Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 57: Because It Belongs to Me.

“That concludes everything.”

Finally, the explanation was over.

Since it was about time to head to the exposition, Flan left the lecture hall without any hesitation.

However, those who remained didn’t even flinch. They had no time to stop Flan.

The lecture hall was as silent as a mouse.

What finally broke the silence was not the sound of a person’s voice.

Scratch, scratch—

As one person started to take notes in a trance, the rest soon followed suit.

Scratch, scratch—

Scratch, scratch—

Whether they understood Flan’s explanation was irrelevant. Anyone can marvel at something extraordinary.

They just wanted to record this “awe” in writing.

“…”

Hailey quietly swallowed dryly. She, too, was a magician.

There were many things she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. The subject was Flan, after all.

Unable to help it, she closed her eyes and tried to recall the explanation from just moments ago.

However, concentrating wasn’t easy. Her mind became cluttered as thoughts of Flan began to spiral out of control.

“…Focus. Focus.”

She muttered to herself, but there was no way she could concentrate.

To observe only the key mana circuits among countless ones, and the method to calculate the precise amount needed without error…

Even when fully focused, it was a daunting task to understand. But now, her mind was filled with too many distracting thoughts.

For now, she decided to just take notes and review them later. That was Hailey’s plan.

“….”

Unfortunately, she realized that she didn’t have her notebook or writing utensils with her.

Scratch, scratch—

The world seemed to move on, leaving Hailey behind. While everyone else was busy taking notes, she was the only one not doing anything.

It was natural that she felt increasingly anxious.

“….”

Carefully, she tapped the shoulder of the girl next to her.

But the girl didn’t even look back. She was so engrossed in her note-taking that she seemed to have forgotten Hailey’s very existence.

Hailey didn’t have the courage to tap her shoulder a second time.

‘I’ll just do it on my own.’

The theory was just a basic foundation. Internalizing and applying it was something only she could do.

So, if she worked hard on her own, this much should be manageable…

“Sigh…”

She rested her forehead on her hand. Of course, it was too much.

All she could do was sigh.

It was too late to start taking notes now, and even if she wanted to, there was no way to do so. Hailey anxiously bit her thumbnail.

The fear of being left behind, of falling behind, was palpable.

There was only one way to solve this crisis.

◈

‘The Saphora’ was a part of Merhen Academy, but it was located outside the campus.

It wasn’t so much a specific place or building, but more of a region.

The scale of the exposition was so enormous that it couldn’t be encapsulated by a simple term.

Now, all they had to do was board the carriages under the professor’s guidance… But the students were slow to get on.

“Professor.”

Brody, who was supposed to be leading, was just standing there, absentmindedly.

“Professor?”

“Hmm?”

Only then did the professor look up. At the same time, he finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

Becky tilted her head and asked.

“How do we board the carriages?”

“…Just get on. Group up in fours however you like.”

That was the best Brody could do in response.

His thoughts were still jumbled, and his mind was blank. It was as if he had been hit hard somewhere.

Flan. Naturally, the reason was that boy.

Even as a professor, he was still grappling with the impact Flan had on the Magic Department, which had been turned upside down… many questions kept swirling in his mind.

But even if he couldn’t fully understand, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

─I’ll bet my teaching career on it.

Suddenly, Violet’s words came to mind.

Her eyes filled with certainty and the courage she had spoken with such fervor. Brody felt like he was finally starting to understand why.

“Ah, I see~”

Becky politely bowed and turned around. Her expression was bright.

The reason was simple. She had already arranged to board the same carriage as Flan.

─Hey, Flan! Why did you summon me, of all people?

─Because you belong to me.

─W-what, what, what, what, what, what?

…Belong to him? What could he possibly mean by that?

If it was just as he said, wasn’t that even more astonishing?

Blushing deeply, Becky shook her head vigorously. The important thing was that she had secured a spot in the same carriage as Flan.

“Who should I ride with…?”

“I don’t want it to be awkward.”

The students were still murmuring among themselves. Since the carriage ride wouldn’t be short, it was important for them to decide who they would travel with.

But.

“The carriage isn’t the issue, did you take notes?”

“No, I didn’t. There wasn’t anything on the board to write down in the first place.”

“We’re doomed….”

The discussion about seating arrangements seemed trivial compared to their conversations about Flan.

“It’s amazing.”

Becky unconsciously muttered to herself.

Usually, people say they’re doomed when it comes to ‘exam subjects.’ It’s natural because grades are results that remain visible.

But today, Flan’s lecture was different.

It wasn’t something that would be on a test, nor could it be immediately applied if they were asked to.

However, there was a qualitative difference. Flan had touched upon the deep-seated desires that any magician would have.

“What should I do? Should I ask him directly?”

“…Are you crazy? If you want to, go ahead.”

“Sorry. Let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.”

What was even more remarkable was that none of them actually considered approaching Flan directly.

Oh. That’s not entirely accurate.

They thought about it, but couldn’t muster the courage. Day by day, his reputation was skyrocketing.

‘…Am I the only one?’

Becky thought as she looked at her notebook. It was filled with notes summarizing Flan’s 45-minute lecture.

『On the Conflict Phenomenon Between the Harmony and Support Systems』

『Phonetic Studies Based on the Dialects of Elf Regions』

.

.

.

She had already summarized several papers as per Flan’s instructions. Thanks to this, Becky was able to take notes on today’s lecture, more or less.

Of course, if you asked whether they were perfect notes, she would definitely say no.

But she felt proud, and it was helpful.

As a commoner, Becky rarely had the chance to access such materials. Except for breathing, everything in a magician’s life costs money.

But thanks to Flan, she had been exposed to countless materials for free. He even entrusted her with papers that normally had to be purchased from the store… The effort was temporary, but the achievement was great.

However.

“It would be nice if he were a bit more kind….”

No, but if he were kind, he wouldn’t be Flan.

The way he is now is what’s impressive.

“Yeah. That’s it….”

Having convinced herself, Becky started walking towards the carriage. But then.

“Hey, Becky. Becky!”

A voice she didn’t want to hear called out. Becky turned around with an awkward expression.

As expected, the owner of the voice was Jenny.

“Did you take notes on Flan’s explanation just now?”

“Huh?”

Becky’s head tilted without her realizing it.

Usually, whenever Jenny spoke to her, it was to pick a fight, but today was different.

“I’m looking for someone who took notes~ But it seems like no one did a good job.”

“Oh, right.”

Becky nodded. That seemed to be the case.

“But you’re really close with Flan! You took notes, didn’t you? I saw you diligently writing.”

You’re really close with Flan.

Just that one line made her feel so good.

But even if she felt good, some things were just not possible. Becky didn’t really want to share the fruits of her hard work towards Flan.

“Well… you know my grades. It was just scribbles.”

She could share… But no matter how she thought about it, Jenny was not someone she liked. After all, she was someone who got along with Hailey and Aria.

“Really? Oh… okay, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, yeah. I thought so~”

Jenny spun around. The muttered complaints as she walked away were a bit unsettling.

Finally, Becky started heading towards the carriage again.

“Becky.”

But then again, someone called out to Becky. After confirming who it was, her eyes widened in surprise.

“…?”

Well-maintained, shiny blonde hair, a noble daughter who couldn’t be more different from Becky.

It was Hailey.

◈

“…”

Hailey silently looked at Becky.

She had no other options to get notes.

She didn’t want to ask Louis about Flan, and asking Flan directly had become an even harder task.

She had already asked Jenny and others nearby, but of course, none of them had managed to take proper notes.

“…Why? What’s going on?”

Becky cautiously asked.

“…”

But Hailey just kept staring at Becky.

She had come to Becky because it seemed like the easiest option, but now that she was about to ask, it didn’t come easily.

…Just a few days ago, she wouldn’t have had any reason to talk to Becky.

“Um, if there’s nothing else, can I head to the carriage?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

In the end, Hailey changed the subject. Asking Becky to borrow

her notes was something that was incredibly difficult for her.

“I was just wondering if you had seen Louis. We’re supposed to ride the same carriage, but I can’t find him.”

“Louis?”

Becky pointed at one of the carriages with her index finger. Louis was sitting there alone.

After giving a light nod, Hailey immediately headed toward Louis.

“Louis!”

Hailey called out to Louis. Their eyes met in the air.

“Oh, Hailey.”

“So, you were here? I was thinking of holding a carriage for us.”

But as soon as Hailey put her foot on the carriage.

“Sorry. This one’s already full.”

“…?”

A moment of silence followed.

Hailey carefully asked again.

“…What do you mean?”

“I asked Flan if we could ride together because I had a lot to ask him.”

“Then there are two seats left. I can sit with you, can’t I?”

Louis scratched his head, looking troubled.

“Well…. Ah, here they come.”

Hailey followed Louis’s gaze.

Behind Flan, Becky and Yusia were trailing along. Louis smiled apologetically.

“They also asked Flan to ride together, so the four of us decided to ride in this carriage.”

“Then I…”

“Sorry, but there will be other opportunities, right? Let’s ride together next time.”

“…”

The three of them boarded the carriage, leaving Hailey standing there, stunned.

“Flan, can I sit next to you? Like I said earlier.”

“Can’t you sit in the luggage compartment?”

“Exposition~ Exposition~.”

With a thud, the carriage door closed.

“Oh, Sir Flan! I’ve brought the selected papers!”

“Becky.”

“Ahhh! Yusia! Why did you bring that up!”

Voices leaked out from the carriage, which had an open roof.

“Come to think of it, a group of four is perfect for a Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle!”

“Sure. Why don’t we all give it a try then?”

“Wow… Louis, you’re amazing. You’re really doing this?”

“Move it.”

The voices kept leaking out.

None of them belonged to Hailey.

“What the…? Hey! None of these pieces fit!”

“Becky, you’re holding it upside down….”

“Huh? Oh, really?”

“Hahaha… Guys, take it slow.”

“Move it.”

The voices kept leaking out endlessly.

Hailey’s expression grew darker and darker.

Had there ever been a time when she had been so envious and anxious while watching someone else’s ‘everyday life’?

Even though the voices were right next to her, they felt as distant as the horizon.

The space inside that carriage was one that Hailey couldn’t possibly intrude upon.

“But is this really glow-in-the-dark? Really?”

“Yes! Everyone, gather around closely!”

“Like this…. Does it work if we cover it?”

“This is the third time I’m telling you to move.”

She couldn’t make a sound, and she couldn’t join in.

“Wow! What’s this? It’s so pretty with the fluorescent glow!”

“Yes! This is the Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle!”

“Wow…. I think Flan would enjoy seeing this too.”

Bang—!

“Ahhh! My Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle!”

“Hey, Flan! What are you doing!”

“Hahaha…. This is really funny.”

“Get out.”

All those moments.

Hailey just stared down at her feet.

◈

“…Wow, who are you?”

After arriving at the Saphora, the first words I heard were from the head of the academic society.