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

[Arc5] - 31. The Approaching Storm

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"Even though you said all that, Meliodas, we're still doing the same things as before."

After Meliodas's confident and powerful speech, the Seven Deadly Sins returned to their usual routine: causing trouble, while Cyd cleaned up after them.

"Have you ever thought about how dangerous it is to arm wrestle near the edge of the royal city?" Cyd, somewhat exasperated, scolded Meliodas and Ban, who were sticking out their tongues and obediently accepting the lecture.

Most people would wonder what's so dangerous about arm wrestling. At worst, you'd end up with a muscle strain, right? But these two managed to turn this simple and ordinary activity into a major disaster for the kingdom of Liones. Even worse, there were two other troublemakers who decided to "help" by hypnotizing the citizens to believe that hundreds of tyrannosaurs were dancing outside the city walls, all in an attempt to cover for Meliodas and Ban.

No matter how ridiculous that idea was, there's no way it would happen every single week!

"Vice-Captain, the people will get used to it soon. Once they're accustomed to this, if we don't do it one day, they'll feel uneasy," Ban admitted his mistake with a calm smile, showing no remorse whatsoever.

"Vice-Captain, Captain and Ban only made a little bit of noise. Don't scold them too much. If you need to punish someone, punish Ban," Diana chimed in, bending down to try and persuade Cyd, clearly throwing Ban under the bus.

For a giant, the commotion caused by Meliodas and Ban wasn't much, but considering the size difference between humans and giants—about one to one hundred—this small commotion felt like a huge disturbance.

"Zaratras has been so exhausted lately that he doesn't even have the energy to complain to me anymore."

"Vice-Captain, you should be grateful to me." Merlin appeared next to Cyd, shaking a test tube, with her seductive beauty mark under her eye and her eyes slightly squinting. "It's because I keep feeding Zaratras potions that he doesn't have the energy to bother you."

Zaratras had "betrayed" Meliodas by rejecting the trust Meliodas had in him, so he willingly accepted the punishment from the Seven Deadly Sins. As a result, Meliodas chose the most inhumane punishment—allowing Merlin to use him as a test subject for her potions.

That day, Cyd and Meliodas witnessed Zaratras's face becoming bizarrely distorted, giving them a glimpse of the inhumane treatment he endured.

He was, after all, the kingdom's Grand Holy Knight. Who knows, Merlin might even use King Bartra as a test subject someday.

"Speaking of which, Vice-Captain, take a look at this." Merlin casually pulled out a piece of paper from her chest and handed it to Cyd.

Cyd, unfazed, took the still-warm piece of paper and glanced over its contents.

"On this list are some talented individuals recently selected by His Majesty. They may not match the level of the Seven Deadly Sins, but they have the potential to become a powerful knight squad in the future."

"So, they're the Seven Deadly Sins' replacements? I see. It looks like His Majesty has seen something coming." Cyd smiled casually. He didn't believe that Bartra would abandon the Seven Deadly Sins, as every step of Bartra's decisions had its own meaning, thanks to his Vision.

"They all seem like reliable people."

One of the names was a child Bartra had brought back from the barbarian tribes. That child saw Bartra as the savior of his life, while Bartra referred to him as a close friend. This was likely why Bartra was always so revered by others.

"But none of that matters right now! What's most important is that you all stop causing trouble every time we return victorious. Our rewards keep being used to repair the damage to the royal city."

"It's no big deal. As long as humans have alcohol, they can survive," Ban said, raising his thumb and laughing, spouting absolute nonsense.

"The amount of alcohol needed to keep you alive is Seven Deadly Sins' largest expenditure. We even have to go out and hunt wild game just to eat."

"Eh?! Isn't the biggest expense Diana's food—ugh!"

"Well, the group is quite broken up today."

"Speaking of which, did Hendrickson notify us that we have to go to the ancient city in the suburbs for the awards ceremony because we defeated the Queen of Trolls?"

"It's all because of the Captain and Ban causing trouble repeatedly. Every time we have an award ceremony, it creates a panic, and as a result, the ceremony is held in the suburbs." King, who values etiquette, cares about these social occasions. Every time, he dresses in a luxurious outfit and shows a solemn expression when receiving the medals awarded by Bartra, then wears it on his chest using the unique etiquette of the fairy clan.

Should I tell him that the chaos during each award ceremony is actually because he twists his chubby body with a terrifying expression while doing strange movements, making the well-deserved award ceremony look like some kind of evil ritual?

It's probably better not to tell him, at least he is proudly being one of the few normal people in the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Everyone, dress formally. Although we've received many medals, we cannot become complacent because of that."

In reality, they had always been quite complacent, because medals cannot be eaten and cannot be exchanged for food.

Moreover, they were not heroes, just a group of people engaged in futile efforts.

Sins can never be repaid; as long as they believe deep down that they can repay them, they will continue to carry their heavy sins.

"Hmm?" Cyd looked up at the sky. The weather was not good, with dark clouds thickening, swirling in the sky above the ancient city in the suburbs.

This phenomenon was like a video glitch, flashing and disappearing; after blinking, the sky just looked a bit gloomy.

"Vice-Captain, what are you looking at?" Ban mimicked Cyd's posture and looked at the sky.

"Nothing, but… it seems we need to prepare for something."

Athena's blessing gave him a warning; going to the ancient city now was a wrong choice. This was not foresight but rather a vague judgment induced by the blessing activating the information he usually overlooked, fed back to his subconscious.

"A storm is about to arrive."

This warning was far less urgent than the last time in Tartarus; he would have jumped in without hesitation last time, let alone now when he wasn't alone.

"Meliodas, I have a bad feeling."

"You're right; when Bartra pushes forward with military strength, someone will definitely pull some tricks, right?" Meliodas shrugged dismissively. "Don't worry; no matter what situation we face, as the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, I will remain calm!"

"Zaratras! What's wrong with you?! Zaratras! We've relied on each other for so many years, and today the blonde is delivering the white-haired!"

Meliodas wailed while holding Zaratras, who was stabbed and looking like a porcupine. His actions and voice were quite on point, but his expression was very lackluster.

Cyd looked around; in the innermost room of the ancient steel city, they saw Zaratras in a tragic state. Logically, no one in the royal city besides the Seven Deadly Sins could be Zaratras's match. This doubt was resolved by the packaging of the fish pie scattered on the ground.

"You really were poisoned by the fish pie, and you even finished it after realizing it was toxic."

"Why are the Vice-Captain and the Captain still in the mood to chat here? We're already surrounded by the Holy Knights outside; if this continues, we'll be sentenced for plotting to harm the Holy Knight Commander!"

King frantically flew to the windowsill; the ancient city outside was completely surrounded by the Holy Knights, looking aggressive and clearly uninterested in hearing their explanations.

"King, they won't listen to our explanations. The infamous reputation of the Seven Deadly Sins means many want to test their strength against us; driven by their desire for battle, they won't listen to our explanations."

Cyd approached Zaratras's body, looking at the dead Zaratras, who had not yet closed his eyes, and sighed deeply as he grabbed a long spear and pulled it out forcefully.

"Ouch!"

The body that should have been lifeless suddenly opened its eyes and wailed, and Cyd mercilessly pulled out all the spears.

"Ahhhh… I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

King and Diana next to him looked like they had seen a ghost, while Gowther pressed tightly against Zaratras.

"If this is a plot to frame the Seven Deadly Sins, the perpetrator would have to ensure that the Holy Knight Commander is completely dead before leaving."

"It should be Merlin's potion." Meliodas pushed Zaratras, still heavily injured, off him as if tossing away something dirty, ignoring Zaratras's cries. "Not long ago, I saw Zaratras drinking a potion that supposedly allows someone to enter a state of false death after being severely injured, but because Zaratras is afraid of pain, he didn't want to try it after drinking it. Now it seems Merlin's potion has taken effect."

"Whether it works or not, the charges against the Seven Deadly Sins have likely already been filed." Zaratras said painfully, clutching his wound. "It was Hendrickson and Dreyfus; they want to overthrow the kingdom and start a Holy War. Moreover, Dreyfus seems to have been possessed by something; I didn't even notice!"

Zaratras slammed the floor in frustration.

"This is my negligence!"

"Regardless, we need to escape from here first. Merlin, how much longer until the teleportation spell is ready?" Meliodas clapped his hands and turned to Merlin.

"It's already in preparation. Captain, you really like to make things difficult for others." Although Merlin complained, she continued to complete the teleportation spell with her usual ease and calmness.

"In five seconds, we will leave Liones. Who knows when we will come back after leaving this time."

"It looks like the holy war is unavoidable, Bartra." Cyd sighed softly against the window.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Elizabeth, Meliodas?"

"I never do such things." Meliodas wiped his nose and grinned.

"After saying goodbye, I might not come back, and no matter the cost, I will return to find her."

"Funny, I'm someone who will definitely come back after saying goodbye."