Chapter 56: Goblin Slayer Wraps Up

Re-written date: 7 / 13 / 2025

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Chapter 56: Goblin Slayer Wraps Up

More people than ever had gathered in front of Saeki's log cabin today. The unusual buzz of activity made the man—currently clad in full armor and very much like a living corpse—feel restless and out of place.

And then, from a distant horse-drawn carriage, Edward stepped down.

The moment he arrived, the assembled adventurers all lit up with excitement. They already knew what was happening today—the final scene of Goblin Slayer would be shot, and once that was done, the film would be ready for release at any moment.

From afar, Edward glanced at the core cast—those who had played the lead roles in the film, including Daphne. They all looked tense and somewhat gloomy. It was clear that they'd formed a deep emotional bond with the movie. Maybe they had even started to identify with the characters they portrayed.

But no matter how attached one becomes to a story, every tale must eventually reach its end.

Edward, fully aware of that, ignored the mood and simply said, in his usual calm tone:

"Take this time to prepare properly. Don't get sloppy just because it's the final scene."

"…Yes, sir…"

Their weak responses made Edward sigh. Shaking his head, he turned toward Saeki.

"You've done a good job. This cabin's even cleaner than last time."

"…Mm."

Still shaken by the swarm of people crowding his quiet home, Saeki gave a stiff nod. Sensing this, Edward smiled and asked,

"By the way, where are the kids you adopted?"

"I had them stay in the city for now… since we're filming."

With that, Saeki led Edward inside the cabin. Waiting there was Eliza, seated like she'd been there for some time already. Given that she was an old friend and one of the few who knew Saeki's true identity, it made sense that he would allow her inside ahead of the others.

"The place is small," she said, half-defensive. "I didn't want to risk anyone messing up the set, so I had the other adventurers wait outside."

Edward, who could easily tell she just didn't want to deal with hearing the other adventurers gossiping about her, responded flatly:

"Either way, bring in the rest of the cast now."

The moment he said that, a large group of actors stumbled in from outside, visibly nervous. Today's scene was second only to the Adventurers' Guild in terms of scale, and as a result, there were so many people inside that it started to feel cramped.

Saeki glanced around and muttered with a sigh, "I'm… kind of worried about my furniture."

"We'll buy you a new set afterward."

Eliza replied with her usual blunt confidence, throwing around money like it meant nothing.

Edward just smiled and looked over the cast.

"All right then. As we discussed earlier, everyone here today will be part of this scene. You've had the script for a while now, so there shouldn't be any issues, right?"

"Of course not!"

The actors answered in unison, their voices firm and enthusiastic.

The excited voices of the adventurers reflected just how seriously they were taking this, and under Edward's direction, the final shoot began to take shape. With Eliza present to keep everyone in line, the usually chaotic adventurers were actually working in an unusually organized manner.

At last, just before the sun dipped below the horizon, everything was ready.

. . . . . . . . .

Night fell. The final scene of Goblin Slayer began.

In a green field, the adventurers lay hidden behind the shrubbery, lying in wait. In the distance, a group of goblins strolled boldly toward what appeared to be a poorly defended wooden cabin.

Just as the ambushing adventurers were about to spring into action, their expressions all shifted in shock.

The goblins were carrying a massive wooden board in front of them, using it like a makeshift shield. And strapped across the surface of that "shield"—were human girls, bound tightly and clearly intended to be used as literal human shields.

This was a scene straight from the original source material. In the original story, the girls were described as completely unclothed. But Edward, knowing full well he couldn't risk anything like that for the film, had the actresses wear clothes while still being tied up. The result was still disturbing, but at least it would be acceptable for public screening.

Faced with such a sight, the adventurers were visibly angry, but they held back. Once the goblins moved closer—close enough that escape was no longer an option—a strange scent suddenly drifted through the night air.

And the next instant, the frontmost goblins collapsed to the ground.

"Sleep spell."

It was part of Goblin Slayer's plan, one he'd come up with after studying goblin behavior. A hidden mage used a sleep enchantment at just the right moment to knock out the front line. Immediately afterward, the rest of the adventurers surged forward to rescue the girls.

What followed was a straightforward skirmish. According to the script, the heroes were to engage in battle and clear the area. Fighting at night was nothing new to these adventurers, so even though it was just a performance, they acted with serious focus and precision. Their "acting" was indistinguishable from real combat.

And with that, the story reached its climax:

The final battle—Goblin Slayer versus the Goblin Lord.

As for the actor playing the Goblin Lord?

No surprise—it was their familiar stand-in: a troll.

In fact, nearly every boss in Goblin Slayer had been portrayed by a troll. Over the course of production, Belldia had scoured countless monster dens across the northern region just to catch trolls for filming. There were even bizarre rumors spreading among monsters about a terrifying headless hunter who appeared out of nowhere to drag trolls away.

The result? The already scarce troll population had dropped even further. While not as endangered as goblins, trolls were still much rarer to begin with. In fact, several monster extermination requests had been temporarily removed from the Adventurers' Guild board due to a sudden lack of available troll targets.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the forest.

Realizing his carefully planned ambush had been completely seen through, the Goblin Lord abandoned his final gambit and bolted into the woods.

He understood.

If he could just escape—if he could just survive—then one day, he could rise again.

Just like that time, years ago, when his nest was raided and destroyed by a party of adventurers.

Back then, he was just a child. He should have been slain like the rest, but one female adventurer, seeing how young he was, hesitated—and in that moment of mercy, he had turned and driven a dagger into her gut.

That day, he learned the truth:

As long as you live, you can take back everything.

If he could survive and return to a nest—any nest—he could use the captured women to breed more goblins. And one day, yes, one day, he would wipe out humanity. All of it.

That was what the Goblin Lord told himself as he dashed through a secret escape tunnel, heart pounding with the hope of survival.

But the moment he thought he was in the clear, a shadow appeared before him—a presence so cold and resolute that his pupils shrank in sheer terror.

"I knew you'd try to run. You're a fool. That decoy force was obviously fake."

Stepping from the trees like a demon from hell, Goblin Slayer continued in a chilling tone:

"Your nest... no longer exists."

"———!"

With a roar of rage and panic, the Goblin Lord lunged at Goblin Slayer. His massive frame—rivaling a troll—completely overwhelmed the slender, human-sized slayer. His weapon, a battle axe far from ordinary, swung with deadly precision.

Despite all his experience, Goblin Slayer was not truly a silver-ranked adventurer. Under the Goblin Lord's sheer might, he was struck down hard.

The Goblin Lord, believing victory within reach, raised his weapon to deliver the final blow—only to be suddenly pinned in place by two walls of light that clamped tightly around him.

"O Great God of Light," came a voice from the shadows.

"Shine your sacred radiance. Protect the weak—Sanctuary Wall."

It was the Priestess.

Stepping out from cover, she chanted without hesitation. Her holy spell manifested two gleaming walls of energy that sandwiched the Goblin Lord, immobilizing him completely.

In that frozen moment, the small dagger Goblin Slayer had secretly stabbed into the Goblin Lord earlier was finally forced deep into his chest.

Pinned. Wounded. Trapped.

The Goblin Lord, for the first time, spoke in a trembling human tongue—crying out:

"I—I'm sorry! Please—I won't do it again! I'll go back to the forest— live peacefully— I swear—!"

But Goblin Slayer, slowly rising from the ground, said nothing.

He picked up his broken sword, stepped forward, and without pity or pause, plunged the blade deep into the Goblin Lord's throat.

"Goblin Lord?" he murmured.

"You're just another filthy goblin. And I am… Goblin Slayer."

Shhhhk—!

A spray of blood burst forth. The Goblin Lord collapsed.

And with that final strike, the battle in the forest came to an end.

The night was quiet.

And the movie Goblin Slayer was officially complete.