I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

To General Bell,

It seems that the Demon King will only pretend to come down from the northern lands again but has no real intention of moving.

If we just kill about four or five high-ranking demons, we should have some breathing room on our side.

It should be fine to be away for about 30 minutes.

I’ll make some time to come down in two weeks.

We’ll meet then.

As Bell read the letter, he could almost hear his voice—light and relaxed, as though the writing itself was carelessly done, with slanted, unreadable handwriting for anyone who would be reading the first letter from the Sword Saint.

Bell folded the short letter from the Sword Saint twice and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the letter was consumed by flames and turned to ash.

The fact that the Sword Saint would arrive in Ballarand in two weeks should not be known to the enemies.

It wasn’t likely to happen, but just in case the contents of the letter leaked, Bell had acted accordingly. If the high-ranking demon lords knew that the Sword Saint was coming to Ballarand, they wouldn’t try to attack; they’d run away with their tails between their legs, just like usual.

They must not be allowed to escape.

The four demon lords in this battlefield must all be killed, without exception.

That was the bare minimum penance for the subordinates who had bravely died in service to him.

His left arm throbbed in pain.

Bell quietly sent the ash from the letter out the window and turned off the lamp.

A deeper and lower darkness than usual settled over the general’s tent.

How long had it been since he had had a good sleep? He couldn’t remember.

"Adra deserted?"

"Yes."

It wasn’t until the next morning that I told Bell the news of Adra’s desertion. The reason I didn’t tell him right away the night before wasn’t particularly important.

It was because I was afraid that Bell might go after Adra and kill him.

Whether Adra lived or died didn’t concern me, but I didn’t want to be the one to inform Bell. If Adra got captured, I would feel uneasy about it.

Bell would certainly deal with the deserter according to military law. And desertion in wartime was punishable by death.

...If Adra died, I would never escape the thought that I had given him the reason for it.

My bed was uncomfortable enough as it was, and I didn’t want to add to the unease of sleep.

"He deserted last night? When did you find out?"

"As soon as he deserted."

"...But why are you telling me now?"

"He was sleeping."

Just like everyone else, but especially for mages, rest and sleep were just as important as intense study or training.

Those who had done the same study and training: the magic of those who had had proper sleep and rest to keep their minds clear was of a far higher quality than those who stayed up late every night and overworked their minds.

Disturbing a mage’s sleep meant lowering the quality of their magic. Therefore, unless it was an emergency, a mage should never be woken during sleep.

...That was the excuse I gave to Bell.

"That’s how I was taught."

Bell’s gaze remained fierce.

"By not reporting the desertion, you are as good as helping him escape."

...Does that mean he’s going to kill me?

I kept quiet, staring at him without saying anything.

"Tsk."

With a look of irritation, Bell roughly grabbed the robe thrown on the bed and threw it over his shoulders, turning away his sharp gaze.

The wine-colored robe was stained with mud, but it seemed like he had no intention of changing into a spare set of clothes.

"Come on. I’ll give you a detailed briefing on the operation I explained earlier."

Bell, now in his robe with his dark hair hastily pushed back, led Grisha and me out of the tent.

It was only around 9 AM, but there was no sunlight in the sky. The black clouds, which had cleared briefly yesterday, had once again completely covered the sky.

We passed by the officer's tents and walked toward the Akyliptus Forest zone.

The further we got from the battlefield, the lighter my shoulders felt. The mud didn’t have any poison or blood on it, and before long, I could see flowers blooming between the mud piles.

Soon, a massive tree stood at the top of a hill. It was a living tree, neither decaying nor dying.

It was a different kind of hill from the one Adra had fled to the previous night.

"...Could we rest a bit?"

I cautiously asked Bell and Grisha as we reached the hill.

"No."

The answer was so firm that I couldn’t ask why.

"...."

I held back the curse that nearly slipped from my mouth and walked up the hill at an angle.

I was out of breath and felt dizzy. The two people ahead of me glanced back at me, and when they saw me struggling, they furrowed their brows.

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

"...What are you doing?"

"Don’t... talk to me."

I managed to answer with a strained throat.

I was dying from exhaustion, yet they kept talking to me.

If I hadn’t known Bell’s personality, I would have cursed him out right there.

"...."

Bell and Grisha exchanged glances, their faces showing confusion, and then climbed the hill ahead of me.

It took them less than 5 minutes to reach the top in a straight line, but it took me a whole 20 minutes.

...And that was after taking a 10-minute break.

"Ha, damn... Ha."

At the top of the hill, there was a small hut. It looked newly built, with no rips or wear anywhere on it. I opened the door and walked inside.

Since no one was waiting at the top of the hill, Bell and Grisha were most likely inside.

"You’re here."

The bright lamp inside the hut illuminated the room. Bell, standing in the light with his face cast in shadow, gave a tired greeting as he looked at me.

On the wall of the hut, a large map was hanging. It was a detailed map of Ballarand, with various shapes drawn in ink with a quill pen. Next to each shape were labels like "High-Ranking Demon", "Mutated Archer Group", and "Demon Lord’s Garrison".

"You’re late."

Inside the hut, Bell, Grisha, and even Rex, Lir, and Alter were all present.

"Drink this."

Lir handed me a cup filled with cold water. She must have prepared it to give me before I arrived.

I was too moved by Lir’s thoughtful gesture to even appreciate it. I brought the cup to my mouth and drank.

I didn’t feel like I was alive again... yet. My arms and legs were still sore, but I did feel like I wasn’t going to die just yet.

"Sit down. It’s late."

Lir gently pulled my arm as I drank, guiding me to a chair. Alter nodded politely, and Rex stood and saluted.

I received their salute with the hand not holding the cup and sat down following Lir’s guidance.

"Sit here."

Lir emphasized her left seat with a finger.

Well, it wasn’t surprising. She probably didn’t want to sit next to someone she didn’t know well.

In fact, Alter was sitting to her right.

I sat where she pointed.

"From now on, everything discussed here is confidential. The moment you leave this hut, you are not to repeat anything that has been said here."

Once everyone was seated, Bell adjusted the lamp’s light, focusing it on himself and the map.

Bathed in the light, Bell, though I didn’t want to admit it, was quite handsome. His deep, dark eyes and his hair pushed back, despite not having been washed for days, still maintained their elegance.

...It was the first time I had stared at his face like this, even though we had been in the same tent for days.

"Once everyone agrees, nod."

His deep circles under his eyes and slightly torn voice weren’t reassuring, but we all had no choice but to nod heavily.

Who would argue with Bell, after he said it so seriously? No one would dare.

...Even if it wasn’t Bell in front of us, no one would shake their head in this kind of atmosphere.

"Good. Then, I’ll explain the 'Harvest' operation planned for two weeks from now."

Bell took a quill from the desk and drew four triangles on the right side of the map.

"There are four enemy demon lords. Maltiel, Raguel, Ariel, and Michael."

This time, Bell moved the quill to the far left of the map and drew two circles.

"The only forces that can face the demon lords one-on-one in our army are two. Me and Grisha."

Though Alter, the 8th Circle wizard and former tower master, was here, he definitely wasn’t at a level where he could fight one of the demon lords one-on-one.

"Our forces are twice as few as the enemy’s generals. Our army is still dying off, but the demons are using those deaths to increase the number of mutations."

Just as he said, the battlefield was overwhelmingly unfavorable, and defeat was inevitable.

"If we force our way into their ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) lines, we will lose because of the imbalance in the general-level forces. Even if we drag out the time, our numbers will continue to shrink while the enemy’s grows."

"Isn’t there one more general-level fighter?"

Grisha raised her hand and asked in confusion. Her eyes... for some reason, were looking at me.

"...Me?"

Are they really considering me at the same level as Bell, to face the demon lords one-on-one?

Has Saint Grisha finally lost her mind after all these years of war?

"Bin is excluded. While his current power isn’t much stronger than ours... his growth potential is far beyond that. If he gets injured fighting a demon lord, it would be a huge loss for the continent."

...What made them think I was at a general level?

I’ve only read up to page 80 of ‘The Essentials of Intermediate Magic.’ I just started the second chapter of ‘The History and Understanding of Lightning Magic.’

"Heh..."

I couldn’t confess my secrets now, and I was really losing it.