Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 40: Sounds Good. Let’s Give It a Try.

“…You want to be the representative?”

Violet asked, her expression one of surprise. Flan calmly met her violet eyes and responded.

“Yes.”

Facing his unwavering red eyes, Violet naturally fell into thought.

Flan.

His abilities were around the average for an A-rank student.

…No, in fact, she wasn’t sure.

Violet vividly remembered the answers Flan had submitted on the quiz.

[ Question 1. ]

Assuming you are synthesizing with the given materials, describe what you think is the best outcome.

[ Options ]

Choose 2 pure elements, 1 auxiliary element, 1 harmony element.

[ Answer ]

Do not synthesize.

Combining different pure elements is often considered a standard synthesis. However, its true nature is closer to a trap.

Pure elements must be used one at a time. If you push one element to the extreme, its fundamental nature will surpass any combination….

Flan was the only one who submitted the answer, “Do not synthesize.” And it goes without saying that his reasoning was impeccable.

—So he managed to last three minutes?

Sephia’s words suddenly echoed in her mind. Back then, she thought it was just her imagination, but recalling it now, her impression changed.

‘Come to think of it, he was always confident.’

Whether it was during the test where he was assigned A-rank, the mock battle using scrolls, when he stated he wouldn’t use a scroll during the exploration assessment, or even now, at this moment….

He never lost confidence. Only now did Violet realize.

Conviction, innovation, challenge.

This student had all the attitudes she sought in a magician.

She shouldn’t look down on Flan’s demeanor. If his actions were well-founded, she ought to encourage him.

‘Magic faster than a flash of light, huh.’

But it’s hard to believe there’s any foundation for it.

Yvonne, the first-year Knight Department student known as a rising star. Her unique ability was Flash.

Magic faster than a sword that charges towards its target like a beam of light. And he even plans to subdue her with that one strike.

Violet involuntarily muttered.

“…It’s close to impossible.”

But then,

“It sounds like a good idea.”

The voice belonged to Louis.

Everyone turned to look at him. His expression was equally serious.

Violet asked again.

“A good idea?”

“Yes. If we can’t show magic that surpasses her unique ability, it’ll only highlight magic’s inferiority throughout the match.”

Louis continued with a calm expression.

“Even if we fail, it might be better to aim higher, just as Flan said. I want to take on a bigger challenge.”

Right after hearing Louis’ words, Violet asked herself a question.

Could it be that she herself didn’t trust the students?

Deciding their limits alone, devising strategies within those boundaries, and acting accordingly….

In the end, wasn’t all this thinking due to not trusting the students? She couldn’t easily answer her own question.

Finally, Violet cautiously parted her lips.

“What do the other students think?”

Trixie and Violet’s gazes met in the air. Trixie looked away slightly as she spoke.

“It’s not bad.”

A moment of silence followed. Trixie added another word.

“So, Flan’s suggestion.”

The students remained silent, quietly watching Violet. The professor sighed and opened her mouth.

As one line from a certain manifesto goes, a magician’s age doesn’t matter.

If there’s a magician willing to bring about change, it’s right to support them a hundred times over. It’s right to join them a thousand times over.

And it’s right to achieve it ten thousand times over.

Therefore,

“Sounds good. Let’s give it a try.”

In the end, Violet boarded the ship.

Whether it would turn out to be a pirate ship or a wreck, no one could say yet.

◈

The 11th floor of the Magic Tower.

We were waiting for our turn in the waiting area inside the tower. Since only three people could go up to the 12th floor where the exam was being held at a time.

“Wow…. Even the waiting room in the Magic Tower has such good facilities.”

“Come stand over here. You can see the entire academy from here.”

The students looking around the room had their eyes shining. They couldn’t help but be amazed, perhaps because they had never seen such facilities before.

“They say the Magic Tower is a building ahead of its time, and that’s exactly right.”

A female student muttered to herself.

Ahead of its time?

If you showed this building to someone from my previous world, none of the hundred would even guess it was a magic tower. It’s too shoddy.

Rest is only medicine for those who need it; forcing it on others is poison. For me, this time spent waiting is unbearably boring.

“Damn it…. This is so hard.”

Just then, Martin scratched his head nervously as he came down from the upper floor. Hailey asked him.

“How was it, Martin?”

“Hey. It’s impossible.”

Martin shook his head with a face full of shock.

“Why? How difficult was it?”

“I was just waiting for it to start, and then it was already over. I didn’t even get to try.”

The students listening to their conversation had worried expressions on their faces. Hailey turned her head slightly to look at Louis.

“Louis, what are we going to do? It seems really tough….”

“Even if it’s tough, we have to do it. I expected as much.”

“I knew you’d say that, Louis. Ah, I’m so nervous. It’s my turn now. I’ll be back!”

After greeting Louis, Hailey went up to the 12th floor with two other female students.

Come to think of it, who will I be going up with?

I checked the order. If my guess was correct, I would be going up with Trixie and Louis.

I didn’t feel any tension. Nor did I imagine giving up the position of representative to someone else.

I was just thinking about the “unique ability” that didn’t exist in the previous world. I wondered how fast Flash truly was.

I felt more curious than fearful.

But then,

“You.”

The scent of jasmine tickled my nose. Jasmine…. It’s likely Trixie von Fritz.

“Good job.”

It was indeed Trixie. She was speaking to me.

The fact that she was complimenting me was quite annoying.

I was about to ask her what right she had to compliment me, but then I got curious about what she was thinking.

“What for?”

“What you said earlier. You learned that at the Auction of Teachings, didn’t you?”

Trixie looked at me with her navy blue eyes.

Come to think of it, that was true. I figured out her identity, but she still didn’t know mine.

She continued, pulling out her Trivia.

“I learned the same thing you did.”

“Did you now.”

“I worked really hard to learn it.”

“I see.”

“I worked twice as hard as you.”

“What do you want me to do about that?”

Even as she met my exasperated gaze, Trixie nodded nonchalantly.

“Just so you know.”

“There’s nothing I don’t know.”

“I worked harder than you at the Auction of Teachings.”

“There’s no need for me to know that.”

With those words, I closed my eyes. It was my way of telling her to leave now that she had said what she wanted to say.

“You.”

But Trixie called out to me again, even poking my arm with her index finger.

I let out a hot sigh.

Something unknown started to slowly bubble up from deep inside me. I felt a desire to throw this bothersome girl as far away as possible.

I barely held back and spoke.

“Trixie, have you ever been hung upside down in midair?”

“This.”

Trixie covered the pages of her Trivia with her hand and held it out to me.

[ ▷

[ ▷

[ ▷

Thanks to her hand, this was all I could see.

What does she want? I glared at her as if to kill.

But Trixie spoke in a calm voice.

“Serious.”

“What’s so serious?”

“No reply.”

“Hah….”

I turned around and started walking. Trixie followed me closely.

“I want to get a lot of replies.”

“Improve your charm.”

Read through theses all night or burn with magical passion…. Then surely you’ll get some replies.

“Charm.”

Suddenly, Trixie nodded as if she had realized something.

“That’s it. Feminine charm.”

What is she talking about?

If she’s this obsessed while I’m anonymous, how much more annoying will she be if I reveal myself? I can’t even begin to imagine.

But at that moment, a commotion started on one side of the waiting room.

Soon, someone’s shout echoed through the room.

“Elyse?”

“What? Did they say Elyse?”

“Why is Elyse here?”

The name Elyse was repeated like a refrain. My gaze naturally followed.

A woman with purple hair entered the waiting room, drawing admiring glances from everyone.

She was tall. No, everything about her was large. Including her chest and thighs.

Poke.

Trixie poked my arm with her index finger again.

“You.”

I didn’t answer.

“She’s your ally.”

“Who is?”

Trixie pointed at Elyse with her finger.

“The leader of the Mystical Gorge.”

I didn’t answer. So, she’s the leader of the Mystical Gorge guild.

“What kind of pretend-play group is this Mystical Gorge?”

“What’s with you.”

Trixie shook her head.

“Don’t pretend you

 don’t know. You know that Mystical Gorge is the number one guild.”

A number one guild, huh? The aura emanating from their leader was impressive in its own way.

Mana only shows color after reaching a certain level. Currently, her body was infused with a distinct violet mana.

Elyse seemed to know Louis and greeted him warmly.

“Louis? You’ve grown a lot.”

“Grown? What brings you here?”

“I came to observe, dummy. I heard you guys were preparing hard for this year’s tournament. They asked me to come watch. I’m also here to scout for any promising talents.”

It seemed that even in this world, guild leaders personally recruit talented individuals. It was familiar.

Louis pointed at Elyse’s wristwatch and asked.

“Did you get a new watch?”

“Oh, this?”

Elyse let out a chuckle.

“This isn’t just any watch. It reads the magic power of those nearby. I got it because I’m looking for talented people, but it was hard to find.”

Then, at that moment, our eyes met in midair.

“…?”

Elyse squinted as she checked her watch and tilted her head. She looked back and forth between me and the watch.

“What do I do, Louis! I’m totally screwed!”

At that moment, Hailey and the two other female students came down from the stairs. It was finally my turn.

Since I was standing closer to the stairs, Louis approached me. He gave me a friendly smile.

“Flan, what you said earlier was cool. I liked it.”

Trixie, who was walking alongside, also added.

“Make sure to mention me to the leader.”

Ignoring them, I ascended the stairs.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, I glanced back. Elyse was still staring at me.

With a face full of questions.