Once again, sorry for the long wait, but now I feel ready to put out more for everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed so far~! This is, at the moment, one of my most favorited and followed crossover fics I've done~! (That even surpassed The Pink Devil of Zero, which I'll get around to as well... eventually...) So it wouldn't be right not to continue on with the adventure! Please enjoy~!
~Matt3265
Disclaimer: Both series, Goblin Slayer and How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, belong to their respective owners, and all "openings/endings" mentioned apply as well.
How Not to Summon a Goblin Slayer
Chapter 2: The Newcomers
The early morning had soon blessed the prosperous city of Faltra, with Goblin Slayer now residing in the bed of the room he rented out at the Piece of Mind Inn. He had already removed his armor and was currently only wearing gray boxers, with visible scars around his upper body. Those being remnants of all the battles he had faced against the tyrant creatures that were the goblins. With a small stir, the slayer slowly opened his eyes.
'So... it wasn't a dream.' He thought to himself. 'But still... it pains me knowing that people could be suffering at this very moment. Once Priestess and I find a way back, I'll kill those bastards for what they might have done while I wasn't around.' With his thoughts finished, Goblin Slayer sat up from his bed so he could start the day.
*PLUMP!
"Hmm?" Goblin Slayer felt something... odd. To him, it felt as if he was touching something soft... but small. Turning to his right, he saw his hand touching...
"Zzzzzz~." A sleeping Priestess... and he was touching her... breast?! Not only that, but she had been only wearing small, blue undergarments. How did this make Goblin Slayer feel?
"Oh, that's right," Goblin Slayer blankly said. "You asked to sleep next to me..., sorry." Goblin Slayer softly removed his hand, and brought himself up for a small stretch. "Right."
*A minute later...
Now fully equipped with his iconic armor, Goblin Slayer was ready for another day of adventuring! Well... the type that didn't involve goblins, but he needed to do something. He was about to go and wake up Priestess, until suddenly...!
"Goblin Slayer! Is everything ok?!"
"I didn't see you get back, so me and Shera came to check on you-."
Both of the young (one of them soon to be) adventurers had a face of pure shock as they eyed the girl on the bed, while the one in question sat up while rubbing her eyes.
"*yawn~, Goblin Slayer-san... who's making all that racke-... eh?" Priestess's face immediately sweat dropped when she saw the elf and the cat woman, then turned bright red when she looked down at herself.
What was Goblin Slayer's take on all this? "Oh, it's you two. I'm going to the dungeons. You coming?"
"S-Sure, but first...," Shera said before shakily pointing a finger at Priestess. "...w-who... umm... who's that girl in your... b-bed?"
"Priestess," Goblin Slayer blankly answered. "An adventurer, like me."
"I-I... see...," Rem said while her left eye twitched for a small moment. "But... w-why is she in your bed?"
"She wanted to sleep with me."
"G-G-Goblin Slayer-san~!" Priestess said with overwhelming embarrassment. "P-P-Please forgive him! He didn't mean it like that!"
"Like what?" Goblin Slayer asked, which made Priestess look down and blush even more! "Oh I see, ...like something a goblin would do?" That statement shocked Priestess to no end, and made both of the two other girls blush at remembering what he said about goblins. "I'd never stoop so low to those filthy creatures, ...but I did accidentally touch your breast. Sorry."
The moment he ushered that statement, all three girls in the room said the exact same thing at the same time, with a scream loud enough to be heard through the entire city:
"WHHHAAAT~!"
Thus... began a very troubling morning for Goblin Slayer and the others.
What adventures lie in store for them, and the dangers that come with them?
No matter the danger, Goblin Slayer will prevail!
With Priestess now at his side, he will take his first steps towards his new path for salvation...
...and no one will stand in his way!
~ TV Version – [ DeCIDE by SUMMONERS 2+]
"R-Rem-san... are you still m-mad about what happened... t-this morning?"
Priestess and the others were now walking along the streets of Faltra City, which was bustling with all types of diverse city folk. Some of which included dwarves, grass walkers, pantharians (cat people), and more elves.
"I never said I was angry, Priestess!" Rem angrily said with a shadow over her eyes. "I just preferred to stop talking about it."
"You're totally mad right now," Shera said before she smiled towards Priestess. "Besides, it wasn't your fault Priestess. Someone just couldn't keep their dirty thoughts to themselves."
"I only spoke the truth," Goblin Slayer said. "Is that wrong?"
"Of course it's wrong!" Shera angrily exclaimed. "You don't just tell someone that you touched them while they were asleep!"
"Right, sorry."
"W-Well, ...aside from that... I don't see many humans around," Priestess said while trying to change the subject. "Why is that?"
"Maybe cause' this is where demi-humans live," Rem stated.
"They don't really like each other that much~!" Shera happily stated.
"I see now...," Priestess said while putting a hand to her chin. 'I guess that's why those monks from last night acted the way they did..., but didn't that guy mention level with that salamander he conjured?' "U-Umm, just how exactly is strength measured?"
"Umm... yeah, that would be determined by your level of course!" Shera happily exclaims before looking off into the distance with a nervous smile. "Which sucks, ...cause' I don't know my level yet."
"As a level forty summoner, I can guarantee you're below my ranking," Rem stated before turning to Priestess. "What about the both of your levels?"
"O-Oh, umm... me and Goblin Slayer-san aren't determined by levels at the moment," Priestess answered. "Our strength was classified under these tags." She empathizes her point by showing them the necklace that had said tag on it.
"Is that made of obsidian?" Shera asked now curious.
"Why yes it is, and that is my current rank: Obsidian," Priestess stated before going into lecture mode. "You see, when I registered to be an adventurer, I was told that there were ten rankings that determined how strong you were. First, there is the lowest rank for beginners, Rank 10: Porcelain. From there is Obsidian, Steel, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and finally the highest being Rank 1: Platinum. Many few are that high in ranking, so the highest that I've usually seen more often are Rank 3: Silver."
"Hmm..., I honestly never have heard of anything like that, but it sounds like a good concept," Rem stated with slight interest.
"Your rank must be pretty low, huh?" Shera asked.
"Unfortunately, ...yes," Priestess stated with slight grief.
Shera then turned to Goblin Slayer. "What about you?"
"Silver," the slayer blankly stated.
"That's high!" Shera exclaimed in disbelief. "Guess you were a good summon after all~!"
"Anyways, ...since you two aren't ranked by our leveling system, they can assess you at the adventurers guild," Rem stated while Priestess thought in surprise that there was still an adventurers guild, even in this world. "When we get there, all you would need to do is just give them your information."
"Understood," Goblin Slayer blankly responded while Priestess nodded.
"Oh yeah~!" Shera exclaimed in sudden realization. "I've never registered as an adventurer, so that's why I don't have a level yet!" Shera then pumped her fist into the air with bright determination. "YES~! I gotta be at least a level fifty by now!"
"I guess that depends on how they're measuring," Rem stated while turning towards the elf in question. "It might be fifty below average."
"Grrgh~, why are you so rude!"
"Why are you so dumb!"
"I'm not!"
"Prove it-!"
"Girls...," Goblin Slayer said with slight anger that immediately caused them both to flinch in fear that he'd lash out at them. Shera might have been playing it safe, but Rem knew of what this man was capable of. She experienced it first hand, and that is the fact that you should NOT anger Goblin Slayer.
Rem coughed into her hands before explaining some more on the adventurers guild. "Moving on, once we're registered at the guild we'll all be able to accept quests together. I was also going to point out that you'd have to earn your lodging, but I guess you've already taken care of that. Right, Goblin Slayer?"
"Yes, I did," Goblin Slayer stated, and that was for already affording over a year of lodging with the huge bag of gold he'd given May back at the inn.
"Good..., and won't you look at that. We're already here."
Both Goblin Slayer and Priestess looked at the adventurers guild building with minimal surprise, considering it almost looked to be the same size as the one from their world. However, when they first walked in is when things started to become odd.
"You asshole, you licked it didn't you?!"
"Hell yeah I did, right after I licked your mom!"
"No one talks about my mom!"
*BAM! *BASH! *BANG!
Immediately, a fist fight broke out between dwarves much to their dismay. Priestess sweat dropped at the sight while Goblin Slayer looked with no care in the world.
"I-Is this... normal?" Priestess nervously asked before plugging up her nose from noticing how smelly it was inside.
"Happens all the time, and you get used to the smell," Rem stated. "Now come on, we register on the second floor."
"Understood," Goblin Slayer blankly responded while he and the others followed Rem up the stairs. While following behind, the slayer happened to notice a familiar hooded monk on his way up, but continued to follow as if he'd not noticed him at all.
Once they reached the second floor, Priestess looked surprised to see not only one... but three guild girls that looked almost identical if it weren't for their revealing outfits being different colors (Red, Yellow, and Blue). Not only that, they also had brown, fluffy dog ears and small dog tails. Blue Guild Girl soon passed out registration forms to her, Shera, and Goblin Slayer.
Shera was the first to begin filling out her form with the feather quill pen that was provided. "Name... I'm Shera L. Greenwood... place of birth..."
Priestess gawked in disbelief while trying to read the foreign language that was seen on her form. "U-Umm..., Shera-san? You wouldn't mind filling out my registration form, would you?"
"Mine too," said Goblin Slayer with his form held toward the elf in question.
"Can I really?!" Shera excitingly asked.
"Of course."
"Yay~! I guess that means I'm kinda like the master now~!" While Shera was happy on her end, Rem pouted in irritation.
*One "filling out paper work" session later...
With the three registration forms now filled out, thanks to Shera, it seemed like everything was just about done... right?
*CLANK!
However, the moment Blue Guild Girl placed down a dagger was when things were about to get serious. "A-Almost done guys..., except... we'll need your blood seal at the bottom..."
"W-What?!" Priestess exclaimed with widened eyes.
"It's just a little prick, you'll get used to it," Rem stated as if blood seals were normal.
"B-But, isn't that kind of extreme?"
"Yeah, I agree with you Priestess!" Shera exclaimed. "I don't like blood~!"
"It's alright you two," Goblin Slayer stated while removing his (left) metal glove and picking up the dagger with the other. He then made a small insertion into his finger, and it started to lightly bleed. "Right." Pushing his finger onto the bottom of his registration form, came out a finger printed blood seal. "Now, please give me the other sheets."
"B-But sir, they're supposed to-" Blue Guild Girl.
"Now," Goblin Slayer said with a more serious tone.
Blue Guild Girl whimpered in fear before handing over the forms. "H-H-Here...!"
"Thank you," Goblin Slayer blankly stated while putting on his finger printed seals on the given forms.
"Goblin Slayer-san... t-thank you," Priestess thanked with a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, thanks a bunch~!" Shera thanked as well.
Equipping his glove back to his hand, he turned towards the two. "You're welcome."
"O-Ok then... now it's time to determine your levels!" Blue Guild Girl stated while regaining her composure and pointing at a fancy looking mirror.
...
"What's that thing supposed to be?" Shera asked with everyone now standing in front of the mirror.
"It's a mirror that measures the strength of your power," Rem stated.
"But there's no reflection." The mirror itself, as Shera stated, showed no sign of a reflection, so it was anyone's guess as to how it could tell how strong someone was.
"Please touch the glass and imagine that you're filling it with magic," Blue Guild Girl instructed.
Shera was the first one up. "O-Ok... like this?" Focusing all her will, Shera begin to see the mirror show a good fraction of her reflection!
"Wow, that's incredible! You did it!" Blue Guild Girl happily congratulated with Shera happily smiling in victory and Rem heavily sighing. "Very good! It's clear enough to count every pore and eyelash, and it goes down to your chest. So that would mean your current level is..."
"It's high, I can feel it~!" Shera exclaimed with anticipation.
The elf, unfortunately, spoke too soon... "A solid thirty!"
"SHUT - UP!" Shera gawked before lowering her head in defeat. "That means Rem won~!"
"It means you got a much needed reality check if you thought you were better than me," Rem stated.
"Hmph~! That's fine, just enjoy it while you can Rem! Someday, I'll be the one who's higher in level and then we'll see who's laughing!"
"In your dreams boobs for brains."
"*GASP~! Why you little-!"
"G-Guys, please calm down... o-or else..." Priestess nervously said before eyeing a certain slayer.
"O-Oh, r-r-right!" Said the both of them who just narrowly avoided pushing Goblin Slayer's buttons.
Priestess sighed in relief once more before walking toward the magic mirror. "Guess it's my turn now..." Placing her left palm onto the mirror, her reflection soon began to show... but this time showed a smaller fraction then what she saw before.
"Very good, ma'm!" Blue Guild Girl exclaimed before studying the reflection. "Your reflection looks to be clearly visible to right below your neck, so I'd say... a solid twenty!"
"No real shock there," Priestess said with a nervous smile.
"No way!" Shera exclaimed in surprise. "I can't believe you're a lower level then me~!"
"Alright you doofus, no need to rub into her face," Rem said.
"Like you're one to talk!"
"Excuse me, but you're the one who proclaimed that you'd be a higher level and look where that got you."
Shera pouted before looking at the next person that was about to be determined: Goblin Slayer.
"Alright sir, just follow the instructions I gave you and you'll be fine!" Blue Guild Girl stated with a smile.
"Question," Goblin Slayer blankly said.
"What your question sir?"
"How am I supposed to do this if I can't use magic?"
The dog girl blinked for small moment before answering. "Even if you're not able to use magic, all you have to do is just imagine it. If you just do that, the mirror will do the rest in determining your level!"
"Understood." With his right hand, Goblin Slayer proceeded to push his palm against the mirror-
*SHATTER~!
"AHHHH~!" Screeched all of the girls present in the room after the magic level determining mirror just... shattered?! Fortunately, no one was covered in broken glass as all the shards were laid in front of Goblin Slayer.
"S-Scary~!" Both Shera and Rem exclaimed with the latter hugging the former.
"W-What in holy mothers' name just happened, Goblin Slayer-san?!" asked Priestess who was more in shock than in fear.
Before Goblin Slayer could give her an answer, rushing footsteps were heard before someone came in from the other room.
"What the hell just happen- eh?!" Exclaimed a small, pink-haired woman with rabbit ears and an even more revealing outfit. She, however, stopped mid-sentence the moment she laid eyes on the now broken mirror.
"G-Guild Master, I-I-I... um... h-he... ah~!" Exclaimed Blue Guild Girl who tried her hardest to come up with a valid explanation for what had just transpired.
"You don't need to tell me anything," Pink Guild Master stated with a serious tone. "The only one I want to hear anything from is the one who broke the damn mirror!"
"That would be me," Goblin Slayer blankly admitted.
She looked at the armored fellow in brief disbelief before angrily making her way towards him. "Listen here buddy! Do you know how much of ours guilds' funds it'll take to get that replaced?!" The moment she was right in front of him, she crossed her arms and looked right up to his face. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"W-Wait just a moment, ma'm!" Priestess exclaimed while standing by the slayers' side. "It's not his fault!"
"Oh, and just who're you?" Pink Guild Master asked.
"I'm Priestess, and I'm a level twenty adventurer," Priestess responded in a calm tone.
"And who's the troublesome tin can here?!" She asked while pointing at the slayer in question.
"He's Goblin Slayer, and like I already said, he's not at fault for breaking your mirror."
The guild master eyed the both of them in suspicion before turning towards the other two girls. "You two with them?"
"Yes!" Shera and Rem nervously exclaimed with a mock salute.
After a few seconds of calming her mind down, Pink Guild Master heavily sighed. "Sorry about getting so worked up over this. I'm Sylvie, the guild master of this fine establishment, and I'd be very grateful if I could talk to each of you. Especially you... Mr. ...?"
"Goblin Slayer," the man in question answered.
"Just Goblin Slayer, huh?" Sylvie said with a hand to her chin. "Don't know what that name implies, but that's the least of my problems at the moment. My office is in here, so come on in."
While everyone else followed into the room, Priestess stopped and silently prayed:
'O merciful earth mother, I pray that we won't be put into jail for this...'
"Ah, so that's what happened."
With everyone present and accounted for, Priestess immediately explained the whole incident that had transpired with the mirror. Sylvie, however, felt intrigued at the aspect that it broke from just a single touch.
"I mean, I'm still not happy with the mirror being broken, ...but it's the first time I've ever heard of it reacting that way before. Knowing that could be problematic."
"What do you mean by problematic?" Rem asked.
The guild master eyed Goblin Slayers' registration before continuing. "Well, the only thing I can conclude from this test is that someone is of a very high level, but I have no clue just how high." She then threw the form off to the side before smiling. "What am I supposed to do with that, y'know?! But for now, let's just say you did register. How am I supposed to assign you quests that make sense without knowing your level?"
"I-If I might interject," Priestess said with a raised hand.
"What, you know something?" Sylvie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, let me explain." Priestess lightly coughed into her hand before continuing. "See, me and Goblin Slayer were already registered as adventurers before coming here."
"Wait, you're adventurers from a different guild?" She asked with slight surprise.
"Y-Yes, a guild from a city that's... far from this one, and one that determined our levels with these," Priestess stated while showing her the obsidian dog tag. "See, my rank is Obsidian which is second to the lowest one. From the mirror, I found that my level was twenty which aligns itself to the rank I have. Our guild had ten ranks, so if you were to sum it up, it'd be like this: level one to ten being the lowest, eleven to twenty being the range of what my rank is, and so on."
It took a moment for the guild master to think it through, but once it did she put a hand to her fist. "Ah, I get it! Hey, mind telling me the other ranks while I take a second to write this down?!"
"U-Umm, sure!" Priestess exclaimed with a small sweat drop.
Going to her desk, Sylvie brought out a feather pen and a blank form, then quickly wrote down a rough sketch of the conversion of rank to levels while Priestess called out the rank names.
"How's this?!" Sylvie asked while presenting Priestess with the form after about a minute of writing.
Rank 1 [ Platinum ]: Level 91-100
Rank 2 [ Gold ]: Level 81-90
Rank 3 [ Silver ]: Level 71-80
Rank 4 [ Bronze ]: Level 61-70
Rank 5 [ Ruby ]: Level 51-60
Rank 6 [ Emerald ]: Level 41-50
Rank 7 [ Sapphire ]: Level 31-40
Rank 8 [ Steel ]: Level 21-30
Rank 9 [ Obsidian ]: Level 11-20
Rank 10 [ Porcelain ]: Level 1-10
"Hmm, that seems pretty accurate," Rem said before putting a hand to her chin. "That must mean I'm Sapphire."
"Darn it~!" Shera exclaimed with disappointment once more. "I'm a rank just under Rem, which is still unfair!"
"Well besides that...," The guild mater said before looking towards Goblin Slayer. "Now that I can distinguish ranks to levels, what is your current rank, Goblin Slayer?"
"Silver," he blankly replied.
"Silver?!" The guild master stated with widened eyes. "That would mean you're at best a level eighty!"
"Indeed it seems. Can't I accept quests now?"
"W-Well, knowing that you're of a very high level, technically... I can't."
"Why not?"
"Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm all up for registering strong members, but let's face it... you're stronger than me! It wouldn't make much sense for me to give you orders when you're the better adventurer out of the both of us. C'mon, you can't honestly say that you're content with that, right?"
"Doesn't matter to me as long as I get to go out to the dungeons."
"Dungeons?" Sylvie blinked for a small moment before promptly laughing. "Hahaha~, well I guess when you put it like that then I guess it's ok! Welcome aboard Goblin Slayer!"
"Thank you," he said while shaking her hand.
"Of course, happy to have you," she said with a bright smile before angrily frowning. "But don't think you're off the hook on that broken mirror just yet, because I'll be cutting your parties' quest reward money by half!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Shera exclaimed in anger.
"Why the hell are you doing that?!" Rem asked also angry about the cut of their rewards.
"So that the other half can go into funding a new mirror for the guild, you numbskulls!" Sylvie answered. "Now if you'd excuse me, I'll look for a quest that'll fit your parties' skillset."
While the guild master began fiddling through her desk for quests, Shera ruffled through her hair in irritation. "Why does everything have to suck today?!"
"S-Shera, please calm down," Priestess said while putting a hand on the elves' shoulder. "The least we can do is help put money into a new mirror for her."
"Yup," Rem replied having calmed down. "It could've been much worse."
Shera pouted before sighing in defeat. "Yeah, you're right."
"Alright, here we go!" The guild master said after having brought out all the quest sheets. "Let's see..." In less than a minute, Sylvie had looked through almost all of the small stack of sheets with quests, but had no luck. "Y'see what I mean? There just aren't gonna be enough quests that fit with your skill level here." She was just about to give up before looking at the last one in slight surprise. "Ah, here's one I haven't seen before... but..."
"But what?" Rem asked. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yeah, that's the point." Sylvie eyed the quest sheet in slight suspicion before presenting it with a smile. "This one's kinda tricky. Think you're up for it?"
Goblin Slayer looked at the only picture on the sheet which appeared to be a giant snake with large fangs, but showed no care for what the quest entailed. He just needed to slay something, even if goblins weren't on the menu. Looking up toward the guild master, he had only one, blank response:
"Sure."
"H-Hey Rem? Can you please read off what this quest is?
All four of Goblin Slayer's party were now traveling through the grass fields once more in search of the location of where the quest monster was. However, since neither the slayer nor Priestess could understand the language it shown, Rem had to read it out for them.
"Let's see...," Rem said while reading the quest sheet that was in her grasp. "Interesting... it's a quest to defeat a Madara Snake in the Man Eating Woods. Says they need the eyeballs of the snake for their experiments."
"What... e-experiments?" Priestess nervously asked.
"Don't know," Rem answered with a shrug. "But it says here that our client is the Mages Association."
Priestess blinked in confusion. "The Mages Association? Doesn't it sound kind of strange that they'd be putting out quests for adventurers?"
"True... but maybe it's because the quest reward is a lot higher, considering it's from them," Rem concluded.
"T-That... sort of makes sense I guess," Priestess said, but with uncertainty.
"Hold up, did you say the Man Eating Woods?!" Shera nervously asked. "Isn't that the place that's filled with ridiculously strong monsters?"
"Yeah," Rem replied before continuing. "Normally, we wouldn't be considered to take on a quest this dangerous, but if someone requested it, then I guess it's our job to take care of it."
"Agreed," Goblin Slayer blankly stated.
"E-Excuse me, but...," Priestess nervously began. "...did you two remember to have health potions with you for this quest?"
"Nope," Rem immediately replied.
"What?!" Priestess exclaimed in slight fear.
"We'd totally love to have health potions if we could afford them...," Shera stated with a slight sweat drop. "...but at the moment we're broke, so until we get this quest done we're both runnin' on empty pockets."
"That's funny coming from the fat elf that spent most of it on food," Rem stated with a sly grin.
"That is so mean, I'm not fat!" Shera yelled.
"You are though," Rem stated once more.
"I'm not!"
"You are."
Shera pouted before putting on a sly grin as well. "Oh I see the problem! You're just jealous of them."
"No, I'm not," Rem countered with a small blush. "T-Those things would get in the way."
"You totally are, don't lie!" Shera happily exclaimed before getting an idea. "Hey, Priestess! Are you jealous of them?"
"Yes, I am," Priestess calmly stated with closed eyes.
"W-What the heck girl!" Rem exclaimed in shock. "Did you seriously just admit to her that you're jealous?!"
"Yes, I did."
"How?! Aren't you ashamed of having a flat chest too?!"
Priestess slowly opened her eyes (that looked like a dead fish) and smiled before answering with one last comment:
"You get used to it."
*Five hours of hiking later...
"W-Why did no one tell me that this was going to take five hours?"
With everyone now in the depths of the Man Eating Woods, Priestess silently asked herself that question while feeling exhausted. Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer and Rem were scanning the area while Shera was currently knelt down and observing a small black lake.
"Okay, so where're we supposed to find this Madara Snake?" Shera asked.
"They're over twenty meters long and typically lurk in the swamps," Rem informed. "Other pass-times include attacking any prey that may squat within their reach."
"EH~?!" Shera exclaimed in fear, quickly stepping away from the lake before pouting at the cat girl. "You should've said that sooner!"
"It's not my fault that your little brain didn't realize that sooner," Rem stated while turning away.
Shera pouted in irritation before she blinked in realization of her surroundings. "So is anyone else supposed to be helping with this, or is it just us four?"
"I-I don't think there should be, because our party was the one who accepted this quest," Priestess stated while having finally caught her breath.
"I know that... but...," Shera said before putting a finger to her chin. "Umm... well... I'm wondering right now if more people go in and out of these woods than I thought."
"Not unless they feel like ending their lives early," Rem said before taking on a serious expression. "What, did you see someone?"
"N-No, but I can sense them," Shera stated before pointing up towards the tree line. "Over that way."
"H-Huh!" Priestess fearfully exclaimed while clenching her magic rod.
"Goblin Slayer, is she making this up?!" Rem asked.
"No, she isn't," Goblin Slayer stated with a slightly more serious tone. "There's a group of ten waiting in the tree line."
"Y-You can sense them too?" Shera asked with slight surprise.
"Yes," Goblin Slayer responded.
"I see," Shera said before eyeing the tree line. "It kinda looks like they're waiting for something."
Rem heavily sighed. "Have you always been this dumb or is this something new. Asking for a friend."
"What friend?!" Shera angrily asked.
"Shera!" Goblin Slayer yelled.
"E-Eh, w-w-w-what!" Shera asked with slight fear.
"Lend me your bow for a moment," he requested with an opened hand.
"Huh, why do you need her bow?!" Priestess asked.
"Because we were tricked," Goblin Slayer stated. "We're trapped and are about to get ambushed."
"WHAT?!" Both Shera and Priestess exclaimed with widened eyes.
"Bow. Now."
Shera gulped before holding out her prized weapon. "H-Here."
"Thank you," Goblin Slayer stated before looking towards Priestess, bow in-hand. "It's time for that."
Priestess blinked for a small moment before her eyes widened in realization. "Y-You mean-!"
"Yeah... that." It was time to burn out these goblins.
Priestess sighed before putting on a confident smile. "Understood!
*Two minutes later...
Much to Rem and Shera's surprise, both of the other worldly adventurers had finished setting up their plan of action which consisted the use of Shera's arrows with flame tips!
The way they did this was that Goblin Slayer had first covered the tips in a rare substance that was known as gasoline. It was then that Priestess ignited the tips using a piece of flint and steel.
"Wow, so cool~!" Shera exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes.
"Shera, can you tell me where they are?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"Uh...umm," Shera muttered before pointing in several locations among the tree line. "Up there, there, and there."
"Right. Ready Priestess?"
"Yes!" Priestess exclaimed while standing by her station in which her job was to pass him the arrows.
With the ready-go signaled, Goblin Slayer pulled his first arrow back and fired.
*FWOOSH!
Once the arrow hit its' mark on the front part of the tree line, Priestess held the next one. "Here!"
The slayer swiftly retrieved the arrow, pulled back, and fired another shot towards the far left.
*FWOOSH!
The process continued as he then fired towards the far right.
*FWOOSH!
The close left...
*FWOOSH!
...the close right...
*FWOOSH!
...and finally a last arrow straight forward once more.
The Man Eating Woods now had part's of its' tree line lit up in flames!
"Wow, that gasoline is some pretty potent stuff," Shera stated with widened eyes.
"I didn't realize your tactics were that hardcore," Rem stated as well.
"W-Well, this is one of the tactics we used when we were dealing with a goblin nest," Priestess stated while Goblin Slayer returned the bow to its rightful owner.
However, small yelps were heard while figures began falling out from the tree line. Shera looked a bit more closely before coming to a sudden realization. "Wait, they're elves?!"
"Elves, huh?" Goblin Slayer blankly stated.
Indeed, the group of elves were all equipped with bows and arrows of their own. Sound familiar?
"That was a clever tactic," the elf in front stated with a slight sweat drop.
"Celsior, what're you doing here?!" Shera asked.
"Shera, I have traveled here to rescue you! You'll be free soon!" Celsior exclaimed before aiming an arrow towards Goblin Slayer!
"R-Rescue?!" Priestess stated in disbelief.
"You armored fiend! I demand that you release the Noble Princess of Greenwood! If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to take her by force!"
"P-Princess?!" Priestess stated in even more disbelief before lightly coughing into her hand. "B-Besides that, why would you submit a quest under the Mages Associations' name?"
"Silence!" Celsior yelled. "This man tricked you to become his slave, did he not?!"
"S-S-S-Slave?!" Priestess exclaimed while her face had furiously blushed.
"No way would he do something like that, not in a million years!" Rem exclaimed in irritation.
"She's right!" Shera exclaimed. "Look Celsior, I'm not going back no matter what you say!"
"Everyone in the royal family is worried about you!" The elf stated. "Even everyone in the royal kingdom is-!"
"I don't care about the royal family!" Shera angrily exclaimed. "And it's not everyone, it's him. What he wants isn't me but an heir! He'll never be happy until I have his baby!"
"It's quite an honor-!"
"It will never be an honor to be forced into marrying someone that I don't love and then give up on everything that I want in life! I refuse! I'm never going back there! I'm my own person and no one will take that from me!"
"But you're enslaved right now aren't you-?!"
"Don't say that! I will never be anyones' slave! The only one I serve is me!"
Celsior lowered his bow a small bit before lightly sighing. "This just got too complicated. Y'know you don't have the skills to survive without us, right? For your own good, we will bring you back even if it's against your will."
Shera frowned upon hearing this, but soon felt surprised when Rem and Priestess stood by her side.
"Quite the nice speech you made," Rem said while holding a summon crystal. "I'd never thought to see something like that come out of you. Leaving your country to live on your own, that takes some strength. I have to admit, I like that about you."
"Rem...," Shera muttered before Priestess spoke.
"I agree with Rem," Priestess stated with a smile. "Making that kind of choice for your kingdom must've took a lot of courage. Honestly, I'd be too scared if I was in your shoes back then. But, if there's one thing that gives me courage, well... I'd be Goblin Slayer-san!"
Shera looked with widened eyes at the slayer before smiling in determination. "Y-You guys..., thank you!"
"If you're all done with the small talk, we'll be taking our princess back now," Celsior ordered with him and the others' bows raised, ready to fire.
"Ready Priestess?" Goblin Slayer asked, battle ready.
"Of course!" Priestess exclaimed before beginning her chant.
"You have till the count of five, or we'll open fire!" Celsior yelled. "Five!"
"O merciful Earth Mother..."
"Four!"
"...please protect us,..."
"Three!"
"...the weak,..."
"Two!"
"...with the powers of the earth."
"One!"
"Protection~!"
"FIRE~!"
*FWOOSH~! *FWOOSH~!*FWOOSH~! *FWOOSH~!*FWOOSH~! *FWOOSH~!
It was then that the arrows that were shot out had aimlessly bounced off of Priestess's barrier, which caused Celsior and his elven force to gasp in shock.
"L-Listen, we don't want to fight you!" Priestess pleaded. "Can't you see it in your heart to let her live a normal life?!"
"We'd never be content with that!" Celsior muttered before bringing out a fancy looking arrow.
"A Tempest Arrow?!" Shera exclaimed in fear.
"W-What?" Priestess looked a bit startled when she saw the fearful look of Shera's face.
"Never thought I'd have to use one of these, but now I see for what you truly are!" Celsior exclaimed while pulling the arrow back. Soon enough, the inside of the tip lit up and begun to roar to life with fierce winds blowing around it! "A monster!"
"M-M-Monster?" Priestess muttered in a mix of shock and confusion.
"Say your prayers, you vile fiend! These arrows are treasures given to us by his highness, and their blades can pierce anything! Not only your vile flesh, but that barrier as well!"
"This is really bad!" Shera exclaimed in fear before reaching out to Priestess. "Priestess, you have to run-!"
"SHOOT HER~!"
*FWOOSH!
Once the arrow came into contact, Priestess's barrier was bombarded by fierce wind magic. Soon, it started to show signs of breaking, and immediately startled her.
"Again!" Goblin Slayer yelled.
"R-Right!" Priestess said while beginning to chant the spell a second time.
"O merciful Earth Mother..., please protect us, the weak, with the powers of the-!"
*CRACK~!
"...huh?"
*SHINK~!
"NO, PRIESTESS~!"
"Hey, Goblin Slayer-san? Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah."
"W-Well, it's kind of about what happened earlier with that salamander. Don't you think it was strange how it's flames did little to no damage on my miracle?"
"True. Back then, you struggled against that ogres' fireball, correct?"
"Y-Yes, you're right about that... it was a tough battle."
"Maybe your spell's improved?"
"That could be a possibility, but I've never heard of a spell being improved before."
"How so?"
"Well, there's a miracle called Divine Protection, which is an upgrade from the normal one, but I've yet to learn that one."
"I see."
"Hmm... come to think of it... what if this world has a different god from the one we have back home?"
"How different?"
"W-Well... maybe the one here has a stronger influence on the miracles I use?"
"Sounds good enough."
"*Sigh, maybe it's best if we leave it as this and rest up for now."
"Agreed."
.
.
.
"H-Hey, Goblin Slayer-san?"
"Yes."
"...I-Is it alright if... I-I-I sleep... w-with you?"
"Sure."
"A-Ah! T-T-Thank you so much, G-Goblin Slayer-san!"
"It's no trouble."
.
.
.
"W-Well... I guess this is good night, Goblin Slayer-san."
"Yeah, good night."
"Y-Y-You... t-too...
.
.
.
'My heart... why do you make me feel this way...?'
*SHINK~!
Priestess screamed in agony the moment the arrow had pierced deep into her shoulder, to which she then fell onto her back with blood trickling out of the wound. The barrier slowly faded while having an open hole from which the arrow penetrated through.
"N-N-N-No... t-this is all my fault...," Shera muttered with tear forming in her eyes. "I never meant for you to get hurt... I-I... t-this... w-wasn't supposed to happen!"
"YOU BASTARD!" Rem yelled in anger towards the culprit before pulling out a dagger. "You're calling her a monster, ...no... you're the monster!"
"It doesn't matter what you refer to me as!" Celsior said. "I'm not leaving this place without the princess, and I'll take any measures necessary... even if it means killing whoever stands in my way!"
"You moron," Goblin Slayer stated with anger present in his voice, and his blood red eye gleaming to life. "You're no different from a goblin."
"I don't know what you mean by goblin, but I assure you I'm not an idiot. Me and my men will use any force necessary to bring our princess back home!" He and the others readied they're normal arrows for another barrage, and the target this time being the slayer! "So if you want to live, hand over the princess at once!"
Goblin Slayer soon turned towards the girls and pointed to behind a tree. "Go! Now!"
Shera and Rem looked at each other for a brief moment before nodding. "Right!" The both of them then went over, held up Priestess, and carefully ran to the back of the tree for safety.
"Is that your choice, fiend?" Celsior asked with a small sweat drop sliding down from his cheek.
"Yeah," the slayer responded before slowly walking towards the group, his eye continuing to gleam in pure hatred.
"Then so be it, ...FIRE!"
In swift motion, Goblin Slayer circulated from slashing and blocking away arrows with his sword and shield, but...
*CLANK!
...a single arrow had passed through his defenses and lodged itself into his left leg. Quickly removing the arrow from his leg, which was not bleeding due to his armor, the slayer ran at full speed toward the soldiers!
"A-Again!" Celsior ordered. "Get ready to-!"
*BAM!
"GAH~! My face, … y-you punched my face!" Indeed he did, with the elf now having a bleeding nose.
"How dare you hurt the captain~!" One of the nine elven soldiers exclaimed before taking out a small dagger and then charging right at him!
*SLASH!
But soon, the others looked in shock at the sight of a now decapitated soldier, blood gushing out like a fountain, before the body dropped to the dirt below!
"Two," Goblin Slayer said, adding to his kill count.
"Y-You monster...," Celsior muttered with widened eyes. "N-No... y-y-you're not just a monster... … y-you're a demon~!"
"A demon?" Goblin Slayer blankly questioned before shaking his head . "No, I'm Goblin Slayer. I'm only here to slay goblins, and from your actions today, ...all of you are goblins to me."
Celsior stepped back a small bit before raising his hand. "Everyone, stand down!" His soldiers looked at him with confusion before one last look at the slayer caused them to do as they were told. "T-This isn't over you demon! We'll be sure to let our highness know of your crimes!" With two of his soldiers retrieving the body, the whole group fled into the forrest, and were soon out of sight.
Goblin Slayer would've turned to leave, but stopped at the sound of someone appearing from a bush who just happened to be...
"What's going on?!" Galeck exclaimed while looking in the direction Celsior went. "They were supposed to be elite elven troops, not a bunch of cowards!"
"It's you," Goblin Slayer stated with slight anger. "Are you responsible for this?"
"Uh, n-no! What're you talking about? All I said was that I saw the elven princess hangin around here the other night."
"Why did they assume that me and the Priestess were monsters?"
"D-Dude, I can't help how elves think! Everyone knows that-!"
"Enough of your rambling, Galeck," Rem interrupted just now having appeared. "What do you think would happen if Celes were to get word of what transpired here? What would she do if she knew that you trapped us here in her name, as well as in the name of the Mages Association?"
Geleck nervously stuttered in place while trying to come up with an excuse. "N-No but... she... I-I... elves? It wasn't me, I swear I didn't do anything!" Galeck, as fast as he came, soon fled out of sight in fear.
"How's Priestess?" Goblin Slayer blankly asked while his eye went back to normal.
"A-Ah, right," Rem realized before she had begun to lead the way. "Over here."
Goblin Slayer followed, and not before long he saw Shera applying pressure to Priestess's wound while the arrow was still lodged in her flesh, and who was also lain unconscious with her back against the tree.
"Goblin Slayer!" Shera exclaimed with her eyes still continuing to shed tears of pure sadness. "S-She's still bleeding, and I can't stop it!"
"Move," Goblin Slayer ordered.
"B-B-B-But-!"
"Move," he said with more power to his voice, causing Shera to sheepishly step to the side. "Thank you." Gripping the arrow tightly, Goblin Slayer yanked the arrow from its' place.
"Gah!" Priestess voiced out in pain, having awoken from having an arrow removed from her shoulder. "...G-G-Go... blin... S-S-Slayer...-san?"
"Here, drink this," Goblin Slayer blankly said while presenting her a small bottle of liquid.
Priestess looked and slowly nodded, knowing full well what it was. "T-Thanks..." She soon chugged the entire bottle before coughing at its' taste. "S-S-Still... k-kinda bitter...,"
"W-Was that a healing potion?" Rem asked.
"K-Kind of...," Priestess spoke. "B-But... it only eases the pain..."
"Are you gonna be alright?!" Shera asked with desperation and fear present in her voice.
"Y-Yes... I-I-I'll be... Guh!" Priestess, with closed eyes, immediately grabbed her shoulder when a small bit of pain seethed through her mind. "...f-fine... s-s-s-so don't ...w-worry."
"It's about time we left," Goblin Slayer stated while propping Priestess to her feet, and while also using his shoulder for support. "Let's go."
Shera looked down before replying:
"Ok then..."
It was a long journey back, but once they did, night soon fell upon them. Rem had told them to go to the inn while she'd went to find Celes and tell her everything that happened, so she stayed behind.
The moment Goblin Slayer and the other two girls returned to the inn, May instantly took Priestess in to the medical bay that was present at the inn for anyone who was injured during quests. She had told Goblin Slayer and his party that there'd be an expert healer who would arrive in the morning to help with her wound. With rest recommended for now, the two of them had went to their separate rooms for the night.
Now the present time, Goblin Slayer had soon removed his armor for the day, and laid in bed in nothing but a gray long sleeve shirt and gray boxers. He'd soon would've fallen asleep if it weren't for the light knocking that was coming from his door.
"Who's there?" The slayer blankly asked.
"I-It's me," Shera answered. "C-C-Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
Without a word, Shera silently entered his room and shut the door behind herself, but then looked surprised when she saw the slayer. 'O-Oh, so that's what you look like without that armor of yours.' The elf soon took a seat on the side of his bed before looking away. "S-So... Rem's out pretty late..., a-and Priestess won't be better until tomorrow..."
"Yeah."
.
.
.
Two minutes of silence passes before Shera grips at her shirt while changing the subject. "A-Ah yeah, I almost forgot! Your tactic of using self-made flame arrows was so cool~! Usually, a Molten Arrow is really expensive and hard to come by, but you made a make shift one with that gasoline stuff you used. I've never seen anything like it before!"
"Yeah."
Shera takes on an annoyed look and turns to him. "Could you stop saying yeah every time I tell you something?!"
"Sorry," he blankly stated before sitting up. "Was there anything important you wanted to talk to me about?"
Shera turned away once more before sadly looking down. "W-Well, i-it's... it's about Priestess. I... wanted to apologized for what happened to her."
"What for?"
"B-Because... she wouldn't have gotten hurt if I'd just went back! I-I... I don't want any of my friends getting hurt because of me!"
"You shouldn't let that bother you," Goblin Slayer said while putting a hand on the elves' shoulder. "Adventurers can get hurt in quests and dungeons, or even die if they're not careful. That's the reality of being an adventurer."
"B-But I don't like that!" Shera exclaimed while tears started appear on her face. "The whole reason that I wanted to become an adventurer was so that I could have a better life, and make new friends... like you, Rem, and Priestess..., but I just can't stand the thought of any of you dying because of me~!"
The elf cried in silence after her last sentence before Goblin Slayer spoke up with a more serious tone. "You're not the only one."
"H-Huh?" Shera blinked in confusion before she saw him taking off his shirt, which caused her to furiously blush. "E-Eh, ...w-wait a minute! What on earth are you doing?!"
"Look."
Shera blinked a bit more before noticing something really shocking. "A-Are those... scars?"
"Yes," Goblin Slayer answered. "These are the scars that represent how long I've been going at it as an adventurer, as well as my fight against the goblins."
"Goblins huh? I know what you said about them earlier, but isn't there more to them than just that?"
"In general, they're pretty weak, but they're not idiots," he informed. "They're able to adapt and learn from their predecessors, making them much more dangerous."
Shera put a hand to her chin. "I see... but why only goblins? Aren't there plenty of other monsters that are much more dangerous to deal with?"
Goblin Slayer looked at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds before speaking. "You sure you want to know?"
Shera looked down for a moment before nodding. "Yes, ...I do."
"Ok, then first things first." Goblin Slayer turned back towards the elf before he continued. "Think about how it would feel if your home was suddenly attacked by monsters..."
"Y-You mean like my kingdom back home?"
"Yes, if your home was suddenly attacked by monsters one day, and they acted as if they owned the place and kill your friends, ...kill your family, … and plunder the rest of your home."
Shera's eyes widened before answering. "W-Well... I-I'd feel really sad."
"Good," Goblin Slayer said before continuing. "Another example would be if your eldest sister was attacked-"
"Brother. Well... I had an eldest brother, but he... y'know..."
"I see. Well, in my case, another example would be if your oldest sister was attacked, tormented, made a plaything, then killed..."
"T-That's horrible to hear..."
Goblin Slayer nodded before continuing. "Let's say that you witnessed all this, from start to finish, in hiding as you held your breath..."
The elf gasped in horror at hearing what he's been through while he continued. "There's no way you'd forgive them..., you'd take up weapons and do whatever you could to get revenge."
His hands soon formed fists and started shaking. "You would hunt them all down and attack them. You'd kill, kill, and kill even more."
He looked towards the ceiling. "Of course, there'll be days in which you're either successful or unsuccessful. You'll try to figure out the best way to kill them next time. You'll think about this for days and months. You'll test every single idea you come up with."
The man lightly laughed. "As you continue to do that, you start to enjoy it. A kind moron would suggest that you let the children live, with a smug face, not realizing that these things will attack villages and steal livestock to survive."
The slayer looked back towards Shera who currently has her head down, disgusted with everything she's been hearing. "Young, aspiring adventurers as well as new, porcelain-ranked adventurers will confidently say, 'I chased away a goblin that came to my village once! They're weak. They're easy to deal with.' However, in reality, the goblin that the proud youth of the village had chased away was no more than a goblin that had been smoked out and was trying to escape."
He raised his right finger. "This, in turn, gives them confidence, and they become adventurers. Meanwhile, the goblins that survived and gained experience become Wanderers and continue to grow. Eventually, the Wanderers become the leaders or bodyguards of nests."
The slayers' right hand then turned into a fist once more. "Which means... I am, in turn, a goblin to them." Having finished, Goblin Slayer looked to see Shera shaken up a bit by his lengthy monologuing. This made him look down for a moment. "I'm sorry if I had scared you."
"N-No..., you're f-fine," Shera said while slowly raising her head up. "I think I sort of get what you mean. The point stands that being an adventurer sounds all fun and good at first..., b-but... in actuality, adventuring can be tough. You can get hurt, hurt others, or even die for that matter." Then, the elf, surprisingly... smiled? "B-But, you're not like any adventurer I've ever known. From what you said, you were hurt even before you became one, and even more than I was. Guess that means you know more than I do, huh?"
"Yeah," the slayer blankly responded.
Shera looked down once more before raising her head with a confident smile. "Alright, I've decided! There's no way in hell I'm going back home, so my brother can go suck it!" She then put a hand to her heart. "Even if this world can be cruel sometimes, I'll fight on! You..., Rem..., Priestess,... you all are my dearest friends, and no matter what happens...I'll still be an adventurer!"
"Good to hear."
Shera blinked while Goblin Slayer had a blank look at hearing the voice of...
"R-Rem?!" Indeed it was, who was leaning against the doorway. "Have you been there this whole time?!"
"Not exactly," Rem said with a raised finger. "I just happened to hear that speech you made about being an adventurer."
Shera pouted for brief moment before...
*GRUMBLE~!
"A-Ah, that's right!" Shera realized while standing up from the slayers' bed. "Say, since I'm so hungry, let's see about getting some grub!"
"Just a moment," Rem said while blocking the doorway. "Why did you just tell him that we were friends?"
"B-Because we are?" Shera said while blinking before her eyes bulged in a comedic manner. "But you told me that you liked me when we were in the Man Eating Woods, didn't you?!"
"I said I liked how you handled that situation, that's all," Rem corrected with a small blush.
"Nah, you're blushing~! You totally like me~!"
"Guh! You're so stupid Shera, shut up!"
While the two continued to bicker at the doorway, Goblin Slayer felt something strange that appeared on his face. It was very bizarre that he was doing it... but to see someone this happy after hearing all that? The slayer, much to his dismay, couldn't help but smile with one last thought:
'Heh, you both can be idiots at times... but I think that's your way of enjoying life, so... guess that means Priestess was right after all.'
Play TV Version – [ Gin no Kesei, by Soraru ]
Next Chapter: Unexpected Visitors