After observing just now, Rozen discovered a problem.
In terms of technique, Loki was already on par with the past Wisemen—he wouldn't lose to any other puppeteer.
However, what Loki lacked was a strong enough Automaton Doll.
Though Cherubim was an Automaton Doll meticulously crafted by the Divine Works, and the Angel series to which it belonged was even highly anticipated and showcased by Bronson to the military to gain their interest, it was ultimately a mass-produced model.
Being a standardized Automaton Doll meant it was meant for mass production, for large-scale sales and hefty profits. No matter how high its performance was, it could never compare to the truly rare and high-end models.
Given Loki's current skill level, if he had a legendary-level Automaton Doll, his power would likely soar to a level comparable to a Wiseman. Even against previous Wisemen, he wouldn't be the least bit afraid.
As for Cherubim, its performance could no longer keep up with Loki's needs.
Loki himself had probably already realized this, which was why he approached Rozen and asked, "Did you see it?"—that question wasn't to show off, but to hear Rozen's opinion.
That meant Loki recognized Rozen's strength from the bottom of his heart.
And Rozen did not disappoint him. He directly spoke out his observations, perfectly matching what Loki had in mind.
"Just in that last fight, Cherubim clearly didn't convert all the mana you provided into output; its magic circuits couldn't keep up with your control speed. The transformation time was also too long for your current standards. Whether it's the gears or the motion multiplier of the frame, none of it could keep up. You've already pushed its overall performance to the limit. There's not only no more room for improvement, but it's even dragging you down in some ways."
Rozen didn't hold back and pointed out all the problems directly.
"To keep up with your current technique and bring out your full capabilities, conservatively speaking, Cherubim's performance would need to be tripled—and that's not even considering the issue with the magical activity of it's magic circuit."
In other words, besides Cherubim's performance falling behind, its magical circuit also leaned towards the weaker side.
While Hot Air Manipulation was indeed an excellent magic circuit, it was only that—excellent. Compared to the circuits of legendary-level Automaton Dolls, it still had significant gaps.
Considering all this, Loki still had a great deal of potential to grow.
He was just like Rozen in the past when he was still at the Akabane clan—possessing high-level skill and magical attainments, but no powerful Automaton Doll to wield. It was like a swordsman without a sword or a mercenary without a gun—the impact on combat strength was self-evident.
Of course, Loki wasn't in as dire a state as Rozen was back then—he at least had Cherubim to use. Even if it was clearly falling behind his current needs, having an Automaton Doll was still better than none.
However, if Loki wanted to go further in the Night Party, he had to confront this problem.
"Your current strength, even when measured against all the other participants in the Night Party, would definitely place you in the top three. But that's just the top three. If you want to take first place, win the championship, and claim the title of Wiseman, you still need an Automaton Doll that matches your level."
Rozen looked at Loki and said calmly with a smile:
"Want me to introduce you to a skilled puppeteer?"
Rozen didn't say he'd handle it himself.
Even though in the art of making Automaton Dolls, Rozen was second to none in the world—perhaps even vastly superior to the best puppeteers in existence—he had never actually crafted an Automaton Doll before, nor had he ever displayed any such capability. Loki likely wouldn't casually ask him for help. Moreover, Loki probably didn't want to owe Rozen any more favors.
However, if it was just introducing a great puppeteer, Rozen could easily make that happen.
After all, the number one puppeteer in the Automaton field was the one closest to Rozen. Though her creations were almost impossible for the average person to obtain, and she wouldn't casually sell them to anyone, if Rozen asked, she wouldn't refuse him.
Loki naturally knew about Rozen's relationship with Karyuusai Shouko, but he said nothing.
Seeing this, Rozen also didn't press further and simply shrugged.
He had only casually brought it up. If Loki really needed it, Rozen wouldn't mind connecting him. But if Loki had his own ideas, Rozen wouldn't take it to heart.
After all, Cherubim had been with Loki for a long time, had defeated countless enemies for him, and had protected him through many crises. Even if Cherubim seemed like just a machine with barely any self-awareness, Automaton Dolls may be weapons—but they are never mere tools to be discarded at will.
Automaton Dolls have life too. They have souls. It's thanks to the miraculous Eve's Heart magic circuit that they can possess a self similar to that of a human. Even if faint, it still exists.
So even if the truth was that Cherubim could no longer keep up with Loki's needs, Rozen wouldn't be so cold and ruthless as to say "just throw it away."
"You should decide everything for yourself."
Rozen said this to Loki, who fell into silence.
Watching this, Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki exchanged glances, unable to say a single word.
From their perspective, the topic was simply too upsetting.
Rozen could feel Komurasaki gripping his hand, Yaya hugging his arm, and Irori clutching his clothes. The three sisters had visibly sorrowful expressions.
Seeing this, Rozen didn't hesitate to say:
"Even if one day you can't keep up with me, I'll absolutely never replace you."
That one sentence wiped the sadness from their faces and replaced it with joy.
"Thank you! Rozen-sama!"
Irori spoke, touched.
"You're the best, Rozen!"
Komurasaki even hugged Rozen's leg tightly.
"As expected, Rozen is the greatest puppeteer."
Yaya was overjoyed to the point of tears.
The three girls couldn't help but snuggle closer to Rozen, as if about to melt into his embrace.
Rozen found it amusing but gently patted the girls' heads understandingly.
Meanwhile, Mash, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], and Serenity surprisingly didn't comment—apparently, they understood how Yaya and the others felt.
In any case, the Abain Group had been defeated. Nineteen participants had been eliminated from the Night Party in one go, making the battlefield feel more spacious.
"Loki!"
Frey came running with the Garm group in tow, as if celebrating the victory.
On the other side, the standoff between Charlotte and Veyron reached its climax.
"Are you trying to fight me, Tyrant Rex?" Veyron asked impatiently.
Charlotte replied:
"You were looking at Rozen with a hint of hostility in your eyes." Charlotte continued, "You might've fooled others, but you can't fool me."
Tension suddenly sparked between the two.