-1279- Made up your mind?

For the first time, Rozen and Stella received guests in their dorm room.

And the guests were not just Ikki but also Shizuku, who accompanied him.

However, their expressions were completely different.

Ikki looked determined and serious, as if he had made some decision.

Shizuku, on the other hand, was full of worry and helplessness, as if she had no choice but to go along with Ikki.

The two of them appeared at the door of Room 406, and once Stella opened it, they walked in together.

"Sorry to bother you at this hour."

Ikki first apologized to Rozen and Stella.

But…

"I have something I need to discuss right now, so please, may I have a moment of your time?"

Ikki then raised his head and looked over, his gaze directed at Rozen, who was sitting on the sofa.

Obviously, Ikki had come primarily to see Rozen.

"What's going on, Shizuku?"

Stella lowered her voice and secretly asked Shizuku, who had come along.

"You'll understand in a moment."

Shizuku sighed, reluctantly responding in this way.

Rozen, however, seemed to understand what Ikki wanted from his expression and eyes and wasn't surprised anymore.

"Although I think I already know your intention, let's hear what you have to say first."

Rozen shrugged and said this.

"Anyway, come in and have a seat."

Hearing this, Ikki nodded and, together with Shizuku, sat down in front of Rozen.

Stella sat beside Rozen, not even bothering with the clothes in her hand, which she threw directly onto Rozen's bed, seemingly very interested in the matter.

Seeing his bed now covered with women's clothes, including some intimate garments that had spilled out, Rozen felt speechless. He quickly spoke, as if to divert everyone's attention so they wouldn't see his bed.

"Alright, what's this about?"

Rozen's words focused everyone's attention on Ikki.

Under everyone's gaze, Ikki took a deep breath.

"I'd like to ask a favor."

Ikki looked at Rozen with unprecedented seriousness and made this request.

"Please allow me to continue learning swordsmanship from Altera."

Ikki's clear voice rang in everyone's ears.

"What... what?"

Stella was instantly taken aback.

"Sigh…"

Shizuku sighed, seemingly already aware that Ikki would make this decision.

"As expected."

Rozen was not surprised either. It was as if he had already guessed Ikki's intention. He looked back at Ikki.

The atmosphere in the room became heavy.

There was no helping it.

"If you've decided to do this, then you must be mentally prepared."

Rozen didn't say much, only confirming this with Ikki.

This confirmation was necessary.

After all…

"You've already seen Altera's way of instructing. Other than directly fighting with you, there's no other method."

Rozen spoke frankly.

"If you continue to accept Altera's guidance, it means you will keep fighting with Altera like today. You should understand how dangerous it is without me explaining, right?"

There was indeed no need to explain.

Because everyone present had witnessed the battle between Altera and Ikki and knew very well how dangerous it was.

At the very least, Altera would definitely not hold back. She didn't know how to hold back. If Ikki continued to fight with Altera, being nearly killed as he was today would be a relatively good outcome. Dying on the spot wouldn't be surprising either.

No, if Ikki continued to accept Altera's guidance, the probability of his death would be the highest.

This point was clear not only to Ikki but to everyone else as well.

Therefore…

"In that case, you still decide to accept Altera's guidance?"

Rozen confirmed Ikki's determination.

And Ikki…

"Yes, I've decided."

Ikki nodded without any hesitation, his expression full of unwavering resolve.

Looking at Ikki like this, everyone knew how difficult it must have been to make such a decision.

Even though Ikki had dreams and the determination to work hard and endure all sorts of unfairness to achieve them, risking his life for his dream was a different matter altogether.

After all, Ikki was different from Stella.

Stella wanted to become stronger for the sake of her beloved citizens and country, even if it meant risking her own safety.

Ikki, however, wanted to become stronger to resist his own fate and become an outstanding Mage-Knight.

In other words, Ikki's dream required his survival as a premise in order to be realized.

If he died, Ikki would never be able to achieve his dream of becoming the outstanding Mage-Knight he aspired to be.

Given this, Ikki never had the resolve to risk his life for his dream before.

It wasn't that Ikki couldn't do it, but rather, he had never considered it.

Only today did Ikki finally decide to stake his life for his dream.

"Just as I said, I can't achieve my dream without giving my all and risking everything."

Ikki spoke with such determination.

"So, I've decided to accept Altera's guidance from today until I have the strength to achieve my dream."

This was what Ikki had decided after much struggle and consideration back in his dorm room.

"If I don't do this, I might not even be able to defeat Kirihara. Even if I luckily manage to defeat him, the Kurogane family won't stop there. They will surely keep sending stronger, more formidable, and more unreachable opponents my way to hinder me."

After today's events, Ikki fully understood this point.

In summary...

"I don't have time to hesitate or be uncertain anymore."

Ikki knelt down on the spot, bowing his head to Rozen until his forehead touched the floor.

"Please grant my request, I beg of you."

With that, Ikki said nothing more, maintaining his posture of humble entreaty without moving.

It seemed that unless Rozen agreed, Ikki would remain in this position indefinitely.

Everyone could see Ikki's resolve.

"...Is this really okay, Shizuku?"

After a long silence, Stella looked at Shizuku and asked hesitantly.

It was obvious that of all people, Shizuku would be the most opposed and worried about Ikki making such a decision.

However...

"...Even if it's not okay, what can I do?"

Shizuku spoke without her usual sharpness, sounding resigned.

"If I could stop him, I would have already done so. It's precisely because I can't stop him that I'm helpless."

Shizuku's voice was filled with a sigh.

In this situation...

"Let's ask the person involved."

Rozen, appearing indifferent, said this.

Then...

"Have you made up your mind?"

With those soft words, the white-haired girl appeared like mist.