There is no S-rank in Zilnius Academy.

However, the reason this academy is still counted among the four great schools lies solely in its technological prowess. The wisdom to analyze, dissect, and turn the world of dungeons—a realm where common sense does not apply—into a resource for civilization is what propelled this academy to the ranks of the four great schools in less than a decade.

In an academy where wisdom determines everything, the title of the true strongest is not the student council president.

And attaining that title is considered the greatest honor in Zilnius Academy.

“How far can you go against me, Doctor?”

The Doctor, that is, the title of omniscience.

The accumulation of knowledge, colloquially known as the Academic Society. The Doctor, the only one permitted to connect to the multi-layered discourse space, Inein Dialog, has no gaps in their knowledge.

—Except when facing an entity of the same caliber.

“A boring dance. Is this the kind of thing Silver Twilight enjoys?”

A silver meteor streaks through the laboratory.

Despite the sudden battle, both sides had clear goals in mind.

The scythe tears through butterflies, but new ones emerge, attempting to bind Sorciera. The small butterflies, which never approach Kanon herself, seem to be a particularly bad match for Sorciera.

“Such gloomy-colored butterflies. Why not make them more vibrant?”
“If that’s your preference, I can arrange that.”

Divided Death Must Die surrounds the girl before them. Yet, the girl breaks through the encirclement with a graceful step, as if dancing.

(As expected of Sorciera. No wonder she’s a hot topic in the Academic Society.)

Sorciera, the Queen of Starreading and the progenitor of all Demonsgear. As the arbiter overseeing the six Demonsgear, she would normally never appear on the front lines.

So why is she fighting now? Just thinking about it gets me excited.

“Divided Death, B-Shift.”

The color of the butterflies changes. The swarm, now a blazing red, accelerates to bullet-like speeds and charges at Sorciera.

“Don’t worry, even if they hit you, you won’t die. Divided Death is a non-lethal weapon that incapacitates by draining the target’s magic. You’ll be thoroughly researched by Silver Twilight.”
“How trivial, to say such things to me.”

The swarm, numbering at least a thousand, rushes forward like a machine gun.

Yet, Sorciera dodges, deflects, and parries every single one.

(To break through barriers… she’s seen through me. It’s quite precise to challenge me with only physical attacks.)

Kanon raises her evaluation of Sorciera. Until now, the Academic Society’s assessment of Sorciera was that of a child who wins through sheer overwhelming specs.

Her power as the Queen of Starreading renders the opponent’s abilities and actions meaningless. Truly, a force befitting the title of Queen.

(Hmm, did the battle with the Professor make her even stronger? That guy really only does unnecessary things. The Professor should’ve just given him a random name and let him join Silver Twilight.)

While imagining the problematic genius, Kanon smirks. Before her eyes, Sorciera is already closing in.

“How about you dance for me now?”
“Haha, I’m not really good at dancing.”

More Divided Death flies out from inside Kanon’s lab coat. These are reserves stored in a special expanded space.

“Tch.”
“Ah, you’re finally surprised.”

Sorciera tries to create distance, but her back is already completely covered by Divided Death.

“Checkmate.”

Kanon snaps her fingers. A red box made of butterflies forms, gradually shrinking to contain Sorciera.

This special weapon, a natural enemy for explorers as it absorbs magic on contact, is highly effective against Sorciera, a girl who relies entirely on magic.

The butterfly box begins absorbing magic as it shrinks to fit the girl. Only the sound of the girl’s pained voice echoes from within.

“Now then, let’s take our time observing. I’ve been curious about that scythe. It seems to still have some functionality.”

The butterflies gradually return to their purple color. This is proof that the magic has been completely drained.

The butterflies scatter, and Sorciera collapses to her knees. She seems to have lost consciousness, about to fall face-first, but Kanon catches her.

“Oops, it’s dangerous for a girl to fall on her face. I went through all that trouble not to hurt you.”

Kanon smiles and strokes Sorciera’s hair.

(She’s completely unconscious due to magic depletion. Phew, good thing the match-up was in my favor. If it were the Professor, I might have lost… or maybe it would’ve been a draw.)

Kanon laughs, having obtained Sorciera herself as a trophy.

“Next, I’ll upload her biometric data to the Academic Society for everyone to analyze. That’ll be the end of it.”

As Doctor, she can collect data just by touching Sorciera’s head. Just as Kanon connects to the Academic Society and reaches out to Sorciera—

“—Fufu, I was waiting for that.”

The girl in her arms opens her eyes and looks at her. Early awakening, feigning unconsciousness—several answers flash through her mind, but above all, every instinct screams at her to get away.

Kanon tries to throw Sorciera away immediately but ends up meeting her gaze.

(Mystic Eye…!)

An unidentified magical formula etched into her right eye. From her magical analysis, Kanon understands that part of it involves the convergence of magic.

But beyond that—what does that converged magic transform into? What does Sorciera’s Mystic Eye bring about?

(There was no data in the Academic Society about her having a Mystic Eye. Where did she get it? Is it a holy relic, or is there something about Starreading that I don’t know—)

Countless speculations unfold simultaneously as Kanon tries to decipher the Mystic Eye. She knows well the terror of Mystic Eyes.

The thoughts of a genius. The speculations of a Doctor, taking less than 0.01 seconds.

But that fleeting moment is more than enough for Sorciera to act.

“I’ll break that.”

By the time Kanon realizes it, Sorciera’s hand is already on her neck.

(Bad. Sorciera’s ability is interference—)

What happened to the Professor? Why did that seemingly immortal being die?

As a Doctor, Kanon knows the answer.

But it’s too late.

“Gah, ahh!”

A sparking sensation in her brain, as if something is being peeled away. That overwhelming sense of omnipotence is utterly erased by the girl in her arms.

Her brain, unable to handle the sudden loss, triggers intense headaches and dizziness. Sorciera, standing up leisurely from Kanon’s suffering arms, looks down at her with her scythe ready.

“How do you feel?”
“Terrible… yeah.”

Kanon understands that Sorciera’s goal was to strip her of her Doctor title. From the beginning, she wasn’t targeting Kanon but the Doctor within her.

Thus, this battle was never a fight to the death for either side, but a battle to achieve their respective goals.

And if that’s the case—

“Terrible, but…”

If Sorciera has no intention of killing Kanon—

“It’s the best, isn’t it?!”

The defeat of Kanon, the Doctor, is erased.

■

“Hey, Kanon-chan’s acting weird.”

I thought it was okay to kill the Doctor like we did with the Professor… but something feels off, doesn’t it?

『I definitely erased the foreign entity within her.』

Right, you touched her and erased it, right? You did great, even without using magic.

『I used it for constructing and concealing the teleportation magic. Relying solely on your physical abilities was a bit worrying.』

We were stuck at one point, huh? If I hadn’t been held by a beautiful girl, I wouldn’t have been able to revive.

『Most people can’t do that.』

Just like with the Professor, I thought erasing the Doctor within Kanon-chan would solve everything. The loss of Kanon-chan’s radiant beauty is because the Doctor is emerging.

So, I thought to kill her the moment I touched her. It’s like a game of whack-a-mole with beautiful girls.

I waited for the chance, and finally, a 0.01-second gap appeared, so I killed her… but…

“Let’s play some more!”
“Fufu…”

This is how it is. Shouldn’t defeating the Doctor solve everything? Isn’t it the same as with Hikari-chan?

“Did you think removing the Doctor from me would end it? You did, didn’t you? That’s why you targeted only the Doctor with your interference.”

The Divided Death is still chasing me. Against the current Kanon-chan, radiating with beauty, I have no means left.

This is checkmate. A losing event.

『Alright, the construction is complete. Create an opening, and I’ll teleport us. You can use a simple convergence cannon if you need to.』

Alright, I’ll shoot down those butterflies!

I deploy a magic circle and fire a convergence cannon. But the butterflies seem to grow brighter upon being hit.

“It’s useless. They absorb magic. Unless it’s your full-powered convergence cannon, it just gives them energy.”

The match-up is the worst…! Hey, these butterflies are seriously dangerous, right?

When I got caught earlier, they drained my magic in no time. Right now, they’re still sucking my magic, making the butterflies even more energetic.

“Let me teach you what it means to be a Doctor.”

Saying that, Kanon-chan leisurely sits down on a chair. Hey! That’s Sorciera’s move!

“A Doctor is an accumulation of countless wisdom… well, you can think of it as a virus. They’ve already erased their physical form and turned everything into data. Then, they grant their abilities and knowledge to those with the aptitude. That’s what we Doctors are. What you killed was just a fragment of a Doctor.”

You should’ve said that earlier! I feel like an idiot for going through all that trouble to erase it.

I should’ve just left the Doctor and punched her when her beauty faded. That would’ve given me a better chance.

“Even if you kill my main body, another Doctor will take over. Information is life. Eventually, I will definitely defeat you. …Ah, I might even do it myself. Since I can’t access the multi-layered discourse space—the Academic Society—I can’t update my information, which is inconvenient.”

Some weird term just came up again. I can’t handle this anymore!

It’s not in the original story!

“Hey, you thought I was a genius because I’m a Doctor, right? You thought you could fight me, right?”

Kanon-chan smiles and rubs her hands together.

“No, I became a Doctor because I’m a genius. I had the qualifications.”
“Oh, are you full of yourself?”
“Just stating facts.”

The butterflies surge towards me like a wave.

Even if I try to steal consciousness, she won’t let me interfere anymore. Without a long-range method like Lutra’s, my defeat is only a matter of time.

Lately, I haven’t had any good moments, have I? I lose to Nameless as a mysterious beauty, I lose to the Doctor, and Sorciera might have fallen out of the meta.

『Huh? She’s at the top of the meta. She’s a human rights character.』

Then show me your determination!

『You just need to attack. There are plenty of ways.』

I can’t seriously attack a beautiful girl. That’s just not right.

Not as a mysterious beauty, but as a means to win—my soul rejects that. I don’t know why, but my instincts tell me it’s wrong.

『More nonsense… Fine, use an illusion. Expand the magic circle and draw her into the effect range. You don’t need to hold back your magic anymore. The teleportation is ready, so just create an opening.』

I can do that. Thanks, Starreader’s Staff.

『If I could fight, I could handle beautiful girls too.』

While listening to Starreader’s Staff’s complaints, I dodge the butterflies with my keen reflexes. Then, I throw my scythe to cut through the butterflies, creating a path to Kanon-chan.

“Wow, that’s dangerous.”

Even as the scythe strikes close by, Kanon-chan smiles. She must have known it wouldn’t hit.

Anyway, the path is open. Now, I just need to get close enough to activate the illusion magic circle—

“You’re planning to use illusion magic, aren’t you?”
“Tch.”

I can’t stand this person.

“I already downloaded that data from the Academic Society.”

The figure of Kanon-chan, who should have been sitting on the chair, transforms into butterflies and scatters around. Damn it, such a flashy evasion…!

“How do you like my clones? They’re custom-made from Divided Death.”

I found Kanon-chan’s main body by following her radiant beauty. She’s leaning against the wall, operating a window while looking at me.

As if she knew I’d find her, she waves with one hand.

“You’re using soul observation to identify me, right? That’s no good. When facing an entity of the same level, relying on that eye is a mistake. I can create decoys like this.”

I misjudged the radiant beauty…? Me…?

“I knew you were Sorciera from the moment we met. Your quest for knowledge burned brightly. That’s why I deliberately brought out the Doctor to lure you in.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about. I’m too busy running from the butterflies. I really shouldn’t face a Doctor unprepared.

“You have a habit of trying to control everything. That’s why you’re weak to irregularities. When a Doctor suddenly appears before you, you panic.”

Damn it, it must feel great to talk so confidently. I’m Sorciera! A mysterious beauty shouldn’t be toyed with like this!

『Even if you activate the illusion as a last resort, it’s meaningless if that’s a clone. The teleportation magic takes time to activate. …Hmm, what to do? Should we just destroy the entire lab in your second form? If you can generate enough magic that the butterflies can’t absorb, that’s possible.』

I shake my head internally at Starreader’s Staff’s suggestion. That’s impossible.

Because right now, I’m demotivated from losing as a mysterious beauty, and without any interactions between beautiful girls, I can’t generate energy.

Damn it, I just wanted to take a walk as a mysterious beauty! Why does this happen?

“See, it’s checkmate.”
“My, you’re quite the escort.”

Before I know it, I’m cornered in the room. This is checkmate. My voice is trembling.

“If you beg cutely, I won’t bully you.”
“…Fufu, shouldn’t you be the one begging?”

I respond with my best mysterious beauty act. But my fate is already hanging by a thread.

“Not cute at all. Well, I guess it’s my win—”
“…Tch.”

The butterflies close in. All I have left is a desperate teleportation.

Starreader’s Staff! Now’s the time to surpass limits and activate ultra-fast teleportation magic!

『I’m trying, but it won’t make it in time. Besides, my teleportation magic is already the fastest among existing teleportation magic.』

No good…

If there were even a slight opening, I could escape, but she’s not the type to give me one. As the butterflies approach, I start formulating a plan titled “Captured Mysterious Beauty—Still Mysterious Even When Caught.”

Just then, something falls from the ceiling vent. I follow it with my eyes. My enhanced reflexes catch its form clearly.

It’s a familiar, charming shape often seen on rainy days.

The mechanical creation looks at me, bounces once, and croaks, “Geko.”

Wait, isn’t this a bomb—

The frog inflates rapidly and explodes. The blast, far larger than expected from a single frog, incinerates countless butterflies and fills my vision.

『Now, partner!』

I don’t know what’s going on, but lucky me!

Ahahaha, see ya, Kanon-chan!

Next time we meet, I’ll be a mysterious beauty for sure!

“—Oh, looks like time’s up.”

I deliver a line as if everything went according to plan and activate the magic circle. Then, I teleport away.

Where are we going?

『I was too focused on the construction to decide on a specific location. But since that girl helped us, I used her magical signature as a guide.』

The teleportation leads us to what seems like the rooftop of a building. From the cityscape, I can tell it’s Zilnius Academy.

As I hold my hair against the wind, I sense someone behind me and turn around.

A frog playfully hopping at my feet. Purple mesh swaying in the wind.

“Hey, Sorciera.”

She’s a beautiful girl I know well.