I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 64

September 21

06:00 AM.

Operation Name: Trap

Operation Number: 05-0078

Location: Balerland, Coordinates 05-46.75

Person in Charge: General Belle Artois

The next day. Before the sun had risen yet.

Bell arrived at the previously announced location about an hour early and checked his equipment.

At around 5:30, all the soldiers participating in the operation gathered, and they habitually checked their equipment again, which they had checked several times.

“Take this.”

At 55 minutes, Belle Artois distributed masks that covered the entire face to the soldiers. At first glance, they looked no different from the ones doctors used when treating plague patients.

The only unique thing was that the ends of the masks, which extended like beaks, were cut off, and there were large, unidentifiable tubes hanging on both sides of the face.

“It’s a mask specially made by dwarves. It allows you to breathe even in places filled with gas and poison. They say it costs about 29 gold to make one.”

“Wow, that’s more expensive than my annual salary.”

One of the soldiers who had been listening to the story burst into laughter as if he was dumbfounded and looked at the mask in his hand.

“It’s expensive and heavy, but it allows you to move freely in enemy territory filled with poison and waste. There’s also communication magic drawn inside, so there shouldn’t be any problems with communication.”

One by one, the soldiers covered their faces with the masks and tightened the buckles on the back of their heads.

“Let’s move. Take the lead, Lieutenant.”

The communication magic circle inside the mask emitted a faint light.

It was exactly 6 o’clock.

Following his order, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the high-ranking elf archer took the lead and walked out as if he was used to it.

They stepped carefully across the front lines covered in silence and tension. The soldiers who were watching the trenches looked bewildered when Bell suddenly appeared wearing a mask.

The low-ranking soldiers had no way of knowing about today’s operation, and even the high-ranking officers were curiously looking at Bell, who was wearing an unidentifiable mask and heading somewhere, since early in the morning.

After walking a few meters, they soon reached the end of the long trench.

Compared to the battlefield where everything was buried under mud, the outskirts of the battlefield where Bell and the soldiers were now standing still had some remnants of the old Valorland.

The remains of the castle walls that had been piled up to a great height, the dwarf workshop where half of the buildings had disappeared due to bombing, and the old fruit shop that had completely collapsed were still buried in the mud or had not turned to dust.

“Be careful of mines. It’s the outskirts of the battlefield and there’s no great strategic advantage, so the security isn’t tight, but the scouts reported that several mines were discovered.”

The Elf Ensign quickly escaped the trench with a light warning and hid among the rubble of the building. Bell and the other soldiers followed him, and Ad also hid in the rubble without any problems.

As they passed the ruins of the collapsed building on the outskirts of the front line, they saw a forest burning. The acrid smoke obscured their vision, but thanks to the mask on, they had no trouble breathing.

They walked through the burning forest for two or three hours.

The Elf Ensign Menes, who acted as their guide, warned them of the location of the mines here and there, but that was all they talked about for two hours.

“......This is the enemy line ahead. They’ve infiltrated by circling around the rear, so it’s hard to expect support from the main force.”

The sound of mine explosions and the soldiers’ screams could be faintly heard here and there, but no one except Ad showed any sign of surprise.

“If you get caught, think of it as immediate death, and move carefully.”

Menes left the burning forest with only a light warning.

“.......”

The formation of the demons... ... was eerily quiet.

The cold silence contrasted with the Allied forces’ formation, which was never quiet due to the groans of the wounded or the chaos of the insane.

Ed was so overwhelmed by the silence that he momentarily forgot to breathe.

“Let’s move.”

Menes confirmed that the formation was somewhat reorganized and moved forward.

The smell of blood, the smell of blood that could not be used no matter how much he smelled, was getting worse and worse. For some reason, even the most expensive and high-performance masks could not completely remove this smell.

Menes advanced in front, piercing through the muddy water mixed with blood and flesh, while Bell moved closely behind him.

The surroundings were filled with the corpses of mutants emitting unidentified gas.

There were corpses with their upper and lower bodies separated, lumps of mutant flesh completely crushed, giant orc arms, and bones so large that it was impossible to guess who they belonged to.

“Secure the first point.”

Menes spoke quietly after securing the safety of the surroundings.

Bell immediately took out a thick piece of parchment from inside his wine-colored robe.

The parchment, densely covered with patterns and letters that Adro could not understand, melted away as soon as it touched the floor, emitting pure white smoke like a piece of meat in a poison pit.

The mud floor was engraved with letters that gave off a faint light, and Bell immediately moved his combat boots to cover it with mud.

“......Just do this eight more times. It’s easier than you think.”

Adro could not understand the meaning of Bell’s actions just now.

He was not particularly good at magic, and he had not been informed of the purpose of this mission in advance.

‘I have to escort the wizard.’ was all he knew about this mission.

Many questions came to his mind, but he was in the middle of enemy territory. It wouldn’t be too late to ask them later when he returned to the main camp, so he kept his mouth shut for now.

“We’re done here. We’ll move on to the next area.”

Menes passed Bell and moved forward, moving toward the next target.

The next target was quite a distance away. Menes cautiously advanced, scanning his surroundings with all his senses alert, while Bell and the other soldiers followed them, holding their breath.

There was a sharp silence for about ten minutes.

“Stop.”

Menes’ voice could be heard through the runes engraved on his mask. Something caught his eye as he led the way.

“......Change route. There are too many venomous fleshy lumps ahead. If you misstep, your limbs will melt.”

“How far back do we have to go?”

“It’s only a difference of about 5 minutes. It won’t affect the operation.”

Menes assured, but strangely, a cold wind blew down Ed’s spine.

‘Probably, this operation, that elf lieutenant and General Belle know everything. They didn’t tell us, but they must have planned every little thing, including which path to take and how to move.’

The optimal route that had been reviewed over and over again was now distorted. It was only a difference of about 5 minutes, but this meant that there was a hole in the ‘operation that seemed perfect.’

“......Even if the worst happens, our magicians will hide and not provide any support. If a general-level magician is caught wandering around a place like this, the operation will be in vain. You all must have forgotten that, right?”

As if to prove that Ed’s coolness was not just a simple worry, Menes once again mentioned the ‘worst case scenario’ that he had emphasized several times before the mission began.

The sticky mud was crushed by his thick boots.

Instead of thick, heavy armor, the soldiers, who wore light clothing that allowed them to move stealthily, quietly swallowed dry saliva.

In this situation, without shields or armor to protect themselves, if they encountered a demon or mutant, they would certainly suffer serious injuries.

And serious injuries in the enemy camp... ... meant immediate death.

“Never get caught. Follow me while staying alert.”

Menes drew his sharp dagger and skillfully moved through the debris, lowering his body. They reached their second target, stepping over rotten trees and disgusting lumps of mud.

Bell quietly recited a spell through his mask and put down the parchment in his bosom. This time, too, the parchment slowly dug into the mud and soon disappeared without a trace.

While Bell planted the parchment, the soldiers kept their guard up. Today, the armor that had felt heavy and cumbersome felt so nostalgic.

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The sound of cold footsteps pierced the desolate silence and resonated in their hearts. Normally, the armor would have trembled, but today, the huge vibration shook their bodies.

“......Get down.”

Most of the soldiers lowered their heads at Menes’ order. If possible, they would have buried their faces in the ground, but since the mud here was filled with blood and poison, they could only lower their heads.

“Sal, save me. Save me!”

In the place where the huge vibration resonated, a large giant stood with shoulders higher than the castle walls. It had marks all over its body and its skin hung like rags, so it didn’t seem like a mutant created by a skilled demon.

The mutant’s hands were holding a handful of torn and damaged armor.

“Ahhhhh!”

A terrible scream was heard from inside the armor soaked in dirty venom.

“Danny.......”

One of the soldiers recited someone’s name with a dismayed face.

“Do you know him?”

“......A classmate. A classmate from training camp. We worked together for 5 years...... He saved my life twice, damn it, he went missing in the last battle. F*ck, f*ck.......”

The soldier with his hair cut short spoke like that, absentmindedly. His head was fixed on the giant mutant.

His focus wavered as he hid and became rough. Finally, the soldier who had been blankly staring at the giant mutant turned to Bell and asked for his orders.

“......He’s like my brother.”

His eyes were shaking behind his mask.

“Give me the order.”

Menes waited for Bell’s decision, and Bell didn’t even glance at the giant.

In this battlefield, being captured is more horrifying than dying. The dead are just part of the mud, but the captured are twisted because the brain melts and turns into a mutant.

“Proceed with the operation. Move.”

Bell didn’t even pretend to think.

“.......”

The short-haired soldier felt the terrible stench pressing down on his shoulder. The screams of his comrades, who were like brothers, could still be heard not far away.

“That mutant is big, but slow. If you just give me the order, I’ll rescue him right away.”

Ed said, placing his hand on the large sword behind his back. He also knew well what kind of fate awaits those captured by the Demons.

“Don’t talk nonsense, and take your hands off the sword. I said we’re going to proceed with the operation.”

Bell dismissed his words with an irritatingly sharp voice.

“......We’ll rescue him more than enough.”

Ed seemed ready to draw his sword and run towards the mutant at any moment. The other soldiers cautiously placed their hands on their weapons in case Ed tried something stupid like that, so that they could immediately cut off his head.

The short-haired soldier just stared blankly at his comrade who was being dragged away somewhere by the giant in the distance.

“It depends on the individual, but there are also demons who link their consciousnesses with mutants in real time. It’s a headache if they find out. Our mission is not rescue. If you understand, take your hands off the sword, Private.”

Bell’s mouth tasted like metal.

He couldn’t get used to this taste at all.

“......Don’t you know exactly what will happen if you leave him alone like that?”

Ed looked back and forth between the short-haired soldier and Bell as if he was dumbfounded.

“Didn’t you just hear that you were training camp mates? You said you worked together for five years. If you spent five years on the battlefield together, that’s almost like brothers.......”

“Shut up.”

The short-haired soldier grabbed Ed’s shoulder tightly and stopped him. The strength in his grip made Ed’s shoulder twist momentarily.

“......Private?”

“Just, please shut up.”

The short-haired soldier’s eyes were shaking with confusion, self-loathing, and guilt.

“.......”

The other soldiers were silent. They couldn’t help Ed or the short-haired soldier.

They weren’t sure what kind of judgment they would make if they were in the same situation.

“.......”

Ed had to make a decision.

Should he go save the poor soldier whose whole body was melting and tearing apart, or should he pretend not to see him and go on with his mission?

“.......”

It didn’t take long for Ed to make a decision. He slowly let go of the handle of the large sword hanging behind him.

“If the commotion gets louder, other mutants will flock here, and this will soon lead to the team’s annihilation.”

... ... Ed understood those words clearly in his head.

“Are we really going to continue like this, General?”

Nevertheless, Ed asked. He clenched his fists and clenched his molars.

His feet just wouldn’t move easily.

He couldn’t believe it.

Hero.

Aren’t the ones closest to that childish and cliche word the swordsmen and generals?

And yet, those who are called heroes are so cruelly pretending not to see their comrades’ deaths.

The fantasy of them that he had admired since childhood felt like it was being torn to shreds like a wet piece of paper.

All the stories of their heroism that he had heard from people or in the newspapers felt like lies.

“This is a battlefield.”

Bell didn’t bother to add much explanation.

“Save me.......”

The voice of the soldier being taken away by the giant's hand was now barely audible.

"...We just follow orders. We don't have a choice. Yes, we just follow orders. We're soldiers."

The short-haired soldier who had been with the kidnapped soldier on the battlefield for over five years repeated those words like a spell. That painful monologue was transmitted to all the soldiers through the runes on the mask.

"This is a battlefield. This is a battlefield. People die. This is a battlefield."

The corporal's hands were shaking with anger and sadness, as he had no choice but to ignore his comrades who were like brothers.

And... ... The others just hoped that the corporal's spirit would hold on until they returned to base.

"Yes, it's a battlefield. It's okay. This is where things like this happen. Let's go, Private. Okay."

The short-haired corporal spoke, patting Ed's back with a trembling hand.

Eyes, those eyes visible through the mask were filled with complex and deep emotions that could not be described in a single word.

His eyes were looking at Ad, but they were not looking at Ad.

They were looking at a very distant place, a place that had nothing to do with this place.

When Ad and the other soldiers saw this, they felt an inexplicable chill.

Ad was not sure if this was the right thing to do.

‘Because it was an order.’

‘Because it’s a battlefield.’

Life is not light enough to be passed over with such easy excuses.

... ... That’s what he had believed.

“.......”

Soon, even the faint screams were no longer heard, and only the terrible silence that had greeted them at first remained.

The smell of blood hidden in the mud grew thicker without end.

thud.

The mud and military boots fell, making a deep sound.

Ad eventually followed in the footsteps of Bell and the other soldiers.

For the first time in his life, he felt disgusted with himself.