I Will Eventually Embark On The Path Of No Return Called A Hero

[Arc5] - 9. No Lying Allowed!

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"I surrender!"

When Meliodas held a long sword that seemed utterly mismatched with his body against his own neck, Zaratras quickly and decisively admitted defeat.

This wasn't even a fair fight. It was a complete and overwhelming victory. He could feel the demonic-like bloodlust, yet Meliodas' eyes remained clear and without malice. At this point, no amount of stubbornness could salvage his pride.

"Are you kidding me? This is the second time now—Liones Kingdom's Great Holy Knight has been thoroughly defeated twice!"

"There's nothing I can do about it. I just seem stronger."

Meliodas kindly extended a hand to Zaratras, who, without any airs, grabbed it and stood up.

"I could recommend you to become a Holy Knight serving under the king—no, under Princess Elizabeth."

"Oh, oh! That would be a great help." The smile on Meliodas' face brightened.

"But before that, could you satisfy my curiosity?" Zaratras rubbed his chin, glancing between Meliodas and Cyd. "I'd really love to see a match between you two. I'm curious just how powerful you both are."

"Haa... It sounds like a hassle. I refuse," Cyd, standing by the windowsill, propped his chin on his hand as he gazed at the view of Liones' royal castle.

"Really? Lord Meliodas seems quite eager."

"Mm." Cyd turned to look at Meliodas, who indeed seemed very excited, as Zaratras said. "You're not the battle-crazed type, right?"

"Of course not. I'm a pacifist." Meliodas stretched a bit. Though he kept smiling, his previously lighthearted tone grew more serious and solemn. "There's something I want to confirm. And... I'd like to make a promise with you."

Meliodas lifted his head. Despite his youthful appearance, there was an indescribable sense of weariness and sorrow on his face.

"In the future, if something like that happens again, I want you to stop me... or kill me."

Cyd silently observed Meliodas, his left hand hidden in his sleeve slowly clenching into a fist.

"Whoa, whoa, why is the mood suddenly so heavy?" Zaratras, waving his arms to break the tension, called out. "This is just a friendly match! The loser treats everyone to a midnight snack."

"Oh dear, that's a problem—I don't have a penny on me right now." Meliodas scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin, as if he hadn't just said something so weighty.

"No worries, our Great Holy Knight has already lost. This match is just to bring it to a proper conclusion."

"Eh!" Zaratras' eyes widened as he exclaimed in disbelief. "Am I counted in too? I just got my salary! If I treat you two, I'll have nothing left!"

"Well, you were the one who suggested it," Cyd shrugged, waving Meliodas over as he glanced back. "Get ready for a full-course banquet when we return."

With that, Cyd didn't give Zaratras any chance to protest and jumped out the window.

"No... My salary..."

"You probably earned that from working part-time while skipping shifts anyway," Meliodas, standing on his toes, patted Zaratras on the shoulder with a comforting smile. "I once saw a Holy Knight working part-time, pulling off ten jobs a day. You'll be able to do it one day too. Then, you can treat us to full-course banquets all the time."

"That's not comforting at all! And why does something about what you're saying feel off? You two are paid Holy Knights!"

Zaratras, frustrated, bounced around in place, but Meliodas had already run off chasing after Cyd.

After a while, Zaratras' shoulders drooped in defeat.

"Haaa~ Seriously, I feel like I'll be mentally and physically exhausted from now on with these two…"

"They both have quite the backstory, don't they?"

"By the way, Meliodas, how old are you? You look young, but you give off the vibe of someone who's been through a lot."

"It's quite rude to ask a man his age."

"That's a woman's line. Also, even if it's a woman, I'd still ask without hesitation."

"They'll either get angry or give you a fake age."

"The latter isn't an option."

"You're confident, huh? So, a hundred percent chance they'll get angry? Hahaha…"

Though Meliodas and Cyd appeared to be joking around like old friends, their interactions weren't exactly casual. Punches sent each other crashing into the ground like it was no big deal.

At first, Cyd thought he'd go easy, but Meliodas picked up a stick and slashed at his face. Cyd instinctively dodged, and the mountain behind him was split in half.

This world was absurdly unreasonable. The strength of its inhabitants was monstrous, yet the world itself was strangely normal. Any day now, it felt like these beings would tear it apart.

After internally grumbling, Cyd stopped holding back. He realized Meliodas didn't seem human—at least no human could regenerate a shattered arm in less than three seconds. So, Cyd went all out.

Meliodas was deeply troubled. He had only wanted to test if Cyd's rising power, influenced by the sun, matched someone he once knew. But after noon, the power continued to rise, and he knew he had made a mistake. However, admitting defeat was impossible for Meliodas—he still had his pride.

Yet, Cyd's body was unbelievably tough. Even using full strength, Meliodas could only knock him back. On the other hand, Cyd's destructive power was astonishing. His strange fighting style destroyed anything it touched, as if it was designed solely for killing.

But, Cyd's eyes held no trace of having taken a life, even though every strike could be lethal.

As the sun began to set, ending their sparring match, they sat back to back in a place that once had been mountainous, now reduced to a flat plain, watching the sun dip below the horizon.

"You're truly remarkable. I've never met anyone like you." Covered in rags, Meliodas shook his head with a radiant smile, his mood as bright as his golden hair.

"I've never met anyone like you either." Cyd rubbed his aching joints and let out a long breath. "By the way, you're not human, are you?"

"…I'm a demon. The Demon King's son... Uh!?" Meliodas blinked. It seemed he had just revealed something incredible.

He turned around stiffly, only to see Cyd's face contorting slightly from what looked like a stomach ache.

"The Demon Clan... That's the one that fought the Goddess Clan a few thousand years ago, wreaking havoc across the continent?"

"I-I was on the Goddess Clan's side back then!"

"A traitor, huh…" Cyd slowly covered his face, feeling that this childlike guy was bound to bring a ton of trouble.

"We'll need to talk about this... and we can't let Zaratras or anyone else know. Not even Bartra."

"Yeah, I understand." Meliodas nodded earnestly. He was even more concerned about this than Cyd, because the secret he had kept for thousands of years had just slipped out in a matter of seconds.