The shop, which had been bustling and noisy only moments ago, suddenly fell silent. The cheering crowd filed out one after another in a daze, completely ignoring the people inside who were clearly out of place.
"What do you think, you filthy Devil!"
With a vicious grin, Cao Cao tightened his grip on Diodora's hand. It was obvious that his overwhelming strength was crushing the bones inside Diodora's body through flesh and skin. Mm, even from some distance away, Cid could hear the sound of bones cracking.
"Ah…"
Diodora's face, which had still been pretending to be refined and elegant, instantly collapsed. His eyes bulged as he screamed, and his body was lifted off the ground by Cao Cao before being slammed heavily onto the floor.
"You! Cao Cao…"
Clutching his arm and writhing on the ground like a maggot, Diodora's fairly handsome face was now twisted with pain. He looked up, about to curse, but froze the moment he saw Cao Cao's face, hesitantly saying his name.
"Mm?"
When Diodora called out his name, Cao Cao paused and looked the battered Diodora up and down suspiciously.
"You know me?"
"…I don't know you, but I know who you are. I never expected someone from the Khaos Brigade to appear on this island, and to be connected to this filthy Human on top of that."
Diodora spoke with absolute certainty. At the same time, his excited gaze kept moving back and forth between Cid and Cao Cao. Cid felt as though he had misunderstood something incredible.
"Hmph!"
Under Diodora's gaze, Cao Cao seemed to think of something and let out a cold laugh. He crouched in front of Diodora, leaned close to his ear, and quietly asked a question.
"One of the Old Satan Faction's dumbass underlings?"
"…"
The instant he heard those words, Diodora's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Seeing that reaction, Cao Cao smiled mockingly and kicked the terrified Diodora away.
"Bang!"
The Devil's body hit the ground with a heavy sound. Immediately afterward, the two mysterious black-robed Peerage Members Diodora had brought with him were also thrown out of the shop.
"For the sake of having been colleagues, get lost. I suggest you don't do anything unnecessary…"
A voice only Diodora could hear appeared in his mind. He glanced at the group inside the shop, who were ignoring him, suppressed the thoughts in his heart, and said nothing more. Clutching the arm that had been crushed, he turned and left.
Cid, who had watched all of this from the side, nodded in satisfaction. Good. The matter was settled just like that. As expected of Cao Cao, he had perfectly solved the trouble for him. All that was left was to leave silently like an extra.
With that thought in mind, Cid changed direction and silently took Asia's hand, beginning to leave the shop…
Looking at the long Spear blocking his path, Cid fell silent for a moment and took a step back, trying to leave in another direction. But this time, the Spear moved even faster and blocked him directly again!
"Don't be in such a rush to leave, Cid. No matter how you put it, I helped you just now. Aren't you going to say thank you?"
"How do you know my name?!"
No, wait, are we even that close?
Faced with Cid's stunned expression, Cao Cao only tapped his shoulder with the Spear in his hand, acting as though they were already familiar.
"I didn't know it at first, but didn't that idiot say your name just now?"
"I happen to have something to discuss with you. Since I helped you out, I'll trouble you to wait here for us a little and help us with a small favor…"
I don't want to. Can I leave? I feel like you're about to cause something huge. Something huge!
Cid complained silently in his heart. But looking at Cao Cao's bright smile, then thinking of Cao Cao's personality of never giving up until he reached his goal, plus the fact that Cao Cao had indeed helped him out this time, Cid ultimately took a step back and obediently prepared to sit down again.
"Um… thank you very much for helping Cid-san and me. I'll find a way to repay you for your help, but Cid-san is very troubled right now. Could you please let Cid-san leave?"
Asia's voice came from the side. This silly girl still had not realized that Cao Cao had come for Cid himself.
"Excuse me… Cao Cao-san, what business do you have with me? Let me say this first. I'm just an ordinary extra. If it's something too big, I really won't be able to help much."
Cid pulled Asia down to sit with him. In the process, Asia made an extremely cute sound, but unfortunately, aside from Cid, everyone present had their attention elsewhere.
"You're far too modest, Cid Kagenou. Just based on your social ability to somehow mingle with so many powerful people, you're already a terrifying powerhouse."
"Not to mention, during the world-destroying incident a few days ago, you were someone who left your name on the list. You should know that I had to do so many things to reach that level, yet you caught up to me in one go. You really are strong."
Cao Cao's praise only made Cid feel a deep tightness in his chest. He had expected it somewhat, but why did these people all keep focusing on him one after another? Could they not learn from that small-fry villain extra named Diodora?
"Say whatever you want, but I'm keeping my own understanding of my identity. Just tell me what you want from me. Since you helped me, as long as it isn't too excessive, I'll agree."
Preferably something that won't make me too out of character, while still causing a huge mess on the same level as the major incident you caused before!
"Huh?"
Sensing the faintly excited, burning gaze hidden beneath Cid's lazy appearance, Cao Cao froze. He studied Cid's "how unfortunate" expression for a few seconds, but in the end, he dismissed that feeling as his imagination and showed a sunny smile.
"Don't worry. It's nothing major…"
Tch, it's not a big deal? Cao Cao, you're so lame…
"I just want to ask you, Cid, to help me get in contact with your friend Vali and the others. I have something to discuss with them."
"?"
Cid's expression changed as he looked at Cao Cao, who said that cheerfully, as if it were perfectly natural and there was nothing wrong with it at all.
"That's right, Cid-kun, your friends. I looked into the whole story. With the friendship between you and Vali, I'm sure you have some way to call that guy out, don't you?"
"…No."
Cid answered flatly. It was the truth. If Delta were still hanging around with Vali and the others, then he naturally would have a way to find them. But there were no ifs. Delta had already been captured.
"Really? Nothing?"
"No. Azazel, the Fallen Angel Governor General, asked me the exact same question before. My answer is the same now as it was then. No means no."
Cid answered Cao Cao irritably. If Cao Cao was only looking for Vali and not trying to destroy the world, then in Cid's eyes, it was honestly a little boring.
"…Well then, Cid-kun, do you know my true identity?"
Silence fell. Cao Cao still had that bright smile on his face, but the atmosphere between him and Cid suddenly grew heavy. An incredibly dense pressure bore down on Cid and Asia.
"I don't know, but judging from Diodora's attitude just now… you seem to be someone impressive?"
"Heh-heh…"
Maybe that had hit the mark. No, not maybe. It had definitely hit Cao Cao's favorite point. Cao Cao straightened his back with an incredibly proud look on his face.
"I suppose I have done a few things that made me famous."
"Such as?"
"For example, helping Sacred Gear Awakened Ones all over the world, who were being forcibly controlled, awaken their Balance Breakers, and setting up a plan that caused the powerful figures from most factions to be seriously injured. Mm… I know you, Cid-kun, seem to have been one of the people involved too."
At this point, Cao Cao's expression suddenly darkened. As if he had remembered something irritating, his tone became extremely displeased.
"Actually, back then, I planned to kill Great Red, the Infinite Dragon God, and those two otherworldly Dragon Gods all at once. Slaying dragons, eliminating two threats that could break into the World Battlefield at any moment, and dragging down all those Gods and Buddhas while I was at it. Cid-kun, don't you think that would have been heroic?"
It really would have been. If it were me, I would've done it…
"But then Shadow showed up halfway through. Damn it, my Dragon-Slaying Sacred Gear was even held back by that old bastard."
"By the time that old man let go and I got the Dragon-Slaying Sacred Gear in hand, Shadow had already finished fighting. The Infinite Dragon God I had people watching was also snatched away by Vali. Damn it, all my plans ended up becoming someone else's wedding dress! "
"Ah… Cid, right now I have the Dragon-Slaying Sword in hand, but no target to use it on. Don't you think I'm really unlucky?"
"Yeah, that does sound miserable…"
Cid strongly agreed with Cao Cao's complaints. If someone dared to steal his chance, he would absolutely jump out and slap them across the face immediately. Fortunately, he never made overly detailed plans, so he was always the one stealing other people's chances.
"Mm-hmm. So, as my good brother, Cid-kun, you'll definitely help us find Vali and that Infinite Dragon God, right?"
"Of course… I can't. I told you, I don't have any way to contact Vali and the others."
Facing Cao Cao's disappointed gaze, Cid gave the same answer as before with perfect ease. He was not stupid enough to fall for such a simple trick.
Still… the Infinite Dragon God?
Thinking back to the first time he met Vali, to the little girl standing nearby who had made him feel as though he was being watched, and then connecting it with the complaints Delta had once made to him, Cid felt he might have figured out what that little girl called Ophis actually was.
It made sense. A being capable of making even him sense something could not possibly have appeared at random. With normal thinking, it was easy enough to guess her identity.
"Are you really sure, Cid?"
"No matter how many times you ask, the answer is the same. I don't."
Seeing that Cao Cao still would not give up, Cid had no intention of sparing his face and answered directly.
"All right, all right. That's normal too. There's no way that guy Vali would be caught that easily. Then let's change the subject…"
As if finally giving up, Cao Cao raised both hands and made a soothing gesture toward Cid. Then he opened his eyes, faced Cid with a serious expression, and extended an inviting hand.
"Cid Kagenou, you have the potential to become a great hero. Why don't you join our Hero Faction? We'll help you make a name for yourself."
"No thanks. I don't think I'm some kind of hero. I'm just an ordinary extra. Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."
As he said that, Cid stood up, pulled the still-confused Asia with him, and walked around Cao Cao's companions toward the street outside the shop.
He was not too worried about the possibility of Cao Cao losing his temper and forcing him to stay after being rejected so many times. In Cid's view, Cao Cao still had at least a bit of a hero's code. At the very least, he would not attack civilians.
"Cao Cao, looks like you miscalculated this time. He really is just an ordinary Magic Swordsman."
After Cid left, Georg, dressed in a mage's robe, walked over to Cao Cao's side and teased him with a slight smile.
"Not necessarily."
A faint smile on his face, Cao Cao also stood up from his chair and casually refuted his friend's teasing. At the same time, he looked at his oddly assorted teammates, thought for a moment, then turned toward Jeanne, who was clad in armor.
"Jeanne, please follow that brother of mine, Cid. If you discover anything, call us over immediately. Be careful. Don't let the nun beside him notice you."
"Hah? Me?"
The girl whose name had been called froze for a moment and pointed at herself. After receiving Cao Cao's confirmation, she finally nodded with a troubled look.
"Fine. But if I don't get any useful information afterward, I'm going to be mad."
Watching Jeanne leave, Georg pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked at Cao Cao, who seemed completely confident, with confusion.
"Did you notice something, Cao Cao?"
"I suppose I noticed a little."
Sensing the searching gazes from his teammates, Cao Cao thought carefully for a moment before explaining.
"When I mentioned the Infinite Dragon God just now, his attention clearly wandered."
"…That's it?"
After hearing Cao Cao's answer, Siegfried, with his white hair and several demonic swords on his back, instinctively asked back. What was so strange about that? Anyone, even an idiot, would understand what information about one of the strongest beings in the world meant.
"Pretty much. That's all. It's only my guess."
"…Then Big Sister Jeanne is probably going to waste her time."
Hearing Cao Cao's irresponsible words, the tall Heracles could not help commenting.
"Enough, Heracles. We haven't been able to find Vali and the others for more than a day or two anyway. There's no harm in trying."
Siegfried waved his hand to calm Heracles, then looked back at Cao Cao.
"In that case, why did you invite him to join us, Cao Cao? You even said he has the potential to become a hero. I don't think your eyesight is that much better than ours, enough to see something we can't."
"Don't say that, Siegfried. I really do think Brother Cid has potential."
Cao Cao gave a vague answer with a laugh, trying to gloss over the topic.
"Explain."
But as the vice-captain, Siegfried did not intend to let himself be brushed off and questioned him directly.
"For example… look, when he faced my pressure attack just now, he could still answer my questions calmly without changing expression, instead of being scared stiff like those third-rate small fry."
"…"
Cao Cao's words silenced everyone at once. His teammates looked at one another, and finally, Siegfried spoke with a strange expression.
"Is there a possibility that he didn't stay calm because his mind is steady and strong, but because he's too weak? So weak he couldn't even feel your pressure…"
All of them had noticed Cid's reaction to Cao Cao's pressure at the time. That was not the look of someone being suppressed and forcing himself to endure with firm willpower. That was the look of someone who had not noticed he was being suppressed at all.
"That's why. Look, isn't that a pretty good talent? I wasn't exaggerating when I said he has the potential to become a hero…"
"Smack!"
Before Cao Cao could finish, Georg's hand landed on his shoulder, cutting him off. Georg sighed with a teasing, strange expression.
"Cao Cao, in the magical world, that kind of talent is called having zero spiritual sight. A magic insulator, commonly known as a little deaf-and-blind. It's a negative talent where even if you put the laws right in front of him, he still wouldn't understand them. Though I suppose it does make him suitable for a suicide squad."
"Uh…"
With things having reached this point, Cao Cao was under enough pressure that he could barely find anything to argue with. Still, he felt he could try to work with it.
"Maybe not. Look, the Infinite Dragon God is the same, isn't she? Actually, hers is even more exaggerated. I stabbed her once with True Longinus, and she didn't react at all…"
The more Cao Cao spoke, the slower his words became. Remembering the time he stabbed the Infinite Dragon God with the Spear, only for Ophis to turn around with that expressionless face and ask him what he wanted, he somehow felt that it resembled Cid's lazy expression when he was pressured by Cao Cao and completely failed to notice.
"So, Cao Cao, what you mean is that while we were casually walking around the street looking for clues, you grabbed a powerhouse on the same level as the Infinite Dragon God or Shadow, interrogated him with a half-threatening attitude, and then successfully sent Jeanne to follow him…"
Holding his face with one hand, Siegfried spoke slowly to Cao Cao in an extremely speechless tone.
"Maybe. If Cid really is similar to the Infinite Dragon God, then he definitely won't notice Jeanne following him."
After all, did the weak deserve to be noticed by the strong?
Cao Cao did not say the rest out loud, because the speechless looks from his teammates made even someone as shameless as him feel embarrassed. In any case, he stopped trying to argue.
"All right, all right, I'll tell the truth. I invited him because I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from him, along with that social ability of his."
"Déjà vu?"
"Yes."
Facing his teammates' confusion, Cao Cao responded with a nod.
"When I look at him, I feel like I'm seeing another person. But I can't figure out who that person is."
Siegfried and the others exchanged glances. They could understand Cao Cao's reasoning. If he could not figure it out despite having such a strong impression, then that person definitely had something unusual about him.
"All right. Then let's test him."
In the end, that was the conclusion they reached.