Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 232 It’s Not a Fight That Should Drag On.

“Who’s coming out from the Knights Department?”

“There can’t be many Capital Knights left…”

Despite the early hour, the audience seats were buzzing with excitement. This was likely due to the shocking outcomes of the two previous matches between the Magic Department and the Knights.

In the midst of the commotion, someone shouted.

“Huh? That’s not a Capital Knight!”

Simultaneously, the murmurs began to ripple through the crowd like waves.

Everyone expected a Capital Knight to face off against Trixie from the Magic Department, but instead, it was a Guardian Knight who appeared with a sword on the stage.

The crowd was already dissatisfied with just a Guardian Knight.

“Did he come up just to give directions?”

“But he’s carrying a sword.”

Everyone looked puzzled.

It was a natural reaction.

Compared to Louis and Maiev, who had appeared earlier, Trixie von Fritz was a stronger representative. It was only natural to think the Knights would make thorough preparations.

“Or is it a Capital Knight we don’t know about?”

“Just look at the emblem. It’s definitely not a Capital Knight.”

“Exactly.”

No matter how many times they checked, it wasn’t a Capital Knight.

Was it then a master disguised as a Guardian Knight? It didn’t feel that way either. Compared to the knights who had appeared earlier, he seemed the weakest.

The professors were equally perplexed.

“What on earth are they thinking?”

Violet narrowed her eyes.

Of course, from the Magic Department’s perspective, it was good news to have an easier opponent, but the Knights’ intentions were unclear, making it all the more mysterious.

“It seems they’ve decided to give what they must.”

“Give what they must? No.”

An unmistakable look of displeasure crossed Violet’s face. If the Secretary’s prediction was correct, the Knights were playing a transparent and calculated game.

Too calculated.

They would casually let the other representatives win and pour everything they had into Flan.

Since Flan was their leader, it was obvious they intended to thoroughly crush him by any means.

“It’s really despicable. Despicable.”

“They don’t want to give more than necessary.”

As the Secretary and Violet wore expressions of frustration, Conette, the Dean of the Magic Department, nodded quietly as if this was expected.

“I always teach my students that the process is important….”

Conette continued slowly.

“…Unfortunately, there aren’t many who value the process as much as I do. Most people emphasize the results. The Knights simply understand this well.”

“…”

Violet glared at the Knights’ camp.

“I thought the noble chivalry wouldn’t be so dirty….”

“It’s about retaining as much of their vested interests as possible. That’s what they consider noble. Those knights.”

Even as he patted Violet’s shoulder, Conette felt a bit of bitterness in his mouth. He was well aware of what the magicians were thinking.

Even so, Violet and the other professors were quite old. They had faced the harsh realities of life and become somewhat desensitized, so they could accept things quickly…

‘I’m worried about the representatives.’

What concerned him were the representatives.

Firstly, they were young and hadn’t faced as many of life’s hardships as the adults had.

Moreover, they were about to face Capital Knights, the highest rank, rather than the lower-ranking knights they were used to.

The children, who had expected that noble chivalry would be different, would now see their expectations brutally shattered.

They might even feel a great sense of betrayal toward the world. So…

‘Flan.’

Conette’s gaze turned to Flan.

In the end, he could only rely on him once again.

◈

As for Trixie, the contestant, her mood was understandably not good.

“…”

Trixie, who had now prominently risen to the position of family head, was quicker-witted than most adults. It wasn’t hard for her to deduce the knights’ intentions.

“I’m Guardian Knight, Zig.”

She couldn’t bring herself to greet him easily.

As Trixie stared at Zig, he averted his gaze first. This meant that he, too, felt a sense of shame.

So Trixie asked differently.

“Who ordered you?”

“No one ordered me, it was my choice.”

However, Trixie saw it. Zig’s eyes fleetingly turned to Viola at the center of the knights’ camp.

‘Viola.’

In four words: imposing and dignified.

The pure white Capital Knight, Viola, gazed down at Trixie leisurely, as if to bear the weight of the consequences.

Trixie closed her eyes briefly and thought.

‘What strategy did Flan use?’

Did he efficiently calculate who would win by checking the matchups? Did he use his brain to consider compatibility?

No, Flan never acted like that.

In this tournament, he didn’t send out representatives based on profitability. If the representatives declared they would compete, he gladly accepted it.

‘I’m grateful, once again.’

Trixie unconsciously muttered. She decided she would say something to him after the match.

The next moment, Trixie and Zig bowed slightly to each other.

Unlike the slightly confused Zig, Trixie was calmly flickering with blue flames.

Trixie quietly declared,

“I will win.”

“….”

Despite the blatant provocation, Zig merely gripped his sword. This was unimaginable in the past. A representative of the Magic Department provoking a Guardian Knight!

‘So that’s why.’

Trixie felt she could vaguely understand Flan’s intentions.

Of course, winning and losing was important, but even more important was whether one could hold their head high in the arena. If the situation were reversed, Trixie wouldn’t have been able to lift her head.

Bang─!

At that moment, the flare signal went off, marking the start of the match.

Trixie quietly drew a magic circle in her mind. Unbeknownst to her, a smile appeared on her face.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Zig asked, puzzled.

“How could I not be happy?”

Trixie replied confidently and assuredly.

“Finally… I get to show my blue flames in front of so many people. You should watch closely too.”

The victory seemed assured, but what delighted her was the opportunity to showcase her flames. This declaration was so shocking that the knights’ faces hardened.

Even Viola, the Capital Knight sitting in the center of the camp, rested her chin on her hand with a displeased expression.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Trixie chuckled as she looked at Zig.

“I want to say that the process is more important than the result.”

This was likely what Flan wanted to teach the representatives of the Magic Department.

Trixie understood too.

In such an important place, it’s not just about winning─ It’s even more important how you win.

And now she knew exactly how she would win.

To win honorably. To win purely with skill, without complex calculations. To recreate that miraculous moment of making the impossible possible.

…Yes, to truly summon ‘magic’.

That was Trixie’s intention. Because she was a magician.

Woosh!

Blue flames enveloped Trixie like a cloak.

The head of the Fritz family maintained her composure and smile, while Zig, the knight, felt his body tense up.

Zig couldn’t understand himself.

‘What is this?’

The opponent was merely a student representative of the Magic Department. In theory, someone of a much lower rank than a Guardian Knight.

But…

Could the surging blue energy around Trixie truly belong to just a student?

Absolutely not.

Zig slowly opened and closed his eyes. The one conjuring blue flames before him was a true magician.

As Zig swallowed dryly,

Whoosh─!

A massive wave of flames engulfed him.

And even in the entirely blue-tinted view, Trixie’s voice rang out with remarkable clarity.

“It’s not a fight that should drag on, is it?”