I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

The scuffle between me and Dajin continued for over 20 minutes, despite Lir and Bellua’s efforts to stop us. I was surprised to discover that I had the stamina to argue with someone for such a long time. I guess it was because the little deer in front of me kept scraping away at my nerves without giving me a break.

"Yeah, yeah, it was quite an enjoyable conversation. If something fun like this happens again, call me over. Since it seems you don’t really like me, I won’t be watching you 24/7."

"This bastard, acting like he's doing me a favor..."

"Thank you! Now, what should we say, Bin-nim? Dajin-nim has granted our wish, right?"

"That's right, General! You should act like a good child here! The spirit said that it would allow some leeway, so just say 'thank you' and wrap it up!"

Lir and Bellua grabbed me before I could hurl sharp words at Dajin and yelled at me like they were scolding a child.

...It seemed like they were getting exhausted from trying to break up my squabble with Dajin.

"If you want to watch me, at least let me know you're watching. This is the best I can do for you."

"Well, I can give you a heads-up, at least."

Dajin arrogantly lifted his ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) chin and responded like that.

"No, why does he keep acting like he's doing me a favor..."

"Wow! Wow, wow... Thank you! Right? Dajin-nim has granted our request, hasn't he? Right?"

"Hmm, it seems the transcendent acknowledges the general! Hmm, hmm!"

Lir quickly shut my mouth with her slender hands before I could say something harsh. She pressed her face closely to mine. Her large eyes were pleading, ‘Please stop, please...’

Bellua also cleared her throat awkwardly, giving me a warning look. She seemed just as uncomfortable with the situation of a transcendent and her superior having a verbal exchange.

"Right, right? Dajin-nim has granted our request, hasn’t he?"

With my mouth still covered, I silently nodded at Lir’s pleading eyes.

She slowly removed her hand from my mouth with a look of nervousness.

"......"

I slowly turned my head to face the deer looking down at me with a haughty gaze.

Lir was ready to cover my mouth again if I said anything harsh, and Bellua was nervously watching, probably worried that I might suddenly charge at the lightning deer.

"Well, yeah."

I responded politely, considering their efforts.

Tsk.

The deer seemed to intentionally scratch at my nerves, letting out a snicker.

"How cute."

"......"

Seeing the corner of its mouth twitch, Lir silently grabbed the sleeve of my robe.

‘Please... just hold on a little longer...’

"Ah. Yeah."

I read the message in her eyes and swallowed the curse words trying to escape my mouth, responding coldly to Dajin.

"Tsk, it's boring when I hold back."

Dajin clicked his tongue, then turned his head as if losing interest after seeing me restraining my anger.

Fzzzt!

Immediately, the lightning that had been forming around Dajin scattered into the air before calmly sinking into my right hand.

It was a warm and gentle sensation. I didn’t understand how lightning could feel like this.

"...Has he gone?"

"Who knows, maybe he’s hiding and watching us like a perverted bastard."

"The words of a transcendent carry a weight far beyond those of a mortal. He probably wouldn’t do that."

Lir, looking at my hand suspiciously, patted my back gently as she spoke.

"The genius mage, General, may not mind, but at least I don’t want to incur the wrath of a transcendent. If you’re going to fight, please do it somewhere no one can see, we almost died earlier."

Bellua, relieved from the tension, slumped down where she stood and sighed.

"What if that guy gets angry and orders us out of this forest right now?"

"He won’t have the power to do that. This bastard couldn’t do anything about the demon race polluting his forest and was locked in a rock."

"...Still, it’s scary. I’ll say it again, General, I don’t know what you think, but for most people on the continent, transcendent beings are like gods. Please, don’t do something this ridiculous."

"God? Did you just...?"

Thud.

Lir quickly covered my mouth again with her slender hand. I stared at her with an expression of disbelief.

She was the one who said transcendent beings have weight in their words, that they wouldn’t hide and spy on us, and now she was covering my mouth again. What exactly was she worried about?

"...You probably won’t listen, but just in case, even if the transcendent wouldn’t do that, please be careful with your words."

...‘We’, huh?

It seemed she also thought Dajin wasn’t likable deep down.

"Ha... Anyway, General, there’s something I need to report about the progress of the operation."

After sitting down to catch her breath for a while, Bellua slowly stood up and spoke.

"What is it?"

I pushed Lir’s hand away from my mouth and asked. Lir also turned her head to look at Bellua.

"The construction of the outpost is complete. As of today, the outpost construction operation is finished."

"There are still some people working late, though."

I asked with a puzzled look.

"...Those guys are just wasting time trying to decorate or count initials. The basic construction is finished."

What kind of species are dwarves... Building a military outpost, yet staying up all night to add decorations instead of resting...

"I’ll prepare a carriage. General, you should return to the capital, report on the current situation, and request more supplies to send to Valerand."

The reason the outpost was built in the Achiliptus Forest was because it could serve as a major supply route connecting the capital and the battlefield of Valerand, where a war had been raging for months.

Bellua’s report made sense.

"What about you and your squad? Shouldn’t you return with us?"

"Our mission doesn’t end with building the outpost. Our mission is to guard this outpost and the supply route."

"That means...?"

"Well, tomorrow we’ll say our goodbyes. Thank you for your hard work, General."

Bellua calmly finished her statement.

"What are you thanking me for? I didn’t do anything."

Building the outpost and maintaining the roads was the dwarves' job. Eliminating dangers and keeping watch were handled by the mages and rangers.

In the end, all I did was lie down, rest, and clear dungeons.

Even the dungeon clearing was mostly thanks to Trion and Rex; I didn’t really do much.

"It was enough that you didn’t do anything. Just having a mage of your and Alter-nim’s level made our infantry feel at ease. The demons probably didn’t attack again because of you and Alter-nim too."

"Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"Then, during tomorrow’s roll call, please say a light greeting to the troops. I’ll head in first."

With that, Bellua slapped my back with her thick hand and walked toward her tent, laughing. Sweat that had started drying in the wind clung to her back.

"Shall we go back? We need to have dinner."

Lir walked slowly toward the tent that had been prepared for me, Alter, and herself, following Bellua.

"......"

I stood still, watching her walk away.

"Why are you standing still?"

Lir looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"I can’t walk."

The recoil from yelling and throwing punches at the air for 20 minutes hit me.

"......Are you serious?"

Lir looked at me with a look of disdain.

"Can you just help me?"

"Why don’t you just ask me to carry you?"

"Oh, would you carry me?"

"No."

Lir answered firmly and extended her hand toward me. I grabbed her thin hand, the same one that had covered my mouth so many times today, and slowly moved my trembling legs one step at a time.

"...You’re so annoying."

"Carry me, then."

"No."

Lir clicked her tongue and, though she complained, never let go of my hand as we slowly made our way to the tent.

The next morning.

I was about to part ways with Bellua’s squad.

Honestly, I hadn’t really gotten attached to them. There was a rank difference, and the time we spent together was too short for us to form any bond.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Among Bellua’s squad, I spent the most time with Trion, but... His rude behavior made it hard for me to feel any affection for him.

"Well, I’m leaving, big deal, bothering people so early in the morning..."

...Well, I wasn’t expecting much, but still, this is a bit much.

Trion, tying his long blonde hair, was blatantly signaling that he wanted me to wrap it up quickly.

...I know teachers’ speeches are the most boring things in the world, but can he really make such an obvious face like that?

I’m still a general, you know.

"Well, during the almost month-long operation, you all worked hard. I’m returning to the capital to report on the operation and prepare for the next mission. I’ll make sure to pass along the parts you worked on well."

"...What are you talking about? Our work isn’t done yet?"

"The buildings barely function now. The real art is beyond just functionality."

"Hey, White Molu! Is your squad done with their work?"

"No, we’re still working. The roof color isn’t right. The paint doesn’t dry well here with the thick brush, and it’s hard to get the right color."

The dwarves in the line looked confused and murmured in small voices.

...I don’t understand why they need art in a military building. The building should just function.

"Hmph! Hmph!"

As the dwarves muttered, Bellua cleared her throat and gathered their attention again.

"Well, the paint work for the buildings, you can coordinate that with your squad leader."

"Coordinate... Why? Can’t we just work all day?"

"Crazy, my kid still has plenty of walls left to paint!"

The look of confusion on their faces was obvious. I couldn’t even begin to guess what the hell painting meant to them.

Anyway, to finish things up, I looked at each soldier’s face and continued speaking.

"Do you all remember what I promised you before I set out?"

"That you’d bow your head when the work’s done?"

A familiar voice came from the bowmen’s ranks. It was Trion, who had been sending obvious signals to hurry up.

"..."

I forced a smile and looked at Trion.

"Yeah."

He confidently said while arranging his long blonde hair. The dwarves glanced at him, sighing or covering their eyes with their thick hands at his cheeky attitude.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that? Focus ahead. The general is talking."

The truly frightening thing was that he didn’t realize what he was doing wrong.

A madman was a madman to the very end.

"Well, Trion’s remarks weren’t entirely wrong. I promised to bow my head to you all before I set out."

"Oh, finally trying to show some respect. Glad to see you’ve come to your senses."

...Someone do something about that crazy elf.

"Hmph, well. Anyway, I promised to bow my head to you all. I made the mistake of not reviewing the contract thoroughly, and you all had to prepare for a battle you didn’t need to fight."

I kept my eyes off Trion as I continued. Looking at that crazy bastard’s face might make me burst out with a curse.

"I made a mistake. And..."

For a moment, the smell of a corpse cart brushed past my nose.

Rex’s back, which had been seething, flashed in front of me.

...And the words he had said to me before he left for the mission echoed in my ears.

None of us are perfect.

Even the great swordsman makes mistakes, and that’s why there are comrades and subordinates to make up for them. None of the warriors complain when the situation is imperfect.

What would Rex have thought, watching me bow my head in front of the regular soldiers?

That useless thought wouldn’t leave my head.

"......"

I lifted my head in silence.

I needed a brief moment to think.

The sky, today, was too clear to be struck by lightning.

The clouds in the thickets were white and transparent, unlike the thunderclouds, drifting on the wind, repeatedly gathering and dispersing.

"Well, mistakes happen. I’m human too. Since no one died or got hurt, it’s not a big deal."

I casually let the thought that had just passed through my mind slip out.

"Haha!"

The dwarf squad leader at the front of the line burst out laughing.

Seeing the dwarf laughing so freely, I smiled back.

"I’ll probably make mistakes again. I’d appreciate it if you could help this clumsy mage out."

I don’t know why it came out so easily that I would make mistakes again.

Maybe it’s the clouds. The clouds, drifting aimlessly, must have shaken my heart so much.

Yeah, let’s blame it on the clouds.

"Haha! Unpredictable!"

"We didn’t really want your apology! As soldiers, we’re prepared to get hurt, but you’ve been treating us like kids!"

"No one got hurt, so it’s actually a good thing! We could reduce the number of those damned demons!"

The dwarves laughed and made noise after hearing my words.

"Tsk. So cheeky."

Only the elves in the archery unit seemed to look at me with disdain.

...Actually, most of the elves didn’t seem to care, but Trion among them glared at me with a very unpleasant look.

Look at those hateful eyes. He looks like he’s going to eat me.

"Well, good luck. Thanks for everything."

I lightly greeted the infantry who had worked hard over the past month and boarded the carriage where Alter and Lir were waiting.

The dwarf acting as the coachman also laughed loudly at me.

"Of course, if you’re taming spirits, you should at least do that!"

...?

I heard a strange sound in my ear as I got on the military carriage.

"Haha, that’s true! You tamed a spirit, so if you bow, it’ll make us uncomfortable!"

...What is that supposed to mean?

I stared blankly at the backs of the dwarves, who were scattering after the morning roll call, confused.

"Wait..."

Thwack!

Before I could say anything, the dwarf who had been laughing loudly whipped the reins and started the carriage. The wheels clattered as it rolled down the paved road, and the dwarves’ backs quickly disappeared.

"......"

I looked at Lir and Alter in confusion, trying to understand what had just happened.

It seemed like they were just as confused about the situation as I was.

...What is going on? This is ridiculous.