Miracle Summoner

"See this world?"

Rozen's words instantly captured the attention of the girls.

But that was exactly his intention.

"From now on, I'll be handling some matters in this world. You all should go out, explore, and enjoy life here."

Rozen made this suggestion.

In this world, Rozen was neither a Master saving humanity nor a hero rescuing the world. Instead, he was an enemy of the government-run Onmyo Agency, practically a wanted criminal against the entire jujutsu community.

That complete chaos he caused back in the Onmyo Agency had surely already spread his infamous reputation throughout this world.

To make things worse, Rozen's return this time had a slight timing error. If he wasn't mistaken, the current timeline should be more than a year after his last departure.

Over a year—who knew how many things had happened? Even Rozen couldn't fully predict it.

Therefore, in order to clean up the mess he left behind and to reunite with his former companions, Rozen was bound to get involved in conflicts.

But he didn't want Mash and the others to be dragged into it.

"With my current strength, I can handle any situation in this world."

Since that was the case, Rozen wanted Mash and the others to step away, travel, and have fun.

"After all, these four girls have never experienced such ordinary happiness."

There was no need to mention Mash—she had never left Chaldea and had always followed Rozen into battle at singularities, never even seeing a real blue sky.

Artoria [Alter], in life, bore the fate of Britain, suffering through endless wars for her people and her country. In the end, she died betrayed after the Round Table fractured, becoming a Heroic Spirit who continued to serve in darkness. Her life could never be called happy.

Jeanne [Alter] had it even worse—her entire existence lasted less than a year. Created as a witch by Gilles de Rais, she was implanted with false hatred, a fabricated life, and an artificial soul. She lived in resentment, existed for revenge, and had even died for it.

As for Serenity, though she might have experienced moments of happiness in her life, as an assassin of the Old Man of the Mountain, she constantly played different roles and infiltrated various places. Yet, every bit of happiness she touched was destroyed by her own hands. Everyone she came in contact with died, eventually driving her to madness, pleading for her assassination target to kill her so she could be freed.

These four girls' lives were filled with misfortune.

Especially Mash—she was always afraid of battle, dreading combat. If possible, Rozen never wanted her to fight again. He just wanted her to live as an ordinary girl and enjoy the life she had never had.

With that in mind, Rozen decided to send them on a trip—far away from Tokyo—while he dealt with his own affairs.

It wasn't like there were any situations that absolutely required their presence. Given his current power, there were hardly any threats in this world. Besides, the girls' true existence resided within his soul. He could summon them back at any time without worry.

"Besides, no matter how far apart we are, we can communicate telepathically. If anything happens, we can contact each other immediately."

Rozen reassured the girls.

As familiars who had imprinted their very existence onto Rozen's soul, the girls could always communicate with him, even if they were in different worlds.

Essentially, the entities moving in the outside world were just magical constructs. If Heroic Spirits resided in the "Throne," then the girls' true selves existed within Rozen's soul.

Because of this, when Rozen spoke to them within his soul, their true selves received the message, transmitting it to their external avatars. That meant that even if they were worlds apart, as long as they had formed an absolute contract with Rozen, they could always stay in touch—and Rozen could summon them back at any moment.

Thanks to this, Rozen had remained in constant contact with Edelweiss, never feeling like they had truly been apart.

Incidentally, according to Edelweiss, a lot had happened recently. Though the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival had concluded with Ikki and Stella defeating all of Akatsuki Academy's opponents and knights from the other schools—ultimately drawing in the finals and both claiming the championship—the Rebellion had run into trouble. The three major powers were now in chaos, teetering on the brink of war.

As a result, Edelweiss had been constantly moving around. If war truly broke out, it might not be easy for her to return to Rozen's side.

On the other hand, Altera's records had been growing increasingly active in Rozen's soul lately. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before her Grand-Class Saint Graph was fully reconstructed and Rozen could summon her once again.

All things considered, Rozen believed he could safely let the girls travel on their own.

"I'll share this world's knowledge with you through our contract and suppress your powers so you won't cause any accidents. For example, Serenity, I'll seal your Delusional Poison Body so you can interact with people normally without worrying about poisoning anyone."

As familiars bound by an absolute contract, Rozen had complete control over them. Even if they couldn't restrain their own abilities, he could easily suppress them with a mere thought.

"You can travel without worries. Once I finish handling things, I'll come find you all."

Rozen smiled at the group of girls.

"B-But..."

Mash hesitated, unwilling to leave. Serenity also looked reluctant. Even Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne [Alter], though somewhat intrigued, ultimately opposed the idea since Rozen wouldn't be going with them.

Unfortunately, Rozen shattered their resistance with just a few words.

"Don't you want to see vast grasslands and beautiful seas?"

Mash wavered.

"Don't you want to try all kinds of delicious food?"

Artoria [Alter] hesitated.

"Don't you want to dance around a bonfire, hand in hand with other travelers your age?"

Serenity faltered.

"Don't you want to visit churches around the world and give their priests a good lecture on faith?"

Jeanne [Alter] stiffened.

Seeing their reactions, Rozen grinned victoriously.

"Relax. We're bound by fate, our souls already intertwined. A little distance means nothing. Just take me with you in spirit and enjoy yourselves. At night, before you sleep, you can tell me all about your adventures."

His final words made the girls glance at one another. In the end, they finally relented.

Thus, the girls embarked on a journey unlike anything they had ever experienced, preparing to savor the joys of this world.

Meanwhile, Rozen summoned Hokuto, entered Tokyo, and officially marked his return.