Chapter 24: -24- The event that decides fate
After the operation meeting ended, about ten minutes passed.
During these ten minutes, each Master candidate had already landed on their respective "Cubicles" and stood by, waiting for orders to enter and undergo the Spiritron Transfer.
Rozen was also standing by near his dedicated "Cubicle."
However...
"This is so annoying..."
Beside the "Cubicle," Rozen complained with displeasure.
On the other hand, Mash, who was also standing by near her "Cubicle," seemed to accept the situation and said.
"I didn't expect you, Senpai, to be excluded from the A-Team."
That's right.
Rozen was not included in the A-Team's list.
There were nine Master candidates who had been in Chaldea for a month.
The A-Team would select the top eight candidates based on their performance in the simulated battles.
As a result, one person was left out.
Unfortunately, Rozen was the one who was left out.
"Who told you to never take the simulated battles seriously before?"
Mash explained the reason with a helpless tone.
That was the fundamental reason.
Although Rozen had been exceptionally active during the past month and had almost achieved a perfect score in the simulated battles, before that, he never took them seriously and either barely passed or failed, and sometimes even missed or arrived late. All these records were stored in Chaldea's computer.
As a result, Rozen ranked last and was left out.
Actually, whether he was left out or not didn't matter much.
With members of the A-Team paving the way ahead, Rozen could feel at ease.
However, Mash was among the members of the A-Team.
Rozen couldn't help but worry about her, having to face the battle alone and advance to the Singularity ahead of others.
"Never mind, Senpai."
It seemed Mash noticed Rozen's concern and said seriously.
"I'll pave the way for you and hold on until you arrive."
It wasn't an act of bravery but of strength.
Even though she was afraid of battles, Mash didn't intend to avoid them or hide behind Rozen.
Faced with her firmness, Rozen couldn't say anything to refute.
"It's okay, then. Just be careful."
"Yes, I will." Mash nodded firmly.
Rozen reluctantly put away his complaints, turned his head, and looked toward the command room.
There, Chaldea's technical staff were busy with the final adjustments for the Spiritron Transfer, manipulating various instruments.
Similarly, Olga-Marie was giving instructions among the technicians.
Rozen glanced at the situation and frowned.
"Senpai?"
Noticing Rozen's abnormality once again, Mash couldn't help but call out.
At the same time, the other Master candidates looked at Rozen with a mixture of surprise and astonishment.
Rozen paid no attention to them and, while running toward the exit of the command room, shouted to Mash without turning back.
"I'll be back soon!"
With that shout, Rozen ran out of the command room, amidst Olga-Marie's angry roar.
...
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Shortly after leaving the command room, Rozen felt his stamina depleting rapidly.
Normally, Rozen would have complained and collapsed long ago, but this time, he continued to exhaust his energy. He ran through Chaldea's corridors, even using the magic of "Bird Summoning" to summon dozens of birds and spread them throughout Chaldea.
Rozen divided his senses into dozens of parts, sharing them with the familiars, searching for Lev's whereabouts.
Being able to split his senses into so many parts while still doing his own work showed Rozen's remarkable abilities.
However...
"He's not here...?"
With one hand resting on the wall, panting heavily, Rozen couldn't help but feel incredulous.
"How could he not be here?"
After dividing his senses into dozens of parts and searching throughout Chaldea with the familiars, there was still no trace of Lev.
"Could he have hidden in some important facility or workshop, or did he leave Chaldea altogether?"
The former would have defense systems and barriers, preventing familiars from entering, while the latter was even harder to find if Lev had indeed left Chaldea.
No, the problem isn't that.
"Why did Lev not only leave the command room at such a crucial moment but also disappear without a trace?"
A bad premonition had been growing in Rozen's heart.
Unfortunately, Rozen's premonitions always turned out to be accurate in the worst way possible.
And so, the thing happened.
It was something that could determine the fate of Rozen and the people closest to him.
"Boom...."
Without any warning, a muffled sound suddenly echoed through Chaldea, making the entire place feel as if it were shaking, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
"What... What's happening!?"
Rozen was taken aback.
The next moment, an alarm blared throughout Chaldea.
"Emergency situation detected. Emergency situation detected."
"Fire incident in the central power plant and central command room."
"The central area's containment walls will seal in 240 seconds. Employees are advised to evacuate from the second gate quickly."
"Repeat."
"Fire incident in the central power plant and central—"
The cold, ruthless alarm continued as Chaldea began systematic processing under the flashing red lights.
Rozen's mind went completely blank.
"Fire? Command room?"
These two words flashed through Rozen's mind, and without fully comprehending the situation, he rushed towards the command room.
Because, there, someone extremely important to Rozen was still present.
"Mash!"
Without wasting another second, Rozen sprinted towards the command room.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone