Bab 327: Chapter 47. Lady Dragon is Especially Brave Today
[Arc5] - 47. Lady Dragon is Especially Brave Today
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When Meliodas introduced the [Ten Commandments], Cyd didn't really believe that [Commandment of Piety], Zeldris, was Meliodas's younger brother. Despite the two looking quite similar in portraits, Meliodas's descriptions painted them as polar opposites in personality.
As carefree as Meliodas was, Zeldris was equally serious—completely different types. And yet, they both fell for women they shouldn't have.
Their tragic loves: Meliodas loved a goddess, the mortal enemy of the Demon Clan; Zeldris loved a vampire who betrayed the Demon Clan.
"Those two brothers, maybe they just…" Cyd patted his forehead, "Is it that they're both drawn to love that's only gained through hardship? Meliodas, however, has shown bravery, choosing to betray his clan to be with the one he loves, while Zeldris chose his duty."
"He has a bright future, while I am only a treacherous vampire," remarked Gelda, with a relieved smile as she leaned against the wall, her crimson eyes void of light. "I would only burden him, so I'll continue dreaming of him in this endless seal."
The world has its peculiar fairness—the sweeter the love, the greater the agony and hardship to attain it. If that love gives you the world, then it also has the power to take it all away.
"The Demon Clan was fully sealed; he's hardly living in any brilliant future," Merlin stabbed at Gelda's hope, clearly still annoyed at the castle's unsettling atmosphere.
"Oh, really?" Gelda curled up in a corner, hugging her knees. "Just kill me. I won't help you hurt Zeldris. Staying alive only troubles him."
"What should we do?" Cyd asked Merlin. "She hasn't harmed anyone yet, and there's no blood on her hands, so I'm not going to harm her."
"Then let's seal her up. She's in such a self-destructive state, who knows if she'll turn around and do something drastic."
No one can force someone who has lost their will to live to keep on going. The most a bystander can do is offer her a deep slumber, preserving her within a beautiful dream until she has a reason to live.
"Vice-Captain, I'm not keen on babysitting this little girl."
"Well, I'm already babysitting seven troublemakers," Cyd shrugged, tossing a sealed orb containing Gelda to Merlin. Though they could've stored her in the dragon scales, Lady Dragon protested, even threatening to digest Gelda.
"For someone who's willing to act as a food and wardrobe storage, refusing to be a storage space now seems stubborn."
[Lady Dragon is clearly trying to preserve her dignity.]
That's part of it, but the bigger issue is that if Lady Dragon hides others' lovers for you today, tomorrow, you'll ask her to hide your own! The god who created her might just want to remake her from scratch if they knew she had such a function!
If that happens, Lady Dragon might end up as a mere tool, responding only to Cyd's commands.
[I refuse. Absolutely not. Let her in, and I'll chew her to pieces before spitting her back at you.]
It was unexpected for her to be so firm, and Cyd realized for the first time that she had pride after all.
"Merlin, how many survivors are left?"
"Unfortunately, Vice-Captain, not a single one," Merlin sighed, shrugging. "From what we can tell of the Vampire King's recovery, he must've consumed over ten thousand souls. With Edinburgh's population barely above ten thousand, and counting the holy knights and soldiers turned vampires… everyone's gone."
"I see…" Cyd sighed. All he could ever do was save those in front of him and those who could still be saved; he couldn't change the past.
"Vice-Captain, rather than mourning over things beyond your knowledge, isn't it better to focus on the future? At least there are still people we can save right now."
"You're right. I'm long past the age of wanting to save everyone," Cyd said, taking one last look at the desolate castle before shaking his head and turning to Merlin. "The more you wish for, the more you stand to lose."
"Let's go. There are plenty of other kingdoms in Britannia. We can't rest until we're fully prepared."
According to the intelligence compiled by Merlin and Meliodas, the seal [Coffin of Eternal Darkness] constructed by the Goddess Clan aimed to seal the [Ten Commandments] and the top-ranking demons. Although the [Seven Deadly Sins] primarily faced these foes, there were still plenty of lesser demon clans left.
When Ban defeated the demon that destroyed the Fairy King's Forest, it was a Red Demon, a second-stage lower-tier demon. There were also Gray Demons and various other dangerous creatures from the Demon World beyond that.
As Merlin explained it, the magical energy of Britannia was stored in various beings now. These lower demons, like bees gathering nectar, harvest souls for the [Ten Commandments], denying those souls any chance of reincarnation.
Ban, who had just acquired immortality, endured to outlast the Red Demon. From that, one could imagine how powerful the Gray Demon was—something beyond any one Holy Knight's strength alone, which is why cooperation was necessary.
Winning the trust of each kingdom's ruler was no easy task, made even harder by their wanted criminal status. Fortunately, Cyd had a bit of credibility, and at least the kings would listen to him, something impossible for others. Escanor with his reckless explosions, and Ban with his wine theft from royal stores, had botched things up severely.
And then there was the fact that they kept losing their sacred treasures!
Diane managed to lose her colossal War Hammer, Ban's treasure – Courechouse was stolen, and Meliodas even sold his!
Fortunately, King was by Diane's side, retrieving her hammer soon after it was lost. Cyd found Ban's treasure in a black market, and Meliodas's treasure was returned by the King of Camelot.
The key item to break the seal was with Meliodas, so until they were ready, the seal would remain intact. The entity possessing Dreyfus hadn't made any moves, and though the bounties still existed, there hadn't been any major upheavals in the Kingdom of Liones.
Though Britannia is vast, it's not endless. Cyd spent five years traversing the continent, visiting every kingdom. Although not every king trusted him, they were at least cautious. Ancient prophecies have always been ticking time bombs, best dealt with in his lifetime if possible.
As for the others, they gave up within two years. The Seven Deadly Sins' greatest weapon was their complete lack of team spirit and unwillingness to do anything properly.
Cyd never understood why Meliodas took such pride in this, and before long, he wished he hadn't been included in that claim.
Meliodas once said, "We don't know our enemy, but neither do they know us"—a statement that seemed off but hard to dispute.
After ringing the warning bell for every kingdom, Cyd finally had some time to relax. Unlike the others who needed to improve their magic, he had reached his limit; his current power was sufficient.
And so, the Seven Deadly Sins changed their professions.
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