Chapter 20. Bigger is Better
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Armor is the pride of a knight, even though a few years ago, the Holy Knight Commander lost his own armor to Cyd.
The [Seven Deadly Sins] is a knight order made up of criminals, who by all rights shouldn't even qualify to be knights. However, the great King of Liones gave them a backdoor, and they just barely became a recognized knight order.
That being said, although the last member of the [Seven Deadly Sins] hadn't appeared yet, they still had to go collect their equipment. The process was tedious, so Cyd took it upon himself to handle it.
This time, Cyd voluntarily took on the task, imagining the mess that would occur if someone else went. At this critical juncture, Cyd didn't want any slip-ups. He figured it was better to endure the hassle now so things could be smoother later. Fortunately, after drinking a few gulps of River Styx water, his stomach was incredibly tough.
When Cyd returned to the [Seven Deadly Sins]' residence with the supplies provided by the kingdom, Ban was the first to rush out. Of course, he wasn't going to give Cyd a hug; he was just really curious about what Cyd brought back.
"Let me see… Oh, it's armor." Ban pulled out a bracer from the box, his face showing blatant disdain. "Why isn't there any booze, Vice-Captain?"
"And no Elizabeth either. Why didn't you bring out Elizabeth, Cyd?" Meliodas tiptoed to peer over the box, his hair slightly drooping in disappointment.
"There's a rule that knights aren't allowed to drink on duty, and Princess Elizabeth is in the royal palace. I'm not a kidnapper; how could I take her from there?"
Exactly. If Ban had gone, he probably would've robbed the supply depot and sold the goods to buy enough booze to drink himself into alcohol poisoning. And if Meliodas had gone, he'd likely have detoured halfway to the palace to play with Elizabeth. If he also brought Elizabeth back on top of that, there'd really be trouble.
"I think that sounds pretty good." Meliodas picked up a miniature gauntlet from the box and slipped it onto his hand, speaking casually. "Cyd, who used to be in charge of palace security, would be arrested and thrown in jail, and I'd spring him out, making him the last member of the [Seven Deadly Sins], [Sloth]. Wouldn't that be a happy ending?"
"Oh! That's a great idea! Let's go kidnap Princess Elizabeth!"
Finding it amusing, Ban and Meliodas high-fived, only to be promptly planted into the ground by Cyd.
"It's great, really. Plant one captain today, and tomorrow you'll have a whole crop of captains." Diane carefully held a water jug, sprinkling water onto Meliodas.
"As for Ban, let him rot in there and become nutrients for a new captain."
"That's favoritism!" Ban didn't mind, climbing right out of the ground. This time, he behaved, putting on the armor without any further fuss.
"Looks pretty good, but why doesn't the Vice-Captain have one?"
The armor was there for Diane and everyone else, but there was none for Cyd.
Cyd raised a finger and pointed to Meliodas, now fully suited in armor. It wasn't a matter of bias; it's just that Holy Knights in Meliodas' child-sized form were exceedingly rare. Combined with the bizarre taste of the armor's maker, Meliodas, in full armor and helmet, looked like a tiny gremlin at first glance—slightly terrifying.
"While the appearance is part of the problem, the main reason is that I don't need armor."
"Oh…" Ban's wine-red eyes shifted, clearly plotting something mischievous.
"Don't even think about testing how tough my body is. So far, only one or two people have managed to injure me."
"Wow, that's impressive." Ban shrugged, though it was obvious he hadn't given up on testing Cyd's body—nor the hardness of his fists.
Immortality really does make one reckless.
"By the way, Diane, here's your armor." Cyd placed a massive crate in front of her. "Try it on first. If the size isn't right, they can adjust it."
Diane squinted at the writing, struggling to decipher it. Upon spotting a few familiar numbers, her face instantly turned beet red. She threw the paper into her mouth, hugged the crate, and backed away a few steps.
"N-No need, it's the perfect size!"
"Oh ho~ that expression definitely means—whoa!"
Before Ban could finish, Diane slammed the crate into him, burying him in the ground.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot! That's a girl's private matter!"
Boom boom boom—!
An embarrassed Diane hammered away with the crate for about ten minutes, leaving the ground pockmarked. The pits didn't matter much, given that giants could manipulate the earth. However, the blood splattered everywhere was a bit unsettling. From the sheer amount, it seemed at least ten people had died.
Immortality might mean you don't die, but it sure hurts—and it's quite expensive.
The once-expensive armor was now completely ruined, reduced to a heap of mangled scraps. Just thinking about how to explain this to the armor makers later gave Cyd a headache. They might just come charging at him with bayonets.
"Alright, Diane, Ban's already evenly smashed. You can stop now."
"Hmph!" Diane gave one final smash before crawling back inside, hugging the crate.
Considering there were giant clan members, Bartra had this house built especially large. Even Diane could move around comfortably inside, though the place had no concept of "personal rooms" for any of the members.
Ban would sleep on the couch, Merlin was constantly missing, Escanor didn't care, and Meliodas, even less so. The only girl in the group didn't mind either—probably a cultural difference.
Cyd had his own place, but it had been a long time since he stayed there. He found a small corner in the big house and used that as his resting spot.
Cyd threw a cloth over the scattered meat chunks, and after a while, Ban, now fully intact, stood up, draping the cloth over himself.
This wasn't some magical gadget from a certain robotic cat... It was just a regular piece of modesty cloth.
"Haah~ What a headache. Not only do I need new armor, but I'm also out of clothes. Next time, I'm not going to provoke Diane again, haha…"
Ban scratched the back of his head, laughing, but Cyd bet he hadn't taken his brutal beating to heart. He'd probably provoke Diane again next time.
"There's no helping you. Meliodas, I'm taking Ban to get new armor and pick up some clothes."
"Um… that doesn't seem right." Meliodas glanced at Ban's muscular upper body, a serious expression on his otherwise childish face.
"Letting Ban streak around like this might tarnish the reputation of the [Seven Deadly Sins]."
"You actually care about that?" Cyd slapped Meliodas on the head. "In that case, Captain, could you refrain from groping Princess Elizabeth before she comes of age?"
"I don't do that! Even I wouldn't mess with someone as petite as Elizabeth—there's nothing to grab anyway!"
"Huh?" Ban, looking like he'd heard something unacceptable, crossed his arms and bent down, glaring at Meliodas. "Captain, I can't let that slide. Small girls are the best!"
"Haah!" Meliodas tiptoed closer to Ban, wearing a rare serious expression.
"Bigger is better!"
"Smaller is better!"