The food on the plate disappeared little by little, but Cid's gaze remained fixed on Sherry.
"That's the rough situation. So, for some reason, I ended up becoming the investigator in charge of this incident, and now I have to find the killer hiding among the Devils. Who do you think the killer is?"
After biting down on the last piece of meat, Cid finished telling Sherry what had happened to him over the past few days, then looked at her questioningly.
"Um… Cid-kun, is it really all right to tell me something this important? Isn't this supposed to be confidential?"
Sherry did not answer directly. Instead, she looked away with an awkward expression and asked him back.
"Oh, that's fine, it's fine. I'm almost done investigating anyway. All the Devils who came seeking protection have alibis, so either Shadow went crazy and started spouting nonsense, or the killer is hiding among Rias and the others. Personally, I'm leaning toward Shadow going crazy and randomly accusing people."
Cid waved it off, not caring about the confidentiality Sherry mentioned at all. It was true that secrecy mattered, but he was the one who had made the false testimony himself. Other people might not know the truth, but how could he not?
"Cid-kun, aren't you trusting your friends a little too much? Maybe the killer really is among them."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Aside from Sairaorg and his Peerage Members, who I don't know that well, I'm very familiar with Rias, Sona Sitri, and the others.
My bro Yuuto Kiba is upright and honest, a believer in the code of chivalry. Genshirou Saji is warmhearted and wants to be an ally of justice.
My besties…"
Cid flatly denied the possibility. After more than a year with them, he admitted that quite a few of them had some psychological issues, but they should not be capable of doing something so outrageous that both heaven and earth would condemn it.
"How should I put this… Right now, I'm actually more concerned about those 'besties' you mentioned than everything else you just said, Cid-kun…"
Sherry's eyes went blank, and the corner of her mouth twitched. As she listened to Cid praise his so-called bros and besties, the smile on her face gradually disappeared.
"Having female best friends is perfectly normal. More importantly, during my investigation, I discovered something else…"
"But I'm still really concerned about those female friends you mentioned, Cid…"
"Don't interrupt!"
"Oh."
Cid shot Sherry a dissatisfied look. After receiving her aggrieved reply, he coughed a few times and began speaking in the tone of someone telling a horror story.
"I suspect this so-called curse may only be the appetizer. The mastermind behind the scenes may be setting up an even bigger game. The curse is only a smokescreen. His true objective is…"
Cid deliberately drew out his words, making the atmosphere even more mysterious.
"I have no idea either. Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I really couldn't keep making it up… Sherry, what's with that expression?"
Cid stared blankly at Sherry's suddenly awful complexion, at the hand constantly wiping her forehead with a handkerchief and the hand patting her chest, then tilted his head.
"It's nothing, Cid-kun. I'm just a little hot. I thought I had heard something incredible."
Sherry's smile was visibly forced, and her mental state seemed unexpectedly poor.
"Sorry. Looks like that joke wasn't very good. But I really did find something strange."
Cid apologized awkwardly, but halfway through, he suddenly changed the topic, and Sherry's attention snapped back to him at once.
"I looked into where that curse first appeared. Apparently, a group of men in black tried to steal Excalibur from the Church, got intercepted, and used it to escape. Don't you think that's really strange?"
"What's strange about it?"
Sherry blinked. Being stared at by Cid made her so nervous that her thoughts briefly stopped working, and she asked back instinctively.
"This contagious curse, which practically works like a mechanism, appeared in the world because a group of men in black used it to shake off the Church's pursuit. And the reason the Church was chasing them was that they were trying to steal Excalibur!?"
That was the part Cid simply could not understand. The reason this curse had appeared was as absurd as a group of imperial guards chasing a petty thief, only for the thief to throw out a world-ending virus in return.
It might be somewhat insulting to Excalibur, the legendary holy sword of King Arthur, but compared to the Black Spot Curse, Excalibur truly was not worth mentioning.
Before it shattered, Excalibur was only at the level of a relatively powerful Longinus. After shattering, a single Excalibur was not even as strong as a powerful Sacred Gear.
That was why both Serafall, one of the Four Great Satans from the Underworld, and the Joker from Heaven had focused their attention on the Black Spot Curse. Compared to a curse that could infect more than a hundred thousand people in one day, the stolen Excalibur really was not much.
"Once war breaks out, a curse like this, which is especially effective against humans, would be an absolute killing weapon. Exposing such a powerful curse just for a few Excaliburs is like throwing away something priceless for pocket change, isn't it?
So I think there's another conspiracy here. The mastermind's real goal is to use the curse to draw everyone's attention, then sneak something else past them. Show one road in the open while taking another in secret. What do you think, Sherry?"
"Uh…"
Sherry opened her mouth, glanced around, and fidgeted with her fingers unnaturally.
"…Maybe all of this was just caused by some idiot acting on impulse, and there isn't any conspiracy like the one you're talking about, Cid-kun."
"Oh, interesting. Sherry, tell me what you think."
Cid narrowed his eyes and made a welcoming gesture, eager to hear what brilliant argument Sherry could come up with to refute him.
"This is only a guess…"
Sherry spoke shyly, but it was obvious that after the atmosphere had been built up like this, her love of detective novels had pulled her straight into the role. The ugly look on her face vanished, and she began explaining her theory with growing enthusiasm.
"According to what you said, Cid-kun, you suspect that the mastermind's true goal wasn't to spread the curse, and that the curse was only a smokescreen. Your guess makes a lot of sense.
By revealing this move too early, the mastermind actually put himself at a disadvantage. He should have had better ways to make proper use of this one-time curse instead of using it in public and allowing its mechanism-like contagiousness to be discovered immediately.
Looking at it that way, the curse really does seem like a diversion, bait used by the mastermind to hide his real objective.
But, Cid-kun, what do you think the mastermind was after?
Excalibur? No. Right now, the focus of your investigation has indeed shifted from Excalibur to the Black Spot Curse, but the ones who stole the swords and the ones who used the curse are the same group. The focus of the investigation changed, but the direction didn't.
If it had only been a sword theft, the Church might have sent just a few people to investigate and search for them. But because of an incident that nearly killed more than a hundred thousand people, one of the Four Great Satans from the Underworld came, and a Joker from Heaven came too…
From the mastermind's perspective, openly using the curse inside the Church could only be an extremely stupid choice. The payoff was too small, and it also ruined the curse's secrecy.
If this is impossible, and that is impossible, then whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, must be the truth."
"Sherry, you mean!"
Sensing the atmosphere reach its climax, Cid cooperated perfectly and looked at Sherry as if he had suddenly understood. Sherry, matching the mood just as perfectly, spoke in a firm and decisive tone.
"That's right. The men in black were after Excalibur, and the Black Spot Curse was exposed early only because those men in black acted on their own!"
"Exactly. If that's the case, then all the inconsistencies make sense. You're amazing, Sherry. As expected of Dr. Sherry."
"Hehe, I'm not as good as you make me sound, Cid-kun."
I was just copying from the answer sheet.
Sherry smiled shyly. Knowing exactly where her reasoning had come from, she blushed a little at Cid's praise.
"But what role did the Shadow who suddenly appeared last night play in all of this? What exactly was he doing there?"
Sherry frowned in thought, still unable to figure out why Shadow had shown up.
"I don't think we need to discuss that. Let's just treat Shadow as a lunatic who suddenly went crazy and tried to take the blame. Here, Sherry, have some too."
The meat slices were already gone, so Cid could only pick up some side dishes and start eating. He had to admit, after finishing the clay pot, refreshing side dishes really did cut through the richness.
"Cid-kun, that joke was pretty funny. Hahaha."
"…"
Cid silently looked at Sherry, who seemed to have taken his conclusion as a joke. In reality, she had not taken his conclusion seriously at all and was only forcing a laugh to spare his dignity. He did not explain and only sighed.
"Forget it. I'll report your answer to the higher-ups later. Hopefully they'll accept it this time."
With Cid's reminder, Sherry seemed to snap back to her senses. She suddenly covered her mouth, her expression turning very ugly.
"Let's go, Sherry. After eating, we should walk around a bit to digest. Last bite. Open wide."
"Ah!"
After feeding Sherry the last slice of meat, Cid stood and headed for the door.
"Wait for me, Cid-kun."
Seeing that Cid was leaving, Sherry hurriedly tidied herself up a little and followed him out.
"Bill, Victoria."
Cid called out to Victoria, who was standing by the front counter. At the same time, he opened his handbag at a speed beyond what anyone's eyes could follow, took out several bills, and placed them on the table.
"Um, Cid-kun, I remember you said you were a student, right? Then why…"
Following behind Cid, Sherry saw a student rushing past nearby. Suddenly remembering that point, she asked casually.
"Oh, that. Didn't I get appointed as an investigator? So I took leave from the school under the reason of investigating."
Cid smiled at the student hurrying along beside them and explained to Sherry at an unhurried pace.
"Eh! If that's the case, then Cid-kun, won't you get in trouble for spending time with me right now…"
"Don't rush. Don't panic, Sherry. I said before that I've already finished investigating. Right now, I'm just reasonably slacking off before the submission deadline."
Besides, she probably wished I would investigate a little more slowly.
Thinking of Sona Sitri's older sister, Cid clicked his tongue in displeasure.
The report he had torn up back then was not much of a problem. The contents were mostly correct. It was only after Serafall sent it back that he understood, at least for now, they did not want this matter investigated clearly.
That was where his situation was stuck. He had already finished investigating the ordinary Devils. Once he finished with Rias and Sona Sitri, he could leave. But Serafall was worried he might actually uncover something, so she told him to investigate others first. Until she finished arguing things out with the Church, he was to investigate other Devils.
This was what happened when people overthought things. If Serafall had not thought so much, he would have already uncovered the truth and dumped the entire blame onto Shadow.
Forget it. Paid leave was not bad either.
"What do you think? Want some ice cream? I kind of want some. Eating ice cream on a hot day is pretty good for cooling down."
After silently mourning Serafall for a few seconds in his heart, Cid turned his head and noticed a short line forming on the other side. Remembering what Sherry had said about Itogami Island's weather, he turned around and asked.
"Ice cream? Mm, I want some."
Sherry murmured, then looked at Cid and nodded.
"Great. Hold this for me. I'll buy one for you while I'm there. Wait here, okay?"
Cid had Sherry stand in the shade, then walked toward the ice cream shop.
Because Itogami Island was an artificial island, most of the materials used to build its land were related to heat-absorbing materials, causing the weather on the island to be very hot. Naturally, businesses like ice cream shops were extremely popular because of the temperature.
"Boom!"
After Cid finally waited for the person in front of him to get their ice cream and leave, and just as his own order was being made, a loud crash came from the sky, followed by a series of sounds like rocks shattering and falling.
He instinctively looked up. Most people could only see a humanoid figure in full white armor entangled in midair with a man holding a Spear. The sound just now had come from an energy blast fired by the white-armored figure, which struck a nearby building and blew apart the wall in an instant.
"Ah!!! It's a mage attack!"
Although the people around him did not have Cid's eyesight, they could still make out the general situation. They immediately started screaming, and once the surrounding crowd heard them, everyone scattered in all directions, terrified of being caught up in the battle above and dying.
"Please give me my ice cream first. Thank you. Also, just a reminder, you should run right now instead of standing there wondering whether you should leave."
The fight above had nothing to do with Cid. At most, he would watch from the side.
With his excellent eyesight, Cid noticed that his ice cream was already finished, so he naturally walked up to the panicked server, took the ice cream from her hand, and even kindly gave her a warning.
His eyes remained on the battle above as his tongue licked the ice cream bit by bit. In his other hand, he held Sherry's portion and walked toward her.
"Tsk. What a wasteful attack."
Cid complained as he watched the white figure's energy blast get dodged easily. The magic bullet, packed with a large amount of energy, went flying right in front of him…
No, wait. In front of me?
Suddenly realizing something, Cid followed the path of the magic sphere through the sky and saw Sherry standing in the shade, along with the handbag in her hands…
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