Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 9: This is Too Terrible.

“Pfft—!”

Becky involuntarily spat out her milk into the air.

After choking for a while and suffering, Becky quickly turned her head.

Then, realizing that it was Flan who had come to see her, she shouted out loud.

“W-What is it all of a sudden!”

“I was wondering if I could ask for directions.”

“Directions?”

“Where students can exercise, and where to purchase items like magic scrolls.”

“Why do you have to ask me for that…?”

“You caught my eye.”

Becky thought for a moment.

‘Caught his eye…’

The way she looked while eating bread and milk must have been quite pathetic. Embarrassed, Becky raised her voice unnecessarily.

“Hey, I’m busy too! I have to prepare for tomorrow’s test! You should find that out yourself!”

“…Busy preparing, huh.”

Flan tilted his head slightly.

“A test is something that you should rely on your skills for, isn’t it? There’s not even any notice on what will be evaluated.”

“W-What?”

But Becky’s head tilted even more at Flan’s words.

“Wait… Flan, don’t you do Trivia?”

“Trivia?”

“Yeah, Trivia.”

Becky was puzzled by Flan’s lack of knowledge about Trivia, which was considered common sense among the Magic Department students. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a notebook.

The cover of the notebook was black and had a drawing of a broomstick, like the one witches might ride.

“Here, the seniors tell you everything.”

“Hmm.”

Flan received it and examined it with an intrigued expression.

A notebook is usually an object meant to contain the past. The characters written in a specific time are fixed in the past, and as long as the notebook itself doesn’t disappear, it preserves the records it holds as they are.

*Graduates Page

*Information Page

*Auction Page

*Secret Page

*Club Page

.

.

.

However, the notebook called ‘Trivia’ that Flan received was different. Trivia contained not the past, but the present.

Each page was filled with stories fitting each category, and even the characters written in real-time were changing.

“Amazing. Is this usable across the entire continent?”

“Of course not. Trivia is the symbol of the Magic Department. It only works within the Magic Department.”

Flan quietly sank into thought.

It seemed to be just this much for now, but even considering that, it was quite interesting.

Flan rubbed Trivia with his fingertips, sensing the mana flowing within it.

“This notebook itself is a receiver. It extracts mana with a specific circuit as its unique signal.”

With a bit of tweaking, it might be usable outside the Magic Department territory. Flan’s curiosity began to rise.

“Mana with a specific circuit… What? What are you suddenly talking about?”

However, Becky’s puzzled interruption shattered Flan’s train of thought.

“Never mind. Anyway, where can I find information about the test?”

“Look here.”

Becky pressed the ‘Information Page.’ Then, countless posts appeared. Some seemed genuinely useful, while others were filled with severe criticism towards the professors.

Flan couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“It’s fortunate this didn’t exist before.”

If there had been a Trivia in his previous world, Flan couldn’t even imagine how much he would have been criticized.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“…What? Anyway, look here.”

Meanwhile, Becky’s finger stopped at a corner of the page.

“Here, this.”

[ The Freshmen of the Magic Department Have It Tough ]

It seems that this time, Violet is in charge of the freshmen.

You can consider it a disaster. That professor doesn’t care about the concept of grades. She doesn’t cut anyone slack just because they’re young.

But the first test is always the same.

She just tells them to come out and use the magic they’re most confident in. There’s always a student who ends up crying.

If it’s any consolation, she likes manipulation-type magic. Try preparing in that area.

After confirming the contents, Flan nodded.

It certainly seemed like it would be a useful communication space among the students. He habitually flipped through the notebook from the first page to the last. There was something written on the very last page as well.

[ Posts I’ve Written ]

[ Is This Outfit Suitable for a Noble Freshman? ]

ㄴ It’s obvious you’re a commoner pretending to be a noble.

ㄴ Who even uses the term ‘noble freshman’? If you’re a freshman, being a noble is the default.

Becky quickly snatched the notebook away with a smack.

“Hey, hey. How long are you going to look at it? What, do you think it’s yours?”

At the same time, Becky’s face turned as red as her hair. Flan remained silent, still lost in thought.

Feeling awkward with the silence, Becky spoke up again, opening a page in Trivia to show a map of the Magic Department at the academy.

“Physical training is here. You can buy items here. Got it?”

Then she waved her hand dismissively.

“Now that you know, go on. I need to get an A-grade. I’m busy.”

But Flan didn’t leave. Instead, he asked, still with interest, “An A-grade, huh. Is there a reason you need it?”

“…You sometimes ask the most obvious things as if they’re fascinating?”

“Just tell me once. I’ll remember it perfectly.”

Becky continued with a reluctant expression.

“Well, the benefits are no joke. The scholarship is a given, your dorm registration is automatic, and you can use all the academy’s convenience facilities for free.”

“That’s quite nice.”

It happened to suit Flan’s current mood of wanting to avoid daily confrontations with his family members.

If the facilities were good, staying in the dorms with other magicians would be a better environment.

Becky, thinking Flan would never leave first, began to make her own preparations to depart.

“I’m leaving now. I need to go to the lab.”

“The lab?”

Flan’s eyebrow twitched as he asked. It was the most intense reaction Becky had seen from him so far.

She replied with a reluctant expression.

“…Yeah, the lab. Where else would I practice but in the lab?”

“I’ll go too. Show me the way.”

“Why do you want to come along?”

“Because I want to.”

Becky couldn’t understand Flan’s words at all. But for Flan, it was only natural.

After all, the place where he could study magic was always the most fun for him.

“It’s not my personal lab. It’s shared by several people, so I need to get everyone’s approval.”

“Then you can ask them.”

Becky’s small mouth opened slightly.

‘What’s with him? This is so awkward.’

While she was indeed flustered by Flan’s proposal, the bigger problem was that the lab wasn’t something she could proudly show him—it was a shabby space barely fit to be called a lab.

At that moment, Flan casually spoke up.

“Of course, I’ll offer corresponding compensation.”

“Compensation?”

“You’re aiming for an A-grade, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Then you must have prepared some magic. The one you’re most confident in.”

“Well… yes, I do. Why?”

Flan took a step closer.

His crimson eyes, shining through the bangs that reached down to his eyebrows, sparkled unusually brightly.

For a moment, Becky felt like it wasn’t a fellow student approaching her, but rather some kind of professor, and she involuntarily took a step back.

“If I have the time, I’ll review it for you.”

Flan’s leisurely attitude.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. After a brief moment of silence, Becky suddenly realized that they were both freshmen and snapped.

“Who said I wanted you to review it? Seriously, this is ridiculous.”

“Of course, it’s up to you.”

Flan’s attitude seemed to imply that only she would lose out if she missed this opportunity, which made Becky feel rebellious.

“Y-You, wait a minute. You’re not even an A-grade, are you? What’s this about reviewing?”

“A-grade…”

Flan was still relaxed, merely smiling.

“Yes, I’m certainly not an A-grade.”

“I am an A-grade…!”

How could he be so confident when he hadn’t even received an A-grade? Becky didn’t like his boldness at all.

She wanted to retort further, but she stopped.

In the boy’s clear crimson eyes, something began to stir. Unconsciously, Becky felt overwhelmed by its intensity.

Moreover, new possibilities began to pop into Becky’s mind one by one.

‘An out-of-rank grade…?’

Through Trivia, she had heard rumors about such a grade.

An out-of-rank grade classified higher than the top A-grade, and a prime target for scouting inside and outside the academy.

Ahem, Becky cleared her throat.

“Flan, what’s your grade?”

The person in question still had a smile on his face.

“If I told you, you’d be very surprised.”

“Very surprised?”

Becky asked again, but no answer came. Flan’s relaxed expression was the only response.

‘Could it be true?’

In the end, Becky nodded.

“O-Okay. But if you come, don’t do anything weird.”

“I promise I won’t.”

“…And you have to review it too.”

“If I have time.”

In the end, the two began walking side by side.

After walking in silence for a while, Becky suddenly sniffed her sleeve, as if she remembered something. Then she held out one of her arms towards Flan.

“Does this smell weird?”

Flan replied without a second’s hesitation.

“It’s disgusting.”

◈

“Strange? I did it according to the theory…”

“No, no, the problem is that you applied a completely different theory.”

The lab that Flan arrived at following Becky was a place that, while not organized, was brimming with life.

It was clumsy, but it was full of youth, passion, and the like. There was a unique vibe that could only come from such clumsiness.

“……”

The lab members, apart from Becky and Flan, consisted of two other female students, all commoners. The moment they saw Flan, they suddenly stopped what they were doing.

Then, one of them pulled Becky aside.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Their eyes sparkled as they asked, while the person being questioned widened her eyes in surprise.

“Are you crazy? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, right. No way you’d have a noble boyfriend.”

A girl with striking orange hair and freckles, Tir, seemed relieved. Becky shook her head.

“He’s neither a noble nor my boyfriend.”

“Oh… really? He’s not a noble?”

They didn’t react much to the news that Flan wasn’t Becky’s boyfriend, but the fact that he wasn’t a noble caused quite a stir.

The two, excluding Becky, quietly observed Flan.

His high nose bridge, snow-white skin, and the expression full of discontent didn’t seem like they belonged to a commoner at all.

Above all, this shabby space was being transformed into something luxurious just by his presence.

‘Can a commoner really look like that?’

The way he furrowed his brow made them feel like they were the ones who had to be careful.

“Hey. What’s your name?”

A girl with short navy-blue hair, Lynn, asked abruptly.

Her tone was as if she was dealing with a child, which made Flan slightly displeased.

“Except for Becky, we’re all upperclassmen here. So, what’s a freshman doing here?”

“Hmm.”

“This isn’t a place to hang out. If you’re interested in Becky, come back another time.”

Regardless, Flan’s gaze was fixed on her hands.

Her short nails weren’t scorched. Becky tried to explain that Flan wasn’t there for that reason, but Flan spoke faster.

“Did you major in destruction magic?”

“What?”

“Are you not dealing with explosions, or is it that you can’t? Your fingertips aren’t scorched.”

“Well… I haven’t handled that yet.”

Lynn stammered as she discreetly put her hands behind her back.

“Do all three of you share this lab?”

Becky quietly nodded.

Flan furrowed his brow slightly as he looked around the lab. The flasks were blackened and scorched, and when he swiped his index finger across them, dust clung to his hand.

Flan blew the dust away with a puff and murmured.

“This is too terrible.”

“Oh, um, well.”

Fortunately, Becky was quick-witted. She raised both palms and stepped between Flan and Lynn.

“There’s a grade test for the freshmen in the Magic Department tomorrow. He offered to review my work. We’ll be out of here quickly.”

But Lynn’s expression was already sour.

“Who’s reviewing who? Becky, are you reviewing his?”

“No. Flan is reviewing mine.”

“He’s… reviewing yours?”

Lynn’s sharp gaze scanned Becky up and down.

“Haven’t I reviewed it for you enough?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that I don’t trust you at all. I just thought it would be good for freshmen to compare notes…”

This is bad. She had stepped in to mediate but ended up only irritating Lynn further.

Lynn’s attitude had turned cold, and Becky was scared. She was already starting to sweat.

“He’s the one who first offered to review it.”

At that moment, Flan interjected calmly.

Becky, her face pale, turned around and mouthed to Flan.

Just. Stay. Quiet.

But it seemed that both Lynn and Flan were now ignoring Becky.

Lynn, finding the situation absurd, crossed her legs as she sat on the desk.

“You said you’d review Becky’s magic and even followed her to the lab. To me, it just seems like you’re showing off because you’re interested in her.”

“Showing off?”

“Yeah, and criticizing the lab that others use recklessly is pretty irresponsible.”

Lynn continued speaking in a tone that suggested she was holding back her anger.

“How good are you to act like that? If you want to impress a girl, you need to back it up.”

Lynn walked past Becky and finally stood right in front of Flan.

“…I’ve already reviewed Becky’s magic. Are you saying you can do a better job?”

“It depends on Becky’s skill. But I’m not without confidence.”

Lynn scoffed and glanced at Becky.

“Go ahead, Becky.”

“Huh? Do what…?”

“Show us the magic you’re going to use for tomorrow’s test. The one I taught you.”

“Oh… okay, okay.”

Becky swallowed nervously and focused her mind.

Soon, Becky’s mana began to swirl inside the lab.