Automaton City of Liverpool, within the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart.
For the people here, any upheaval occurring in the Far East, on the other side of the globe, was naturally unknown.
Moreover, the Automaton City had only just emerged from danger and was still engaged in post-crisis recovery.
With the disappearance of the Multi-Controller, the rampaging automatons had finally been brought under control and were now being inspected.
All injured professors and students had been arranged to receive treatment in the Medical Division.
The Rose Stems left behind in the Academy by Astrid had fled without hesitation once their master fell. Some even attempted to sneak into the "Sanctuary of Fools" to steal research on the Machine Doll, and were now being pursued by the guards and knight units.
Students who had hidden in various corners of the Academy and survived the disaster were now emerging, visibly shaken, but grateful to be safe.
Adding to this were the ruins of buildings still being cleared—countless matters required attention at the Academy. No one had the time to worry about events in the Far East, nor did they know that Rozen had, within a single day, crossed two major national borders and resolved two significant incidents.
Only the sisters of "Setsugetsuka" knew that Rozen was engaged in something very important.
"I wonder how Rozen-sama is doing right now."
"Yaya is so worried."
"Geez, why didn't he take us with him?"
The three sisters expressed their anxiety and frustration, worried and upset in equal measure.
However, due to the link through the shikigami contract, they suddenly sensed Rozen's return.
Delighted, they did not rush to reunite with him. Instead, they helped Charlotte, Frey, Henri, Loki, and the others clean up the aftermath within the Academy.
Because Rozen had not returned to see them immediately—he still had several matters to attend to.
Magnus stood atop the clock tower, along with the six girls of his battle unit, gazing out over the Academy.
Until a voice spoke from behind him.
"Through the memories of the 'Golden Rose,' I've finally uncovered the answers to two of the mysteries left behind by the extermination of the Akabane clan."
At the sound of this voice, Magnus's eyes twitched. The automatons beside him turned in shock, swiftly raising their weapons toward the newcomer.
The visitor, who had appeared there without anyone noticing, remained unfazed and continued speaking.
"Why did Izanagi want to exterminate the Akabane clan?"
"Why did Izanagi want to marry their princess into the Akabane clan?"
"I now have the answers to those two questions."
Rozen stood behind Magnus, calmly watching the bustling Academy still busy cleaning up the mess.
"But there's still a third question that needs answering."
And what might that question be?
"Why did you help Izanagi exterminate the Akabane clan?"
Rozen looked at Magnus's back.
"Don't you intend to tell me the answer?"
Magnus remained silent.
Rozen, however, wasn't surprised in the least.
"If you won't say, then allow me to make a bold guess."
Rozen continued speaking.
"Your actions during that incident were full of contradictions."
Akabane Tenzen chose to betray the Akabane family and defect to the Izanagi faction, even leading their people to annihilate the Akabane clan. On the surface, it seemed simple to deduce the motive.
The Izanagi faction likely thought that Tenzen had differing views from the rest of the Akabane, and sought to present the "Calamity Princess" as a token to gain favor, opposing the Akabane family's decision to protect her, believing such a move would lead only to ruin. Tenzen himself may have sought to rise in status and thus betrayed his family. Yet afterward, he fled the country and came to Britain.
Is that not contradictory?
Moreover...
"If it's confirmed that you didn't destroy the clan for the Machine Doll, then why did you assist Edward Rutherford in researching it?"
Disguising himself as Magnus, Akabane Tenzen became the Academy's top student and conspired with the Headmaster to conduct research within the "Sanctuary of Fools." Was this merely a condition of protection offered by the Headmaster?
It shouldn't be that simple.
Therefore...
"I suspect that you defected to Izanagi because you clearly knew the Akabane family could not resist them. If you wanted to protect Nadeshiko, a conflict between Izanagi and the Akabane was inevitable—and Izanagi would surely win."
Rozen's voice continued with certainty.
"To seek even a sliver of hope within such despair, you pretended to defect, slaughtered your own clan yourself—only that way could you deceive everyone."
Rozen spoke frankly.
"Should I assume that during that incident, you merely faked the clan's deaths and hid them away?"
"Or perhaps you had some other method to revive them later?"
"Only then would your actions make sense—defecting to Izanagi, helping them, and then betraying them afterward."
"Isn't that the real truth?"
Such was Rozen's bold hypothesis.
But, unfortunately...
"That night, the extermination of the Akabane clan was inevitable. It was an unchangeable fact."
Magnus turned around to face Rozen.
And then, he extended his hand and removed the mask from his face.
Yes.
Magnus removed his mask.
What appeared beneath was a face Rozen found familiar.
"Akabane Tenzen..."
Rozen spoke the true name of the face before him.
Magnus—Akabane Tenzen—gazed at Rozen with a gentle smile, one that Rozen had once known very well.
"It seems you've uncovered this much already," Akabane Tenzen said. "Then there's no point in hiding it any longer."
With that, Tenzen admitted Rozen's conjecture.
"My defection to Izanagi was indeed a ruse. If I hadn't done that, the Akabane clan would have been truly wiped out."
Izanagi was Japan's most powerful Onmyoji clan, the very backbone of the nation. If they wanted to strike against the Akabane clan within their own borders, the Akabane wouldn't even be able to flee. Complete annihilation was the only outcome.
"But if I pretended to defect, it would be different," Tenzen said with a faint smile. "Then I could find opportunities during that conflict to do something."
For example, Tenzen could protect Raishin from being killed when he rushed into the sea of flames.
For example, Tenzen could deal with Rozen personally, making him back off and thus avoid being targeted by Izanagi.
That both Rozen and Raishin survived that inferno was thanks in large part to Akabane Tenzen.
And then...
"Even if not all, I still wanted to save as many as I could."
Tenzen lowered his gaze.
"For example—Nadeshiko."
So said Akabane Tenzen.