Goblin Slayer, Vol. 7

by Kumo Kagyu

  Copyright

  KUMO KAGYU

  Translation by Kevin Steinbach Cover art by Noboru Kannatuki

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  GOBLIN SLAYER vol. 7

  Copyright © 2018 Kumo Kagyu

  Illustrations copyright © 2018 Noboru Kannatuki

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2018 by SB Creative Corp.

  This English edition is published by arrangement with SB Creative Corp., Tokyo, in care of Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., Tokyo.

  English translation © 2019 by Yen Press, LLC

  Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Kagyū, Kumo, author. | Kannatuki, Noboru, illustrator.

  Title: Goblin slayer / Kumo Kagyu ; illustration by Noboru Kannatuki.

  Other titles: Goburin sureiyā. English

  Description: New York, NY : Yen On, 2016–

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016033529 | ISBN 9780316501590 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316553223 (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316553230 (v. 3 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316411882 (v. 4 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975326487 (v. 5 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975327842 (v. 6 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975330781 (v. 7 : pbk.)

  Subjects: LCSH: Goblins—Fiction. | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.

  Classification: LCC PL872.5.A367 G6313 2016 | DDC 895.63/6—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016033529

  ISBNs: 978-1-9753-3078-1 (paperback)

  978-1-9753-3079-8 (ebook)

  E3-20190417-JV-NF-ORI

  Love is destiny

  destiny is death

  Even a knight who serves a maiden

  will one day fall into death’s clutches

  Even the prince who befriends a Sky Drake

  must leave the woman he fancies behind

  The mercenary who loved a cleric

  will fall in battle pursuing his dream

  And the king who loved the shrine maiden

  controls all but the hour of their separation

  The end of life

  is not the last chapter of an heroic saga

  So the adventure called life

  will continue to the very end

  Friendship and love

  life and death

  From these things

  we cannot escape

  Therefore what have we

  to fear

  Love is destiny

  and our destiny is death

  “I guess it’s time to get married,” High Elf Archer said, as if it hardly mattered to her. Her long ears jumped as she spoke.

  The sunlight pouring through the window brought with it an oppressive afternoon heat.

  It was summer.

  This was not adventuring weather by anyone’s standards. If there wasn’t a pressing need to earn enough money to eat, nobody would have willingly gone out in the scorching heat.

  Being in the tavern, however, wasn’t much better. Several dozen people were still wearing their gear, something they felt compelled to do given their status as adventurers. The collective body heat was stifling, hot enough to give the sunlight a run for its money.

  The lingering humidity left drinks tepid; people took dainty sips to make them last. No one in their right mind had any interest in moving.

  That was when one adventurer came bursting in, sweat dripping down her forehead and a bag at her side.

  “Hello, everyone! Postal delivery!”

  This was not unusual. The delivery of urgent letters was a common form of employment for adventurers. From her place at the front desk, Guild Girl signaled several of the tavern’s occupants, who came rushing up.

  Each letter carried its own tidings.

  “Ugh! They’re foreclosing… Gimme a break already!”

  “That’s because you went into debt just to buy your equipment, idiot.”

  “Hah! My little sister had a kid! I’ll have to go see her after one more adventure.”

  “Whoa, take that back! You know saying a line like that is a sure way to die, right?”

  “Huh, a personal summons from the capital. Awesome. This is a good sign.”

  “So, another…date. A trip. It’s…been a while.”

  Demands for repayment, letters from home, urgent quests, and so on. Perhaps it was the heat that made everyone overlook High Elf Archer’s words in the midst of all this chatting and trading of information.

  A single piece of paper is sometimes called a leaf, but the letter High Elf Archer had received was literally written on an actual leaf. It was covered in a beautiful, flowing script in the elf language; High Elf Archer looked it over and then nodded to herself.

  “I guess it’s time to get married,” High Elf Archer said, as if it hardly mattered to her. Her long ears twitched as she spoke.

  “……”

  There was a moment of silence where all the occupants of the room looked at everyone else, trying to comprehend what they’d just heard.

  The chatter in the Adventurers Guild exploded with the force of a bomb.

  Dwarf Shaman spat out his wine; Lizard Priest stuck out his long tongue and hissed, “Oh-ho!”

  “Say again?” Guild Girl asked, while beside her, Inspector’s eyes were agleam.

  “Time for what?!” Female Knight demanded, rising to her feet. “Hey,” Heavy Warrior said, a look of resignation on his face as he pulled on her sleeve.

  Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric pretended to pay no attention, but it was obvious they were listening.

  “Wha— Wha—” Priestess kept repeating, her hand to her mouth and her face growing red—and her eyes sparkling.

  In all of this commotion, three words could be heard:

  “Is that so?”

  Goblin Slayer spoke with his usual indifference.

  “To whom?”

  “An older male cousin of mine,” High Elf Archer responded, still completely calm. She waved her hand and smiled. “Talk about a shock. I never would’ve imagined it’d be with someone as straitlaced as him!”

  “Hmm,” Goblin Slayer said, nodding. “So—”

  “Congratulations!” Priestess, her voice full of emotion and her face wreathed in a smile, leaned out toward High Elf Archer. She grasped the elf’s hands, speaking from the bottom of her heart. “Um, do elves have wedding ceremonies like we do? If it’s all right—”

  “Of course! And it’s for a member of the chieftain’s family, so this is gonna be a big one. By all means, come!”

  “Sheesh,” Dwarf Shaman said, shooting a sidelong glance at the
gabbing girls. He had finally managed to mop up the wine he’d spit out, wring out his beard, and pour himself a new cup. “And here I thought the twilight of the elves had come early, what with her being the chieftain’s daughter.”

  “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” Lizard Priest slapped his tail happily against the floor. “Thus have the elder ever thought of the younger.”

  “Bah! I’m sure I’m actually younger than she is.”

  So…was getting married at two thousand years old considered early or late for the elves?

  Ignoring the dwarf’s perplexed expression, Lizard Priest took a regretful bite of his cheese. “I suppose this means bidding farewell to our mistress ranger. Ah, a lonely day that shall be…”

  “? Why would you bid me farewell?”

  “Mm. Will you not become rather busy?”

  “There won’t be any kids coming along for at least another two or three hundred years.” Who gets pregnant during their first couple of decades? High Elf Archer looked a little pouty.

  “Gracious, elves do measure time on a grand scale, don’t they?” Lizard Priest muttered when he heard her speak of spans almost beyond his imagining.

  “Well, we’re practically immortal. What, aren’t lizardmen?”

  “Princes, in fact, are allowed only one egg, but for us the pattern is be born, multiply, live, kill, then die.”

  “The cycle’s important, isn’t it?” Spin, spin. High Elf Archer drew a circle in the air with a slender finger. In this respect, the elves and the lizards, who both abided strictly by nature, had something in common. One might love battle and the other not, and one might be immortal and the other mortal, but life and death came to them just the same.

  “Huh…” Priestess made a noise, apparently still a bit confused. Souls went up to heaven, where the gods resided, and where they received many comforts. Once in a while, such a soul might return to the board, but this was somewhat outside the cycle of nature.

  “But,” Priestess asked, tilting her head, “do elf husbands normally let their wives go all over and do dangerous things after they get married?”

  “Uh-uh! No way my cousin would permit that.” High Elf Archer laughed and waved her hand. “He was in love at first sight, I’m sure. Even though he’s so serious and hardheaded… Actually, maybe that’s exactly the reason.”

  “Er… Come again?” Priestess put a finger to her lip. “Hmm.” Something about this conversation wasn’t making sense.

  It feels a little…off. Like we’re talking past one another.

  “So,” Goblin Slayer said, coming back into the discussion so suddenly that High Elf Archer found herself blinking. “Who is getting married?”

  “Oh, my older sister.”

  “Coulda said that a li’l sooner, ya Anvil!” Dwarf Shaman gave her a scolding slap on the behind.

  “Wha?!” High Elf Archer went from flummoxed to angry, her ears pointing straight back. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

  “What’s this? First I’ve ever heard of an anvil that can’t stand being hit!”

  “You’re the worst!” By this point, she had completely abandoned anything resembling the dignity normally associated with a high elf. “This is why I hate dwarves! You… You beer barrel!”

  “I thought I told you—it’s called being full-bodied, and we appreciate it!”

  And they were off. Priestess was used to these sudden explosions of bickering by now. She held her mug in both hands, taking little sips of her lemon water, which was practically a tepid drink by now.

  “If we’re going to be guests…we’ll have to get her a gift or something.”

  “Is that so?” Goblin Slayer nodded. He crossed his arms and fell silent for a moment, then he grunted and finally, with some difficulty, said, “I think I—”

  “No,” Priestess said, although she was smiling. She was pointing one finger squarely at Goblin Slayer, who swallowed what he had been about to say. “We’ve been specially invited to a wonderful celebration. You can’t not go.”

  “That…” Goblin Slayer broke off for a moment. “…may be so, but—”

  “We can ask the receptionist to make sure other people take care of the goblin slaying.”

  “Hrk…”

  It was like having Protection, a miracle that had come to be something of her specialty. Her smile deflected any and every attack.

  Goblin Slayer made no further sound; Lizard Priest rolled his eyes in his head.

  It seems milady receptionist and the farm daughter have taught him well.

  “Heh-heh-heh. Well, perhaps I and master spell caster will come up with an appropriate gift.” He made a solemn and important-looking gesture then brought his palms together in a strange way. “But my dear cleric,” he added, “it seems you’ve become rather assertive!”

  “Of course I have!” Priestess puffed out her small chest so as to look as strong as she could. “I learned from Goblin Slayer, after all!”

  §

  Now, then.

  Members of the Guild staff are often enjoined to be calm and even at all times.

  After all, it’s the men and women of the Guild who are the first to provide information to those embarking on an adventure. When a quest giver comes to them with a crisis, they are the first face that person sees.

  It would be unseemly for a staff member to appear rushed or disinterested. Instead, their clothes must be without a wrinkle, their shirt or blouse starched, and their makeup just so.

  Bed head and yawning are, of course, totally unacceptable. The moment one becomes a civil servant, one takes on the responsibility of representing one’s country.

  “…But then again, when it’s hot, it’s hot.” Ah-ha-ha-ha.

  With a laugh, Guild Girl poured Goblin Slayer and the others cups of cold black tea. There were one, two, three, four glasses on the desk in her little part of the reception counter. High Elf Archer and Priestess had dragged Goblin Slayer over between them. Lastly, Guild Girl set a glass down in front of herself, putting a hand to her cheek and letting out a breath.

  “A wedding, though… How wonderful.”

  “Yeah, I’m thrilled,” High Elf Archer said, nodding with a serious, knowing look. “Thank goodness my sister wasn’t too old for marriage.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Hmm…” The archer counted on her fingers, shaking her head briefly. “About eight thousand or so, I guess.”

  Guild Girl, thinking that “or so” could probably represent another three zeros, smiled dryly. “Listening to elves makes you realize how silly it is to worry about your age.”

  Another sigh. She wouldn’t get anywhere rhetorically digging her own grave.

  Priestess offered several “Ahems” and “Ums.” The girl had only just turned sixteen and didn’t seem to know how to address the older woman, even though she herself was a cleric. If nothing else, Priestess didn’t think that Guild Girl’s appearance gave her any reason to be worried about how old she was.

  “But being as pretty as you are… Do you really need to be concerned about it?”

  “Hee-hee. Well, thank you very much.” Guild Girl smiled at the polite question Priestess finally came up with.

  High Elf Archer gave a jovial wave of her hand and drained her glass in a single swig. “That’s right. When it comes to age, you can’t compare a dragon to an elephant, or an elephant to a mouse. It just doesn’t work.”

  “Elephant.” Unexpectedly, Goblin Slayer’s helmet tilted in confusion. “What is that?”

  “…You don’t know about elephants?” High Elf Archer’s ears wiggled, pleased to have a chance to educate the warrior. She spread her arms wide as she described the mysterious creature. “It has legs like pillars, a tail like a rope, ears like fans, a body like a wall, tusks like spears, a back like a throne, and a nose like a vine. Plus, it’s huge.”

  “…A beast?”

  “Oh, and it’s colored gray.”

  “I don’t understand at a
ll,” Goblin Slayer said with a grunt then gulped down his tea.

  Guild Girl watched them happily then let out a bit of a chuckle. “Maybe I can show you the entry in the Monster Manual under Elephant some time. Now…” Her gaze moved around her desk, and she flipped through some papers. “You wanted me to assign those goblin quests, right?”

  “Uh-huh. We’d like to bring our friend Goblin Slayer along,” Priestess said calmly. Her smile, like a flower in bloom, never wavered.

  “Personally, I don’t particularly want to miss it.” Goblin Slayer set his empty glass down on the countertop with a clack. “I simply do not want to leave the goblins to their own devices.”

  “Yes, yes, obviously not,” Guild Girl said with a soft smile. He was as dispassionate and decisive as ever. Some people took him for a simple obsessive, while others saw him as trustworthy and reliable. Guild Girl, needless to say, was in the latter group.

  “From early spring into summer, the goblins are at their strongest. Perhaps it is because they are angry.”

  “Is there any season when the goblins aren’t scary?” High Elf Archer asked.

  “Hrm…” Goblin Slayer crossed his arms and grunted.

  Guild Girl listened to the two of them with some pleasure. “All the same,” she said quietly, “there isn’t that much goblin slaying in summer, is there?”

  “Is that true?” Priestess asked with evident surprise.

  “Yes,” Guild Girl said. At least, there aren’t that many quests. Then, rather than explain further, she shuffled through her papers for no particular reason. It would be rude to speak of such inauspicious things when someone had just received a wedding invitation.

  Summer: to goblins, the most salient thing about this season was that it was not autumn. The crops in the fields were still young, and of course, harvest was a long way off. No matter how much the goblins might want food, there was simply not much to gain from attacking villages. So instead, they shifted their focus to travelers, wandering shepherds, and itinerant healers during the hottest time of year.

  What did summer mean for goblins? Spring was all well and good, but in summer, the rains got heavier, and the accursed sunlight grew ever more intense. Living in a hole became quite unpleasant. Granted, one didn’t imagine goblins to be overly concerned about their living situation, but they were always angry about something. And more reasons to get angry naturally meant a greater incidence of violence.