The footsteps coming from the entrance of the alley drew the attention of Asia, who had been standing there with her eyes closed, quietly waiting for her memory to be erased. She opened her eyes and looked toward the alley entrance.
What she did not see was the faint smile that quietly rose at the corner of Cid's lips behind her, only to disappear a moment later.
Along with the footsteps came the voices of two middle-aged men.
"I think I just saw a blonde girl get dragged in there. Alpha, stop standing around and come check with me. What if there's a Vampire? The two of us can watch each other's backs."
"Gamma, you probably saw it wrong. I did not see anyone being dragged in. Besides, the guard has been cracking down pretty hard lately. The island's thugs and Demons have been keeping a much lower profile. They would not dare kidnap someone in broad daylight."
As if annoyed at being interrupted, Cid put on a calm expression and spoke.
"Hmph. Looks like I have no choice but to hear your story after all. Fine, fine. I will give you... enough time for one lunch."
"R-really?"
Hearing that, Asia's face lit up with delight.
Which made sense. She had spent so long searching for the person who saved her life, only for him to say the moment she found him that he had no time to listen and was going to erase her memory.
Her personality was gentle enough that she could stand there without resisting and willingly let her memory be erased, but there was no way she felt no regret at all. Now that she had been given a chance to explain herself, how could she not be happy?
"Well, you could say I do not really have a choice. There is no second place around here without surveillance where I can erase your memory, and I do not want to leave any flaws behind in my current identity.
Hmm, and I am a little hungry too, so I will give you some time to explain."
Even as he said that, Cid stopped moving his hand, turned around, and began walking toward the exit on the other side of the alley.
"Thank you. Thank you, Shadow-san, for believing me. I can explain."
Hearing Asia's words, Cid, who had his back to her, froze for a moment. Then he turned his head and looked at her with a speechless expression.
"You really are a little too Del... too innocent. I am the one about to erase your memory, and you are actually thanking me for it?
That is honestly ridiculous.
Hurry up and come over here while I am still in the mood to listen to your explanation.
And one more thing.
Do not call me Shadow. With my current identity, just call me Cid."
It had to be said, deceiving a girl like Asia, the kind who would probably help count the money after being sold off, made even Cid's nearly vanished conscience ache a little.
"Okay, Cid-san."
How Cid would judge Asia in the end was hard to say. He might feel a bit guilty now, but by the time it was over, it would probably turn into something like, serves Delta right for getting fooled.
Seeing that Cid was already about to leave the alley, Asia hurried after him, looking afraid of being left behind.
From beginning to end, Asia never noticed that anything was wrong.
For example, Cid had already spent quite a while talking to her here, and with the time that had passed now, it had almost been ten minutes. So why were there still only footsteps at the alley entrance, with no one actually coming in?
For example, would anyone really be named Gamma and Alpha? Those were Greek letters, basically the equivalent of one, two, three, four, and so on. Yet two such names had appeared together by pure coincidence.
For example, those two voices had been speaking the island's language. She clearly did not understand that language, so why was she able to understand them?
It could only be said that Cid had good reason for thinking Asia resembled Delta. They really were the same kind of innocent.
Just as Asia followed Cid out of the alley, the two Magic Circles imprinted on the wall on the other side silently shattered, and at the same time, the footsteps stopped.
...
"Sizzle, sizzle…"
"So... that is the whole story?"
Cid set down his coffee and looked at Asia sitting across from him as he asked the question.
"N-no, that is everything."
Seemingly startled by the coldness in Cid's voice, Asia began to grow uneasy.
"Hmm... I remember now. It was you!"
Cid put on a thoughtful expression. After pretending to recall something for over ten seconds, he suddenly looked as if a flash of realization had struck him.
"Cid-san, you remembered."
"Yeah, I remember now. Asia, you left quite an impression on me. With your reminder, it naturally came back to me."
That was a lie.
After listening to Asia's entire story, Cid concluded that he had never done any of the things she described. He did not have the slightest memory of them.
Hearing her prayer to the Lord and descending from the heavens to save her.
Destroying the church occupied by Fallen Angels with a single Magic Bullet.
Pulling her back from the brink of death and being called the incarnation of the Lord.
Heh.
Aside from killing the Fallen Angels and blowing up the church they occupied with one shot, which did sound like something he might do, the rest was complete nonsense.
Hearing her prayer to the Lord and descending to save her.
That was just hilarious. Was it really appropriate for a nun to say something like that?
And besides, he was just a passing Eminence in Shadow. Saying he might save someone made sense. That fit the style of an Eminence in Shadow.
But claiming he could hear a single person's prayer from tens of thousands of miles away among countless people and then descend precisely at that moment was giving him far too much credit.
Calling him the incarnation of the Lord was even funnier.
Her Lord was still living a perfectly ordinary life somewhere at the true edge of the world, shut inside like a recluse. Where would an incarnation even come from?
Of course, although Asia's story was full of holes, Cid could tell that she genuinely believed everything she said.
So...
"If that is the case, then why were you looking for me, Asia?
If it is to repay a debt of gratitude, you really do not need to go this far. I do not care about that, and I do not need it.
Compared to that, I am more curious why you were so determined to find me that you spent three months searching.
Do you... not have anything else to do?"
Of course, he planned to take everything. Enjoy the benefits first, and if anyone tried to scheme against him later, he would just kill them all.
"I I..."
Hearing Cid's question, Asia's gaze started drifting around nervously, and her voice lost its confidence.
"After the Fallen Angels were killed by Cid-san, no faction was willing to take me in anymore."
"I see. Another lost soul."
Cid immediately understood.
In simple terms, Asia was clinging to the last straw she had left. She had even started seeing the person who saved her as the incarnation of the Lord.
Tsk. Now he almost felt a little reluctant to erase her memory.
Hmm. Decision made. After erasing her memory, he would hand Asia over to Gamma.
"Then... where did the money you lived on these past few months come from?"
"There were still some operational funds and antiques belonging to the Fallen Angels in that church. After the Fallen Angels and the church were destroyed together by Cid-san, the remaining funds and antiques were given to me as severance.
I survived on that money until now. Ah, I still have some antiques left. If Cid-san wants them, I can give them all to you."
As she spoke, Asia took several antiques from the bag beside her and placed them on the table. Even at a glance, they were clearly valuable.
Cid looked over them.
Most of them he did not recognize.
There was only one thing he recognized. A ring.
He did not recognize it because he was particularly knowledgeable. He recognized it because it matched another ring in his own collection.
Back when he defeated those Fallen Angels and obtained that ring, he had been quite disappointed after learning that the ring was only valuable as a pair.
...
!!!!
Fallen Angels!
Cid suddenly raised his head and stared at Asia.
"You were telling the truth!"