-1488- Am I right?

"Ugh..."

Elis and Cris each sat in their respective seats, appearing well-behaved, but in reality, their eyes were filled with horror, and cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.

At this moment, neither Elis nor Cris could move. No matter how much effort they put in, they couldn't budge even an inch.

No one around them noticed anything strange, not even acknowledging Rozen's presence. They continued to steal glances at Elis and Cris.

No one knew just how much turmoil was raging inside these two girls at this moment.

In response, Rozen calmly took a sip of his coffee and casually began to speak.

"I went out of my way to dump all the cleanup work on my junior and came here specifically to have a chat with you two. Are you really not going to give me the time of day?"

Rozen glanced at Elis and Cris, then suddenly smiled.

"After all, I played along with your game. Now that it's over, it's only fair that you entertain me for a bit, right?"

Rozen spoke as if he was really just here to have some tea.

But Elis and Cris were not in the mood to enjoy themselves as Rozen was.

"What... what have you done to us?" Elis asked in a trembling voice, her fear evident.

Her body refused to obey her will, rendering her completely immobile. For Elis, this was far from a comfortable experience.

The unknown experience and situation caused Elis, who had a vulnerable side, to panic.

However...

"Getting scared over something this minor is quite disappointing, don't you think?" Rozen said with a smile. "Compared to what you did to me, this is pretty mild."

Hearing this, not only Elis but even Cris felt a shiver run through their hearts.

The two of them suddenly understood.

Rozen had seen through their plan and knew what they had been doing in secret.

However, admitting it now would be too premature.

"...What are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying!" Elis tried to maintain her composure.

But it was in vain.

"You're not going to admit it?" Rozen smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, that won't work with me."

Wasn't it obvious?

"I saw through your identities the first time we met."

"Did you not realize?"

"Both of you, human-shaped Armored Beetles."

When these words came out of Rozen's mouth, Elis and Cris felt their hearts stop.

There was no way out.

No escape.

Because their greatest secret in this world had been exposed.

And it had been seen through by Rozen right from their first meeting.

That's right.

Both Elis and Cris were human-shaped Armored Beetles.

"You may not know this, but I actually have eyes that can see the spiritual aura of all things, you know?"

Rozen continued speaking casually, ignoring the drastic change in the two girls' expressions.

"In this world, everything has its own aura. Men exude yang energy, women exude yin energy, flames exude fire energy, and ice exudes water energy. Naturally, Armored Beetles have their own spiritual aura as well, but theirs should be called miasma. This was something I discovered after coming to this world."

Rozen's Spirit Vision had always allowed him to see spiritual auras. He had long discovered that Armored Beetles, like Spiritual Disasters, exuded a twisted spiritual aura—miasma.

Therefore, there was a significant difference between humans and Armored Beetles.

"When I first met you two, I didn't suspect your identities. It wasn't until later, when I detected the jutsuryoku unique to Armored Beetles within you, that I seriously observed you. As a result, not only did I perceive the presence of jutsuryoku, but I also saw the miasma emanating from your bodies."

Rozen explained calmly.

"And that miasma was not like the half-baked stuff from Real Nua. It was the real deal."

Real Nua had initially been human, but after consuming the flesh of a Variant, he had gradually degenerated, transforming into a human-shaped Armored Beetle. The miasma he emitted was somewhat different from that of true Armored Beetles.

But Elis and Cris were different.

The miasma emanating from their bodies was genuine, identical to that of Armored Beetles.

What did this indicate?

"It means that, unlike Real Nua, who was transformed from human to Armored Beetle, you two were originally Armored Beetles who transformed into humans. Or, more accurately, you mutated into human form, possessing both the appearance and intellect of humans, allowing you to perfectly disguise yourselves as humans without being discovered by anyone."

Rozen directed his gaze toward Elis.

"Especially you, Elis. Not only do you possess jutsuryoku, but you also have mana, making it incredibly easy for you to disguise yourself as a human."

This was another discovery Rozen had made.

Rozen had found that Elis possessed both jutsuryoku and mana. If nothing else, she could even merge the two forces, like Real Nua, to create Collapse Force, making her an exceptional individual in hiding.

On the other hand, Cris only possessed jutsuryoku and no mana, which is why she was considered an ordinary person in Mistgun.

"The appearance of human-shaped Armored Beetles within the human race truly shocked me. I had no idea what your intentions were, so I chose to observe you quietly. Showing you my research was also part of that."

Rozen's indifferent words caused the two girls to tense up inside.

So that's what it was?

"Did you deliberately expose the existence of Foreign Mana to us in order to observe our reactions?"

Cris found this hard to believe.

But the truth was just as she suspected.

"Since it was Elis who made the request, I was very curious to see how you would react. It was the best way to determine whether you were friends or foes."

Rozen smirked.

"In the end, Elis, you didn't disappoint me."

In the underground mana reactor, after encountering Foreign Mana and sensing its threat, Elis couldn't resist the urge to destroy it.

This reaction, of course, was noticed by Rozen, who had been closely observing Elis.

From that moment, Rozen was sure.

"You are enemies, not friends—at least, you could never be my companions."

Rozen spoke calmly.

"At that moment, I truly wanted to capture you two and give you a proper interrogation."

Hearing this, Elis and Cris' expressions changed multiple times.

It was only then that they realized their supposedly perfect disguise had been completely exposed in front of Rozen. They had even danced on the edge of death.

"Then... why didn't you do it?"

Elis couldn't help but ask.

In response, Rozen gave her a meaningful look.

"The reason should be obvious, right?"

Rozen smiled, then said something that struck Elis to her core.

"Not to mention the Chief Executive, but you're the sister of the Chairman of the Council."

As soon as these words reached Elis's ears, she understood.

At that moment, Elis's face turned deathly pale.

Because Elis now knew.

The one thing that should never have been exposed had been exposed.

Wasn't it obvious?

"The sister of the Chairman of the Council is a human-shaped Armored Beetle. Doesn't that also imply that the Chairman's identity is just as questionable?"

Rozen's calm words struck Elis and Cris like a hammer.

"So, I figured."

"The current Chairman of the Council is a human-shaped Armored Beetle. They may even be leading a force of human-shaped Armored Beetles that has infiltrated human civilization, disguising themselves as humans, taking up high-ranking positions, and wielding immense power."

"Am I right, ladies?"

These words were like the Grim Reaper's scythe, pushing Elis and Cris into a corner.

A secret that could overthrow human society had just been revealed.