Chapter 1: Relaxation and Reflection

Much like any other night, the guild of the frontier town was alive with activity. With the town caught in winter's unforgiving grasp, it only made sense for adventurers to flock together after dark, telling stories and comparing their deeds. In an occupation that regularly involved injury, despair and even death, the bonds between teammates were a fragile yet invaluable thing that had to be natured. For that reason, the after-work drinking was almost as important as the adventuring itself.

In the corner of the guild's small tavern, a girl of sixteen nursed a cup of lemon water. Blonde hair fell from her head, her body wrapped in a white gown. Beside her, a large lizardman tore into his dinner, his tail wagging like an excited puppy's as cheese hung from his massive fangs. And at the other end of the table…

"And that's another thing!" A green-haired elf slammed her mug on the table with such force that the cutlery jumped. "I wouldn't be doing all these goblin quests if they weren't all that's left! Can you believe it? No one here needs a dragon slain or a merchant guarded! It's just goblins, goblins, goblins!" She took another long drink, her face flushed crimson and her long ears twitching.

"Ah, give it a rest, lass," said her neighbour, a dwarf with a long white beard and a thick coat. He gave her a hard pat on the back and let out a thick laugh. "Of course there's nothing being offered: It's nearly the new year! I would have thought elves would be a little more patient!"

"Well, can you blame me?" High Elf Archer turned to face Dwarf Shaman and scowled. "If I have to fight another goblin, I swear…"

Priestess let out an exhausted sigh. She'd been adventuring with the group for just over a year, more than enough time to get used to their constant banter. They'd been like this since the elf's first drink: Although her aiming skills were second to none, her alcohol tolerance was pathetically low. One cup of fire wine and she became a completely different person.

"Hey…" She turned to the large lizardman. "They've been at this for a while. Should we stop them?"

Lizard Priest swallowed his bite of cheese sausage and shook his head.

"I believe we should simply leave them to it. Interfering won't get us anywhere."

Priestess nodded. Given the situation, it would probably be better to let them tucker themselves out. Besides, she had more important things on her mind.

He's been gone for some time…

There was a vacant fifth chair at their table. Their leader should have been with them, drinking, eating and talking about today's (Goblin-slaying) quest. However, he had ordered them to start without him and had gone to file the quest's report. That had been at least twenty minutes ago.

Honestly…

Priestess downed the last of her drink and stood up. High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman stopped their feud to turn to her.

"Eh? Where are you going?" The elf asked, wobbling in her seat.

"I'm going to look for Goblin Slayer," Priestess replied.

"That's not a bad idea," Lizard Priest said, wiping his large maw with his napkin. "It is unlike him to be this late."

"I bet he's gone to file another goblin quest and leave us behind! It'd be just like him to do something like that!"

The dwarf hauled the petite elf to her feet and gently pulled her away from the table. She gave a little cry and tried to pull away, but to no avail. Physical strength was another of her weak points.

"Come on, Long-ears…" He muttered. "We'd best get you some fresh air. C'mon, slowly… This way…"

The way he was leading her, almost like a father and a disobedient child, made Priestess giggle. Before she could get distracted from her task, she pushed her chair into the table and walked into the sea of roosting adventurers.

He has to be here somewhere…

The first place she searched was the reception desk, her idea being that he was still writing the report. He wasn't there. She checked the shared restroom, nervously knocking on the stall doors. She received several cries of "Occupied!" but his voice wasn't among them. She even peeked up the stairs that lead to the guestrooms. Still no Goblin Slayer. Before long, she had walked around the entire tavern three times and he had to show up.

"Goblin slayer?"

No reply.

"Goblin slayer!"

Priestess stopped herself from shouting a third time. Her cries would only be consumed by the ever-growing din of the guild's chatter, making it a waste of breath. People from all walks of life were here: Huge men with swords the size of her body, experienced rangers with charisma and swagger… Sad as it was, there was no way she could make herself heard amongst the all-consuming noise.

"Oh, are you looking, for someone?"

Priestess would have recognised that voice anywhere. She turned to find a tall beauty sitting alone, smoking a long pipe. A tall black hat was perched atop her head and purple locks hung lazily down her back. Her black gown had a large opening in the front, which when aided by her relaxed position and sizable chest, didn't leave a lot to the imagination.

"Yes, I'm looking for Goblin Slayer. Have you seen him anywhere?"

The older woman didn't answer at first. Instead, she tapped lightly at her pipe and took a long, relaxed drag. When she removed it from her lips, a long trail of smoke danced into the air, then slowly petered away.

"Yes, I did. My partner took him, to talk…"

To talk? If it's Goblin Slayer, it can only be one thing…

Witch gestured towards the empty seat beside her. Priestess looked at it, then peered at the other end of the room. High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman had returned, the former flopped across the table, drooling. She didn't think she would be missed if she stayed a little longer. And besides, it would be just as rude to ignore her senior's request: She had invited her after all.

When she sat down, Priestess noticed the white liquid that Witch was drinking. She was nursing it slowly, sipping it in short bursts and letting out a quiet "Ah..." every time the glass left her lips. The bottle beside her had a picture of a church in the middle and the top was coated with silver; the text read "Private Select". Priestess was no expert on booze, but even she could tell this was expensive: It probably cost more than what she made in a week.

"You seem, stressed…"

"Eh?" Priestess perked up and shook her head. "No, I don't think I am."

"Oh, please…" Witch gave a little chuckle, moving her silk glove to her lips. "It's written all, over your face. Has he been, working you, too hard?"

"Um…" Priestess let out a little sigh escape her lips. "No, he hasn't. Not more than usual, anyway…"

Earlier today, the party had gone to investigate a Goblin's nest at an abandoned quarry. After fighting their way through the initial hoard and confirming there were no hostages, their leader came to a decision.

"We'll cause a cave-in."

And before anyone could argue, Goblin Slayer had ordered everyone out the way they came. He then lit a small explosive and tossed it into the nest. As the cave rumbled and the mouth belched out thick, foul-smelling smoke, the group slaughtered everything that tried to escape. They sliced the goblins open, pelted them with rocks, battered them, turned them into living targets… Even the children, goblins who could barely walk, who had not yet the chance to wrong anyone, received no mercy. It was just as they'd finished that the entire tunnel collapsed into a pile of rock. No one would be able to use it for some time.

Had it been anyone else, Priestess would have called this method cruel and excessive. But after everything the man had done, nothing could surprise her anymore. He had used a rare, almost one-of-a-kind scroll to take down a troll. He'd used explosives under a populated town. He'd even allowed himself to be swallowed by an avalanche…

He really does have no regard for his own well-being. One of these days he's going to get himself…

"Eh?"

Priestess found a filled glass pushed before her. Witch was sipping leisurely at hers and gave the girl a short nod as if to say What are you waiting for?

"Ah, thank you…"

Priestess took the glass and took a sip. The wine was a little bitter, but the flavour was strong and the liquid flowed easily, almost soothing her tongue as it went. It was much higher quality than the fire wine her party passed around during camp…

"Delicious, isn't it?"

"Yes. Thank you very much…"

They sat in silence for a while, taking sips of the wine and letting the activity around them continue. Already, Priestess felt her body relax, the alcohol tricking her body into a false but pleasant euphoria. She drank the last of it and pushed the glass back to Witch.

"When is Goblin Slayer…"

Witch quickly refilled the glass and passing it back. Priestess looked at it for a moment, shuffling uneasily.

"Thank you for the offer," She said. "But I really need to find Goblin Slayer."

The spell-caster frowned and let her head rest on her palm.

"Already? And I, was so, enjoying our talk…" She sighed and twirled a lock of hair with her index finger. "Have one more, please… It will help, you relax…"

Priestess scanned the tavern one more time. Still no sign of him. Surely one more glass wouldn't hurt.

Just one more. One more and that will be it. No more.

She put the glass to her lips and let the flavour make her body shiver. Witch had poured herself another and was swirling it around her glass. The way it moved, almost like a tiny whirlpool, was something to behold.

"So," Witch said with a smile. "Tell me, what is, bothering you?"

"And then he insisted on destroying the entire quarry!"

"Oh, my…"

One glass had turned into two and two had quickly turned into three. With every drop that graced her lips, an untapped courage only got stronger and Priestess told another of her mentor's exploits. Why shouldn't she tell Witch about her problems? She was more than willing to listen and there was no way she could tell someone in the party: they'd all become so used to his methods that they wouldn't bother to listen!

"I mean, I know it's what he does but…" Something wet graced her cheek. She ignored it and solidered on. "What if something happens? Every time he does something so reckless, he always ends up getting hurt. Sometimes, I worry he might not make it out at all…"

She sighed and let her heavy head rest on the table. After all her talking, she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her back. By all accounts, now that she had told someone how she truly felt, she should feel better. The problem was that she didn't. Was something wrong with her?

"What the hell?" Came a deep voice from above.

Priestess looked up. The cry's source was a tall man with ginger hair who donned shiny blue armour and a spear taller than his entire body. The man beside him, by contrast, wore grimy, cheap-looking armour. A sword of strange length hung from his waist and a small shield clung to his arm.

"What happened?" Goblin Slayer asked, his voice plain as ever.

"I'll tell ya what happened!" Spearman leant across the table and snatched the now-empty bottle. "These two have drunk my reward!"

Witch gave a dry chuckle and relit her pipe. Her passivity only seemed to anger her partner more, as he hid his face in his hand and let a groan escape through the cracks in his fingers.

"Not, true…" She said. "I was just helping her… relax…"

Despite her mind feeling clouded and hazy, Priestess had an epiphany. The wine she'd been drinking didn't belong to her: She'd just stolen someone else's reward!

Oh no…

What had she been thinking? This was a crime that could result in expulsion from the guild!

Oh no!

Well, she was not going to let herself get expelled: Not after the year of adventuring she'd done.

"I'm sorry!"

"E-Eh?"

She fell to the floor in front of Spearman, rear pointed to the ceiling, face hidden in her hands. This was the paradigm of begging: If this didn't work, nothing would.

"P-Please don't tell the receptionist! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

She dared to look up and saw a look of bafflement on Spearman's face. It quickly passed and he glared at Witch.

"You call this relaxed?" He said. "She looks like she can barely stand up!"

"N-No! I can! I'm sorry!"

Priestess hauled herself upwards and watched the world around her began to spin. Round and round and round it went, tipping and turning in all directions. It wasn't long before her legs gave way and she fell to the ground again.

"Ow…"

Before she could try again, Priestess felt something haul her upwards. Arms covered in armour caught her head and hooked her legs. She slowly ascended until she was face to face with her carrier, whose expression she couldn't quite pinpoint, thanks to his helmet.

"G-Goblin Slayer, sir?"

"You need some fresh air. I'll take you outside."

And before she could argue, Goblin slayer walked away from the table with his usual stride. Priestess peeked around his shoulder and watched the chaos left in her wake. Spearman was saying something to Witch, who didn't seem to be giving him the time of day. The moment her partner turned away, the spellcaster gave Priestess a secret wink: A gesture that nobody saw but her. Confused, flustered and scared for her very career, Priestess decided there was only one thing to do: Pray with every ounce of her innocent heart.

Oh, Earth mother, abounding in mercy, please forgive me for my grievous sins… Oh, Earth mother, abounding in mercy, please forgive me for my grievous sins…