Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Failure. Failure. Failure.

“Maybel! Take your hands off the scroll immediately!”

At Violet’s shout, the students all turned their heads to follow the professor’s gaze.

A female student, looking extremely tense, was nervously clutching an open scroll, and suddenly, her arm began to burn.

“Ah… Ah!”

Violet quickly generated a dense, blue barrier and wrapped it around the student’s arm several times. Maybel’s face had already turned pale.

“How could you hold a volatile scroll with your hands and use it? Are you out of your mind?”

Bending over to examine the remaining scroll fragments, Professor Violet let out a deep sigh.

“An inextinguishable flame…? Where did you get a scroll like this? If you’re going to bring one, at least know how to use it properly.”

She muttered that they should take her to the infirmary. All the students clearly heard Violet say that.

Violet turned to the students who had been quietly observing the situation.

“Everyone, just stay still and wait. I overestimated you all.”

“Uuu…”

With a tear-streaked face, Maybel trembled as she followed Violet.

As they moved away and soon disappeared from sight, Aria burst out laughing.

“This is ridiculous… She’s just at a primitive level.”

“Exactly. Whether you unfold or throw a scroll, there’s nothing difficult about it. How did she even get an A grade?”

“Anyone can get an A grade these days~ It seemed like she brought some expensive scrolls. Should we take a look at what she brought?”

Muttering to herself, Aria reached for Maybel’s scroll that had been left on the ground.

“Why don’t you just leave it alone?”

I muttered without realizing it. It bothered me deeply that she was about to touch someone else’s belongings without permission.

Aria and her companions quickly turned their heads to look at me. I didn’t bother to avoid their gaze.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t it Flan?”

Aria strode over to me. As she approached, she looked me up and down with a condescending gaze.

“Flan, your answer earlier was really impressive. I almost fell for you.”

She glanced around and then continued with a burst of laughter.

“Hey everyone~ Flan, who entered with an F grade, says he can explore a dungeon without a scroll. He’s practically announcing that he plans to cheat, isn’t he?”

At this, the other students burst into laughter.

I couldn’t quite understand what was so amusing that made them laugh.

After thinking it over and over again for a long while, I finally deduced that Aria and the students considered me a cheater. I wasn’t angry. I just found their low level of thinking highly laughable.

Unable to hold back any longer, I also let out a small laugh. Aria tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s this? He’s laughing? Did he also find it ridiculous?”

“Aria Fontaine.”

I looked into her sky-blue eyes and quietly called her name.

At the same time, I snapped my thumb and index finger in the air.

“What? Why are you calling my name and—hup?!”

Aria Fontaine couldn’t finish her sentence. To be precise, I made sure she couldn’t finish it.

I simply applied a telekinesis technique to firmly press her lips together. Even though it wasn’t direct contact, it felt rather unpleasant.

“Mm… Mmph! Mmph!”

Aria, overwhelmed by surprise, pressed her hands tightly against her own lips.

No matter how hard she tried to pry them open with her hands, her lips wouldn’t part. The sight was quite ridiculous.

“……!”

Realizing belatedly that she couldn’t open her mouth on her own, she glared at me with eyes full of murderous intent.

She likely wanted me to release her immediately, but I had no intention of doing so.

Violet was away, and I wasn’t in the mood to endure unpleasant words.

I’ve always lived this way. Every step I’ve taken, every path I’ve walked has been like this.

The students, who had been watching me and Aria alternately, started whispering to each other.

“Did Aria just get overpowered?”

“……Isn’t that what happened? It seems like she can’t open her mouth right now.”

Around that time, I finally released Aria’s lips.

I felt that the warning had been sufficiently delivered, and holding on any longer would have been a waste of both time and mana.

“This… This… You crazy—”

Regaining her freedom, Aria’s fury ignited. She stormed towards me with determination.

By then, all the students had been holding their breath, observing us. Even Trixie, who had been preoccupied with something, directed her attention this way.

“You crazy bastard. Why are you so rude?”

For a moment, I wondered if Aria had read my mind. Her words matched my thoughts exactly.

I looked down at her with an indifferent expression.

The confrontation continued for a while. Aria, without taking her eyes off me, muttered.

“Someone, make a mana crystal.”

One of her companions quickly created a crystal. Aria pulled it towards herself with telekinesis and placed it between us.

“Flan, why are you so rude?”

I didn’t bother to answer. She asked again.

“You started it, didn’t you? You used magic because you’re confident, right? Fine, then one of us should drop out today.”

Aria, looking up at me with a defiant gaze, continued.

“You were tested in a support role, weren’t you? Let’s make a bet, damn it. We’ll each launch a mana crystal, and whoever’s crystal flies the shortest has to drop out. Deal?”

Her voice was as cold as ice, but her eyes were burning with hostility.

The other students buzzed with disbelief at Aria’s proposal.

I, too, was a bit impressed, finally understanding just how much she underestimated me.

I didn’t think long. I nodded at Aria.

“You go first.”

I set this as the condition for accepting the dropout bet. Aria scoffed.

“Hah, fine. Don’t go back on your word later. Be a man.”

Aria Fontaine confidently placed her hand on the mana crystal.

Her attitude struck me as somewhat laughable. I briefly considered what gift I should give her for believing she would undoubtedly win.

“Damn it, I’ll show you how I’m about to make a dropout right now.”

She began to focus.

I, too, had made my decision. As I simultaneously drew three magical formulas in my mind, they began to interlock like a perfect set of gears.

After a brief moment of consideration, I decided on interference magic.

With Violet away, in other words, there was currently no one in the square who could perceive high-level magic.

Aria Fontaine was about to give it her all. She would pour all her effort and ability into launching the mana crystal.

She would strive to achieve the best result, determined to secure victory for herself.

“Huh?”

However, the mana crystal merely trembled slightly with a small *flick*, refusing to fly forward.

“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”

Aria’s confused face was worth seeing. It was only natural that the mana crystal didn’t fly.

I had interfered, disrupting parts of the formula she had drawn in her mind, parts of the mana composition that had entered the circuit, and parts of the mana flow she was trying to control.

Unless I restored them, the mana crystal would never receive Aria’s support and be launched.

*Flick*, the mana crystal trembled again. Aria swallowed dryly, her confusion growing.

“What’s wrong? This has never happened to me before…”

Failure.

“Make me another mana crystal.”

Failure.

“What the hell is the problem? Damn it.”

Failure.

“……”

Another failure. I casually asked Aria, who was sweating nervously.

“How much longer do I have to wait?”

“How long have you even been waiting? Just stay still!”

I nodded and gave her a leisurely smile.

“Why, why is this happening… Why is this happening…”

And once more, failure.

“…Why can’t I do it?”

“Right? Maybe she’s weak in the support role?”

“Aria herself said she was confident, though.”

The other students began to murmur. Each whisper that reached Aria made her face turn paler.

Aria Fontaine took a deep breath to calm herself. She made another attempt, this time with all her strength.

*Flick*.

And once again, in front of everyone, she failed to launch.

“……”

A drop of sweat slid down her jawline and fell to the ground.

By now, Aria’s entire body was drenched in sweat.

TL note:

I change the name Mabel to Maybel.