Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 234: Finally, Flan

Even the moment of victory was perfect.

Despite having fought a very important match, Trixie’s condition remained unchanged from before the match started. She was that flawless.

“…We won.”

Violet, sitting among the professors, muttered.

She had to repeat herself once more.

“We won. And it was perfect.”

But until Violet repeated her words twice, no one around her spoke. The reason was simple. The impact of the match was too great.

Why had the Magic Department thrilled the crowd? Why had they garnered so much support? The answer was simple.

They felt a sense of satisfaction seeing the Magic Department, who had been oppressed by the knights for so long, rise in rebellion.

But the nature of this victory was a bit different. Trixie, clearly in the position of the ‘strong,’ had overpowered the escort knight, who was in the position of the ‘weak.’

“I’ve heard of Trixie’s name before, but I never thought her skills and growth would be at this level.”

The secretary pushed up her glasses, looking bewildered. Violet completely agreed with her opinion.

“It’s natural to not have expected this. In fact, the last time I saw Trixie, her skills were not at the level of an escort knight.”

“What on earth happened?”

“…It can only be explained by Flan. Flan, and nothing else.”

This murmuring spread to the audience.

“At this rate, isn’t the Magic Department stronger?”

“That’s an unreasonable thing to say.”

“Now it’s a reasonable thing to say. The Magic Department has had a series of victories. Ah, should we exclude the one draw? Even so, they haven’t lost!”

Regardless of people’s perceptions, the results were cold and honest. If you looked at the results alone, there were virtually no victories for the knights.

“Moreover, this match was overwhelmingly one-sided.”

A comment someone made offhandedly.

There was no one who could argue against it.

They had come here wondering who would become the hero. No one had thought the Magic Department would perform this well.

But their expectations had now been thoroughly shattered.

The flow of the arena was changing.

No, it had already changed.

◈

“….”

A Capital Knight, who seemed like a music score sculpted into human form. The pure white Viola looked around with displeased eyes.

From the start, the escort knight was a losing hand.

But even so, she couldn’t help feeling twisted seeing the Magic Department being increasingly accepted as the stronger side in the arena.

“Get in.”

The escort knight couldn’t even look Viola in the eye and trudged back to the waiting room. It wasn’t just a regrettable loss but a complete defeat, so his shame must have risen to the top of his head.

“Viola.”

At that moment, Libra, known as the Memory Cutter, spoke.

“Is this the result you wanted to create?”

Among the knights, Libra was often criticized for being ‘inflexible.’ This was because he always emphasized principles.

Of course, the chivalric code included mutual respect among the Capital Knights… but what was happening now was enough to enrage Libra.

“You pretended to care about the honor of the knights, but in the end, you only thought about your own safety. We should have expected this from the start and prevented it….”

Viola clicked her tongue.

“I couldn’t even imagine. That Viola would treat other Capital Knights like disposable cards.”

“Libra!”

Viola raised her voice in anger.

“Music…”

As Libra met Viola’s eyes without flinching, Viola continued, spitting out her words.

“The first movement, the second movement, the third movement… they follow an order. If there’s an important section, there can be parts that are just for the introduction. How could you understand such a grand picture?”

“So, we are just the introduction?”

“I didn’t want to make you the introduction. You brought this upon yourselves.”

It was akin to saying, “Who told you to lose?”

Understanding Viola’s intent all too well, Libra bit his lip hard. There wasn’t a single knight here who hadn’t given their all.

‘Not just any knight, but one who was a candidate for a hero.’

Viola wasn’t always like this.

A knight as graceful as a melody. Those who met her were amazed, and if they witnessed her swordsmanship, they felt as if their hearts were purified.

But now, Libra couldn’t feel that way about her.

It felt like looking at a discarded sheet of music.

There wasn’t a trace of beautiful melody, the notes were a mess, and the paper was crumpled. He couldn’t shake off the impression of facing such an ugly sight.

Libra sighed deeply and turned his head.

In the distance, Flan’s face came into view.

‘Serenity.’

He exuded a sense of ease. What Libra had always dreamed of was living leisurely in the lap of nature, doing nothing. Flan had a similar air about him.

The representatives of the Magic Department were jumping for joy next to Flan as they welcomed Trixie. The smiles on their faces were so pure that there was nothing to criticize.

“Um… Lady Viola.”

At that moment, another escort knight carefully opened his mouth.

Viola looked at him irritably. Normally, that look alone would be enough to make the escort knight fall to his knees, but he continued speaking, sensing the importance of what he had to say.

“The Magic Department has already sent their next representative.”

The knights’ eyes turned to the arena. Becky, a red-haired girl with an impressively large pointed hat, was standing there.

“She is the last of the Magic Department’s representatives, and after her, it will finally be Flan’s turn. The problem is….”

The escort knight trailed off, but the knights already had an idea of what he was going to say next.

“…According to Lady Viola’s plan, an escort knight should face Becky, and a Capital Knight should go against Flan. But there are no escort knights left.”

Viola bit her lower lip.

If things continued this way, another Capital Knight would be at risk of losing. By then, the prestige of the knights would have already been buried in the ground.

No, it wouldn’t just be buried; it might completely disappear.

Viola quickly scanned the faces of the Capital Knights.

But just then.

“What?”

“Oh no…!”

“What is that?”

The murmuring in the audience spread like wildfire, becoming a buzz, and soon the noise grew louder as if everyone was shouting.

Viola’s eyebrow twitched.

“What’s going on? Why are they like this?”

What she thought would be a brief commotion instead made the arena heat up with excitement.

“They’re going all the way here!”

“They’re planning to see this through to the end!”

And finally, Viola understood the reason.

Becky nodded and then descended from the stage.

The cheers from the crowd grew louder, but Viola didn’t have the luxury to notice. The one she had been waiting for had appeared on the stage.

A man walked toward the center of the arena.

Step by step.

His footsteps were inaudible. However, the aura he exuded with each step was palpable. It was clear evidence that he was different from those who had competed so far.

─!

The knights suddenly felt a shiver down their spines, despite not being in combat.

“─!”

“─!”

People started shouting something in unison.

A moment later, they realized it was the man’s name.

“Flan!”

“It’s Flan!”

“Flan!”

Viola felt her heart begin to race. She could feel her blood flowing rapidly. She instinctively knew that the decisive moment had come in this chaotic battlefield.

Just as Viola was about to step forward.

“No.”

A knight quickly stepped into the arena.

“…!”

Everyone looked at the knight’s face in shock.

“It doesn’t seem like something to be so surprised about.”

“…Scarlett?”

She was Scarlett, the Knight of Flickering Flame.

“Scarlett, you?”

Everyone was shocked. This match was a fight to the death, and the Capital Knights knew that Flan and Scarlett were from the same family.

However, Scarlett laughed as if their reactions were strange.

“I have unfinished business with Flan.”

Unfinished business.

It could have been a thank you, or perhaps an apology.

Scarlett fiddled with a pendant engraved with her family’s crest for a while, then turned her head to look at the knights.

“Viola.”

She called out Viola by name, but everyone knew. Scarlett was speaking to all the knights at that moment.

“Let’s go as knights. As knights, honorably. That’s how.”

The knight’s camp was covered in silence.

Scarlett turned her head back.

“Whether I win or lose, let’s go that way. Got it?”

Everyone stared blankly at Scarlett’s back.

Watching her, who could even sacrifice her family for the honor of the knights and her own chivalry…

…something began to stir in the hearts of the knights.