Book 9-3.
"Your highness we understand that as a king you are permitted certain...privileges when it comes to your accommodations, but...PLEASE START USING THE ROYAL HOSTAGE FUNDS!" Great Red Siberian almost bellowed out as he looked at Goblin Slayer as he mixed water and wheat in order to make what humans called bagels.
This was the weirdest hostage that Red Siberian had, no attempts to escape, no assertion of his royal rank, not a single complain about his cell or treatment, heck they didn't even keep his cell locked or guarded, Goblin Slayer himself actually locked himself in when it was time for bed and he even had the key to his cell.
And now...now the human king whose power was second only to High King itself was working in the cafeteria kitchen, leading the bakers into making human pastry goods, which Great Red Siberian admitted smelled incredible, but that was not the point.
"Why? I earn enough from working in the castle to feed myself and mend my clothes." Goblin Slayer said in confusion.
"That is not the issue your highness, as your captors we must ensure you are treated according to you rank and if word gets out that you eat peasant food, that you dress in common clothes and not a speck of luxury is seen or heard during your capture then it will stain the Demon Kingdoms international standing! For the sake of the peaceful relations between order and chaos, please burn some cash!" Siberian said in objection.
"But I don't have anything that I want or need."
"A...ano, if I may, why not use the funds for a tour of the Demon Lands? There are many enjoyable places here, why don't we go the Dragon City? The Demon Dragon Tribes would welcome us." Fire Venom Dragon offered.
"That is still not a good enough use of funds, we need more expenses!" Red Siberian said in protest.
"What if I brought along my apprentices?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"Hugh...that would raise the cost and keeps us from losing face...very well. We will send word for the Slayer Keep that when they come to visit this time they will also go on a field trip." Red Siberian said and that was that.
Needless to say herding about hundreds of orphaned children who clinged to Cow Girl, Sky Queen and Goblin Slayer as their paternal figures was easier said than done, especially in the bright lights and sights of Dragon City.
Once more the demon elders and their King Midnight had a very strange task of looking after the children, and perhaps future foes of theirs, instead of killing or enslaving them.
Interesting times indeed.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
A battle cry that belonged to a young figure was heard and something flew towards Goblin Slayer and did a jump kick that Goblin Slayer, despite being permanently half crippled from his old fighting prowess, had enough battle experience to dodge by leaving back enough that the kick missed his face by half an inch.
"Damn it! As expected of Baba Yagga!" A young figure in a kimono, a dragon child said.
"Oy Zetsuran! Papa said he was a guest of ours and we don't do that to guests!" the young Twilight said to the new figure.
"Guest or not I will be the one to defeat the greatest warriors alive! Staring with Goblin Slayer till I defeat Chosen Heroine herself! Listen up, I will be the one to defeat you both!" Zetsuran said boldly and pointed a finger at G. S.
The entire crowd held its breath at that, this was an act that normally would mean killing said offender for daring to strike a king and Goblin Slayer was under guests rights in Dragon City. Under normal circumstances this act would have dire consequences.
"Your heart is in the right place, but you need a different technique."
But this was Goblin Slayer we were talking about, normal was a cherry blossom in December with him.
"Listen up, when facing an opponent that is bigger and stronger than you, you never charge but draw them in, then you duck under his attack and go for the legs. Speed and mobility is the key, first you make the foes immobile, then you dance around and defeat him by a thousand small cuts that accumulate." Goblin Slayer said as he, much to the shock of demon kind, taught Zetsuran how to take him down.
"Also a kick is a circumstantial attack, if delivered at the right moment it's a perfect victory, but if not then it leaves you vulnerable to defeat. To avoid that you must create a good scenario for a kick, you do it like this." Goblin Slayer said and held up both his fists in a high guard stance and then with his lead hand he jabbed.
"The jab is the foundation of any fighting style, armed or bare handed, you use it to attack, deflect, confuse, counter and set up a dodge, straight, or kick. Fear not the man who knows 10.000 techniques, but the one who practiced one technique 10.000 times. Now you try." Goblin Slayer said as Zetsuran entered into a horrendous and clumsy, but similar stance as Goblin Slayer and imitated the jab.
"Passible, but a jab is not invincible. Come here Twilight, now when someone attacks you either slip it, block it, or go under. So here is what we will do, you both will stand in front of each other. One attacks, the other either blocks, slips or goes under, then you switch, but remember to use speed and no strength in this, this is just for you all to get the grip of it, we'll spar latter." Goblin Slayer said as he then organized the children, both chaos and order into two rows that alternated between attacking and defending.
The children were getting the grasp of this and where having fun, Twilight and Zetsuran where enjoying themselves in particular, when a pair of water balloons hit them both, along with many other children.
"You got to focused, to into the rhythm, you must mind your surroundings, watch out for threats to the side and rear, not just the immediate one in front of you. In a fight you must always be 3 steps ahead and think of how to be 5 steps ahead and win by the 7th steps if not sooner! Never stop thinking!" Goblin Slayer said as he told them to resume as he then randomly threw water balloons at them.
"Now take attackers go forward while defenders go backwards and THAT'S IT! One punch at a time, one step at a time, one victory at a time that builds up! That is how you defeat any foe, stronger, weaker, more in numbers, you build, build AND NEVER STOP THINKING!" Goblin Slayer said as he continued to randomly threw water balloons that some dodged, but most became soaking wet, while Sky Queen went to correct the posture of a few, while Cow Girl comforted some that became sad cause they screwed up more than others.
"What is happening?" Venom Dragon asked.
"I don't know, but...it's not such a bad thing." Great Red Siberian said as they watched this peculiar sight of order and chaos children training, sparring and...having fun together.
"But...it's not something money could buy, not something at tall." Siberian said with a smile on his face.
That was how that evening went and was followed by a pleasant outdoors campfire feast. Goblin Slayer alternated between giving advice to the children and sharing food with the adults, sometimes he help cook a few meals.
Then a lower ranking member of Demon Castle accidently bumped into him, a lower ranking member that, along with most of his particular kind, avoided Goblin Slayer like the plague.
That member was Castle Grunt Goblin, who felt his hear stop from fear as Goblin Slayer turned his gaze towards him.