Rozen's gaze naturally fell on the mysterious markings covering Altera's body.
Because those were the very essence of the Astal Emblem.
And upon seeing them, Rozen quickly noticed that the markings had changed from before.
Their outward appearance had not altered at all.
However, upon closer observation, it became clear—these markings now seemed alive. Faint streams of light occasionally pulsed across their surface, emitting an aura that was entirely new—an aura that defied explanation.
It was as if... something had awakened.
This caused Rozen to furrow his brows unconsciously, and the way he stared at the markings on Altera's body grew noticeably more direct.
Naturally, Altera couldn't possibly fail to notice such a direct gaze.
And then, Altera reacted.
"—"
Almost instinctively, she turned slightly to the side, as if avoiding Rozen's eyes, subtly shifting to hide the markings from his view.
"Altera?"
Rozen blinked in mild confusion, looking at her.
"..."
Altera said nothing. She simply remained silent, as if unwilling to let Rozen discover something, subtly retreating her body—placing the part bearing the markings into shadow.
For some reason, this side of Altera made her seem... pitiful.
Rozen understood—Altera didn't want him to pursue the matter of the Astal Emblem.
He had nothing to say in response.
But Rozen didn't press her any further, either.
Instead, he changed the topic at just the right moment.
"Though I'm happy you've grown stronger, it's a bit unfortunate—you've probably noticed the state I'm in too, haven't you?"
Rozen gave a helpless shrug.
Altera finally lifted her gaze again and looked at Rozen.
"You've overexerted your mana, and your Magic Circuits have started malfunctioning, hindering mana recovery—isn't that right?"
Altera saw through Rozen's condition in one glance.
"Exactly." Rozen nodded. "Summoning you like this has already pushed me to the limit. If you're planning to go all-out in battle, it'll probably be a while before I can support that."
Saying this, Rozen truly felt helpless.
After all, Altera's Saint Graph had reached Grand-class strength, and her power had increased tremendously—objectively speaking, this was a great boon for Rozen.
It meant that even by sheer force alone, Altera could now rival a Grand Servant. If she unleashed her destructive capabilities, not even Solomon back in the Fifth Singularity would have escaped unscathed.
At this point, Altera was undoubtedly Rozen's strongest familiar—his mightiest Servant. Even Kinu and Gyokuto would have to yield.
Unfortunately, allowing Altera to fight at full power would place an enormous burden on Rozen's mana reserves.
As Rozen was thinking this, Altera remained impassive.
"I am a warrior, and a weapon," she said calmly. "How you use me is for you to decide. All I need to do is enter the battlefield when you require it and eliminate your enemies."
She added, "Besides, I'm not the only Servant at your side now, am I?"
Hearing that, Rozen raised an eyebrow and rubbed his nose.
"Then let's have everyone meet."
He spoke decisively and snapped his fingers.
In the next moment, four figures appeared behind him in turn.
"Miss Altera!"
Mash immediately greeted Altera with joy at her return.
"The Shield Knight, is it?"
Altera glanced at Mash.
The two had fought together under Rozen's command before. They weren't exactly close, but they were familiar with one another.
The same could not be said for the others.
"...So you're the Servant the Master mentioned—the one who had been asleep all this time?"
Artoria [Alter] fixed her gaze firmly on Altera. Her expression gradually grew tense.
"You..."
Not just Artoria [Alter]—even Serenity looked at Altera with a mix of wariness and uncertainty.
Jeanne [Alter], meanwhile, couldn't even be bothered to speak to her.
She simply turned her glare onto Rozen.
"You idiot," she growled through gritted teeth. "I already thought you were stupid enough to form contracts with me and that other fool over there—but now you've gone and made a pact with a monster this dangerous? Are you actually brain-dead?"
With that scathing remark, it became clear to everyone exactly how Jeanne [Alter], Artoria [Alter], and Serenity viewed Altera.
A sentiment shared by nearly everyone who met her.
Because the aura Altera gave off—a pressure that branded her as an enemy of humanity, of civilization, and of the world itself—was something that challenged the instincts of every living being.
Especially now, with her Grand-class Saint Graph, Altera's presence as an enemy of all things had grown even more terrifying.
Everyone's first impression upon meeting her was the same:
Monster.
A dangerous monster.
An unbeatable monster.
An unprecedented monster.
That was the feeling Altera evoked in others.
Seeing this reaction, Rozen finally understood something.
Back in the stone chamber—when he'd faced Giant Altera and spoken to her as an equal—why had she been so deeply moved and joyful?
It was because no one else had ever shown her the slightest warmth.
Everyone saw her as the enemy.
Everyone saw her as a monster.
So when someone like Rozen treated her equally, how could she not be moved?
Who would ever guess that this so-called enemy of all things was, at heart, just a normal girl?
A girl who longed to speak with others.
A girl who yearned for connection.
Just a girl who feared loneliness, silence, and isolation.
But she had been forced to grow accustomed to being alone.
Realizing this, Rozen spoke almost instinctively.
"All right, all of you are my Servants. Get to know each other and cut out the whole suspicion and defense thing."
Rozen swept his eyes over the gathered girls.
"No matter how dangerous or frightening you were in the past—once you became my familiar, you should know you can't betray me anymore. So what's the point in keeping up the mistrust?"
At these words, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], and Serenity all fell silent.
"Everyone, please don't worry." Mash quickly added, "Miss Altera isn't a bad person. She's always protected Senpai. If it weren't for her, we would've died to the King of Mages back in the Fifth Singularity."
Hearing Mash's words, the others went quiet.
Altera, on the other hand, remained expressionless the entire time, clearly uninterested in speaking further with the others. Instead, she turned to Rozen.
"Same as always. How you use me is up to you," she said simply. "So, what's your next move?"
To that question, Rozen had only one answer:
"We're returning to Chaldea."
That was the decision Rozen announced.
The next day, under the farewells of Natsuki-nee and the others, Rozen boarded a plane with the royal family of Aldegyr, heading for their homeland.
After arriving in Aldegyr, Rozen stayed there for several days before using the excuse of wanting to research new magic knowledge to borrow a laboratory from La Folia and shut himself inside.
Rozen told La Folia that he wouldn't be coming out for the next month or two.
Naturally, La Folia wasn't too happy about that.
She said, "So does that mean my plans are ruined?"
Just what plans?
Rozen didn't know—but he was a little afraid to ask.
So he decisively ignored La Folia's dissatisfaction and retreated into the lab for complete seclusion.
Afterward, Rozen opened a portal and returned to Chaldea.
Everything he needed to do in this world—was done.
He had no more regrets.