I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 108

The greenish-yellow paper on the table demanded a drop of bright red blood. Sion quickly skimmed her finger over the blunt edge of the cup and created a small wound.

A thin trickle of blood began to flow from the wound. The greenish-yellow paper absorbed her blood.

I, too, held the pen upside down on the table, pressed my thumb to the end, and drew a drop of blood.

Soon, the paper began to absorb my blood as well.

The demon contract tore in half, flying toward each of our wrists.

With a soft sound of attachment, a black bracelet stuck to our wrists.

"Alright! The negotiations are over, and from today, we’re officially partners!"

Sion grinned brightly and extended her left hand for a handshake. Her bright red eyes contained an insatiable greed that was beyond my comprehension.

"......"

I reached out my blood-stained left hand and took hers.

Well... I wasn’t expecting to hide the fact that my right hand was ruined.

"Come on, let's go, everything seems to be settled."

At that, large assassins emerged from the shadows of the furniture scattered around the room.

The sound of the doorknob turning echoed. The servants, mages, and soldiers who had been waiting outside the door all sighed in relief and began to return to their posts.

"Are we preparing for a war?"

Sion spoke with a playful look in her eyes, glancing at the door. Was she really confident enough to leave the royal palace without trouble even with all those soldiers around? There was no surprise in her gaze.

"...Just in case."

Through the line of returning soldiers, an old servant walked in. He had a long rapier hanging from his belt.

"A merchant of silks has arrived!"

Sion smiled brightly as she approached the well-dressed, elderly servant.

"Where’s the pearl necklace? It looked great on you, you know. You looked like a wicked business owner with five slaves in the basement of your mansion, indulging in some dark desires."

"That's very specific."

"I’ve seen you a few times! Usually, such people don’t own more than five slaves. Any more, and it gets too troublesome to maintain their skin and figure."

"...I really don’t want to know these details."

I waved my hand in disgust, watching Sion casually spout off her unsettling words while laughing.

How could this girl so casually speak of such things with such a bright smile? Where did it all go wrong for her, to make her speak like that?

"So? Didn’t you bring the pearl necklace today?"

"......"

The elderly servant stood still, unmoved by Sion’s mocking tone.

"Yes?"

"......"

His posture was so rigid, like a gargoyle guarding a massive cathedral. I feared that if he moved his head wrong, the sound of stone scraping together might ring out.

"...Yes?! The pearl necklace! The cheap, fake one that’s obvious from three kilometers away!"

"......"

The servant remained silent, and Sion lost interest. She returned to her seat with a sigh.

"...Boring."

Yeah, I get it.

Teasing the palace servants isn’t really all that fun.

When I make a joke, they freeze with a stiff expression, standing there as if the palace manual says, "If the employer makes a bad joke, remain frozen like a stone."

"Anyways, when should we set the schedule? I recommend five days from now. If we leave around then, we’ll arrive at the ‘Golden Sea’ right when the Fog of the Archipelago makes an appearance."

"I believe there’s no fixed pattern for the Fog of the Archipelago. How can you be so sure?"

I finally asked the question I’d been wondering about, but couldn’t bring up earlier.

I had played this game for 4,000 hours, but I had never heard of any specific pattern or signs for the Fog of the Archipelago.

"Ha! No pattern for the Fog of the Archipelago? That’s research from over thirty years ago. This is the problem! Because the focus has been all on the war, the mages stuck at their desks are studying ‘dark magic’ from the demons! Even the mages who go to the front lines are only preparing magic to deal with demons, but the real profitable work is elsewhere!"

Sion, looking frustrated, slammed her palm on the table as she began speaking fervently.

"About five years ago, the mages working in the underworld developed a spell to track the Fog of the Archipelago. That’s why, around that time, the ‘white corpses’ started showing up on the market. It’s all because of that. Normally, people who work in the light don’t get this kind of information, but...! I’m telling you this because we’re partners!"

"That’s... quite useful information."

I never believed that the information from the game was everything.

There are always things I don't know about the world outside the game. Even though I’ve spent 4,000 hours in the game, I can still encounter things I’ve never heard of, like this highly skilled Sion.

The world beyond the game is filled with secrets that I can never fully know from ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) just playing it.

I may even find new ways to upgrade my specs. Perhaps there’s a way to unlock other locked spells...

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

And beyond those secrets lies the reason I was pulled into this world.

"This is confirmed now. I’ll need to clear a path with someone who knows the underworld well."

With such a person, I’d be able to acquire things that can’t be found through ordinary means, and maybe even gain new information that would’ve been beyond my reach, even with 4,000 hours spent in the game.

Information about the war with the demons would be something the soldiers, the ones who work in the light, would know best. But everything else—those secrets—are in the hands of people who live in the underworld.

"...It’s a shame."

I thought to myself, it would be a waste not to fully recruit Sion as an ally.

Her knowledge and connections were too valuable to be thrown away after a single use.

"Alright! I think our discussion is wrapping up, so I’ll just disappear now!"

Sion, completely unaware of what I was thinking, smiled brightly and vanished from my sight with the lightest of sounds.

Just like smoke drifting out of the window, in the blink of an eye, the girl with red eyes disappeared.

As soon as Sion left the room, I turned my gaze to the large assassins dressed in black. They quickly searched outside the window and around the castle, then informed me that Sion had completely left the castle.

From here on, everything discussed had to remain confidential—not just from Sion, but even from most of the royal family. If she overheard what was said here, all our plans would collapse.

I asked the assassins to keep the surrounding area under control for about five minutes, ensuring no one overheard our conversation.

They obeyed my command without asking any questions.

"How much money do we have available to cash out right now?"

I asked the elderly servant standing like a statue behind me.

"Just over 300 gold."

"That’s enough."

"It’s a bit pricey, but for 100 gold, it’s not entirely unreasonable. If you think about it as the price for a holy book that can bring the dead back to life, it actually feels like a bit of a bargain."

The elderly servant carefully glanced at the black bracelet on my thin wrist and spoke softly. He seemed to think that considering the value of someone like Sion and the rewards we could gain from this expedition, money wasn’t a big issue.

"With that holy book, we could revive General Bell from his comatose state and heal General Bin's hand. Even if we spend all 300 gold, it wouldn’t be a waste."

This was the one and only opportunity to restore two generals, wounded in the war, to full health.

From a continental perspective... if it can be bought with money, then no amount of gold would be considered too much.

"Then, please settle all the available cash within five days."

"All of it? Are you sure you want to spend more than 300 gold on this?"

"No, I plan to keep it around 100 gold."

"...In that case, it’d be better to only take the necessary amount. Gold coins are surprisingly heavy."

The elderly servant looked at the black bracelet on my thin wrist and spoke.

...I’m sure he’s concerned that carrying too many coins would break my remaining arm.

I don’t even feel bad about that kind of look anymore.

And, honestly, I’d be a bit scared of carrying too many coins myself.

"With the rest, let’s buy some information. Directly contact ‘Malice’ from the southern continent."

"Malice... the level 1 wanted criminal? He probably won’t be too cooperative with the royal family."

"Money’s always a great motivator. I’m sure if they see a heavy coin pouch, they won’t turn us away."

Money.

Money.

I had momentarily forgotten in my war against the demons, but many of the world’s problems can be solved with money.

And I have a ridiculous amount of money.

"Please arrange to send the messenger the day after we leave for the expedition with Sion and the ‘Fog of the Archipelago.’ With her personality, I doubt she’ll work with a partner, so this way the royal family’s contact with ‘Malice’ won’t be detected by Sion."

Having assassins of general-level skill as bodyguards.

Obtaining information that couldn’t be gotten through normal methods.

Fixing my broken hand and waking up a 9th Circle mage who would otherwise spend his life in a coma.

"If everything can be solved with money... why wouldn’t I?"

I smiled lightly.

"I’m looking to find a warehouse."

I lifted the cup Sion had left behind and handed it to the servant.

As he took the cup, he smiled faintly, noticing the bloodstains on the edge.

"...Understood."

I hadn’t realized it before, but.

Having an excess of money—this is surprisingly comforting.