Disclaimer: I do NOT own Goblin Slayer or any of these characters.
SHOUT-OUT TO YoungsterAustin. I AM GRATEFUL THAT HE TOOK HIS TIME WITH THIS CHAPTER AND RAN THROUGH IT. THANK YOU!
Author's note: So, the previous chapter we focused on our cute little Priestess, now it's Cow Girl's turn. I want to show every girl's feelings towards our goblin slaying machine before some juicy lemons will be shown. (Yes there will be lemons. What did you think that M rating is for?) And since I consider Cow Girl the best girl, this may have more heart in this. Don't worry, I will try to show other girl's caring side, but this will be just... a little different I guess.
Chapter 2: Would you cry if I died?
Light, sweet chirping of his canary in the cage on the table woke Goblin Slayer pretty early this morning. After the celebrations that took place at the Guild, he was very tired. He hoped to get a long and good night of sleep after an exhausting goblin quest, and even more exhausting celebrations at the Guild. Unfortunately, sleep did not come lightly that night. And even when he fell asleep, he woke up 4 hours later, unable to fall asleep again. And the fact his head was heavy from all the drinks Heavy Swordsman forced down his throat didn't help either. Not that it would interfere with his alertness for goblins when he went home to the farm, but he felt the presence of alcohol in his blood and head.
Goblin Slayer pulled the blanket off himself and decided to do his usual check-up of the fences for any sign of goblin activity. He took his armor off the table and put it on. Taking his helmet, he opened the wooden door, looked one last time at the canary in the cage and went outside.
It was very early in the morning, the sun was just rising around the mountains in the distance. Thankfully, no clouds were blocking the sun rays, so the area was illuminated by the early morning sunlight. And that's all he needed. As he was walking around the farm checking fences, he began thinking about the life he has now. So many people suddenly jumped into his life that he didn't know what to do with them. Of course, he always tried to spare them from the fate that met his sister. But that was about it.
It gets increasingly more difficult when more and more people come into his life. First, Cow Girl took him back to the farm. Then there was her uncle. Also a party of adventurers that always tags alongside him on his quests. They call it "Goblin Slayer's party" for some reason. So that's another four people to keep safe. After the Guild helped him defend the farm, the numbers raised up even more.
"It was much easier when I was alone..." he thought.
Walking around the fence, he saw that one stake was broken. Fortunately, when he walked up to the stake, he knew it was not destroyed by goblins, but a beaver who ate at it all around. So they are in the area again. That could get troublesome because Cow Girl with her uncle take water from a stream few minutes walk away from here. If beavers are here, this might result in an empty stream.
Not wasting time, he went in the direction of the forest and began looking for a suitable replacement for the stake.
And as he was looking for a new stake, his thoughts traveled to his... friends? It feels kinda weird to address them like that. He has to admit, even when it is troublesome to keep an eye on everyone, he is glad to have... friends. He even forgot how it felt like to have them after all this time.
Don't make her cry by dying out there
Those words has been stuck in his head since Cow Girl's uncle told them to him.
He never thought that someone would notice he died, let alone cry for him. For him, it was only a matter of time before he dies. He likes to defy fate, but there will come a time when even more dice rolls from the gods won't save him.
"Am I really that important to some people?" Goblin Slayer thought when he found a perfect replacement for the stake, and picked it up. He kept looking at the piece of branch for several minutes as if he was trying to find answer in the small piece of wood.
Taking the wider branch he found with him, he continued his exploration of the area. This time, looking for a beaver nest and the dam that is in progress of making or is already finished. Goblin Slayer walked past some tall broad-leaved trees with various fruits on them, deeper into the forest. The deeper he walked, the more signs were visible from the beaver activity. Trees gnawed away were much more apparent, and Goblin Slayer spotted even some beaver droppings. Following these tracks, it didn't take long before he got to the stream. Empty stream. And turning his head to his right, he spotted the beaver dam that was stopping the water.
Walking to the dam, he couldn't help but think about the events of yesterday.
How Heavy Swordsman did whatever came to mind, celebrating his engagement and his baby on the way. The positive atmosphere radiated from him so much so, he was sure the gods themselves felt it. He wondered if he could be just a tiny bit happy as the fresh father was that day. Did he feel... sad? Maybe even jealous? Is it because he doesn't have what Heavy Swordsman had?
And why is it bothering him so much? He never cared about other couples, so why now?
"I am getting soft." he realized. He is aware of the fact that the walls he build around himself are starting to crumble. And he knows that the reasons are the people around him. Goblin Slayer sighed. For some reason, even when they make him softer, he doesn't want to shut them down. And that makes it scary. If it will go like this, he will eventually reveal his true, vulnerable side to them.
"And my thoughts are getting messy." was another thing he realized. Why can't he walk few meters without thinking about other people? It is very irritating and restless.
He stopped in his tracks when he was near the dam. The finished dam made out of wooden branches and logs stopped the clean stream of water from flowing down. And to his joy, he saw many beavers around the damn doing their work.
"Time to harden myself again." Goblin Slayer thought, and he drew his sword for goblin slaying from its sheath with his right hand, as his left held the new stake for the fence. Seems like this sword will not be used for goblins. Shame...
Cow Girl felt the sun's rays hitting her eyelids. Knowing that the new day is starting, she lazily sat up from her bed and stretched her arms like every other morning. With tired eyes, she glanced around the room, looking for her underwear. It is like a little game every morning because she just throws them wherever she wants to in the evening and then in the morning she has to look for the underwear everywhere.
Once she got up, the red/pink-head found her light pink bra under the bed, but her panties took a little while longer to find. She eventually found them. Cow Girl has no idea how they got there, but they were dangling from the ceiling, stuck between two wood planks.
Cow Girl tried to jump up and catch them but she was too short to do so. After a few tries later, she was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. Who would have thought that jumping upwards few times would be so exhausting? "Ummm... what now?" she thought.
Suddenly the door of the room began creaking open. As soon as she heard someone entering, Cow Girl made a silent "eep", grabbed her bra on the floor, jumped on her bed and covered her naked body with a blanket before someone could see her. She wasn't that worried to be honest, there are only two other people in the farmhouse. And one of them doesn't really care about the concept of nudity. And as her luck would have it, the one who doesn't mind nudity entered her room.
"Your uncle wants you to know that he went into town to buy some new buckets for the cows and that he will be gone the whole day." Goblin Slayer walked into the room, without a care in the world, and stood before naked Cow Girl covered by a blanket.
Blushing pink-head watched her childhood friend dressed in his usual armor getting very close to her. But she didn't scream though, only squealed lightly when he was at the legs of the bed.
"Also, he said that I should give you this." he said and he pulled some kind of book out of his pouch attached to his belt. Goblin Slayer approached the naked girl on the bed without a care in the world and extended his hand with the book.
"C-Couldn't it wait? I- I am still naked." asked Cow Girl who held the blanket tightly to cover herself.
"Your uncle told me to come to you as soon as possible. So here I am." Goblin Slayer simply said.
"I doubt he meant as soon as he left..." Cow Girl thought. "But... I am still naked." The blushing pink head tried to give Goblin Slayer the hint.
"Is that a problem?" asked Goblin Slayer.
"Well... kinda." replied Cow Girl. Although she places her enormous boobs, that are barely contained by her bra, at full display in the morning when she greets Goblin Slayer doing his usual routine around the farm, this kind of visit is new. She isn't the shiest girl around, but out of nowhere visit from her crush when you are completely naked shakes up even her.
"I see." Goblin Slayer's monotone voice came from underneath the helmet.
Goblin Slayer turned around, walked up to the table and put the book on the table next to the door. He intended to exit the room, but something caught his attention.
From the ceiling, there was hanging some kind of light pink fabric. Curiosity got the best of him, and he pulled the cloth from between the two planks. The triangular shape piece of cloth from both sides caught his interest. He has never seen such a piece of cloth. As he was curiously turning it around and tilting head upon the new discovery, he registered that the fabric is unusually stretchy. He wondered what it was for. Hmm. Moreover, how it got to the ceiling? The only explanation he had was that it had to fall through from upstairs to Cow Girl's room.
And what is this thing for? He saw no purpose for this thing in regards to work on a farm. Well, he already knew how HE would use it. Pierce the sides of this thing with a Y shaped stick, and you have a perfect slingshot for goblin slaying.
His nostril suddenly registered some kind of scent coming from the fabric. Bringing the piece of cloth to his helmet, he sniffed what kind of scent this thing emitted. And he had no idea what it smelled like. The scent was unique, in a sense even pleasant a kind scent he had trouble placing into any kind of category.
"C-c-could you give them back to me?" stuttered out Cow Girl.
If the situation wasn't so weird, she would laugh at the fact Goblin Slayer doesn't know what panties looked like. But since he was sniffing HER panties, that's a really embarrassing situation.
"It's yours?" Goblin Slayer turned around and he was now facing the naked girl on the bed once again.
"Y-Yes. It's my... underwear." Cow Girl quietly said and rosy color crept on her cheeks once again.
But before Goblin Slayer returned them, he once again looked at the supposed underwear of Cow Girl. Can it even be comfortable? He thought that girls use the same kind of underwear as guys did. Loose wool shorts that allow for free movement. Then again, girls didn't have something dangling between their legs, so it's possible that something tight would be more comfortable for them. Now that she mentions it, there are some instances where he saw a similar fabric. Only those were in goblin caves and were torn to shreds, so the shape of it was never revealed to him. Not that he ever paid attention to the torn clothes of the adventurers when he was scavenging them for useful items against goblins or identifying the dead by the tag he found in goblin nests, but his observant eye caught the glimpse of this fabric in the nests, so seeing the underwear in a complete state uncovered that little mystery.
"I see." Goblin Slayer said and he threw the underwear to Cow Girl. However, since she was covering herself with a blanket, the panties landed on her head, creating an interesting image. A very busty girl, sitting on her bent legs to the right, with only a blanket covering her intimate areas and panties on her head with a cute surprised expression on her face. Other men would go crazy upon this sight, but not Goblin Slayer. He turned around and left the room before the panties even landed on Cow Girl's head.
Breakfast at the farm was very awkward. When Cow Girl got into the main room on their farm, she saw Goblin Slayer sharpening his short sword on their whetstone. The busty girl saw that the sword was still bloody. She wondered why. However, she didn't want to talk to Goblin Slayer shortly after he sniffed her panties, so she got to her job and she began making breakfast, without questioning him from where the blood comes from.
Cow Girl cracked some eggs from the farm, and cooked them on the pan, on top of their furnace. Goblin Slayer already started a fire in the furnace before she woke up, so that hasten her job slightly. Then she took some wursts from their smoked meat storage room and served it on two wooden plates for her and Goblin Slayer. She served this with the usual drink for their breakfasts, milk.
Before the pink-haired girl served breakfast, she went back to her room and picked the book that Goblin Slayer gave her. Cow Girl knew what that book was about, and she intended to busy herself by reading it during breakfast, so she doesn't have to think about the fact that her love played with her panties right in front of her.
When Cow Girl returned and brought the plates to the table they sat around, Goblin Slayer informed Cow Girl that her uncle already ate the leftovers from dinner and went to town already. So the two of them were left alone at the table. And Cow Girl still had trouble looking at Goblin Slayer after the morning incident.
"Have you ever cooked a beaver?" asked Goblin Slayer out of nowhere.
"H-Huh?"
"Have you ever cooked a beaver?" Goblin Slayer asked again, in the same tone from when he asked the first time.
"I... I didn't." Cow Girl replied nervously. What is that supposed to mean?! She knows Goblin Slayer kind of a weirdo, but sometimes he surprises even her.
"I hunted 21 of them. They are in a barn." informed Goblin Slayer his pink-headed childhood friend. "And I repaired one of the stakes on the fence around the farm that was broken by a beaver." Goblin Slayer reported the news.
"O-okay." said Cow Girl, not knowing what to make of that.
Soon after, a silence followed, which was pretty usual when eating with Goblin Slayer. And she is thankful that it's quiet. So she pulled the book out of her braces and began reading it. But our busty pink-head forgot to realize that Goblin Slayer is a curious man and that he would demand information about the book as soon as she would pull it out.
"What is that book about?" asked Goblin Slayer in his monotone voice.
Cow Girl already immersed in the book jumped a little when Goblin Slayer asked. But seeing the question is not about the morning incident, she gave him a smile. "It's about a new kind of cheese that my uncle discovered from one of his friends. They call it blue cheese. It is said that it has a distinct flavor and is kinda smelly. Uncle's friend got this book from a land far away, and he hoped that we could make such a cheese and then sell it for some good money."
Goblin Slayer, in his armor, sat still for a moment.
"I see." he replied and went back to eating.
Cow Girl, seeing he will not put much thought into their morning incident, smiled and went back to reading. During the breakfast, she noticed that Goblin Slayer didn't eat much of the breakfast. It almost looked like he played with the eggs on the plate instead of eating them.
"You don't like it?" asked Cow Girl when she saw Goblin Slayer not eating. Is it that bad? She always hoped to please Goblin Slayer with her cooking but seeing him not eating her food kinda hurt. And there isn't much to mess up in frying eggs and bringing a wurst from the store room.
"It's not that." Goblin Slayer simply replied. He raised his head from the plate and looked at Cow Girl. And even with his helmet on, she felt the piercing gaze of his ruby eyes. "Can I ask you something personal?"
"Uhmm... Sure." she nervously said. She had a bad feeling now they were going to get back onto the topic of her panties.
"Would you cry if I died?"
Cow Girl's eyes widened when she heard the question. But even though she was surprised, there was no moment of hesitation in her answer. "Yes, I would."
She had no idea what was happening under his helmet right now, but the pause that was going on and on was getting too long for her liking. What could possibly force him to ask that kind of question? Of course she would cry. Not only that, she would cry day and night. She would not sleep and eat for days. She would feel so vulnerable without him at the farm. It would feel like goblins can attack any minute now. She would feel cornered, and helpless knowing that threats such as Goblin Lord are out there somewhere. And that they can attack any day. Having him here is like having a beacon of light in a cave full of bats. When he is here, they will not come here. And if they do, they will burn.
"I see." replied Goblin Slayer after what felt like an hour-long pause.
But now that he asked the question, she wonders. Would he cry if she died? He was so stoic that she doubts that anything could make him cry. Pain, tiredness, emotional hurt, all of it would not make him even tear up. After being alone for so long and because of what kind of training he went through, she is not surprised. But knowing that he wouldn't even grief from her death, it hurts. Cow Girl doesn't want him to be miserable if she dies, but there is that part of her that wants him to care.
"Would you cry if I died?" asked Cow Girl, her voice missing the cheerful attitude she usually has.
"No." Goblin Slayer simply replied.
Even though she expected this kind of an answer, it still hurt. What hurt the most was that he didn't even hesitate to answer. Just like her when she said she would cry.
"Not even at the hands of goblins?" Cow Girl choked on her answer. She knew this was getting into the extreme territory, but she wants to at least have one scenario where he would care. Where he would miss her. Where she is more than just another disposable girl that died in this world.
"No." again, the answer was swift and with no emotions present in his voice.
Cow Girl felt tears welling up in her eyes. Knowing how she would end up when goblins would get her, and knowing he would not do anything else than going on another goblin quest really hurt. She looked away from him, hiding her crying face. At least he is honest about it, that's one thing she loves about him.
Wiping her tears, she stood up and went to her room to hide her tears from Goblin Slayer.
But before she could reach the door, Goblin Slayer stood in the doorway, blocking the entry to the room.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, again, his voice without a hint of emotions.
"Please, move..." Cow Girl desperately pleaded, trying to push Goblin Slayer out of the way. But with Goblin Slayer being much stronger than her, her efforts were in vain. "Please..." she begged again, looking down on the floor as tears began falling down.
"Not until you will say to me why you are crying. I am banned from allowing you cry." he said.
Cow Girl tried to move him again, but he still stood there like an unbeatable wall. She began desperately punching his breastplate all the while letting go of her emotions.
"You ask why?! After all the things that happened. After what happened to your sister and what we have been through, you are saying to me that you would not grief my death? Even after you know very well what happens to the women who end up in the goblin's filthy hands, you are saying my death would mean absolutely nothing to you?! That nothing would stir inside of you?! I would be devastated even if you would die painlessly of old age, yet you... you..." she then began weeping, not able to finish her thoughts.
"I have never said I would not grief. I would." said Goblin Slayer.
"Then how would you grief?! Another goblin quest right?!" asked Cow Girl, who was getting angry along with the hurt she felt.
"Yeah." he replied.
"See?! You would just go to your daily routine like nothing ever happened! Like I never existed!" she tried to yell as loud as she could, but with the constant sobbing, she sounded more pathetic than angry, which angered her even more.
"No. If you would have died, I would be dead as well." Goblin Slayer answered after a long pause. Cow Girl thought she heard wrong when Goblin Slayer spoke.
"W-W-What?" she said between the sobs.
"If you would have died, or worse, died at the hands of the goblins, I don't think I would survive my next goblin quests. I don't think I would think rationally. I can clearly see my future in that scenario. I would shut down my friends, and went to slay some goblins. Quest or no quest. Big nest or small nest, it wouldn't matter. I would go and kill, kill, kill and kill. Food, water, rest, all of those things would become irrelevant. My mind would be hazy. My judgment would be affected by my grief and my anger. Without a strategy, I would go from nest to nest, until I would be broken, beaten, and scarred. When the remains of my energy would leave my body, I would force myself to slaughter the nest with everything I had left. With legs not able to hold me, and hands not being able to hold a sword with a shield, I would kill the last goblin in the nest. Then I would lean upon the wall thinking about what I did and what I failed to do. As I would be dying from the goblin poisons in the cold goblin nest, only then I would allow myself to shed a tear for you. That would be my future if you would have died." said Goblin Slayer.
Suddenly, the tears of anger and sadness turned into that of happiness. She probably shouldn't be happy by the fact that if she died, Goblin Slayer dies too. But knowing he would care, she felt that there is in fact some future for the two of them. Knowing he would go on a rampage just warms her heart more than the scenario where he would just cry. She may be bad person because of that, but she doesn't care. He would miss her...
She placed her forehead on his breastplate letting her tears fall on the floor below her. By now, the tears formed a small puddle below her. She truly is selfish as the time she wanted him to defend the farm. But even then she knew, he has what it takes to defend the farm. He just needed a little push. If they would run, who would take care of those goblins in the future? When they had bigger base? He needed to take care of them right then, so that's why she wouldn't budge, in hopes he would kill them all and overcome his inability to ask for help. And through some miracle, he didn't die there. He even came back and continued to protect the farm.
"No more. I will not take advantage of his good heart again. It's not fair to him..."
"Thank you. Thank you, for everything." she whispered. Now she realized that she never properly thanked him for saving the farm. She thanked everyone else in the Guild at the celebration of their victory, but she somehow forgot to thank him. "I don't deserve him." Cow Girl thought. She send him to fight army of goblins and she gets mad when he wouldn't cry for her. he would have every right not to cry for her. However, despite all of that Goblin Slayer proved he cares by his actions and by his words. As she was crying all over his breastplate Cow Girl decided, that she will make it up to him in the future. She doesn't know how or when yet, but she most certainly will. Now it's her time to support Goblin Slayer.
When she felt his arms travel around her waist, she forgot about time and everything that was happening around her.
"I am sorry. I will not allow you to cry again." were the last words she heard before she fell asleep in his arms, despite the fact she woke up not so long ago.
Author's note: Sooo. I was halfway through and then I see 8 reviews on this story under 12 hours and I was like. Ok guys, since you loved it, I will finish the next chapter today. It's slightly shorter, but that's all we need for this chapter. hope you like it even when the chapter was shorter. But since you guys wanted it, here you have it.
But the next chapter will be a little later. I need to pump out that Pokemon chapter that I am halfway through. But don't worry, if you will show me you like this story like you showed in the first chapter, it will give me a necessary boost to finish the Pokemon chapter and then the Goblin Slayer chapter sooner.
And two guys asked me to ad Hero and her squad into the harem. So... tell me how you feel about that and if you would like that in the story because now I am considering it.
Until next time, see ya. And don't forget to review. Any kind of feedback is welcomed.