I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 100

Alter’s rehabilitation stretched out to about 30 minutes. I don’t know how many times he got up today. Even though his knees were banging on the floor and his shoulders were hitting the wall, Alter got up.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Alter never stopped what he started, so Lir and I watched him and had to persuade him several times before we could finally send him back to his room.

After putting Alter on the bed, Lir and I returned to the room.

“I wonder if he caught a cold from me.”

I said, wiping my clear snot with a tissue. My body wasn’t in good shape, so taking care of others was quite hard.

“Master, you’re generally okay.”

Lir said, looking at the closed door. She still couldn’t believe how weak her master had become.

“You’ll be okay. You’ve always been like that.”

I couldn’t tell if that was a prayer or a guess.

“......I have a fever. I have a cold and I’ve been out for too long.”

Lir took a breath and approached me with a thermometer on the desk.

It was a thermometer that you put in your mouth, and I didn’t like it because the part that touched my tongue had a faint mercury taste.

I’ve never tasted mercury in my life, but anyway, this cold, coppery taste must taste like mercury.

“37.5, I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”

Lir lifted up the oral thermometer and said. I still didn’t understand how that thermometer worked.

“It’s been too long for a simple cold. Today is the fifth day.”

I said as I took down the cardigan on my shoulders to go out into the hallway. Since my right hand wasn’t moving properly, taking off my clothes was quite difficult.

“.......”

Lir watched me struggle to take off the cardigan and didn’t say anything for a moment.

“Uh...... why?”

“Hand.”

Lir pointed to my right hand and said briefly.

“Yes?”

“Your right hand, when will it get better? You said it was just a sprain a few days ago.”

“Uh...... it’s taking a while. Well, my body is so abnormal.”

“Shouldn’t you see a doctor or a priest? It’s recovering too slowly.”

“No, it’s not that bad. Everyone’s busy, so what’s wrong with just a sprained wrist?”

“......It’s not a sprain, is it?”

Lir asked coldly.

I could have brushed off her question by saying it was nothing.

That would probably have been the best option.

“......Well, yes.”

Even so, I didn’t lie.

I don’t know why.

It was just, just... ... I was a little tired.

“What happened?”

“.......”

I lowered my head and let out a sigh.

As expected, pretending that it was nothing was the right answer.

Lir was already suffering enough.

Her father, Alter, was so badly damaged that he couldn’t even walk properly.

I didn’t want to worry her either.

It felt a little late, but I shrugged my shoulders again and opened my mouth.

“It’s nothing.......”

“What happened?”

Lir spoke again with a cold, hard expression, emphasizing the situation.

Maybe she had noticed my pretense from the beginning.

Lir was an elf with good eyes. There was no way she wouldn’t have seen through my poor pretense with her unique keen eye. Even so, the reason she hadn’t said anything all this time... ... was probably because she was considerate of me.

I couldn’t hide it forever, so I thought it would be better to just tell her.

“I touched the bioelectricity. It’s something we talked about before.”

I confessed the truth.

My heart didn’t feel lighter than I thought. Rather, it felt heavier.

The truth is always heavier than lies, so both the listener and the speaker felt heavy-hearted.

“What, what.......”

“I know, it was crazy. It was a dangerous operation that could not avoid errors. But it ended with only a burnt nerve in one wrist, so it was a cheap shot. Fighting the overlord, that much risk.......”

I quickly cut her off and spewed out excuses like a machine gun.

But I wasn’t the only one who could interrupt her.

“You put that into action?! Are you crazy? I told you several times that it was too dangerous! We promised to just leave it as an idea......!”

Through her feeble excuses, Lir shouted in a raised voice.

Looking at her bright red face and trembling hands, I felt like I had committed a mortal sin.

“.......”

She stopped raising her voice and clenched her molars and closed her mouth. Lir looked as if she was so sorry that she wanted to die.

“......There was nothing I could do?”

She lowered her head as she spoke. Her long blonde hair covered her face like a curtain. Her voice was small and insignificant, just like when she had been hiding her face.

“Yes. You are the great monarch.”

I answered calmly. This was not a bluff or an excuse, it was the truth.

She carefully approached me and touched my right hand.

I couldn’t feel anything. It was as if my right hand didn’t exist there.

Starting from my right elbow to my fingertips, I couldn’t feel anything in the area corresponding to my forearm.

No matter how hard I tried to move my hand, my muscles wouldn’t listen to the brain’s commands. It was because my neural circuits had been burned.

The cause of my right arm being like this was, of course, Maltiel.

In the battle with that monster, I extended my right hand at the last moment and poured a huge current into Malthael's chest.

At that moment, the bioelectric currents with different commands, [Contract muscles] and [Reach out to chest], collided at the tip of my fingers.

The overlapping of commands that would never occur unless a life form had two brains brought about an unprecedented shock to the nerve cells and muscles.

As a result, my right arm was damaged.

"... What about the saint? She can't be healed either?"

"The prayers of the priests are said to accelerate 'natural recovery'. A severed arm can't grow back. Damaged nerves can't be restored. Well. There's nothing I can do."

"... "

"Why, it's just one hand. How many people live without even one hand? And I'm a wizard? Most things are just magic..."

I came to my senses and told Lir what I had been telling myself for several days.

“......With magic, we can solve it, so.”

She had a smile on her face, but it probably felt awkward to Lir.

“I.......”

She swallowed hard as she spoke, as if her throat was sore, and took a deep breath.

“I didn’t do anything. While Rex, Master, and Bin were fighting for their lives on the battlefield, I just fell down in the rear, like a fool.......”

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

She was digging a tunnel, but I didn’t know how to stop her.

What should I say?

‘Lir’s lightning was amazing, thanks to it, the battle became much easier, so don’t be too upset.’

No, that’s too cliché.

‘Lir used up all his magic, so he couldn’t do anything. Don’t worry about it.’

... ... There’s no way to comfort him with nonsense like telling him not to worry.

‘If you’re angry, be strong.’

This is the worst.

It was something I would say as a joke when practicing magic.

“......Do you have some time tomorrow?”

I don’t know. Just.

“Let’s go get some coffee in the evening.”

Let’s just run away from all this for now.

The city was so bustling that the word ‘festival’ couldn’t describe it all.

Everyone walking down the street had their faces red as if they had had a drink and sang songs, and performances by minstrels and musicians continued on every street.

Some bars even gave free drinks to passersby. Meanwhile, the nobles would stand on the square and praise the historical victory and the soldiers whenever they had time.

Newspapers were pouring out on the streets, describing the historical feat of the swordsman personally dealing with the three overlords, and on the next page, there was an article and portrait of me and Rex dealing with the overlord Malthael.

Some fools were dyeing their hair white to mimic my appearance as described in the newspaper, and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

I... ... .

I'm really sorry, but all of this was disgusting.

I just wanted to run away from the bustling square and go to a quiet cafe, and it seemed that Lir, standing next to me, was the same.

We got as far away from the city center as possible. If I had known this would happen, I should have asked to be dropped off on the outskirts from the beginning.

I wanted to enjoy the festival and forget my bad memories and thoughts for a moment, but that plan unexpectedly failed.

We walked for a long time and entered a small cafe located where the city and the farmland meet. The only light was a small lantern, and the chairs and tables were old and cracked, but this was the best place for dinner tonight.

“......What is it?”

The owner, who was sitting with his back turned to the entrance, only turned his head to greet us. He had an indifferent expression, as if he had any intention of doing business.

“Are you doing business?”

“......If you weren’t going to do business, why did you leave the door open?”

His voice was harsh and unfriendly to the point of being rude.

For a moment, I thought about opening the door and leaving the store again, but I wondered when I would ever find a store like this again, so I chose a suitable seat and sat down with Lir.

“Espresso, please.”

The owner decided on the menu.

It was an absurd situation, but I calmly cleared my throat and called out to the owner who was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) going into the kitchen.

“I can’t drink coffee.”

“Then why did you come to the cafe?”

“Don’t you have any tea?”

“Tea, you two, espresso.”

“......What’s the problem?”

I asked the owner, who was constantly scorning us, in a sharp voice. I was already in a bad mood, so I don’t know why these bad things keep happening.

“......The problem?”

The owner, who was entering the kitchen, looked at me with sharp eyes as if my tone was irritating. The man fixed his gaze on my head, burst into laughter, and slowly walked toward me.

“The problem is those clueless idiots over there.

“The problem is that you’re making a lot of noise in this plaza, calling it a festival.”

The man’s face, illuminated by the lantern, was covered in wrinkles. His hands were covered in burn marks and calluses, and his hair was covered in gray hair.

It was a face that fit the description of a devil. Deep dark circles around his eyes, bloodshot eyes, broken fingernails, and skinny arms and legs.

“Looking at that hair, you seem to be the same type of person as them. Wouldn’t it be better to just leave my shop and go sightseeing in the city? You could probably get some free drinks and coffee.”

“You seem to have a lot to complain about. Didn’t the victory that changed history happen a week ago? Just enjoy the atmosphere... ... .”

“We haven’t even had a funeral yet!”

Thud!

A swollen arm slammed down on the table.

Lir was startled by the sudden shock and put his head back into his throat, and I glared at the old man.

“We didn’t even have a fucking funeral. Tens of thousands of people died! So what, have a celebration? Share drinks? Fuck me, I didn’t even find my son’s body!”

The old man’s heavy breathing hit the table and spread throughout the store. A cold autumn breeze blew in through the cracked window.

“......Since you said you can’t drink coffee, you can have milk. One espresso, one milk.”

After a while, the old man calmed down and quietly turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

“.......”

Lir leaned against the table and bit her lip.

She carefully touched my right hand on the table, lowering her head and remaining silent.

I wanted to escape from the bad memories.

But they wouldn’t let me go at all.

No, maybe I wasn’t letting them go.

If I really wanted to escape from those horrible memories, even for a moment, shouldn’t I have left the square?

“Maybe I’ll never be able to wash this wound away.”

“.......”

Lir didn’t say anything and just looked into my eyes.

“There’s nothing we can do. We can only wait for you to get used to it.”

She gently held my numb right hand.

Looking at that numb arm made me feel even more suffocated, and I couldn’t bear it.

“I wish I could cry my heart out, but I can’t do that.”

Calm.

Damn calm is the problem.

I just want to cry like a crazy person, yell, and get angry.

I want to lose my senses, but I can't do that at all.

I've never realized how painful it is to not be crazy.

I bit my lip while covering my eyes with my left hand.

I heard the sound of coffee and milk being poured into cups in the kitchen.

"... I shouldn't have left Alter like that. What if he never walks again?"

A wave of meaningless regret came rushing in. My lips were parched and my whole body felt cold.

Those old, trembling hands and legs flashed before my eyes. My breath caught in my throat for a moment.

"As I said... Master is generally fine."

Lir spoke peacefully. Honestly, I was annoyed.

I don’t know why I was annoyed.

‘... ... This is really pathetic.’

Soon, the sharp emotions I felt toward her returned to me.

My left fingertips began to tremble. I let out a deep sigh.

Even my sighs were trembling.

... ... Now I don’t even know what I want to do.

“I’m going to get stronger.”

That was the moment.

When I heard Lir’s sudden declaration.

I lowered my hand and looked at her.

Her large eyes shone faintly in the moonlight streaming in through the dusty window.

“I’m going to get much stronger than Bin-nim.”

I didn’t really understand what she was trying to say.

“After I become that strong, I’ll take away all the expectations and fame that Bin-nim has.”

“If you want them, take them. I never wanted expectations or fame in the first place.”

I answered her with a sharp tone without realizing it.

I don’t know why I’m acting so pathetic.

“That’s why.”

However, Lir didn’t flinch at the sharp tone and looked straight at me as she spoke.

It was strange. Lir, as usual, would have pulled her hat down and avoided my eyes in this situation.

“The pain that Bin is experiencing right now is a pain that only those who never back down can experience. A pain that only courageous people who give up everything for victory can experience.”

She spoke with faint compassion, as if making a promise.

“I’ll become crazy strong and take even that pain with me.”

And then, for the first time, I was able to admit that I was scared.

“......Ha. Seriously.”

It’s natural to be scared of not being able to use your arms for the rest of your life.

Grisha said that Rex would wake up in ten days, but I worried every moment that he might not wake up.

Lir firmly believed that Alter would win, but I presumed that Alter would not be able to walk on two legs and worried about his frustration.

This war was too terrible. Too many people died right before my eyes.

“......Damn it.”

The various afterimages of the war still lingered in my eyes.

Even so, with the help of [Calmness], I was actually a little scared of falling into a deep sleep every night without any problems.

But as she said, all of that was because I had protected it, because I had survived, and it was the pain and worry I gained.

And the war wasn’t over yet.

“......Thank you.”

Now, I felt a little better.

Yes. I thought that I should just stay alive for now.