Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 31: How About Trying That ‘Spell’ Once?

The next night, at 11:50 PM.

With only ten minutes left until midnight, I was pushing myself to the limit in the training ground.

With the evaluation postponed, the professor had given the students a week of free time. Thanks to that, I could now focus entirely on training.

“Hoo.”

I steadied my breath and mana simultaneously and opened my eyes. My body felt particularly light. My sweat-soaked shirt was already discarded.

Perhaps because I had become accustomed to the training methods of this world, I could feel the mana circulating within me becoming purer with each passing day.

Although it was slow, the total amount of mana was also increasing. I could confidently say that it wasn’t insignificant at first glance.

At that moment, a corpse entered the training ground.

“…Hey, Flan.”

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a corpse but a girl with red hair. Looking even closer, it was Becky.

Even though I hadn’t seen her for just one day, her appearance was much more haggard than the day before.

‘It seems the summary will be quite useful.’

The quality of a task’s outcome and the health of its writer are usually inversely proportional. I gladly accepted the stack of papers Becky handed to me.

“Did you summarize all eight volumes?”

“…I went through all eight volumes. But I can’t guarantee the content.”

I nodded in satisfaction. Becky had an excellent talent for being a ‘slave.’

“Anyway, it’s done, right…? S-so, can I contact Trivia now? U-uh?”

Becky, who had been staggering with her hand on her forehead, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Fl-Flan… your body…”

Pointing at my body with her index finger, she scanned me with her eyes, wide with astonishment.

If we were to argue who should feel embarrassed, it should be me, yet it was Becky’s face that was turning red.

“Was… was your body always this good?”

Naturally, the flow of pure and vibrant mana also affects a magician’s physique.

Even this once feeble and lowly body was finally beginning to show noticeable changes to the naked eye.

My shoulders and biceps were becoming more defined, and my latissimus dorsi and abdominal muscles were gradually taking shape.

Though I had only just begun to develop, the difference was clear compared to before.

“In summary.”

I continued speaking to Becky.

“Last time, and this time as well, it seems you’ve been observing my body.”

“W-what? What are you saying?”

Becky’s face grew even redder.

“What are you talking about? If you’re going to expose yourself like that, of course, I’ll see! Do you think I’m some kind of pervert?”

Steam seemed to rise from her head as she frantically waved her hands.

I didn’t have the leisure to understand such eccentric behavior. I began to hang the summary I received from Becky in midair using telekinesis.

Meanwhile, I opened the book *How Healing Magic Became the Center of Controversy* with my hand.

Trixie had placed this book at the specified location as I had requested earlier this morning.

However, she hadn’t just placed it there. I discovered that it was enchanted with tracking magic, which I promptly dispelled.

‘Tracking magic, huh…’

It’s both cute and presumptuous. Since it’s the first time, I decided to consider it an act of innocence and let it slide.

Thanks to Trixie, I pondered a bit longer on the idea of ‘tracking.’

‘Is it really necessary to do it that way?’

It doesn’t seem necessary to force my summoning spell into Trivia.

With some modifications, Trivia itself could act as a tracking device.

Nodding, I put that thought aside for now.

I’ll modify Trivia to my liking when I have more time.

For now, I began comparing the contents on healing.

I compared the content of the book I held with the summary floating in the air.

Every world holds its share of variables. This was evident during the recent exploration evaluation.

Without the Essence Well, no matter how well I had held on in mid-air, I would have eventually crashed to the ground.

At least a fracture. At most, death.

No matter how much a magician trains their body, it can never be as robust as that of a knight.

If you can’t respond quickly to a variable and your body is damaged, recovering to regain full strength is undoubtedly the best course of action.

That’s why healing magic is essential. In this world, where so much remains unknown, it will serve as an excellent insurance policy for me.

“…There’s nothing special.”

In this world, healing is divided into just two levels.

Surface Healing. And Fundamental Healing.

Surface Healing is merely the level of boosting one’s vitality and recovering shallow wounds.

However, Fundamental Healing is, as the name suggests, magic that heals the subject’s ‘essence.’ Mental strength, memories, lost body parts… As expected, it’s classified as a forbidden art.

“Hmm.”

Looking at the formula, the difficulty of Surface Healing isn’t high. I feel like I could use it right away.

“Becky.”

“Huh? Hyah?!”

Without asking for permission, I placed my hand on the back of Becky’s neck.

Her body trembled slightly, which was a bit annoying.

I recalled the Surface Healing formula that I had etched into my mind. Soon, the mana I had gathered flowed gently into Becky’s body.

“Oh… what…?”

The tension in Becky’s body gradually eased, and her complexion visibly improved.

Realizing this, Becky clenched and unclenched her fist.

“What’s this? My drowsiness suddenly disappeared.”

As expected, it was a success.

I wanted to tell her to summarize a few more volumes since she was now wide awake, but I restrained myself. Healing magic has a tendency to be controversial when abused in such a way.

I would need to think more about how to study and utilize it in a way that would create a significant impact in this world.

…While pondering these things, I suddenly felt a burdensome gaze.

Becky was still staring at me. Intensely.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean, ‘What is it?’ Hey, um… Flan.”

Scratching her cheek, Becky spoke up.

“Would you like to go buy some perfume together?”

“I’m busy.”

“What?!”

Becky shouted.

“You said you’d go with me! I didn’t even wear perfume today because I thought we’d buy some…”

“I’ll give you gold coins. Buy it yourself.”

“Hey… That’s too much…”

Tears began to well up in Becky’s deer-like eyes.

“Don’t cry. It’ll ruin your mana efficiency.”

“A-are you crazy…?”

I quickly reviewed my day.

First, I had completed all the training I could today.

The research on healing magic didn’t seem as difficult as I initially thought, and it seemed unwise to treat my assistant solely with a whip.

I checked to see if I had time to offer a carrot instead. Since I don’t spend much time eating, I figured I had about thirty minutes to spare.

Finally, I nodded.

“Becky.”

I called her name softly.

“What. Why. Forget it… I’ll just buy the perfume by myself…”

Becky was already fuming. Incidentally, this also doesn’t help with mana efficiency.

“Let’s go.”

“Forget it. I’m going back to the dormitory alone…”

“I’m talking about going to buy perfume.”

I just said that.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, Becky’s face lit up like a sunflower drenched in water.

◈

The next day, Violet was busier than ever.

First, she had to think of a test to replace the postponed exploration evaluation, and she had to adjust the students’ future schedules.

The deadline was about a week away. And that wasn’t all.

She was currently attending a meeting with the Knights Department as a guest to report on the abnormal phenomena that occurred in the labyrinth.

‘…Even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.’

Violet let out a deep sigh. As she supported her throbbing head with her hand, barely holding on, Sephia slid over and sat next to her.

“Unni~.”

With a groan, Sephia immediately slumped onto the desk.

“If this keeps up, I’ll die! The guilds are so active lately; I don’t even have time to breathe… Delivering this student’s information and that student’s information…”

Violet didn’t have the energy to engage in Sephia’s idle chatter. Sephia nudged her sister’s side and spoke in a sly tone.

“By the way, Unni~.”

“What?”

“Are you okay? The Magic Labyrinth.”

When Violet shot her a sharp look, Sephia burst into laughter.

“Haha, sorry, sorry. Of course, I know you’re not okay. But I found out something interesting. Look at this, I got it from one of the labyrinth construction staff.”

A few papers were sneakily placed on the table. They detailed the changes that had occurred inside the Magic Labyrinth.

“Unni, didn’t you say the last three students were teleported out 1 hour and 31 minutes after the evaluation started?”

“I did, why?”

“According to this… the ground inside the labyrinth completely collapsed 1 hour and 28 minutes after it started. So, does that mean the three students held out for three minutes?”

Violet shook her head and hand simultaneously.

“I must have miscalculated the time, then.”

“Huh?”

“I miscalculated. It’s been a chaotic time. Do you know how deep that ground was? Three minutes? Don’t talk nonsense and be quiet.”

Violet nodded to herself

as if convincing herself. But Sephia’s smile didn’t fade.

“Aww, there’s no way you’d miscalculate the time, Unni. There must be something going on, right?”

“Nothing at all. I’ve got too much on my mind right now. So stop driving me crazy.”

“Aww, Unni…”

Sephia leaned closer to Violet and whispered.

“Then, can I look into these students?”

“What do you mean, look into them?”

“They might be really amazing kids. Besides, the guilds have been pestering me, asking if there are any promising students.”

“Is that the only reason? Don’t I know you?”

“Oh my, was it obvious? Well, I might as well investigate. I’ve heard there are quite a few people collaborating with villains these days.”

Their conversation, marked by differing tones, was interrupted when the other seated magicians began to stand up one by one.

Violet and Sephia also rose from their seats. From the atmosphere, it seemed the Knights Department representative had finally arrived.

“They’re always late, always.”

“Why are you complaining now, Unni? It’s not the first time the knights have been stubborn.”

Clicking her tongue, Violet glared at the entrance.

“Let’s start the meeting. The agenda is the recent surge in abnormal phenomena.”

Someone near the head of the table announced the beginning of the meeting.

At that moment, Violet’s attention was completely captured.

A beast.

Her confident and arrogant stride resembled that of a fierce predator.

Her jet-black hair, as if it repelled light, and her ember-like eyes glowing like smoldering flames.

The female knight, the only one wearing light armor in this vast meeting hall, exuded an air of comfort as if this was her own home.

That damn composure crawled into Violet’s mind and began scratching at her nerves.

Conette, the Dean of the Magic Department and the only magician among the eight magic ranks to reach the sixth rank, spoke first.

“You’re late, Scarlet.”

“I was training.”

“It’s not as if we magicians had time to spare, so we arrived early.”

“If spellcasters want to reach the heels of an honorable knight, they shouldn’t have time to spare.”

“It seems that while you learn swordsmanship, you don’t learn manners, like all knights.”

The female knight named Scarlet and Conette exchanged brief glances.

It was a short exchange, but it was enough to freeze the atmosphere in the meeting room.

Scarlet. So that’s the Knight of Flickering Flame. Even Violet, who had no interest in knights, had heard of that epithet.

The female knight surveyed the room leisurely before fixing her gaze on Conette.

“I’m a person who values courtesy more than anyone else. But…”

The corners of her mouth curled up meaningfully.

“That only applies when dealing with knights. There’s no need to show courtesy to a bookish scholar.”

Her predator-like eyes glinted as if she had spotted prey. Though it was just a fleeting glance, Professor Audrey bowed her head.

Violet found everything about this situation distasteful.

The meeting agenda, the female knight who acted like she owned the place, and the magicians who were unconsciously bowing their heads.

However, she couldn’t blame the others. If the opponent was the Knight of Flickering Flame… anyone would have no choice but to act that way.

“Tsk.”

Conette clicked her tongue in displeasure as she stared at Scarlet.

“Always be mindful of your words and actions. It would only take a single ‘spell’ to wipe out the entire Knights Department.”

“It sounds like it could be fun to test that out. How about trying that ‘spell’ once?”

Without prompting, the female knight and the dean stared at each other with smiles on their faces.

Both sides wore faint smiles, but the magicians watching felt a suffocating pressure that made it hard to even breathe.

Soon, it was Conette who broke the silence.

“Let’s get on with the meeting. Have you read the report on the abnormal phenomena?”

“It’s nothing but childish nonsense.”

“Nonsense?”

The dean’s eyes narrowed into crescent shapes.

The Magic Department professors gulped as they saw the expression on Conette’s face, knowing it was a sign of significant anger.

“Nonsense… Oh my, nonsense, you say? I consider it a serious matter.”

“It’s serious to those who are weak.”

Conette’s head tilted slightly.

“Scarlet, Knight of Flickering Flame. I’ve heard rumors that you are as rude as a child… but words cannot be taken back.”

Despite the sharpness in Conette’s words, Scarlet remained unfazed.

“The world must have been too peaceful. Oh, that’s right. Seeing people who try to resolve everything with their mouths prancing around, it seems that’s true.”

Scarlet continued speaking calmly.

“Magicians have only been pretending to be competent without facing a proper opponent, riding on the coattails of a peaceful world.”

“Hmm.”

“Calling this a meeting is laughable.”

“Sir Scarlet.”

Conette sighed as she ran her elegant, long fingers down her face. The expression left behind was devoid of any kindness.

“It must be excruciating to be in the presence of incompetent spellcasters. I apologize. We’ll continue the meeting among ourselves.”

With a cold expression, the dean spoke.

“Why don’t you head to the training ground and finish cutting down some scarecrows?”

A sharp, biting atmosphere as cold as the Ice Age filled the room. Everyone was wiping away cold sweat and adjusting their collars when it happened.

“Chatter, chatter. Is that how you recite spells?”

With a thud, Scarlet stabbed her sword, still in its sheath, into the ground.

Scarlet and Conette’s gazes clashed in mid-air.

“It seems there are plenty of scarecrows here already.”

The confrontation between the two left the other professors in agony. All they could do was groan under the immense pressure.

“Hah, what a mess.”

Conette let out a shallow sigh.

In this world, being born blessed isn’t exclusive to magicians.

Those born with ‘mana’ are granted the opportunity to wield magic, but those born with ‘innate abilities’ can become knights, wielding immense power.

The example stood before Violet’s eyes.

The Flickering Flame.

Scarlet Judith’s innate ability, the Fading Flame.

Though it can’t summon an explosive flame like a magician’s meteor, her flickering flame burns eternally.

There will never come a time when the embers are completely extinguished.

In other words, even after death, Scarlet possesses an eternal flame.

Knights casually demonstrate the results of magic that magicians can only achieve through tremendous effort, under the guise of ‘innate abilities.’

“Let’s get on with the meeting.”

“Let’s.”

Finally, Scarlet and Conette took their seats. The icy atmosphere slowly began to thaw.

All Violet could do as she witnessed this was clench her fists tightly in silent defiance. Though her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood, she felt no pain.

‘…Damn it.’

I hate knights.

No, I despise them.

Violet couldn’t stand the knights, who, riding on their innate abilities, scorned the weak.

She found the structure where knights ruled as the strong revolting. Someday, she would witness that imbalance of power overturned.

‘…Damn it, damn it, damn it.’

But it was always just empty words. A mere wish carried away by the wind, seemingly never to be realized.

Violet’s power wasn’t enough.

Even if all the magicians in the Magic Department combined their strength, it wouldn’t even scratch the scales of power.

‘Someday… someone will…’

All Violet could do was silently curse.