Chapter 12
An era where countless people die every day.
At the communal graveyard dedicated to the capital’s elite troops, the procession of people dressed in black, accompanied by the prayers of nuns and priests, never ceases.
There, people gather to mourn their family, comrades, and friends, momentarily setting aside their daily work.
A coffin descends into the deep abyss, quietly covered by earth.
The cries of grief envelop the communal cemetery for quite some time.
Those lying below were someone’s parents, siblings, husbands, and wives, having promised to live their lives together.
I watched their funeral until the very end, standing at a distance.
Some did not leave their spots until the twilight deepened, while others quietly placed nameless small flowers on the gravestones and left.
“…I’ve heard the tale, that you’ve become part of the Sword Saint’s party. It seems like it’s time for me to salute you now.”
A familiar voice came from behind me.
Rex, the Orc who lost an arm, stood there. His body was wrapped in bandages, and he held a bouquet of flowers in one hand. It seemed that he came here, having only received first aid, to honor the final journey of his subordinates.
“Our sacrifice wasn’t in vain; after all, we saved a monster like you.”
“…”
I remained silent.
It was better to keep my secret from him for the rest of his life.
It would be far better for him to believe that the squad members lost their lives protecting a future mage of humanity rather than a worthless level-1 mage.
I quietly gazed at the now-empty communal cemetery and the setting sun beyond it.
Having finished speaking, Rex carefully climbed the hill and gently placed a pristine white flower on each of his subordinates’ graves.
“After paying tribute sufficiently, why do you still linger here?”
Rex, who had returned to me, asked.
I couldn’t answer, just as I didn’t truly know why I couldn’t leave this place.
“…Just that, if I hadn’t hitched a ride on that carriage, maybe those people would still be alive… I just thought that.”
I blurted out the thoughts that were jumbled in my mind.
“The Grand Marshal was after you; if you hadn’t traveled with us, you would’ve died.”
“…That’s true.”
“Do not feel guilty. Protecting humanity is our duty, and you’re just one of the worthy mainland citizens entitled to our protection.”
Rex carefully placed his thick hand on my shoulder before continuing.
“We feel proud. The fact that we saved a genius who could change the course of war makes us proud, but more importantly, it’s that we were courageous enough warriors to risk our lives to protect a boy.”
“…”
“We would’ve attempted to protect you even if you weren’t a genius.”
After telling this to me, who was sitting on a bench aimlessly staring at the cemetery, Rex stood up.
“…By the way, I don’t plan to retire. I intend to strengthen myself by receiving a prosthetic arm from the dwarves and become an even stronger warrior.”
“Having lost an arm, isn’t it too reckless to push yourself like that?”
“The Sword Saint chose to save us instead of killing the Grand Marshal. To prove that his choice wasn’t foolish, I must become stronger and save more people.”
Rex touched the area where his arm had been cut off as he spoke.
“I can’t stand the idea of the person who saved me being belittled. Immediately after receiving a prosthetic, I plan to return to the military, gain experience, and fight stronger enemies… someday I will grow into a brave and strong warrior capable of protecting you.”
Rex was a courageous, righteous, and dignified warrior unlike me.
“The next time we meet, I might have to call you ‘General.’ I’ll salute you first.”
“…What was the name of your squad?”
I asked Rex, who was about to leave.
“Capital Guard Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade’s 6th Squad.”
After briefly answering, Rex nodded slightly and left.
The 6th Squad.
I owe them my life.
I mustn’t tarnish the faces of the deceased.
As soon as Rex’s figure disappeared from view, I stood up from the bench and returned to the carriage.
Inside the carriage, an older servant waited for hours for me.
“Can I go on an expedition tomorrow?”
I asked the young servant who opened the carriage door for me.
“An expedition? Where do you plan to go?”
“To the Enker High Plain.”
“Lord Bin, but there are…”
“I know. What’s there. There’s no need for a large number of troops; just prepare one infantry squad.”
I cut the conversation short, indicating I no longer wished to elaborate. The young servant wisely did not press me with more questions.
Initially, I had planned to adjust to life inside the castle, recuperate a bit, and only then set out on an expedition, but…
Having decided to live as a genius, I couldn’t possibly let Rex catch up, could I?
—
As I walked back to my lodging, the twilight had already vanished, replaced by a dark sky illuminated by the bright moon and stars.
After stepping out of the carriage, I slowly made my way back toward the fortress alongside another servant who had greeted me in advance. It was quite a walk even after getting off the carriage due to the fortress’s enormous size.
“Sir, you’ve arrived!”
“Sir, you’ve arrived!”
The guards at the main gate bowed politely, not like they would to important visiting guests, but instead offered the strict military salute one gives to their superior officer.
From the moment I became a member of the Sword Saint’s party, I began serving with the allied forces.
Those who fight alongside the Sword Saint, humanity’s decisive weapon and living continental power, are treated like soldiers of a rank equivalent to a 3-star or maybe even a 4-star general in our country.
I was an aspiring music composer just a week ago, but suddenly promoted to a 4-star general.
I never imagined such a sudden rise to fame.
“I heard you’re leaving tomorrow.”
Though I thought I had everything properly arranged, I hadn’t anticipated how quickly the news would spread, my eyes widening in surprise.
“Ah… So everyone knows about tomorrow’s schedule?”
“Yes! We’ve heard!”
Though officially ranked much higher than them, I could have directly commanded them to prepare a small contingent by tomorrow, using a stern tone.
However, I chose to pass the message through the influential servants in the palace, emphasizing the word “request” without exception.
In this world, there’s such a thing as ‘pulling strings’. Imagine if a parachuting newcomer suddenly started issuing orders to his supposed superiors.
Even if they didn’t show it outwardly, inside, they’d probably curse me out.
It wouldn’t be wise to incur their resentment. Who knows what might happen when life is on the line and they might abandon me to flee. Humans, after all, can’t be trusted when their lives are in danger.
Tomorrow, even if they aren’t the ones, I’ll have to entrust my life to other soldiers. There’s no reason to unnecessarily antagonize them.
Who knows? If I treated them with contempt just because of my higher rank, they might spread rumors about how obnoxious this new guy is once they return to their quarters after tonight’s watch.
“A parachute? Then one should act accordingly.”
Caution never hurts, nor does gathering positive reviews from those around you.
“Thank you so much for accepting my sudden request.”
Therefore, I resolved to treat every soldier I encountered as kindly and gently as possible.
“Not at all! You are the embodiment of humanity’s future! We’re fine! Even though it won’t be our squad being mobilized tomorrow, those guys won’t have any complaints, either.”
“Yes! Use us as much as you need! We’re all soldiers here to protect humanity!”
I bowed my head as I entered the fortress, despite the guards loudly shouting into the night.
“Lord Bin, you have a visitor.”
As we entered through the castle’s great gates, I caught the voice of the middle-aged butler who had guided me on my first day.
“Visitor? Ah.”
It was probably a private tutor sent to offer me proper mage training, given my complete lack of prior magical knowledge.
Thinking this, I followed the butler’s lead with a rather casual mindset.
“Aha, finally!”
In the unnecessarily spacious second-floor guest room, stood a mage wearing a blue robe with a striking white beard.
“I am Alter Heinzel, an 8-tier mage and former master of the Hether Magic Tower.”
I almost burst out laughing in disbelief at the sudden appearance of such a legendary figure.
Alter Heinzel, a human hero who began making their presence known in the latter stages of the game.
At the mere age of 52, this lightning mage reached Tier 7, a high-level mage status.
The youngest-ever founder of a magic tower in the history of the lightning school, Alter continued to study even after establishing the tower and eventually reached Tier 8 proficiency.
Known for publishing numerous papers that have significantly advanced the field of lightning magic, Alter Heinzel is a renowned named mage hero.
…And yet, the way they introduced themselves caught my ear a little off.
“Huh? Former master? So… you’re not the master of the magic tower anymore…?”
“I heard that there was no foundation, so to teach someone like Lord Bin properly, I would have to spend an extended time here in the capital instead of at the magic tower… I’ve passed it on to a capable individual, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“…”
Right now, Alter Heinzel was telling me they had boldly abandoned a magic tower they had built from scratch simply to teach me.
…Incredibly awkward.
For a great mage’s career to take such an unexpected turn.
“Uh, by the way, let’s introduce everyone. This is my top disciple, but I didn’t want to leave them at the tower so I brought them along. Lord Bin might not be as exceptional as myself, but they were certainly talented enough for me to take as my top disciple.”
By Alter’s side stood a young woman with a long, pure white hair that fell down to her waist and large, luminous eyes.
She seemed introverted, shyly greeting me with a barely audible, soft voice while avoiding eye contact.
Her delicate appearance, partly hidden by a voluminous robe and a scruffy hat, was mesmerizing.
Though she looked around 20 or 21, her striking beauty left a lasting impression.
‘An Elf?’
In this game’s context, Elves are generally developed into Rangers.
With inherent high agility and remarkable senses, they’re excellent as snipers who can pinpoint enemy targets from hundreds of meters away and also serve as skilled scouts detecting battlefield threats.
‘Elves… as a Mage?’
Making Elves into Mages has virtually no practical advantage.
While I had toyed around in my apartment trying various builds, the Elves’ innate traits made only Ranger derivatives viable, rendering most Mage builds practically useless.
However, reality isn’t the same as a game.
Reality can be cruel — sometimes endowing talent with improper environments.
Much like how my musical talent was disregarded since I was born into a family of doctors, forcing me to leave home at seventeen.
An Elf with talent for magic?
And one talented enough to be the disciple of a named mage like Alter Heinzel?
Most gamers would ask, “Why on earth?”
But the question forming in my mind was rather “How on earth?”
‘…I want to try this.’
How did this build work? If only I could meet the creator of this character who defied all logic, I’d run up and ask immediately.
How did you allocate stats?
What was the number of spell types they could learn?
Where was their place of birth defined?
“…I’m 21 years old, my name is Lir… I’m a Tier 4 Mage.”
While I was seriously contemplating whether it was alright to ask her name and where her parents were from, her delicate voice broke the silence in my thoughts.
…Twenty-one years?
An Elf?
The shock of an Elf being a Mage was overshadowed by the even more astonishing fact that she was merely 21 years old.
Isn’t it a cliché that Elves attach these absurd ages like 1,000 or even 2,000 years to enhance their mystique?
Isn’t the very concept of Elves, of their identity, tied to that immense hidden time behind their pristine appearance?
In the game, creating an Elf character starts you at around 500 years, reaching up to 900 years in the tutorial…
‘…Unreal.’
Looking at this youthful elf, I felt something akin to reverence.
It turns out I was only a frog in a well up until this point!
“…Twenty-one years, you said?”
“Um… yes?”
This Elf was a paradigm shifter, demolishing every stereotype.
Dispelling the bias that among Elves, there are vast discrepancies between appearance and real age.
Shattering my preconceived notion that Elves must adhere to the Ranger-derived builds.
Destroying the unwritten rules of the medieval fantasy world by simply breathing.
An entity that deserves worship by all the hipsters just by standing there…
“I’m Bin.”
I grabbed Lir’s hand and violently shook it up and down.
Though my weak arm muscles screamed in protest, it mattered little to me.
An Elf whose appearance age matches their real age. Where else in this world would you find such an Elf?
And her role isn’t even an archer, but a Mage.
Imagine her in an interview.
“Name?”
“Lir.”
“Race?”
“Elf.”
“…”
“Age?”
“21.”
“WHAT?! And her job?”
“Magician.”
“AAAAAAHHH!”
There are no hipsters like these.
