Indeed, in the Night Party, Rozen's methods would be restricted. Ancient magic likely couldn't be used, and he wouldn't be able to summon too many familiars either. But that doesn't mean Abain and the others have a chance of winning.
Even if he could only use automatons to fight, would that make Rozen weak?
Don't forget—back then, the Knights of the Cross were wiped out by Rozen alone. That group was full of skilled puppeteers, and even included members of the Thirteen. And yet, Rozen crushed them easily with just one automaton. Now, facing a ragtag group barely ranking above the 50th, would it really take effort?
What's more, Rozen only had Yaya back then. Now he had two more automatons that were clearly of the same caliber as Yaya. Even if he couldn't summon too many shikigami, summoning several dozen would be no problem at all. The limitations of the venue wouldn't hinder him in the slightest. Against that, what were nineteen people worth?
"This Black Iron Crystal really likes to act smart, huh?"
Rozen looked at him as if watching an immature child showing off in front of him. He didn't show the slightest ripple of emotion—he even shook his head slightly as though trying not to laugh.
This left Charlotte and Loki momentarily stunned, silently sighing that Rozen had truly changed.
If it had been the past, Rozen would've clapped back with a sharp retort without hesitation—no way would he save anyone's face.
But now, while Rozen wasn't exactly being polite to Abain either, he had this air of composure that didn't bother with petty squabbles.
To those who'd always been with Rozen, the change might've gone unnoticed. But to Charlotte and Loki, it was obvious.
After all, to the people of this world, they had only not seen Rozen for two months.
And in just two months, Rozen had gone from sharp-edged and combative to mature and restrained. Others naturally noticed the change clearly.
And undeniably, this version of Rozen was even more attractive than before.
At the very least, to girls, a mature man was always more likely to steal their hearts.
At that moment, Yaya's eyes were brimming with love, Komurasaki's eyes were shining with admiration, Irori's face turned red and she kept stealing glances at Rozen. Even Charlotte and Frey's faces flushed slightly and their heartbeats began to quicken.
At that moment, four voices suddenly echoed in Rozen's mind.
"Senpai…"
"You should really know when to stop."
"What a sinful man."
"Rozen-sama, please be more mindful..."
The reproachful voices of Mash, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], and Serenity rang out, startling Rozen and leaving him inexplicably puzzled.
What happened?
What's going on?
What did I even do?
Rozen nearly began to question his entire existence.
"DONG—DONG—DONG—DONG—"
At that moment, the sound of a bell rang out loud and clear.
It was the bell that signaled the start of the Night Party.
"It's starting!"
"It's starting!"
All at once, the spectators were invigorated—both those watching openly and those in hiding began to grow excited.
"It has begun,"
The Headmaster of the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart sat solemnly in his seat, watching the arena, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
This was the 50th night of the Night Party.
With this, the Night Party was finally halfway through.
And tonight, those who remained on the field would go on to compete against the top fifty ranked students for the title of Wiseman.
To become the Wiseman was to enjoy wealth, glory, and status above all others.
Thinking of that, every single gauntlet bearer's heart began to burn with ambition.
"I have to win!"
Abain clenched his fists. With a wave of his hand, the group of nineteen glove holders including himself immediately formed a battle formation.
Five heavy-class automatons, including Abain's metal golem, lined up in front like a wall, forming a sturdy defensive line.
Behind them was a row of lightweight automatons—likely meant for guerrilla tactics.
At the very back was a group of automatons with the appearance of spirits or demons—clearly ranged-attack types.
Many of these automatons had very similar designs, creating a strangely unified appearance.
"Did they coordinate in advance?"
Rozen thought to himself as he watched.
These automatons clearly complemented each other—there's no doubt they had discussed and coordinated before the Night Party began, even modifying and preparing their dolls to work as a team.
"They've at least thought this through."
That was Rozen's evaluation.
On Rozen's side, things were quite the opposite of Abain's group.
While Abain and company were forming up, Rozen's companions actually split apart.
Loki and Frey stuck together with their Mechanical Angel and pack of hounds, staying off to one side. One calmly assessed the situation while the other seemed to muster courage to release her mana.
Charlotte ran in another direction with Sigmund, holding up her arm where her steel dragon perched.
As for Rozen, he remained where he was, suddenly separated again from the team that had just reunited.
This was only natural.
Rozen, Charlotte, Loki, and Frey were never originally a team. In fact, they were enemies who had fought before, only becoming friendly after various incidents brought them together. But they never agreed to fight alongside each other in the Night Party. On the contrary, they regarded each other as strong rivals and hoped to test themselves against one another.
Now that the Night Party had resumed, it was only natural for them to part ways again as opponents.
Still, they weren't outright hostile.
Loki and Frey's gazes fell directly upon Abain's group.
Charlotte stared at Veyron in the corner, their eyes clashing with fiery intensity.
Only Rozen stood apart like an outsider, with only Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki by his side.
"Shall we begin, Rozen-sama?"
Irori wore a serious expression.
"Yaya is ready to go anytime, Rozen!"
Yaya was eager and excited—it looked like she had been waiting forever to fight for Rozen.
"I'm only good at hide-and-seek. I can't fight like Irori-nee-sama or Yaya…"
Komurasaki looked troubled.
Rozen couldn't help but smile gently, reaching out to pat Komurasaki's head. Yaya looked a bit jealous while Irori cast a sidelong glance, and then Rozen spoke:
"We won't make the first move."
Yes.
Rozen had no intention of attacking first.
It couldn't be helped.
If Rozen went on the offensive, it would be too much of a bully move.
With Rozen's current power, even as just a puppeteer commanding Setsugetsuka, he was probably an unbeatable existence in this world.
His mindset was even more composed than in the previous world, and he didn't intend to oppress the others.
So unless someone came at him first, Rozen wouldn't attack.
For the rest of the Night Party, Rozen would likely stick to that approach—as a way of giving the students a fair chance to show off their skills.
This current Rozen was so chill, it was like he was on the verge of enlightenment.
But just because Rozen didn't plan to act didn't mean others wouldn't.