-1471- It wouldn't hurt

"..."

In the office, at some point, everyone fell silent.

The conversation abruptly halted, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

However, no one could be blamed for it.

The reason was simple.

Rozen was staring intently at Elis standing before him, and even glanced over at Cris beside her. He neither spoke nor made any further gestures, simply standing there and gazing at the two of them, his eyes filled with an unfathomable light.

"————!"

Under Rozen's gaze, both Elis and Cris felt a sudden tightening in their hearts.

Especially Elis, whose sweet smile began to falter, turning into something more forced.

Perhaps this was just an illusion on their part.

But at that moment, both of them felt as if Rozen had seen through everything, every secret, every thought.

In those penetrating eyes, it was as if there was another eye capable of seeing through everything in the world, making Elis and Cris feel as if they were completely exposed, as if every secret, whether it should be exposed or not, was laid bare.

How could Elis continue to smile under such scrutiny? And how could Cris even manage to speak?

Elis then recalled what Cris had just told her.

"I think that man is very dangerous. He doesn't just excel in combat; he's also incredibly intelligent. And since he's been so unfathomable all this time, I've been intentionally avoiding contact with him out of fear of exposing my identity."

Now, Elis finally understood that Cris wasn't just trying to scare her.

At the very least, Elis truly felt it.

And Cris, her eyes flickering, seemed lost in a thousand thoughts, her expression growing more complicated.

In such a situation, none of the three could find it in themselves to speak, making the air even quieter, the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Only Freon, watching this scene, deeply furrowed her brows but said nothing.

After all, as the head of the Sky Wizard Division and someone who recognized Rozen's deeds to a certain extent, Freon believed that Rozen had his reasons for acting this way.

With this in mind, Freon remained silent, continuing to observe.

However, while Freon could do this, those being targeted by Rozen could not.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Elis took the initiative to break the silence, once again flashing Rozen a smile, pretending to be calm.

Unfortunately...

"Shouldn't it be more strange if there was nothing wrong?"

Rozen, as if confirming or seeing through something, gave a faint smile.

However, this faint smile caused Elis to completely panic.

What did he mean by that?

Could it be that he had already seen through their identities?

Impossible. It's only their first meeting, and they've just met!

It's okay, stay calm. It's just a bluff. Don't panic.

Otherwise, in front of this man, something might really get exposed.

Elis barely maintained the calm expression on her face, while a thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

In this state, Elis didn't even realize that, unknowingly, Rozen had taken control of the situation, and her own composure was shattered. Her evaluation of Rozen rose sharply, making her no longer dare to scrutinize and evaluate him as easily as before.

In the end, as Cris had said, although Elis was skilled in scheming, she was essentially still an innocent, naive young girl with a fragile heart. While she could easily manipulate ordinary people, when facing someone as equally or even more intelligent and unfathomable as Rozen, Elis seemed a bit immature.

Of course, Elis still managed to maintain a calm appearance.

"Although I don't quite understand, Mr. Rorelai, staring at a girl like this isn't very polite, you know?"

Elis offered this gentle reminder with a forced smile.

Upon hearing this, Rozen chuckled.

"You're right." Rozen straightforwardly withdrew his gaze, saying, "I apologize, that was rude of me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the office once again fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Elis was left not knowing what to say next, and Cris, as if afraid of making more mistakes, chose to remain silent. Even Rozen seemed uninterested in continuing the conversation, making the atmosphere truly unbearable.

Seeing this, Freon finally realized she had no choice but to speak up.

"Rozen." Freon looked at Rozen and said, "You should be aware that the purpose of Miss Elis's visit to Mistgun is to obtain samples of the Shinjuku [2] Variant for Vebel's Armored Beetle research. The Academy Director also agreed to cooperate with this matter, which is why she came here."

"And what about me?" Rozen asked directly, "Why was I summoned here? I'm not part of the Medical Science Division, am I?"

The research, analysis, and dissection of Armored Beetles were the responsibilities of the Medical Science Division, not the Alchemist Division, which specialized in researching magic formulas and magical alchemy.

Given this, summoning Rozen here seemed a bit odd.

However, there was naturally a reason behind this.

"The reason we summoned you is mainly because both Miss Elis and the Academy Chief Executive wanted to meet you."

Freon explained.

"It was mainly I who wanted to meet you," Elis said, as if she had composed herself, turning to face Rozen. "This time, in addition to the matter concerning the Armored Beetles, I was also tasked with checking on your research."

"My research?" Rozen raised an eyebrow.

"Elis's older brother is the Chairman of the Council," Cris finally spoke up, addressing Rozen. "There are many in the Floating City Alliance who are concerned about the progress of your research, including Mr Zeth. After all, your research has always been regarded as humanity's hope for saving the world."

With such research, it was only natural that those in the Floating City Alliance's Council would be concerned.

Especially the Council Chairman, who held the highest position below the Pope. It was impossible for him not to pay attention to a power that could save humanity.

"I was ordered by my brother to check on the progress of your research." Elis gazed at Rozen, smiling lightly. "Could we perhaps request a tour?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent once again.

Rozen looked at Elis once more, his expression becoming intriguing.

Elis maintained her smile, but her heart was far from calm.

If this man saw through anything, he would surely refuse, wouldn't he?

And if that happened, what would she do then?

Elis frantically tried to think of a strategy.

Who would have thought...

"Alright."

Rozen unexpectedly agreed immediately.

"Re...really?"

Suddenly, it wasn't just Elis; even Cris was caught off guard.

But Rozen was, of course, serious.

"It wouldn't hurt to let you see."

Rozen nonchalantly said this, then turned and left the office.

Elis and Cris exchanged glances and then quickly followed.

Freon, after pondering for a moment, also stood up.

The group then left the office together, heading outside.