I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

The massive spear of the Tauros drew a straight line through the air, aiming for Lir’s slender neck.

The enormous arm holding the rust-covered spear bore hideous burn scars.

Even in the moment when its life hung on the precipice of death, this monster stomped its hooves and swung its arms, following its primal instinct for slaughter.

To Lir, who stood on the brink of death, everything except herself seemed to slow down.

Raindrops fell before her eyes. Refracting the light, they made the massive spear in the Tauros' grip appear even more menacing.

The grotesque roar of the Tauros rippled through the moisture-laden air, making her frail body tremble. In the corner of her vision, she caught a glimpse of her master hastily gathering electricity at his fingertips.

A storm of emotions filled the young elf’s heart, and a rush of memories flashed through her mind.

A death both futile and unjust.

But such was the battlefield.

A single moment of carelessness was enough to drag even a genius into the depths of hell.

Just as the fear of death belatedly brushed down her spine—

Creak!

The sound of mechanical gears interlocking descended upon the chaotic battlefield.

Thud!

In an instant, a crimson-black light flooded her vision. It appeared for just a fleeting moment before vanishing, leaBing behind only a faint afterimage in her eyes.

And then—the Tauros' body became enshrouded in that crimson-black light, and the spear that had been flying toward her neck shot high into the sky.

"......"

Lir blankly stared at the Tauros' corpse.

The upper body of the Tauros, which had been charging toward her with every ounce of its strength, had completely disappeared.

HaBing lost its brain and heart, the Tauros' lower body lost all its strength, its bulging muscles going slack as it staggered without balance.

Thud!

With the sound of its rusted, blood-stained spearhead crashing to the ground, time returned to its normal pace for her.

The lower half of the Tauros, which had been thundering toward her with chilling hoofbeats, succumbed to inertia and tumbled past her, brushing against her robe as it hit the ground.

"Ah, ah..."

Lir belatedly turned to look at the lower half of the Tauros that had collapsed behind her.

The beast's mud-covered remains trembled with postmortem rigidity.

"Are you all right?!"

Only then did the voices of the squad leader and soldiers reach Lir’s dazed mind.

Her body, drained of strength, gave way, and she collapsed into the muddy ground.

Her robe quickly became drenched in filth, and the brim of her wide hat drooped down. Her golden hair, now wet from the rain, clung to her skin.

"Hoo..."

She was alive.

The numbing sensation in her hands and feet faded, and the overwhelming terror of death gave way to the exhilarating relief of survival.

A surge of adrenaline hit her belatedly.

Her hands and feet trembled, her knees went weak, and she took ragged, unsteady breaths.

The young elf's large eyes welled with tears. Fortunately, with the rain pouring down, no one would notice that she was crying.

"Everyone, you let your guard down, didn't you?"

"...That voice."

Bin.

The cold voice of that frail-looking boy cut through the sound of the rain, settling heavily over the battlefield.

She looked up at the white-haired boy. His expression was filled with disappointment and anger.

"The trees obstructed visibility, and on top of that, it was raining! Did you really think that an army of Tauros was completely wiped out by a single 'Bolt' spell? Did none of you consider that at least one might have survived?!"

Following him, Alter Heindel’s voice, brimming with fury, resounded across the field. The realization that his cherished apprentice had nearly lost her life due to a single moment of carelessness had even stirred the heart of the sage, who had long since learned patience through his years of wisdom.

"For now, let's get you up."

Beside the bellowing Alter, the boy silently reached out and grasped Lir’s arm, helping her up.

Still dazed from the lingering adrenaline, she struggled to make sense of her surroundings.

She grabbed his hand and managed to stand, but her strength quickly gave out, and she sank back to the ground.

"...Was it you, Lord Bin, who saved me?"

Looking up at the boy, still seated on the muddy ground, Lir asked her a question.

From the small crystal floating above his shoulder, she could faintly hear the mechanical clicking sound she had noticed earlier.

"Lir, you too! Have I not repeatedly told you that the battlefield is dangerous and that you must never, under any circumstances, let your guard down?! And yet, look at you now! Do not make me regret bringing you here!"

Before the boy could answer, Alter’s furious rebuke struck first.

"......"

The young elf shrank back, biting her lips. Her grip on the boy's hand tightened involuntarily, and something surged up from within her.

Ah, no.

The tears that had been barely held back finally spilled over. She had only just escaped the jaws of death, and now, being scolded by her master, she could no longer contain her emotions.

A tempest of feelings, wild and unpredictable, rocked her very core. Never before had she experienced such a storm of emotions, and she had no idea how to contain them.

She dared not open her mouth—if she did, she knew a sob would escape instead of words.

"......"

With his cold face and deep dark circles under his eyes, the white-haired boy silently removed the wide-brimmed hat he was wearing and carefully placed it on Lir’s head.

The pitch-black hat did not particularly suit her pale skin and golden hair, but now was not the time to worry about such trivialities.

The boy then picked up her fallen blue hat, shaking off the muddy water that had seeped into it, before speaking in a calm, steady voice.

"People die on the battlefield. Don’t let your guard down."

"This is madness... I can’t believe this."

Alter, after confirming that the boy was tending to his disciple, began making his way toward the center of the battlefield.

"Aren't you all elite soldiers? Haven't you all served in the military for at least four years? Surely, you are all seasoned veterans with ample combat experience!"

The white-haired boy watched in silence as Alter raised his voice at the surrounding soldiers.

"Mages and soldiers exist in a symbiotic relationship! Mages eliminate the enemy with magic, and soldiers use their physical abilities and combat experience to protect mages from all kinds of threats. That is your respective duty!"

The old man's voice pierced through the sound of the rain and burrowed deep into the soldiers' hearts. Though his voice grew hoarse like scraping metal as he shouted, no one dared to mock or point it out.

"......"

The white-haired boy, Bin, couldn't take his eyes off Alter as he scolded the soldiers.

Surviving on the battlefield—no, achieving victory—was not something that could be accomplished through individual strength alone.

One had to know how to encourage subordinates and comrades. When they made mistakes, they had to be reprimanded sternly to ensure they never repeated them.

"......Disappointing."

Bin muttered as he watched Alter’s back.

He wasn't disappointed in Alter, nor was he particularly upset with the soldiers who had erred.

He was disappointed because it wasn't him standing there, reprimanding his subordinates, despite carrying the title of a general.

"We apologize!"

Even amidst the heavy rain, the soldiers caught Bin’s quiet remark and immediately bowed their heads in apology.

"Well, whatever."

Bin responded curtly, his expression cold, before turning back to Lir, who was still sprawled in the mud, and helped her to her feet once more.

"Let's go."

With trembling legs, she managed to step onto the muddy ground. Though there was little strength in the boy's arm, it was enough to provide her with some balance—and right now, even that small assistance was invaluable to her.

Holding onto Bin’s hand, Lir steadied her shaky legs and finally made her way into the makeshift tent.

Creak.

As the boy stepped inside, the sound of interlocking gears echoed once more.

And as if its task had been completed, the crystal floating near Bin shattered into countless fragments before sinking into his chest.

Seeing this, Lir became certain. The mechanical sound she had heard when she was saved—it had been Bin. No one else.

"Bin... It was you who saved me, wasn't it?"

"For now, just calm down. Would you like some leftover bread?"

Bin spoke as if comforting a whimpering child.

"Tha-thank you, hhic... Thank you..."

...In the end, her tears burst forth, and her words came out jumbled. Lir was mortified beyond belief to be showing such an unsightly side of herself.

How could she possibly repay the boy who had saved her life? The young elf could not find the answer to that question on her own.

"Lir, is this your first time on the battlefield?"

As he wiped the mud and rainwater from her robe with a handkerchief, Bin turned to Alter, who had followed them into the tent.

"I entered the Mage Tower at four years old and trained there my whole life... This isn't just my first battlefield; it's my first time outside the tower."

"Then shouldn't you have been more cautious? Even if it's Lir's first time, she can be excused for making mistakes, but you, Lord Alter, are no stranger to war."

"Honestly, I didn't anticipate this situation. In the past, when we went out together to eliminate monsters near the Mage Tower, she handled things well enough... I assumed there wouldn't be any issues this time either. If Lir became a burden to the expedition, then I sincerely apologize."

Alter’s hoarse voice carried his apology to Bin, who shook his head as if that wasn't his intention.

"I'm not saying she was a burden. Everyone has a first time for everything... She just needs to gain more experience on the battlefield. In an era where people die every day, what use is a mage who can't even protect themselves?"

Bin placed the mud-stained handkerchief on the ground and used a clean one to wipe the tears and rain from Lir's face.

"I just... I don't like seeing people die, so I should've been more careful, that's all..."

Just as Bin's delicate fingers and soft cloth finished wiping away the moisture from the elf's cheeks, his vision suddenly tilted violently.

"Ahh... Thank you! Thank you so much...! It was so terrifying..."

Despite his efforts, Lir burst into tears again and lunged at Bin, wrapping him in an embrace.

The hat Bin had placed on her head fell off, revealing her golden hair, tangled and drenched with dirt and rain.

With his pitiful strength of "1," the boy stood no chance against the sudden impact of the elf’s embrace.

He toppled over along with her, letting out a tired groan as his already sore throat released a weary sigh.

The young elf never did find a way to repay the boy for saBing her. All she could do was repeatedly express her gratitude, over and over again.

"I'm sorry, I was such a burden! But still, th-thank you... Thank you so much...!"

This socially inept elf repeated the same words until they practically etched themselves into Bin's ears.

Then, burying her face against his chest, she continued sobbing.

With a sigh, Bin muttered in exhaustion, "...You're heavy."

He tried to push her off, pressing lightly against her shoulders to move her to the side.

But she didn't budge.

With his feeble strength, even moBing a slender elf off his body was nearly impossible.

Realizing this, Bin quickly gave up on removing her and instead used his delicate hands to gently brush the dirt and water from her hair.

It took two full hours for Lir's sobbing to subside and her storm of emotions to calm.

"...I'm sorry."

Once she finally composed herself, Lir knelt and apologized to Bin.

"Let's just get some sleep. What a mess... We have plans tomorrow."

Sounding utterly drained, Bin clutched his ribs and lay down on the floor of the makeshift tent, seeking a brief respite.

Unlike Bin and Alter, who quickly drifted off to sleep, Lir stayed wide awake the entire night.

...After all, the embarrassment of her own actions was too much to bear.