Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 60: …Make sure to draw it on that person’s magic circle.

—

I couldn’t believe it.

The man in the mirror was someone Trixie knew all too well.

“Flan….”

It was undoubtedly Flan. Between the indigo eyes of the Trixie in the mirror, fragments of emotions were slightly visible.

Regret, affection, emotions too difficult to describe… none of it made any sense.

*Snap─!*

*Snap─!*

Soon after, all the mirrors in the space began to shatter.

I wanted to observe the scene in the mirror further…. but I had no choice but to retreat.

And after all the mirrors were smashed.

“That’s right.”

“…!”

Suddenly, a voice was thrown out, startling Trixie.

It was a voice that was almost irresistible, something that made one shudder.

“You saw it correctly.”

…Because the voice that was now heard was none other than her own.

Trixie tried to turn around quickly.

“I recommend not turning around. You’ll get trapped in an unknown space and experience abnormal phenomena forever.”

“….”

Trixie’s movements abruptly stopped at those words.

“Good. Now that you’ve stopped.”

Trixie tried to recall the rules quickly. Even in such a sudden situation, as long as she adhered to the rules, nothing would happen….

“You’re trying to recall the rules, but there’s no need. As long as you don’t look this way, no abnormal phenomena will occur.”

The opponent had completely read Trixie’s thoughts. Without moving at all, she opened her mouth.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the person you’re thinking of.”

“That can’t be.”

She shook her head. There was no way it was herself.

“But, there’s nothing impossible for a magician.”

There’s nothing impossible for a magician. Trixie had, of course, heard that phrase before.

However, she had never heard of someone successfully performing time magic. Let alone that it was herself.

“If you don’t believe me…. Would you like to look at the shards at your feet? That much should be fine.”

Trixie did just that.

Even the largest shard was barely the size of her palm, showing only parts of the body: the torso, legs, collarbone…. The person was visible only in fragments.

“…It’s really me.”

She muttered unconsciously.

Although it was divided into parts, she could recognize herself. It was undeniably ‘me.’

Though the face was blurry, barely visible except for the mouth, the overall vibe of the body was unmistakably feminine.

Even just from the white dress she was wearing. The design was clearly different from a ballet outfit.

Trixie shook her head.

“This is illusion magic.”

She closed her eyes and covered her ears. According to the rules, now all she had to do was wait until someone tapped her back four times.

“It’s not an illusion. I’m definitely the future you.”

But even with her ears covered, she could still hear the voice. Helplessly, Trixie asked back.

“Then what is this? How are we even talking?”

“You might think it’s a conversation, but it’s not. I’m just unilaterally conveying information.”

She continued.

“I remember everything I did in the past, so I just recorded this accordingly. Does that make sense?”

“…Are you saying this is just a recording?”

“That’s right. A rather sophisticated recording.”

It wasn’t just sophisticated.

According to the Trixie in the mirror, she remembered every action she had taken at a certain point in the past without any error.

And based on that, she created this recording as if conversing naturally with her past self…. It wasn’t an easy story to believe.

‘Is she lying?’

This time, Trixie deliberately said nothing. She closed her eyes tighter and covered her ears more firmly.

Then, the other side burst out laughing.

“You’re deliberately not speaking right now, aren’t you? I remember that too.”

She ignored it.

“What should I say to make you believe…. Would the family motto do? If you want to burn something, ignite yourself first.”

That was precisely the Fritz family’s motto. Trixie unconsciously opened her eyes.

“It’s really hard to make you open your eyes. I thought I was difficult myself.”

“Shut up.”

Trixie tried to examine the figure in the mirror shards.

She was too curious about what the other person looked like, but it was still too blurry to see.

“You came here waiting for Flan, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right…. That was the beginning.”

The blurry mouth subtly smiled.

It was a smile that her current self couldn’t possibly make, so the young Trixie stared at it, momentarily dazed.

‘If that’s really my future self….’

Once she recognized that the person was her future self, Trixie suddenly had so many questions to ask.

“Hey. I have a lot of questions.”

“Go ahead. Ask them all at once.”

The young Trixie quickly organized the questions in her mind. Then she started asking them one by one.

“What were the scenes I saw in the mirror?”

Standing in the middle of the arena, holding Flan and sobbing…. Trixie was still confused.

“And.”

“I’m curious if I win the duel with Flan. I also want to know if I become Mr. Guidance’s disciple, and who exactly is Mr. Guidance?”

“Keep going.”

“I’m also curious if I’ll participate in the Hunting Competition. Can I fulfill my mother’s wish?”

“Hmm….”

The Trixie in the mirror subtly prolonged the end of her words.

“Yes. Now I remember all the worries I had back then.”

It wasn’t an answer to her questions. Trixie grew frustrated.

“Just answer me.”

But at that moment, the face of the lady Trixie began to appear.

…She was so beautiful that it made one doubt if it was truly herself. Her unique indigo eyes had deepened to a level that was incomparable.

The lady Trixie and the young Trixie’s eyes met.

“In truth…. I didn’t record this to give you those answers.”

Her gaze was so deep that the young Trixie felt overwhelmed, not knowing what expression to make.

“Why are you looking at me like that? The answers.”

“You’ll find out soon enough. But more importantly.”

The lady Trixie quietly closed her eyes.

“I recorded this because I have something I must tell you….”

The lady Trixie placed one hand on the mirror’s surface. It was as if there was a transparent wall between the two women.

And as if handling something precious, as if she wanted to feel it even more, she rested one side of her forehead against it.

“Trixie.”

The lady Trixie softly called her own name.

“Yes.”

“From now on, something tremendous will happen every day.”

“Something tremendous?”

When the young Trixie furrowed her brow, the lady Trixie nodded.

“Your life will be completely changed because of one person.”

“…Who?”

The young Trixie’s face twisted into a frown.

The fact that her life would be completely changed by someone else, the very idea of it, made the girl feel a strong sense of rejection.

“Trixie.”

Instead of answering, the lady Trixie called her name again.

“I have a request that I must ask of you. It’s related to that one person.”

The lady Trixie’s voice was so wistful…. that the young Trixie couldn’t ask anything further.

The lady Trixie extended her index finger and made a vertical stroke.

“Remember this single stroke without fail.”

The lady Trixie, who had her eyes closed, opened them slightly.

“When the time comes, and you feel it’s the right moment.”

She murmured in a soft voice.

“…Make sure to draw it on that person’s magic circle.”

Just as I was about to part my lips to ask something.

I was in front of the restaurant ‘Harmony.’

Not in the white room covered with shattered mirrors, but in the place where I had eaten breakfast.

“Trixie.”

“…!”

An all-too-familiar voice struck my ears, snapping me back to reality.

The one who had just called me was Flan. When I came to my senses, he was standing right in front of me.

His clothes were neatly arranged, and his red eyes were gently shimmering.

It was only after meeting his gaze that Trixie realized she had returned to reality.

“….”

Trixie brushed one arm with the other. Her whole body was covered in goosebumps, and she was drenched in sweat.

“Were you caught in an abnormal phenomenon?”

Flan nodded as if he could tell without looking.

“I know without you having to answer. You had your eyes closed and your ears covered.”

He nonchalantly jerked his chin.

“Let’s go. The midterm evaluations have started.”

He didn’t ask Trixie anything about what kind of abnormal phenomenon she had experienced or what she had seen and heard.

The scenes and conversations from a moment ago remained so vivid in Trixie’s mind that she couldn’t forget them.

Standing in the arena of the Knights Department, the wistful expression as she told her to remember the vertical stroke, the one person who would completely change her life.

…And herself, clinging tightly to Flan and sobbing.

“…!”

As those thoughts crossed her mind, Trixie’s face flushed a deep red.

Without realizing it, she took five steps back from Flan.

“D-don’t come any closer.”

◈

“Yusia, is it really that amazing?”

Becky asked as she looked at Yusia, whose eyes were sparkling.

What Yusia’s gaze was fixed on was a magical ornament called the ‘Mana Fountain.’

It spe

wed out tiny drops of mana like water, emitting a blue and elegant light, and even created a rainbow.

“Look at this. It even makes a rainbow!”

“Yes…. I know that too….”

Becky sighed deeply.

Maybe it was because of her commoner status, but Becky had long since stopped being interested in things that looked expensive.

The ‘Mana Fountain’ was no exception. It clearly looked expensive, and to Becky, ornaments were nothing more than luxury items…. so she had no interest at all.

“Yusia, let’s move on and look at something else.”

“Wow~ This is amazing too! Look at this!”

Becky, who was paired with Yusia, had been dragged around by her all day.

She hadn’t even gotten close to the magic perfume she wanted to see. Unable to bear it any longer, Becky grimaced and spoke up.

“Hey…. No matter how much you like it, because of you…!”

“Oh, by the way. Miss Becky!”

Yusia interrupted Becky’s words. Becky swallowed her anger and opened her mouth.

“What?”

“You said you were interested in perfume, right? I’ll buy you one!”

“…You.”

She really was a good person.

Suddenly, Becky felt that her time with Yusia was precious.

─Merhen Academy students, please gather at the square immediately.

But just then, a message was written in blue letters in the air. It was quite a disappointing announcement for Becky.

Yusia spoke with an innocent face.

“Miss Becky, it seems we need to go right away.”

“Yeah. I guess so….”

Becky considered asking if the promise to buy her perfume would still be valid later but decided against it, thinking it was too shabby.

“Is it the start of the midterm evaluations mentioned in the genealogy?”

At Yusia’s words, Becky put her finger to her lips.

“Be careful talking about that. If the organizers hear you, they might change the schedule or the rules.”

Familiar faces began to appear here and there. A procession of students heading toward the square naturally formed.

Finally, they arrived at the square.

Serena greeted the students, her light green hair falling over her gray robe.

“It’s good to see you again in just one day. I’m Serena.”

She greeted them politely. Every one of her movements conveyed respect towards the students.

“First of all, did you enjoy the free tour this morning?”

Most of the students nodded. The fair’s various attractions were more than enough to entertain the students.

“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”

Serena nodded before continuing.

“Now, you’ll have even more fun. This afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the magic tools yourselves.”

At that, the students’ eyes began to sparkle.

It was already a bit torturous to only look at these rare items with their eyes, so the opportunity to try them out was naturally welcome news.

“Of course, there are some restrictions….”

As she snapped her fingers, a total of eight bracelets floated in the air. The inscriptions were obvious.

Harmony, Refinement, Destruction, Support…. The bracelets were categorized according to the different branches of magic.

“Please choose a category. Once you equip the bracelet and arrive at the corresponding area, a guide will assist you with the experience.”

Yusia raised her hand high.

“I have a question!”

“Yes, feel free to ask.”

Serena responded with a gentle smile.

“Can we take all eight of them?”

“No. Based on the results of the tower’s examination, if you try more than two magic tools, there’s a high chance of overloading.”

Since it was a safety issue, there was no point in insisting. Yusia easily accepted this and lowered her hand.

Serena looked around at the students.

Since the announcement wasn’t too difficult to understand, no one seemed to have any additional questions.

In fact, their faces were full of anticipation. Their expressions clearly showed that they were eager to try out the magic tools.

“Very well. Then we will begin distributing the bracelets.”

Just as the bracelets in the air began to move.

“…!”

Serena suddenly froze. Her eyes were wide open.

The students watching her grew puzzled.

“Serena…?”

“Are you okay?”

One second, two seconds, three seconds, Serena’s stillness dragged on.

The bracelets in the air lost their telekinetic force and fell to the ground in a messy pile. Serena barely managed to move her hand to clutch her chest.

“Ugh….”

Serena’s appearance changed.

To be precise, the aura that represented her completely transformed.

The Serena that had existed in reality began to turn flat. At the same time, four frames appeared and enclosed her in a square.

What was soon completed was a single frame. It had the same edges as those used to frame Saphora’s artworks.

Thud, it fell to the ground.

“What, what is this?”

“What just happened?”

The students circled the frame. Even after seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn’t believe what had just happened.

[ ]

*

The title and description of the artwork were completely blank.

“What is this? Isn’t something seriously wrong?”

“Is this…. part of the midterm evaluation?”

“Idiot! They said there’d be demonic beasts for that!”

As the murmurs grew louder, something began to be written in the description box.

*Is anyone there?

The students’ eyes widened, almost bulging out.

“Letters suddenly appeared!”

“They’re asking if anyone’s there?”

The murmuring spread like wildfire. The growing commotion was completely out of control.

“Look at this! The words are changing!”

*If someone is there, please call a guide. I’m having trouble breathing.

Indeed, the words had changed. Also, Serena, who was inside the frame, began to move.

She started banging her fist against the glass of the frame like crazy.

─.

But there was no sound at all, making it all the more eerie.

*I’m scared. It’s cramped. I can’t see anything.

The students could only watch the scene in silence.

*I’m suffocating. Please, get me out.

“….”

The once roaring murmurs suddenly fell silent. Everyone stared at the description box, terrified.

*Get me out. Get me out. Get me out.

The letters in the description box were still changing in real time.

*Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out. Get me out.

And finally, the artwork was given a title.

[Evaluation Start!]