Asia tilted her head in a cute, puzzled way. Clearly, she had no idea why Cid had suddenly reacted so strongly and said something like that.
Calm down, Cid. Calm down. Asia has no idea I only just remembered this. The dignity of an Eminence in Shadow is still intact. At a time like this, all I have to do is keep acting according to the original plan.
"Cid-san, what is wrong?"
"Nothing. I merely lost my composure for a moment."
Faced with Asia's confusion, Cid forced himself to calm down as quickly as possible. In a cool, indifferent tone, he glossed over his earlier slip, then began sorting through his thoughts again.
First, he needed to confirm whether he had mixed things up, because he truly could not find any memory of saving Asia. He considered his memory to be fairly good.
According to Asia's account, he had saved her around three months ago. So what had he been doing back then?
Killing bandits? Robbing thieves? Stealing from the rich to help the poor?
All of those seemed possible. So much time had passed, who could remember things like that?
The only thing he remembered clearly was the ring on the table in front of him. A gold ring. Part of the same set as his three thousand seven hundred and thirty-fifth collection item, the emerald ring, which he had found in that church 103 days ago at 9:34 p.m. Counting back, that really was about three months ago, which matched the time Asia mentioned.
Oh, right. It was not just item number 3735. His collection items 3732 through 3737 had all been recovered from that church, between 9:32 p.m. and 9:39 p.m.
On top of that, he had also obtained 3,425,755 yen from that church.
As for why he had barged into that church in the first place, of course it was because... because what, exactly?
...
He forgot.
That really was not his fault. If he had to remember every single reason behind every battle in perfect detail, his brain would burn out sooner or later. Something this unimportant did not matter. If he forgot, then he forgot.
Judging from the current situation, it really did seem like he had saved Asia. The rings being part of a set, the fact that he defeated Fallen Angels in the church and rescued someone, all of it seemed to prove that poi... wait.
Did he really fight Fallen Angels when he stormed into that church 103 days ago?
It seemed like, maybe, possibly, perhaps, there had been one or two Fallen Angels... probably? He could not remember clearly.
Think harder, Cid. Your memory cannot be this bad.
...Got it!
102 days ago, which was the day after he destroyed the church, he had been cleaning his spoils when he noticed that collection item 3733 had a bit of blood on it mixed with light and dark energy, which matched the characteristics of Fallen Angel blood.
In other words, the ones he fought 103 days ago really should have been Fallen Angels, not some mysterious unknown creatures.
Also, collection item 3737, a large cross carved all over with mysterious symbols whose purpose he still did not know, had several strands of long golden hair on it when he cleaned it.
According to Asia's testimony, that should have been the tool used to extract the Sacred Gear from her body.
Heh. Just as he thought. His memory was still pretty good.
Sure, he could not quite remember how many enemies there were, where exactly the church was, what the enemies looked like, whether he had saved anyone, or even why he barged in there in the first place. But so much time had passed. Was it not perfectly normal to forget a few details?
As long as it proved that Asia was telling the truth and that he really had saved her life, that was enough.
These pieces of evidence showed that Asia was different from Yukina Himeragi. She was not some pawn deliberately sent by a faction to approach him and make use of him.
Which meant that Asia might actually be able to become his Eminence in Shadow assistant.
Thinking of this, Cid could not help casting a burning glance toward Asia.
Originally, he had assumed Asia was a sugar coated trap sent by some faction. His plan had been simple. Enjoy the sweetness first, then throw the trap back and follow the trail to wipe out the people behind it.
But now the situation was different. Not only was there sugar on the outside, the inside was sugar too. Naturally the plan had to change. If he could obtain an Eminence in Shadow assistant once and for all, that would be wonderful.
She wanted to repay a debt of gratitude. She had special abilities. She was innocent. She had no one to rely on. No family. And she already knew his true identity.
In all these years, the only people he had seen who were as suitable as Asia to become his Eminence in Shadow assistant were Alpha and Zeta.
But setting aside the fact that he no longer wanted to play the Cult of Diablos game, Alpha already had her own career to manage, which meant she could never become his Eminence in Shadow assistant. That was exactly why he had taken the initiative to end the Cult of Diablos game. If he kept draining their feelings like that, the friendship would not last much longer. He truly valued the bond he shared with the Seven Shadows.
So whether he could gain a genuine Eminence in Shadow assistant now depended on two things. Whether he could fool Asia, and whether Asia could answer his final question.
"Then let me ask one last question, Asia."
As he spoke, Cid narrowed his eyes, and a terrifying pressure descended on Asia.
Through the slight gap of his eyelids, Asia could see his pitch black pupils. They were so deep that they resembled black holes. Just looking into them made her feel as if her soul was being pulled away.
Earlier, he had only thought of using Asia as a disposable tool, so he had spoken casually without much thought. He had only planned to enjoy the moment once before acting. But now that he knew Asia was not lying and that she might truly become his Eminence in Shadow assistant, he had to take this seriously.
"How did you track me down?"
Cid spoke slowly, allowing Asia to hear every word clearly. At the same time, his voice made her feel as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, the cold wind seeping into her bones.
"I it was the Lord who told me."
"The Lord told you?"
"Yes, Cid-san. After I met you, I gained the ability to pray to the Lord. Every night, the Lord answers my questions."
???
Logic told Cid that Asia was lying. Although he had never personally seen the Lord of the Biblical faction, he knew that the Lord was currently staying at the boundary of the world within the natural laws of life, living like a shut in. If such a being descended into the world, the commotion would be enormous.
Yet his perception told him something else. Asia was not lying.
He could not sense most people because they were too weak. But Asia had already been specifically locked onto by him. Any emotional fluctuation from her would be completely clear to him.
So...
Cid closed his right eye.
Magical Power surged inside his body and flowed into the eye surrounded by darkness. In an instant, crimson covered the pitch black pupil.
His left eye continued to observe the real world. Because the right eye was covered by the eyelid, the brain had originally lost that portion of vision. But as Magical Power flowed into it, a faint light appeared, allowing the right eye to see through the eyelid.
However, the scene that appeared in this new field of vision felt completely separated from the real world seen by his left eye.
Welcome to the world that only pure souls can see.