How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 13: Slave Traders, Elves, Terrorists (2)

As expected, the attackers were elves.

There were at least twice as many of them as the slave traders, maybe more, all staring coldly in this direction with stone-hard expressions.

“If you don’t want to die, don’t move.”

The elves in the back drew their bows and took aim at the slave traders in unison.

The traders froze stiff, not even daring to fight back.

Some had already been taken out in the initial ambush, and even from the start, they were badly outnumbered—there was nothing they could do.

“There! Eluga is over there!”

One of the elves shouted, pointing to a wagon in the middle.

The wagon holding the elven girl.

The elf who looked ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ like the leader nodded and stepped forward, approaching the wagon.

By now, the slave traders had figured out what was going on.

'Shit. What goddamn luck.'

They’d come to rescue the young elf taken as a slave.

One of the men threw a glance at his companion near the wagon.

A signal to grab her and take her hostage—do something, anything.

Slash!

But before he could even make a move, the elf leader shot forward like lightning and took the man’s head clean off.

Her sword shimmered with a red aura.

“S-Sword Qi...”

Any remaining hope drained from the traders’ faces.

At the very least, she was knight-level.

Even if they all attacked her together, she was way out of their league.

Shkk!

She cut through the iron bars of the wagon and pulled out the elven girl inside.

“It’s okay now.”

The girl clung to her and sobbed.

After a moment of comfort, the elf leader passed the child to another elf who had followed behind.

The slave traders held their breath, watching the scene unfold.

“...Hoo.”

The elf leader exhaled, then swept her gaze across the area with a sharp glint in her eyes.

“Kill them all. There’s no reason to let these disgusting humans live.”

“......!!”

The traders’ faces went deathly pale.

Just as killing intent began to bloom in the eyes of the elves—

“Not me.”

A voice rang out, cutting through the tension.

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The elf leader turned her head.

A young human man on horseback was watching with a troubled look on his face.

“I have nothing to do with these guys. I'm not a slave trader either. I just happened to be passing by.”

“......”

The elves looked at Karl like he was insane.

The elf leader even scoffed.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

Karl shrugged.

“If you won’t believe the truth, there’s not much I can do... But it’d be better for you if you did.”

The elf leader’s eyebrow twitched.

“Even if it’s true, I don’t care. I don’t need a reason to kill you humans.”

She stomped forward and swung her sword straight at Karl’s neck.

Boom!

But she was flung back helplessly by an invisible force that engulfed her body.

She rolled as she landed, glaring daggers at Karl.

“...That bastard’s a mage! He deflected the arrows earlier too!”

“Support the captain!”

The elves in the rear loosed their bowstrings all at once.

Thunkthunkthunk!

The arrows all bounced harmlessly off Karl’s shield.

And that wasn’t all.

One elf reached out a hand, and a massive flame surged toward Karl as if to swallow him whole.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

'A spirit user.'

Karl cast a spell of his own.

He neutralized the flame with ice magic, then immediately fired off a shockwave that sent the spirit mage flying.

Boom!

In that gap, another strike—Sword Qi—slammed against his shield.

The elf leader’s face showed a flicker of surprise—apparently she hadn’t expected it to be blocked.

But of course it was.

No ordinary knight-level Sword Qi could break through the shield of a 4-circle mage.

His next spell was already cast.

Streams of light shot forward and bound her completely, her body left wide open.

“Captain!”

The elves halted their attack at the sight of their leader so swiftly subdued.

Karl clicked his tongue and looked down.

“Did it really have to come to this?”

“......”

The elf leader, tightly bound, just glared at him in silence.

Karl glanced around.

The slave traders were now beaming at the sudden reversal, the elves were stricken with despair, and the slaves were trembling, scared they’d get caught in the crossfire.

“Uh, Mage...”

Just then, someone cautiously approached.

It was the man who’d been leading the slave trader convoy.

“Thank you so much for your help. You saved our lives. I sincerely hope you can forgive our earlier misunderstanding...”

Karl stared at him wordlessly.

The man bent low with a fawning grin.

“And I know it’s presumptuous, but—if I may ask—could you subdue those arrogant elf bastards without killing them?”

“......”

“If we capture them and sell them, the profit will be astronomical. Of course, we’ll only take a small commission—everything else will go to you, Mage...”

Karl let out a laugh, dumbfounded.

This is what you say now?

Just moments ago, his eyes had been filled with fear of death. Now, they were glinting with greed as he looked at the surrounding elves.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Mage!”

“Do I look like I’m helping you right now?”

“...E-excuse me?”

“Shut up and stay quiet. If you say one more word, I’ll toss you right in with the elves you want so badly.”

“......”

The man flinched and staggered backward, flustered by the unexpected reaction.

Karl turned his gaze back to the elf leader at his feet.

“Are we still doing this?”

“......”

“I don’t want to get any more involved in this mess. The little elf’s been rescued. Isn’t that enough? If you agree to back off, I’ll let you go.”

The elf leader’s eyes widened.

But after a brief moment, she ground her teeth and opened her mouth.

“Dozens of my kin were butchered by you humans, some even abducted. And now you want us to just walk away?”

“You said they were taken near the Empire's border, right? Then your people share some of the blame too.”

“...Blame? Ha!”

She laughed, utterly incredulous.

“Not the border—this was near the southern edge of our forest territory. Just like every other time, your kind sneaks in to hunt us. And now you talk of blame? What a joke.”

“......”

So that’s how it is?

Even if her words were true, it didn’t change anything for Karl.

“From where I stand, you’re not all that different. You tried to kill me for no reason other than being human.”

“......”

“And if you kill all these slave traders, what happens to the remaining slaves? They’re humans too. You going to slaughter them all for no reason? Or leave them stranded in the middle of the forest?”

The elf leader said nothing.

“I’m not taking responsibility for those slaves. And I doubt you plan to kill all the traders and take care of them either. So let’s just end it here. You, me, the traders—we all forget this and go our separate ways. Got it?”

If the traders were killed, someone would have to take charge of the slaves left behind.

But Karl had no reason or ability to do that. And the elves certainly didn’t either.

So this was the best possible outcome.

Karl didn’t care whose fault it was. He just didn’t want to get dragged in any deeper.

After staring at him in silence, the elf leader finally gave a small nod.

“...We’ll withdraw. Let me go.”

“Good choice.”

He moved to dispel the magic binding her—

“Haha, what an amusing conclusion.”

A faint voice drifted down from above.

Chill.

A shiver ran down Karl’s spine as he instinctively looked up.

When had he gotten there?

An old man stood atop a nearby tree, hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at them.