Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent
Chapter 65: Passing, and Winning Too.

Chapter 65 – Passing, and Winning Too.

[ Despite losing in the combat event… The Knight Department says “It doesn’t matter.” ]

*They will more than make up for it in the two-event hunting competition.

[ ‘The Victory of the Magic Department’… The Sword and Magic Competition became the Magic Sword Competition in an instant ]

[ The approaching hunting competition preliminaries… Will the Magic Department be eliminated again this year? ]

[ Two-event hunting competition, ‘The Magic Department doesn’t even have the qualification to participate’ ]

After Flan won the first match of the Sword and Magic Competition, the Merhen Daily had no rest for both the magicians and the knights.

It was only natural.

The Knight Department had to cover up their defeat, and the Magic Department had to celebrate their victory.

As a result, every day was a war.

The two sides fought fiercely every day to fill the newspaper pages with their desired content.

“…Ah.”

Sephia stretched.

The youngest reporter with quick wits handed her a coffee right away.

“Chief, please have this. Are you okay?”

“I’m sleepy. My throat hurts…”

The other reporters from the Magic Department who were sitting around offered her snacks, but Sephia waved them all away.

“That’s enough. Let’s work. Work.”

“I have the motivation to work, but… it’s not easy either.”

The youngest reporter sighed deeply.

“I thought we could tease them as much as we wanted if we just won in the combat event, but the pressure is no joke. How hard are they trying to cover it up with other knights from the Knight Department…”

“That’s how it is in this field. That’s why we’re trying to change it.”

Sephia tapped her shoulder with her fist.

The youngest reporter still seemed to have a lot to say.

“But Chief, the hunting competition is getting a lot of attention lately.”

“The two-event hunting competition period is coming up.”

“I’m sure it will come up today during the interview, but I wonder what Flan will say…”

At that, Sephia rubbed her chin quietly.

Always full of self-confidence, never losing himself in front of anything, the attitude of a guide walking the path of magic… As she thought of those things, she naturally felt certain.

“Hmm~ Of course, Flan will give an answer that suits him.”

No matter what question he received, Flan would only give an answer that matched him.

The youngest reporter scratched his cheek.

“An answer that suits him… He might declare that he will participate in the hunting competition.”

“Yes~ I think so too.”

“Isn’t that a problem in itself? Flan is amazing, but the hunting competition requires four people to work together…”

“That’s right. That’s the key.”

Sephia nodded her head quietly.

The hunting competition, an event where four students form a team and compete.

At a glance, it seemed like a very simple event, but the Magic Department had rarely achieved any notable results in the past.

“It’s not a competition where you can win for sure just because one person is outstanding.”

“Ah, it’s hard even if all four are excellent… If they don’t agree, it’s a disaster.”

Skill, personality, attitude… There was a huge difference between the four.

It was harder than imagined for the four to grow together and coordinate with each other.

The youngest reporter continued with a bad expression.

“The knights are trained like soldiers, so they are used to group actions… But the magicians have completely different learning styles when they are divided into branches.”

“That’s right. That’s why we naturally end up acting on our own.”

Every year, they fail in the preliminary round.

That was the current state of the magic department’s hunting competition.

“Well, let’s just cheer and watch for now. That’s our job, right?”

Sephia tapped the youngest reporter’s shoulder.

It was still not easy, but thanks to Flan, many magicians had a great interest and motivation for the sword and magic contest.

That alone was already a big change.

He did his best and won the match, and that alone was already admirable.

The rest was up to each individual.

The youngest reporter opened his mouth quietly.

“Excuse me, chief. And I still can’t believe it.”

“What is it?” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Then he looked around once, made a small wall with his palm, and asked very carefully.

“So many people are gathered to interview one magic student… Has this ever happened before?”

“Never.”

For a single interview, they rented a large auditorium.

At the front, there was a desk for Flan to sit, and across from it, there were desks for the reporters to sit, arranged at regular intervals.

Five minutes before the start of the interview, there was no empty seat among the reporters.

Sephia spoke with a serious expression.

“We need more of this in the future. Get your materials ready. Check your questions again.”

The youngest reporter also nodded his head with a determined face.

“I understand. I’ll do my best too.”

“Good. Let’s do it right from today.”

Thump─ Thump─

Then, a very clear sound of footsteps started to come from the hallway.

The reporters’ movements and voices quickly subsided.

Sephia added one more thing.

“No, from now on.”

◈

Flan had no hesitation in his attitude.

Even in this situation, surrounded by countless reporters, his façade never changed.

He was not swayed by negative influences such as fear, nervousness, or death.

Rather, a strange glimmer could be seen in his eyes, that seemed to be immersed in memories.

He seemed to enjoy the situation with ease and confidence.

…And finally, the interview began.

One reporter raised his hand.

“Knight department, Derek reporter. I’ll ask you bluntly. What do you mean by the comment you left after the match?”

“Magicians naturally win against knights. That’s what I mean.”

“Talking down…?”

Derek snorted. Then another reporter raised his hand.

“Knight department, Finn reporter. There are dozens of events in the sword and magic contest… Don’t you think it’s rash to say that after just one match? I’m curious what you think.”

“No matter how many matches I play, this thought won’t change.”

“No change in thought, that’s good. But what about your remark? Did you consider the opinions of other magicians?”

Finn’s gaze turned to the reporters from the magic department.

The expressions of the reporters from the magic department were mostly tense rather than exhilarating.

Flan’s every word turned the tables, not only for the knight department. So everyone felt like they were sitting on a thorn.

Flan quietly parted his lips.

“I just spit out a very magician-like remark, and if you can’t empathize, well… I’ll have to make you.”

“If you can’t empathize with these arrogant remarks, you’re not a magician. Is that how I should understand it?”

Silence fell for a while.

A fierce atmosphere, as if a single word could cut their skin.

“Don’t bother trying to understand. You’ll all accept it sooner or later.”

Finn’s face turned red.

Buzzing─

At the same time, the reporters started to stir up because of their sharp confrontation.

In the end, Sephia raised his hand hastily.

“Magic department, Sephia reporter.”

Sephia showed an awkward smile.

“Ah, haha… student Flan is a student with conviction and achieved great results in the combat event. I’d love to hear about your future plans!”

“I’ll prove it until the miracle of the magician becomes natural. The press conference is unimaginable, and even a joke is worthless until that moment.”

It was a question to calm things down, but… it turned out to be throwing firewood.

Not missing the opportunity, the knight department quickly raised their hand.

“Knight department, Hugo reporter. Your ambition is good, but the magic department has never passed the preliminary round of the hunting competition. Do you know that?”

“I know, and that’s the past.”

“You should be concerned. Do you think the magic department didn’t make any effort to participate in the hunting competition? Based on the grades alone, wasn’t the magic department the one that shouldn’t have done it?”

“And one more thing. I don’t think that I will get good results just by trying hard. So…”

Flan looked down at Hugo indifferently.

“Why don’t you worry about the knights instead?”

The reporters started to stir again.

Now, they were not only murmuring with angry faces.

Some of them even burst into sarcastic laughter, as if they couldn’t believe what they heard.

But Flan’s thoughts didn’t change at all.

Orchestra.

String instruments, woodwind instruments, brass instruments, percussion instruments, keyboard instruments… The melody created by the beautiful intertwining of various things.

The cooperation of the magicians was like that.

No, it was more than that.

Hugo opened his lips again.

“Student Flan. Please be responsible for every word you say. Every time you fail to prove something, it’s the magic department’s job to clean up after you.”

“The first-year superstar of the knight department, Ivan.”

“…?”

At the sudden mention of Ivan’s name, invisible question marks floated over the reporters’ heads.

Flan continued calmly.

“That’s the name of the knight I defeated. From now on, there will be more names that I can list. For example… Scarlet, the knight of the flame. Something like that.”

“…!”

The reporters’ faces were filled with shock.

Before, there was silence due to the tense atmosphere. But this time, they were all speechless with astonishment.

It seemed like time had stopped for a moment.

But then, a reporter quietly raised her hand.

Some of the reporters turned their heads toward her, and soon whispers began to arise.

“Eliza… is that her?”

“Yeah, right? Is that Eliza? The Grim Reaper?”

She was the owner of jet-black hair and eyes, cut in a bob.

Even the shirt and skirt she wore were black, a reporter from the knight department.

“Yes… well, I just want to ask one thing.”

She didn’t reveal her affiliation or name. Eliza just asked.

“Do you have confidence in passing the hunting competition preliminaries?”

The question that no one dared to ask directly. At that moment, the silence and tension became tighter.

Flan straightened his clothes and answered easily.

“Not only passing, but also winning.”

With that, he left.

“The hunting competition… he said he would pass the preliminaries?”

“Did the magic department discuss this?”

“Scarlet, he mentioned Scarlet earlier, right?”

“Hey, wait a minute. Don’t we have to catch him?”

The remaining commotion was the reporters’ responsibility.

◈

Violet’s office reminded one of a witch’s workshop.

It was dark and damp, and in the corner, there were spider webs and spider props placed on purpose.

And there were also a lot of witch’s pots and bottles… It was enough reason for the place to be deserted.

But there, for the first time in a long time, a lot of people came.

“…What are you all doing here?”

As I muttered, I looked at the scene in front of me.

A bunch of A-grade students had gathered around.

They all had expressions that said they had a lot to say.

Then, one of the students thrust a scroll at me. It was Jenny.

“Excuse me, professor. Is this really my grade?”

“Of course, it’s your grade. It’s written right here.”

“No… Please check the evaluation report. It’s like they’re cursing me outright.”

Most of the other students had similar expressions to Jenny.

They must have come for the same reason.

I took her scroll and opened it.

…It was accurate.

I could feel how deeply they had observed this student from the paper. Not only did they use harsh words, but they also suggested what she should refer to in order to improve.

‘Was there someone like this among the Saphora staff?’

I read Jenny’s evaluation report again.

What did they focus on, how did they approach and advise her… There were even parts that I had to learn from.

But then. Someone else opened their mouth.

“Right. Professor Violet, are we going to the hunting competition?”

“Hunting competition?”

That one word sparked a fire, and suddenly the office became very noisy.

“Oh, right! I heard there’s an hunting competition for the magic department?” “Professor! Is this true?”

“Please tell us too!”

The students’ enthusiasm was overwhelming.

I was sure something had happened.

Just then, my trivia lit up.

[ Audrey Hyphen ]

[ ▶ Professor Violet. Come to the conference room right now. ]

[ ▶ You need to come as soon as possible. ]

[ ▶ Flan also mentioned the Knight of Flame… ]

[ ▶ No, just come. We’ll talk when you get here. ]

…What’s going on this time?

A drop of sweat ran down my forehead.

Sᴇarch the NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.