Light Novel Volume 8

'''Goblin Slayer! Volume 8''' is the eighth novel of the Goblin Slayer series.

Official Synopsis
He does not let anyone roll the dice.

''Sword Maiden requests Goblin Slayer and his party to escort her to the royal capital as rumor has it that packs of wolf-mounted goblins inhabit the route there. However, there are whispers of an ill omen within the capital; then, whether by fate or by chance, the party arrives at a massive, eerie abyss known as the Dungeon of the Dead...''
 * - Yen Press

Chapters

 * Chapter 1: The Prime of Youth, Now Ashes
 * Chapter 2: Beard-Cutter Goes to the Southern Sea
 * Chapter 3: The Slayer of Goblins Goes to the Capital
 * Interlude: Of the Hoyden Who Wanted to Go on an Adventure
 * Chapter 4: City Adventure
 * Interlude: Of How There Is No Use Crying over Spilled Milk
 * Chapter 5: Master Scene: Behind-the-Scenes Actors
 * Interlude: Of Wondering Whose Master Scene It Had Been
 * Chapter 6: The Princess’s Ordeal
 * Chapter 7: The Pulse of Demonbirth
 * Interlude: Of How Cosmic Horror Is Not the Enemy of Swords and Sorcery
 * Chapter 8: The Heart of the Maelstrom
 * Chapter 9: Goblin Hand, Sign of Destruction
 * Interlude: Of How It’s Better Than Dragon Slaying, Probably
 * Chapter 10: O My Prayers, Have You Reached Heaven?

Chapter 1
A young Sword Maiden and her party battle two greater demons in a dungeon whom are attacking the party with powerful ice magic. Sword Maiden casts protection to shield the party, but it will only hold out against the attacks for so long. She, along with her mentor, Bugman Monk, turn the tide of the battle with a Silence miracle so powerful that it even renders the demons unable to cast magic. Without their magic, they become easy pickings for the party's warriors and wizard. Coming out victorious, they refer to and update their map, with Sword Maiden breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't goblins they met.

Chapter 2
In the middle of a raging storm, Goblin Slayer's party battle a large sea serpent aligned with Chaos. After Dwarf Shaman casts a Water Walk spell on the sea serpent, it suffocates and is unable to retreat back into the water. With the monster's entire body exposed, High Elf Archer finishes it off by firing an arrow through its eye.

Upon returning to the Adventurer's Guild, Goblin Slayer expresses disappointment at how the "sea goblins" the quest referred to were not actually goblins. The party split the reward from the gillmen, consisting of pearls, corals, a tortoiseshell, several shells and a white helix. After arriving at the farmhouse, Goblin Slayer, who had taken a shell, gave it to Cow Girl as a gift. They expected a normal day to follow that night, but that would not be the case.

Chapter 3
During a routine patrol around the farm, Goblin Slayer came across a young employee of the guild who requested his presence. Sword Maiden, who was waiting at the guild, informs him of tattooed goblin riders appearing on a highway near the Capital. This prompts Goblin Slayer's party and Sword Maiden take a carriage toward the Capital. When the group camped for the night, Sword Maiden experiences a flashback of her ordeal with goblins, but is consoled by Goblin Slayer. When the two sense the presence of goblins, Priestess wakes up the rest of the party and the adventurers kill all of the goblins before dawn. When Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest cut open the goblins, they are perplexed by how their stomachs were full despite the fact that they were a wandering tribe travelling without provisions.

After several days, the group lines up outside the gates of the capital. A group of royal knights have them present identification and proceed to interrogate them, but immediately let them through upon noticing Sword Maiden. Once the paperwork was finished, the group enters the bustling capital.

Interlude
Inside her room, a girl expresses frustration over how her brother is able to travel while she is forced to stay inside and not become an adventurer like he was. Her servant tries to tell her bad things came with adventuring, but the girl remains convinced that she deserved to go outside and see things for herself instead of having people decide things for her. When her brother returns home, she gives him a warm greeting so that he will never suspect she will sneak out.

Chapter 4
As the group toured the capital, they arrive at a temple of the Supreme God and are offered hospitality. Priestess asks Goblin Slayer for permission to go somewhere, and he allows her to go under the supervision of High Elf Archer. With the party split into groups of three and two, the men end up at The Golden Knight tavern, a bustling restaurant filled with adventurers. Goblin Slayer notes how they have not been focused on goblin slaying lately, and admits their adventure at sea and bodyguard duty were fun, much to Lizard Priest's and Dwarf Shaman's surprise. However, he adds that the shadow of goblins was close by on both occasions, and figures such adventures weren't his duty as Goblin Slayer. In response, Dwarf Shaman tells him about how nobody has found a perfect way to smith a sword, and that it was fine to live without knowing how. Lizard Priest tells Goblin Slayer that even beasts of the field cannot live exactly the way they want, and the same goes for people; to worry and to feel lost were perfectly reasonable. Remembering the time Burglar kicked him into an icy lake, Goblin Slayer recalls that if he hadn't kicked to stay afloat, he wouldn't have been here now. With that, Goblin Slayer admits that the two of them are right. In a graveyard, Priestess kneels in front of Wizard's tombstone and apologizes for taking so long. She tells that she'll keep hunting goblins even with the skittish behavior she was scolded for, and that she met her younger brother. When High Elf Archer asks if all her former party members are gone, Priestess reveals that one of them was alive, but adds that she does not have enough courage to go see her. To lighten the mood, High Elf Archer takes her to a public bathing facility, and the two bathe together. When High Elf Archer goes for a short break, a girl who looked similar to Priestess comes up to her; after learning that Priestess was an adventurer, the girl inquires into her class, rank and equipment. Before the girl leaves, Priestess advises her to prepare if she was going to become and adventurer, which the girl takes into consideration. When High Elf Archer and Priestess go to get changed, the latter discovers that her equipment, vestments and chainmail were missing. After reporting to a nearby employee, they learn that someone had stolen Priestess' possessions. The loss of her mail, the first thing Goblin Slayer praised her for, makes Priestess break into tears.

When the group learns of the theft, Sword Maiden suggests Goblin Slayer to comfort Priestess, before handing him a book about the Dark Gods and their symbols. He declines, and elaborates by stating all things become lost, like the knife his father promised to give him when he grew up. Before leaving, Sword Maiden promises to bring up the theft in her council with The King. Goblin Slayer found no entry in the book that featured the symbol on the piece of goblin skin. He figures that the thief was like a goblin, and concludes that one must be prepared at all times.

Interlude
The princess realizes how important the chain mail was to Priestess, and begins to feel guilt for stealing what belonged to her. She goes to sleep in the stables of The Golden Knight, but the thought of Priestess' crying face haunted her mind through the night.