Rozen's imminent departure to the Kingdom of Aldegyr—and the fact that he wouldn't be returning for a while—quickly spread among his close companions.
As a result, one after another, his friends came to Rozen personally to confirm the news.
When they heard that Rozen had decided to leave temporarily in order to lay low after defeating the Sanctified Treaty Organization's army—which had caused a ripple of unrest across many countries—all of them reacted with a mix of amazement and concern.
"Didn't expect you to get tangled in something like that," Akatsuki Kojou said in awe.
"Seriously, I don't even know if that was brave or just reckless," Tokoyogi Yuuma added with a wry smile.
"Well, I already knew," Aiba Asagi said nonchalantly. Having attended the international conference alongside Natsuki, she had clearly been prepared for this outcome from the start.
"Actually, there's no need to be so down about it. It's only for a few months—he'll be back by then," Yaze Motoki chimed in with a reassuring tone, which eased the minds of several others.
A few months might not be a short time, but it wasn't that long either.
So, knowing that it would only be a brief absence, everyone managed to come to terms with it.
Especially the girls like Akatsuki Nagisa and Kanase Kanon—they were visibly relieved to learn that Rozen would only be gone for a few months.
"Phew, thank goodness. I was really worried… If Nichiyo-kun were leaving for years—or worse, decades—what would I do?" Nagisa said, pressing her hand to her chest.
"I hope Senpai gets used to Aldegyr. If he could tell me what it's like when he gets back, that would be lovely," Kanon added with a gentle smile.
Ever since her meeting with Lucas Rihavein and Polifonia Rihavein at the Minamiya estate, Kanon had seemed to fit in naturally with Aldegyr's royal family, as if all past awkwardness had vanished.
Polifonia, for her part, seemed to mean it when she said she had accepted Kanon. She even claimed that if the opportunity came, she would take Kanon back to reunite with her family.
Lucas also seemed fond of Kanon—though whenever she gazed at Rozen with admiration and affection, Lucas's inexplicable hostility toward Rozen only intensified.
Rozen even received an anonymous duel letter one night, claiming to be a "righteous purge" for the sake of the people. He rolled his eyes for who knows how long before tossing the letter into the flames.
The poor king, Lucas, stood in the northern harbor that night, shivering in the sea breeze until dawn.
The next day, he reportedly came down with a fever and spent the day sneezing and blowing his nose—a thoroughly humiliating experience, as Polifonia herself commented.
All in all, this time was different from the last. Rozen wasn't slipping away without a word. He informed his close friends of the situation and decided to leave Itogami Island alongside La Folia Rihavein and the others.
Of course, only his trusted companions knew the truth. They were also instructed to keep it a secret.
To the public, the official narrative was that Rozen had lost control of his power and was now under the custody of the Management Cooperative, to remain in seclusion for a time and not appear in public.
This fueled much public discourse, but under careful management and PR control from nations around the world, public hatred toward Rozen gradually shifted and subsided. The global unrest and dramatics began to settle.
Ironically, the people of Itogami Island, upon learning that Rozen had risen up to protect their home and was only pushed to the brink due to betrayal by Vatler and Itogami Meiga, were outraged on his behalf.
According to the Management Cooperative's official report, Rozen had originally worked with Vatler, Itogami Meiga, Aiba Asagi, and Yaze Motoki to dissuade the Sanctified Treaty forces from deploying large-scale destructive magical tools against the island. However, the warmongering Vatler and the criminal Meiga betrayed them, resulting in Rozen's power spiraling out of control.
Thus, to the residents of Itogami Island, Rozen had always acted in their best interest.
To the global public, he was a man who stood against injustice to protect his home—not someone who intended to harm the world.
This narrative helped build a positive image of Rozen and eased public resentment. It told people that he hadn't committed mass slaughter out of malice.
As a result, within Itogami Island, Rozen wasn't seen as a villain at all. He was regarded as a hero—a victim of circumstance.
Many already idolized him for his efforts in disaster relief before. Now, they vocally defended him and stirred up public sentiment in his favor.
"Minamiya-sama didn't do anything wrong."
"He only wanted to protect us."
"It's really tragic…"
"Hope the Management Cooperative helps him recover soon."
That was the sort of talk heard throughout Itogami City.
Especially among students of Saikai Academy, who collectively petitioned the Management Cooperative to treat Rozen fairly and ensure he returned to normal life. That was the least they could do for a hero.
Left with no choice, the Management Cooperative issued a statement declaring they would do their utmost to help Rozen recover and resume his everyday life.
This, of course, led to quite a bit of teasing from Rozen's friends.
"Congrats, hero."
"So many people are speaking up for you, hero."
"Don't worry—the Management Cooperative will take good care of you, hero."
"Be sure to come back soon, hero."
With so much teasing, Rozen nearly lost it and gave each of them a good smack upside the head.
But not everyone was able to take his departure in stride.
For instance—Himeragi Yukina wasn't able to accept it at all.
And her reason was simple.
"Why aren't you letting me go with you? Didn't you say I was your personal moniter?"
That's what Yukina said when she protested to Rozen.
It was clear that she wanted to go with him to Aldegyr.
Though Yukina hadn't been present during the earlier events, she had—true to form—left a shikigami with Rozen. Through that, she had learned exactly what happened.
And so, that very night, she confronted Rozen and told him she was going with him to Aldegyr.
But Rozen didn't agree.
There were two reasons.
First: even if she went, she wouldn't be able to see him. He was planning to make an excuse and disappear for a while to slip back to Chaldea.
Second…
"I won't be here on the island. And Natsuki-nee will probably be too busy. Only you will be here with everyone—if anything happens, they'll have to rely on you to protect them."
Rozen gave that reason to persuade Yukina.
She didn't take it well—but in the end, she had no choice but to accept his argument.
Even if there likely wouldn't be any trouble, you could never be too careful. If something did happen—what then?
Only Yukina could be trusted with their safety.
"For the next few months, I'll leave everyone in your care, my personal moniter."
Rozen patted Yukina on the head, and she finally—though still reluctantly—accepted.
But there was one person who absolutely couldn't accept his departure.
Someone who simply could not be apart from Rozen.
That was—Avrora.