Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 139:

Translator: MarcTempest

Proofreader: naturallyInconsistent

Chapter 139: No need.

…Time seemed to slow down.

Flan.

She met him in front of the mansion.

His eyes, red with certainty under his jet-black hair. His sharp jawline and eyes. His appearance was no different from the past, but.

Only his expression was very different.

She felt an illusion that the temperature around her dropped for a moment because of his expressionlessness.

No longer, there was no gentle face that I had seen in the past.

Scarlet wondered.

Could that coldness melt someday in the distant future?

If she endured and persevered day by day.

When she greeted the spring day when the buds sprouted, would she see the gentleness that she had glimpsed from the edge of her memory again?

Scarlet’s life was a blessing and a sin at the same time.

It would be a blessing to have a life that embraced the curse, but it was a sin to take away the fiancé’s unique ability.

It was a life that was forced to shoulder a contradiction.

Suddenly, a scene flashed through her mind.

It was a scene that she had already seen once in the annex.

-Hey, can I ask you about some magic I don’t know?

It was the voice of young Flan.

To learn magic, he went around tirelessly.

He was willing to do so even though he had to reveal his own flaws.

-No, you can’t. You have no talent at all.

The blonde-haired girl shook her head.

The girl’s eyes were full of contempt as she looked at Flan.

Hailey.

It was the name written on the girl’s name tag.

-Flan.

-Huh?

-Why do you keep asking me to teach you something you can’t do? Do you have another purpose? Are you doing this because you’re interested in me?

Scarlet’s heart shattered at the moment she saw that scene.

Flan had no reason to endure such insults. But he always laughed it off and tried to prove something new.

When she realized that his proof was for his own miserable self, her heart felt numb.

“Why do you look at people with that look?”

Flan’s cold voice hit her ears.

She came to her senses.

Scarlet snapped out of her trance, and her heart felt a throbbing pain.

“…”

Silence fell for a moment.

“Get out of the way.”

The man quietly passed by her.

Scarlet stared blankly at his figure.

As she looked at his back, which had widened more than before, countless thoughts crossed her mind.

But still, she had nothing to say.

◈

I returned to the mansion and started working.

“It’s already piled up like this.”

I sat down on the chair and checked the list of investors and the amount of money that I received from Maiev.

Now, the problem of ‘finance’ can be considered solved.

Even if the amount of gold runs out in the meantime, I still have nothing to worry about.

The second princess Aurora had promised to support me.

“This is enough.”

The act of compromising with the best design and resources in a limited situation.

I was free from the problems that most people would face.

Now it’s time to take the next step of the plan.

I closed Maiev’s report and rang the bell on the desk. It was to call the maid.

Ten seconds later, Catarina appeared.

“Yes, sir. Did you call me?”

Catarina bowed her head and showed her courtesy.

She had a very maid-like appearance.

But, she was not alone.

“Sir, excuse me.”

“Excuse me.”

The other maids lined up and entered my room.

They carefully placed a cart full of desserts on one side of the room.

I narrowed my eyebrows and asked the maid.

“What is this?”

“In case you get bored while working…. I prepared only the finest things.”

“Did you prepare this?”

“Yes. I did.”

But Catarina’s voice trembled, and I didn’t miss her eyes turning to the door for a moment.

I caught a glimpse of a black strand of hair sticking out from the slightly opened door.

“…”

But it was just a fleeting moment. Soon, the presence I felt from the door disappeared completely.

I shook my head as if to say it was nothing.

“No need. Clear everything away.”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

“And there must have been something that arrived at the mansion.”

“I’ve taken care of it. Please wait a moment.”

Catarina left the room and returned shortly with a bunch of scrolls in her arms. 

They were all about the ‘schools’ of magic.

I hated wasting time, so I asked Yushia to send me the types and simple features of the magic schools that existed in this world to the Judith mansion.

But the arrival was quite fast. It was worth playing the glow-in-the-dark puzzle with her.

“Sir. Next Tuesday, there is a meeting for the heirs. Will you attend?”

“A meeting for the heirs?”

“It’s called the ‘succession’ meeting. Until last year, Miss Scarlet attended.”

“Then why don’t you ask Scarlet?”

In the air, Chief Maid and I locked eyes. 

Catarina shuddered and lowered her gaze.

“I already asked, but she said she had no interest in the lord’s seat anymore.”

Indeed, she kept her promise like a knight.

“Is it a trivial meeting that anyone can attend as an heir?”

“Not at all. Only the excellent families that have passed the verification can barely qualify to attend.”

“I see. I’ll consider it.”

I answered briefly and nodded.

The meeting for the heirs was a tempting offer.

Since I planned to turn Judith into a family for me, it wouldn’t be bad to make connections with some of the most prominent families in this world.

And it was also the best place to reveal my identity.

“Let’s go out for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Catarina bowed and left.

As I skimmed through the scrolls I received from Yushia, I saw that they were indeed neatly organized with the information about the magic schools that existed in this world.

By the way, I already know some of them. I’ve heard or seen them occasionally while going back and forth.

There are 12 schools in total.

Compared to the previous world, the number is much smaller. 

In other words, some magic that should have been researched by now has not been researched yet.

“…First of all, 12?”

Even though the number is smaller than the previous world, I still need to go through the process of collecting them first.

To make the new tower a true ‘cradle of magic’, I need to be able to gather them all and get their sincere recognition.

In the previous world, there were not a few wars between the schools. 

And that always slowed down the development of magic by about 20 years.

“I can’t allow that.”

It was a waste of time to aim for the advancement of magic with pure minds, let alone fighting and biting each other.

“That, sir.”

As I was thinking that, Catarina came in again. She had a gold envelope in her hand.

“Just now, a message arrived from the palace.”

“Really?”

My name was written on the envelope as if to show off.

The second princess Aurora already knew that I was a Judith, so it was possible.

I tore open the overly old-fashioned envelope. 

The content was very simple. It was just a sentence that emphasized visiting the palace today.

…No, there was one more thing.

“A debate?”

There was a content that said to report to Aurora after having a magic debate with the court magicians, and as soon as I confirmed that, a good plan came to my mind.

A plan to gather various schools at the tower, like a light bulb turning on in the dark.

“If the place is not the palace, but the tower…”

The second princess Aurora, if she were to come to the tower herself, there would be no school to object.

How to make her come.

How to call Aurora.

…That wasn’t hard.

◈

Flan’s visit was not far away.

Aurora’s words were delivered quickly and accurately. 

Half of the escort knights were by her side, and the princess looked at him.

“Ban. What do you think of this part?”

Aurora lifted a paper with one hand and pointed to the part where her message was written with the other. 

It was about the magic debate.

“…The court magicians are very excellent, but I wonder why it has to be Flan.”

Ban answered as honestly as he could. 

Aurora nodded slowly.

“That’s right. You must be curious. I expected that.”

“Don’t you see the future in the first place?”

“I don’t need to see the future. I know it well enough.”

“Knights are stubborn by nature.”

“You are just simple.”

“Yes.”

Ban calmly accepted Aurora’s words. 

He was quite used to this kind of conversation after a few years.

“Flan will stay at the academy for a while, right?”

“Yes.”

Aurora recalled some of the information she had obtained.

Flan had his own dedicated team, and that was not enough. 

He even built a new tower.

There were many reckless and foolish magicians in history, but Flan was almost the only one who achieved progress with evidence.

“I have to raise him in the palace.”

Therefore, Aurora’s primary goal was to keep Flan in the palace and make him her own.

“…”

When the escort knight did not answer, Aurora lowered her posture slightly and looked at Ban’s face.

“Hey, why don’t you answer?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Ban bowed his head hastily. 

Aurora suddenly realized that she could not read Ban’s future.

If something was unreadable, it meant that he was thinking about Flan.

“Ban.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“You were thinking about Flan.”

“Yes.”

Aurora stared at him with a look that demanded him to spill everything, and he had no choice but to open his mouth.

“Can Flan be tamed by anyone? I was wondering about that.”

“How pathetic.”

She held her chin with one hand, as if she was displeased. 

The second princess’s chamber became quiet.

“There is nothing that I cannot tame. I first held him with the excuse of a debate, and then I will gradually make him live here with a leash.”

She had never failed to get what she wanted, and if it was in someone else’s hands, she would snatch it away.

If she felt like she would lose it, she would kill it. 

That was the secret of how she, who was once a weak girl, had survived until now.

Ban opened his mouth with a difficult expression.

“Some people would rather break than bend, Your Highness.”

“Breaking them is also a way of taming them.”

Aurora twisted her lips and glanced at him.

“Besides, the palace has everything. With such a cage, he will eventually be satisfied.”

She was confident that she could tame anyone, no matter who they were. Because she herself held the whip.

“Is it time for him to visit?”

“It’s in a minute.”

Aurora closed her eyes quietly.

Boom-

Soon, the drum sounded, announcing the time of the meeting.

But.

When she opened her eyelids again, the scenery did not change.

“…”

Aurora rolled her tongue slowly in her mouth. 

Once again, she lowered and raised her eyelids slowly.

“…?”

But this time, too, the scenery was the same.

5 minutes. 10 minutes.

And it was the same even after 30 minutes.

“What is this…”

Aurora muttered, narrowing her eyebrows.

And finally, the outside became noisy. 

Someone had arrived, but the second princess was lost in thought.

How should she take the fact that he was 30 minutes late? 

If he did not have a reason that would satisfy her, he would have to face a severe punishment.

But.

-The third princess has arrived!

The sound that echoed outside the chamber.

“…”

The one who visited the palace was not Flan, again.