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Chapter 16 – Her Name Is Lily

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Ban stared to Tristan "...kid, can you explain to us, what are you doing to your father?".

Lifting his finger that shining with red light, pointing to his father's head, Tristan innocently blinked his eyes "Dream Teller. Through his dream, I let him see what happened to us in our time, or what would have happened to you in this time, all of it".

Lancelot jaw-dropped "ALL OF IT?!".

Melody exclaimed, waving her hand "wait, wait, wait! What sister said about put the filter and just tell the necessary?".

Griselda crossed her arms before her chest "knowing you and your father, somehow I have a feeling that you take advantage of this as revenge for him, from how you seem enjoying this".

Earning Tristan's wicked grin, Melody ordered "Cathy, Wild, hit him".

"I admit it's my decision solely, so I'll accept it if she will punish me", squished under Cathy and Wild's body, Tristan lifted his hands in surrender "but father has to know, so he won't do anything stupid and he won't choose to do the same things, right?".

"he has the point", Gloxinia agreed "Meliodas indeed is reckless and would do something stupid".

The others nodded in unison "yes, he is".

Cradling Meliodas on her arms, Elizabeth chuckled nervously before asking "um, we know Sir Escanor and Lady Merlin's trials are related, which Sir Escanor has to help Lady Merlin to break her curse after he's passed through the transformation of his body and Lady Merlin has to break her own curse. How about the other's trial? Do I and Sir Meliodas need to pass through the trial?".

Dolor asked "do you want to have the trial too, princess?".

With iron-clad determination and resolve on her eyes, Elizabeth clenched her fist on her chest as she looking down to Meliodas "if it means I can get stronger, strong enough to protect Sir Meliodas and the others, I have to".

Dolor and Gloxinia exchanged glances, smiling inwardly for their old friend who didn't change at all no matter how many times she had reincarnated. She was so lovely as ever.

"well, I don't think you have to, princess", Lilith hummed as she caressed her chin "but I can help you to learn some magic spells of Goddess Clan that will help you in the battle other than Invigorate".

Elizabeth eagerly welcomed the idea and bowed her head "yes, please! Thank you, Lady Lilith!".

Next, Lilith explained that as their trials "first off, Gowther has to get his memory and heart back. King and Diane have to pass training from Gloxinia and Dolor, though I will help the training. Ban has to go to the Purgatory in order to take back Meliodas' emotions. Last, Meliodas... even if Ban successfully makes it back unscathed from Purgatory and bringing back his emotions, after he regains back all his emotions, we still have a huge problem here. Meliodas still has to unite his emotions that have been divided back into one piece and kicked out his dumbass father out of his mind. Of course, it will all do after Meliodas have finished watching what happened... what would have happened, that's it".

"you really are... hic~", Ban hiccuped, pointing his accusing finger to Lily with a bottle of Aberdeen Ale in his hand "the daughters of... our Cap'n... hic~".

Meliodas wasn't amused at all. Unsightly by the others, he twitched his eyebrow as he saw his comrades on this room, barely all of them heavily drunk (Diane was the first to collapse, as someone with lowest alcohol-tolerance between them all, followed by King, both collapsed and now sleeping peacefully, lying with their back on top of Chastiefol pillow-form. Escanor next, he was sleeping with loud snore and his head was flatly on the table. Ban just collapsed, black out drunk). Meliodas didn't surprised to see Merlin and Gowther were still sober. Just like his daughter (Guinevere), Merlin didn't even tipsy (well, they weren't drinking that much). Gowther was a doll, so he wouldn't get drunk. Hawk, Elizabeth and Arthur shared the same expression, they quirked the corner of their lips that form a nervous smirk, who know? Maybe impressed, stunned or anxious.

Not that he didn't understand of Arthur's feeling, neither he could blame them especially his daughters, from the way his daughters guzzling ales like starving women, but even Meliodas gulped at the sight of how many ales they had been drinking. Crossed his arms before his chest, Meliodas raised his eyebrow "...someone really should stop her".

Lily slammed the bottle in her arm on the table "give me another booze~".

Hawk eerily shrieked "just how many drinks you want to have!?".

"nope, you're drunk already", maybe thinking this was enough, Arthur sternly shoved the bottles of ales from her sight "time to go bed".

At first, Lily didn't look pleased but next second, she looked like having another idea before she lifted both her hands "carry me?".

Arthur snorted before laughing in pure mirth, the first time he laughed sincerely, brightly, after Meliodas died. Carrying her piggy-back-ride, Arthur walked upstairs "I should say I'm honored to carry my idol's daughter, Lady Morgaine".

"what's that? I'm far older than you, remember?", wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Lily rubbed her head against his head with light chuckle before pulling his cheek "also, needn't to call me so formal like that. You can just call me Lily, like my father and my siblings do".

"okay, okay, Lily. Speaking of which, are you sure that you will just come with me, get separated from your siblings after...", Arthur trailed off as they passed the room on the second floor where they had put Meliodas' body on his bed "well, my journey maybe will be dangerous, since I've planned to fight back Demons all out in my way back to my Kingdom".

With venomous tones in her voice, Lily snarled "I will not be satisfied if I don't slaughter the Demons who conquer Britannia".

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Not that he didn't understand her feelings, but he worried about her safety. Looking behind over his shoulder, Arthur just realized that Lily had fallen asleep.

With tears cascading down her cheeks, Lily cried in her sleep, mumbling weakly "...father...".

After he gently put her down on the bed, Arthur covered her with blanket. Arthur didn't leave her side, he squeezed her hand, looking up to the stars on the dark night sky as if praying or asking for blessing "...I promise, Sir Meliodas. I will protect her no matter what".

Despite knowing he was going unheard by him, Meliodas narrowed his eyes with approval hums "...I trust her in you for a while, Arthur".

For a while, only until then when he resurrected. Wait, something was off. It was odd, he knew that he shouldn't be here. If he died, he always would go right away to the Purgatory. He didn't, which meant...

It clicked on his head now "...I'm still alive?".

Still, it didn't explain why and how, in the first place, he stuck here witnessing what happened to his family and his comrades post-his-death like this. It only could mean one thing: he's alive and whoever outside there intentionally (or not, perhaps) showed this to him.

Hmmm...

Pondering, Meliodas could guess who did this to him. Only two person in the list, Gowther or Tristan, his firstborn son. Whatever, whoever did this to him, he should be paying attention to what would be revealed before his eyes for now. Although, from the way Arthur had looked to Lily... it made Meliodas feeling unsettled as a father.