Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 208:

Chapter 208: Sleep

Morning.

“It’s a lot more crowded than I expected…?”

This was Becky’s first reaction upon entering the old library.

It was understandable. One would typically associate an old library with the smell of ancient paper and silence, but it seemed there had been some commotion at dawn, making it quite noisy.

The professors gathered and murmuring were evidence of this. They were talking among themselves when Violet first noticed me.

“Ah, Flan. You’re here.”

“The old library seems quite noisy.”

“It looks like someone broke into the library at dawn. It’s a bit chaotic due to the cleanup.”

“A break-in…?”

Becky, in particular, seemed anxious. After all, the old library was a place being meticulously prepared for the Hero Tournament, and now this had happened.

“Hmm, but don’t worry.”

Violet nodded reassuringly.

“We checked, and all the books are safe. Thanks to the quick response of the alarm barrier, I guess. It seems the intruder fled before they could do anything.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Only then did Becky relax. Violet continued, looking at me.

“We’ve strengthened the security and cleaned up due to this incident…. Is there anything else you need?”

“That’s sufficient. Just leave us to it.”

“Alright. I’ll always be cheering you on from my place.”

Violet exchanged a few words with the professors. Soon after, they began to leave the old library, giving a nod to the representatives.

Now, there were no more disdainful looks directed at the representatives. No suspicious glances, only expressions of support.

The representatives found this refreshing. Little by little, in small and large ways, their lives and surroundings were changing.

Trixie quietly surveyed the area.

“So this is the old library of the Magic Faculty.”

“What’s so fascinating?” Becky tilted her head.

“We don’t have anything like this at the mansion.”

“There’s something your mansion doesn’t have?”

The old library itself was an aged place. For someone like Trixie, who had always lived in sophisticated spaces, it was understandable to find it fascinating.

The ancient knowledge here, the old scenery visible from the exterior… all of it.

“Wow?”

Louis’s eyes widened in surprise.

“‘Flash’? This is a famous book among those specializing in light elements. I’ve always wanted to read it.”

Becky’s eyes sparkled immediately.

“‘Flash’? Even a non-specialist knows that one. Wow, if they have that…. Do you think they have books on ice elements too?”

“Definitely.”

“Oh, really?! This whole section is about ice elements!”

It was no wonder they were excited.

Anyone aspiring to master an instrument harbors a specific piece in their heart. They vow to perform it once they reach a certain level of mastery.

However, reaching that day requires a lot of patience. There are many steps to climb, starting with playing easy pieces.

The path of a wizard is quite similar.

Even if one has a target book or spell, there are many preliminary trainings to complete. The journey is long, but now, seeing it right before their eyes, it was natural to be excited.

“This is….”

Trixie’s eyes also showed a sudden sense of appreciation.

“I felt these books were oddly new for being old, and here’s a record on blue flames. This must have been written during my mother’s time.”

Louis, Becky, and Maiev also each picked up a book. Naturally, it was an ancient book related to their respective fields.

Becky suddenly ran over to me.

“Flan, look at this. It’s like seeing how people lived in the old days. The ancient books are imbued with that, and it’s really interesting.”

It was like a child bragging about the most memorable part of their day. Normally, I disliked making a fuss, but I willingly indulged her.

Of course, I added one comment.

“Don’t make too much of a fuss.”

“Alright, alright. But look, did this person fall asleep while writing? Or did their wrist hurt too much? There’s a typo here. This kind of thing is quite amusing.”

“Is it fun?”

“Of course! There’s none of this in the revised version.”

Becky chattered excitedly, but I was lost in other thoughts. A typo, really. It seemed Secretary 187 hadn’t done the job as thoroughly as I had hoped, which made me feel quite frustrated.

“Wow… But the Magic Department has kept these really well. It’s an old book, but it doesn’t seem old at all. Huh?”

Eventually, I snatched the book Becky was reading. I carefully read each line, examining its condition.

It wasn’t that it didn’t seem like an old book; it actually wasn’t an old book. The problem was that the signs were quite evident. At least to my eyes, it was clear that it had been written just recently.

‘Secretary 187….’

Considering the massive volume and the tight deadline, I could understand their situation, but that wasn’t a reason to postpone scolding them.

It seemed like some re-education would be necessary when we met again. At that moment, Louis muttered.

“Huh…?”

Louis’s voice was so filled with curiosity that everyone naturally turned to look at him.

“…?”

Soon, the representatives’ faces were filled with questions as well. On one page of “Flash,” which Louis had opened, there was a decalcomania pattern.

Becky blinked several times.

“This… isn’t this a bit problematic?”

It wasn’t just a neatly printed decalcomania. When the attached pages were pulled apart, the black ink stretched like spider webs.

“Ah~!”

Then, Maiev exclaimed with an exaggerated voice.

“They said there was a new inspection due to an intruder. It seems they re-copied the books that were too old to read. It’s a considerate gesture.”

“Ah? Is that so?”

Becky’s eyes sparkled, but Trixie wasn’t convinced.

“If they were unreadable, how could they rewrite them?”

“That…”

Maiev, caught off guard, trailed off.

“Restoring parts of them might be possible…?”

“Hmph.”

Fortunately, no one doubted the premise that ‘the Academy had re-copied them.’ After all, who would think that a Vampire had rewritten the entire content?

Meanwhile, I noticed a single book placed very high on the shelf. It was a book only I could see, surrounded by a delicate barrier.

I used telekinesis to bring it down. It was a book made entirely of semi-transparent film, from cover to content.

“Huh? Flan, what’s that?”

Becky was the first to ask. Soon, the other representatives gathered around.

“Yeah. It’s a book I’ve never seen before.”

“…There’s no content. Is it really a book?”

Like sparrows waiting for food, the representatives huddled together to examine it. Meanwhile, I felt my anger towards Secretary 187 significantly lessen.

I understood why there were so many typos, why they couldn’t pay much attention to the books.

‘They made this instead.’

If my eyes weren’t mistaken, the secretary had created something truly remarkable. I reached out to the representatives.

“Louis. Let me borrow ‘Flash’ for a moment.”

“Huh? Ah, sure.”

I placed the secretary’s book over “Flash,” which had caught Louis’s attention. It didn’t take long for everyone’s eyes to widen.

“…!”

“This is incredible!”

When the semi-transparent film was placed over the page, the formulas and written explanations transformed into images. Everyone was left gaping in astonishment.

“It shows the explanations as pictures?”

“Wow… What is this? How does this work?”

“This makes it so easy to understand!”

It was like the scene from a mural where humans were fascinated by fire, perfectly recreated here. In the previous world, this was already known as a “picture translator,” but in this world, the secretary seemed to have only just completed it using the power of ancient runes.

“This is revolutionary… revolutionary!”

Becky’s eyes sparkled.

“Doesn’t this mean we no longer need to summarize papers? We can just swipe and see the pictures to understand everything!”

“The act of summarizing itself helps with learning. I still plan to make you do it consistently.”

“Oh.”

Emotions flashed quickly across Becky’s face.

Even Trixie’s eyes sparkled unusually.

“This is good. With this, we can quickly scan through the old archives.”

“Hahaha, indeed. Shall we take a look around then?”

Louis agreed.

“Let’s start right away.”

Although it was around lunchtime, no one showed any sign of it. They were solely focused on exploring the library. It seemed they had even forgotten about their hunger.

I leaned against the study for a moment.

“Wow, so this is what ancient summoned creatures looked like!”

“Seeing it as a picture is different from what I imagined. I thought they’d look like fierce beasts since they were supposed to be big.”

“It’s ridiculous how cute they look.”

Everyone was busily moving around the study like children discovering gift boxes on a holiday.

“Shall we check over there too?”

“What about our lunch?”

“Lunch isn’t important right now!”

If pleasing sounds can be called a melody,

The library finally began to produce the melody I had been waiting for. Although it was only the representatives who were producing such a melody now, I firmly believed that soon all magicians would be doing the same.

And then, at some point,

“…Shh.”

Trixie placed her finger over her lips. All sounds slowly faded into silence.

Louis and Becky quietly nodded in agreement. No one dared to even make a sound.

The figure leading the representatives of the Magic Department.

The man who would undoubtedly bring another revolution.