The previous episode of The Eminence in Shadow saw Kagenou begin his new life as Cid in the Midgar Kingdom. In little to no time, he created a vigilante group named Shadow Garden, comprised of the most elite female warriors who obeyed his commands and followed him on his paved road to destroy the Cult of Diablos.
The third episode, titled Fencer Ordinaire, finally answered the cliffhanger of the second episode regarding why Alpha and the rest of the shadows wished to leave the group. It also introduced new characters who will play a pivotal role in the storyline. This article will briefly summarize The Eminence in Shadow episode 3 by dividing it into three narratives.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Eminence in Shadow episode 3.
The Eminence in Shadow episode 3 highlights
Alexia accepts Cid’s proposal
The Eminence in Shadow episode 3 kicked off with Cid recalling his conversation with Alpha regarding how the group will scatter around the world and take down the members of the Cult of Diablos. However, he presumed that the seven shadows got bored with his antics and decided to disband without hurting his feelings.
Seven years into Cid’s academic career, he continued to live as a background character. He even cherry-picked friends like Skel and Po so that he would perfectly blend in without drawing unwanted attention. As Cid scored the least in the examination, he was obliged to honor the penalty for confessing his love to the most sought-after girl in the academy.
While proposing to Alexia, Cid knowingly acted weird so that she would reject him and he would continue to live as a background character. However, much to his surprise, she accepted his proposal and told him she had been looking for someone like him this whole time.
Alexia found out what Cid was up to
The entire Midgar Academy envied Cid because he was dating the most popular girl a guy could ever dream of. Cid commenced his operation “Dump Me Already, Dammit,” in which he tried his best to look miserable and pathetic by quickly gobbling the delicacies offered by Alexia. Instead of getting bothered, she observed him for a while.
Alexia coerced Cid to join the Royal Bushin Fencing in section one, where only the elitists can earn a spot. During their practice, the latter mirrored the former’s moves so that he won’t raise suspicion. Alexia approached the fencing instructor Zenon, with whom she got betrothed, and told him about her new boyfriend.
Later, regrouping with Cid, Alexia revealed that she knew he proposed to her just to honor his bet with his friends, which the student body won’t appreciate if they found out. However, Alexia didn’t want to force Cid, so she paid him gold coins to pretend to be her boyfriend for the time being, and he agreed.
Alexia went missing
Alexia was indecipherable, which is why Cid chose to act as she wished without questioning her. On top of that, he was getting paid by her to act as her boyfriend, which eventually turned out to be a win-win situation. Alexia revealed to Cid that despite being rich, handsome, and skilled, her fiance is not perfect because he is pretentious, just like her. While heading home, Alexia told Cid that she hated his ordinary swordplay.
She further revealed that she wanted to be as good as her sister and even hoped to surpass her, but she ended up with the moniker Fencer Ordinaire due to her average sword skills. Alexia was infuriated after Cid told her that he loved her swordplay, the exact words that her elder sister said to comfort her after she suffered a humiliating defeat at the Bushin Festival.
Alexia hated being pitied, so she drew her sword against Cid after he repeated the exact words she didn’t want to hear. The former bid her goodbye to the latter and left. The next day, Cid discovered that Alexia was nowhere to be found after he and his friends got surrounded by Zenon and his associates.
Final thoughts on The Eminence in Shadow episode 3
The Eminence in Shadow episode 3 showed that in his seven years of an academic career at Midgar Academy for Dark Arts, Cid blended perfectly with ordinary folks like an NPC character. However, his plan to remain in the shadows got ruined after he became the boyfriend of the most popular girl in the academy. Alexia was exceptionally observant as she quickly deduced why Cid proposed to her.
Along with introducing Alexia, the third episode also showcased her past with her elder sister, who is one of the mighty Dark Knights of the Midgar kingdom. Alexia's disappearance caused a sudden uproar. In the forthcoming episode, Cid will be interrogated by the officials as he was the only one seen with Alexia moments before her disappearance.
Make sure to follow more updates and news on The Eminence in Shadow as 2022 progresses.