I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

"Hey, hey! Cut it carefully, you idiot! Don’t get blood everywhere!"

"This mutant looks like a cross between a crow and a cow… What the hell kind of skulls do these demons have…?"

The soldiers’ voices cut through the fog of my half-conscious mind, rattling inside my head.

The sound of flesh being carved, bones being shattered with a hammer—it all jolted me awake.

I sat up abruptly, my head pounding with an unbearable headache.

I found myself lying in the middle of a military carriage, one prepared for mages. As if to acknowledge my rank, my subordinates had even draped a blanket over me.

“…Stay down a little longer.”

A slender finger pressed against my forehead, gently pushing me back down.

Thanks to that, I had no choice but to sink back into the soft embrace of the blanket.

The owner of the finger was Lir.

“….”

I looked up at her, noting how she had pulled her hat lower than usual, and asked where we were.

“We’ve already arrived at the Akliptus Forest. The soldiers and the other mages are currently dealing with the unconscious mutants.”

Whoosh—

“…May Astella guide your souls.”

Following Lir’s response, a cold gust of wind was cut by the swing of an axe, accompanied by the solemn voice of Rex, his one arm replaced with a mechanical prosthetic.

Turning my gaze outside the carriage, I easily spotted him.

With his massive frame, he stood out starkly amidst the shorter dwarves.

“How far along is the operation? Have we at least started constructing the forward base?”

“The archers and mages are still working on clearing the traps. According to the captain, we won’t be able to start road construction until tonight.”

“…Then now’s not the time to be lying around.”

I gritted my teeth and forced myself upright despite the splitting pain in my head.

“Just stay down.”

“I’m fine. Just standing around will be helpful enough.”

While everyone else was hard at work, I couldn’t just lie around doing nothing, even if I was the so-called general.

Gently brushing Lir’s hand aside, I stepped down from the carriage, my legs trembling as they touched the ground.

“Manifest.”

I focused on the strange energy within my chest and murmured softly.

Immediately, minute particles seeped out of my pores, converging on my shoulder.

The same crimson crystal that had once saved Lir’s life emerged again.

The red crystal, responding to my intent, whirred with mechanical precision and fired dark crimson beams at the motionless mutants, filling the air with an unpleasant burnt smell.

The best part about this artifact was that using it required neither stamina nor mana.

Of course, I couldn’t just utter "Manifest" and let it float passively above my shoulder without any effort.

How best to describe it… It was like suddenly growing a third arm and having to control it. Or like sprouting a tail and learning to swing it around.

It was an unnatural sensation, as if a foreign organ had attached itself to my body, demanding coordination.

The more I used it, the more accustomed I would become, and perhaps one day, I’d be able to keep it hovering by my side at all times.

For now, however, I could only summon it when necessary.

“…What is that? It’s the same magic you used to save me before, right? But it doesn’t seem like an electric spell… I’m not very knowledgeable about magic outside of lightning magic…”

Lir, staring curiously at the floating crystal, finally gave in to her curiosity and asked.

“Oh, it’s not magic. It’s an artifact.”

“…An artifact?”

Lir’s large eyes widened in surprise.

…Did I say something strange?

“Where in the world did you get an artifact?”

She blurted it out as if she had stumbled upon a treasure trove inside a dungeon.

Even though I hadn’t known her for long, this was definitely the loudest I had ever heard her speak.

“…Why?”

“Why? Because it’s an artifact! A mysterious relic of this world, whose origins and purpose remain unknown! Where did you even find such a rare thing? Wait, no, have you studied it? Have you tried dismantling it? You haven’t, have you? Does it store mana? Or does it run on some other energy source…?”

It seemed artifacts were far rarer in this world than I had assumed.

“Did the Emperor procure it for you? No, that can’t be right. Not even the Emperor can acquire an artifact so easily… So how did you…”

For someone usually so composed, Lir was now in an excited frenzy, raising her voice in disbelief.

Judging by her reaction… if Lir ever saw a wiki site’s map pinpointing the exact locations of various artifacts, she’d probably faint on the spot.

“…When I was young, I accidentally fell into a dungeon and stumbled upon it,” I answered, glancing up at the sky before closing my eyes tightly, steeling myself with a serious expression.

‘In reality, it was something we all found in the Enker Highlands, inside a young dragon’s nest… but I needed it too much, so I just took it without telling anyone.’

If I admitted that now, I had no idea what kind of reaction I’d get.

“Were there any inscriptions in that dungeon? No, wait—just tell me the dungeon’s location. This is an opportunity. We could learn how ancient people lived and how they managed to create artifacts that lasted through the ages….”

To scholars in this world, ‘artifacts’ seemed to be relics of an ancient civilization.

…Which made me the idiot who casually looted one of those relics behind everyone’s backs.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember. It was too long ago…”

I stacked another lie onto my previous one.

I’m sorry, Lir.

But I really can’t bring myself to tell the truth…!

With those bright, expectant eyes, how could I just say, ‘Actually, I found it in a young dragon’s nest but took it before anyone else could. Good luck next time!’?

“……”

Lir fell silent for a brief moment before calming down, as if coming to some realization.

Was she… disappointed?

Why did the mood suddenly drop…?

“If it was a dungeon that housed an artifact, its difficulty must have been extreme… What kind of childhood did you even have?”

Lir lowered her head slightly and gently patted my shoulder.

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t being considerate. It probably wasn’t a good memory. You must’ve been so young that you can’t even remember it clearly….”

Oh.

I didn’t expect this turn of events…

“Uh, well… I don’t remember much about my childhood. Just… trying to survive, day by day. Yeah.”

I quickly tried to steer the conversation away, taking advantage of the awkward atmosphere to put an end to this topic.

Lir watched me exhale like someone reminiscing about a painful past, her expression growing more complex.

…My conscience was starting to ache, but I clenched my resolve and kept it from showing.

I’m really sorry, Lir…

Next time I find an artifact, I’ll at least let you look at it before I take it…

With a bitter smile befitting a tragic backstory, I subtly distanced myself from Lir.

…Because if I looked into her large, sympathetic eyes any longer, my conscience might actually collapse.

“This wrapped up faster than I expected.”

Noticing how quiet things had become, I scanned the area and spoke.

The mutants, which hadn’t put up any resistance, were swiftly handled by the skilled soldiers’ axes and blades.

Now that the work was done, the infantry took their time inspecting their armor for any splashes of the mutants’ toxic blood and carefully cleaning their weapons.

“Yes, Master. Ah… Understood.”

As the soldiers wiped down their gear, Lir used a blue crystal orb to communicate via magic, conversing with Alter.

“The main unit is also nearing the final stage of their work. We can regroup with them now,” Lir relayed as she approached me.

I didn’t rush. Instead, I waited until all the soldiers had properly cleaned up. If even a single drop of monster blood remained and caused an outbreak of disease, it would seriously hinder the mission.

About thirty minutes later, idle chatter began among the soldiers.

Without a word, I turned my gaze toward Rex, who stood out noticeably even among the dwarves due to his massive frame.

Catching my silent cue, he nodded in response, indicating that they were ready.

“It’s time to regroup with the main unit. They’ve nearly finished disarming the traps.”

My role in this mission was almost over.

As long as the dexterous dwarf engineers were safely transported into the Akliptus Forest, my job here would be done.

Building roads and constructing the forward base was their expertise.

“Lir, once we arrive at the forest, let’s explore a bit together.”

Now that my duties as a soldier were wrapping up, it was time to return to being a mage—to search for the Lightning Spirit hidden somewhere in the forest.

“…Is this an official task?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s not military-related, just a mage’s job. Why?”

“No, no… It’s nothing.”

Despite being the one to ask, Lir suddenly flushed red and pulled her hat down, retreating into her signature turtle-like defensive stance.

…This elf is seriously impossible to understand.