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

[Arc5] - 26. Someone, Dig a Pit, Bury the People!

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"Why do we have to go out on a mission so early in the morning? I'm still hungover! Isn't that right, Captain?"

"Yeah, yeah. Even though we're eager to gain recognition from everyone in the royal capital, we shouldn't push ourselves this hard. We still deserve basic rights! So, Bartra's request to at least let Meliodas and Princess Elizabeth say goodbye before we leave is your responsibility now, Vice-Captain."

"Let me tell you, the reason we're heading out so early is because of the ruckus you two caused last night!" Cyd suddenly turned around, grabbed their collars, and shook them vigorously.

At that moment, he deeply missed the time he spent taking care of Bell—such a well-behaved and obedient child, practically an angel. In comparison, these two constantly caused trouble, and the worst part was that he couldn't stop them.

But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least now, he looked much more ordinary. It felt like he'd never had companions to fight alongside and cause mischief with, so this was a fresh experience.

At least in front of these guys, he only needed to be a reliable Vice-Captain. He didn't need to think about anything else.

"Vice-Captain, you have to get used to it," Ban said, utterly insincerely, while being shaken back and forth. "By the way, Vice-Captain, what's in that box? You've been carrying it around."

"It's a tool to punish troublemakers like you who are having too much fun." Cyd snorted, letting go of Ban and Meliodas, one hand gripping the [Reforged Pandora] and the other on his hip.

"By the way, do you remember our mission this time?"

"Let me think..." Meliodas stroked his chin for a moment, then hit his right fist into his left palm. "Go back and play with Elizabeth."

"The mission! The mission! What about the most important mission?!"

"Huh? The Captain is unreliable, so I'll take it from here." Ban ruffled Meliodas' blonde hair with a smug face, but before he could say anything, his expression froze.

"Ban, you were sleeping like a pig at the time; how could you know?"

"And do you know, Diane?" Ban rolled his eyes and looked up at Diane, who had just undermined him.

"Uh, I don't know either..." Diane said, a little embarrassed, hiding her face with her hair. "I was really listening, but I didn't hear clearly."

"I understand, Diane is just too tall... Oh! Close one!" Ban jumped forward just in time, as Diane's foot stomped down where he'd been standing.

"Almost turned into a pancake."

"If you hadn't provoked Diane, you wouldn't have nearly become one. Stop causing trouble for the Vice-Captain." As usual, Merlin, who was dressed quite lightly, floated in the air, focused on the flask in her hand. Merlin seemed to be constantly researching, her curiosity as a woman fueling endless enthusiasm in this area.

Cyd's first impression of Merlin was that she was mature and reliable, but first impressions can be deceiving. Merlin's curiosity was so intense it bordered on that of a mad scientist. It wouldn't be surprising if one day she tried testing potions on the king.

Most troubling of all was that Merlin's current object of curiosity was Cyd.

"It's truly fascinating. At first, I thought the magic came from the bracer on your arm. But upon closer inspection, it's just a conduit—the power comes from you, yet somehow, it's not yours."

"Merlin, could you please stop circling me?" Cyd waved his hand, trying to dissuade Merlin from staring at him so intently, but she, like a cloud, dispersed slightly without leaving.

"Vice-Captain, women who approach you willingly are worthy of respect and incredibly beautiful. Pushing them away like that isn't very gentlemanly."

"If this beautiful woman wasn't looking at me like she wanted to dissect me, I'd be a bit gentler." Cyd glanced at the towering Escanor. During the day, Escanor's tone was full of confidence and pride, though his gaze toward Merlin was still as secretive as ever. The difference was, at night, Escanor would sneak glances with his head lowered, while now he sneaked glances with his head raised.

"Escanor, your bashful attitude doesn't suit your current demeanor at all."

"I'm a human being who surpasses all creatures of this world, so naturally, even my bashfulness surpasses that of all other creatures."

"..." No wonder he's the [Sin of Pride]; he effortlessly achieves things we never could. At least, Cyd would never be able to say something like that.

"Captain, does Escanor like Merlin?" Ban bent down and whispered into Meliodas' ear.

"Hmm, I don't think so. Escanor probably sees someone else in Merlin," Meliodas said, hands behind his head, strolling along. He still knew the mission details after all; he had to finish it to go play with Elizabeth.

"Eh~" Ban looked thoughtful for a moment, but that expression vanished quickly, as someone has surrounded them.

"The bandits ravaging around the kingdom of Liones—this is our first mission, so everyone, let's give it our best effort."

Meliodas' tone was as relaxed as someone spreading a picnic blanket, and truthfully, it was just that simple. The bandits were only at an average human level.

"Hey! Hand over everything you have!"

A burly bandit wielding a large blade threatened them. From his perspective, the only ones posing a slight threat were the giant and the armored one in this odd group.

"If anyone should be handing over their belongings, it's you guys." Ban casually picked his ear. "Don't resist."

"Hahaha! You bunch of misfits think you can beat the Lynx Bandit Group?" The guy who appeared to be the leader let out a grating laugh.

A group made up of an armored person, a giant, a kid, and a young man did indeed look like a ragtag bunch. The leader thought the more intimidating-looking giant was just a young girl, so of course, they had the advantage in numbers...

That's what the bandit leader thought, anyway.

Boss, take a look at that growing hulk over there! The word "Invincible" might as well be written on his face! And as for the others, the words "Bad Guys" are practically written on their faces!

The rookie bandits behind them were already shaking in their boots, while only their clueless leader was still acting cocky.

"Boss, these guys look like trouble!"

"What's there to fear? Though we were driven out of our territory, let's not forget we were once a feared bandit group in the kingdom of Camelot!"

"This type of bandit is a first for me. Hmm, I'll update my bandit encyclopedia." Cyd pondered for a moment, clapped his hands, and said,

"Someone, dig a pit and bury the people."

A large shadow loomed over the bandit leader, who hadn't yet realized how serious the situation was, and the rest of the bandit group, who had no clue just how much trouble they were in. They were up against a knight squad made up entirely of [Sins].