Guila provided Charles with research material, proving that the Demon blood fused into the New Generation could be separated.
Charles's Spirit Assimilation with the fire spirit Faal had long since stepped into the Sacred Realm and gained the power of purification.
For cases where dark power was violently grafted in, that was a highly targeted counter.
Although he was confident he could separate the Demon blood, Charles did not do so for Guila.
Drinking Demon blood was a choice Guila made of her own will. Even if Charles separated it this time, she would simply drink it again.
So after tying Guila firmly to a big tree, the group departed.
According to plan, the next target was Vork Village, where the fifth of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Sin of Lust, resided.
But halfway there, they received some news.
They say taverns are where information flows most freely, and when the Boar Hat opened for business a patron mentioned that a war hammer used by giants had been delivered to Vaizel.
Mention a giant's war hammer and everyone immediately thought of Diane's lost Sacred Treasure, the giant hammer Gideon.
So the group changed plans on the fly and decided to retrieve Diane's Sacred Treasure first.
Vaizel, also called the City of Merchants. Thanks to its advantageous location and convenient transport, it's packed with merchants—hence the name.
You could say that any good found in the Kingdom of Liones can be found in this city. It's a place that thrives year-round, and when the group arrived it was especially lively.
The reason was that the annual Fighting Festival was underway.
They say harmony brings wealth; Charles couldn't quite understand why the City of Merchants would host a martial tournament like this. Yet the festival was very popular, drawing many fighters each year to vie for honor and prize money.
Giants had taken part in years past, but things ended badly, and for several years now Vaizel hadn't allowed giants anywhere near.
So they decided to split up: the girls—Stella, Elizabeth, and Diane—would hold the fort, while the four men went to retrieve the Sacred Treasure.
The moment he stepped into town, Charles opened up all his sensory abilities.
Though his memory of this part of the story had gone fuzzy, he still remembered that this Fighting Festival was unlikely to be peaceful.
Sure enough, a cursory sweep revealed several powerful magic signatures.
With the festival on, it was normal for the town to be full of people with strong magic. But a few of them were far beyond spec.
Two signatures were on par with Gilthunder's—top-tier Holy Knight level, without question.
But the other two were even more noteworthy—partly for their greater intensity, and partly because of their owners' peculiar auras.
What the two had in common was that neither felt like a normal human: one was icy to the extreme, the other reeked of deathly stillness and madness.
Especially the latter—its magic even carried the feel of the Demon Clan.
"This really is quite the scene," Charles remarked.
Judging from that, aside from the Seven Deadly Sins' side, there were at least two other factions operating in the city.
One of those two unusual magics reminded Charles of the magic-powered automaton he'd encountered before.
And in this world, the only fit for that description seemed to be their target, the Sin of Lust, Gowther.
Charles only remembered that Gowther was living in Vork Village—he truly couldn't recall whether Gowther appeared at Vaizel's Fighting Festival.
Even so, Charles preferred to trust his senses. Running into him here was unexpected good fortune.
Hearing Charles's voice, Meliodas glanced back. "What is it? You pick up something?"
Charles nodded. "Looks like we'll get more than just Diane's Sacred Treasure. I sensed the Sin of Lust's magic. But besides him, there are other guests in town."
Meliodas mused, "I see. Well, having Gowther here is a good thing—we won't have to keep searching. As for the others, we can deal with them. But we should avoid trouble if we can. Charles, you and Ban go find Gowther. King and I will look for the Sacred Treasure. Once we've got what we came for, we pull out."
Charles asked, "Speaking of which, where did Ban go?"
Lounging on his Spirit Spear turned pillow, King said, "He went to find clothes. He can't keep wearing a naked apron."
Earlier, King had poked a big hole through Ban's clothes, and they'd long since been unwearable. So when they left, Ban had followed Meliodas's suggestion and put on nothing but one of the tavern's aprons.
Just then, Charles turned and saw Ban walking over—now wearing a red leather jacket exactly like his old one.
If Charles remembered right, Ban's last jacket had been taken off some punks, and this one probably was too.
So what, was that style trending among small-time thugs now?
Suppressing the urge to quip, Charles outlined the plan to Ban.
Ban pulled a face. "Huh? I wanted to go watch the festival brawls."
Charles thought for a moment. "Diane's Sacred Treasure being brought here is likely tied to the festival—it's probably the champion's prize. Alright then: the manager and Ban head for the festival grounds. King's not good at fighting empty-handed, so he'll come with me to find Gowther."
Meliodas agreed that was the best arrangement, and the four split up to act. He and Ban headed toward the arena.
The swelling on King's face had long since faded, but there was no way he could be warm toward someone who'd thrashed him earlier.
Naturally, Charles didn't try to bridge the gap either, and the two fell into silence.
Following the magic he sensed, the two went one after the other down a street packed to the brim with people.
Pushing their way through the crowd, they stopped at a bookseller's stall. Only a green-haired boy stood before it.
The boy was slim, wearing glasses, and looked every bit the gentle, bookish student. And the source of the powerful magic Charles sensed was him.
Seeing Charles stop, King followed his gaze.
"Hey, are your senses off? How could that be Gowther?" King said.
In King's memory, Gowther always wore armor and ought to be a big, bulky man. The person in front of them looked nothing like Gowther in any way.
Charles said, "Didn't your previous appearance differ wildly from your real one too? Judging by the magic, he's Gowther. But this form probably isn't his true appearance either."
Gowther noticed their stares and spoke in a flat voice. "Are you looking for me? I don't recall having met you."
Charles had just opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly turned toward the direction they'd come from. Nine slender fire dragons rose into the sky, trailing a plume of black smoke.
There was a fight on Stella's side—and more importantly, why had her magic weakened so much?
He couldn't spare another thought for Gowther. Charles spun on his heel and flew toward the disturbance.
The festival had, indeed, gotten lively.
(End of Chapter)
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