"The casualties on the world battlefield are already under control. The forces of World No.1 and World No.2 have freed up their hands, and the next Tri-World Joint Conference is expected soon. By then, the benefits we gained last time thanks to your power, Lord Shadow, will inevitably be lost in part."
"At the same time, through the world battlefield, Mitsugoshi Company has already monopolized 30% of military supplies. In the civilian market as well, Mitsugoshi has crushed competitors in terms of reputation for cost-effectiveness. With both quality and price overwhelming rivals, coupled with their grip on battlefield supply chains—and since most major powers don't much care for civilian goods—monopolizing the entire world is only a matter of time."
"Based on this, I am considering shifting the portion of benefits we are bound to lose at the conference onto the nations of our own world, thereby securing the interests of Shadow Garden, while simultaneously striking at the Cult's economic chain and reinforcing Mitsugoshi's neutral image."
…
The boy standing by the window, gazing out at the campus, seemed to catch on something worth his attention in the report.
Those unfathomable eyes—mysterious, profound, as though pondering past, present, and future—glimmered faintly red. He turned his head toward the beautiful blue-haired elf beside him. She was a stunning beauty with a model's figure, dressed in a black JK-style uniform. Behind her were several others—elves, fox-kin, humans—all bent over paperwork.
The elf, who had been reporting confidently on intelligence that could shake the world, instantly flustered under the boy's gaze.
"Lord, is there a problem with the intel? I'll have the intelligence team reinvestigate immediately."
The boy raised his hand, signaling both her and the others—who, upon hearing her words, were already preparing to recheck everything—that it wasn't necessary.
"Gamma. I've told you before, there's no need to report this kind of intel to me anymore.
We do not walk the same path. Take this chance to lead the Garden into the sunlight. Remember—flowers in darkness cannot bloom.
As for the world's shadows and sins—that burden is mine alone to bear. You need not, and should not, face them."
His deep, solemn voice echoed in the chamber. The women lowered their heads in silence, but from their trembling bodies and tightly clenched lips, it was clear their hearts were unsettled.
Seeing this, the boy only sighed faintly, turned, and walked toward the door—yet paused before stepping out.
"What I can do is carry away the darkness blocking your road to the light. And Gamma…think carefully about what I once told you."
Without looking back, he left the deepest chamber of the student council.
When he stepped out the door, his once-straight back hunched, the shoulders that had radiated security slumped. In an instant, the overwhelming presence of a powerhouse who drew every gaze diminished into that of a total background character.
"How was it, Cid? Was President Luna in a good mood today? Did she get angry?"
The group waiting at the door didn't notice the transformation at all. Of course, in their eyes, Cid had always been like this.
"Of course. President Luna was in a great mood today. She didn't even scold me when I cracked a joke with her."
In front of the crowd, Cid wore the perfect mob-character smile, recounting the scene inside.
"That's good. President's been in a foul mood lately, scolding people over the tiniest mistakes. Lucky we have you as the vanguard, Cid—after all, you're the only one from her same world."
What was this guy's name again…Shigen Shiro? Probably one of Vice President Aona's people.
"Mm, that's the situation. Anyway, it's fine to report to the President now. If there's nothing else, I'll head off."
"Yeah, yeah, go on."
At Shigen's reply, Cid quickly slipped away from the crowded hallway.
As for the rumors later—that the President flew into a rage for hours, that the training grounds were flattened by elemental magic—that had nothing to do with him.
After all, campus gossip was never something he cared about. No—Cid the Mob would definitely care about such tidbits, so naturally he'd know about them. But as for why Gamma had gotten upset…that, he really didn't know.
His name was Cid Kagenou. In his past life, he had longed to become the Eminence in Shadow. Now, he played the role of an ordinary mob student.
What is the Eminence in Shadow?
Before answering that, let me ask: as children, most of us admired heroes, didn't we? Brave warriors, Ultraman, all heroes. Listening to tales of brave men slaying dragons, watching Ultraman defeat kaiju on TV—didn't most of us feel the impulse to become them?
He was no different.
But what he longed for wasn't the hero—it was the Eminence in Shadow.
What is the Eminence in Shadow?
Neither protagonist nor final boss, but a figure who intervenes in the story from the shadows and displays overwhelming strength.
That was the role he admired. Why? Simply because he thought it was cool.
Think about it: appearing suddenly in the story, effortlessly defeating an enemy insurmountable to the hero, dissolving the crisis, spouting a string of cryptic lines, and then vanishing stylishly.
Even at the finale, standing against both hero and villain, defeating them, and saying: "With just this much power, what can you possibly do?"—how cool is that?
Especially when, in daily life, he's just a middling mob character, but at the crucial moment delivers a sudden strike, blurts out a series of dramatic lines—that's even cooler. Sure, at that point he might become the new villain, but there's no denying that the scene of the Eminence in Shadow revealing himself is an evergreen classic.
Unlike most children whose fascinations fade quickly, perhaps he was a born chuuni. To become the Eminence in Shadow, he devoted all his spare time in his past life—kendo, karate, martial arts…anything that could make him stronger, he studied.
But reality must be faced. No matter how much he learned, if his opponent had a gun, he could still lose.
He couldn't accept an Eminence in Shadow limited to that level of strength. So he sought other powers.
Magic, spiritual energy, qi, mana—anything, as long as it granted him the strength to become the Eminence in Shadow.
Yes, it sounded absurd in reality, but so what? Wanting to be the Eminence in Shadow was already absurd—what was one more step?
No one could prove supernatural powers existed, but neither could anyone prove they didn't.
In his view, even dying while chasing supernatural power meant dying on the road to his dream.
And so, in the pursuit of supernatural power, he died.
Thanks to that, he was reborn into another world—one resembling the First Industrial Revolution—and there, he found magic.
But the world he reincarnated into, while not entirely peaceful, lacked great catastrophes. It offered no stage for the Eminence in Shadow.
The enemies he met were mere bandits, an occasional school kidnapper, or a rebellious noble dreaming of kingship. But never once an evil cult scheming to rule the world or seeking immortality from the shadows.