"It's because I know you just went through a huge battle that I didn't say it directly. Though honestly, I feel like you'd have had the same reaction even if you hadn't."
"That's slander. I'm suing you for slander!"
Watching Asagi Aiba take out her laptop from her bag, Cid felt he had to at least try to defend himself.
"Hah."
In response to his threat, Asagi Aiba only gave him a scornful laugh. Her meaning was obvious.
"Alright, enough joking. Let's do this the usual way. How much do you know about the news going around right now? You do know about the Evil Dragon invasion, right?"
"That's insulting. Of course I know something that big."
Of course he knew.
After finally dealing with Rias, who had gone off the rails and said a bunch of incomprehensible things, the first news he heard was about the "Evil Dragon invasion."
If he remembered right, the white mist that transferred the Underworld venue into the Dimensional Gap had probably been created by that bespectacled artsy guy standing next to Cao Cao, the one whose name was something like Geo-whatever, using his Sacred Gear, "Dimension Lost."
While the powerful figures from every faction at the Underworld venue were trapped in the Dimensional Gap and unable to use teleportation circles, and while he himself was stuck there as well because Great Red had locked onto the aura of Samael on him, suicide attacks broke out at the same time across the territories of every major faction, carried out by a group calling itself Khaos Brigade.
According to the reports, the leaders behind those suicide attacks in each faction's territory were, without exception, infamous Evil Dragons that had long since died in myth.
Any Evil Dragon whose name remained in mythology was naturally extremely powerful.
These were already terrifying beings, known for their immense strength, bizarre attack methods, and near-immortality. Under those circumstances, for their assault to still be described as suicidal, one could easily imagine just how insane their attacks had been.
Especially since most of the top fighters from every faction had been tied down either on the world battlefield or at the Underworld venue, leaving their territories unusually vulnerable. Even though some strong fighters had stayed behind to defend their homes, the Evil Dragons still inflicted massive casualties on every side.
At the same time, most of the Evil Dragons carrying out those attacks were killed in the counterattack by the weakened factions. But after they died, nothing they had stolen could be found. All that remained was the emblem of Khaos Brigade, a snake biting its own tail to form an "8."
That symbol belonged to Ophis, the "Infinity Dragon," one of the top five beings in the world.
"So what does that have to do with Peerage Pieces getting more expensive? Did the Evil Dragons steal a bunch of unused spare Peerage Pieces?"
Cid thought it over. If there was any way to connect Peerage Pieces to the Evil Dragon invasion, that seemed like the only possible explanation.
"No, but you're close."
"?"
Asagi Aiba pulled up a page on her laptop and turned the screen toward him. Cid focused on it and saw that it was the official list published by the Underworld Devil government detailing the losses caused by this Evil Dragon invasion.
It definitely wasn't a complete list. After all, no one knew whether the things the Evil Dragons had stolen included anything the Underworld didn't want made public. Still, it was useful enough as a reference.
"Agr... Agreas! That floating city? A whole city got stolen?"
At the very top of the list was the name "Agreas." Cid knew that name. It was the name of a floating city.
It was extremely famous in the Underworld, the place where the Rating Game had the greatest influence. Rias and Riser's match had been held there.
And now that the name of that floating city had appeared on the Underworld's loss report, it meant the entire floating city had been stolen too.
Cao Cao, you're amazing!
"Yeah, a whole city was taken, but that's not the key point. The important part is that one of the raw materials for Peerage Pieces is unique to that city."
"Oh! I see… then it makes sense why Peerage Pieces are getting more expensive."
That was true. If no replacement material could be found, then every unused Evil Piece left in the world would become one less each time one was used, eventually turning into a completely limited resource. It was only natural for something like that to skyrocket in price.
"That's just one reason. No need to worry too much. Mitsugoshi Company already released a statement saying they've developed a substitute material."
"?"
Asagi Aiba's fingers moved across the keyboard, and a new page appeared on the screen. It showed Mitsugoshi Company announcing that after learning the city supplying the materials for Peerage Pieces had been taken, they had worked overnight to develop a replacement.
Cid narrowed his eyes.
Why did he not believe that at all?
"Then what's the real reason for the price increase?"
Pushing down his doubts, Cid brought the topic back to the main point.
"This."
Another page opened, this time a video. Judging from the date, it had been released two days after the Evil Dragon invasion. The person on screen was someone Cid knew very well, his childhood friend and one of the Seven Shadows, "Epsilon."
"Yesterday, the terrorist organization Khaos Brigade attacked Netheril's capital, causing severe property damage. Fortunately, under the protection of the Magic Network, there were no casualties."
Wait a second. Epsilon, do you even know what you're saying?
Just how precise does the enemy's strength control have to be to pull that off? To withstand the Magic Network, which is said to be invincible below SSS and ineffective above SS, steal what they wanted, and still avoid causing any casualties?
No, that's not the point.
The point is, Epsilon, aren't you from Mitsugoshi Company? Why are you in Netheril? Did Alpha not pay you enough and you switched sides? Or is this just some kind of small circle among women?
Suppressing his urge to complain, Cid kept watching.
"…Originally, I planned to announce that Netheril had successfully broken through a technical barrier and developed a King Piece capable of amplifying the user's power by dozens of times. However, with the news that Agreas has been taken, it seems we no longer have enough materials to produce King Pieces."
"That announcement is what caused the price of Peerage Pieces to explode. Mitsugoshi Company's substitute material can make up for Netheril's shortage, and a King Piece that can multiply strength dozens of times is just too tempting."
The video paused. Asagi Aiba pointed at Epsilon on the screen, her tone filled with both frustration and helplessness.
A standard set of Peerage Pieces doesn't include a King Piece. It only has Pawns, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and a Queen. The "King" is simply the owner who registers themselves as the master of the set.
In other words, Peerage Pieces are mainly beneficial to the reincarnated servants. They turn short-lived humans into long-lived mythical beings, and the change in race grants them powerful physical abilities.
That's also why many view Peerage Pieces as a kind of slave contract. The "King" receives no direct power boost from them, which means that while Peerage Pieces are rare, pure-blooded mythical beings don't value them that highly. Their rarity mostly comes from monopoly.
At least, that used to be the case.
Dozens of times. Dozens of times! Dozens of times!!
Now Netheril has supposedly "developed" a King Piece, and it provides a terrifying amplification of dozens of times. That means an S-class powerhouse could very well reach SS-minus level with that boost.
In other words, all of Mitsugoshi Company's substitute materials had already been reserved by Netheril. On top of that, the amplification from the King Piece could only reach up to around SS level. Any further and the user's body wouldn't be able to handle it and would explode.
Otherwise, even with many top-tier fighters currently injured, the various factions would have already moved to fight over the King Piece.
"Hmm… Asagi, are you sure you want to compete for a King Piece? Why not wait until next year?"
Now that he understood why the price of Peerage Pieces, no, King Pieces had skyrocketed, Cid looked at Asagi Aiba hesitantly and tried to talk her out of it.
It was precisely because he understood how valuable King Pieces were now that he found her plan questionable.
Back when Peerage Pieces were rare but not highly valued, he had estimated that Asagi Aiba would need to work for several years just to get one.
Now, in a situation where even if a King Piece owner died, people would probably strip it off their corpse and treat it like a family heirloom, going after one was practically asking to die.
"Yes. I'm going for it. And I have to get it this semester. There's still a chance now. If I wait until next year, I might never get one in my life."
Hearing Cid's words, Asagi Aiba nodded firmly. Her gaze was unwavering, and her tone carried a resolve that left no room for hesitation.
Originally, she had planned to compete for a Peerage Piece during next year's graduation tournament, when she would have had a near certain chance of success.
But things had changed. The moment the King Piece appeared, its value skyrocketed. Right now, there was still chaos to take advantage of, a chance to slip in and obtain one.
By next year, once the school fully reacted, the rules for distributing King Pieces would most likely be scrapped entirely. If she wanted one, it had to be now.
"Asagi, I don't think you're the type to lose your head over the power of a King Piece. Try to stay rational. There's no way you're getting one."
Shaking his head slightly, Cid spoke with mild frustration. Since they had known each other for nearly a year, he felt he should at least warn her not to throw her life away.
More importantly, losing such a useful mob friend would be a waste.
Back when she first showed interest in obtaining a piece, he hadn't cared much. Even if she failed, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
But now, competing for one could cost her life.
And yet, Asagi Aiba looked as if she had been completely consumed by the allure of the King Piece, like she would risk everything just to obtain it.
"I don't care about the King Piece! What I care about is the Peerage Piece! Even if he doesn't keep his promise, I still have to get a Peerage Piece. Only then can I…"
As if Cid's repeated attempts to stop her had struck a nerve, Asagi Aiba's eyes reddened slightly. She started to argue back angrily, but suddenly cut herself off.
"…Phew. Sorry, Cid. I got a little emotional. I'm not in a great state right now. Let's talk another time."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she apologized and quickly left.
Cid watched her go. He wanted to call out and ask what was going on, but considering how close they really were, he held back.
…Maybe I should take on the identity of Roland Augustus and win a match for her as compensation.
…No. Our relationship isn't that deep. It's not worth risking my identity separation plan.