Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 160:

Translator: MarcTempest

Proofreader: naturallyInconsistent

Chapter 160 You have nothing to gain.Nothing at all.It was as if the concept of sound had disappeared inside the shelter. Scarlet licked her lips several times, but she couldn’t make any noise.​Flan was still relaxed.

His dignity, immersed in reading, dyed the nearby atmosphere with an old-fashioned charm.​Rustle, rustle.​He started to turn the pages again and asked.​“Do you still have something to say?”​Scarlet took a deep breath.​She had come this far with the goal of passing, and now she had been notified of her failure.

Of course, she had something to say.​“I want to know why. Didn’t I succeed all three times?”​“Yes.”​Flan cleanly admitted Scarlet’s words. But then, his next words were shockingly harsh.

“That’s why you were rejected.”​Scarlet couldn’t understand what Flan was saying. It felt contradictory to acknowledge her success and reject her at the same time.

“I tried to find your flaws through the three tasks, but I couldn’t. You were perfect.”​​“…”

“You are already complete, Scarlet. You are far from my plan.”​Her doubts grew with every word he added. She asked desperately.

“I don’t know what your plan is, but wasn’t winning the goal?”

“To be precise, the goal is to bring the second princess to the tower. A normal victory won’t do that.”​Was he planning another extraordinary victory this time? She didn’t care about that. What hurt Scarlet more was the fact that she had to be excluded for his sake.​She stared blankly at Flan. Her body, soaked with sweat, had dried up and cooled down. ​“Scarlet, you are brilliant.”​And then, a sudden remark.

“You were faster than anyone, you hid your presence excellently, and that was the only reason why it was possible for you to witness the dawn butterfly.”​There was no sarcasm in his tone. ​Flan was sincerely praising Scarlet.

Even though she felt it clearly, Scarlet felt like her body and mind were sinking into a bottomless swamp.​“I never intended to catch the dawn butterfly.”​Then Scarlet clenched her fist.​She didn’t know what his plan was, but if she decided, she could participate in it.​“Then….”

“But Scarlet. There is one more important reason.”​His words were cut off abruptly.​“You have nothing to gain by being with me. Nothing at all.”

Her head went blank.​Flan’s eyes captured her. Her own eyes, reflected in his, were shaking madly.​“…”​Her vision swayed. She had to take several deep breaths because of her fast breathing.​“Is that enough explanation?”​Scarlet couldn’t give any answer. Her body was stiff and motionless, and so was her mouth.​Silence lingered in the shelter for a while. Because of the sweat drops that fell from her body, Scarlet looked like there was a puddle on the floor.​Flan eventually opened the book again and started reading. But even after he turned over thirty pages, Scarlet couldn’t move as if she had nails in her feet.​Flan finally broke the silence.​“You’re not slow to understand, are you?”​It was practically an order to leave.​“…Yes. I understood.”​Scarlet finally retorted. She was trying to calm her trembling body, but that made her look more miserable.​“I did everything perfectly.”​“…”

“But if you don’t like me, there’s nothing I can do.”​She would be lying if she said she never imagined being with Flan.

She was annoyed by the threat of the Cloud family, but she was happy to find an excuse to spend time with him.​But the result was so cruel.​She was a burden to Flan in the past because she was weak, but now she couldn’t be with him because she had grown well.​She was recognized by him, but she couldn’t be happy. Rather, she felt like her heart was breaking.​But Scarlet tried to act as calm as possible. She bowed her head. Her eyes felt moist.​“Do you know Kian?”​Scarlet changed the subject.

“I don’t remember well.”

“The leader of the Azure who died in Verkel.”

“I remember now. But why?”​“His sister is participating in this gathering. The composition of her team is a bit suspicious.”​Scarlet took out the list from her bosom. It was completely crumpled, but not to the point that she couldn’t read the contents.​

She handed it to Flan while still bowing her head.

“There’s nothing wrong with their documents, but I’ve never seen them at the academy before. They’re probably forged.”

“Is that so?”

“So…”

I wanted to escort him by his side.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. 

The silence stretched on. 

The angle of the sunlight pouring through the window gradually tilted.

It was none of my business.

That’s all it was. Flan didn’t need me. I was enough just by delivering the information.

Being with him was a greed…

Flan was the first to break the silence. As if he had heard something trivial.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

That was all he said.

“Okay.”

Flan glanced at Scarlet, who lowered her head even more. Flan didn’t bother to question her reaction.

Scarlet turned around without a word. 

She walked toward the door of the residence, her shoulders slumped.

Flan quietly added one more thing.

“Good job.”

Then Scarlet stopped in her tracks.

“…”

She stood still with her back to Flan.

“You more.”

She left a meaningful remark and left.

◈

The next morning.

The team selection was completed without a hitch.

I chose Trixie and Yushia, and promised to train with Yvonne and Janet later, who were eliminated.

As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I started writing down the things in my head.

‘A normal victory.’

That wouldn’t do. Aurora might not accept a normal victory. 

That’s why I was devising a plan to catch the ‘princess’ instead of the ‘butterfly’.

“Wand.”

I muttered something that came to my mind.

─I’ll make you a wand.

I hadn’t ordered the wand that Conette promised me yet, but now it seemed like the time. 

This event was not only for students, so I had to do it perfectly.

“Not bad.”

The criteria for the public recruitment had changed a lot, so the preparation period had also increased. I judged that it would be enough to equip a wand.

“Master.”

From the picture hanging on one side of the dormitory, the World in the Painting, Maiev popped out.

“Did you come? I just woke up.”

“Yeah.”

She immediately handed me something.

“Something else came from the palace. You should take a look.”

“Did you summarize it?”

“I summarized it for you.”

Maiev answered confidently. And as soon as I saw the document she handed me, I furrowed my brows.

I had no choice.

[ Increase the team size to four. ]

[ Consider the danger of Reheln Hill. ]

[ Assign a knight of the capital to each team. ]

It wasn’t surprising that they changed it considering Reheln Hill was a dangerous place.

“A knight of the capital.”

They were the ones who had reached a certain level and only below the position of the Sword Saint. But what made me narrow my eyes was the line below.

[ Scarlet Judith ]

“…”

The name of the knight of the capital assigned to my team.

“Master. I made a new tea. Try it.”

Maiev pushed a new tea without any tact. It was a strange liquid that bubbled and foamed at a glance.

“Don’t you have any tact?”

“I’m sorry. It’s delicious, though.”

Maiev drank it with a sheepish expression.

I looked over the name of the knight of the capital added to my team twice. But nothing changed as I looked at it.

“…Does it matter?”

I soon brushed it off calmly.

It didn’t matter. I just had to catch the princess instead of the butterfly as planned.

Knock knock─

Then there was a knock. I opened the door without thinking.

The brown hair cut at an angle and the badge on the shoulder that said ‘President’.

It was Emily.

She held a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, as usual. But for some reason, she was only looking at her own feet.

“Junior~ I’m sorry to bother you. Is it okay for a moment?”

Her tone was steady, but her eyes couldn’t meet mine.

“It’s fine. Come in.”

“Ah, thank you. It’s my first time in a guy’s space…”

Emily cautiously entered the dorm. She seemed restless, but her words were confident.

“Junior, you finished the team selection, right?”

“Yeah.”

Emily continued to scribble notes as she spoke.

“Congratulations. Now we can talk about something else.”

“What do you want?”

“Of course, orientation! I think we need to do it again. Junior, do you remember the question you posted on the Agora Board?”

I nodded lightly.

“I remember. It was a very easy question.”

“Yeah. Thanks to that…”

Emily walked towards the window and flung the curtain open. She pointed with her chin as if to show me something.

And the scene that appeared.

There were people crowded everywhere.

“Can you believe that they all gathered because of your lecture?”

She hung the pen over her ear and shrugged her shoulders as if she couldn’t believe it. I stared at the crowd for a while.

And I muttered.

“Is this all I get?”