Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Inferiority complexes exist in any world.

“Professor Violet!”

The next day, while Violet was on her way to buy coffee, she was held up by a few students early in the morning.

One, two, three… The number was more than she expected. Violet responded curtly.

“What is it?”

“Well, uh…”

The female student who met Violet’s gaze hesitated, unable to speak. Eventually, the male student next to her spoke up boldly.

“We checked the rankings posted on the bulletin board. But there seems to be something odd.”

“What seems odd?”

“A student who cheated received an A grade. Is that a clerical error?”

“A student who cheated, huh…”

Violet repeated the words, then realized who the “student who cheated” they were referring to might be.

“Are you talking about Student Flan?”

The gathered students all nodded in unison. Violet glanced at the male student’s name tag.

“Lorien.”

“Yes?”

Violet let out a deep sigh.

“Listen up, Lorien, and all of you. All the grades were calculated without any cheating.”

“Wasn’t a magic scroll used…?”

“There wasn’t. Did some other professor say that?”

“No, it’s just a rumor…”

“If you admit it’s just a rumor, why are you coming to me? Are you joking?”

“…”

The students looked awkward, exchanging glances with each other.

Then the female student who spoke first opened her mouth again.

“Wasn’t Flan’s decision only about half the required distance? I don’t think that distance would warrant an A grade.”

That’s because you have no idea about the concept of ‘Purification Assistance’. Violet barely swallowed her frustration.

“The scroll usage was suspected, so a retest was conducted, and in the retest, the distance matched the A grade criteria without any issues.”

“But we couldn’t witness that ourselves…!”

“And we can do better if we retest too!”

Another female student chimed in. Violet sighed deeply, placing her hands on her hips.

“So, it’s hard for you to believe that Flan achieved an A grade in the retest, and you want to retest as well?”

Violet nodded and raised one of her slender hands into the air.

“Isn’t that what you want? Don’t pretend otherwise now. Raise your hand if that’s what you think.”

Although at different speeds, every student raised their hand eventually. In the end, all the students who had gathered raised their hands.

“Oh, please.”

Judging by their faces, they were all students who had received B or C grades.

“Fine. You can all take the retest.”

“…!”

The students’ lips curled up slightly. But Violet’s words were not finished yet.

“But the method will be a little different.”

Violet continued with a calm expression.

“During the exploration taking place in a week, if any of you achieve a better record than Flan, you’ll be promoted to Class A, no questions asked.”

The students’ eyes widened. However, none of them could argue with Violet’s proposal.

Her suggestion was entirely reasonable. It was a way to verify Flan’s abilities while also observing the effectiveness of the retest.

“What are you standing around for? Go practice your magic.”

Violet sneered at the students, who stood there with bewildered expressions, and then turned around.

◈

At lunchtime, the cafeteria food at Merhen Academy was decent enough to eat.

Maybe the idea that magic is a discipline that leaves you hungry is now a thing of the past. As I moved my fork, I pondered that thought.

“I’m telling you, it really happened!”

Becky, with her mouth smeared with food, emphasized again.

She wasn’t supposed to be having a meal with me—she just suddenly sat down across from me—and ever since we started eating, she had been talking non-stop about Professor Violet.

“If it happened, it happened.”

“…Doesn’t it bother you? That other students are suspicious? And isn’t it strange? That Professor Violet made such a proposal?”

There’s no reason to care about other students’ suspicions. It’s something I have to prove with magic, not words.

Besides, I had already expected that Violet would treat me differently. Ever since orientation, she has been keeping an eye on me.

I could easily guess why Violet seemed to be defending me.

“She probably wants to keep her enemies close.”

It’s easier to monitor someone if they’re close by. But is this really something worth categorizing as an ‘enemy’? She’s a persistent woman.

It’s fortunate that we’re both in Class A. Becky, chattering away like a sparrow, was annoying.

The sauce on her lips was bothering me so much that I used telekinesis to neatly fold a napkin and handed it to her.

“There’s no need to fuss over grades. What’s important is how much you explore magic on your own.”

“What do you mean there’s no need to fuss over grades! Thanks to getting an A grade, we can finally eat this food for free, and in three days, we’ll be able to move into the dorms…”

Her loud voice was grating on my nerves. And the cafeteria food wasn’t particularly tasty, so I stood up from my seat.

“Oh, my. A mistake.”

But just then, someone deliberately tried to push me. I easily twisted my body to avoid it.

“Oh, you dodged?”

The large male student muttered. As I stared at him, wondering what his intention was, he got angry instead.

“What are you looking at? It was a mistake. Got a problem with that? Want to use a scroll or something?”

Becky stood up belatedly, tapping my shoulder, and whispered.

“Hey Flan, just ignore him. The atmosphere’s a bit off.”

Following Becky’s gaze, I looked around.

Freshmen preparing to eat, freshmen eating, freshmen who had finished eating—all their eyes were on me.

Of course, those looks were far from friendly. Becky urged me to leave.

“Let’s go. They’re drowning in inferiority…”

…This whole situation was so ridiculous to me.

As usual, I smirked slightly and left the cafeteria.

After that, I told Becky I wanted to be alone.

Everyone needs time to themselves, but I especially need a lot of time alone.

“Inferiority complexes exist in any world.”

I’m used to negative feelings directed at me. In fact, they serve as excellent fuel for my desire to prove myself.

There are two days left before the classes assigned to my grade start. How should I spend those two days?

The decision wasn’t hard. There’s always something interesting if you look for it.

Did we agree that the loser has to bow down and apologize? I chuckled as I opened Trivia’s notebook to a blank page.

Today, I would think about what problem to post on the Agora Board…

◈

The meals of knights are hearty and substantial.

At the Judith family’s dinner table, where even the sound of utensils was almost nonexistent, the head of the family, Theodore Judith, spoke.

“I heard from Katarina. Flan hasn’t returned to the mansion for two days.”

The knife that was steadily slicing through meat in Scarlet’s hand paused. She responded in a calm voice.

“He must have finally learned to feel shame. He realized he has no face to return home.”

“Scarlet.”

Theodore placed his utensils on the table with a clatter.

“Are you still resentful of Flan because of what happened back then?”

“…”

For a moment, Scarlet’s brow twitched. She subtly averted her gaze.

“It would be strange not to resent him.”

Theodore seemed to carefully choose his words, pondering for a moment before picking up his fork and knife again.

“He is still your brother. At least find out where he is.”

“I’ll do that.”

After finishing her meal, Scarlet sat at her desk, deep in thought.

Why has that piece of trash been missing for two days? Which servant should I send to find him?

…There was no need to think for long. This time, the academy would play the role of the servant.

The Judith family has contributed greatly to the academy’s Swordsmanship Department. A request like this would be easy for them to accommodate.

She opened a piece of paper and picked up a quill.

Whatever Scarlet held in her hand was like a sword. The quill traced straight lines under her hand.

She was a knight. There was no room for unnecessary embellishments in her letters.

The letter contained only a brief inquiry about Flan’s attendance, behavior, and grades. The act of choosing words and transcribing them into text happened simultaneously in her hands.

In the last line, she made sure to include a clear request for a reply by today. This was more than sufficient.

When she rang the bell placed on one side of her desk, the head maid, Katarina, quickly entered Scarlet’s room.

“Yes, Miss Scarlet. You called?”

“Send this to Merhen Academy under my name.”

Katarina received the letter with both hands and exited the room.

Scarlet quietly folded her arms, recalling the promises exchanged during meals with Flan.

If he didn’t achieve the top grade by the midterm evaluation, Flan would be expelled from the Judith family. She would show no mercy to a failed brother.

“…”

She tapped the desk with her fingertips.

Suddenly, memories from the past rushed in.

A young Flan, holding a sword, smiled brightly at Scarlet. He swung his short legs and waved his tiny hands with all his might.

She shook her head.

“…Trash.”

She clenched the hilt of her sword. She had no time to waste on anything but training.