Episode 3

Fencer Ordinaire (凡人の剣) is the third episode of the The Eminence in Shadow anime adaptation.

Synopsis

 * -|English = The Princess is supposed to reject the background character’s confession, not accept it — since when did Cid become a rom-com protagonist?
 * -|Japanese = 15歳になったシドは、王都のミドガル魔剣士学園に入学. 平凡な学園生活を送っていた. が、罰ゲームで王女アレクシアに告白させられたことで、安定のモブライフが激変してしまう.

Summary
On a train leaving his hometown, Cid recalls how it had been two years since Alpha had told him that the Cult of Diablos is an enormous global organization and that they needed to part with him in order to fight it. Considering how people move on from dreams and play as they grow older, Cid feels that that's just a nice way of telling him that they were now grown up and wanted their freedom, and how they don't want to continue playing this "fighting the cult" game.

When Cid turned fifteen, he enrolled in the same school as his sister in the Midgar Kingdom royal capital, the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights. Seven months into his academy life, Cid continues to live as a background character and made friends with Skel Etal and Po Tato, other bottom-of-the-pile nobles like him from nowhere notable. While heading to school, Skel and Po remind Cid that as he scored the worst in the test, his penalty is to confess to the most sought-after girl in school and suffer her rejection. However, Cid was excited as he had wanted this to go through such a mob character scenario. Arriving at school, the girl in question was Princess Alexia Midgar, who sharply rejects another guy's confession. That evening, Cid goes to confess to Alexia, shaking and muttering as part of his act while he feels he done a great job as a background character confession. Yet surpisingly, Alexia accepts, stating she was waiting for someone like him.

The rumors quickly spread and people start to wonder who Cid is and what's so great about him. Cid, Skel, and Po, wonder why she accepted him and guess that they would have had a chance if she accepted Cid. Alexia then joins them at lunch, which astonishes other students as that's the lower nobility section. The cafeteria staff serve a small buffet for her but she comments she can't eat it all. The opportunistic Cid then gladly started eating her food, in an attempt to make her dump him by acting undesirable. As Alexia had heard that Cid is studying Royal Bushin fencing, she wanted to practice together late in their sword training class. Cid states that he cannot as he is in Section Nine, the lowest section, but Alexia explains she put a good word for him and she got him in Section One.

Later, Cid joins Section One team, where their advisor is Zenon Griffey, the official royal fencing instructor. Training with Alexia, Cid practices with her and notices that her attacks never land, she is too slow, and doesn't use magic. And yet he realizes it's because the practice is to review their strokes and counterstrokes. Alexia does not use any superfluous acts and no wasted strokes, but Cid finds her technique good yet bland. After practice ends, Alexia states he has a good fencing style, but hates it as it feels she is sparring with herself. Cid sees Alexia go over and tells Zenon that she is Cid's girlfriend now, as Zenon retorts that she won't change the fact that she is betrothed to him, even if it's still a public secret. As Alexia argues that he is a candidate for betrothal, Cid then realizes what is going on.

After school, Cid confronts Alexia on just wanting someone to help her escape the engagement with Zenon, and chose a low-class aristocrat of whom she could easily control. As Alexia shamelessly confirms such, Cid states he doesn't want more attention and isn't interested in being mixed up in her problems, but Alexia playfully tells him that's a bit cold coming from him. She reveals she knows he faked his confession after easily scaring his friends, who told her everything, and tells him that the student body will never let him have a peaceful day ever again should they learn he "toyed with a young girl's heart." While Alexia wants to continue the boyfriend act until Zenon gives up, Cid notes that he may not give up as it's clear Alexia is out of Cid's league, but Alexia knows so yet wants to buy some time until she figures out how to deal with it somehow.

While Cid wants to refuse, Alexia takes out and throws a gold coin. Staring at it, Cid asks if he looks like someone that can be brought, as Alexia affirms such, and Cid agrees as much hovering over the dropped coin. As she throws another coin, he jumps like a dog to fetch and catches it with his mouth. While Cid's parents' allowance isn't enough to carry his Eminence in Shadow operation, he can't let this chance slip by and obliges the bribe, deciding to continue being her boyfriend. Cid is glad that the students focus on her having a boyfriend and not him, which lets him play the background boyfriend character. While Alexia is prudent in public, she constantly badmouths Zenon behind the scenes. After some time, Cid decides to not argue with her and just agrees with everything she says. Cid wonders what is so bad about Zenon and Alexia states how easy it is to pretend to be nice, so she judges people by their flaws. As Zenon presents as having none, that is not normal for a human and so she distrusts him, which is also why she chose a flawed and imperfect person like Cid to date.

After a couple of weeks of "dating and no change, Alexia and Cid are riding the train when she tells him that he has the fencing basics, but nothing more than that, yet she can't take her eyes off him. He wonders what with her today as her fencing was unusually aggressive and sloppy, and Alexia reveals how she always wanted to be as good as her sister, Iris. She didn't have what her sister had and decided to become stronger by herself, but others ended up calling Alexia "The Fencer Ordinaire." It's unfortunate that Cid's fencing is as ordinary as her's, but Cid doesn't find it unfortunate and states he likes her fencing. Alexia reveals that her sister said the same thing after she suffered a humiliating defeat at the Bushin Festival, but that Iris couldn't understand how pathetic Alexia was feeling. Cid explains that he isn't a great person and wouldn't care if someone kills a million people on the other side of the world. But there are things that people find worthless, yet to him they are the few most precious things in life, which is why he likes her fencing style. Alexia draws her sword and asks him what he means by that, so Cid states he gets pissed off when people diss the things he likes. The train stops and Alexia leaves, telling Cid goodbye, making him guess this is the end of his unwanted relationship.

The next morning, Skel and Po apologize to Cid for telling everything to Alexia. While Cid is fine with events, the duo wonder how far he got with her while dating for two weeks. Cid states he didn't get anywhere, which annoys them as they state they would have gone all the way. Arriving at the school gate, Zenon and two other school knights stop Cid and his friends. A serious Zenon states Cid should know that Alexia didn't return to her dorm last night and they are investigating it as a potential kidnapping. Since Cid was the last person to be seen with her, he is their first suspect. As he sees more knights covering his possible escape, Cid surrenders with a sigh and realizes he is in big trouble.