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

[Arc5] - 51. The Return of the Great Sinners

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"Only ten years have passed, and have the knights of Liones fallen to this level already?" Ban stuck out his tongue with a wicked smile, his fingers pressing against the armor but still sending a chilling sensation through the knight.

"If you don't cooperate, I'll start by pulling out your ribs... Or maybe your appendix."

"Ban, don't make too much of a mess. The Leader of Leftover Knights won't clean the floor for us," Cyd mumbled as he rummaged through the medicine provided by Merlin. "Which one is the high-speed regeneration potion? Ah, wait, this one turns people into frogs. Hey, King, don't the fairies have gentler ways to interrogate?"

"Deputy, it's an interrogation — there's no such thing as 'gentle' here. Besides, fairies can read minds, so we don't need to interrogate."

"Then why don't you read this guy's mind?"

"Sorry, Vice-Captain, but reading minds so casually is rude. If you think fairies are an impolite race that reads minds at will, I, as the Fairy King, would be quite troubled." King elegantly sighed, as if genuinely torn between his friendship and the dignity of his race.

This was a lie!

Clearly, this man said one thing and did another. He had already gone all out to understand Diane's thoughts! Unfortunately, a girl's heart is as complex as the ocean, and he couldn't make sense of Diane's bouncing, rabbit-like emotions.

"King, a woman's thoughts must be figured out on your own, even if you fail, you can't cheat." Escanor patted King's shoulder, seemingly giving advice but secretly envying him. Compared to Diane's innocent heart, Merlin's thoughts were truly bottomless.

"Are you… the Seven Deadly Sins?" The silver-haired girl looked nervously at the diverse-looking group. Just a moment ago, she had been wondering where to start searching, and suddenly, they had all appeared before her. Happiness had arrived so unexpectedly.

"Actually, I'm an innocent tavern owner who's been taken hostage. This tavern has already been hijacked," Meliodas claimed innocently, clutching the silver-haired girl's leg and pointing at Hawk, who was eating nearby. "That's Meliodas, the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"But they just called you 'Captain.'"

"Ah, you found out, oops!" Meliodas feigned regret, reluctantly letting go.

"Let me reintroduce ourselves — we are the Seven Deadly Sins." Meliodas spread his arms as the others stood behind him.

[Seven Deadly Sins]

Captain [Sin of Wrath] Meliodas

Vice-Captain Pure White Hero, Cyd

[Sin of Pride] The Strongest Man, Escanor

[Sin of Greed] The Immortal Ban

[Sin of Sloth] Fairy King Harlequin

[Sin of Envy] Giant Diane

[Sin of Gluttony] Britannia's Greatest Mage, Merlin

[Sin of Lust] The Greatest Magician's Doll, Gowther

Also present were Leader of Leftover Knights Hawk and Arthur Pendragon, employee of the Boar Hat Tavern.

These were Britannia's heroes from ten years ago, now ten years later, the most wanted knights: the [Seven Deadly Sins]!

"I… I'm Elizabeth Liones, a princess of the Kingdom of Liones."

"Yes, we know. Traveling alone in armor must be tiring, right?"

"No, not tiring at all."

But actually, she was very anxious, wearing this unfamiliar armor to hide her identity and walking until she couldn't go on, with no one to rely on. But she couldn't show her weakness; the heroes of old were standing before her. She couldn't burden them with her small worries.

"It's alright, Elizabeth." Diane hugged her gently, patting her back. "We're here to save the kingdom, so feel free to share your troubles. Comforting a young girl is much easier than saving a kingdom."

Gowther raised his glowing finger. Seeing Elizabeth looking uneasy, he took the liberty of using his magic [Invasion] to transmit her thoughts to everyone.

"First things first, we need to get you out of those tattered clothes." Meliodas snapped his fingers, producing a uniform. "This is the tavern uniform. As the new poster girl for the Boar Hat, you must wear this."

Even without trying it on, it was clear the outfit was problematic. However, Elizabeth, who was honest and didn't know how to refuse, wore it anyway. Blushing, she tugged at the short skirt while Meliodas watched, giving a thumbs-up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Before Meliodas could reach out to her skirt, Cyd lifted him by the collar.

"What do you think? Checking her size, of course."

"Elizabeth, please take a break. Could you tell us about the current state of Liones?" Cyd tossed Meliodas to Ban, who held onto this embodiment of Lust.

"Father has been imprisoned, but he seemed to have anticipated this and prepared a secret passage for my escape. Now, the Holy Knights are enforcing a draft, while the Two Great Holy Knights plot to start a Holy War."

"It seems Bartra's prophecy isn't perfect. Meliodas, the time has come to clear our names."

"Cyd, sins can never truly be cleansed. All we can do is atone it." Meliodas slipped from Ban's grip, dashed to the door, and called, "Mama Hawk, we're ready to head out."

"Huh? Head out?"

Just as Elizabeth was stunned, the entire Boar Hat Tavern began to shake. She lost her balance and fell into Meliodas's waiting arms.

"Elizabeth, behold one of the greatest mysteries in this world." Cyd opened the door, and somehow, the Boar Hat Tavern was now standing on an enormous mountain.

"A massive, super-sized pig."

The Boar Hat Tavern's mobility wasn't due to Merlin's magic but the fact that it was built on a gigantic creature. However, why this enormous creature resembled Hawk was a mystery. Even Merlin had been momentarily speechless the first time she saw it.

"Go tell Hendrickson and Dreyfus." Ban tossed the knight to the door, narrowing his eyes with a fox-like grin.

"The great sinners are back to face judgment."

With that, Ban threw the knight out; this height wouldn't kill them.

"Half the Holy Knights of Liones have rebelled, and many want to fight us. This could be troublesome." Cyd leaned against the door, smiling calmly, seemingly unfazed.

"True. Accidentally hurting them would be overkill, wouldn't it?"

Meliodas stood next to Cyd, twirling the dragon-hilted handle.

"They started a rebellion because they think the time is right, confident they can take the key from us. Though it would be easier to wait for them to come… too much hassle. Let's go on the offensive."

"Captain, don't go handing over the key to them now."

"Of course not." Meliodas turned back to look at Elizabeth, who had been sneaking glances at him. When their eyes met, she hid behind Diane like a startled fawn.

"I wouldn't do anything that would make her hate me."