I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

As we rode the carriage back to the castle, the servant repeatedly asked if I had sustained any injuries.

Even if I had, it would have been nothing more than bruises from being knocked down by those hulking brutes. Such injuries would heal in a day or two, and the pain wasn’t severe enough to make a fuss about it.

...If I were to mention any injuries now, things would truly spiral out of control.

“The, uh, Count Guiner? You said you were summoning that family to the castle….”

“Yes. They will be formally charged. It is, after all, an undeniable act of treason.”

“Just out of curiosity, what kind of punishment does treason usually entail…?”

“In a wartime situation like the current one, treason against the nation is usually punished by the complete extermination of the family.”

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the servant, who spoke such insane words with a calm expression.

This world was a tangled mess of reason and absurdity, set in a medieval fantasy game. On top of that, the entire continent was currently embroiled in a war for its very survival.

The moment I heard the word ‘treason,’ I had a bad feeling… but still. The extermination of an entire family?

Things had already started spiraling out of control.

“That seems a bit excessive….”

“I heard that Bin was nearly killed by them. The blade was at your throat. If that bodyguard had pressed just a bit harder, your head would have been separated from your body. The Grand Lord risked his own life to eliminate humanity’s last hope, and that hope would have been lost so easily….”

The servant spoke as if soothing a child’s tantrum.

“Bin, you should start valuing your own worth more. Lir is an excellent mage, but from now on, you should formally have a bodyguard accompany you.”

The servant sighed, creasing his forehead as if the mere thought of it was horrifying.

“…You don’t seriously think I could have actually been killed by those fools, do you?”

Despite still feeling the lingering sensation of the cold blade on my throat, I shamelessly lied.

Even if they had truly intended to kill me, I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to just stand by and watch an entire family be sent to the guillotine one by one.

Surely, there were innocent children in that family who had done nothing wrong.

I didn’t want them to get caught up in this.

“No matter how skilled a mage you are, you will always be vulnerable to surprise attacks. Unlike warriors who train their bodies daily, you are not the same. Even Lir was caught off guard by a much weaker Tauros during the last expedition and nearly faced a major crisis.”

The servant pointed out basic battlefield logic. A hundred times, a thousand times over, he was absolutely right.

“Even so, the punishment is too severe.”

Yet, I stubbornly protested.

‘People are going to die because of me.’

That thought simply wouldn’t leave my mind.

“That is not something you should be telling me.”

The servant turned his gaze outside the window, signaling the conversation was over.

“…What do we do?”

I turned to Lir, who was sitting beside me, lamenting over a situation that had grown far too large for us to handle.

“….”

As always, she pulled the brim of her hat down to cover her face.

An impeccable defensive strategy, rivaling that of a turtle. I could only bury my face in my hands, at a complete loss for words.

…Somehow, I had ended up pushing an entire noble family toward the executioner’s block.

Why does everything I do turn into such a mess?

***

A promising member of the Sword Saint’s party had nearly been assassinated—by none other than the daughter of an earl who had long accumulated wealth and prestige in the capital.

Given the gravity of the situation, the Queen of the Elves and the Emperor of Humanity personally summoned them to the audience chamber to answer for their crimes.

Under normal circumstances, the King of the Dwarves and the Grand Chieftain of the Orcs would also have been present. Unfortunately, they were unable to abandon their duties and rush over.

“So, it’s you lot. The fools who nearly killed our rising star.”

The Queen of the Elves’ chilling voice filled the audience chamber.

The members of the Guiner family pressed their heads to the floor in shame, unable to utter a single word.

The Emperor, too, simply stared at them, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his throne.

“I hear your family has quite the notorious reputation. Cutting off tenants’ ankles if their rent is overdue by even a single day… exploiting double-sided contracts to impose excessive taxes on commoners… forcing illiterate people to sign contracts they can’t read and then using that to enslave them….”

The Emperor was a completely different person from his usual self. His deeply furrowed face, carved with the scars of past wars, made him look like a ruler who had just emerged from the depths of hell.

“Do you even realize what times we’re living in? In an era of war, you dare call yourselves nobles while engaging in such despicable acts?”

The Guiner family was far worse than I had expected.

They not only manipulated contracts to extort merchants but also threatened illiterate commoners with dismemberment if they failed to comply.

They were nothing short of a criminal cartel straight out of a movie.

‘…Maybe execution really is the best option.’

For a moment, even I entertained the thought.

I should have known they were insane the moment a mere thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl started babbling about cutting off ankles and beheading people.

“Well, setting aside those petty crimes, just the fact that you dared to put a blade to our rising star’s throat is reason enough for execution. There’s no need to waste time listing off your trivial offenses—let’s just pass the death sentence and be done with it. Our time is far too valuable to waste on filth like you.”

At the Elf Queen’s sharp words, the criminals trembled.

It seemed that, more than all their other crimes, what infuriated her most was that they had tried to kill me.

“Y-Your Majesty… please, have mercy on our lives…!”

“Silence.”

The Queen didn’t even want to hear their pathetic pleas.

“Do you have any idea what you almost did? That boy is the key to ending this war.”

Ah… yeah… that’s really not something I needed to hear again.

“That so-called ‘boy’ standing before you is the mage who, in just two weeks as a general, solved the continent’s food crisis. Something you wretched scum could never accomplish in your entire lifetimes.”

Uh… I mean… If you spent your whole life trying, maybe you could manage it?

“A person with no ability should at least refrain from being a burden, don’t you think? Attempted assassination of a general? Hey, you—the eldest daughter of the Guiner family. The one you tried to kill today wasn’t just some insignificant brat like yourself. It was the future of all humanity.”

Uh, no. No way. My life is definitely not equal to the future of all humanity.

“Indeed.”

Oh no, not you too, Your Majesty.

I’m seriously going insane here.

“…I was unaware of his greatness! He looked too much like a commoner…!”

“So commoners are fair game for slaughter? You think that’s a valid excuse?”

The Emperor scoffed in disbelief.

The eldest daughter of the Guiner family could only bury her head further into the ground.

Even now, she still saw commoners as nothing more than disposable playthings….

…Maybe just letting them die wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all?

“What do you think? Personally, I’d recommend the guillotine. But if you prefer, we could go with a public execution by fire.”

The Elf Queen turned to me, awaiting my judgment.

Wow. What a horrifying set of options.

“……”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

By all accounts, they deserved death.

But somewhere in that family, there had to be innocents—children, distant relatives, people who had done nothing wrong.

“The way I see it… I wasn’t entirely blameless either.”

I opened my eyes and spoke.

“…Are you trying to joke with me?”

The Elf Queen stared at me with an expression of genuine irritation and exasperation.

“Well… I just hope you don’t execute the entire family. If people die because of me, I think I’ll have trouble sleeping at night.”

“You are too soft. For someone with your skills, you’re excessively humble. One childlike human is enough—we already have the Sword Saint.”

The Elf Queen made no effort to hide her disappointment in my decision. It seemed she had hoped I would be more ruthless and decisive, but what could I do?

This is who I am.

I had lived for nearly twenty years with modern morals and ethics—adapting perfectly to medieval standards overnight would be the stranger thing.

“I still dislike the idea of people dying. Especially if it’s because of me.”

Hearing my bold response, the Emperor’s deeply furrowed wrinkles smoothed out, and he burst into hearty laughter.

“You sound exactly like the Sword Saint when I first spoke to him 25 years ago.”

“I nearly lost my mind listening to a seven-year-old brat spouting nonsense back then… Somehow, this situation feels eerily similar.”

Unlike the laughing Emperor, the Elf Queen massaged her temples, shaking her head as if she had a headache.

“Perhaps geniuses of different paths share a certain connection! To me, this is nothing but a good omen.”

The Elf Queen responded to the Emperor’s words with a sigh.

Why? Why were they comparing me to a monster like the Sword Saint?

Please don’t. I’m just a half-baked mage who can only use a single spell….

“I’ll be expecting great things from you, General Bin.”

“Uh… um, yes…?”

Once again, I had unwittingly raised their expectations for me.

…I could barely handle the expectations already placed on me. If I didn’t have my [Composure] trait, my heart might have exploded by now.

Why does everything I say or do lead to ridiculous misunderstandings?

It must be my terrible luck.

…I should have invested 10,000 more points into Luck.

“At any rate, I refuse to lose sleep over unnecessary guilt. My body isn’t exactly the sturdiest to begin with.”

With that, I closed my mouth again.

After quietly discussing amongst themselves, the Elf Queen and the Emperor finally came to a decision and ordered the criminals to lift their heads.

“Under normal circumstances, your entire family—including your servants—would have been beheaded for such a grave crime… but we wouldn’t want our ‘kind-hearted boy’ losing sleep over misplaced guilt.”

The Elf Queen emphasized ‘kind-hearted boy’ in an exaggerated tone.

Her expression still held traces of dissatisfaction. She clearly wanted to drag them to the guillotine immediately and make their execution a public spectacle.

Judging by her conversation with the Emperor, it wasn’t because she enjoyed executions.

Rather, executing nobles solidified the Empire’s authority and sent a warning to other aristocrats who sought power through crime.

The Guiner family wasn’t just an arrogant noble house—they were a full-fledged criminal cartel operating as a family unit.

Publicly executing them would serve as a warning to other noble families who built their power through illicit means.

“What a shame, you filth. Personally, I would have loved to hang you in the plaza and slowly burn you one by one over a weak flame.”

The Elf Queen clicked her tongue in genuine regret.

Weakening criminal noble families and strengthening the Empire’s authority—

Even in middle school history, we learned that centralized power was essential in wartime.

Wasn’t it something about Goguryeo falling to Silla because they failed to centralize? Or was it something else?

Well, whatever.

I was never one to study seriously, so there was no way I could remember exactly which nation failed due to decentralization.

Just knowing that centralization was important during wartime was already an achievement for me.

“The Guiner family’s assets will be confiscated, their title revoked, and the key figures involved in their crimes will receive life sentences.”

“In addition, all seized assets, properties, and servants will be granted to General Bin as compensation for this incident.”

…?

What did our dear Emperor just say?

“Huh?”

“They managed over 20 square kilometers of land. If their holdings are suddenly left vacant, what do you think will happen? Someone needs to manage it.”

“Uh, I’ve never managed land before, and my salary is more than enough to live on—”

“Compassion. Mercy. These are crucial virtues for those who hold wealth and power. You have demonstrated them. That is enough.”

The Emperor cut me off, as if my opinion didn’t matter.

“No, no. There are far more important things to consider—like financial management, land administration, or assessing the people working on that land… I just want to focus on getting stronger—”

I protested, disregarding decorum for a moment.

Managing contracts with merchants, checking for mortgaged properties at the bank… Receiving that much wealth would inevitably come with an overwhelming number of responsibilities.

I had no desire to waste time managing territory. Right now, my sole focus should be improving my abilities.

High-ranking demons and the Grand Lord were constantly after my life. Compared to their strength, I was pitifully weak.

Just two weeks ago, I had to gamble with my life in front of a high-ranking demon just to survive.

Bluffing and intimidation had saved me a few times, but I couldn’t count on that luck forever.

What I needed wasn’t money—it was the power to survive in this insane world.

“Well, nominally, the land will be registered under your name, but you won’t need to manage it. Frankly, I don’t expect you to be a good landlord. The key administration will be handled by the servants assigned to you. They are highly capable, so you needn’t worry.”

The Elf Queen explained the situation more directly, watching me stumble over my words.

“That’s still a bit overwhelming….”

Why register it under my name if I’m not managing it?

Wouldn’t that mean I’d take the fall if something went wrong…?

“Don’t be too burdened. We were planning to grant you good land soon anyway. You’ve earned it with your contributions in the Enker Highlands.”

The Emperor, smiling as if nudging me toward acceptance, chimed in.

“…Ah. Understood.”

It seemed that granting this land to another noble would only strengthen their influence—something the Emperor and Queen sought to avoid.

In wartime, weakening noble factions and reinforcing central authority was crucial.

Rather than granting it to another noble and risking their power growing, it was far more rational from their perspective to hand it to someone firmly within their faction—me.

…Still, could you at least try to come up with a more convincing justification? Mercy and compassion? By that logic, every priest on the continent should own at least 5,000 acres in the capital.

“Congratulations! You now own a fine piece of land!”

Regardless of my grumbling, the Emperor’s tone made it clear I had no choice.

“…Uh, thank you…?”

And just like that, I suddenly became the lord of 20 square kilometers of land—including its buildings—right in the capital.

That meant I now had the responsibility of protecting the lives of the countless people living on that land.

Faced with both immense financial gain and crushing responsibility, I could only blink in disbelief.

‘I was fine with just my general’s salary.’

…There has never been a more perfect moment to use the word ‘white elephant.’