Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 200:

Chapter 200

Our eyes met in midair for a while.

The one who broke the silence was the secretary.

“This space has lasted as long as my lifespan. I’ve never seen a human like you. How did you get in here?”

Then, black mists gathered in the air and took the shape of human bodies. 

The secretary raised one of her hands lightly.

“Don’t interfere. He’s a guest.”

She said to me.

“Please forgive them. They’re not used to outsiders. Especially if they’re human.”

I answered, and she smiled as if she was satisfied.

“Then, let’s get back to the point. We’ve been watching you for a long time. Of course, we also did some research.”

“Research?”

“Flan, you’re young. You have the bloodline of a knight, and you barely passed the academy. But you know ancient runes. That doesn’t make sense.”

I understood her feelings.

I had possessed this body one day without warning. 

If they had been observing me, they must have had many questions.

She asked me.

“Just tell me. How do you know the ancient runes that we haven’t revealed yet?”

I sneered between my lips. 

There was one word that annoyed me.

“You keep using the word ‘reveal’.”

Reveal.

That was the word. 

The secretary continued.

“Don’t say you heard it from Maiev. Among the vampires, only I and the princess know the existence of this space.”

“Right. I didn’t hear it from Maiev.”

“Also, it’s impossible that you found and studied it. There are some traces of ancient runes on the continent, but the runes you used in front of me didn’t leave any clues.”

The gist was simple.

The vampires had been controlling the information about the magic and ancient runes that circulated on the continent, and they were curious about how I used the unrevealed ancient runes.

‘Hmm.’

If what I saw was true, it wasn’t a pleasant thing. 

For example, the magicians who boasted of overcoming their limits were actually playing on the palm of the vampires.

In the end, I expressed my honest opinion.

“I think you’re arrogant.”

“Arrogant?”

“Yes.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“The humans who were born on the continent and didn’t get innate abilities, you treated them like experimental subjects, didn’t you?”

“Flan, that’s not a bad thing. Thanks to that, the ones who should have gone extinct are living proudly, aren’t they?”

The secretary said calmly.

“I won’t make a fuss about your remark of arrogance, since everyone has a different perspective. But Flan, you have to give me an honest answer to my question.”

I looked around the bookshelves. 

I got frustrated and pulled out dozens of books with telekinesis.

“Destroy, harmonize, manipulate, summon. Are these the big branches of magic that you intended?”

“Yes. Let’s put aside the other talk and answer me first. If you evade the answer, we’ll have to find another way.”

“Like what?”

“There are simple and intricate methods. We can use them all. But one thing is certain, we’ll try until we get the information we want. So…”

The secretary rubbed her chin with her hand.

“Flan, the people around you might disappear overnight.”

It was a threatening remark, but not a threatening tone. In other words, the secretary was speaking as if she was stating a natural truth.

So I also answered calmly.

“I won’t let that happen.”

“Really? You’re giving another interesting answer. Flan, we don’t miss any human. We record every birth.”

“Do I have to hear this?”

“Yes. You have a different story from others. You gave up your innate ability to find a fiancé. And when I looked it up, you were one of our special beneficiaries.”

I was speechless. 

Beneficiaries?

“A favor?”

“There was a discussion about granting you a fire rune that is more powerful than your innate ability, ‘Ember’. To create a hero among humans, a narrative is important, and you had enough of it.”​The secretary slammed the books that were floating in the air. He pushed them into the bookshelf.​“But the discussion was scrapped. Do you know why?”

“Maybe because there was no need for it.”​“Exactly. You defeated the knight of Ember with the fire you learned by yourself. It was an unpredictable event.”​The secretary took a step closer to me.​“Flan, tell me where you learned the ancient runes. If you cooperate, I will cooperate too. If not, I will have no choice but to dispose of you. There is a procedure in the Void.”

This was the third time the secretary urged me to answer, but I was still focused on satisfying my curiosity.​When I browsed a few more books, I felt a slight change in the secretary’s energy.​A faint anxiety appeared on the secretary’s face, which had been expressionless until then.​It was natural.​The one who knows nothing is happy to learn even one thing, but the one who knows everything suffers from not knowing even one thing.​“Secretary, when you ask me something, there is also an appropriate attitude that goes with it.”​The secretary asked back incredulously.​“Flan, are you telling me to question you politely?”

“Only then will I have room to think.”​“Are you confident? How absurd.”​The secretary’s tone became sharper.

“Flan, I hope this conversation can be resolved without a fight. Tell me what you know quickly.”​“Secretary.”

“What.”

“This is the attitude that… is arrogant.”​I looked at him without avoiding his gaze.

“You seem to treat me as an interesting specimen, but if you want, I can show you who has the upper hand here.”​“You choose the hard way. I have lived a long time, but I have never seen a human who kept his sanity while watching the despair of those around him.”​The secretary raised her red energy, and I said.​“No matter what you do, you won’t get the answer you want. There is no other way than to look good to me. And also.”​I swiped a bookshelf with my index finger.​“…If I want, I can destroy this entire space. secretary, can you handle it?”

“What!”​The secretary was furious.​“Didn’t the Void have that much prudence? This space is just a place for observation. It doesn’t matter if you break it!”​He spewed out a tremendous amount of killing intent.​But soon after.​“Hoo….”​The secretary took a deep breath and calmed her energy.

She looked at me with gentle eyes again.​“Flan, this is the first time I’ve experienced this, so it’s hard to choose my words and attitude. I apologize. Anyway, I hope you cooperate with me.”

“What if I don’t?”

“For example, I could spread a magic that would turn the continent into hell. You don’t want that, do you?”​“What else?”

“In the worst case, I could kill you.”​At the secretary’s words, I laughed without realizing it.​“You can’t kill me.”

“Flan, why are you confident?”

“If I die… who will research the ancient runes that haven’t been deciphered yet?”​The secretary’s eyes widened.

“…!”​She blinked her eyes several times as if she had encountered something unexpected, and then rolled her eyeballs.

She seemed to be trying to calm herself down.​I added calmly.​“There’s no need to be surprised.”​“Flan, what…”

“It’s obvious. You say you haven’t revealed the ancient runes, but in fact, there must be something you couldn’t research either. Did you think I wouldn’t know that much?”​I delivered the final blow.​“Secretary, how much of the ancient runes are left?”

“….”

“I guarantee that it won’t be completed without me. It’s something only I can do.”​I checked my clothes and stood more confidently.

“Secretary.”

As always, I had my own way.​Cooperation is basically a two-way communication.

But what I want is a one-way communication, so I don’t want cooperation, but submission.

“If you want the completion of the ancient runes, kneel down and beg me.”

This was the only way we could get along without conflict.