Rias had come to a conclusion after spending time with him.
There might be something wrong with Cid Kagenou's personality, and not just a small issue. It might be a serious one.
A few hours of interaction were not enough for Rias to completely see through someone's true nature. Still, she was confident she could at least grasp the general outline of a person's character.
That confidence lasted until she met Cid.
At first, Rias did not think there was anything wrong with him. Her initial impression of Cid was simply that of a cute younger brother with average talent and strength, a bit insecure, easily excitable, and deeply attached to his sister.
Although it seemed like he had quite a few issues, Rias did not consider them serious problems. In her opinion, with a little time and some guidance, those things could easily be resolved.
The real issue started with the request Claire made to her.
Cid had already occupied one of her Evil Pieces. If a special rule appeared during a Rating Game, whether Cid would take the field or not would no longer be entirely up to her.
Unless Cid stepped onto the field and immediately surrendered, once the time came he would have to participate.
However, most of the victory conditions tied to those kinds of special rules were point based. If the opponent took advantage of Claire's condition and used a strategy similar to matching strong against weak to manipulate the matchup, she would essentially be handing them a point for free.
Rias had no intention of planting such a huge hidden risk in her future.
Cid's current strength was not the real issue. Rias believed that with enough training, even someone with weak talent could grow into a strong fighter. After all, wasn't Sairaorg, the strongest among the younger generation of the Underworld, a perfect example of that?
That was why Claire's request put her in a difficult position. If she truly followed that condition, how would she continue competing in future Rating Games?
The main reason she agreed this time was because the rules for her Rating Game against Riser had already been decided as a team battle.
In a team battle, there was no need to worry about giving away a free point because of Claire's condition. Compared to Claire, Cid's current combat ability was almost negligible anyway.
Because of those two reasons, Rias had accepted Claire's request.
But this was not a long term solution.
If she still wanted to participate in future Rating Games and pursue her goals, Claire would eventually have to change.
However, from Rias's observations, this was the one condition Claire absolutely refused to negotiate. If Rias insisted that Cid fight alongside them, there was a high chance Claire would simply withdraw from the team together with her brother.
Rias found herself extremely curious about how Claire had developed such a mindset, always placing her younger brother's safety above everything else.
She had looked into it. In the noble families of World No.3, there was no tradition of favoring sons over daughters. Women could even inherit the position of family head.
And yet, from the way Claire behaved, it was obvious how much she valued her younger brother.
If Rias had to describe her in one phrase, only one word came to mind.
Someone completely obsessed with protecting her younger brother.
However, just because Rias could not persuade Claire to change her mind did not mean no one could.
There was a saying that the person who tied the knot should be the one to untie it.
If Cid were the one to talk to Claire, there was a very high chance he could convince her. Some things sounded insincere when Rias said them, but if Cid said the same words to Claire, they would feel genuine.
That was when Cid officially entered Rias's focus.
After all, what she wanted him to do would, strictly speaking, be asking him to sacrifice his own interests. She could not move forward without explaining the pros and cons clearly to him first.
And that was when she realized something.
Cid Kagenou himself seemed to have some issues too.
She had not thought about it carefully before, so she did not notice it. But after replaying the encounter in her mind, she realized that when she met Cid earlier that day, his behavior had been strangely natural.
Too natural.
Although Claire had not said it outright, judging from Cid's reaction when they first met, she likely dragged him there without explaining what was going on beforehand. That was why Cid looked a little confused at the very beginning.
But that moment of surprise only appeared once.
After that, his expression never showed anything similar again.
Rias was not the type of person who would say something was suspicious just because it seemed too reasonable.
The real problem was that Cid's behavior contained many contradictions, yet those contradictions somehow slipped past her attention perfectly at the time.
For example, someone who appeared insecure should not normally be that socially comfortable. Someone who was supposedly easily emotional should not remain that calm.
It was not the case of someone hiding deep insecurity behind an outgoing exterior either. In Cid's case, his lack of confidence was visibly obvious on the surface.
Coincidentally, Rias had two such examples within her own Peerage. One person who was extremely insecure, and another who appeared confident on the outside but was deeply insecure within.
Because of that, the insecurity Cid displayed felt strangely fake to her. It almost looked like he was deliberately acting it out.
His easygoing familiarity with others, however, seemed genuine.
Then there was the contradiction between emotional impulsiveness and composure.
Cid gave the impression that he was easily persuaded, yet he could absorb information almost instantly. He would react with intense excitement, immediately accept the next piece of information, and react just as strongly again.
There was no pause at all.
And the most obvious problem of all was how quickly Cid slipped into a role.
The moment he learned he would become part of her Peerage, his attitude toward her changed instantly. He became respectful right away, and it did not even look forced. The admiration and trust in his voice almost overflowed.
But the strange thing was that just moments earlier he had been treating her like a senpai at school.
Then suddenly he acted as if he had already been serving her as a member of her Peerage for years.
To be honest, Rias herself began to wonder if she was simply overthinking things.
Because the idea was too ridiculous.
How could someone wear a mask their entire life, from childhood to adulthood, without anyone ever noticing?
"Hmm… Rias, everyone has their own secrets. There's no need to dig so deeply into them, even if he's one of your Peerage."
After hearing Rias's explanation, Sirzechs gave this response.
In his view, there was no reason for Rias to dwell on it. If someone had some personality quirks, then so be it. It was not a big issue. After all, among the people under Rias's command, how many didn't have some kind of personality problem?
"I know. I'm just… a little nervous."
Rias understood that as well. With her strength, there was no need to overthink things. No matter what problems Cid might have, she could help him deal with them.
The real reason she felt nervous was simply because the Rating Game that would determine her fate was approaching.
"Alright. Anything else? If not, I really need to hang up. I still have a lot of official work to deal with here."
When it came to the next matter, Rias felt that her brother probably already knew about it. Still, after thinking for a moment, she decided to say it anyway.
"Shadow has appeared on this island."
"Alright, I understand. Anything else?"
"No."
"Then I'll hang up."
The two of them spoke as calmly as if they were discussing what to eat today, not the appearance of a wanted criminal capable of destroying the world at any moment.
"What troubled times."
Watching Rias's virtual projection disappear, Sirzechs sighed as he reflected on what she had just told him.
The reason both of them had seemed so unconcerned about Shadow earlier was simple.
They both knew that worrying about it would change nothing.
Two years ago, they might have believed that if all factions joined forces, they might be able to defeat one of the "World's Top Five." Some people even thought that the God of Destruction, Shiva, alone could defeat one of them.
But now, three of the individuals ranked among the World's Top Five had already proven through their actions just how terrifying that title truly was.
Their strength was so overwhelming that even if the remaining members of the "World's Top Fifteen" joined forces, it still would not be enough to defeat even one of them.
"So, Grayfia, are you curious?"
Seeing the curious look on his wife's face as she watched the conversation between him and Rias, Sirzechs asked her with a faint smile.