The Eminence In Shadow In Multiverse

Cid strolled through the bustling streets, his thoughts still lingering on the events earlier that evening.

His relationship with Natsuki Minamiya could only be described as student and teacher.

They didn't have much interaction beyond that.

Yet, if someone asked him who in the school he trusted the most, he'd probably say Natsuki.

Because—

A doll can't defy its programming.

Yes, as far as Cid Kagenou was concerned, Natsuki Minamiya was a doll.

Sure, she acted friendly with students, and even tolerated being called "Natsuki-chan" with nothing more than a light smack from her folding fan.

But that was just her programming.

He had no doubts.

The emptiness lurking behind her eyes was undeniable—void and chaotic, no matter how well she faked emotions.

And even if that could be dismissed as emotional detachment, her entire body being constructed from pure magic was proof enough.

He didn't know where her core was, but she was definitely a doll.

At least, that's what he'd concluded.

But then…

Would a doll ever lie?

Natsuki claimed she had just arrived at the training hall earlier.

But Cid had felt her presence more than an hour and a half before she made herself known.

What kind of doll spends that long watching someone swing a sword?

Did her programming glitch?

He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Whatever.

It had nothing to do with him.

As he continued walking, a silver-haired figure suddenly rushed past him.

Gone in seconds.

Cid's eyes narrowed.

"Was that… Kojou?"

The figure was Kojou Akatsuki—his neighbor after moving to Itogami Island.

A normal guy.

Probably.

So why was he running like his life depended on it?

Before Cid could think further—

BOOM!!!

An explosion rocked the area, followed by a surge of magical energy.

Screams and panic erupted as the crowd quickly descended into chaos.

"What the hell was that?!"

"No idea! Just run—quickly!"

"Could it be demons?! If we get caught up in this, no one's going to help us!"

The crowd scattered, fleeing in every direction.

And as a proper mob character, Cid should've done the same.

Blend in. Disappear. Let the heroes handle it.

But then again—

Some mobs were dumb enough to run toward danger.

Maybe they thought they could play hero.

Maybe they just wanted to gawk at the scene.

Was he that kind of mob?

Was he?

…He could be. (Why not?)

His B- rank strength wasn't much, but it was good enough for situations like this.

And with a wooden sword strapped to his back, it wasn't like anyone would expect much from him anyway.

If he got lucky, he might even unlock a new mob achievement.

Plus…

He was really curious.

And so, with the perfect excuse in hand—

Cid Kagenou dove headfirst into the chaos.

…

By the time Cid arrived at the scene, the fight was already over.

Two thuggish-looking demons lay sprawled across the ground, motionless.

The battle was long finished.

A complete waste of time.

Unless…

"Sniff, sniff…"

His nose twitched.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area.

"I smell it."

"The scent of money."

His sharp gaze locked onto it—a wallet lying unattended on the ground.

Granted, there was a surveillance camera positioned right above it.

But that didn't matter.

He had at least ten methods to stay invisible to security systems.

The simplest of which was—

"The World."

Time—stopped.

It was a spell he had learned after the world fusion.

The inspiration?

A certain anime character from his previous life who was unbelievably cool.

And so, he gave it the name—"The World." (Because why not?)

Casually, he strolled over to the wallet, picked it up, and returned to his spot.

"Resume time. Walk away."

To everyone else, it was as though nothing had changed.

Except, of course, the wallet was gone.

Back at home, Cid locked the door, flicked on the lights, pulled the curtains, and sat down.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the wallet and placed it on the table.

"Now then… Let's see what we've got."

His fingers danced through the contents.

"One, two, three, four, five… 200,000 zeni. Not bad."

And then—

"…a student ID?"

The name on it read—"Yukina Himeragi."

After confirming the wallet was empty, he tossed both the wallet and ID into a drawer without a second thought.

Then, he flopped down onto the bed.

Two years ago, finding a wallet like this would've prompted a moral dilemma.

Should he return it?

Or keep it to fund his ambitions?

Back then, becoming an Eminence in Shadow meant having wealth.

And wealth meant buying artifacts, rare materials, and antiques—the essentials for building a legendary persona.

His primary funding source?

Looting bandits.

He saw it as poetic justice—taking the ill-gotten gains of criminals and using them to fuel his grand designs.

From Cid's perspective, picking up a wallet from the ground wasn't all that different from robbing bandits.

In both cases, the money wasn't earned.

One came down to luck.

The other, to force.

Of course, sometimes, when he was feeling charitable, he'd return the lost items he found.

But that was before.

A year ago, the three worlds united for a massive anti-bandit campaign.

They swept through the lawless territories, wiping out the criminal networks that had once provided Cid with his income.

Naturally, Cid had joined the chaos.

While the allied forces were clearing out hideouts, he had been pillaging them right under their noses.

He made a fortune.

But with his stable income stream severed, he was now left burning through his reserves.

And asking Gamma for a loan?

Out of the question. (He had his pride.)

So in his current financial crisis, returning the wallet was not an option.

Besides, student IDs could be reissued.

And 200,000 zeni?

Not enough to make anyone starve.

Whoever Yukina Himeragi was, she'd be fine.

Consider it the price of carelessness.

Cid let out a contented sigh—

Just as his stomach growled.

"…Food first. Moral debates later."