How did things even end up like this? Why did I somehow become the center of the whole incident again? Is this another unavoidable challenge that comes with playing a background character?
"Cid-san, could you hand me that potion, please?"
"Sure. This one, right?"
Cid casually picked up the potion beside him and handed it to Le Fay, who was constantly using healing magic to treat the Church warriors. Their hands brushed together by accident.
"Snap!"
Almost on reflex, Le Fay grabbed Cid's wrist with her other hand.
"Um... what are you doing?"
Cid froze for a moment, then looked at the stunned Le Fay and asked.
"...Sorry. I grabbed the wrong thing."
With a blush on her face, Le Fay smiled awkwardly, took the potion from Cid, and turned back to continue healing the Church warriors.
"Weird."
Cid muttered under his breath and paid it no mind. After all, in this world, people would randomly lose their minds and do inexplicable things from time to time. Hearing a voice call from the other side, he answered and immediately put the matter behind him.
Le Fay also continued treating the Church warriors with various potions and healing magic, as if what had just happened really had been an accident. But the thoughtful look that kept flickering through her eyes showed that it was not that simple.
Was that just now... my imagination?
Recalling the texture she had felt during that brief touch with Cid, Le Fay fell into deep thought.
Modern warriors and mages were not like the common stereotype of warriors dressed in heavy armor and mages wrapped in robes. Even so, after many years, a person's profession would indeed leave certain traces on their body.
Warriors usually developed marks and traits in their bodies through long years of combat, shaped by their fighting habits and the way they used their weapons. Those traits helped form the muscle memory they relied on in battle.
Warlocks, after long years of casting spells, would also develop unique patterns based on how they used Magical Power and which spells they used most often. This was the human body's ability to adapt over time.
There was no doubt that what Le Fay had sensed in that brief contact were the traits of a warrior and the patterns of a Warlock... but was that really something a Warlock could ever reach?
If they had only been ordinary Warlock traces, Le Fay naturally would not have cared. Magic was something anyone had the foundation to use as long as they had Magical Power inside them. It was perfectly normal for a warrior to know a few spells, and mastering both martial arts and magic was not impossible either.
But the "Magic Formula" patterns mixed in with Cid's warrior traits were definitely not normal. Maybe it was only Le Fay's imagination, but she felt as though those patterns were like the power of "rules," the kind she could only perceive by putting great effort into using magic.
Authority, Power, Spirit, Law, Nature, Origin, Source, World, Dao... Different factions called it by different names. This power of the world had many paths, such as water, earth, fire, and wind. These "rules" were what formed the world as it was now, and they were the final destination pursued by every Warlock.
The simplest example would be Rias's family, the House of Gremory. The Power of Destruction passed down through their bloodline carried the force of "destruction." This, too, was one form of the world's power. Warlocks used all kinds of Magic Formulas to imitate and control that power.
Of course, people could not all be judged by the same standard. Rias and her brother Sirzechs both possessed the Power of Destruction, but no one would think Rias and her brother posed the same level of threat.
That was precisely why Le Fay doubted whether she had sensed it correctly. To have the patterns of Law carved into one's flesh...
Put it this way. Sacred Gear made from the bodies of the ancient Two Heavenly Dragons had become one of the current Thirteen Longinus Artifacts.
So... she must have sensed it wrong. How could a human possibly have the markings of several Laws on his body?
With a faint smile, Le Fay rejected that absurd guess about several "Core" traces and treated it as nothing more than her imagination.
At that moment, Cid, completely unaware that he had nearly been exposed in a single meeting, took a deep breath and opened the door in front of him with the mindset of facing a background-character challenge.
Around the enormous negotiation table sat Serafall, Dulio, Delta, and the others. They could be divided into three factions, or into two.
Judging from the seating arrangement, they were clearly split into three factions, but Dulio sat a little closer to Vali than to the Devils.
That was only natural. From the fact that the Church warriors outside had been healed enough to regain some fighting ability, while the Devils were left merely alive and wounded, it was clear that Arthur and Dulio had no problem ganging up on the Devils later.
The reason for joining forces was simple. Both sides had a "common" enemy, and Arthur and Le Fay's relationship served as a buffer. At a moment like this, Dulio could not possibly choose to support the Devils.
"Cid, you're finally here!"
The door had only just opened when Delta, who had been waiting for quite some time, leapt onto Cid and started rubbing her face against his.
Feeling the strange looks from everyone in front of him, Cid sighed inwardly and patted Delta on the head, signaling for her to get down. Things had already reached this point. There was no way to clear up the misunderstanding anymore, so he might as well openly show his relationship with Delta. At the very least, that would stop people from imagining too much.
"Cid, what exactly is all this...?"
Standing behind Serafall, Rias still looked utterly confused and disbelieving. The fact that the person she liked knew so many people had truly shocked her.
"All I can say is that when I first met them, I didn't know their identities either. I really only knew them as friends. I've even only met Vali once."
"But you left a pretty deep impression on me. Your character is fine too, and you helped me out once, so I don't mind calling you a friend."
Sitting in a chair and applying medicine to the wounds torn open across his body, Vali smiled when he heard Cid's words and replied while making a gesture.
That's what I'm saying. I'm not even that close to you, so why did you suddenly decide we're such good friends?
"That's enough, Vali. I'll talk to him. We don't have much time."
Stopping Vali and Cid's idle chatter, Arthur looked at Cid with a rather grim expression.
That was true. Natsuki Minamiya's connection could be used to explain things to Itogami Island's authorities, and Natsuki Minamiya also knew very well that if Vali's group truly caused trouble, Itogami Island alone would not be able to stop them. But that did not mean the higher-ups of Itogami Island would not lose their minds over it. With their identity as members of the Khaos Brigade, they would definitely be hunted down afterward.
"Fine, fine. Then let's start by confirming what exactly you want."
Sensing the atmosphere around him begin to shift, Cid also grew serious.
"Fine. My demands are simple. Hand over Yuuto Kiba, Genshirou Saji, and the mastermind behind this, then return my Excalibur to me."
"OK, OK. Then, Serafall-sama, what's your response?"
Cid turned his gaze to Serafall. There was no way he could preserve his background-character identity this time, so he needed to lower his presence as much as possible to make it easier to settle the aftermath later.
"We can agree to your demands. The problem is that we genuinely know nothing about this. Yuuto Kiba and Genshirou Saji have already lost contact with us, and we can't reach them at all."
Serafall spoke with a troubled expression. She knew this explanation would never satisfy Arthur. After all... if she were not one of the people involved, she would not believe it either.
"Smack!"
Arthur slammed his palm down on the table so hard he was almost ready to draw the Holy King Sword Collbrande.
"Then there's nothing left to talk about..."
"Wait. Genshirou Saji and Kiba have lost contact with us, but we might know a few other clues."
"Hm?"
Sona Sitri hurriedly cut off Arthur's outburst. In front of everyone, she turned to Delta at the side.
"The night before last, you attacked Rias and me as one of Shadow's subordinates. Delta-san, could you tell us what your Boss's goal is? Or is there anyone else involved in this incident besides Shadow?"
"Hm?"
Vali and the others froze for a moment, then exchanged glances and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. But soon, that surprise turned into understanding. They had always been curious about Delta's background. With strength like hers, having no reputation and no backing at all would be the real problem.
"Huh?"
With everyone looking at her, Delta, who had been eating something, raised her head with a confused look.
"That's right, Captain Delta. Although learning your true identity now is quite a surprise, please tell us what you know."
"Hmm..."
Delta pursed her lips and propped her chin on one hand, thinking for a few seconds. Then she straightened her back and declared with complete confidence,
"Delta doesn't know!"
"You..."
Serafall was so angry she nearly snapped. Her eyes locked straight onto Delta. If they were not at a disadvantage right now, she would have forced a confession out of Delta on the spot.
This was the only clue they had that could prove the Devils' innocence. If they could not clear their names, then from Arthur's account, Serafall had no doubt he would choose to kill first and ask questions later. After all, he had suffered three blows at once: his Excalibur had been stolen, he had become a burden to his own sister, and because of him holding them back, Le Fay had been kidnapped.
There was no hope from the Church's side either. Emotionally, the Church would love nothing more than to see the Devils dead. On top of that, the Church warriors already believed the Devils had planned the whole incident. Rationally, if they failed to read the situation, Arthur would not mind killing the Church warriors too. He had already helped them once, so no one could condemn him on moral grounds.
"Boss told Delta to kill all of you, so Delta went to hunt you."
With both hands on her hips, Delta said it proudly.
"There. Delta doesn't know anything. What else do you Devils have to say?"
Arthur raised the Holy King Sword Collbrande and pointed it sharply at Serafall. Serafall instinctively gathered Magical Power, forming ice in her hand. It looked as if the two sides would start fighting in the very next second.
"Calm down, calm down. Don't start fighting the moment talks break down. We can take this slowly."
Cid stepped in to mediate again. Arthur glanced at him, stayed silent for a moment, then finally lowered his sword.
"I'll trust you once."
"I know you don't believe us, but just as Serafall-sama said, we really have lost track of Yuuto and the others..."
When Cid said this, Arthur's expression shifted slightly, but in the end, he did not explode at the Devils like before.
"But think about it from another angle. If the Devils didn't do this, then the missing Kiba and the others are most likely with the mastermind. So as long as we find the mastermind, every demand you made can be fulfilled..."
What kind of nonsense are you talking about?
Arthur did not say it out loud, but his face said exactly that.
"I found a small clue in what you said earlier about how your Excalibur was stolen, Arthur-san. Interested in hearing it?"
"I don't mind."
The corner of Cid's mouth curled up despite himself. It was time for his favorite part, revealing the truth. The only pity was that doing it as "Cid" felt a little unfitting for a background character.
Sigh. If only there were a shrunken detective beside him right now, wearing a blue suit, a red bow tie, and a watch with a tranquilizer needle. That would seal the deal. Unfortunately, he had no such thing.
"As everyone knows, the original Excalibur was shattered and reforged into seven swords. Five are held by the Church, one is in the hands of the Fallen Angels, and the last one vanished without a trace. So, Arthur, yours..."
Come on, Cid. Think back to Sherry's analysis, and what you saw when you beat Vali up. Start using your brain. Hurry up and show off that world-shaking Wisdom.
"It's Excalibur Ruler. The one that disappeared, and the strongest of the seven. Is there a problem with that?"
"Good. Then, Arthur, let me ask you this. How many people know you have Excalibur Ruler?"
"..."
Cid smiled at the silent Arthur. Of course he knew why. How many times could a sword have been used when the dust in its engravings had not even been washed away by Magical Power?
"If Loki hasn't woken up yet, then aside from my teammates, I've never used Excalibur Ruler in front of outsiders..."
"He hasn't. Loki has poor connections, and high-grade medicine has been rather scarce lately. So far, Loki still hasn't woken up."
Rias gave the answer. Because of Kuroka Toujou, she had deliberately investigated Vali's group before.
"Bingo. Since it's a Holy Sword no one knows about, and you, Arthur, are a terrorist whose whereabouts are constantly uncertain, why did the mastermind discover you the moment you were injured and send people to steal it?"
"...You're saying I accidentally exposed the Holy Sword long ago and was targeted by them? But I really haven't used Excalibur Ruler in front of any outsiders."
At this point, Arthur also sensed that something was wrong. He had not placed the Holy Sword out in the open in a church like the Church did, nor had he carried it around on the street like Xenovia, practically announcing to everyone that he was a Holy Sword Wielder. How had the mastermind discovered him and his Excalibur Ruler?
"No. You don't necessarily have to use it for someone to recognize it. I know one guy who was left with a deep psychological scar after getting beaten by Excalibur. If it's him, I believe he could recognize Excalibur by instinct alone."
Vali seemed to think of something. A glint flashed through his eyes as he spoke.
"And when we first came to this island, you met him too when I went to see him. One of the Fallen Angels' officers, Kokabiel."
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