Overpowered Archmage Doesn't Hide His Talent - C.230:

Chapter 230: Please Stay By My Side

The hospital room was immaculate. Perhaps to reassure the patients, a calming cotton scent tickled my nose.

“…Did we win?”

It was Maiev who broke the silence first.

I quietly shook my head. No matter how much she had tried, I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

If Maiev had used black magic during the duel, the result might have been different, but since she had only utilized her blue mana, the outcome was inevitable.

Instead, I added a single phrase.

“But you didn’t lose either.”

“Didn’t lose….”

Maiev took the letter-shaped match list from my palm. When she confirmed the word “draw” written on it, a complex expression crossed her face.

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“Well done.”

I praised her.

Even if Maiev had lost, I would have said the same thing. I had clearly observed her abandoning everything related to the Vampires.

But achieving a draw was truly fortunate.

“Well done, you say….”

Maiev repeated my words with a bewildered look.

She blinked awkwardly like a doll moving uncomfortably. Her eyelids went down and then up again repeatedly, revealing blue pupils each time, which felt distinctly awkward.

The red pupils were nowhere to be seen anymore.

…She was truly human now.

She wore something that might have been a smile.

“Is this a compliment? For me?”

I quietly nodded.

“Yes. You did well. I watched your efforts closely.”

“It’s strange.”

Maiev’s lips curled up slightly.

“I thought it wouldn’t feel real at all, but it does. I didn’t do it to be praised, but now that I hear it, it feels good.”

Raising a hand to slowly touch her cheek, Maiev had a sentimental look in her eyes.

I genuinely held her in high regard as well.

Not because she had achieved a draw, and not because she had displayed an incredibly high-level magic that no one could surpass. But rather….

Because her attitude was truly befitting of a magician.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“As a Vampire, this might be the worst condition ever.”

Maiev shrugged her shoulders slightly as if to show me. My face was reflected in her blue pupils.

Though her tone was light and self-deprecating, Maiev was undoubtedly shaken. It was understandable. She could never touch black magic again.

“From now on… I’ll never be a genius again, right?”

Maiev nodded to herself.

She must have understood well. Her body, having lost the concept of vitality, was quite fragile even among humans.

However.

“No.”

I confidently answered no.

“….”

A moment of silence filled the hospital room.

After a brief pause, Maiev asked again.

“…No?”

“Yes.”

I continued calmly.

“Being a genius isn’t solely determined by magical skills.”

“You mean there are other criteria?”

“You will continue to learn magic with all your effort, won’t you?”

“Well, yes.”

Maiev nodded.

“Anyone can decide to give their best. However, continuing to give your best after losing everything, even after realizing your limits, is not something just anyone can do.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe that is the line that separates the ordinary from the geniuses. So, if you continue to do your best, I will gladly call you a genius.”

“….”

My words seemed quite unexpected, and Maiev stood frozen like a statue for a moment.

After about three minutes of silence, Maiev let out a faint smile.

“Unexpected. I was prepared to hear harsh words.”

She suddenly seemed to have a lot to say.

“When I first lost to Flan, and when I first connected with humans and participated in the representation, I always felt something peculiar, but nothing as peculiar as this.”

“You will feel it a lot more in the future.”

“So, I… ah….”

Maiev stopped mid-sentence. She hesitated several times, moving her lips as if she had more to say.

“Is there something you want to say?”

Maiev looked at me intently, a slight anxiousness in her expression.

She quickly added, “Please wait a moment. After fainting and waking up, my language skills are a mess. I’ll sort it out soon….”

“I’ll wait. We have time, so take it slow.”

Even though I told her to take her time, Maiev’s eyes rolled around anxiously.

Normally, I despise hastiness, but given that she brought an unexpected result of a draw, I could overlook this. Another ten minutes passed.

“Ah, right.”

Maiev nodded as if she had remembered something. Then she looked at me intently and suddenly said,

“A request…. I have a request.”

“A request?”

“Is it right to call it a request? It’s not that difficult. No, it might be a bit difficult and bothersome. Hmm.”

“What is it?”

“Well….”

Maiev’s face turned slightly red.

“Thank you for the kind words. I want to continue to do my best, and I need some help with that.”

“What kind of help are you asking for?”

“So…. I need motivation to keep trying. Something that drives me to give my best at every moment. That’s what I’m asking for.”

Understanding what she meant, I nodded roughly.

“There’s no need to worry about learning. I promise to teach you with all my might.”

“Teaching? No, I don’t mind learning on my own. I’m talking about something else.”

“If it’s something trivial, you might as well stop here.”

“No, it’s not a trivial matter…!”

Maiev’s face turned even redder. She continued speaking in a louder voice than before.

“What I mean is, please stay by my side!”

I didn’t fully understand her meaning and was about to ask for clarification, but she spoke even faster.

“I’m now an ordinary, weak human. I’ve abandoned my Vampire origins. I’ve given up on black magic.”

“You’re putting the responsibility on me when it was your choice.”

“It’s because you were the reason I made that choice. Ah…!”

After saying that, Maiev bit her lip, realizing her mistake. She had been glaring at me with a very resentful look, but now she couldn’t meet my eyes.

There were many moments of silence in the hospital room today.

Eventually, it was Maiev who broke the silence again. Her face still red, she waved her hands dismissively.

“Just pretend you didn’t hear that. Forget it.”

“I will stay by your side.”

“Yes. Please pretend you didn’t hear… wait, what?”

Maiev, who had been avoiding my gaze, quickly turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were twice as wide as usual.

With a slightly flushed face, she asked,

“What did you just say?”

I quietly watched her dumbfounded reaction.

Was it really such a surprising statement?

She had shown her determination to walk the path of a magician, so it was only natural and reasonable for me to refine Maiev like a raw gem.

“Uh… really? Just like that?”

However, it seemed she didn’t understand my words or their meaning, so I had no choice but to speak again.

“Yes.”

Although I couldn’t fully understand her feelings, I could somewhat guess.

Having abandoned everything that made her who she was, the path ahead must seem daunting. She tried to act cheerful and composed in front of me, but she was probably more anxious than anyone else.

So how could I not help her?

“Don’t worry and continue to focus on magic.”

“If I focus only on magic….”

“Yes.”

I nodded once more.

“As long as you don’t give up on magic, I won’t give up on you either.”

Maiev stared at me blankly for a while.

She seemed to want to say something. No, it looked like she tried to say something. She seemed to mutter something in the Vampire language, but only managed to mumble and couldn’t say it aloud.

“….”

After a long pause, she nodded.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“Even if I show terrible magic, even if the moment comes when I grow old and insignificant, as long as I don’t give up on magic, you’ll….”

She extended her hand to me, very cautiously.

“…stay by my side?”

I quietly took her hand.

It was a moment when only a few matches remained.