Perhaps, even looking through all the past Night Parties, there has never been an audience as large as tonight's.
Today, the spectator seats were completely filled, and even the periphery of the arena was surrounded by crowds. If not for the guards maintaining order, the entire academy might have gathered here, making the place impossibly packed.
And that wasn't all—what made tonight even more significant was that both the Special Seats and the VIP Seats were fully occupied.
In the Special Seats sat the Academy Headmaster, the Professor Representative, top-ranked Glove Bearers, and professors from various departments—essentially, the academy's most important figures.
In the VIP Seats were representatives sent from countries all over the world.
Moreover, in the shadows and corners surrounding the arena, all kinds of people were hidden and lurking.
Tonight's Night Party had attracted the attention of so many.
To be blunt, if anyone among them were to act rashly, it could set off a chain reaction, potentially resulting in a major incident.
The pressure on the academy as the host could not be overstated.
"If only you still had the Lemegeton, then those who wanted to try something would have to seriously reconsider."
That was what Percival said.
The Lemegeton, also known by another name—Lesser Key of Solomon—was a legendary summoning grimoire that contained over fifty Automaton Dolls modeled after the seventy-two demons pillers of myth. Its former owner was the Academy Headmaster.
It was thanks to these fifty mythical demons that Edward Rutherford had earned the title of the strongest Magus of the 19th century.
However, two months ago, after losing to Rozen, the Headmaster's Lemegeton was taken from him.
Ever since losing the Lemegeton, the Headmaster remained strong but could no longer be called the strongest. His power had declined significantly, and so had his deterrent force, causing many to grow restless.
"Isn't it worth trying to get it back from Fimbulvetr's Winter?"
Percival coaxed the Headmaster with such words.
In truth, Percival also wanted the Headmaster to retrieve the Lemegeton. That way, they would regain enough deterrence to keep others from making reckless moves.
Losing the Lemegeton was a blow to them.
Therefore, Percival himself was anxious.
In contrast, the Headmaster did not seem the least bit concerned.
"Although Lemegeton certainly isn't something to be casually lost, if you want it back, you'd better think of a proper way."
Saying this, the Headmaster looked quite helpless.
"Arneet-kun is the kind of person who yields to kindness, not force. Because of what happened with Professor Eliade, he openly defied the academy and didn't return the Lemegeton even after the incident ended. Clearly, it won't be easy to retrieve the grimoire from him."
And truthfully, the Headmaster wasn't willing to reclaim the Lemegeton under the claim of it being his personal property either. If Rozen ended up bearing a grudge, the consequences would far outweigh the benefits.
Compared to the Lemegeton, Rozen's goodwill was far more important at this stage.
He was the one closest to the title of Wiseman, and his power even surpassed the Headmaster's. With tens of thousands of monsters under his command, Rozen's participation in tonight's Night Party made his victory almost a certainty. The Machine Doll is highly likely to fall into his hands.
The Headmaster's true target had always been the Machine Doll.
Compared to that, the mythical demons in the grimoire were just trifles.
So, the Headmaster had no interest in going against Rozen directly.
"That book might be put to better use in his hands than in mine. Let him keep it for now."
That was the decision the Headmaster had made.
Unfortunately, the Headmaster had no idea that the Lemegeton, which they regarded as a treasure, had actually been gathering dust ever since it fell into Rozen's hands. Except for occasionally studying the construction, mechanisms, and magic circuits of the Automaton Dolls within, Rozen had never once summoned or used them.
For Rozen, who possessed Summoning Arts, there was no shortage of powerful forces. Those so-called mythical demons had no place to show off.
In other words, the Lemegeton in Rozen's hands had become nothing more than a glorified paperweight.
Even the most powerful Automaton Doll in that grimoire was only of tactical level, far from reaching its peak. Rozen could summon countless beings of that level—it wasn't worth bothering with these relics. If not for the fact that some of the Automaton Dolls contained particularly advanced magic circuits, which mildly piqued Rozen's interest, he might've already discarded them.
If Rozen really wanted to, with his knowledge and skill, he could create Automatons far more advanced than anything currently existing.
He had already thoroughly read Karyuusai Shouko's secret scrolls. Though some core secrets were not recorded, combining what he learned from them with his own technical abilities, Rozen could undoubtedly craft extremely high-level Automatons—perhaps even rivaling Karyuusai Shouko herself in quality.
And that was just the beginning.
For Rozen, Karyuusai's craftsmanship was no longer impressive.
Don't forget, Rozen now possessed all the knowledge of Alchemy passed down by the Atlas Institute for thousands of years.
With Alchemy, it was possible to create artificial humans with excellent magic circuits, let alone mere Automaton Dolls.
And that was merely the transformation of material.
The Alchemy of Atlas was a mystery aimed at the transformation of phenomena itself—it even allowed Rozen to transform his eyes into Wise Eyes, a type of Mystic Eye.
In the face of such technology, Karyuusai's skills would likely be scoffed at by Atlas alchemists. After all, they once created the Seven Weapons capable of world destruction.
With this level of technology, even attempting to create a Machine Doll—something the people of this world pursued so fervently—was not impossible for Rozen. Combined with all his other vast knowledge, the mythical demons of Lemegeton truly held no appeal to him.
The people of this world could never understand the level Rozen had now reached or his value.
Fortunately, Rozen had no interest in status or power. Otherwise, who knows how many worlds would have already fallen and become his personal garden?
Unaware of all this, the Headmaster could only watch Rozen as he walked into the arena.
Everyone was watching Rozen—the most dazzling figure as of late—with grave expressions.
None more so than Magnus.
"Nuragami..."
Magnus fixed his gaze on Rozen, who now appeared far more mature than two months ago. His face no longer wore a lazy, indifferent look, but one of effortless composure. No one could tell what thoughts were swirling in Magnus' heart.
Just like that, Rozen stopped walking.
Gazing at the completely packed arena, Rozen faintly smiled.
"I wonder how those guys are doing."
That was all that was on Rozen's mind.