-768- how about you hand it over to me?

"Ro...!?"

Watching Rozen appear in front of her like this, Io, lying on the ground, couldn't help but shed tears once again.

However, if possible, Io didn't actually want Rozen to appear here.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

With the sound of machine guns swinging, the surrounding soldiers had completely surrounded them, aiming their guns at Rozen and his group.

The mechanical dogs, imbued with magic, stood in front of each soldier, forming a second circle of encirclement.

"Who are you?"

Guretan stood straight in front of Edmund, questioning Rozen with a cold voice.

As for Edmund, he was instead looking at Rozen with great interest. The gazes of Rozen, Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki behind him carried a hint of brilliance, filling his face with a rich smile.

Rozen was thus caught in the encirclement of a legion of automatons, seemingly majestic but actually extremely dangerous.

How could Io possibly want Rozen to appear here?

"Why..."

Io couldn't help but murmur.

To this...

"Why would I appear here?"

Rozen completely ignored Guretan's questioning, as well as the threats of the soldiers and the mechanical dogs around him, standing in front of Io and speaking without looking back.

"Because you've given too many clues."

You see, Rozen didn't go to the Engineering Department to play; he had a purpose.

When he went to the Engineering Department, Rozen was there to find the culprit using tampered magic in the academy.

And after encountering Io, Rozen began to suspect that Io was the mastermind behind the tampered magic.

"Let's not talk about anything else. The range of that magic is enough to cover the entire Machinart City. The required magic power is enormous, and ordinary puppeteers can't provide the necessary control. Regular automatons can't execute such a massive magic."

Rozen turned his gaze to the expressionless Ivan and spoke word by word.

"But with an automaton equipped with 'Infinite Chain Reaction,' all these problems can be solved."

Regardless of the required magic power or the necessary control, as long as there's 'Infinite Chain Reaction' compatible with this magic, everything can be successfully achieved.

This is the purpose of 'Infinite Chain Reaction's existence.

Therefore, after encountering Io and recalling 'Infinite Chain Reaction,' Rozen had already begun to suspect that Io might be the covert user behind the tampered magic.

Rozen joined in the mischief with Io, partly because he was genuinely annoyed and partly to probe Io and uncover the truth behind the events.

"While you were on your end, you admitted yourself that the current 'Infinite Chain Reaction' is only applied to a specific magic circuit."

Rozen stared at Ivan, smiling silently.

"Now, it seems like this should be the so-called 'Multi-Controller,' right?"

———'Multi-Controller.'

This is the true face of the tampered magic.

It can infiltrate the hearts of automatons, tamper with the records of their hearts, and cause automatons to go out of control.

With the combination of 'Infinite Chain Reaction,' this kind of magic can affect the entire Machinart City, making all the automatons in the city lose control.

As Rozen thought, this magic was developed by Io.

However...

"The one using this magic for their own ends is not you but someone else. I never expected that."

Rozen finally shifted his gaze to Edmund.

"What's even more unexpected is that the mastermind turns out to be you, the Crown Prince of Britain, the first heir to the throne, also known as the 'Black Prince' — Edmund."

Yes.

Edmund is the rumored Crown Prince of Britain, who will personally attend the Automaton Expo. He is the first heir to the throne.

That's why he's so arrogant.

That's why he can have a legion of automatons and a valiant and skilled general as an escort.

Unfortunately, this person is the culprit behind 'Multi-Controller.'

He's the one making automatons in the Machinart City go out of control.

He's the one causing the puppeteers in the academy to lose their automatons.

Even Io was deceived, manipulated, and used by him.

"Seems like you had a great time in Liverpool, Your Highness."

Rozen's seemingly joking words made Edmund laugh recklessly.

"Knowing my identity, you dare to speak to me in such a tone, even calling me by my name. You've got quite the courage."

With such proud and condescending words hanging on his lips, Edmund looked at Rozen without a trace of annoyance, only full of interest.

"And, I feel like I've seen that face of yours in the reports. Although it's quite interesting that you have three automatons instead of one accompanying you, I don't mind this kind of surprise. Just present those three automatons, which seem inferior to Eva, to me."

Edmund gave the command as if it were a matter of course, causing Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki to show expressions of anger.

Even Rozen raised an eyebrow, and his seemingly joking expression turned indifferent.

"I'd actually like that automaton that you called Eva. So, how about you hand it over to me?"

Rozen spoke indifferently, causing anger to erupt on the faces of the surrounding soldiers and General Guretane.

"Bold move."

Edmund said so, but he wasn't as angry as the others. He even became somewhat pleased.

"Well, I'll take it personally anyway. Let me see if you're as formidable as they say."

With that, Edmund reached out his hand and snapped his fingers.

In that instant...

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!"

The soldiers, without hesitation, pulled the triggers of their firearms, shooting bullets that converged toward Rozen's direction from all sides.

However...

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Accompanied by the sound of bullets penetrating bodies, for some unknown reason, each bullet passed through Rozen's group and hit the soldiers around them.

"Ugh...!"

"Ugh...!"

"Ah...!"

The soldiers each emitted cries of agony and pain. In a shower of blood, they fell one by one to the ground.

"What...!?"

Guretan's pupils contracted.

"...Machinart Unit! Attack!"

Edmund's expression also hardened, but he still coldly ordered.

As a result, the mechanical dogs opened their mouths one after another, gathering magic in their mouths.

The next moment, clusters of flame formed into projectiles shot out from the mouths of each mechanical dog.

However, these flaming projectiles, similarly, passed through Rozen's group and landed on the surrounding mechanical dogs.

"Boom—!"

In the explosion, the fiery projectiles blasted one mechanical dog after another, turning them into fragments of charred scrap metal that fell to the ground.

"How is this possible...!?"

Io, still lying on the ground, widened her eyes.

It wasn't until this moment that everyone realized.

Rozen's hand had long been placed on Komurasaki, infusing magic into her.