I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 17

Samael, the high-ranking demon and direct subordinate of Maltiel.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about his visit to the Enker Plateau.

Maltiel, the great lord he served, had lost most of his mutant army during the earlier battle against the Swordmaster. Because of this, Samael had been searching for material to replenish the mutant troops under his lord’s command when he heard rumors that a young dragon had descended on the Enker Plateau. Without much thought, he set foot in the area, intending to confirm the dragon’s presence and take it with him if possible.

And upon arriving at the dragon's nest, there was the young mage who had risked his life and attempted to kill his master.

“Run if you see a white-haired mage. He’s not someone you’ll be able to defeat. A truly chilling level of talent,” his master, Maltiel, had said the moment they returned to the cave.

“This is bad... really bad...”

Not only that, but the white-haired mage wasn’t alone.

Not far off, an old mage with unusual magical power stood, and an elite infantry squad was there to assist them.

In contrast, Samael had not brought any mutants capable of assisting him.

He had moved so many troops but had kept his mutants back, fearing they would draw the attention of the allied forces and decided to leave them at his own nest.

“What is this... you?”

Samael felt as if he had been struck by a sudden lightning bolt.

He needed to run.

That was the only thought filling his mind.

But even that wasn’t easy.

In front of the boy who had silenced the dragon with a single strike, turning his back carelessly would likely result in his body turning to ash.

“...Demon! Demon detected 700 meters ahead! A previously unknown entity! Judging by the size of its wings, it’s presumed to be a high-ranking demon!”

“What!? Move! Protect General Bin! All units, formation 2!”

The infantry squad, not far off, began to move.

The sudden misfortune slowly began to tighten around Samael’s neck.

‘What’s going on here?’

I quietly glared at Samael, the high-ranking demon, who was nervously scanning his surroundings above me.

He was desperately trying to hide his confusion, but I was just as startled as he was.

As I remembered, Samael was the direct subordinate of the great lord Maltiel. That meant he was a monster easily surpassing level 70.

Although he might not be as strong as his lord, Samael himself was still an incredibly powerful being.

Even with high-level equipment, magic books, and accessories, no one should dare face that monster.

My skin could feel it. If I foolishly confronted him, my head would likely fly off without me being able to do anything.

Right now, the only person who could fight against this monster on the battlefield was Alter Heindel, a former magic tower master and 8th Circle Wizard.

I couldn’t understand why this misfortune had suddenly fallen upon me, and with a heavy sigh, I lowered my head slightly.

In that moment, a single line passed through my mind.

[Luck: 1]

...Right. This is also a choice, isn’t it?

Such a shitty situation.

“Damn, things have gotten really complicated.”

Samael bit his teeth tightly and, in frustration, began to open and close his fingers repeatedly.

Why are you saying what I should be saying?

I raised my head and started analyzing the expression on Samael’s face, which alternated between looking at Alter and me.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

On his face, there was a mixture of shock and fear.

Fear?

Fear?

Where in the world does a level 70 monster feel fear?

“By his expression and attitude, it doesn’t seem like he expected us to appear here...”

I began to rack my brain to figure out the cause of this strange phenomenon. There had to be an answer in this uncomfortable encounter.

“He’s taking a very defensive posture. Among demons, my life must hold some value, but this level of defensiveness is highly uncharacteristic. Last time, Maltiel, even though he was the great lord, had no qualms about risking his life to fight me.”

I began unraveling the threads of this absurd confusion.

Thanks to my innate trait of [Composure], my brain continued functioning even in this insane situation, and I could think clearly.

“...Could it be that he thinks he can’t win against me? That monster?”

I couldn’t understand why I was having these thoughts, so I began to revisit my own evaluations.

The mage who Maltiel declared must be killed, even putting his own life on the line.

The mage who, despite being in league with Maltiel, had his limbs intact and nearly killed the monster who had struck at a weak spot.

The mage with talent so great that the Swordmaster was eager to add him to his party.

The mage who possessed such incredible potential that the former magic tower master was made his personal teacher.

...When I thought it over, I found it strange that the monster on the other side wasn’t afraid of me.

Moreover, Samael had witnessed with his own eyes how I had struck down the young dragon with a single blow to its weak spot.

He had seen firsthand that all the titles surrounding me weren’t just illusions.

“...It’s not that he simply can’t win. He probably thinks that even if he faces me with all his strength, he won’t be able to leave a scratch on me. If that’s not the case, then his behavior makes no sense.”

With this conclusion, I immediately formulated a plan in my mind and began to act on it.

“...Do you think you can escape?”

I gave Samael the same smug smile I had shown Maltiel, showing off my bravado.

I never thought I’d do this again.

“I came here just to deal with an annoying dragon, but it looks like a big fish just fell into my hands. Samael, right?”

“How do you know my name...”

Samael, clearly startled, flapped his sharp feathered wings and stumbled in mid-air.

“How do I know? Well... isn’t that irrelevant right now?”

I spoke coldly and nonchalantly, trying to irritate him.

Samael didn’t respond and just tightly clenched his mouth shut.

As expected.

This guy is really scared.

A level 70 monster is terrified of a 1st-level mage like me.

...It seems like I found a way to escape this sudden misfortune.

I turned my head and waved my hand toward the soldiers and Alter Heindel who were charging toward me.

“I’ll deal with this soon, so just wait over there.”

The soldiers and Alter Heindel shouted at me, looking puzzled.

“Oh, well. This is something I can handle by myself.”

I waved them off with a light attitude, as if I were tossing out a garbage bag.

If they knew the truth, this would look pathetic rather than impressive, but for me, this was the only way to survive.

The soldiers, who had been running toward me, stopped in their tracks and began silently observing the conversation between Samael and me.

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

Seeing me remain composed despite the sudden appearance of a demon, they looked at me with awe.

“Are you going to keep flying around and making it difficult for people? If not, why not land? I don’t intend to harm you.”

“How can I trust that?”

“If I try to kill you, you’ll surely fight with everything you have. Then, I’ll scorch this entire area with lightning magic... This is a major grain-producing area, responsible for seventy percent of the continent’s wheat. If that happens, it will be a huge loss, not only for the continent but for humanity.”

My heart pounded wildly, and my head began to turn white, but somehow I found a reason not to attack Samael.

“Well, it’s up to you. You can choose to fight me and die here, or you can plan for the future. If you choose the former... it will be a huge blow to your species. You’ll lose a high-ranking demon.”

What mattered now was momentum and intimidation.

He was riding a ship on a sea of misunderstandings, and because of that, he couldn’t clearly judge what was right or wrong.

I had to use this situation to my advantage.

I don’t even know why this is happening, but... Anyway, the key to this chaotic situation was in my hands.

It was a key I couldn’t afford to lose.

“The place isn’t ideal, but I’ll let you go... How about that?”

No, that’s a bad move.

If I let him go with a kind smile, Samael might think, “Hmm, why is he letting me go so easily? Maybe he’s not as strong as I thought? Should I test him?”

If Samael starts testing me, he’ll quickly realize I’m not as strong as he thought, and then I’ll surely be killed by his hands.

“If you want to fight, go ahead. Killing you would be a big gain for me.”

I suppressed the impulse to escape from the monster in front of me and kept a proud smile on my face.

But what should I do to make this high-ranking demon run away without questioning my strength?

...The answer I found was ‘extortion.’

Like a neighborhood thug, I needed to extort Samael.

I had to threaten him to give something up in exchange for sparing his life.

I’m just a rookie mage who’s barely starting to learn the basics of magic... But at this point, my life depends on doing this.

“If you come down, we can talk. Or should I just take your head off right now?”

I twisted my neck as if my patience was running out and spoke in a cold, indifferent tone.

Luckily, thanks to the [Composure] trait, my inner turmoil didn’t show on my face.

“...This has really gone to shit.”

Samael, with an expression of shame, crumpled his face before slowly descending onto the dragon’s corpse.

Demons are always designed to act for the benefit of their species.

Of course, emotions like shame, anger, and pleasure exist, but they deem such emotions trivial and always prioritize the good of the demon race.

So, Samael, as a high-ranking demon, lowering his posture in front of humans was certainly disgraceful, but it was something he had to do for the sake of his race.

If Samael died here, his 300 subordinates and thousands of mutants would turn into dead toys, like battery-drained robots.

“Given the circumstances, I don’t really want to fight here. But I can’t just ignore a high-ranking demon, can I?”

“...Say what you want.”

“First, how about we bring out the contract? You didn’t think we were going to proceed verbally, did you?”

After finishing my words, I gave Samael a slight nod, maintaining my expressionless demeanor.

‘You’re holding it, right? Please say you’re holding it. If you’re not holding it, this negotiation is impossible. If it’s not in your hands, this table’s going to flip, and I’ll end up dead. Please say you’re holding it.’

Soon, Samael clenched his lips tightly, then slit his skin to pull out a yellowish-green piece of paper hidden beneath.

“The devil’s contract. As expected of a high-ranking demon.”

I did my best to suppress the cheer in my inner voice and gave a reaction as though I had expected this outcome.

The devil’s contract.

It was a special magical tool that would take the user’s life if they failed to uphold the terms written in it.

High-ranking demons usually used this contract to enslave beings with exceptional intellect, ones too valuable to be transformed into mutants.

It was a tool used to make high-level wizards work as magic researchers or to use brilliant commanders as their military advisors...

But this time, it was going to be used for extortion.

Extortion, where a human extorts a demon.

‘I’m glad he’s carrying it around. If he weren’t, this whole negotiation would’ve fallen apart.’

I smiled, seeing the only bit of luck in this pile of misfortune.

“I’ll let you go. But in exchange, you’ll have to give me something equivalent to your life. How does that sound?”

Samael didn’t respond to my provocation. Instead, he lightly bit his finger with his sharp fangs, and dark blue poisonous blood began to drip from it.

Samael began to drop his blood evenly over the yellow-green contract.

The blue blood began to dance on the paper as if it were about to turn into writing.

“...Enough with the nonsense. Say what you want.”

Samael grit his teeth, glaring at me with deadly eyes.

“Hm, what should I ask for...”

I pretended to be calm and pressed my temples with my fingertips, feeling the static electricity.

...But inside, I was burning with anxiety, my insides turning to ashes.

The remaining bloom time was just under two minutes. In that time, I had to quickly come up with a suitable request and get rid of this monster.

It couldn’t be too light. He might feel something’s off.

On the other hand, too heavy a request was also impossible.

If I said something like, “Give me the position of the great lord,” he’d refuse and probably cause a ruckus.

Getting the balance right was crucial, or my life would be over.

‘...It should be just slightly less valuable than the life of a high-ranking lord. That way, [N O V E L I G H T] he’ll accept it without question.’

The worst thing was letting the negotiation drag on.

If I took too long to come up with conditions, I would lose consciousness when my bloom time expired.

“Withdraw all demons and mutants from the Achilliptus Forest zone.”

After a brief consideration, I arrived at my decision.

The Achilliptus Forest zone, where the lightning spirits rest. It was a militarily important area, and since the lightning spirit resided there, it could also be a key place for my potential growth.

Taking it without bloodshed and getting the lightning spirit’s blessing would be a two-for-one deal.

“...I can’t believe you’re giving up that place so easily. It pisses me off. Do you know how many mutants I had to create and lose to capture it?”

“If you don’t like it, then die here and lose all your demons and mutants under your command. It may not be as significant as losing the great lord, but it would still be a huge blow to your demon army.”

“...”

Samael clenched his fists and glared at me with killing intent.

Huh? What’s going on with him? Did I provoke him too much? Damn, sorry about that. I’ll apologize, so let’s just settle this.

“I’ll accept it.”

With a grim expression, Samael dropped his blood on the devil’s contract again.

“My condition is that you’ll let me leave here. And you won’t make any attempts to track me for at least three days.”

“I accept.”

I took out the quill I’d been carrying during my studies and pricked my finger with it, letting my blood fall onto the contract handed to me.

The contract, soaked with both our blood, tore in two and attached to our wrists like bracelets.

This bracelet would stay on my wrist until the contract was completed, monitoring me. If I made even the slightest move to track that monster in the next 72 hours, my magic would erupt and crush my brain and heart.

Of course, I had no intention of tracking that damn monster.

Chasing a demon I couldn’t beat would be nothing short of a suicide attempt.

Phew!

As soon as the devil’s contract attached itself to our wrists, Samael spread his sharp wings wide and flew up high into the sky.

The monster vanished into the night, among the stars, and as I watched him go, I could finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Damn... I should’ve leveled up my luck to 1.”

I never want to go through this insane event again.