In the next few days, there really wasn't much worth mentioning.
Although the Academy had become quite lively due to Olga's declaration—and even more so because of Rozen's actions—contrastingly, the Night Party once again entered a dormant phase.
It seemed as if the glove holders whose turns were coming up were all desperate to avoid the spotlight. This time, none of them were willing to show up.
And with the upper-ranked participants refusing to appear, the lower-ranked ones naturally had no need to remain on standby.
As a result, even Rozen, Charl, Loki, and Frey did not participate in the Night Party during this period.
"I'm really curious about the status of the Thirteen. I should at least try to gather some intel."
So said Charl, as she ran all over the Academy, frantically trying to gather intelligence using her meager network of contacts.
"I-I'll help Charl too."
After some hesitation and inner conflict, Frey decided to accompany Charl. Clearly, there was someone among the Thirteen she was particularly concerned about.
"..."
Loki didn't say anything, his expression as cold as ever. But he had definitely been going to the Department of Automaton Engineering much more frequently lately. It was clear that the battle with Asura Owen had shaken him, and he had realized the critical disadvantage caused by Cherubim's performance. He seemed to be doing everything he could to compensate for it.
Thus, during this stretch of time, not a single person attended the Night Party, and it entered a complete lull.
However, the students didn't find it boring at all.
Because they all knew—this was merely the calm before the storm.
The reason was that plenty of rumors had been floating around recently.
"Word is, the Avatar has been lobbying glove holders all over the Academy, convincing many to join his side. He already has over twenty glove holders under him, even some ranked in the top twenty."
"Oddly, the Student Representative hasn't made any moves yet, but it's said the Zekaros Brothers and Nosferatu have been by her side this whole time. Looks like she plans to take a different route from the Avatar, forming an elite team by recruiting top-level fighters from the Thirteen."
"The Empress seems genuinely uninterested in doing anything—neither recruiting others nor taking any actions. She's just been keeping a close eye on the Tyrant Rex, clearly very concerned with his movements."
"As for Sable Saber… who knows what she's thinking. Ever since that Night Party battle, she's completely vanished. Rumor has it she even left the Academy."
Messages like these were passed around constantly.
The students weren't bored at all. With new rumors arriving every day, they eagerly took part in the buzz and gossip, completely forgetting their disappointment over the Night Party's temporary halt.
It was even said that betting pools on the Night Party had changed drastically. The sponsors and home countries behind the remaining glove bearers had also begun moving in the shadows, providing all kinds of support and strategic advice to ensure their victory.
In other words, whether on the surface or behind the scenes, the City of Machinart was in a state of unrest and rapid change.
And amid it all, Rozen became the most relaxed person.
He didn't seem to care about the developments of the Night Party at all, nor did he take any actions. He just lived his days as usual, bewildering many students.
Even Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki repeatedly voiced their concerns.
"Are you sure you don't need to do anything, Rozen-sama?"
Irori couldn't help but worry again and again.
"If you keep this up, others really will get stronger, you know?"
Even Yaya didn't dare slack off.
"We know Rozen is strong—very strong—so we're not worried about those big brothers and sisters teaming up. But can we really just ignore them like this?"
Komurasaki seemed a little uneasy as well.
It wasn't that they were genuinely concerned about Rozen being threatened—it was just that watching others grow stronger while they themselves spent time eating and relaxing felt too irresponsible for the three sisters, who usually took serious matters seriously.
But Rozen remained adamant.
"If they manage to surprise me even a little, I'd actually be grateful."
That was Rozen's stance.
To him, participating in the Night Party genuinely felt like bullying. Giving others a chance was, in his eyes, a small act of mercy.
After all, with Rozen's current level, comparing him to other students was just unfair—not just within the Academy, but in the entire world of puppeteers.
Even the strongest Magus of the 19th century had been defeated by Rozen's former self—without forcing Rozen to go all out. Now, Rozen was multiple times stronger than he had been back then—he could leave that version of himself in the dust. Fighting a bunch of students now hardly excited him.
So, if Olga and the others could actually accomplish something and pose a threat, Rozen wouldn't be annoyed—he'd be entertained.
Perhaps others would see this attitude as arrogant or foolish. They might think Rozen was being complacent, even fitting the mold of a final boss waiting to be toppled by the protagonist. But Rozen honestly wanted to say: once the gap grows too wide, even trying to take things seriously becomes impossible.
Like an adult who won't go all-out just because a child lands a few hits—Rozen was in that state of mind. It wasn't arrogance or conceit—he truly just couldn't get into it.
What he was more concerned about was Serenity's progress.
Through their telepathic link, he knew she had already arrived in the Far Eastern island nation and was headed toward the headquarters of the Izanagi clan.
She'd probably be infiltrating Izanagi within the next couple of days.
As for Raishin—ever since their last reunion, he'd completely vanished. Only Komurasaki, who occasionally sneaked out of the Academy using her concealment magic, would bring back some news, saying that whenever she visited Shouko, she'd see Raishin still diligently guarding her.
Komurasaki even said:
"Shouko and that big brother have been holed up in the room together. Who knows what they're talking about."
That bit of news nearly made Rozen lose his cool, and Irori even crushed her teacup in shock.
It was Yaya, oddly enough, who after a stunned moment, jumped up with urgency.
"Shouko is going to beat me to it! No way! Yaya wants to lock herself in a room with Rozen and talk too!"
"…We've been living in the same room this whole time. And don't think I don't know what you really mean by 'talk.' You can talk, but if you even think about taking it to the bed, forget it."
Rozen's jab sent Yaya spiraling into depression.
All in all, while a lot was happening behind the scenes, things on the surface were extremely calm.
Until that day—a small dragon flew into the Academy from outside.
"Finally back."
A flippant voice spoke those words.
It was a small dragon, entirely red in color.
If Rozen and the others were here, they would've been utterly shocked.
Especially Charl and Sigmund—they would've been stunned.
Because this small dragon looked exactly like Sigmund.
And then, at the school gate, a young girl appeared.
"Hehe…"
A wicked laugh echoed.
The witch had descended.