The sins were traveling through the forest, looking for ingredients for the Boar Hat. They were split into three groups. Ban with King and Diane, Meliodas with Elizabeth, and Escanor, Merlin, and Gowther made up the last group.
Escanor and Gowther looked at a bundle of mushrooms while Merlin inspected some berries on a bush. A puff of smoke appeared where the two sins were, causing Merlin to look back. When the smoke cleared, she could see Gowther standing in front of a child. The child greatly resembles Escanor. He appeared to be around three or four years old in human years.
Merlin floated over to the two and asked what happened. Gowther simply pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said,"Escanor broke off a piece of the mushroom and ate it." Escanor the child stumbled to Merlin and hugged her left boot. He glanced up at her with big, scared eyes. Merlin reached down and scooped him up into her arms. "Should we retrieve the Captain and the others?" Interrupted Gowther. "That won't be necessary. The effect will wear off in three days." Merlin replied,"But for now, we should go back to the tavern."
When they got back, everyone was already waiting for them. They were surprised to see Escanor had turned into a child, but even more so at the fact that Merlin was willing to take care of him and won't let anyone touch him. She kept him in her lab, for 'safety' reasons. Besides, everything needed to take care of a child was already there, surprisingly.
Merlin didn't seem like the type to care for children. And truth be told, she didn't. But when it came to Escanor, she just couldn't resist. He looked so adorable with those big blue eyes of his, his soft orange hair, and his laugh was just the cutest sound that has ever reached her ears. She could gush about how cute he was, but he needed to be cared for.
The three days were up. Everyone stood in a circle around Escanor, who would change back in a few seconds, according to Merlin. Escanor's tiny body glowed brightly, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the bright light faded, he was back to his normal self. He looked around, confused. "What happened? Weren't we just in the forest, looking for ingredients?" Diane giggled. "Three days ago, we were. But Gowther and Merlin came back, carrying a little child. We were all confused at first, but later, we found out that the little child was you, Escanor." "A child...?" He asked. King grinned. "You won't believe it, but Merlin here was taking care of you for the past three days. She wouldn't even let anyone see you. And Merlin was the one carrying you out of the forest. You seemed to be very comfortable sleeping on her."
Both Escanor and Merlin's faces turned bright red at what the two said. Escanor turned to Merlin and said,"Th-Thank you, Miss Merlin, for putting up with my incompetence. It will never happened again. I am truly sorry..." His apology was interrupted by Merlin lifting his chin up with her thumb and index finger. What she did next shocked everyone, especially Escanor. She kissed him softly. When she tried to pull back, Escanor smashed his lips against hers, both of their bodies wrapping around the other's. Everyone started cheering, but of course it went unnoticed by the new couple. They were too busy kissing.
