Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 185:

Chapter 185

The World in the Painting.

I visited this world with the notes of the ancient runes I had researched and the runes that the Dawn Butterfly pointed out.

The conclusion was that I had achieved some results. I could manipulate the ancient runes in the water as if they were my limbs.

I found the central area in the World in the Painting, where the scenery was the most beautiful and the mana quality was the best.

I closed my eyes and focused my mind.

And the next moment, I manifested magic.

My sight turned black as I closed my eyes, like a blackboard. White formulas began to appear clearly in my mind and in front of my eyes.

“…”

Different parts were highlighted and created a new picture, and I engraved the finished product in my brain.

The different characters that seemed to have no connection at all started to reveal the silhouette of a formula.

“Hmm…”

Of course, it was not without risk.

Every time an ancient rune was combined, I felt a discomfort as if blood was flowing backwards.

My body was burning with fever.

I could increase my endurance, but my sense of pain did not dull.

In other words, I was suffering from indescribable pain from within every moment.

I overcame everything with extreme willpower and overlapped six runes.

I suddenly remembered a past event. I was covered in sweat as if I was dehydrated.

-Then, Mr. Kaplan, how would you feel if you were in a position where you had to prove yourself again?

The last words I heard in the previous world.

I thought it was a simple question, but if it wasn’t, if someone else’s intention brought me to this world, if there was some connection between that faceless being and me…

“No.”

I brushed away many thoughts and opened my eyes.

Even if someone intervened and caused this, that someone would not rule over me.

I had never lived under anyone’s shadow, and I would continue to do so.

I found the office in the World in the Painting.

Even though my body was exhausted, my mental power was fine.

The environment was not much different from the dormitory room, but the time flowed only a third as much. It was very effective for summarizing the information I had obtained.

I immediately started the summary work. The letters that were written clearly looked quite good to me.

“Five, six…”

I forgot even the flow of time and exerted extreme concentration, and when I put down the pen, a week had passed.

I had confirmed the connection between the previous world and the Dawn Butterfly, so that was enough for now.

There was no end to the path of training, and it was time to look at the outside world.

◈

“How much time has passed?”

After leaving the World in the Painting, I asked Maiev.

“Yes, master. Exactly a week.”

“I see.”

As expected, time had passed as much as I expected. I had to check if the things I expected had happened as well.

Thud-.

Maiev put a cup of tea on the desk.

“Not ‘I see’, but ‘it’s a mess’. The magic department is paralyzed and the tower construction is stopped.”

“I expected that.”

I muttered briefly and grabbed the teacup.

The scent had deepened, but the toxicity had also become much stronger.

I stared at Maiev quietly.

She was still doing her best. She did what I told her to do, and also tried to assassinate me.

“Maiev.”

“Yes. Master.”

I hesitated for a moment and said.

“Don’t you want to go back to the void?”

“The void?”

Maiev tilted her head.

She sighed deeply after a while and took the dagger to her side.

“…Is it a dispatch? What information do you need this time?”

She seemed to think that I would send her to the void and cut off her arm again. I took a sip of tea and shook my head.

“It’s not a dispatch. I mean, I’ll send you back for good.”

“What?”

Maiev tilted her head a little more. I pointed to the back of her hand with my index finger.

“In other words, it’s liberation.”

“…!”

Maiev’s eyes, which had been expressionless, began to grow bigger as she understood what I said.

She stuttered, which was rare for her.

“Li, li, li…”

“Yes. I’ll erase the slave mark and-“

“Liberation? You mean liberation?”

“I’m thinking of sending you back to the void.”

As I finished speaking, all the documents that Maiev was holding fell to the floor. She spoke as if she couldn’t believe what I said.

“Liberation… But you said you would never release me, that it would be longer than death…”

That was true.

And that was what I really thought.

Maiev’s ability was disguise. And she did what I told her to do very well.

The longer I kept her by my side, the more benefits I could get.

But there was a head-on collision with the vampires at Leheln Hill.

There would be more confrontations with them in the future, and that was obvious.

I needed a decision now.

I needed to keep someone loyal around me. 

Especially if the target was a vampire, I had to verify their loyalty.

That was my decision.

It wasn’t for some false and righteous reason like ‘doing it for Maiev’. 

I was just at a point where I had to test this girl’s intentions and loyalty.

“You did well on your assigned task. It was shorter than I expected. You can graduate now.”

“What…?”

“No questions. Give me your hand.”

I erased the slave mark engraved on the back of her hand. 

And I gave her a small souvenir.

It was a pathetic thing to call a souvenir. It was a teacup that Maiev had made countless times while living as a slave.

“Don’t harm humans and live quietly.”

Maiev took the teacup with a trembling face. And she looked at her clean back of her hand several times.

“…”

She was frozen for a while. She looked more moved than I had expected.

“Okay.”

Then Maiev picked up the papers that had fallen and stacked them neatly. 

Without any errors.

“This is the information I’ve collected for you. And I’ll be going now. I can go, right…?”

“Don’t make a fuss. It annoys me.”

“Yes. Master.”

Maiev quickly opened a dimensional door and prepared to leave. 

I didn’t bother to look that way.

But then.

“Um, one last thing.”

Maiev carefully handed me a book from her arms.

“This is the last thing I organized. Be careful.”

[About the vampire Officers] 

[Suspicious People Among the Participants of the Gathering] 

[Family Proof Meeting]

Maiev pointed to the second item with the tip of her index finger and emphasized it.

The participants who were suspiciously out of place. I was aware of them too. 

Especially, I kept an eye on the Conrad family, who had lost their son in the dangerous area of Verkel and blamed me.

“They withdrew too easily from the gathering. They probably wished you would die at the hands of the vampire, master.”

She continued calmly.

“But since you survived as if to show them, they are likely to do something strange at the family social meeting. Maybe they will finally make their move…”

“Maiev.”

“Yes?”

“Look at me.”

Then Maiev stopped talking and stared at me.

“Don’t you know who I am?”

There were always forces threatening my life, so this wasn’t surprising information. 

And I was confident.

“…I know. Yeah, you’re right.”

Maiev nodded in the end.

“Then that’s it. We won’t see each other again… probably.”

Maiev muttered and bowed like a lady, not like a slave. She bent her body gracefully and lifted one side of her skirt. 

That kind of greeting.

Maybe, this was our new beginning.

◈

Three days later.

The second princess Aurora wandered around Fritz’s territory all day. 

The reason was obvious: to fix the situation.

But ‘fixing’ meant that the incident had already happened. 

So Aurora couldn’t walk around here confidently.

The lord of the Fritz family, Trixie, and Flan’s party were also awkward whenever they met. 

They were all suffering with pale faces.

Then she heard the maids whispering.

“Really?” 

“I heard it for sure.” 

“Mr. Flan is finally coming back?” 

“Yeah. How many times are you going to ask?”

It was a small voice, but it sounded strangely clear in Aurora’s ears. And at the same time, her face brightened.

“But…”

But as the maid’s whisper continued, Aurora’s face hardened gradually. Very coldly.

“…He seemed angry? A lot.”

A word that made her heart sink.

Aurora’s smile was rather, covered with fear.