“I don’t like humans.”

“...Why?”

“Why, you ask. Because they’re a lowly species with far too much power. And there’s no species that lies to each other as much as they do. So you should hate them too.”

“I like humans...”

“I said hate them.”

“...But I like them...”

In the hallway near the living room, an old man and a child were having that kind of conversation. They were the new illusion constructs that Professor Dante had begun summoning to his home recently.

Namely, Cain and Abeltus.

No one knew why Professor Dante had been keeping both of them summoned 24 hours a day.

“I’m dying from fatigue, seriously.”

“This is exhausting.”

Meanwhile, Adele and Ran were in the kitchen. Adele was chopping ingredients in preparation for a soup.

Tak tak tak tak...

The sound of a knife tapping the cutting board. Green onions being sliced.

Adele and Ran were chatting about their theses and the results of the imperial fortune cookies based on Fate Dice 5⚄ and 6⚅.

“They say it’s superstition, but it really does seem to match us, doesn’t it?”

“We’ve both made considerable progress on our theses.”

“You’re a little further along than me, right? I guess it’s because you rolled a 6.”

Normally, it would take months, even years, to write a proper thesis, but both of them were on track to finish theirs within the break.

“There’s lots of funding from the Empire and royal family this season too. Good timing.”

“Oh, that’s true. Don’t you think we’re both on the path to hitting the jackpot~?”

“5 is also a lucky number. I’m sure it’ll go well.”

It was a warm, cheerful exchange between researchers.

At least, up until that moment.

“Come to think of it, our research topics are pretty similar.”

Right after Ran said that—

Tak tak tak... tak tak... tak...

The chopping slowed.

Thunk.

The hand stopped.

“...What?”

Adele’s voice changed ever so slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean...? I’m working on curses, and you’re researching ‘foreign beings,’ aren’t you?”

“I guess I never told you. I started by researching ‘foreign beings,’ but that led me into studying their curses. Both of us are dealing with divinity-related topics.”

“......”

Adele: demon curses.

Ran: curses, of demons.

Their research overlapped in a narrow and specific field.

“......”

Adele turned her head toward Ran.

Ran, sitting at the table, also lifted her head.

As the two researchers’ gazes met, a taut tension stretched between them like a drawn wire.

“Sis.”

“Yes.”

“...Can’t you research something else?”

The question came out of the stillness.

But Ran didn’t look away from Adele.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why should I?”

Ran’s face, as always, was expressionless. Her voice, numb and neutral. “Why should I?” Adele echoed in a murmur. She was still holding the knife.

“......Are you curious?”

The air between them thickened heavily. Then—

Tap tap—

Something tapped at the window.

They turned to look and saw a crow pecking the glass with its beak.

“......”

“......”

Adele set the knife down and went outside.

The crow was a messenger crow—sent by an assassin. But it was wearing a necklace bearing the mark of “Lightbringer⁺₊⋆.” When Adele asked, “What’s this about?” the crow opened its mouth.

“Let’s meet.”

Then it spat out a slip of paper for her.

A time and place were written on it.

Two hours later, Adele met with a group of assassins on a secluded mountain bench. One of them handed her a cookie box.

“We’d like to give a gift to you, Assistant.”

“To me, not to the professor?”

“Yes.”

A heavy cookie box.

“Ooh. Imperial cookies? These look delicious.”

“Ah, maybe you could try them at home, rather than here—”

“No, I’m hungry. I ruined dinner anyway.”

So Adele opened the cookie box.

There were neatly packaged snacks inside.

But when she unwrapped one—

There were bundles of hundreds of thousands of Hika.

“Oh my?”

Adele turned to look at them.

“...This isn’t cookies, is it?”

***

Dean Ezekiel and I were in deep thought. So we decided to talk through and sort out the situation.

“What does the assistant want?”

“She wishes to become the master—an assassin in charge. In other words, she wants to become a professor.”

There were several things we needed to confirm clearly.

One of the two Adeles is a fake.

Adele Muang, the cleric of Kreutz, is a member of the Hero’s Party.

Adele wants to kill her.

While clerics may not be as “irreplaceable” as heroes, if Adele Muang dies, humanity will be in serious trouble.

“Dean. Do you happen to know why magical doppelgängers want to kill each other?”

“There’s no such thing.”

No such thing?

“That’s just fantasy nonsense. There are plenty of doppelgängers who get along. Just like twins.”

“...Is that the same thing?”

“Essentially, yes. Their genetic material is the same. Magical doppelgängers are no different. Depending on personality, they might get along, be distant, or argue. But trying to kill each other? That’s rare.”

Then why is Adele doing this?

“Now it’s my turn to ask. Can’t we send that assistant somewhere else? Like a curse research institute?”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Adele wants me. Because I’m a big deal.”

It was embarrassing to say out loud, but likely true.

“Then shall I kick her out for you?”

“That’s not possible either. Something uncontrollable would happen.”

“What would happen?”

“......”

I still don’t know.

But I can estimate the aftermath.

The Constellation of Eternity ∞ called her a “bomb.”

The players called her a “massive threat.”

When I worded it that way, Ezekiel’s expression stiffened.

“If a constellation-class being describes her as a bomb... then this isn’t something I can control at my level.”

Exactly. Adele’s potential danger needed to be evaluated much higher.

“Golden Rat. Can’t you seduce her?”

“Seduce?”

“You’re a sewer rat, aren’t you? Seduction is the bread and butter of sewer rats. Throughout human history, no man who’s adored ever blew up, and no beloved girl ever exploded. And with your face...”

In other words, he was telling me to toy with her emotions.

“......”

There’s nothing I couldn’t do.

I’ve never done it before.

But we’re already close on a personal level.

“...However, there is one problem.”

“Problem?”

“If she receives my support, Adele will eventually grow stronger and head to Kreutz to kill Adele Muang.”

Even outside the Hero’s Party, Adele Muang was already a famous figure, appointed as the next Saintess.

It’s Kreutz, where the Virgin Church reigns.

Killing someone like her could spark war.

Ezekiel’s brows knit tighter.

“...A dilemma.”

If we abandon or expel Adele, she detonates.

If we nurture her, she kills the Hero’s Party.

“...What if we disrupt her research while keeping her happy?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know how it goes.”

Ezekiel swept back his royal golden hair.

“For men, success is simple. As long as they do well, everything resolves itself. But for women, success is more complicated.”

“......”

“You block Adele’s path to professorship and make her a happy person instead. In the meantime, I’ll pull some strings with the royal family and prepare a ‘leadership post’ for her—successful enough to satisfy her, but not enough to go to Kreutz. What do you think?”

“......”

I thought for a moment.

“...I’m not sure.”

So many conflicting thoughts clashed inside me.

I have one sanctuary. I don’t interfere in someone else’s research. My inner resistance to that was immense.

And if I grew closer to Adele—closer than friends—that would be a problem too.

Main Story 3 was already beginning, and the Demon King Battle could erupt as early as Chapter 7. In other words, the Demon King battle was approaching with each passing day.

Knowing that, I already had no time outside of my four-hour sleep schedule. No time for dating. No space to even pretend.

Ultimately, the core issue is this:

「 What kind of danger does Adele pose? 」

「 Why does Adele want to kill Adele Muang? 」

If I can’t figure out those two things, I can’t make any decision.

“I’ll carry on as usual for now, and update you later.”

I sent a message to Adele.

———

Me: Want to meet outside for a bit? If you haven’t eaten yet.

Adele: Should I bring Ran too?

Me: I want it to be just the two of us.

Adele: Oh my.

Adele: As friends?

Me: Right.

Adele: (Mischievous giggling squirrel emoji)

———

Just as I was about to leave,

Ezekiel opened his mouth.

“One last question. This isn’t about bombs or anything—this is the most important thing I can ask you. It concerns the future of this Academy.”

“I’m listening.”

He asked me with heavy eyes.

“Is Assistant Adele truly harmless to you?”

I stared back at the Dean.

There’s a dangerous bomb.

And he wants to know if it will detonate in my arms.

So I formed a sentence with what I had confirmed multiple times and spoke.

“She’s harmless.”

Adele and I...

***

“Friends?”

At Adele’s question, the assassin smiled with his eyes.

“Yes. We’d like to become good ‘friends’ with you, mutually. The cookies are just a small token for someone like you.”

Adele put on a surprised expression.

“The cookies are only the beginning. We have plenty more to offer. We can keep giving you more in the future.”

“Like... a friendship fee?”

The assassins exchanged awkward glances, then smiled sheepishly.

“Yes, you could say that. As long as you maintain a good relationship with us. We’ll give you money you couldn’t get just by being a mere assistant.”

“Ahahaha. A friendship fee, really.”

“Trust is built with money, after all. Don’t overthink it. Just accept it as a simple gift.”

“If it’s a simple gift... can I tell Professor Dante about it?”

“Ah, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”

“Right?”

Adele asked with a smile.

“This is an attempt to get dirt on Professor Dante, right~?”

At that moment, the atmosphere flipped.

“......”

“......”

The assassins’ eyes twitched.

Adele was still smiling,

but the mood of the conversation had grown subtly strange.

“To be honest, maybe not dirt exactly... but we wanted to figure out a few things. He’s an outstanding professor, but there’s so little information about him out there.”

“......”

“We heard rumors that you were unusually close with the professor. So we arranged this meeting. Because we wanted to be friends.”

“......”

At that, Adele smiled again.

“Oh no. I don’t take just anyone as a friend.”

At the same time, she clasped her hands together.

“If the gift isn’t enough, feel free to say so.”

“It’s not the gift. I’m just «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» picky when it comes to friends. They need to be rich. Capable. And most of all, handsome. But you guys...”

“...We have good-looking assassins, you know.”

“No, no. That’s not what I mean.”

Her clasped hands opened and formed a 『Seal印』. An incomprehensible motion. But the assassins tensed and lowered their stances.

“...Professor Dante is my first friend. My only friend. He watered me when I was withering away, and stopped me from going through with a very bad idea.”

Adele’s voice grew quieter.

“Even though I was filthy and selfish, and only wanted to be friends for my own sake... he still accepted me, knowing all of that...”

The smile vanished from her face.

“...And now you’re telling me to find his weakness.”

The next moment, an assassin, sensing the danger, tried to leap backward—but it was already too late.

Puhk ― !!

A head exploded. “Huh!?” someone shouted right after, and the body beneath the neck collapsed.

“Saheim!”

The assassins panicked. They had no idea what had just happened, how it worked, or what sorcery caused it.

“Sa, Saheim! Wh-what the fuck...!!”

“Hey! Forget it! He’s already dead! Fall back!!”

Two of them chose to flee. Instinctively feeling the overwhelming power gap. Their bodies turned to light and shot away in an instant, streaking like beams through the air.

This was a high-level [Step Technique] called 『Radiant Step』.

“Hmm.”

Adele, wiping blood from her cheek, looked up at the sky.

“Running won’t help. I cursed the light. My curses reach wherever the light does.”

Adele clasped her hands again and formed a new 『Seal印』. Then she extended her finger toward the two beams of light already several hundred meters away.

“...Die.”

Puhk. Two bursts of light exploded in the sky.