Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 24 ⋯Where is Sir Flan?

“Princess…. You’re not here for any bad news, right?”

Early in the morning, the maids of the Judith estate stood in line with perfect posture.

The Third Princess, Yusia. The princess, a figure even higher than the family head whom the maids usually served loyally, had come to visit the estate.

“No way, right? Just stay still. Keep your mouth shut and stay quiet.”

“She’s come out of her ‘faked death’ state after ten years, and the first thing she does is visit the Judith estate. Isn’t that a bit unsettling?”

“I said, stay still.”

While the Judith family visiting the royal palace wasn’t unheard of, the reverse had never occurred. Thus, the maids’ faces were tense with anxiety.

“Could it be, she still can’t forget the Young Master? You know, about that time.”

At the childish remark of a young maid, Katarina shook her head.

“That’s nonsense. It’s been over ten years already.”

“Is it? But still… the Young Master saved her life during the demonic beast invasion. She might not have been able to forget that.”

“The Young Master has laid down his sword now. Stop talking about it. What if Miss Scarlet hears?”

Despite Katarina’s attempts to keep the maids in check, the buzz didn’t die down easily, given the topic’s popularity.

Then, at that moment.

The front door swung open wide, and the sound of confident footsteps echoed through the estate.

Her hair was as black as night, and her eyes, the color of smoldering embers, seemed especially deep today.

The Knight of Flickering Flame, Scarlet Judith.

But it wasn’t just her appearance that caused concern. The woman following behind her made the maids hold their breath and stand perfectly still.

Light.

Princess Yusia was like light.

Her snow-white hair was so pure that it made ordinary white hair seem dull in comparison, and her golden eyes attested to her noble birth.

Her appearance defied human nature entirely. It was as if a transcendent angel had descended, and the maids stood mesmerized by the sight.

“Ah, it’s good to see you!”

Suddenly, something small clasped Katarina’s hand tightly.

Realizing that it was Yusia’s tiny hand, Katarina nearly fainted.

“You’re the head maid, aren’t you? I remember you!”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah…. Yes, yes, yes, yes…?”

“I remember all the other maids too. It’s been a long time!”

Even if Yusia had shown disdain for humans, everyone would have accepted it. But she was kind-hearted as well.

The maids, accustomed to being treated with disdain, found it even more difficult to respond to such warmth.

As the maids melted under Yusia’s kindness, Scarlet, unable to hide her discomfort, intervened.

“Princess, you mustn’t do this.”

“Oh~ I’m sorry. I was just so happy to see everyone.”

“No, Princess. There’s no need for you to apologize to us….”

Scarlet finally managed to escort Yusia into her office, nearly exhausted.

This office was far too humble for conversing with the princess, and it might be seen as disrespectful.

However, since it was Yusia’s own wish to visit the estate today, there was nothing to be done.

After the head maid Katarina carefully selected and served tea, she quickly exited the office.

“Oh, please have a seat!”

Seated, Yusia looked at Scarlet, who remained standing and staring blankly. Scarlet had no intention of sitting, so she shifted the topic.

“Princess, may I dare to ask the reason for your visit?”

“Well….”

Yusia looked around instead of answering. Scarlet hoped it wasn’t for the reason she suspected.

She hoped and hoped again.

“…Where is Sir Flan? I’d like to see him.”

With those words, Scarlet’s hopes were utterly shattered.

She wanted to rub her throbbing temples but couldn’t. She had to maintain her posture.

The Flan Judith that Yusia sought was the Flan Judith of ten years ago.

The knight who tirelessly swung his sword following Scarlet, and who had helped save Yusia’s life during the demonic beast invasion.

That was undeniably an impressive and significant achievement. Even if it was due to sheer luck.

Yusia, who had only recently awakened from her suspended animation, likely still had that image of Flan in her mind, but Scarlet, who knew his current state, could only feel a headache coming on.

She had no idea where to begin or what to explain. It was difficult to grasp.

“He’s away from the estate for a while due to some circumstances.”

Yusia’s face immediately showed a hint of disappointment that she couldn’t hide.

“Oh…. That’s unfortunate. I was hoping to see him before heading to the Academy.”

“…The Academy, you say?”

“Yes!”

Yusia smiled brightly as she pulled a document from her sleeve.

The document, adorned with the royal family’s characteristic golden embellishments, was about her transfer to Merhen Academy.

“I’m joining the Magic Department. To make up for the years I spent lying in bed, I need to study and move diligently!”

“Ma-Magic, Department…?”

For nearly the first time in her life, Scarlet stuttered. Yusia nodded with a bright expression.

“Yes! I must study hard! Ah, but it’s already time….”

Knock, knock. Someone gently knocked on the door and opened it just a little. They were members of the royal entourage.

Yusia immediately stood up.

“I must be going now! If Sir Flan returns, please be sure to let me know!”

With those parting words, the princess left. She departed energetically, her royal attendants chasing after her with pale faces.

“……”

Scarlet stood there in a daze for a moment before slumping into a chair.

The shock was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even sigh. Yet, even in such a state, her mind worked quickly.

A knight must remain calm in dire situations.

After much thought, she reached a brief and clear conclusion: Princess Yusia must not meet Flan.

She couldn’t imagine the extent of the princess’s disappointment if she saw the Flan of today in his current disheveled state.

And the princess’s disappointment would inevitably extend to the Judith family. That must not happen under any circumstances.

“Damn it…”

The fact that such a worthless person was a part of the Judith family felt freshly frustrating.

At that moment, Katarina cautiously appeared.

“Miss Scarlet. A letter from the Academy.”

“Bring it here.”

She had previously requested a progress report from the Academy regarding Flan. It seemed to have arrived at last.

As she accepted the rather thick stack of papers, a thought crossed Scarlet’s mind.

“…Expulsion.”

There was still a way to resolve the situation.

Flan’s grades were abysmal. He was the perfect candidate for early expulsion. If she could expedite the response, she might be able to have him expelled by the end of the day.

Katarina tilted her head in confusion.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. You may leave.”

After the head maid exited the room, Scarlet smirked as she tore open the seal on the letter.

It had come from reporters inside the Academy, so it would contain only the accurate facts. Her smirk grew wider.

The trained eyes of a knight scanned the text rapidly.

She could no longer endure her younger brother’s immature actions.

There was no reason to wait until the mid-term evaluation. It was time to end that arrogant bet early….

“What?”

That thought was abruptly cut off. Scarlet unknowingly frowned.

“…What the hell.”

A.

It was Flan’s current rank.

◈

Today, the weather was exceptionally pleasant.

Bathed in sunlight, the Academy shone with a splendid view, and the breeze was refreshingly cool. My sensitive mood naturally relaxed.

There was a practical class scheduled in the afternoon to prepare for the exploration task. As I moved towards the training grounds, enjoying the cozy scenery, Trivia kept beeping.

[ ▶ This one also seems like a picture. ]

[ ▶ So I approached it like this! ]

Today marked the seventh day since I posted the new question on the Agora Board.

Perhaps because today was the last day the question would be valid, auction clients had been contacting me diligently since dawn.

“Not quite there.”

They approached it well but couldn’t quite progress further. From dawn until now.

[ ▷ I’ll send you three formulas. ]

[ ▷ You’ll get a sense of it if you try them out. ]

[ ▶ Got it! ]

[ ▶ I’ll spend all day working on it ㅎㅅㅎ ]

At least the client didn’t demand, ‘Just tell me the answer.’

They simply followed my instructions without complaint. From a learning attitude standpoint, they were quite a satisfactory customer.

Just then.

“Student Flan.”

Someone called out to me. A now-familiar face. It was Professor Violet.

She looked as fatigued as usual, but her usual sharpness seemed duller today.

“How’s your preparation for the exploration task coming along? There are only two days left.”

I nodded in response. It was simply a matter of whether I finished preparing early or late; I wasn’t skimping on anything.

“Take this.”

Violet’s sudden action made my eyebrows twitch. She was handing something to me.

Uncertain of her intention, I accepted it. It was an artifact shaped like a crystal ball.

“It’s called the Essence Well…. It’s not that great of an artifact, but it should help you with training.”

I examined the Essence Well closely.

It allowed for mana to be infused into it and extracted back out.

An artifact serving as a mana reservoir. Such artifacts were fairly common

in the previous world as well.

The capacity varied widely depending on the grade. As Violet mentioned, this one seemed rather ordinary.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Now that my task is done, I’ll be on my way. I’m busy with the transfer students.”

Without another word, Violet turned away. However, she suddenly turned back around.

“Oh, right. Don’t live so miserably. Sleep in the dorms, and eat the meals provided. There’s no class in magic, so stay strong. At least that’s how I see it.”

What is she saying all of a sudden? Before I could even comprehend, Violet was already far away.

It wasn’t a loss, so it was fine. I tucked the Essence Well into my pocket and made my way to the training grounds.

‘A practical class just before the exploration task.’

I was curious about how they intended to conduct the practice.

If they wanted to do a preliminary exploration, they would have called us to the dungeon. There must be a reason for summoning us to the training grounds instead.

Lost in various thoughts, I soon found myself in front of the training grounds. I entered without hesitation.

A wide, white cubic space. Students wandered inside in groups.

Among them were students wearing gold name tags instead of white ones, which caught my attention. The gold indicated second-year students.

Becky, who was sniffing around her sleeve, spotted me and waved enthusiastically. As if it were only natural, she approached and attached herself to me.

“Hey, Flan. You’re here?”

“Not even half are here.”

The number of first-year students gathered was extremely small.

Besides Becky and me, there were about three other first-years. One was Martin, who was in the same group as me, and the other two were unfamiliar faces.

Shaking her head, Becky answered.

“This is everyone. Today’s practical class is done in rotations with two groups at a time. This time it’s our Group 5 and your Group 11.”

“But Trixie isn’t here.”

“Oh, she’s not coming today. Maybe something came up? Anyway, I heard she talked to the professor about it.”

As we talked, Becky glanced at the second-year students.

Her gaze was filled with tension. It seemed the upperclassmen appeared intimidatingly high to the freshmen.

“Hey, Flan. Why do you think the second-year seniors are here today…? They’re not joining us for the practical class, are they?”

As Becky fretted nervously, Professor Leonard stood before the students.

“Everyone, attention.”

All eyes fixed on his mouth. The noisy room quickly quieted, largely due to the professor’s stern demeanor.

“There are no absences except for Trixie, correct? With only two days left until the exploration task, we will conduct a practical today.”

Martin raised his hand.

“Will it count towards our grades?”

“Of course. Practice like it’s the real thing, and treat the real thing like practice.”

Upon hearing that it would be graded, the few students murmured among themselves.

Leonard, on the contrary, seemed to enjoy this reaction and continued speaking with a satisfied smile.

“It’s not that difficult, so don’t even think about whining.”

With a snap of Leonard’s fingers, the training grounds began to transform.

The white cubic space elongated endlessly into a rectangle.

Walls rose continuously like a maze, and at the far end, a red flag hung in the air.

At the same time, the spot where Professor Leonard and the second-year students stood began to rise. Before long, they were looking down at the first-year students.

Becky whispered to me as we observed this.

“Hey, Flan. So what exactly are they planning? Are they just going to watch us from up there? Then why did they change the space, and what’s with the flag, and why are the second-year seniors here?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“You know everything.”

It was unclear whether that statement was meant as a compliment or not. It felt like she was treating me more as a fortune-teller than a magician.

Just then, Leonard’s gaze fell on us.

“Why are you talking over there? Feeling confident?”

After glancing back and forth between Becky and me, his gaze settled on me.

He looked at me with an expression of interest.

“You’re that guy from the mock battle.”

This too was unclear if it was a compliment or not. He smiled as he continued.

“Feeling confident this time too? What were you discussing so enthusiastically, even ignoring the professor?”

There had never been a time when I wasn’t confident in matters of magic. However, even I still didn’t know how this practical would be conducted.

After a brief thought, I opened my mouth.

“Becky says she’s eager to try it out.”

Leonard nodded.

“Really? Becky, come forward. Show the others what kind of test it is by going through it yourself.”

“What? Oh, no. Yes. Yes? Me? M-me…?”

Becky’s face turned deathly pale.