Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent - Chapter 126:

Translator: MarcTempest

Proofreader: naturallyInconsistent

Chapter 126 – Flashback

“Who do you like the most among the representatives?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Becky.

“…”

Becky, who had been fidgeting with her thigh or twirling her hair until a moment ago, was now staring at Irene without blinking.

“Oh, are you speechless?”

Irene smiled leisurely and looked around.

She was planning to interview the representatives only about their personal lives today.

The reason was obvious: to elicit some stimulating ‘fun’.

“I’ll have to ask the other representatives first. Who do you think Becky will choose?”

Then Louis answered without hesitation.

“It’s Flan. They’re always together. Or should I say, Becky follows him around?”

“Follows him around? Hmm, why is that?”

Irene added with interest. Becky’s face turned red and she stammered.

“Uh, uh, no, um…”

The more Becky was at a loss, the more satisfied the officials looked.

A cute girl who couldn’t sit still would surely get a good reaction.

Becky glanced at Flan.

She looked back and forth between him and Irene a few times, and finally opened her mouth with difficulty.

“I do like Flan the most…”

Irene grinned.

“You like Flan the most?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“…”

Every time Irene asked innocently and cheekily, Becky’s voice got smaller.

In the end, she nodded her head slightly with a face that looked like it would burst if touched.

“Yes. I mean, I like him as a representative. That’s possible, right?”

“Yes?”

“Ah! Did you mean as a romantic interest?”

“No, no! No… Is it weird if I say no? No, anyway, no. No…”

As Becky rambled on, the officials around her laughed with a pleased expression.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere on the scene relaxed a bit.

“Okay, then let’s start the real interview.”

Irene clapped her palms together with a loud sound.

“How did you feel when you fell into the danger zone?”

“I wasn’t too worried. It was Flan’s doing.”

The voice that answered was Louis’.

“You weren’t worried when you fell into the danger zone? Come on, don’t say that now.”

Irene’s gaze shifted to Trixie.

“How does it sound to you, Trixie? Is Louis telling the truth right now?”

“It’s true.”

Trixie answered without hesitation.

“Here we go again. I just thought that way. It’s normal when you’re with Flan.”

“Didn’t you feel a strange emotion sprouting as you overcame the crisis? That’s what I was hoping for.”

“I already have someone I like.”

Trixie’s short answer.

Interest filled the faces of Irene and the other officials.

They looked like cats who had found a fish.

“The representative of the magic department, and the daughter of the Fritz family, has someone she likes… Can you tell us a little bit about it? Just a little bit.”

“The person I like is.”

Trixie’s face turned to Flan. The blue-haired girl continued calmly.

“Only Flan knows.”

“Only Flan knows…?”

For a moment, Irene had a hunch that this interview would be a hit.

She turned her head and saw another official floating letters in the air with blue mana.

‘Don’t miss this material’ it said. Irene nodded quietly.

“Becky said she likes Flan the most, and Trixie said only Flan knows who she likes… This is interesting, isn’t it?”

Irene pretended not to know and continued cheekily.

“The starting point of the change in the magic department. Let’s ask Flan himself, the person involved.”

The topic naturally shifted to Flan.

“How about you, Flan? What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking of building a magic tower.”

“…”

Silence fell over the garden for a moment.

Irene’s eyebrows twitched once at Flan’s answer.

The officials next to her also froze slightly.

Irene slowly recovered from the situation.

“Ah, yes. A, a magic tower… Shall we talk about something else first? Flan, do you have anyone you like…?”

Sweat beads had formed on her forehead.

She was desperate to change the topic of conversation.

“Enough with the useless talk.”

But Flan did not allow it.

The interview was a stage to spill the truth about the tower, and he had no intention of giving up the spotlight.

“Right now, the only thing on my mind is building the tower.”

“…”

Irene opened her mouth blankly.

This was a huge disaster.

The bureaucrats who met his eyes had the same expression as her.

They bit their nails, clenched their hair, grabbed their necks… In the silent chaos, Irene barely managed to keep her professional spirit.

She could somehow get out of this situation naturally.

“The tower. You’re going to build a new tower… What made you decide to do that?”

“It’s because the magicians of this world are pathetic.”

Thud.

The script that Irene was holding fell to the floor.

She quickly turned around and crossed her hands in a scissors shape.

This was something that should never be broadcasted…!

The bureaucrats felt the same way, and they all scrambled to cut off the power of the crystal ball.

But.

“The power of the crystal ball won’t shut off!”

“It’s completely jammed!”

The crystal ball did not listen.

And soon, the bureaucrats were able to find out the cause. Blue magic was interfering with the crystal ball near the spark.

“Interference…?”

“Who is it!”

When they traced the magic back, they found Flan.

He made sure that the power of the crystal ball could not be cut off, and then he opened his mouth calmly.

“The tower will be built no matter what. And then, the level of this ground will rise a little.”

“Aaaah! Eeeeeeek!”

Irene screamed to drown out Flan’s words.

She clasped her hands together and whispered urgently.

“Are you crazy? The princess is watching this too!”

“Even the princess will like the tower. I promise that here.”

“Aaaah!”

Irene screamed again. This time, it was almost a shriek.

“Huh!”

But Flan pinched her lips with telekinesis. At the same time, one of the bureaucrats shouted.

“How the hell are you going to build the tower! The magic department doesn’t have the funds for that!”

“I’m not going to beg for it either. Investing should be free by default.”

Flan snapped back at the bureaucrat.

“From now on, the concept of magic will be completely changed. Everyone, be prepared.”

Before long, Irene had a face that looked like she would burst into tears if touched.

◈

The second princess, Aurora’s inner circle.

Until the beginning of the interview, the atmosphere here was no different from a thin ice sheet.

The envoy aged in real time as he watched the bored face of the princess.

The intrigues among the representatives were of no interest to the commoners, let alone the princess.

She had no curiosity for such things.

But what about now?

Two reporters exchanged quiet conversations with bright smiles on their faces.

“I was worried that the princess would not be satisfied, but fortunately, it was not that bad.”

“I didn’t expect her to like Flan so much. The bureaucrats still think it was an accident, but you know.”

The group interview was practically arranged by the second princess.

Therefore, the key point in the palace was whether they had satisfied Aurora’s interest, and they had done it very well.

The reporter stroked his chin and said.

“There are many who boast without any ability, but he did something that really got both attention and expectation. That’s why I keep thinking about him.”

“That’s right. I was totally disappointed with the daily life stories, but he did a great job in an unexpected way.”

“I’m glad Flan joined us. What would we have done if we had only interviewed three people as planned?”

“…We would have lost our heads.”

The eyes of the two reporters turned to Aurora. She was holding the record sheet with both hands, and her gaze was fixed only on Flan’s face.

Finally, she opened her mouth.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The knights and the reporters straightened their postures and held their breaths. Aurora spoke slowly.

“It’s interesting. Very interesting.”

Of course, her crescent-shaped pupils never left the record sheet.

“He doesn’t have the funds to build a magic tower. Does he not? Neither does the magic department, I suppose.”

Aurora licked her lower lip.

“But he was sure that the tower would be built. And he even added that it would suit my taste.”

The reporters and the knights did not react.

Exactly, they could not react. It was the first time they saw Aurora show so much interest in something.

It was better to stay still and hope for the best. That was the expression for this situation.

“Good.”

Aurora blinked her eyes three times.

Crescent, waxing, waning.

Her pupils changed shape endlessly as she blinked.

“Call the finance minister right away.”

◈

The Knight of the Flickering Flame, Scarlet, walked with difficulty.

She had almost fallen several times, and actually collapsed twice, but she managed to reach her destination.

The annex of the Judith family. ‘Recollection’.

She stared blankly at the building that contained unknown truths, and suddenly clenched her chest.

“Ugh…”

She felt nauseous.

She was a loser.

She had lost so perfectly that she could not even make an excuse.

And she was afraid of the truth that she would face from now on.

A pain that felt like squeezing her whole body hit Scarlet countless times.

Even though the ‘Flickering Flame’ had healed her body, it still hurt. It was a strange thing.

“Ugh-.”

She vomited again because her vomit was dirty.

She shook with pain and thought.

She had to go in.

She had to go in anyway.

Scarlet took out the key from her pocket with trembling hands.

It was the thing that would open the entrance of this annex, given by the lord.

She did not know how the interior of the annex was arranged, or how she could verify the truth.

But there was no other way.

She had to enter to understand what she had experienced. Even if she was swept away by the strange phenomenon.

“Ugh…”

She breathed heavily and inserted the key into the entrance of the annex. Then the whole building flowed like a liquid and began to drip.

Swoosh!

The wave swallowed Scarlet whole.