-1479- Again?

After that, Rozen and the others said nothing more.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to class now. Excuse me," Rozen said casually and left.

"I'll also return to my work. Apologies for the less-than-adequate hospitality," Freon added with her usual formality before returning to her office to continue her tasks.

Cris and Elis watched the two of them leave, or more accurately, they were focused on watching Rozen leave.

Both of them just kept their eyes on Rozen's back, not saying a word for a long time.

"Sigh…"

It was unclear how much time passed before Elis let out a breath.

"I think I finally understand why Onii-sama speaks so highly of him," Elis said, her tone mixed with understanding and frustration.

The understanding came from finally grasping how formidable Rozen was. The frustration, however, stemmed from the fact that Elis, who had no fondness for Rozen, was forced to acknowledge this fact, leaving her feeling deeply unsettled.

But...

"The matter of Foreign Mana certainly caught me by surprise. I didn't expect it to be such a force, but Rorelai Arneet is indeed as unfathomable as I previously suspected. He seems to already be suspicious of us," Cris said with concern.

This time, Elis had to agree that Cris's earlier worries were valid.

That man was definitely not someone they could casually engage with, or something could be exposed at any moment.

This was something that absolutely could not be allowed to happen at this stage.

If Elis's or even Cris's identity were revealed, it would cause tremendous upheaval across the entire world.

This was a certainty.

Especially, they could not let someone like Rozen find out.

Otherwise, with his power and methods, who knows what kind of unexpected situations or obstacles might arise.

That person…

"He's undoubtedly our greatest enemy, bar none," Elis declared solemnly.

"An enemy…?" Cris closed her eyes and asked, "Have you already decided to treat him as an enemy?"

"Yes." Elis replied without hesitation, "That man is too dangerous; we can't let him be."

"Is this the right decision?" Cris asked cautiously. "Zeth probably doesn't want to make a move against him, does he?"

"Uh…" Elis was at a loss for words.

Indeed, not only did Zeth not want to act against Rozen, but he seemed to want to recruit him.

"Zeth sent you here with the purpose of interacting with Rorelai Arneet, gathering information on him, investigating him as much as possible, and ultimately trying to bring him into our fold, right?"

Cris laid out Zeth's plans clearly.

On the other hand, Elis clenched her teeth and stubbornly responded.

"Onii-sama didn't see what I saw; he doesn't understand how dangerous this man is. He'll definitely become Onii-sama's greatest obstacle. So, even if it goes against Onii-sama's wishes, I must find a way to deal with that man."

Elis was absolutely convinced of this.

This made Cris sigh silently.

(Still the same as always; the moment it involves anything related to Zeth, she becomes impulsive and loses control.)

This was Elis's greatest flaw, her most significant weakness.

She wasn't incapable of understanding things; in fact, she was quite skilled in strategy. However, within Elis was a naive, innocent, and fragile side that was easily overwhelmed.

Even Zeth had once evaluated his sister this way.

"She has the qualities to strive for my sake, but she also has a foolish side and often does things half-heartedly."

This was Elis's nature.

Now, once again, Elis was acting on her own accord due to her thoughts.

If Zeth were to find out about this, he surely wouldn't be pleased, right?

As for Rozen, Cris didn't believe he was someone who could be easily dealt with.

From the moment Rozen and Elis met until now, it was clear from their interactions that Elis was the one at a disadvantage.

Moreover, it was an absolute disadvantage, one she could not overturn.

Elis seemed to have realized this as well, which was why she felt anxious and impatient.

Elis, in her current state, could not deal with Rozen.

Just as Cris was thinking this, Elis suddenly remembered something and smiled.

"Speaking of which, we encountered something rather interesting in the Fifth Laboratory of the Medical Science Division."

This statement caused Cris to blink in surprise, then realize what Elis was hinting at.

"Don't tell me you're planning to…"

Cris's expression changed.

Elis, however, remained unconcerned.

"He seems to harbor some resentment towards our 'Mage King,'" Elis said with a sweet but extremely dangerous smile.

Upon hearing this, Cris knew exactly what Elis intended to do.

"Elis…"

Cris looked at Elis with a complex expression, wanting to say something, but couldn't find the words.

"Hehe…"

Elis just let out a soft, pleasant laugh.

But that laugh was chilling.

...

Meanwhile, Rozen had returned to the school.

By this time, the third period had already ended, and the fourth period was about to begin.

After the fourth period, the morning indoor classes would be over, and following the lunch break would be the afternoon practical classes.

With this in mind, Rozen hurriedly made his way back to the classroom.

Unfortunately, before he could reach the classroom, Rozen ran into a familiar face.

"Ah…"

At the corner of the staircase, a girl holding a book saw Rozen and couldn't help but make a sound.

"Hm…"

Rozen also stopped in his tracks, his face showing a somewhat wry smile.

At the place where the stairs turned, the two of them looked at each other, both feeling an indescribable awkwardness.

"Senpai…"

Yuri looked at Rozen, her expression showing a mix of emotions.

The two of them couldn't help but recall the previous incident, making the situation inevitably awkward and their emotions complex.

Especially Yuri, who, thinking about the words she had said back then and how she had irrationally stormed off, now felt completely unable to face Rozen.

At that moment...

"Ex… Excuse me! I'll be leaving now!"

Yuri suddenly bowed deeply to Rozen and then hurriedly turned to leave.

If it were in the past, Rozen probably wouldn't have known how to handle this situation.

But now, with a mindset honed over ten years, he was no longer the same as before.

So…

"Yuri." Rozen suddenly called out, "How about we go out for a walk again this evening?"

"Huh?" Yuri's body froze and she involuntarily turned back to look at Rozen.

The next moment, Yuri saw Rozen's steady gaze, one that did not avoid her at all, along with his calm smile.

Seeing this, Yuri's heart began to race.

Then…

"I… I understand…"

Yuri replied in a small voice.

"Then let's meet at the school gate like before."

Rozen grinned.

"Mm…"

Yuri nodded and then turned to leave.

This time, her steps seemed much lighter than before.

Rozen finally smiled and returned to the classroom.

The day's classes soon passed, and before long, evening arrived.