Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 130:

Translator: MarcTempest

Proofreader: naturallyInconsistent

Chapter 130 – The Name of the Sword, Understanding.

It has been a week since ‘Flan’s Record’ was distributed.

The popularity of the representatives of the Hunting competition was soaring, and one of their remarks in the group interview was getting more attention.

The world was heated up by another topic.

The reason why various interests gathered in one place was, of course, because of the three-dimensional magic that Flan had recorded.

To make the world stir with his own magic.

In fact, what mage wouldn’t dream of that?

That’s why such attempts had been made before. But the reason why they remained only as ‘attempts’ was as follows.

First, the verification of the magic society and the testimonies of the prominent mages had to follow one after another, and finally, the royal family had to judge whether the magic would not disturb the world.

However.

When the rumor spread that the second princess Aurora was interested in this test, it was practically the same as getting approval.

“Yes! I have arrived at the Merhen Academy. The atmosphere here is very hot!”

Thanks to that, the magic department had another successful event without a break.

The number of people who were puzzled by the test were still increasing, and because of that, the dean Conette had a rare interview in person.

“Let me ask you directly, Dean of the Magic Department. First of all, is it true that you succeeded in deciphering it?”

Conette laughed at the reporter’s question.

Deciphering.

For her, who was on the verge of becoming a grand mage, deciphering was a natural premise. 

She wondered if she had ever heard such a question.

It was proof that Flan was turning the world upside down. 

Conette was secretly pleased with that.

“Of course. I finished deciphering it.”

“How is it? For the curious people, please tell us as concretely as possible!”

“It does not betray the effort I put in. And there is a lot of talk about the difficulty level right now…”

Conette’s eyes sparkled once.

“The difficulty level is moderate. It’s just that it feels that way because it uses unfamiliar concepts. I would say that his multi-faceted approach shone.”

“I see. There are only ten records right now, and there are a lot of people who are very eager to get them. Do you have any plans to produce and distribute more?”

“That depends on the one who composed all this, Flan.”

◈

There was a mage who passed by the interview with a dark circle on her face. 

It was none other than the eldest daughter of the von Fritz family, Trixie von Fritz.

She was also one of the people who staked their lives on deciphering.

As soon as she arrived at the self-study space of the tower, she took out her lunch box. She had to eat something to activate her brain properly.

[Fighting, Miss! Please eat well!] 

[The next head of the von Fritz family~ Goddess~ Princess~]

The lid was covered with cheering letters from the maids. She used to find them annoying, but lately, she felt a strange appreciation when she saw them.

And she was frustrated.

She was afraid of failing to decipher.

The faster she deciphered, the higher the status of the von Fritz family would be, but that was only if she succeeded.

“Hmm…”

She nibbled on the vegetables like a rabbit and then closed the lid of the lunch box. 

She didn’t have much appetite in the first place.

She looked around the surroundings.

The self-study space in the form of a dormitory provided by the tower for the representatives.

Flan had handed one of the ten scrolls to the representatives as an assignment, and thanks to that, the representatives had been stuck here for almost a week.

Becky was lying on the floor and snoring, and Louis was also nodding off in his seat, but Trixie decided to dive into deciphering again.

One hour.

Five hours.

Ten hours…

She concentrated so much that she forgot the passage of time.

She felt amazing even though she hadn’t finished deciphering.

Every time a transformation occurred, a new horizon was implied, and the difficulty level was not hard, but there were very unique elements that felt hidden.

She was amazed by his creativity without knowing it.

However.

The biggest reason why Trixie was so focused was.

“…Mr. Guidance?”

It was because of Mr. Guidance’s traces.

Of course, Flan was Mr. Guidance’s disciple. So it was natural that he had a similar color.

“But this is exactly the same.”

The problem of the Agora board was given by Mr. Guidance. He had applied that element right in front of her.

“Flan couldn’t have surpassed Mr. Guidance, could he?”

She could not believe it. 

This is strange.

Five hours later

Ten hours…

“This is one.”

She finally reached the first transformation.

A color is overlaid on Trixie’s blue mana, and the pure current forms a concrete shape and floats in the air.

The origin of the academy. 

A shabby but aesthetic, fundamental shape of the past.

Trixie was momentarily lost in that sight. It was already like this for the first transformation.

She needed a break after working hard.

“Huuuu…”

She put a handkerchief over her face and breathed deeply for a moment. It was just a thin cloth, but it was an oxygen mask for her.

Her own trigger that gave her calmness.

Then she suddenly wondered something more.

“…”

She lifted the handkerchief from her face. Come to think of it, didn’t Flan’s perfume smell like this too?

She got up from her seat and gently pressed the handkerchief to Becky’s nose.

“Uh…”

Becky’s expression relaxed as she slept.

“Umm, Flaan…”

“…”

After hearing Becky’s sleep talk.

Trixie made a subtle expression.

◈

Two more days passed.

“Hmm.”

The second princess, Aurora, was sitting on the throne, scrutinizing the record sheet. 

She was whirling countless notes in her head.

The magicians tried to dissuade her, saying that there was no need for the princess to do it herself, but Aurora willingly devoted herself with her own power.

Her attitude did not flinch.

Was it the act of a mayfly that didn’t know how high the sky was? Or was it a joke of a celestial body that didn’t fear heights?

…It was only to judge that.

Time kept flowing.

Aurora’s innate talent burned incessantly and led her to the answer.

Finally.

“The third transformation.”

Success.

She was finally able to see the third transformation of this arrogant author with her own eyes.

“Let me see it once.”

Aurora’s pupils narrowed like a crescent moon.

And she blew as much mana as she could onto the record sheet.

Kugugugugu─.

At that moment, the palace disappeared.

“…”

The familiar scenery of Merhen Academy surrounded her. 

It was not enough to call it a ‘three-dimensional painting’. It was more like a ‘three-dimensional space’.

“Is he playing a prank on me?”

But she was deeply disappointed.

The appearance of Merhen Academy. 

That was all.

It was no different from the second transformation.

That was what Aurora thought at that moment.

“…!”

The three-dimensional space, in an instant, ‘evolved’.

Buildings were improved or newly built, creating a completely different academy, and the magic tower that stretched towards the sky never stopped.

And when darkness came, the whole thing shone with fluorescence.

This was the scenery of the academy that Flan wanted to create in the future. 

A cradle for those who burned with passion for magic.

“What…”

Aurora’s eyes widened like a full moon.

They were like stars shining in the darkness.

The fluorescence that she had considered childish, in this three-dimensional space, turned into a chilling art.

“….”

Aurora closed her eyes and opened them again.

She dared to feel that it was more beautiful than the palace.

The scenery did not disappear even when she closed or opened her eyes. 

Indeed, it was a three-dimensional magic that could replace attendance.

But at the same time.

“…Yushia.”

Aurora muttered the name of the third princess.

She had been in frequent contact with Yushia and Flan lately. 

The glowing Mory, a magic that applied to three dimensions. 

Yushia had been obsessed with it since she was young.

The more interested she became in Flan, the more annoyed she felt by Yushia.

Something was burning in her heart.

The true competitiveness that she had forgotten due to boredom. And the possessiveness.

“Ban.”

She called the name of her escort knight.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I want to hold a festival at the magic department.”

“A festival… Your Highness?”

“Yes. To help recruit investors for the magic tower. That’s the official reason, at least.”

Ban tilted his head and asked.

“Do you have another reason, Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

Aurora had already risen from her throne.

She said with a cheerful face.

“I’ll have to visit there myself once.”

◈

Scarlet was still in the annex.

The annex did not confine her, but she could not leave by her own will.

No, she couldn’t move her feet at all. 

She was in agony from the sorrow that seemed to tear her heart and the pain that seemed to sever her bond.

She couldn’t remember anything now.

It was like seeing a blood-stained illusion, but Scarlet knew it was real. She was still sitting there, dejected.

As if she had aphasia.

“…”

Suddenly, regret flared up like a flame.

She had many choices in her life. She could have gone in a different direction, or stopped.

But it was none other than herself who walked this path that led to this outcome. No matter how many moments she wanted to go back, there was not a single choice she could change now.

Karma.

Was this karma?

The karma of surviving miserably with a cursed body, the karma of inheriting Flan’s unique ability, the karma of not even remembering the favor…

“Ah… Aaaaaah…”

She clasped her face with both hands. She felt the pain of her nails digging into her cheeks. But she was only trembling.

Scarlet felt it.

Something had broken desperately in the depths of her heart.

It was an unstoppable destructive force, and she couldn’t fix it either. She had no choice but to let go of her body that was swept away by the huge flow.

“What should I do…”

She pressed her forehead against the cold floor. It was hard to even sit down now.

The memories she had seen flashed by like a carousel.

Flan’s smile that tried to reassure her, his determination to willingly pass on his unique ability, his unwavering walk on the path of magic afterwards…

You loved me from the beginning to the end, but I resented you from the start to the finish.

How dare I, so worthless, be your fiancée.

The black world seemed to swallow her whole. Lying face down, Scarlet cried with her whole body.

At that time, she was trembling with agony.

“Scarlet.”

Libra’s double called her softly.

Scarlet did not answer. She curled up into a fetal corpse. She seemed to not hear Libra’s words at all.

In the end, Libra put her hand under Scarlet’s armpit and lifted her upper body. She made her sit leaning against the wall and looked into her eyes.

“It’s time to make a decision.”

Scarlet’s empty eyes met Libra’s double. They were the eyes of a dead person.

“First, there is a way for you to live as a Knight of the Flickering Flame again.”

Libra nodded and the door of the annex opened.

“If you leave the annex like this, you will forget all the memories you have read so far. You can live peacefully as a Knight of the Flickering Flame again.”

The attendant said that and drew a sword. It was a very long and sharp sword.

“But.”

Clang!

It was stabbed vertically into the ground.

“If the blade of this sword pierces your heart, you can leave the annex with the memories you have observed. The name of this sword is ‘Acceptance’.”

But the attendant’s words were not over yet.

“One more.”

Clang!

Another sword was thrown to the floor.

It could not be stabbed into the ground. 

It was a dull piece of metal that was barely a sword.

“If you want more truth, there is also this option.”

“More truth…?”

“It’s a sword called ‘Understanding’. You will get the causality you want, but the activation condition is very tricky.”

After saying that, the attendant smiled.

“…No, I should say it’s painful.”

Scarlet stared at the attendant with empty eyes. She did not seem to be listening.

She was already a corpse.

“You have to cut your stomach with this sword. You won’t actually die, but it will be so painful that you’d rather die. Even the main body has never swung this sword.”

Libra’s double crossed her arms.

“You can only choose one of the two. Keep that in mind, and please make the best judgment.”

With that, the attendant disappeared like dust.

What was left were two swords. And Scarlet.

One hour. Two hours.

“…”

Scarlet was still silent. 

It was unclear if she was breathing.

And finally.

Three hours.

“…”

Scarlet quietly grabbed a sword.

The name of the sword she held was, ‘Understanding’.