Goblin Slayer, Vol. 8

by Kumo Kagyu

  “…Could it have something to do with the fiery stone from heaven?”

  “I can’t say. However… Well, but…”

  Whispered conferences broke out in ripples around the room.

  It was impossible to say when or from where a danger to the world might arise. Was the world to be thrust into calamity once more by this rock that was said to have fallen from the skies onto the mount? Could the princess’s actions, and her fate, be the seed of Chaos…?

  The Gold-ranked adventurer, however, ignored the rest of the onlookers and conferred with the captain of the guard.

  “You remember anywhere around there that seemed like a likely goblin nest?”

  “Not entirely sure… Those bastards can live just about anywhere, after all.”

  Both of them studied the map grimly, thinking as fast and as hard as they could.

  “A-and wolves! They were riding on wolves…”

  “Yes, yes, I heard you. Goblins riders are nothing remarkable. The real issue is their nest. We have to—”

  —find their nest, the adventurer was about to say to the merchant.

  “The Dungeon of the Dead.”

  The words were like a stone thrown into a pond; silence spread like a ripple through the room. The people seated around the round table looked at one another, and then they all looked at one person.

  That person sat back in her chair, smiling, not intimidated in the least. She had the air of a woman relaxing in bed as she waited for her husband, and surely more than one man among the assembly entertained less than reverent thoughts about her.

  “…Are you claiming a handout?” the king asked.

  “Call it inspiration, I suppose,” Sword Maiden said quietly.

  “That’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.”

  A dungeon at the farthest edge of the North, near the holy mount—the deepest of all dungeons, the Dungeon of the Dead.

  Ten years before, it had also been the place of the battle between a great crowd of adventurers and the greater demons.

  A city had been built like a lid atop the labyrinth, and excavation had proceeded for a very long time. Many people, seeking the head of the greater demon that waited in the innermost chamber of the tenth level underground, had never returned.

  The cardinal and the captain frowned, and the Gold-ranked adventurer swallowed heavily. That was a magical pit in which it was said one could easily lose one’s soul, and none of them were eager to test themselves against it. A nimbus of fear hung about it now, an impregnable dungeon from which none returned.

  “That labyrinth is the only place in the North where I would expect goblins to live…” Did anyone hear the tremble in Sword Maiden’s voice as she whispered the words? Did anyone see the slight shaking of the sash over her eyes?

  A dungeon, goblins, a kidnapped woman and the fate that awaited her.

  Did anyone know she was biting her lip to keep her teeth from chattering…?

  “A distinguished adventurer of wisdom, discretion, and trustworthiness, fit to delve that deepest dungeon,” the old counselor said with something akin to levity. He shook his staff—perhaps not quite seeking revenge for earlier but certainly taken with his own idea. “Would this not be the moment to call upon the services of that great hero, the honored Sword Maiden?”

  Sword Maiden squeezed the sword and scales tight in her hands.

  There was a shout of approbation from someone in the crowd. “Excellent idea,” someone else agreed.

  Even among Gold-ranked adventurers, Sword Maiden was something special. She was one of the questers who had reached that deepest point of the deepest dungeon, defeated the greater demon, and come home to tell the tale.

  With one of the “All-Stars” fighting for them, there was nothing more to worry about.

  After all, they would be pitting this great hero against simple goblins!

  “Oh…”

  Sword Maiden opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. She could suck air in, but she couldn’t let it back out.

  What might she have been trying to say? She hugged her own quaking shoulders, embracing her generous chest.

  I won’t go. I’m afraid. I’m sorry. Such things she certainly could not say.

  Help me, please. Impossible words to speak.

  She was the most distinguished priestess in this entire nation. How could she be afraid of goblins?

  “And I can’t ask her to go…”

  The king appeared absorbed in thought. Sword Maiden could tell she had no time. A matter of seconds, maybe. Then the mouth of her ruler would open again.

  The first words would be these: “What do you say, archbishop?” He understood nothing.

  Then he would go on: “Will you do this for me, please?” It would be a death sentence for her.

  Sword Maiden, terrified, scooted back like an overawed little girl.

  But then she ran up against the back of her chair. She ran up against her position and the stares of those around her, and there was nowhere for her to go.

  “What do you say, archbishop?”

  The executioner’s sword was raised high…

  “…Ahem.”

  The sword was met by one small but clear word.

  “Wha…?”

  She couldn’t believe it. Sword Maiden, her whole body stiff, turned her hidden eyes toward the voice.

  Someone had her hand up, fearlessly: the female merchant, who had slipped out somewhere during the discussion and had just come back.

  “Impudent!” the elderly counselor exclaimed, but the king silenced him with a hand and the words “It’s fine.”

  The king seemed to have taken an interest in this girl—or, at the very least, in what she would say next. “What is it?” he asked.

  “…The honored archbishop’s escort is demanding to be admitted to the chamber.”

  “We’re in council.”

  “…He is a Silver-ranked adventurer.”

  The merchant took a step before the old counselor could object further. Without waiting for the king’s response, she opened the door to the next room. By the door, a diminutive silver-haired attendant shook her head in exasperation.

  “I have heard the situation.”

  The voice was indifferent, cold, like a breeze blowing underground.

  He approached unhesitatingly, at a bold stride.

  Beside the speaker came a girl who appeared to be an elven archer, her ears flicking proudly.

  On the speaker’s other side was a girl, still young, and smiling helplessly as if she had given up hope of holding the man back.

  Behind him came a dwarven shaman, shrugging in resignation, and a towering lizardman who seemed thoroughly amused by all this.

  They were a motley fellowship. They wore mismatched equipment, like a gang of toughs that might be found anywhere in the world.

  Everyone in the room, though, did a double take at the sight of this adventurer.

  He wore grimy leather armor and a cheap-looking metal helmet. At his hip was a sword of a strange length, and a round shield was tied to his arm.

  Even a pure beginner would have had better equipment.

  But the rank tag dangling from his neck left no room for doubt: he was Silver, the third rank, the highest rank for those who worked independently.

  “I knew it was goblins.”

  Without thinking about it, Sword Maiden stood up from her chair. The sword and scales dropped from her hand, but she didn’t even notice.

  “Yes, it is,” came the soft answer from the female merchant—Noble Fencer, who had once been an adventurer herself. Her short hair came down to her shoulders; she brushed it away and looked at Sword Maiden.

  “I shall go. Where are they? How many?”

  Sword Maiden nodded, feeling as if she might collapse at any moment.

  Again and again she nodded, over and over.

  “Majestyyy! I’m heeere!!”

  The door flew open with a bang, and a whirlwind ente
red the room in the form of a young woman whose long black hair was flying everywhere.

  She was somewhere in her teens, right about the age when she might be taken for a novice adventurer—but it was also obvious at a glance that was not what she was. The armor that covered her body had been crafted to prioritize ease of movement, but it was also studded with magical protections. The massive sword that hung at her hip was equally clearly of extraordinary workmanship.

  “…Huh?”

  The girl reached the middle of the room then looked around in surprise.

  Almost none of the VIPs were left. Was the council over already?

  The Gold-ranked adventurer was standing there scowling, which made no sense to her.

  The next instant, she saw the cardinal stand up from his chair and bow his head, a tense smile on his face.

  “Eeyowch!”

  Someone bopped her on the head with a staff, provoking a scream from the girl as if she had been singed by the flames of hell.

  “Disrespectful.” Sage, wearing a flowing robe, sighed, holding her staff, which was imbued with who knew how many spells. Kneeling before the king and his advisers, she ignored the girl’s tearful glare.

  Look at her, acting all courtly. The girl stuck out her lip and grumbled, “Hmph. Who even cares? His Majesty and I are like best budd—erk!”

  This time, the smack came on her behind, but with utmost effort, the girl managed to restrain another shout.

  “His Majesty has his station to think of—as do we, and as do you. See that you observe it.”

  The person who had made the girl jump this time was a female fighter who spoke in measured tones. A woman unparalleled in renown in all the land, she waved a slim but fearsomely muscled hand at the girl. “One would expect the hero to be embarrassed at such conduct, hmm?”

  “…I think ‘one’ would expect to be even more embarrassed by not being able to find a boyfriend.”

  “It’s the men’s fault that none of them are stronger than me.”

  The girl gave the unfazed fighter a resentful look but saw a wave of Sage’s staff out of the corner of her eye. “Anyway, Your Majesty, you called us, so we’re here!”

  “…Mm, I can see that.” The king, squinting as if amused, gave a broad, magnanimous wave of his hand. He didn’t seek the manners of one born and raised in the nobility from this girl who had fled an orphanage at fifteen years old and become a hero. As long as she could be respectful toward those she met, that was enough.

  “Thank you,” she said and plopped herself down at the round table.

  Sword Saint and Sage followed her, each with a polite bow.

  Hero looked to her friends on either side as if afraid someone might get angry at her but then opened her mouth. “So what all happened? I’d been told I didn’t have to come to the council, but…”

  “You’re fine,” the king said, shaking his head with a smile. “We simply gave a quest to a most unusual Silver-ranked adventurer.”

  Ah, so that was it. Sword Saint felt the expression on the Gold-ranked adventurer’s face said it all. Every adventurer had their strengths and weaknesses, so it wasn’t unusual to be passed over for a particular job, but maybe it rankled that this one was at the royal command.

  “…And need we not get involved?” Sage asked. Her voice sounded the same as ever, yet her comrades could tell how serious she was.

  “I don’t know if it’s connected or not,” the king said. “So I want to ask you to handle something different.”

  “Sure thing, Your Majesty! Just say the word!”

  “Heh,” the advisers whispered, smiling at one another over Hero’s undue eagerness. They did not, of course, see fit to openly rebuke her. A hero she might have been, but she was also as young as their grandchildren.

  “A stone of fire has fallen from the sky on the holy mountain to the north. It seems to be giving off a rather unsettling aura…”

  “So you want us to check it out and whoop any bad guys we find! You got it!” Hero smacked her small chest, brimming with confidence.

  The king let out a breath, his expression relaxing ever so slightly toward a smile. Things should be all right now. When she said she would take care of something, her word was absolute.

  “Good. I’ve set aside some money for you to make your preparations. I can’t promise you fifty gold coins and a sword or anything, though.”

  “Aw, that’s fine. I don’t need that stuff. All I need is— Hrk?!”

  “We receive it gratefully, Your Majesty.”

  Whatever Hero had been about to say, she gave it up and rubbed her behind instead. Sword Saint bowed her head deeply.

  Hero, her butt still sore from the pinch, pulled a face and leaned back in her chair. “Pbbt. Whatever. We’d be fine without that stuff…”

  “It is only polite to accept what is offered to you,” Sage said in her quiet, calm tone. She, too, bowed to the king and then said, “And if we should happen to need anything else?”

  “Talk to the cardinal and the captain. I’ve told them to take care of you.”

  “Thank you, sire.”

  “Heh, don’t thank us.” The captain of the royal guard, quiet until that moment, grinned widely. “I could have gone with you, if I were still an adventurer myself. But someone is very insistent that the king’s own captain not get involved.”

  “I’ve been hearing much of the same. People keep saying that it won’t do for us to constantly run up the banners and charge into battle. Am I right?” The king looked to the cardinal for support.

  “‘Am I right’ indeed!” the clergyman sniffed. “You have to stop suggesting that the best way to help the state of the national treasury would be for you to go slay a dragon or two.”

  “You think he’ll stop just because you say so?” The quiet interjection came from the silver-haired attendant, who hadn’t spoken until that moment. It was impossible to guess how she was feeling from her voice, but the shrug she displayed had a hint of warmth in it. “He’s the most important person in the country now, though for the life of me, I can’t imagine why.”

  “That’s right, I am important.”

  It was the uninhibited banter of a group completely at ease with one another.

  “…” Sage felt the smallest ghost of an understanding smile pass over her face. The connection among them was like that between herself and her own two precious companions—not the same, though; each was something unique in this world. To be able to observe such a thing firsthand was both entertaining and joyous.

  Sage offered another bow then engaged the cardinal about the finer details. Sword Saint put in her opinion on the points that involved battle, while Hero, for her part, hardly seemed to be listening at all.

  Instead, her face lit up like she had just thought of something, and she rushed over to the Gold-ranked dog-man.

  “Hey, mister, mister! Tell me the rest of that story you started last time!”

  “L-last time when?” the man said, blinking under bushy eyebrows. “You mean the time I one-hitted the huge bird-monster?”

  “Yeah, yeah! Last time you stopped right when the horde of greater demons had you surrounded. I wanna hear how it ends!”

  More than happy to oblige, the dog-man took a long swig from the flask at his hip and then began his story of the old days. Sage and Sword Saint glanced over at them, but with warmth in their looks, a friendly resignation.

  This is good, the king thought, taking it all in.

  The hero was more than her strength alone. Indeed, her strength was more than her fighting prowess alone.

  Everyone adored the girl for her ability to break the fangs of disharmony almost as if she didn’t know what she was doing.

  And that, I think is what will save the world.

  He had been an adventurer himself, once, but now, sadly, there was a crown on his head.

  How fervently he wished he could gather his old party, stand around a map plotting out an adventure together.

&nbs
p; Had that been possible, he would already be on the way to save his sister himself.

  The goblin menace, the resurrected demons, the undead necromancer, the flaming stone from the heavens—with his own hands, he would do it all…

  But I never shall.

  Suddenly, the king realized he was clutching the arms of his throne, and he relaxed his fingers.

  He was the king now. It was different from when he had been just a lawful-good lord. He was no longer overseeing a simple party of six people, but the entire human nation. He was no longer confronting gloomy dungeons, but the whole game board of the known world.

  I never had to think about any of this before, but I do now.

  His eyes went to the door to the hallway. Somewhere beyond it were the adventurers who had gone off with Sword Maiden and Female Merchant.

  He and she together would worry about the country, the capital, the world.

  So please, adventurers, take care of my sister.

  “…It’s been a while.” Noble Fencer flashed a reserved smile as they hurried out into the hallway.

  Having accepted the quest from the king, the party was rushing to get underway, begrudging even time for discussion. Goblin Slayer’s steps remained bold even as he moved along quickly, while Lizard Priest took long strides. High Elf Archer might be able to keep up, but Priestess and Dwarf Shaman had to work their legs just to stay close behind.

  “I’m glad…,” Priestess said, smiling as they went swiftly along. She had felt stiff ever since the incident the night before, but now she thought she could feel herself relaxing the tiniest bit. “I’m glad you seem to be doing well. What happened after last time…?”

  “…I’ve been like this ever since,” Noble Fencer replied, without a single unnecessary word.

  She was not dressed like the adventurer she had been once but was in a starched, proper outfit. Her hair, which she had cut off, had grown slightly, her eyes had a shimmer in them, and her cheeks a hint of rose.

  She looks fulfilled.

  The thought made Priestess’s eyes feel full, and she blinked quickly. “How did you know we were here…?” she asked.

  “…Who do you think it was who first put out the quest for my rescue?” The slightest hint of mischief appeared on Noble Fencer’s mostly expressionless face.