood up and was slamming his hands on the table. His eyes trembled with greed, breath short and raspy. His lips and mouth had gone dry; he licked them instinctively, his mind racing with ideas and possibilities.
Arthur gently secured the egg around his waist, leaned forward, and rested his chin on his palm. Then, in a seductive whisper, he said, "Now imagine using magic… without a wand~"
Goburk froze, his head rising slowly as his eyes widened in disbelief. His breath caught in his throat.
"You… just what exactly are you planning?" he asked, stunned.
Arthur's grin widened, unsettling despite his charming features. "I don't know. But don't you think it's unfair that magical creatures like yourself aren't allowed to wield wands? I certainly do. Honestly, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Magic should be for everyone. The witches and wizards of today… they're nothing but cowards~"
"You're crazy… absolutely crazy…" Goburk mumbled, still in awe.
"Well, we all have to be a little crazy to survive in this world, don't you think?" Arthur chuckled.
"No, no—you misunderstand. I meant that in a good way!" Goburk's grin returned, his sharp goblin teeth showing. "Honestly, if you could feel how fast my heart's pumping right now, you'd wonder how it hasn't exploded from excitement."
"So what do you say?" Arthur asked, raising a brow. "I'll give you 20% of the total profit."
"25%," Goburk countered immediately.
Arthur shrugged. "Alright. I can work with that."
"Eh? Really?" Goburk asked, surprised.
Arthur leaned back in his chair. "Yeah. You're going to be doing most of the heavy lifting and management anyway. I won't always be available to run things, which is why I'm entrusting it to the bank. Honestly, even if you'd asked for 30%, I would've agreed. But if 25 is all you want, who am I to complain?"
Arthur smiled, cool and composed.
Goburk stared at Arthur for a few seconds, realizing he had been had. However, instead of being upset, he laughed—a low, eerie cackle that echoed through the room.
"Before I begin drafting the contract, there's something I must say, Lord Pendragon. Regarding our earlier agreement about your identity—there was a clause stating I could only reveal your information with your explicit permission. I now request that permission to inform the current Goblin King about you. I implore you to consider it. This will greatly aid in the business venture you have in mind. We'll need the support of other goblins. As much as I would love to handle this alone and keep all the profit, I'm but one goblin. I'll need all the help I can get," Goburk said, as humbly as he could.
"There's no need for all that. I trust your judgment. If you believe it's the best course of action, then you have my permission," Arthur said with a nod, flashing Goburk a sincere smile.
Goburk blinked, clearly taken aback. "You... you trust my judgment?" he asked slowly, unsure if he had heard correctly.
"I mean, yeah? We're going to be business partners, after all. In business, what's important isn't gold or profit. It's trust. Trust is worth more than gold, in my opinion. I'm relying on your help to run this business, so of course, there needs to be a level of trust between us. Don't you agree?"
"You are a strange one, Lord Pendragon... No self-respecting wizard or witch would ever put their trust in a goblin. We're considered vile creatures, after all," Goburk said with a faint smile. It felt strange—being trusted. Unnatural. But not in a bad way.
Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "I am someone that believes vileness and cruelty doesn't come from a specific race–but rather from an individual. We shouldn't judge the imperfections of others while we ourselves walk as imperfect beings. Humans can sometimes be just as cruel—or not even more vile, than any goblin could"
"Like I said, you're a strange one, Lord Pendragon," Goburk said with a sigh.
"Oh, and just so we're clear—I don't want to be known as Pendragon. My alias is Arthur King. And as for our business... we'll call it King Enterprise."
"I'll begin working on the contract," Goburk replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Wait—will I need my guardian's signature?" Arthur asked. He had a feeling the answer would surprise him.
Goburk gave him a stern look. "Lord Pendragon… You may be young, but you are still the head of a House. You even carry the ring to prove it. What kind of House Lord needs their guardian's signature?"
Arthur nodded in understanding, then placed a large pouch of golden coins on the table. "Alright then. Let's dive into the details of our business. I have a feeling this might take a while."
"Agreed..." Goburk sighed, his eyes glinting greedily as he stared at the bag of galleons.
...
"'We shouldn't judge the imperfections of others while we ourselves walk as imperfect beings'—you totally stole that trying to sound cool, didn't you?" Merlin teased as they stepped out of Gringotts Bank.
Arthur rolled his eyes, wiggling his fingers as he sighed, his hands cramping from all the paperwork. His other hand remained tucked inside his coat, hiding the dragon egg. "Can't you just let me have my moment?"
Merlin chuckled. "At least try to be original."
"Quotes exist for a reason—and I plan to use as many of them as I can," Arthur replied, puffing his chest out with pride.
They continued down Diagon Alley, laughing and teasing each other.
Arthur soon bumped into a small hooded figure carrying a stack of books. "Sorry!" he said quickly, before continuing on.
The girl paused, then slowly lowered her hood and clutched her books tighter. The title of the top book read, "The Art of Magic Circles: The Fundamental Theory for Beginners" by Arthur King.
She stopped briefly and looked back. Her long, wavy onyx hair partially veiled her face. Her brilliant blue eyes—like polished gems—narrowed as they focused on Arthur. She scoffed softly and turned back toward Gringotts.
Merlin, who had also paused, stared after the girl.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, noticing her sudden frown.
Merlin gave him a polite smile and shook her head. "Nothing. Don't worry—I just thought I saw someone I knew."
"..."
"Merlin, you're like a million years old. Anyone you could have possibly known is probably long dead."
Smack!
"Ouch!!" Arthur yelped, clutching the top of his head with one hand as he winced in pain.
Merlin huffed and marched forward without looking back.
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