Why was Rozen angry?
The reason lay in the fact that, when it came to the Gorgon Sisters, Rozen had always felt deep sympathy and sorrow for them, believing them to be innocent victims.
Their story, to many people, was one that evoked profound emotion. No doubt, there were many others who felt the same way Rozen did.
But even such beings had now manifested in this era as Avengers, treating humans as raw material to be transformed into monstrous beasts, committing acts that Rozen hated more than anything else in his life.
How could he possibly not feel anger?
Just as Rozen had said—Gorgon was no longer Medusa.
"She's gone from a victim to a perpetrator. Both her body and soul have become monstrous. That's the most tragic part."
That was how Rozen saw it.
"For someone like me, who once sympathized with and felt sorrow for the Gorgon Sisters, every roar of hatred that comes from that goddess with compound divinity is harsh on the ears—infuriating and helpless."
Because of this, Rozen believed from the bottom of his heart that Gorgon was an existence that must be defeated.
"Otherwise, this mistake of an existence will continue indefinitely. The souls of the three sisters trapped within that serpentine body will never find peace, no matter what."
That was Rozen's belief.
Therefore, when Gorgon began voicing her hatred and revenge, Rozen couldn't hold back.
He unleashed his Beast Vassals, invoked his Noble Phantasm's True Name, all for one reason—to grant this pitiful being release, just as he had said at the time.
"What's more, the Holy Grail lies with the Goddess of Beasts, and the leader of the Three Goddess Alliance is this very goddess with compound divinity. Whether it's for the preservation of human order, for humanity, for the future, or even just for the sake of the Gorgon Sisters—be it out of personal feeling or official duty—defeating her is something that must be done."
Rozen smiled faintly.
"With so many reasons, don't you agree she's an existence that must be defeated?"
Hearing Rozen's words, Anna could no longer speak.
She simply stared at Rozen in a daze, taking a long time to recover.
Then Rozen suddenly asked:
"And what about you? Why do you want to defeat Gorgon?"
Anna snapped out of it at his words.
"I..." Anna seemed to lose control of her emotions.
No longer guarded or distant, no longer bowing her head in silence, she finally spoke in a tone filled with sorrow and determination:
"I have to stop her. That is both my duty and my mission. It is also the reason I appeared in this era."
That was all Anna said.
She gave no further explanation, no cause or reason—just a declaration of her resolve.
"...Is that so?" Rozen didn't probe further. He simply gazed at Anna and said:
"But with your strength, defeating Gorgon will be incredibly difficult."
And that was the truth.
From Rozen's observations, Anna's strength was mediocre—not weak enough to be dismissed, but certainly not powerful.
She likely didn't even reach the level of a top-class Familiar, sitting somewhere between High-Class and Top-Class.
With that level of power, defeating even a tactical-level threat would be difficult, let alone a strategic-level existence.
As for Gorgon—being a renowned monster from Greek mythology, slayer of heroes—after fusing with Tiamat's divinity via the Holy Grail, she had become a full-fledged goddess.
Her strength likely surpassed even the strategic level. Even without considering the many monstrous beasts birthed by her divine authority, her Mystic Eyes and immortality alone were enough to crush even top-tier Servants.
Even beings like Karna and Scathach—those in the realm of the extraordinary—would likely struggle against her.
In terms of raw power, Gorgon might not be any weaker than the former Lion King Artoria wielding Rhongomyniad.
So how could Anna possibly win?
Perhaps this was exactly why Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, had tricked Anna with honeyed words and drawn her onto his side.
First, Merlin didn't want Anna to throw her life away challenging Gorgon recklessly.
Second, the great British magus likely intended to keep Anna as a hidden trump card—or so Rozen felt.
Anna was clearly aware of this herself.
"Alone, I really don't stand a chance..."
Anna had to admit the painful truth.
But...
"At least against Gorgon, I might have a way," Anna said.
"Part of my power is currently sealed. If I lift the seal, I may not be able to defeat her outright, but I can certainly counter her."
"Oh?" Rozen raised an eyebrow, seeming to realize something. "No wonder I've felt that your divinity seems... restrained. So that's what's going on?"
That explained her ambiguous strength—caught between upper-tier and top-tier familiar levels.
With that in mind, Rozen thought for a moment—and made a decision.
"If I remember right, you were summoned by the Holy Grail as a neutral Servant, not through Heroic Spirit Summoning like those Gilgamesh brought in, right?"
Rozen asked for confirmation.
"Yes."
Anna affirmed it.
Which meant...
"You're currently a free Servant, without any contract, right?" Rozen said to Anna.
"In that case, would you like to form a temporary contract with me?"
At those words, Anna's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Clearly, Rozen's proposal caught her off guard.
To be honest, Rozen himself hadn't planned on this.
After all...
"Given my current state, I really shouldn't be wasting any more mana. Adding another Servant, even under a temporary contract, would put extra strain on me," Rozen shrugged.
"But hey—don't be fooled by how I look. Even though my mana hasn't recovered, and my magic circuits are still damaged, as a Master, my potential is second to none."
"If you contract with me, your strength should increase—and your odds against Gorgon will improve." Rozen smiled at Anna.
"So? Want to consider it?"
"I..." Anna was at a loss.
She couldn't deny she was tempted.
Under normal circumstances, she absolutely would have refused.
Anna disliked humans.
She didn't want to get too close to them.
She knew clearly that she was someone humans feared and rejected.
Forming a contract with a human was something she never wanted to do.
But if it meant gaining strength—if it meant a better chance at defeating Gorgon—then perhaps it was worth considering.
Besides, Rozen's earlier words still echoed in Anna's heart.
His thoughts about Medusa and Gorgon stirred something deep within her.
In the end, Anna whispered her answer in a voice softer than a mosquito's:
"Please... let me think about it."
That answer did not disappoint Rozen. In fact, it made him smile.
"That's fine too."
Given his current mana reserves, even forming a temporary contract would be best postponed until he had recovered a bit more.
"Then I'll wait for your answer."
With that, Rozen turned and went downstairs.
Anna silently watched him leave.
Her eyes shimmered with turmoil—waves that did not settle for a long, long time.