Book 6 Chapter 24

Chapter 148

“If you want to escape safely, don’t lose sight of my back and follow me.”

The city streets were asleep in an enchanted fog.

Visibility was at its worst, making it impossible to see beyond 10 meters; there was not a single star in the sky, let alone the moon.

Caw, caw, caw…… If not for the eerie and unpleasant cawing of crows, the world would have been filled with an unsettling silence.

“What exactly is this fog……?”

Following the Goblin Slayer, I tried to dispel the fog with Bell Kyerius, but even burning it again and again, it was endless.

It was a perfect combination of chant-type Altigma, amplification-type Delbeishurts, and forbidden-type Orbios, so flawless it inspired awe for the spellcaster…… This combination was infinitely multiplying the fog.

My general abilities had dwindled to near zero, and the fact that I couldn’t even use Bell Kyerius freely meant this was the worst possible environment for me.

‘I think I’ve seen something similar before, but when and where was it? This combination of spells seems almost specifically designed to counter Bell Kyerius…….’

Since it was a fog constructed by magic, it was impossible to see beyond it even with Bell Sidius; in short, if I used my demonic eyes, numbers like 010100101 would obscure my vision, making me see nothing.

“No time to be spacing out.”

At that instant, the brothel on the corner shattered, and a giant figure burst out of the dust cloud, simultaneously swinging a greatsword.

It was an ambush that erased even the intent to kill in the fog, yet Goblin Slayer countered the attack with absurd speed and precision.

He parried the greatsword with the edge of his shield, creating friction, then sparks flew as he plunged into its embrace and thrust his blade into its neck.

“Don’t look at me like that. He’s dead anyway.”

As Goblin Slayer thrust the tip of his sword into the heart of the giant, who was still vigorously writhing despite being stabbed in the neck, the cawing of crows was heard, and the giant’s movements ceased.

“These guys are crows at their core. Adventurers whose bodies have been taken over.”

That wasn't the end of the assault, but Goblin Slayer’s skill wasn't limited to that either.

With movements as smooth as flowing water, he subdued enemies emerging from the fog, harmoniously using daggers, shortswords, and shortbows; it was master-level artistry that simply elicited admiration.

When the first assassin hit by a dagger knelt, he drew a longsword from its waist and slashed the thigh of the second warrior, making him fall. Before the third woman could open her grimoire and cast a spell, he embedded an arrow in her shoulder.

The horrific part was that each time, crows crawled out of their hearts…… Goblin Slayer called them Corpse Crows.

- Rin.

Looking at Goblin Slayer’s back, a nostalgic figure inexplicably came to mind. But I immediately shook my head, dismissing it. That person died 300 years ago.

“Behind you!”

I hurled a fireball at a warrior who was approaching Goblin Slayer from behind as he finished off a mage.

“G-ahh-ah.”

The flames instantly incinerated not only the enemy’s body but also the crow inside it. Goblin Slayer nodded and gestured.

“This way, hurry!”

I ran after him.

Past the half-demolished wall, over muddy paths where rainwater rose to my ankles, past a warehouse piled high with beer barrels, and into the inner wall of the fortress.

“How do you find your way so well?”

“It’s nothing special after stumbling through underground paths while hunting a few thousand goblins. Goblin dens are actually harder.”

As he said that, Goblin Slayer pulled out two daggers hanging from his shoulder and threw them beyond the fog. Immediately, someone was heard falling.

Huh, that’s really amazing…….

Who exactly is he?

It seems he didn’t reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship but rather ascended to the ranks of masters through the harmonious use of various equipment. Saying he only hunted a few thousand goblins felt like a lie, no matter how I looked at it.

“Landkeef has four gates. Three are city gates guarded by gatekeepers, but they’re closed now that it’s late at night.”

“The other one?”

“A secret gate to the southeast. We’ll exit through there to the Red Mountains.”

“The Red Mountains, that’s─”

“─Shh.”

At that moment, Goblin Slayer pulled my shoulder, drawing me into the shadow of a vine-covered wall.

As I realized why, my lips trembled. A dozen or so people, their armor clanking, immediately ran down the alley in front of us.

Now I had no choice but to admit it. The Black Church was definitely hunting me. I spoke in a hushed voice.

“Are those guys looking for me too? How many of them are there?”

“Detailed explanations later.”

After how much pushing through the fog, the secret gate soon appeared, but dozens of crows with glowing dark blue eyes were flying above it.

“Wait a moment.”

Goblin Slayer quietly approached a building that seemed almost stuck to the city wall. It looked like a shed used by soldiers, and a huge padlock secured it.

“……!”

That’s when one of the crows spotted us. At its chilling cry, other crows also glared at our location, and a cold sweat broke out on my back.

Is that also part of the sorcery……?

The runes used were completely different, but their structural system was remarkably similar to Ludien’s, creating a chilling sense of déjà vu.

“Bell Kyerius.”

Perhaps due to the fog, my vision distorted strangely, and I felt dizzy, but now that we had been detected, I couldn’t leave them be.

As soon as seven pure white petals bloomed in my eyes, which observed the realm of providence, the enemies disintegrated into ashes in transcendent flames.

As my brain burned white and I clutched my forehead amidst the recoil of blood flowing from my eyes, Goblin Slayer spoke.

“Come in, quickly.”

In the meantime, he had fiddled with a wire a few times, easily unlocking the padlock. He carefully opened the door and then gestured to me.

“Here?”

There was a large trapdoor on the building floor. Goblin Slayer gripped the trapdoor’s handle with both hands.

“The sewer. It’s the only way to safely exit Landkeef right now.”

As soon as the trapdoor opened, the stench of decaying excrement assailed my nose, causing an instinctive repulsion…… but with the enemy’s identity unknown, there was no other choice.

Due to the incessant rain over the past few days, the sewage flowing along the sewer floor had risen to waist height and even turned into a torrent.

Goblin Slayer, who had fashioned a torch with flint, led the way, illuminating the darkness above the water’s surface. Shwaaaah, the sound of the raging torrent was so loud that we couldn’t even talk properly.

“Hey, how much further do we have to go?”

“Shut your mouth, unless you want to swallow sewage.”

“Sigh……”

Just then, when I almost fell several times, Aki, waking from her happy sleep, seemed to be muttering in her sleep, then suddenly opened her eyes.

“Huh……?”

Then, seeing the waves of sewage pushing in from behind, she burst into giggles and started struggling to get out of Celesia’s swaddling cloth.

“No, no, stop it! Aki, sit, no, stay still……!”

“Da-boot!”

“Wait, Aki, wait! I said wait!”

“Nungji, nungji, nungji.”

I went through all that trouble washing this one, and I have to do it again? I’d rather die.

My head was spinning.

As the fishy stench of the sewer and Aki’s mischief filled my lungs with gagging breaths up to my chin, I saw the water surface sparkling in the distance.

Light was shining through.

The sewer pipe ended above a ford belonging to a tributary of the Darcel River, which flowed almost through the southwestern part of the empire, and as soon as I threw myself into it, how clear and refreshing it was…….

Aki, too, was overjoyed, laughing “out, aboo!” while Pipi pecked furiously at my head for having splashed cold water on her.

“Sorry, I’m sorry! I was wrong, please stop!”

Perhaps I looked pitiful, as Goblin Slayer shook his head with a short sigh and offered me his hand.

“Here.”

I grabbed his hand, and as we climbed out of the rapidly swollen ford to the water’s edge, Pipi tilted her head.

“Who? Who? Who?”

“He’s a guide, for now…… So what? You’re going to the Red Mountains? Why go there? Are the witches there?”

Crossing the Red Mountains would allow entry into the Republic without passing through the border.

“It’s not a destination, but a route. As you can see, we can’t take the usual path.”

As if to say ‘seeing is believing’, Goblin Slayer pointed his gauntleted thumb at the sky above Landkeef. A chill ran down my spine the moment I saw it.

Crows.

Countless crows…… were circling ominously in the veil of rain, cawing sinisterly.

That wasn’t all.

In the midst of that flock of crows, a massive winged shadow…… was seen emitting eerie eye-beams from its three wriggling eyeballs.

“What is that…….”

If Bell Sidius can’t analyze its abilities, it means it’s not dark magic but something with a physical form.

Grrr, a tense hostility emanated from Aki’s body as she bared her fangs and rumbled in her throat.

“We need to move to a place where the crows’ eyes can’t reach. That’s why the Red Mountains are the route.”

“Won’t it be the same if we go by mountain path?”

“Who said we’re just going by mountain path? It’s a cave path.”

“What kind of cave path?”

“Cave paths dug by monsters like goblins or rat-spiders. I’m an expert in that area. Follow me.”

As if the choice was mine, Goblin Slayer walked towards the red-waving mountain range that filled the horizon.

Looking alternately at his back and the flock of crows howling above Landkeef, I…….

‘The reason the Witch’s Association is looking for me must be related to the Black Church.’

I could ignore this and rush our journey, but if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stay in any city or town. We’d keep getting attacked like today.

‘So, let’s follow him for now…….’

Because once I hear from the witches about this phenomenon and the enemies targeting me, I might find a solution.

And didn’t the water dragon Yeriserika advise me to do just that? To find the little ghost.

‘This journey has been extraordinary right from the start…….’

Leaving the crows’ cries behind, I scratched my rain-soaked back of the head and followed Goblin Slayer.

We walked almost running all night.

We crossed a meadow where waist-high overgrown grass drooped heavily with rainwater and passed through a dense forest of cedar trees emitting a fishy scent. By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, the rain had stopped, and moonlight was pouring down.

Goblin Slayer quickly found a hidden cave path among the bushes, using traces like animal and monster droppings and footprints.

“Judging by the traces, there should be about thirty inside, but it’s no problem. Let’s go. If we pass through here, we’ll be able to exit to the southwestern mountainside.”

Leading my tired body, I was about to follow him into the cave path, but I suddenly stopped.

A peculiar question arose.

Normally, I would have overlooked it…… no, it was a question I had felt ever since escaping the city earlier.

“Why does someone as incredibly skilled as you use such a strange nickname?”

“Strange nickname?”

“Goblin Slayer.”

“What about it?”

“So, why do you use it?”

As I tilted my head with a truly innocent question, Goblin Slayer flinched and stiffened. Of course, his expression was hidden by his helmet.

“Why don’t you try to guess?”

“Ah, I see. You use it to be funny, right?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Goblins are the lowest-tier monsters, with extremely few reported damages even in the Alliance. They’re mere creatures for fresh rookies to receive subjugation quests for. But ‘Slayer’?”

Doesn’t the nickname “Slayer” typically get attached to those who have hunted extremely powerful beings?

Like Dragon Slayer, Arthur Brius, who desecrated divinity by killing eleven wyverns 500 years ago, or Demon Slayer, Kassel Lingkan, who was active during the turmoil 300 years ago…….

The thought of Frieda saying funny nicknames leave a good impression in people’s memories, and how she bestowed the epithet ‘Witch of Ash’ upon Toureina, made me a little sad.

“If the goal is to amuse and make the opponent drop their guard, wouldn’t something like ‘Squirrel Slayer’ or ‘Shrew Slayer’ be better? ‘Goblin Slayer’ feels like neither here nor there.”

Puzzled, I asked again.

I wasn’t trying to laugh or anything; it was a genuinely innocent question, but I felt Goblin Slayer’s voice rise slightly.

“I am Goblin Slayer, a goblin─”

“─Ram-쥐, ram-쥐, ram-쥐.”

“─I take pride in exterminating─”

“─Ddatt-쥐, ddatt-쥐, ddatt-쥐.”

“─So, this is not a derogatory─”

“─Ddatt-Jji, Rae-Am-Jji!”

But Pipi flying around his face and teasing him the moment he opened his mouth was the problem.

To make matters worse, Aki imitating those words was so funny that I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. How could I resist?

Goblin Slayer, who had been trembling amidst the prank, suddenly lost his composure and burst out, his voice astonishingly clear.

“D-don’t laugh! What’s so funny?”

Then, at the moment he vigorously took off his helmet, which he had never removed even during the fierce struggle in the fog.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through for ten days looking for you guys? Forget thank you, you’re mocking me?!”

In that instant, my vast world of solitude was shaken to its core.

In that instant, I heard the sound of my broken soul’s second hand moving, and a thrill ran through my entire body.

In that instant, my heart, which had been frozen cold and dying since I woke from a long sleep, quietly awakened and began to leave its imprint.

‘A hallucination……?’

In the moonlight, amidst the humidity and temperature of a summer day, sweat-soaked silver hair gleamed faintly.

Beneath that hair, eyes held the color of gold, irises where a mischievous playfulness unique to rascals mingled with the pure warmth of the sun.

300 years ago, everyone was drawn as if bewitched by those sincere and kind eyes. Even the Archmage Rin was captivated by that pure beauty which filled and overwhelmed its surroundings with happiness.

‘That person is dead. Definitely dead, Yoshuhar said so too.’

It was a gaze in an echoing silence. A face I could never forget in my lifetime.

It was ‘you’, whom I had never forgotten for a single moment.

Perhaps that’s why I unconsciously called out ‘your’ name, ‘your’ name that shouldn’t exist in this era, couldn’t exist.

“Rista……?”