Chapitre 1551: -1532- The Values of Humanoid Armored Beetles
Rozen was not surprised at all by the introduction of Emilie.
After all, he had already guessed everything.
In fact, Rozen had figured it out the first time they met.
After sensing both magic and jutsuryoku in Emilie, combined with the mention of the Collapse Force user from before, it wasn't hard to deduce that Emilie was the humanoid Armored Beetle from the human faction—and the only wielder of Collapse Force.
What's more, Emilie already knew of Rozen's existence.
As the only Collapse Force user in the human faction, Emilie must have heard of Rozen long ago and expected that the Pope's faction would reach out to him.
So, when Emilie saw Rozen here and witnessed his strength, she immediately guessed his identity.
Currently, in all of humanity, Rozen was likely the only one who could be considered Emilie's equal.
"Miss Emilie is different from me. She not only possesses Collapse Force but also holds considerable strength. Even within the humanoid Armored Beetles, there are no more than three who can rival her," Cris explained to Rozen.
"At the time, we were all shocked when Miss Emilie chose to join the human faction. Who would have thought that The Winged Hunter would betray Zeth?" River also remarked.
As one of the top figures in the humanoid Armored Beetles, Emilie's defection to the human side was something no one had anticipated.
Setting aside the issue of factions and species, considering the vast difference in power between the two sides due to the presence of Collapse Force, humanity was significantly weaker than the humanoid Armored Beetles. Without Emilie, the humans, lacking a Collapse Force user, would be helpless against the Armored Beetle invasion.
While it's true that Rozen's development of high-grade mana reactors has provided humanity with some level of resistance, Emilie's decision to join the human faction seemed to have occurred before that breakthrough.
Thus, Emilie's defection was not only a betrayal of her race but also a risky choice given the imbalance of power. Her decision left people astounded.
However, it was clear that Emilie didn't make this choice without reason.
"You joined the human faction for the sake of those children, didn't you?" Rozen asked, turning his gaze in a specific direction.
That direction led to an area separated by barbed wire—the living quarters for the humanoid Armored Beetles in the human faction.
"You figured it out?" Emilie looked at Rozen with a hint of surprise.
"Sort of," Rozen nodded. "After getting close to this place, I realized that apart from you and the Academy's Chief Executive, the humanoid Armored Beetles living here are mostly children."
Indeed, upon arriving, Rozen noticed that the miasma surrounding the Armored Beetles beyond the wire was faint, weak, and youthful.
This confirmed Rozen's suspicion that most of the humanoid Armored Beetles residing here were young.
As Cris explained, "Most adult humanoid Armored Beetles have been influenced by Zeth's ideology, seeking to dominate humanity and rule the world. Only the younger ones, whose minds are still immature, haven't been poisoned by Zeth's thoughts and don't harbor intense hostility toward humans."
"Moreover, if these children stayed in the Armored Beetle faction, Zeth wouldn't value them. There's even a chance he might abandon them, so it's dangerous for them to remain in that environment."
To Zeth, these children likely had no value at all.
"Zeth believes that the true value of humanoid Armored Beetles lies in their ability to wield mana and use Collapse Force," Cris muttered. "Whether they are the original species of Armored Beetles or their variants, unless they are humanoid, they cannot possess mana."
Mana is inherently a power that only humans can wield, while the power of Armored Beetles lies in their jutsuryoku.
However, if an Armored Beetle is humanoid, due to their dual nature, they have a high likelihood of possessing both mana and jutsuryoku, thus surpassing racial limits.
"Of course, such individuals are extremely rare among humanoid Armored Beetles. Due to individual differences, most humanoid Armored Beetles can't use mana either. Like me, I only have jutsuryoku, not mana, and I can't use Collapse Force. That's why Zeth assigned me to Mistgun as the Academy's Chief Executive, proving that he doesn't value me," Cris said, glancing at Rozen.
"As for the small number of humanoid Armored Beetles who can wield Collapse Force, they are highly valued by Zeth and entrusted with important duties."
It's evident that in Zeth's mind, the ability to use Collapse Force determines an individual's worth.
The value of humanoid Armored Beetles, to Zeth, lies in their potential to use Collapse Force. Those who cannot wield it are no more important than ordinary Armored Beetles.
Therefore, humanoid Armored Beetles without mana hold no significance in Zeth's eyes, though he does not see this as discrimination—just a form of categorization.
Conversely, even a child like Leysritt Flowerchild would be heavily utilized by Zeth if she possessed Collapse Force.
Rozen's experience was similar. Although his significant victories on the front lines intrigued Zeth, he didn't deem Rozen worthy of a personal visit until he had developed a high-grade mana capable of contending with Collapse Force. Before that, Zeth had dismissed Rozen as mere curiosity.
Zeth's ideology was straightforward: those with enough strength are to be valued, regardless of race or age.
In contrast, no matter how skilled or capable someone might be, without sufficient power, they would not earn Zeth's attention.
Zeth's belief in the rule of the strong was widely embraced, but many others found it intolerable.
"Miss Emilie didn't want the children to be abandoned. She once asked Zeth to improve their conditions, but he disregarded her plea. That's why Miss Emilie decided to seek help from humanity. In the end, she offered her assistance in exchange for the Pope's protection of the children," Cris revealed the reason for Emilie's defection to the human faction.
It was exactly as Rozen had guessed.
Rozen turned his gaze back to Emilie.
"Hehe."
Emilie immediately flashed Rozen a "V" gesture, showing her carefree attitude.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone