-699- Not let yourself to be used by others

"Thud..."

In the silent room, the sound of a teacup being placed on the table resonated clearly. Kimberly placed the teacup she had been holding onto the table in front of her, her gaze revealing an even sharper intensity when directed at Rozen.

Facing Kimberly's sharp gaze, Rozen, on the other hand, remained completely unperturbed. He leisurely sipped his tea, as if nothing had happened.

After a while, Kimberly sighed once again.

"What do you know?" Kimberly made this inquiry. No, it was more like an interrogation.

From Kimberly's tone, it was clear that this matter was undoubtedly more important than the incident with the Divine Works.

And that was only natural, wasn't it?

"On the Night of the double Seven, in the time of Six Buds, mankind shall become the agents of gods."

"Like flawless jewels."

"Authority shall be overthrown first, gathering those from foreign lands."

"Then unshackling the bonds of dominion, the city will be filled with purification."

"Thus, stars shall shower down, a prelude to the opening of the heavens and the earth."

"The youth arrives, reigning upon the throne of heaven."

"Behold, the one by their side is 'Machine doll.'"

Rozen recited this poem that he had once heard from Karyusai Shouko, grinning as if he couldn't care less.

"Since it's something related to 'God,' the Mage's Association can't simply ignore it, right?"

After all, the Mage's Association was originally the Church. Its leaders wielded significant influence over nobility and royalty within the Vatican's sphere of influence.

Although in the modern era, it had lost some of its influence and couldn't prevent world wars or stem the tide of imperialism, it was still responsible for managing all miracles and wonders.

If that's the case, when faced with the appearance of 'God,' the association couldn't easily take action against Rozen.

The reason was simple.

"Although this poem's meaning is very unclear, and its timeline is hazy, the words within it are all metaphorical and puzzling. However, there's a part of the content that isn't hard to interpret, right?"

Rozen made this statement.

For example, the phrase 'On the Night of double Sevens' should refer to the meaning of 'Seven times seven, forty-nine.' Adding the character 'night' should mean the forty-ninth Night Party.

And the forty-ninth Night Party was precisely the current Night Party.

"In that case, the phrase 'the throne of heaven' probably means 'winning at the Night Party and ascending to the highest throne,' in other words, becoming the Wiseman."

Rozen spoke with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"So, if that's the case, the meaning of the phrase 'Behold, the one by their side is 'Machine doll.' is probably 'beside the Wiseman, a Machine Doll will be born,' right?"

In other words...

"This poem isn't some cryptic text or incantation; it's a prophecy."

Rozen gazed directly at Kimberly.

"Someone prophesied that in this edition of the Night Party, an entity called the 'Machine Doll' would be born, and the winner of this Night Party would obtain it, making this Night Party particularly unique."

So, who made this prophecy?

"—Father Time."

Rozen revealed this name.

"The association's Father, the lord of the magic world, the absolute authority figure reigning over all magus, maintaining order in the entire magical world. It was his prophecy, right?"

Prophecies, in essence, were not some vague or ethereal existence.

Like the Izanagi clan, where Domon Hinowa belonged, they possessed divination techniques that could predict disasters and turn misfortunes into blessings. It was a real magical rite.

And since the Mage's Association was originally a church, it wasn't strange for people like Father Time to believe in divine revelations among these ecclesiastical figures.

Father Time was considered the strongest diviner of his generation, capable of performing foresight magic, predicting the future. Its accuracy was practically one hundred percent, regarded as miracles that would inevitably come true.

It was because Father had made such a prophecy and spread it that this edition of the Night Party became so special. It prompted Karyusai Shouko to personally intervene and led to the gathering of various characters, making the quality of participants in this Night Party far higher than in previous ones.

The reason Kimberly was employed as a professor at this academy was probably because the Mage's Association had sent her to infiltrate and monitor the progress of this Night Party, wasn't it?

And the reason the Mage's Association chose not to confront Rozen was rooted here.

"In case I happen to be the one capable of ascending to the position of Wiseman, and the entity called the 'Machine Doll' will be born by my side, the Mage's Association doesn't want to trouble me because of a group of unforgivable sinners. It's only natural."

Rozen pointed this out unapologetically.

"The principal's decision to protect me is likely based on this, right?"

From the assignment code given to Rozen as 'Fimbulvetr's Winter,' it was clear that the Academy Director was very concerned about and valued Rozen. Perhaps the principal saw Rozen as a top candidate to win this Night Party and believed that the 'Machine Doll' had a high probability of being born in Rozen's hands, so he wanted to protect him.

"In the end, everything is about self-interest, isn't it?"

Rozen spoke in a sarcastic tone.

Kimberly remained silent.

After a considerable silence, the reserved female professor spoke indifferently.

"As your mentor, I have some advice for you, Rorelai." Kimberly looked at Rozen and said, "Knowing too much isn't always a good thing."

"Is that so?" Rozen responded with indifference. "What's your plan, then, Professor?"

Kimberly sighed and said, "Not much of a plan. As you mentioned, we won't trouble you for now, but there's one thing I must remind you."

"Please, go on," Rozen replied.

"We are not your enemies," Kimberly stated directly. "You must remember that the Association is a very cunning observer. Our position has never been one of interference but rather preservation and guardianship."

"Oh?" Rozen inquired with interest. "In other words, the Association doesn't want the 'Machine Doll'?"

"Exactly," Kimberly responded without hesitation. "Our mission has always been to observe from the farthest distance. So we will observe the birth of the 'Machine Doll' and assess what changes it might bring to this world from the most appropriate position."

This was the essence of the Mage's Association - to do only what needed to be done and nothing else, regardless of how terrifying or insurmountable the situation might be. If it weren't for the Divine Works venturing into forbidden territory and Rozen's direct connection to them, then even if Rozen had taken a hundred lives, it would have had nothing to do with the Mage's Association.

Therefore...

"You should be aware of your true enemies and not let yourself be used by others, kid."

Leaving behind these words, Kimberly got up and left the room.

Rozen didn't stop her but simply watched her leave.

And then...

"Even if I don't want to be used, those who are good at using others will still come after me," Rozen murmured.