Goblin Slayer, Vol. 8

by Kumo Kagyu

  Copyright

  KUMO KAGYU

  Translation by Kevin Steinbach Cover art by Noboru Kannatuki

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

  GOBLIN SLAYER vol. 8

  Copyright © 2018 Kumo Kagyu

  Illustrations copyright © 2018 Noboru Kannatuki

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2018 by SB Creative Corp.

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

  English translation © 2019 by Yen Press, LLC

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

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

  Yen On

  150 West 30th Street, 19th Floor

  New York, NY 10001

  Visit us at yenpress.com

  facebook.com/yenpress

  twitter.com/yenpress

  yenpress.tumblr.com

  instagram.com/yenpress

  First Yen On Edition: October 2019

  Yen On is an imprint of Yen Press, LLC.

  The Yen On name and logo are trademarks of Yen Press, LLC.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

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

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

  Other titles: Goburin sureiyā. English

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

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016033529 | ISBN 9780316501590 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316553223 (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316553230 (v. 3 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316411882 (v. 4 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975326487 (v. 5 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975327842 (v. 6 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975330781 (v. 7 : pbk.) | ISBN 9781975331788 (v. 8 : pbk.)

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

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

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

  ISBNs: 978-1-9753-3178-8 (paperback)

  978-1-9753-3179-5 (ebook)

  E3-20190830-JV-NF-ORI

  The female bishop bit her lip, holding back a cry at the cold gust that cut her like a sword.

  The chill air, summoned from the ninth level of the world of the demons, instantly turned the dungeon chamber into an icebox.

  Greater demons, their skin blue-black, came from the same realm. Two of them appeared, bulging with magical power and so massive they threatened to fill the entire room. It was precisely the bandage covering her eyes and obscuring her vision that allowed her to sense their presence with such terrible clarity.

  High Priestess, her teeth chattering with the cold, desperately tried to force strength into legs that threatened to betray her.

  “Taa—ahh!!”

  “OUURGGGRERRR?!”

  A sweet voice rose in a vigorous shout as the sword and scales flashed. The scales, attached to the sword by a chain, hummed.

  The night stalker that had been approaching through the blizzard found its skull cleaved in a single blow and met its end. Night stalkers were just a step away from becoming self-aware vampires, but even the highest-level undead couldn’t survive the splattering of its brains.

  A female warrior turned to where High Priestess was wiping bits of brain and skull fragments off herself.

  “Sorry, I let one get through!”

  “I’m quite all right!” High Priestess replied as she took stock of her companions. Small fry like this wouldn’t trouble them much.

  Female Warrior had just pierced the heart of a burglar, a man dressed like a shadow. Confronting the huge, hideous demons was the party’s leader, a fighter in plate armor. He would keep them safe on that side. He carried a scimitar, an Eastern weapon, and he looked as much at ease as ever.

  Their half-elf scout, standing in a deep stance nearby and watching for an opportunity, looked tense—but was smiling nonetheless.

  Beside High Priestess was a bugman monk. Though he was reserved and quiet, he stood calmly at the ready. And on her other side was Female Wizard, searching for the perfect moment to cast her magic…

  The whole party was pelted by sleet and hail, dealing them damage as they endured it. Stopping the storm was the priority.

  “Sword Prince, to those who see what should be seen and speak what should be spoken, grant your protection!”

  She drew a sigil in light, holding the sword and scales in the center. It produced an exceptionally strong Protection but could not entirely stop the cold. The chill—an icy mountaintop in winter must be like this—cut the adventurers deep.

  “Hold on, everyone, I’ll heal you—!”

  “No! It’s more important to silence the enemy’s magic! If they hit us again, we might not make it!” Female Wizard, holding her short staff and surveying the battlefield, spoke despite her skin turning blue, her body shaking. How many times had they been saved by her careful instructions?

  “All right!” Bugman Monk called from beside High Priestess who still held her sword and scales aloft as he began to weave a seal. “I’m on it! Even a demon should be weaker if we can cut them off from magic!”

  “We’re counting on you!!” High Priestess cried.

  The monk was the most advanced member of their party and had been a mentor to her ever since they first met. High Priestess felt the pain of the icy blast and all fear of the enemy melt out of her heart. Her prayer to the gods above rang out, cutting through the blizzard.

  “My god the roaming wind, let all we say on the road stay secret among us!”

  “You have the light to remain silent!”

  Silence.

  An invisible power filled the chamber, and the awful demons began to smirk.

  Adventurers were always like this. They thought that neutralizing the demons’ spells would give them the edge. But demons were creatures most intimate with magic. No half-baked seal would prevent them from using their spells.

  Moreover, taking adventurers’ thin hopes and trampling them underfoot was a true joy for such a creature. Demons savored above all the despair of those who possessed language.

  Come, let’s give them another taste of blizzard.

  The men might survive, but they would be ravaged if they did—perfect for a good meal either way. The two female spell casters might die, but the warrior, she might make it.

  Well, even dead, women’s meat could be put to any number of—

  “—?!”

  When they opened their mouths, though, they realized they couldn’t speak.

  Our spells have been sealed?! By a little human girl and a literal bug?!

  “Fantastic! You’re mine!!” As soon as the scout registered the demons’ confusion, he dashed between them, dagger in hand. An instant after he passed by, twin geysers of blood erupted, and the massive bodies slumped.

  He had cut the tendons in their feet—but by the time the monsters noticed that, it was too late.

  “You’re one step behind!” Female Warrior’s spear came whistling through the air, landing a critical hit. A heart, pierced b
y it, gushed blackish blood.

  “—?! ?!”

  “Ahhh-ha-ha. We can’t hear you, remember?” Chuckling, the warrior jumped back, not a trace of gore on her. Just one left.

  Without hesitation, their leader, the swordfighter, closed the distance, scimitar in hand.

  Shhp. A single, easy cut. One stroke from low to high. Then he grabbed the hilt of his sword, turning it in his hand, and brought it down again for a second blow.

  One arm went flying, then another. As he swept back at his target, the blade took flesh and bone with it.

  “?!”

  Blood gushing, the greater demon thrashed and opened its mouth as if howling.

  Normally, it was impossible to hear a voice suppressed by Silence. But this cry reached the ears of High Priestess ever so faintly. The slightest sound.

  “He’s trying to call his allies!” she told her friends, having guessed what the demon was up to. Bugman Monk made a clicking sound with his jaws.

  “What to do. We’re definitely finishing them off regardless—would you rather do it after there’s a few more? I’m happy either way!”

  Half-Elf Scout, still using his dagger to keep the enemy at bay, exclaimed, “Any more of them and we’re going to have our hands full—I say we finish him off now!”

  “Do it.” The growled order from their leader settled the question for the party.

  “All together, then!”

  “Right!”

  Female Wizard raised her staff, High Priestess readied her sword and scales, while their leader shouted and began weaving a sigil with his free hand.

  “Ventus! Wind!”

  “Lumen! Light!”

  Libero! Release!

  The next moment, a gale of wind, accompanied by a burst of light and heat, streaked through the chamber. Noiselessly, without ceremony, the ice and snow melted away. Nothing, except perhaps for the most exalted of dragons, could maintain its form in the face of this forbidden spell, which drew on the power from which sprung all things.

  The demon, slammed by the burning wind, was annihilated before it could even scream, reduced to mere ashes.

  Then the wind blew through, leaving only a lingering warmth and nothing living where it had struck.

  Now only a treasure chest remained. The adventurers looked at one another and breathed a sigh of relief.

  Their leader, the swordfighter, shook the blood from his blade before offering words of thanks to the others.

  “Welp, guess that shows you what greater demons are good for,” Half-Elf Scout joked.

  “Yeah—without their spells, all they’ve got are their numbers.” Female Warrior giggled as she watched the scout make for the treasure chest. She was keeping an eye out; they may have defeated the monsters in the burial chamber, but there could still be enemies elsewhere in the dungeon.

  Likewise, their leader naturally remained alert. The battle was over, but that was no excuse for a lapse in vigilance.

  “How far have we come? I’d like to see the map, if I may.”

  “Oh, certainly. I’m still in the middle of mapping… Hold on a second.”

  High Priestess, startled out of a reverie by Female Wizard’s request, quickly dug through her bag.

  She produced a notebook made from a sheaf of sheepskin paper with grids scratched on it. She used a writing instrument to connect the little boxes, marking out the new burial chamber. She enjoyed work like this precisely because of her inability to see. Although she couldn’t be quite as proud of her skills as she once was.

  “Two long, two wide…”

  “There may be a hidden door. We’ll have to check later.”

  “Right. I’ll prepare Holy Light…” High Priestess nodded at Bugman Monk then passed the map book to Female Wizard. “Here. I think we’re just about in the middle of the ninth floor.”

  “Thanks.” Female Wizard smiled and took it then trotted over to their leader.

  He scrutinized his blade, inspecting the rivets on the hilt then examined his armor. He sighed as Female Wizard came to show him the map with all the pride of a child displaying her drawing.

  High Priestess smiled at the way Female Wizard pouted, as if saying, I’m the elder here, you know!

  Truly, greater demons were not to be underestimated. But they who had braved their way to the ninth level of this maze were experienced veterans of the hack and slash.

  “Even so,” High Priestess said, letting out a soft ah of relief as she focused her attention on each of the four walls of the burial chamber. She placed a hand on her not-yet-ample chest. “I’m so glad it wasn’t goblins…”

  Her voice was so soft that no one else heard it, and then it sank into the darkness of the labyrinth.

  “Hrkpf…?!”

  A splash of water flew up and drenched Priestess where she stood on the boat. The spray got into her eyes, and it was all she could do to cling to the side, struggling not to get washed away. The water made even the rail slick, though, and the moment she realized this, her hand had already slipped away.

  Her feet went out from under her, and she floated in midair for an instant. A second later, she fell.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Oh yes…!”

  A gloved hand reached out casually and grasped her small arm hard enough to hurt.

  “You are wearing your mail?”

  He had a cheap metal helmet; grimy leather armor; a small, round shield on his arm; and a sword of a strange length at his hip. He stood firmly on the deck in boots he had chosen for this purpose, supporting her sturdily.

  “You may drown if you fall overboard. Walk carefully.”

  “…Right.” Priestess nodded several times in acknowledgment of Goblin Slayer’s words. She let him pull her back to her feet, then once again, she grasped the rope tied to the side of the ship.

  They were in the middle of a storm.

  Thunderheads had piled up; rain lashed at her face like a hail of stones; the wind was cutting, the sea violent, and the waves deadly.

  Amid the raging storm, a great writhing shadow fixed its gaze on Priestess.

  “MMUUUUUANNDDDAAAAA!!”

  The creature with its body coiled, baring its fangs, with the dark sea-bottom’s gold for scales, was a sea serpent. A follower of Chaos, bent on upsetting the order of the oceans. A Non-Prayer Character!

  “Just a second, Orcbolg! What do you think you’re doing?!”

  For a high elf, the crazily tilting deck of a ship was just like a tree swaying in the breeze. With agility and lightness beyond that of any human, High Elf Archer jumped from one spot to another, loosing arrows. The bud-tipped bolts flew toward the sea serpent as quick as magic.

  Every one of them, though, slid on the slime covering the creature’s scales, bouncing off in some other direction. High Elf Archer ground her teeth, realizing she’d done no damage.

  “That’s a bad roll…! Think I should stock up on some iron-tipped ones?”

  “What about your pride as an elf?! Just keep shooting and distract it, already!”

  “You don’t have to tell me! You just do something to help, already!”

  “Blast it all! I’m tryin’ t’think of something!”

  A short distance away from the elf, who was shouting and twitching her long ears, Dwarf Shaman held fast to the side of the ship as well. He was a spell caster and a dwarf, so he was plenty stubborn, and even he was at a loss in this situation. He doubted how much effect either Stone Blast or Fear would have on the massive snake…

  It hardly mattered, because it was all he could do to hang on to his bag of catalysts.

  “Hrm.” Goblin Slayer kicked the harpoon by his foot over to Lizard Priest then picked up another for himself. The projectile hurtled through the air, a brave throw, and lodged in the skin of the sea serpent. The ooze that covered the monster was enough to deflect an arrow, but it wasn’t much by way of defense.

  A foul yellow liquid went spewing into the sea; Goblin Slayer watched it from insid
e his helmet.

  A sea serpent, though, is a sea serpent. The wound was hardly fatal.

  “MUUUUUNNND!!”

  The creature gave a great cry and buried its fangs in the prow of the party’s vessel. Wood splintered with loud cracks as the ship began to be dragged down into the sea before their very eyes.

  If they were pulled into the storm-ravaged waters, they couldn’t expect to reach land again. They would simply be added to the number of the dead.

  “Oh, e-eeek…!” Priestess was thrown off-balance by a crashing wave and tried desperately to think of anything she could do.

  There was always at least one thing. She could pray.

  So Priestess bit her lip, standing as firm as she could on the tossing deck. That was not, in fact, very firm; but she quieted her heart and clutched her sounding staff imploringly.

  “O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land grant safety to we who are weak!”

  It was a miracle.

  A force field of sacred energy appeared without a sound, tearing the sea serpent from the ship. The blessed hand of the compassionate Earth Mother could reach even to the open waters of the sea.

  “N-now!”

  “Indeed! River-Walker, Mosasaurus, see my deeds!” Lizard Priest was quick to put his power on full display. Supporting himself on his tail, he lunged forward with the claws of his feet outstretched, his shoulder flexing visibly as he flung the harpoon.

  His technique was not as refined as Goblin Slayer’s, but he threw with immense strength—with all the power of a lizardman, the descendent of the fearsome nagas.

  The missile struck home, biting much deeper than the last one.

  “MUANNDDAAADA?!?!” the sea serpent howled, wheeling around. Right after one wave subsided, the monster smacked its tail into the ocean, throwing up another massive surge of water toward the party.

  “Aww!” High Elf Archer groaned, shaking her soaked head like a dog. Then, though it offered no real rest and didn’t provide any extra breathing room, they found themselves the briefest of respites. They couldn’t let it go to waste.

  Seawater was flowing mercilessly into the ruined prow of their ship. The craft tilted ever more severely; if they couldn’t take care of the snake, there would soon be no hope for them.