-755- The reason behind the resignation

As the residence of the academy headmaster, the mansion was naturally more luxurious and high-end than any other place.

Upon entering, there was a grand hall with staircases extending upward on both sides, enveloping the entire hall, leading to the second floor.

Guided by the headmaster, Rozen and his group proceeded to the reception room where Avril had gathered everyone last time.

Perhaps because it was their first visit, Komurasaki seemed restless, looking around as if eager to explore and play.

In contrast, Irori appeared serious and focused, as if they had entered the enemy's headquarters, displaying a high level of vigilance.

Only Yaya, on the other hand, followed quietly behind Rozen, her gaze fixed on him. This was because the six girls from Magnus's squad, who were behind him, were also closely watching Rozen, their eyes filled with both regret and hostility after the recent confrontation.

The situation during the recent clash, where Magnus was controlled by Rozen with a mere glance, and his life and death seemed to be at Rozen's whim, elevated the hostility and wariness of these six girls to the highest level.

Fearing a similar incident, the six loyal automaton girls didn't dare to take their eyes off Rozen, contemplating whether to take preemptive action, which led to their current state of alertness.

Naturally, Yaya wouldn't allow such a situation to unfold. She, too, kept a close eye on Rozen, ready to intervene at any moment.

In the end, the automatons each had their own reactions, even showing mutual wariness, while Rozen and Magnus, as if nothing had happened, walked ahead calmly, their gazes not meeting, and their expressions returning to normal.

Observing this, Avril seemed to sigh in relief and walked silently beside the headmaster without saying a word.

The headmaster, leading the way with a relaxed demeanor, walked forward, pushing open the door to the reception room, inviting everyone in.

"Come, have a seat."

The headmaster warmly invited Rozen and Magnus.

Rozen and Magnus both took their seats without hesitation.

Certainly, the positioning of everyone in the room was carefully considered.

The academy headmaster sat in the main seat, while Rozen and Magnus took their places on sofas on either side, facing each other and forming a triangular arrangement with the headmaster.

Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki stood behind Rozen without sitting down.

The six girl of the squad also stood behind Magnus in a straight line, showing no signs of relaxation.

Avril stood behind the headmaster, exuding an air of cold arrogance, with a military knife at her waist, more like a bodyguard than a secretary.

With everyone in their respective positions, the doors to the reception room closed slowly.

Whether it was a deliberate delay in discussing important matters or not, the headmaster first expressed concern for Magnus.

"How is your health? I hope you weren't injured just now." The headmaster inquired with genuine concern.

"No need to worry, it's nothing serious," Magnus responded succinctly, neither disrespectful nor overly formal, displaying a unique character.

"That's good." The headmaster nodded and turned to Rozen.

More accurately, he looked toward the three sisters behind Rozen.

"This is the renowned masterpiece of the great Karyusai Shouko, isn't it called 'Setsugetsuka'?" The headmaster praised, "It's truly an incredible craftsmanship to make automatons so lifelike, almost indistinguishable from humans. No wonder she's considered the top in the field of humanoid automatons."

The president's words caused a slight tension in the hearts of Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki.

Because...

"It seems the headmaster is quite knowledgeable. You must have conducted quite a bit of investigation, haven't you?" Rozen smiled meaningfully, speaking these words.

Indeed, the three sisters behind him were the renowned masterpieces of Karyusai Shouko, and it was rare for anyone to recognize them as automatons from the 'Setsugetsuka' series, let alone know that they were crafted by Karyusai Shouko.

After all, the fame of Karyusai Shouko's 'Setsugetsuka' was loud, but it was limited to the country. Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki rarely made public appearances, so who could be certain that they were automatons from the 'Setsugetsuka' series crafted by Karyusai Shouko?

The fact that the academy headmaster could recognize them at a glance and directly mention it made it hard for anyone to believe that he hadn't conducted some thorough investigation.

However, one personally have this to say.

"No matter what, I am the headmaster of this Machinart Academy. I've seen quite a few automatons, including works by Master Karyusai Shouko. Each piece is exceptionally realistic. Since you come from the same country as Karyusai Shouko and carry such high-performance and lifelike automatons, not just one, but exactly three, and considering that Master Karyusai Shouko's recent masterpieces are mostly in the form of young girls, it seems she also have a strong preference for beautiful young girls, which led me to make this deduction."

The headmaster's smile remained unchanged, but the gaze directed at Rozen became somewhat meaningful.

"Such outstanding automatons. If they could attend the Night Party, it would be perfect. However, Arneet-kun, please remember to register them to avoid unnecessary trouble."

The implications in this statement were downright chilling.

Regardless, Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki all tensed their expressions, appearing somewhat stiff.

"Anyway..."

At this point, the headmaster abruptly shifted to the main topic.

"I called you here this time to discuss recent developments with you."

What developments?

"Starting from the 70th participant, up until now, all participants scheduled to attend the Night Party have voluntarily withdrawn. You should be aware of this, right?"

The president unexpectedly brought up this matter.

"In fact, the Night Party Executive Committee has been receiving withdrawal applications from participants recently. As of now, even the 55th participant has handed in their resignation."

Currently, the Night Party has reached the 60th participant, and they have also withdrawn.

And the 55th participant, who was scheduled to appear in five nights, has already withdrawn in advance. It seems to be increasing just as Charl mentioned – the number of participants withdrawing.

However...

"Do you all think they withdrew because they felt they couldn't defeat various participants, including Arneet-kun?"

The headmaster's gaze swept over Rozen and Magnus, stating these words.

"In reality, the true reason for their withdrawal is that their automatons experienced issues."

When this statement came from the president's mouth, Rozen, not to mention Magnus, had a momentary flash in their eyes.

Automatons experienced issues?

"Could it be...!"

The three sisters standing behind Rozen exclaimed successively.

The president ignored this and continued speaking slowly.

"The academy believes that someone is secretly using unknown magic to steal automatons."

"All the automatons of those participants have disappeared."

"That is the reason for their withdrawal."