//// Sorry for late update, just got home....extra busy day.....////
"Nichiyo..."
Not sure if sensing Rozen's mood, Avrora suddenly found courage as she looked into his eyes.
"I-It's okay!" Avrora no longer seemed lost like before, but rather as if she had made a decision, speaking out like this.
"You don't need to worry about this. This is my fate, and I will end it all!" Avrora encouraged Rozen, and herself.
"Avrora, you...?" Rozen was taken aback.
Clearly, Rozen never expected that the timid and shy vampire girl would muster such courage at this moment.
But some people are like this; when they're alone, they feel down, but seeing others in despair prompts them to tell themselves not to continue like this, to pull themselves together.
Avrora is such a type.
So, the problem that had been puzzling Avrora all along suddenly became clear to her after seeing Rozen's confusion.
"I am Avrora Florestina."
Avrora pronounced the name she was so attached to, just like the first time she met Rozen.
"Even if my fate cannot be changed, I am still me. Whether as the Matrice of the Fourth Primogenitor or a part of the Blazing Banquet, this will never change."
Avrora's voice still sounded timid, but it revealed a different kind of determination from before.
Seeing Avrora like this, Rozen was truly stunned.
"No matter what, I am still me, and that will never change... huh?"
This sentence made Rozen suddenly realize something.
That is, he is not himself right now.
Because of Mash's situation, Rozen has always prioritized enhancing his magical power as the primary goal. Coming to this world was to enhance his own magic so he could save Mash's life and give her a happy future.
With this goal in mind, Rozen worked harder in this world than in any other, not only tirelessly improving himself but also subconsciously suppressing everything else.
Just like with Balthazar Zaharias, knowing that he was hosting a banquet, sooner or later he would target Avrora. Rozen would never have given him more than half a year's time to attack other candidates, gather more Matrices, and strengthen his own threat.
He would have taken the opportunity to strike first and bury him, or made some preparations during this time, waiting for him to jump in. This was Rozen's previous style of warfare.
Whether transferring spiritual particles to a threatening singularity or strategizing in game worlds, Rozen has always been good at planning ahead, which is why he always emerged victorious.
As a result, unconsciously, Rozen fell into a kind of obsession, seeing self-improvement as his primary goal and ignoring everything else.
Like this time as well, even though he knew there were problems in the old southeast region, Rozen was still leisurely attending classes at school. It wasn't until he learned that the Ardeal principality was attacked by Nelapsi that he finally felt a sense of crisis, thinking of going out to investigate, but was advised by Natsuki-nee to return. He began to think that it was none of his business, adopting a passive approach, which was not Rozen's style at all.
Now, Rozen finally woke up.
(For Mash's sake, I've gotten myself into a dead end.)
Although the result of getting into this dead end was gratifying, without it, Rozen would never have made such great strides. But at the same time, his vision began to narrow, failing to notice the approaching danger, which was unacceptable.
Of course, this also shows how special Mash is to Rozen.
Even though they are rarely together now and there is not as much interaction between them as before, there has always been a place for Mash in Rozen's heart, and he believes Mash feels the same way. That's why their interactions have been so natural, without the need for deliberate warmth or sweetness, naturally developing over time.
But, precisely because of this...
(If Mash finds out that for her sake, I chose to ignore the threats in front of me, allowing them to become a danger, disregarding them, she would surely be saddened, right?)
Yes.
It's sadness, not disappointment.
Mash will never be disappointed in Rozen.
Because, for Mash, Rozen is the best senior, the most outstanding Master, and she could never be disappointed in him.
So, if Rozen were to do this, Mash would only feel sad and blame herself, thinking it's all her fault.
That's the pure, kind, and innocent girl—Mash Kyrielight.
And Rozen...
(As a senior, I can't lose my composure like this.)
What Rozen should do is not just to save Mash but to become a senior and Master that she can be proud of while saving her.
That's him—Rorelei Arneet.
With this realization, Rozen no longer hesitated about whether or not to get involved in trouble.
"When it's time to fight, we fight."
"When it's time to move forward, we move forward."
"Choosing to improve oneself is not choosing to escape."
"What needs to be done, I, will still do it the same way."
Rozen suddenly felt a sense of clarity.
"What... was I doing before?"
Rozen suddenly chuckled.
"Nichiyo?"
Seeing Rozen suddenly chuckle self-deprecatingly, Avrora felt at a loss.
Rozen then looked at Avrora.
"I'm sorry, Avrora." Rozen patted Avrora's head. "Thanks to you, I finally remembered something important."
Saying this, Rozen decided right away.
"If this is a fate you can't escape from, then let me face it with you."
Rozen made this decision.
"Let's go to the old southeast region, Avrora."
At this, Avrora's eyes brightened.
"Yeah!"
Immediately, she nodded heavily.
The next moment, the two of them left together.
Little did they know, at the same time, in two different rooms, two girls opened their eyes simultaneously.
One was a delicate doll-like girl.
The other, once cute and lively, now devoid of her former cheerfulness, replaced only by a gloomy and terrifying aura.