The sudden voice startled everyone present.
"...It's you?"
Frey was also taken aback. When she saw who the newcomer was, her eyes widened in surprise.
And not just Frey—everyone was stunned.
Rozen turned his head to look at the newcomer, though his expression remained unchanged.
"You really picked the perfect time to show up, August Veyron."
The newcomer was indeed August.
"In the end, it still came to this, huh?"
August ignored everyone present, as if resigning himself to fate or making a bold choice, and slowly stepped into the office.
Immediately, he walked straight toward Olga, completely disregarding everyone else.
"You…"
Seeing August before her, Olga froze in astonishment.
What shocked her even more was that August simply looked at her steadily, then turned to face Rozen.
"Let's do this."
August had already donned his Sleipnir armor, assumed a combat stance, and coldly issued a challenge to Rozen.
His posture clearly showed he intended to shield Olga.
Charlotte, Loki, Frey, Henri, and the others were all dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them, unable to react.
Rozen, however, seemed to understand something and looked at August.
"You're one of the Order too, aren't you?"
Rozen's words widened the eyes of everyone present.
"You're also with the Order?"
Even Olga was stunned, clearly unaware of this fact.
August remained silent for a moment before speaking coldly.
"I am the son of the White Rose."
With August revealing his identity, everyone's expressions turned tense.
But Rozen immediately understood.
He understood why August was so intent on protecting Olga.
Because August was the son of the White Rose, and Olga was the granddaughter of the Golden Rose. Both of them were children of high-ranking members of the Order of the Rose, and were never meant to be together.
Rozen could imagine the delicate balance of power that must exist between the Roses in the oldest magical society.
That balance had to be absolute. Even the slightest shift could set off internal strife within the Order.
Thus, the Roses had to remain completely independent. If two families allied, it would break the internal equilibrium of the organization.
As a result, if the children of two Roses fell in love, their fate was to be forcibly separated—perhaps even having their memories erased.
Just like August and Olga.
Yes.
August and Olga had once been lovers.
Most likely, their relationship had been opposed by the Order and violently torn apart.
August's expression was icy, yet when he looked at Olga, a flicker of gentleness and an almost imperceptible love showed through.
Olga, meanwhile, looked at August with confusion, clearly unaware why he was defending her.
She must have had her memories erased by the Golden Rose.
August, on the other hand, seemed to have escaped that fate, and thus still remembered Olga—helping her at every turn.
If Rozen guessed correctly, both August and Olga were planted in the Academy by the Roses to compete in the Night Party and try to win the Machine Doll.
However, August had no interest in the Machine Doll—he only wanted to help Olga.
Olga wanted to become the Wiseman, so August wanted to help her achieve that.
And because Rozen's presence gave Olga a headache—she saw him as an insurmountable enemy—August targeted Rozen throughout the Night Party, hoping to defeat him for her sake.
That was why August had opposed Rozen so much before.
Of course, it was also possible that all of this was August's one-sided affection and Olga never loved him in return—but if that were the case, then as the granddaughter of the Golden Rose, it's unlikely she wouldn't recognize the White Rose's son.
Thus, Rozen concluded: these two were likely a pair of ill-fated lovers.
Olga knew nothing about August, while August silently protected the one he loved.
"You've already defeated the Golden Rose, and the remaining troops have all retreated. The Academy's crisis is over—there's no need to pursue Olga any further."
August spoke calmly.
"If you still won't let her go, then come at me—I'll take you all on."
His tone was indifferent, but his stance was one of unwavering resolve.
The others exchanged glances, silently readying their magic.
Seeing this, August also raised his mana.
Rozen silently watched, saying and doing nothing.
At that moment…
"Dealing with you two… is best left to us old fools who only ever arrive after the fact."
A group of people approached, speaking those words.
They were none other than the Academy's staff, who had been held hostage and only just freed by Henri. One by one, they had regained their freedom and stood back up.
At the front of the group stood the Headmaster.
"Rozen-kun," the Headmaster looked at Rozen with sincere eyes, "may I ask you to entrust these two to us?"
He was seeking Rozen's permission.
No one thought this was strange or out of place.
Everyone here had witnessed Rozen's strength and seen him defeat Astrid with their own eyes. Their respect for him left no room for doubt.
If it were anyone else, the Headmaster wouldn't need to ask—he would've simply taken them into custody.
This was the Academy's autonomous territory. As its leader, the Headmaster had the authority to punish anyone who attacked the school.
But with Rozen here, he had no choice but to ask personally.
Offending Rozen would be too costly.
"What do you plan to do?" Rozen asked bluntly, ignoring the Headmaster's polite tone.
"Nothing much," the Headmaster answered frankly. "We'll shelter them under the Academy's name. They likely know a great deal about the Order—I need that information."
He didn't sugarcoat his intentions and laid everything bare.
He knew well that any deception would only earn Rozen's hostility.
So instead, he tried to earn a favor.
Rozen understood perfectly and curled his lip.
"Do whatever you want."
That was his reply.
However—
"That Banned Doll's Multi-Controller must be removed. We can't allow Io's research to be exploited again."
Without waiting for a response, Rozen tossed a talisman that merged into Loreley's body.
Her song ceased instantly, and a faint smell of burning emerged from within her.
"You… What did you do!?" Olga cried out in alarm.
"Calm down. I only destroyed the Multi-Controller circuits inside her. I avoided her heart on purpose, so she merely lost her magic—not her life."
With that, Rozen turned around.
"My job here is done. The rest is up to you."
Leaving those words behind, Rozen departed with Setsugetsuka.
Everyone else was left staring at one another, unsure of what to say.
Rozen exited the Headmaster's mansion and stepped outside.
Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki watched his expression.
But Rozen simply raised his head and looked up at the sky, lost in thought.