Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 214:

Chapter 214 It’s Precious.

The next day.

The speed at which the negotiations led by Flan and the Magic Department spread was incredibly fast.

As a result, the garden of the royal palace was noisy once again.

Shata poked the side of the tax officer’s secretary.

“Flan has already finished the negotiations, right?”

“Yes.”

“What about the other representatives from the Magic Department? They didn’t come all this way just to watch, did they? Are they really participating?”

“They’re participating just the same. They negotiated on equal terms as Flan.”

Those aware of the high status of the Capital Knights couldn’t help but be interested in this fact.

The Capital Knights, always maintaining a high position like the heavens. And the Magic Department, rapidly rising from the depths.

The clash between these two forces was bound to attract attention from anyone. Regardless of what they thought of each other, they had to collide with all their might over the stakes.

How big would the impact of this collision be? How large would the ripple effect be? The people gathered in the garden were excitedly chattering about it.

Shata looked up at the tax officer’s secretary and asked.

“So, how did they finish the negotiations?”

“Why don’t you take a guess? What do you think happened?”

“Were they rejected? Or did they choose randomly? I really can’t predict it.”

“They decided in favor of the knights.”

“What?”

The short Shata jumped like a frog.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

The little one yelled, but the tax officer’s secretary just leisurely swirled the champagne in his glass.

“It’s true. Viola’s side officially announced it, so it’s a fact. No matter what the result, the Capital Knights accepted Flan’s demands.”

“What, that can’t be…”

It wasn’t strange to be flabbergasted a hundred times over.

Time, place, weapons… In a contest to determine the hero, none of these three elements could be overlooked.

This competition would be decided by a very narrow margin, and those three elements would affect the outcome. The Magic Department outright yielded that, and the Knight Department accepted it. It was incomprehensible.

But then it happened.

“Why are you pondering over such a simple matter?”

An old man nearby interrupted.

“No matter the time or place chosen, the chances of the Magic Department winning would be slim. So, they yielded to reduce their embarrassment.”

“Hmm.”

“Isn’t that right? If the knights fought under favorable conditions, the wizards would be less embarrassed even if they lost.”

But the tax officer’s secretary slowly shook his head.

“Well… that’s a bit ambiguous.”

“Hey, tax officer’s secretary, what do you mean ambiguous?”

“It’s true that conditions favorable to the knights were chosen, but Flan emphasized one last thing. He said there was no way the wizards would lose.”

“…He guaranteed his victory while giving favorable conditions to the Capital Knights? Does that make any sense?”

“Well, that’s what he said.”

The tax officer’s secretary answered nonchalantly, causing the old man who had interrupted to blink in disbelief, his head slowly tilting to one side.

“No, let’s see, then…”

The old man asked with eyes that clearly showed he couldn’t understand.

“Are you saying that the Magic Department, Flan, is acting with the confidence of a strong person against the Capital Knight Viola?”

“It seems to be the only way to understand the situation.”

“Ridiculous!”

The old man shouted.

“How do they plan to handle the reaction if they lose? They’re acting without a plan, without any countermeasures. Unbelievable!”

“Maybe they don’t need a plan?”

The voice that responded belonged to Shata.

The tax officer’s secretary and the old man’s heads turned swiftly. Their gaze fixed on the lips of the small child, whose height barely reached their waists.

Shata, with pure eyes, continued speaking.

“Maybe they are so confident in their victory that they don’t have any contingency plans for losing.”

The tax officer’s secretary patted Shata on the shoulder.

“Shata, what are you talking about?”

“Sigh.”

The old man let out a deep sigh and left. The tax officer’s secretary quietly asked Shata.

“Did you say that on purpose to get rid of him?”

“No. I spoke sincerely.”

“Sincerely?”

“Yes. I’ve seen Flan in person. He was really extraordinary. It’s something you can’t describe with words. How should I put it….”

“Enough.”

The tax officer’s secretary waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s just watch the match and see for ourselves.”

Not only Shata and the tax officer’s secretary, but everyone in the garden was ablaze with discussions about the negotiations.

Someone labeled Flan’s attitude towards the Capital Knights as rude, while another wondered what kind of outcome Flan would face.

Despite the mixed opinions, one thing was certain.

“This is one match that shouldn’t be missed.”

“Will the rising momentum of the wizards be broken? Will the position of the Capital Knights change? We have to see it ourselves.”

Everyone was conversing in this manner, clearly showing that the event had sparked significant interest.

At that moment, Shata poked the tax officer’s secretary’s side.

“But, which side are you cheering for, sis?”

“What?”

“I mean, the tax officer seems to have a lot of interest in the Magic Department. He’s provided substantial support. And you’re his secretary. Are you rooting for the Magic Department?”

Shata continued speaking quickly.

“If you favor them, couldn’t you also support them through the forest network? You control the funds, don’t you?”

“Ah… I don’t know. Just be quiet.”

The tax officer’s secretary stuffed a tiny piece of cream cake into her mouth. Whipped cream clung to her full, attractive lips.

“Whoever brings in the most money and looks good. That’s my side.”

“Wow….”

“I’m quite materialistic by nature. Got a problem with that?”

◈

“It’s difficult.”

Becky muttered as if she had lived through it all.

She had resolved to stay alert in a place where she could lose her nose while her eyes were open, but she really did lose her nose while her eyes were open. Even their negotiation cards were decided by Flan.

Of course, Flan must have a plan, so she couldn’t entirely blame him. But still. Even so…

“It’s difficult. Difficult. Difficult… I’m going crazy.”

They had to fight against the Capital Knights, and if they had to fight in an environment more favorable to the knights, it was only natural that the composure she had barely maintained would vanish.

Finally, Becky jumped up and shouted.

“Ahh─! I’m going crazy─!”

The representatives who had been meditating beside her simultaneously opened their eyes. They looked at Becky with less-than-kind eyes.

“…”

“…”

But even facing those gazes, Becky didn’t calm down. Instead, she shouted even louder.

“We’re doomed!”

Becky flailed her arms as she continued.

“Flan always has a plan. He’ll do well! But what about us? No matter how I think about it, I don’t think we can beat the Capital Knights while bearing such unfavorable conditions!”

Trixie squinted one eye and said.

“Why are you yelling at us? It’s annoying.”

“I can’t confront Flan. You guys should at least sympathize with me.”

“…”

Trixie, Louis, and Maiev slightly nodded but didn’t say anything. They just sighed deeply in silence.

After a while, Maiev spoke up.

“Yelling at us won’t help.”

“Why?”

“As you said, Flan…”

“Oh.”

Flan.

Just those two syllables brought both understanding and acceptance. To them, he was already an irresistible force.

Just as Becky was thinking she should focus on meditation again, she suddenly felt curious about something and asked.

“But why are Maiev and Trixie doing that?”

What was it…

“Come to think of it, you both always do that when meditating. Trixie, you fiddle with your gloves, and Maiev, you play with that teacup. Is there a reason for that?”

Then.

“…!”

Surprisingly, Trixie and Maiev reacted the same way. They abruptly hid their items behind their backs.

Even their exclamations, delivered with blushing faces, were identical.

“It’s precious.”

“It’s precious!”

And then they started meditating again, fondling their cherished items.

Trixie spoke up.

“You should meditate too. It’s an unavoidable match.”

“Yeah, well… Right.”

Their attitude was so firm that Becky had to reflect for a moment to see if she had done something wrong.

Becky stared blankly around her for a moment, lost in thought. She pondered what precious items she had.

…After contemplating for a long while.

“Hmm.”

She tightly hugged the pointy hat that Flan had bought for her and began to meditate.

Exactly ten minutes later, the match would begin.