The conversation between Goblin Slayer and Noble Fencer of what she had to offer to them commenced shortly after BB was able to recreate the tavern that they were all vilified from. Inside the brand new tavern that was built far from Matterhorn, High Elf Archer and Fairy Knight were sitting on each side of the ten year-old, while the teenager with honey-blond hair sat across from him at the beautiful-carved oak table they were occupying within the dining area. With the six pacified members of the gold-ranked adventurers who had attacked them locked up in the outdoor prison-shed that BB had made to house them separately, Goblin Slayer had a clear enough mind to rightfully think over the side-quest that Noble Fencer had offered to him.
"Relena… Forgive me if I sound judgemental, but… Why on Earth did you leave the rest of your companions behind in front of that cave? Wouldn't it have been to have taken them to Matterhorn with you?" Goblin Slayer questioned, which made Noble Fencer lower her gaze slightly.
Sitting down with her legs raised up and the heels of her expensive leather-boots resting on top of the edge of the wooden table, Noble Fencer remained silent for a brief moment before smacking her lips softly to herself. "I… I'd hate for you to be under the impression that I'm careless when it comes to the lives of others; that same thought did cross my mind when I was last with them. I mean, I actually did bring that point up to my party, but it was pretty much unanimously agreed upon that the goblins would chase after us if we were all to leave for Matterhorn together— the less of us that were there to keep them trapped inside that cave, the higher the chance that those staying behind would be overwhelmed," Noble Fencer explained, while expressing a worried look of her own that was hidden behind the uneasy smile she had across her lips.
Leaning forward to rest her elbows down on the table on her side, High Elf Archer arched a single eyebrow toward Noble Fencer. "Ironic how instead of trapping goblins, it was your party who ended up getting trapped instead— if the lives of others weren't on the line, I'd call you all a bunch of morons who lack foresight," High Elf Archer said with a smug smiling across her lips, as Noble Fencer's eyes raised up to glare into hers with a shocked expression on the teenager's face. "Whoopsies, guess I ended up saying it anyway~…! How careless of me~…!" High Elf Archer chuckled meanly, while getting satisfaction from the way Noble Fencer was visibly getting angered.
Opening her mouth to let out a rebuttal, Noble Fencer paused while silently reflecting on the situation— analyzing her options, before finally letting out a deep breath as she sank back into her chair with her cool returning to her. " Huh… You know, that's awfully brave of you to say, Arthemis— considering the fact that you're pretty much hiding behind a literal ten year-old," Noble Fencer shot back with a sly grin forming on her face. "If it wasn't for him, I'd kick your elf-ass right now for talking to me like that."
Narrowing her eyes back at the agitated teen who was smirking back at her with a daring look across her golden eyes, High Elf Archer stood up from her chair with her fingers tightened into gloved fists. "I'd like to see you try that, you arrogant little bit-"
"-Can you two stop going at each other's throats already? It's getting rather annoying now," Goblin Slayer interrupted as he stood up from his own seat— gesturing for High Elf Archer to sit back down in her own chair with one hand, while signaling for Noble Fencer to relax in her chair. "You two can bicker all you want after we save those people, and clear out that goblin cavern. Until then, can you two just… Play nice? Is that too much to ask for when there are lives on the line?" Goblin Slayer asked rhetorically— voicing out more of his frustration, while steering the conversation back on track.
Although it pained her to back down from a challenge, High Elf Archer swallowed her pride as she silently sat back down on the chair. Resting her arms along the armrests of the wooden dining chair, High Elf Archer raised her head up toward the tall wooden ceiling of the dining area to take in a deep breath, before proceeding to slowly exhale it through her nostrils. Calmed down for the most part, High Elf Archer reluctantly looked back down to make eye-contact with Noble Fencer, who appeared as heated up and begrudged as she was. Neither of the two women apologized for their behavior, but the looks they subtly exchanged with one another were all that was needed for them to make a mutual truce that they wordlessly agreed upon in that moment.
Although it was apparent that no amount of words were going to reasonably smooth out the tension between High Elf Archer and Noble Fencer, Goblin Slayer knew that it would have to do for the time being. "Thank you… Now that we're all in a more cooperative environment, how about we use that anger inside of us for some good? I say we take a moment to get ourselves situated, and then brave the cold to save Relenas' friends before something happens to them. How about it— does that sound fine?" Goblin Slayer asked with a slightly patronizing tone in his voice, due to having to be the voice of reason despite only being a child.
Rolling her eyes and biting her tongue, Noble Fencer blew a huff of air out through her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest— her legs being lowered one foot at a time, as she sat up straight in her seat. "Yes, that'll do just fine," Noble Fencer said while flashing a small daring smile at Goblin Slayer, before letting out another sigh as she rose up to her feet. "It'll only be two or so hours until the sun begins to set, and the cave's so far off the beaten path… I've purchased a sleigh with some supplies on it back in Matterhorn, but I don't have a reindeer to pull it… Think you could make do with that, Ashta?" Noble Fencer asked with an inquisitive look on her smirking face, as she put one hand on her hip while using her other hand to adjust her voluptuous honey-colored twin-tails.
Holding his chin with one hand while beginning to formulate a plan, Goblin Slayer began weighing out his options as High Elf Archer silently got up to her feet as well. ' With BB and Melusine on my side, I'm certain that I would do just fine. But… But taking into account the needs of the girls and of Relenas' party members… It might do good to be prepared for anything, ' Goblin Slayer thought to himself— deciding that it wasn't worth coming unprepared to their rescue, if it meant he didn't have anything to help them when he got there. "I can't show my face in Matterhorn, so you two will have to travel together there and back by yourselves. But when you do bring those supplies back, I'll be able to " magically" store whatever you have for us to take with us Relena— that way, we won't need anything extra to carry it all," Goblin Slayer explained, as he noticed both women frowning at the same time.
Grimacing at her proposed task, High Elf Archer gave Noble Fencer a side-eyed glance before darting her emerald-green eyes back at Goblin Slayer. "Can't I just fast travel there and back on my own? It'd make sense to do that instead, wouldn't it?" High Elf Archer countered with a raised brow— hoping to get out of having to travel with the teenager who she had come to see as being an arrogant brat.
Considering High Elf Archer's idea instead, Goblin Slayer turned to look over at where BB was still sitting down at the table— giving her a questioning look, so as to prompt her to weigh in on the situation. Shaking her head nonchalantly at the Goblin Slayer, BB shrugged her shoulders at him before explaining to him, "You never had me make a fast-travel point while we were in Matterhorn. I can't create them wherever I want. Either you would, or whoever you transferred your magic over to, would have to physically be somewhere for me to get the exact coordinates of where the fast-travel point would have to be set at— otherwise I would just be taking a shot in the dark."
Nodding his head to acknowledge what the managerial AI had just told him, Goblin Slayer turned back toward High Elf Archer to shake his head at her proposed idea. "We never got the chance to set a fast-travel point when we were there, but… But from what BB-Sensei told me, if you went there with Relena to pick up the supplies together, BB-Sensei could set a fast-travel point there for you and then you two could just come back here that way, instead of hauling that stuff back on foot," Goblin Slayer explained, while giving the two women an apologetic smile before adding, "I know it's not what either of you were hoping for, but… I think that's the best option we're going to get."
Knowing that the condolence was aimed mostly at her, High Elf Archer did her best to make the best out of what was to come, and gave Goblin Slayer a look of gratitude before letting out her disappointment with a quiet sigh. "Thank you for trying Orcblog. And try not to worry about us while we're gone— I think it goes without saying that Relena and I know what's at stake here. Isn't that right?" High Elf Archer asked with a frown across his lips, as she looked over toward where Noble Fencer was beginning to walk away from the table.
"But of course I know… Come now, time is of the essence," Noble Fencer said with a disappointed look in her eyes, as she stood near the front entrance of the tavern with one hand resting the hilt of her rapier.
Alrighty feeling her patience wearing thin, High Elf Archer kept her composure as she picked her bow up from beside her chair. "I'll be right there… Oh, Orcblog! Almost forgot to ask, but… What are you going to do while we're gone?" She asked curiously, as the thought of what someone like Goblin Slayer would do with their alone time hadn't crossed her mind up until that point.
Growing quiet as High Elf Archer stood before him with a perplexed look in her eyes, Goblin Slayer momentarily averted his gaze from her as he furrowed his eyebrows with a reluctant expression coming over his pale face. "I… I have to… I have to take care of the adventurers in the shed outside. I can't leave them there forever, and… And I certainly can't risk them following us to plan an ambush against us— especially if there's a possibility that there'll be injured people with us," Goblin Slayer explained with a worried look in his dusty-rose colored eyes.
Having expected the ten year-old to have filled his spare time with either devious or childish endeavors, the last thing High Elf Archer expected to hear from Goblin Slayer was him implying to her that he would be placing himself in a difficult situation while they were gone. "Oh, I… I see… Forgive me for needing to ask this, but… You're… You're not going to kill them or anything drastic like that… A-Are you?" She asked nervously, while clearly being uncomfortable with the idea of Goblin Slayer ending their lives.
Becoming immediately anxious with the question, Goblin Slayer swallowed back the lump in his throat as his eyes became widened. "I… I really don't want to do that, no… I… I was thinking that I could reason with them, and… And clear things up, so they won't have a reason to do anything against us when we let them go," Goblin Slayer replied quietly with a sudden feeling of nausea causing his stomach to do flips inside his abdomen.
Too relieved by his answer to notice the way Fairy Knight was staring at him with a cold look in her eyes from behind him, High Elf Archer let out a sigh before nervously laughing off her worries with a big smile across her face. "Oh thank the gods for that! You know, for a second I actually thought you were insinuating that you were going to take their lives! They might have tried to kill us, but they're still adventurers just like us— they're just misinformed, I'm certain you'll be able to make peace with them just fine," High Elf Archer reassured with an appreciative look on her face, before ruffling Goblin Slayer's head full of light-brown hair. "Okay then, I'll leave you to it Orcblog… I'll see you hopefully by sunset— be safe," she said, and planted a small peck on his forehead before begrudgingly joining Noble Fencer out of the tavern.
Left alone with only Fairy Knight and BB for company, Goblin Slayer made his way over to the nearest window to watch as the two women began making their way out into the snowy fields— the two of them slowly down, as Noble Fencer reached into leather pouch attached to her belt to retrieve her map of the area. Holding the cloth curtain back with one hand, Goblin Slayer felt anxious about the two women going out by themselves, so he looked away from the window to stare over his shoulder at BB, who was looking back at him with a knowing smirk across her face.
"Hmm… You want me to go with them, don't you?" BB asked with a playfully smug voice in her voice, as she anticipatingly got out of her chair. "Neither of them will see or hear what I have to say, and I can't do anything other than spawn whatever we've got in our inventory… But you know that already."
Tightening his lips together with a humorless chortle escaping his nostrils, Goblin Slayer nodded his head at the lavender-haired AI woman, who stood there beside the wooden table where they had all previously been seated. "It would make me feel better if you were there to watch over them at least… Maybe you could create an emergency fast-travel point for them, if they get into a troublesome situation?" Goblin Slayer asked pleadingly with a hopeful tone in his voice.
Nodding her head back at Goblin Slayer's request, BB shot him a confident and reassuring look before making two finger guns at him. "Sure thing, Ashta-Kun! Just know that I wouldn't do this for anyone else that wasn't Hakuno-Chan!" BB said endearingly, while still making it obvious that she was extremely serious about what she said. "Have fun killing those people we've got locked up in the shed! Knowing what a sweetheart you are, I'm sure you'll make it quick and painless for them all!" BB said supportingly, before her avatar dispersed into a cloud of pixelated photon particles— leaving behind an uncomfortable child and his eerily quiet servant to deal with the six adventurers that they were technically holding as prisoners.
Tightening his fingers nervously with the fabric of the curtains still in his grasp, Goblin Slayer felt his chest tightening up with a looming dread weighing down on it. "She… She was just joking, right? There's…. There's no way she actually expects me to literally freakin' MURDERsix people… R-Right, Melusine?" Goblin Slayer asked with a vulnerable tone in his voice, as he turned his attention desperately toward the white-haired servant, who had been silent about the matter ever since it was brought up.
With Goblin Slayer seeking reassurance from her, Fairy Knight blinked a few times at her master with a stoic expression on her face before finally opening her small mouth to speak. "… I think you'll make the right decision, Master," Fairy Knight said coldly— not wanting to say anything more than that, and remained indifferent as she saw the visible dread worsening in his dusty-rose colored eyes. "Come Master— there's work that needs to be done by you, and you alone."
Anxious and confused by what Fairy Knight had said, Goblin Slayer took a shaky breath into his aching lungs before slowly exhaling it out through his nostrils. "W… What does that mean, Melusine?" He asked, while a part of him already knew what his servant's response was going to be.
Looking her master in the eyes with an almost apologetic look in them, Fairy Knight remained silent for a brief moment before letting out a solemn sigh. "I am your knight, Master— I will spill the blood of anyone who dares to put you in harm's way. But even so, there's… There's some battles that not even I can fight for you," Fairy Knight said with a heavy heart, despite her voice sounding as flat and calm as it usually did. Staring in silence at the terrified look in Goblin Slayer's dusty-rose colored eyes, Fairy Knight broke her stoicism by smiling joylessly at him with a saddened expression on her youthful-looking face. "You and I both know how this will have to end, Master… When the time comes, and your options have inevitably run out, you'll… You'll have to be the one who takes their lives— not me. It's… It's important that you do this now while I'm with you— there might come a day where I won't be there to save you, and I need to know that you'll be capable of defending yourself by any means necessary… Even if that means taking a person's life— no matter how much they beg and plead for you not to."
Author's note: Okay campers, this is where the old parts of the story begin to differ plot-wise. I won't be reusing anything else from the old version of this story. New lemons, more slices of life, and more Ren Ashta being Ren Ashta (ie, learning to become Goblin Slayer through trails and tribulations).
Noble Fencer's party members will be different too I think. Wizard and Wizard Boy, along with Fighter won't be introduced until the second act of this story— after the Moon-Cell arrives in their universe and timeline. Might make OCs to add to Noble Fencer's party, or just mention them and have them leave them after being told they aren't getting paid for the quest. Of course, there's still going to be all the prisoners that Goblin Slayer will have save, and take back to the Oakshire Forest to give them a place to stay.
Sword Maiden/Bishop will be included afterward, while the story's still in its first act. She'll be the last of the "doomed" party who were the last ones the Adventurers' Guild sent out, before closing the quest for good. She'll more than likely being the sole survivor, and having evaded the goblins by hiding within the Mythril Mountain fortress itself.
Anyway, that about does it for now. Next chapter will be about High Elf Archer and Noble Fencer arguing and bonding, while Goblin Slayer has to try to persuade all six of the adventurers to leave, and to not follow them for the rest of their journey. Otherwise, he'll have to kill them to protect his companions, and those who will need to be saved by him.