On the field of the training ground, Rozen and Alice faced each other, with Yaya and Shin standing in front of them, vigilant of each other's attacks.
Apart from these two puppeteers and the two automatons, there were no other standing figures on the scene.
The self-proclaimed dominators of the Night Party, the "Kreuzrittern," had now completely fallen apart. Except for Alice and Rosenberg, the automatons of the other members were destroyed, leaving only a pile of ashes scattered across the field.
The puppeteers of the "Kreuzrittern," who had lost their automatons, sat desolately on the ground, completely dazed and unable to continue the fight.
Rosenberg was somewhat battered, clutching his swollen face and lying on the ground. He was helped up by the Maschinensoldat who had come to him, his face twisted with anger.
Among all the people present, except for Rozen and Alice, only this eldest son of the Rosenberg family still had fighting strength.
However, both Rozen and Alice had stopped paying attention to him, completely ignoring him, with only each other left in their eyes.
"It seems I underestimated your strength."
Alice looked around at her despondent and defeated comrades, speaking to Rozen.
"I initially thought that even if you were powerful, facing the elite legion of Maschinensoldat that make up Germany's finest creations, you wouldn't be able to win. Who would have thought the result would be like this."
Alice's expression as she spoke was ambiguous, and it was unclear whether she felt happy or regretful.
But her words made sense.
Even though Rozen single-handedly took care of the "Divine Works" workshop, except for Bronson, everyone else in the workshop were just ordinary puppeteers. When it came to the individuals who had excelled at the Night Party, the members of the "Kreuzrittern," there was no basis for comparison. Even if they had the technical skills, the performance of their automatons was worlds apart.
On one side, there were Maschinensoldat and magic circuits developed with the nation's full power.
On the other side, there were mass-produced automatons and magic circuits developed by an emerging workshop.
There was no need to compare which side was stronger or weaker; it was clear.
So within the "Divine Works," except for Bronson, the others were not even on Alice's radar. Even if Rozen could single-handedly annihilate them, there was nothing surprising about it.
After all, a workshop was just a workshop, no matter how promising it might be; it couldn't compare to a major force that could affect the nation's politics.
In this situation, Alice wouldn't overestimate Rozen to the point where she believed that the entire "Kreuzrittern" would be defeated by him alone.
Frankly, if all the members of the "Kreuzrittern" were sent to the battlefield, they would undoubtedly be a formidable army.
Could Rozen single-handedly eliminate a workshop and a whole army hold the same significance?
Of course not.
However, Rozen brought up something.
"It seems you don't seem to care at all, Miss Lady of the Bernsteins."
Rozen gazed at Alice and made this comment, intentionally or unintentionally.
In response, Alice replied:
"Anyway, I have no interest in the so-called Wiseman, and this operation is just Rosenberg's failure. He must take full responsibility, and I just need to preserve the precious sample of 'Fragarach.'"
That's why Alice specially saved Rosenberg's Maschinensoldat, not because she wanted to assist Rosenberg but because his automaton was the last MK5 model, and it had to be preserved at all costs.
Moreover,
"I haven't completely failed, have I?"
Alice kindly reminded.
"Do you really have the means to defeat me here, Mr Arneet?"
Upon hearing this, Rozen slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Do you think I'd show mercy?"
Rozen said dismissively.
But Alice merely chuckled.
"Don't play dumb, Mr Arneet," Alice said this way. "You're a smart person. You should know what I'm referring to."
What did Alice refer to?
Certainly not a gap in power or frivolous matters like showing mercy.
Alice only meant this.
"If I lose, you'll never find the Dragon of Gram."
Alice spoke with a sly smile.
"If I put it this way, what do you plan to do?"
Alice's tone was filled with mockery.
This made Rozen look over, and his tone gradually became indifferent.
"So you have Sigmund in your possession?" Rozen asked casually.
Since the Night Party battleground collapsed, Sigmund had been missing for almost half a month. During this time, Sigmund hadn't returned, and even the guards who entered the underground facility to search for it couldn't find its trace. Charl was already in a state of panic.
Therefore, Rozen had already speculated that Sigmund had been captured.
"You're not interested in the precious nature of the 'Gram,' are you?" Rozen asked calmly. "Did you capture Sigmund just to threaten me?"
Rozen's statement was met with a smile from Alice.
"If the Dragon of Gram is in trouble, 'Tyrant Rex' should be in quite a headache, right?" Alice spoke as if casually chatting. "She sees the Night Party as everything to her, hoping to regain her family and revive her clan by becoming the Wiseman, doesn't she?"
If Sigmund were lost, Charl's dreams would shatter.
"Of course, this has nothing to do with you," Alice shrugged her shoulders and said in a theatrical manner. "It depends on whether Mr Arneet cares for her or not."
The implication was whether Rozen would take action to disregard Charl's situation.
"After all, you don't have a deep connection with 'Tyrant Rex,' do you?" Alice kindly pointed out.
Rozen could tell that the girl before him didn't really want to use Sigmund to threaten him but wanted to see what he would do regarding Charl's actions.
If Rozen did so, even if Alice ultimately lost, she would undoubtedly be pleased, right?
"Your personality is disgustingly revealing, truely detestable."
Rozen expressed his true thoughts indifferently.
Naturally, this could only elicit one response from Alice.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Alice responded, not with anger but with apparent satisfaction.
It was precisely for this reason that Rozen felt that he needed to teach her a lesson, a lesson she would remember for a lifetime.
"You seem to be indifferent about your own matters," Rozen said, his indifference disappearing from his face, replaced by a playful smile. "In that case, I will take everything from you and see if you can still smile."
Almost as Rozen's words fell, a bell rang.
"This...?" Alice was a bit stunned.
Only at this moment did Alice realize that the surroundings had become somewhat noisy. The bell that had just rung was the signal for the Night Party to announce a pause.
Around the entire battlefield exercise area, groups of guards and disciplinary committee members suddenly rushed out.