The appearance of the Meteor Cross didn't affect the group's set plan; the next day they set out again for the Capital of the Dead.
Charles didn't know whether Meliodas had heard that prophecy too, but at this point Meliodas probably didn't care about any so-called Holy War.
Three thousand years ago, Meliodas and Elizabeth had already paid a terrible price to end the Holy War.
Now what Meliodas cared about might only be Elizabeth's safety and how to lift the curses on the two of them.
If Elizabeth weren't the princess of Liones, Meliodas might not even have formed the Seven Deadly Sins according to the Liones king's prophecy.
Thus, as if nothing had happened, the group arrived at the Capital of the Dead.
The Boar Hat disguised itself as an ordinary tavern, and everyone got to work.
According to Meliodas, they were doing the tavern's opening preparations; in reality, they were each gathering information.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, this wasn't the kind of place anyone would come to drink.
Just like in Charles's memory, it was a run-down, desolate place. The few traces of human habitation were some broken walls and rubble, clearly abandoned for a long time.
Charles had seen entries about the Capital of the Dead in the Boar Hat's travelogues.
The Capital of the Dead is a special space, and this was only the entrance to that space.
The souls of the dead come here, but there are always some among the living who want to see them one more time.
Those people built a town at the entrance to the Capital of the Dead, hoping to see the deceased again.
But unfortunately, other than dying, the only way to enter that world is through the most sincere yearning between the dead and the living.
Those who can actually open the entrance to the Capital of the Dead are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. More and more people left in disappointment, and over time the town was abandoned.
Charles and Stella came to a valley—the place that most resembled the entrance in the original story where Ban entered the Capital of the Dead.
The Capital of the Dead was indeed special; even knowing this place was the entrance, Charles didn't sense anything unusual.
"It looks like an ordinary valley no matter how you see it," Stella couldn't help saying.
Charles was a bit helpless too. In this world, he and Stella obviously didn't have deceased relatives yearning for them, so in the end it would have to be Ban who opened the entrance.
Speaking of Ban—where had that guy gone? Meliodas had appointed him chef, but given his personality he wasn't likely to honestly stick to the job.
Sure enough, Charles soon saw Ban walking over.
Only the red leather jacket on Ban had a big hole in both the front and back; it looked like he'd just been through a rather brutal fight.
Someone had pierced straight through his body. The strike had been clean and decisive—clearly meant to kill him.
Ban glanced at Charles, nodded, and said nothing. He just walked to the middle of the valley, his eyes gradually going vacant, completely immersed in his yearning.
Centuries' worth of longing—almost instantly, white flowers sprouted under Ban's feet and spread across the entire valley.
Charles could clearly sense a fluctuation in space; the entrance to the Capital of the Dead had opened.
"This scene doesn't match you at all, Ban!"
Meliodas and the others had followed and couldn't help saying so when they saw it.
Ban snapped back to himself, surprised at the change around him, but before he could do anything the petals rose into the air and wrapped everyone in the valley.
Charles stared fixedly at those petals; they were of course no ordinary plants but a kind of special creation.
What surprised Charles was that the petals contained not only the power of space but also a powerful surge of soul energy.
Even before going in, he'd already encountered something so peculiar; Charles was all the more eager for the trip to the Capital of the Dead.
In the blink of an eye, the petals dissipated, and the group had arrived in a special space.
It was a lifeless world. There was no sun or moon in the sky—rather, the whole sky seemed to give off a dim yellow glow.
That meant there wasn't even basic day-night alternation here; it was as if time itself had stopped.
On the equally lifeless ground grew clusters of green crystal-like objects. Charles was curious what they were and whether they had any special properties.
Just then, Ban seemed to see something. He leapt and ran off into the distance.
A shadow followed, gliding through the air, chasing after Ban, who was already far ahead.
Charles called out, "Manager, looks like someone else tagged along. I'll take Ban; the uninvited guest is yours."
Meliodas folded his arms. "Come on, I'm the manager. Since when do the staff assign me work?"
Even as he said it, he kept his guard up just as Charles had suggested.
Charles moved at incredible speed and quickly caught up to the two ahead.
Ban stood atop a giant crystal, speaking to a short-haired boy hovering in midair.
The boy didn't look very old, but the magic in him was at least seven or eight times that of Meliodas right now.
An archaic-looking spear stood upright beside him, also floating in the air.
One of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Sin of Sloth, King. His real name was Harlequin, the king of the Fairy Clan among the five races. The spear was his Sacred Treasure, the Spirit Spear Chastiefol, made from the Fairy Clan's Sacred Tree.
Before Charles arrived, the two had been talking, but as soon as Charles showed up, King directed the Spirit Spear to shoot at Ban.
Perhaps because King was the elder brother of the woman he loved, or perhaps out of guilt for failing to protect Elaine, Ban neither dodged nor defended, letting the spear thrust at his chest.
Charles instantly appeared in front of Ban, lifted his foot, and booted the spear away spinning, sending it straight into a nearby crystal.
King frowned. "Who are you, and why are you protecting that guy?"
Charles lowered his foot and said, "I am indeed Ban's companion. But Ban doesn't need my protection. I stepped in simply because I can't stand you."
Charles wasn't picking a fight on purpose; he really couldn't stomach what King had done.
For a man, responsibility is something you shoulder no matter what.
As Fairy King, King should have protected his people and guarded the Fairy Forest and the Sacred Spring.
As an older brother, he should have ensured his little sister had a carefree life.
As a lover, he should have taken care of Diane and let no harm come to her.
But what did King do? He dumped the responsibility of guarding the Sacred Spring onto his sister and left her lonely for seven hundred years.
Later, the Fairy Forest was destroyed by the Demon Clan, and Elaine died as a result.
What he did to Diane was even worse. Charles had always believed memory was the most precious treasure a person has.
To tamper with someone else's memories without their will—even for an enemy—was going too far, in Charles's eyes. All the more so when it was the person you loved, even if you claimed it was "for her own good."
Charles clenched his fist. He really couldn't help it—he wanted to give this brat a beating.
(End of Chapter)
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