Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent - Chapter 123:

Translator: MarcTempest

Proofreader: naturallyInconsistent

Chapter 123 – From now on, you have to find it yourself.

“Miss Scarlet… You must have woken up by now, right?”

A week had passed since the decisive battle, and the mood of the Judith family was calm and quiet.

It was only natural.

A huge storm had swept through the family and left behind its aftermath.

“You’re the Knight of the Flickering Flame, after all. You must have recovered. But just in case, stay quiet. Quiet.”

“But what if you’re awake? You’ve been skipping meals for a week, haven’t you? That’s not good…”

“That’s up to the lady to decide.”

The maids had a hard time breathing after the duel, but now that a week had passed, they could whisper some words.

“And in the end, the young master won, right?”

The youngest maid asked, and the head maid, Katarina, glared at her with a fierce look.

“I told you to be quiet just now. Listen.”

“I’m so confused. Between the young master and the lady’s orders, what should we prioritize from now on?”

The maid trailed off, looking at Katarina’s face.

By then, the eyes of the other maids were all fixed on Katarina.

They didn’t dare to ask, but the young maid had voiced the question that they were all curious about.

“…”

Katarina felt a bead of sweat on her forehead.

To be honest, she was curious too.

In other words, she didn’t know what to do either.

In the end, she could only give a theoretical answer.

“Let’s just watch for now. There’s no need to wonder about what to do. Staying still is our job.”

That was when it happened.

Thump- Thump-

The heavy footsteps made the maids straighten their clothes and stand in line.

“Has Flan arrived already?”

The owner of the voice that asked was the head of the family, Theodore.

“Yes. He’s waiting in the dining room.”

The head of the family looked as stern as ever.

The maids also bowed their heads with solemn expressions.

“What about Scarlet?”

“The lady is…”

Katarina couldn’t finish her sentence.

She shook her head quietly, looking up at Theodore.

“I see. Good work, everyone.”

Theodore ended his short words and moved his steps. His destination was the dining room where Flan was.

The maids lifted their heads only after the footsteps had completely disappeared. Now, the only thing left was silence.

For a week since the battle.

The Knight of the Flickering Flame, Scarlet Judith.

…She hadn’t left her room at all.

◈

“You won, Flan.”

Theodore, who sat across from Flan in the elegant dining room of the Judith family, finally broke the silence.

It was the first thing he said in twenty minutes of sitting face to face.

“It was a good flame. I was satisfied.”

“I’m not yet.”

“You want to go further? Well. That’s not bad.”

The head of the family thought that the will to prove himself further in a field that he had already proven was welcome.

“Before the duel, I had a meal with Scarlet. She said that it was the first time we spent time together, just the two of us.”

Theodore said calmly.

“When I heard that, I realized that it was also the first time for us to have a meal together, just the two of us. I felt that I had been neglecting my children all this time.”

“Yes.”

Flan answered briefly.

His interest was directed to the food on the table.

More precisely, to the cooking methods of the ingredients that he had never seen before.

‘Baked fish…’

The flesh of this fish seemed especially delicate.

He could feel the texture of the fish that had been cooked with natural fire, not magic.

What if it was touched by magical fire? He wondered what the name of this fish was.

…That was what he was thinking.

“Flan, your magic skills are amazing.”

Theodore opened his mouth again.

“I was surprised. You defeated Scarlet with only magic. Not only me, but many people were astonished.”

“Hmm.”

Flan didn’t react much.

He had some fun in the duel, that was true. But that was it.

He didn’t think it was anything remarkable.

“I want to hear it once in this place. What made you focus so much on magic?”

The head of the family appreciated Flan’s passion, but he didn’t understand the reason behind it.

What makes my son work so hard?

Before being the head of the family, he wanted to hear it as a father.

***

I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to overcome the unfamiliarity of magic, when you were so skilled in swordsmanship.

Theodore’s eyes were serious.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your story.”

“Proof.”

“Proof?”

“Yes. That’s the only thing that matters in my life.”

Proof.

As soon as he heard that familiar word, Theodore’s lips curled up slightly.

His son was indeed, strikingly similar to his mother who had passed away.

This time, it was Flan who asked.

“As you promised, I will reveal my family and status when I think it’s necessary.”

At Flan’s words, Theodore smiled inwardly.

“Is that enough for you?”

He became curious.

Would his son, who had proven himself beyond his imagination, be satisfied with just the name of his family?

The answer came quickly.

“I just thought it was better than nothing.”

“Right. I have to keep my promise. Judith is a family that proves itself before being a knight family. As long as that meaning continues, I don’t care.”

And so, the silent meal continued for a while.

Theodore was the first to break the silence.

“Flan, Scarlet seems to be very heartbroken.”

He said calmly.

“She’s not used to failure or frustration. And she saw her mother’s flame, so she must be in shock. I’m a bit worried as a father.”

Flan was silent for a while.

He still fixed his gaze on the steak, cutting the meat smoothly without any waste.

And finally, he uttered a word.

“These high-quality dishes that come in order are very convenient.”

“High-quality dishes that come in order?”

Theodore was a bit puzzled by the sudden change of topic, but Flan just moved his utensils calmly.

“With these, I don’t have to worry about what to eat, what to do, or anything like that. I just have to eat and that’s it.”

─Excuse me for a moment.

The maids carefully cleared the empty plates.

They also refilled the wine glasses that had shrunk a bit.

“Scarlet lived like that until now.”

Flan held the glass and swirled it slightly. The liquid inside danced gracefully.

“From now on, she has to find her own way.”

Theodore finally understood what Flan wanted to say.

He listened to his son’s next words without moving a muscle.

Flan took a sip of wine.

He liked the exquisite aroma that lingered in his mouth.

“A true knight stands on her own feet.”

Flan wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

◈

I returned to the magic department.

There were many places I had to go, but the first one was obviously the dean’s office.

Of course, the visit was not quiet.

“Flan… Is that Flan?”

“Should we go and say hello?”

“You do it. You’re good at that kind of thing.”

“Oh, come on!”

The blatant stares, the people who followed me sneakily, the whispers.

Many elements mixed together and made my surroundings somewhat noisy.

“…Hello!”

Even a female student blocked my way and greeted me.

Ignoring her completely was my answer, if it was an answer.

Finally, I arrived at the dean’s office.

“Welcome, Flan.”

The dean of the magic department, Conette, greeted me with a smile in her eyes.

She placed a sheet of fancy paper on her desk.

“I approved the tower project.”

The document I submitted with my plan had the dean’s seal on it, proudly and very large.

“But there are still some hurdles left.”

She made a circle with her index and thumb fingers, and showed me a round shape.

“One of them is funding. Even with the best support from the magic department, it’s still far from enough.”

Cost.

It was a reasonable reason, and I expected it from the beginning.

The tower was the supreme institution for magicians.

It was the milestone for all magicians, and the place where they could unravel the truth of the world with magic alone.

To justify the word ‘supreme’, it had to have the appropriate evidence.

The research cost to utilize the power source, the facilities to handle it, the manpower… All the elements that came to my mind had different costs attached to them.

In other words, the amount needed was astronomical.

But.

“If it’s not enough, I’ll just fill it up.”