Alpheas countered: "Humans can understand binary, but wielding it as language is different entirely."
Suddenly, he understood.
Alpheas whispered: "Don't tell me... he was born with it?"
Olivia nodded: "I didn't believe it either at first. But like Shirone's insight or Iruki's Servant Syndrome, Dante's information processing is innate."
She recalled meeting Dante ten years prior, during her tenure as Royal Magic Academy's headmistress. At a Bashka social gathering hosted by the Airhein family matriarch Bianca, conversation turned to Bianca's youngest son taking leave from school.
Bianca sighed: "It's dreadful. Our Dante submitted a leave of absence and came home. Normally such a model student - can you imagine?"
The noblewomen buzzed with concern until Bianca revealed more: "He won't speak to anyone at school. His teacher thought he'd gone mute."
Olivia had muttered: "Overflow..."
When pressed, she explained: "A rare phenomenon when gifted children awaken young. Their conventional understanding collapses, making them perceive a different reality. Usually accompanied by intense fear."
Bianca's eyes lit up at the word "gifted." What parent wouldn't seize such praise? She immediately begged Olivia to assess Dante.
Reluctantly visiting the Airhein estate, Olivia found ten-year-old Dante sitting in the garden, staring at the ground. His fingers traced invisible patterns in the dirt - binary calculations, she realized with dawning awe.
The boy wasn't broken. His mind simply operated on a different level, processing reality itself as flowing data. That day, Olivia recognized she stood in the presence of a once-in-a-century genius.
"So… does that mean my son is sick?"
A cold shiver ran down Olivia's back. If she said the wrong thing, everyone would talk about her, and she would feel left out.
"No, it's not an illness. This happens a lot to really smart kids. There are many like this in magic schools, too."
Olivia had to use a special word that would surprise any parent.
Just as she expected, Bianca's eyes widened when she heard it.
What could be more exciting for a parent than hearing their child might be a genius?
Because of this, Olivia avoided embarrassment—but it came at a cost.
Bianca ignored the other ladies and turned straight to Olivia, asking many questions.
Was Dante really a genius? If so, in what way? How was he learning?
Olivia gave many answers, but none were certain.
If it were easy to know, smart kids who had too much talent wouldn't struggle so much later.
"Really? Really? Is our Dante a genius? Well… I think so. He was different from a young age. Of course, genius kids often don't fit in with others. That's why Dante didn't play with his friends."
Olivia wanted to go home. She couldn't bring herself to tell Bianca it was just a guess.
Before she could find a way to leave, Bianca spoke first.
"Can you… talk to Dante and see?"
"Huh? Right now?"
This time, Olivia couldn't hide her hesitation. She didn't want to be a teacher at a party.
What if she talked to Dante and found out he wasn't special? Then what?
Bianca, known for being great at social events, must have known how Olivia felt.
With a resolute expression, she stood up and pleaded once more.
Given that other noblewomen were present, this was the utmost courtesy she could offer.
"Please. You're Olivia, the headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy. You'll surely recognize Dante's hidden talent. He's in the garden of the annex right now."
With things having reached this point, Olivia had no choice but to agree. She sighed and rose from her seat, though she didn't forget to take precautions—just in case.
"Fine. I'll meet with him. But don't get your hopes up too quickly. If he really is an Overflow, it'll take years of careful training to manage it properly."
"Yes, yes. I'll leave it in your hands."
Olivia made her way to the annex to meet this unknown student.
True to its status as the 20th wealthiest family in Tormia, the annex was as grand as any noble's estate.
A vast, spring-scented lawn stretched out like a sports field, bordered by a dense forest beyond.
Dante sat at the edge of the woods. Olivia observed him from a distance before sighing again.
Perhaps, as the noblewoman had suggested, it was just early adolescence. But Olivia was certain—this was an Overflow. Twenty years of teaching had honed her instincts.
The Nature of Overflow
Truthfully, an Overflow wasn't anything extraordinary.
To the average person, they might seem like eccentric geniuses, but the Royal Magic Academy was filled with such children.
Only those who stood out among them, who clawed their way through brutal competition, could truly be called prodigies. That was the harsh reality of the world of talent.
Regardless, since she had taken on the task, Olivia couldn't half-heart it. She approached Dante with the same warm smile that had charmed countless students before.
"Hello. You must be Dante."
Dante didn't answer—he didn't even lift his head. Olivia studied his hair, dark as storm clouds, and thought, This won't be easy. She sat across from him, lowering herself to his eye level.
The boy was still staring at the grass.
What is he looking at?
Olivia followed his gaze.
There was nothing unusual about the patch of grass—no buried treasure, no hidden corpse. Just ordinary blades swaying in the breeze.
But as she watched patiently, a tiny movement caught her eye.
A procession of ants.
Is he fascinated by insects?
"Do you like ants?" Olivia asked.
"..."
No response, as expected. But Olivia didn't push. After teaching students as young as four and as old as thirty, she knew how to handle silence.
"I don't like them. They're creepy. If they get inside, they'll chew up expensive furniture."
She rambled on, filling the air with meaningless chatter.
"When I was little, I saw a dead earthworm covered in ants. Ugh. Ever since then, I've been scared of them. You know how they crawl all over you if you stand still too long—"
"It's not the ants."
Dante spoke for the first time.
Olivia smiled inwardly.
She didn't know what had triggered his Overflow, but he was still just a child. Now that he'd broken his silence, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from explaining.
"I'm watching the Channels."
"Channels?"
Dante pointed at one of the ants moving through the grass.
"This one is Ant 1011001. I named it. Its patrol radius is four meters. It's a perimeter guard, circling the territory."
Olivia studied the ant carefully.
Despite the elaborate name, she couldn't spot anything distinguishing it from the others.
Dante gestured to another ant climbing a bent blade of grass.
"This one is 1010111. It moves vertically, collecting moisture from the plants. 1010101 and 1101001 do the same."
Olivia was at a loss.
Was he really memorizing each ant's identity? Or was he making up names on the spot to mess with her?
"Each ant fulfills a purpose. Together, they activate the whole. That's what a Channel is."
If Dante could truly read Channels—not just their forms but their flow—then identifying individual ants wasn't entirely impossible.
But was such a thing really feasible?
Strictly speaking, everything in the world was a Channel.
If he could deconstruct an ant colony into units of information, then there was nothing in existence he couldn't analyze.
As her eyes adjusted, Olivia realized the ground was teeming with ants.
The entire four-meter radius was their domain.
A shiver ran down her spine—but her curiosity about Dante outweighed her disgust.
"So you can read Channels?"
Dante finally looked up. For the first time, Olivia saw his face.
He was a beautiful child. One of his eyes was bruised, as if he'd been beaten by his peers.
"That must hurt."
"It's fine. I don't have to go to school anymore."
Most teachers would try to coax him back—preaching the importance of socialization, or telling him to face his bullies head-on.
But Olivia didn't persuade him.
This child was special. Her intuition as a master mage told her so.
"Why don't you interact with your peers? I heard you didn't say a single word to them."
"If nothing can be conveyed, silence is the same as speech. There was no reason to speak, so I didn't."
Dante grimaced, recalling the past.
"My classmates talked too much. But it was all noise. Ants are different. They have a purpose. Even the ones that seem aimless support the greater goal."
Now Olivia was certain—this was an Overflow.
When one delved deep enough into any field, they uncovered a world beyond common understanding.
Dante had simply entered that world far too soon.
"This ant, 1010110, just follows 1010111. But it's crucial—because it's part of the Channel. If no one followed 1010111, nothing would be transmitted. If you look closely, most ants exist just to maintain the Channel. Only a rare few perform specialized tasks. Can you tell them apart?"
Olivia gave an awkward smile and shook her head.
No matter how skilled a mage she was, she couldn't distinguish every ant's role in the colony.
"If you watch long enough, you realize something fascinating—all Channels are connected. For example, Ant 1111 just follows others to maintain the Channel. But amazingly, it's involved in nearly every single one. If this ant were gone—"
Dante pressed his finger down, crushing 1111.
Olivia winced—but moments later, her eyes widened as she sensed the colony's collapse.
The ant formation disintegrated, scattering in all directions. The lines dissolved into chaos, rendering the Channels meaningless.
The boy watched with gleaming eyes, a disturbingly pure smile on his face.
"The queen would starve."
Olivia shuddered.
The ant Dante had crushed wasn't a soldier or a specialized worker.
By all logic, removing one ant shouldn't destroy the entire system.
At least, that's what she had always believed.
But Dante had just proven her wrong.
An invisible flaw in the system.
Every variable from eliminating 1111 had been calculated in Dante's mind.
He understood the ant colony's workings better than the ants themselves.