I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

“General Bin, wake up. The camp preparations are complete.”

The first night, the second, the third…

Up to the seventh night, our expedition had not faced a single attack.

It felt almost too smooth, but sometimes things just went this way. It was certainly preferable to getting ambushed by the Grand Lord due to some misunderstanding.

The soldiers sitting around the campfires wore content smiles, exchanging harmless jokes.

The horses had collapsed from exhaustion, and the high mage, Alter, had set up simple electric traps around the camp to guard against potential night raids.

“General Bin, please have dinner.”

As I carefully took a spoonful of the chicken stew prepared by the squad leader, I continued reviewing the lessons Alter had taught me.

“Thank you. The expedition has been much easier thanks to you, General.”

“…Huh?”

The squad leader expressed gratitude to both Lir and me as we sat under the firelight, reading our notes and grimoires.

For what? What did I do to deserve thanks?

All I had done this entire trip was record Alter’s teachings, review them, and pass out in the carriage.

I hadn’t done anything worthy of gratitude.

“…Ah!”

Maybe it was because I greeted every soldier politely despite my high rank?

After all, the military was still a society of people. Even if I had a higher rank, treating elders with respect was far more beneficial than not. It made interactions smoother.

“It’s nothing. Just doing what’s natural.”

I smiled as brightly as I could while responding to the squad leader.

No matter where you went, courtesy remained a valuable virtue… in any dimension, in any world.

“Lir, thank you as well. I’d like to express my gratitude to Alter too, but he isn’t here at the moment. Thanks to all of you, we’re nearly at our destination without a single injury.”

…?

It made sense for him to thank me, but why was he thanking Lir and Alter?

I glanced between the two, puzzled.

“….”

Lir, meeting my gaze, quickly pressed the brim of her hat down and lowered her head in embarrassment. Her pointed ears, peeking out beneath the hat, seemed unusually red under the firelight.

‘…Oh, I get it now.’

It was likely because Alter and Lir had been setting up magical traps around the campsite every night. That must have been why the squad leader was thanking them as well.

It made sense. Thanks to them, the soldiers could rest without setting night watches.

It seemed bringing Alter on this expedition was indeed the right call.

Not only were the soldiers sleeping soundly, but I was also gaining invaluable knowledge.

“…Yes.”

Lir mumbled a barely audible response while keeping her hat firmly down.

“It’s better to make eye contact when giving thanks. Preferably without the hat, too.”

As a magician from the land of refined etiquette, I solemnly pointed out Lir’s lackluster response.

“Younger ones should show proper respect to their elders, don’t you think?”

…Honestly, I just wanted to say that.

‘Younger ones.’

I never thought I’d get to say those words to an elf in my lifetime.

Before meeting Lir, the idea had never even crossed my mind.

How often does a human—who barely lives past a century—get to call a being who easily surpasses 3,000, even 5,000 years, “young”?

This was a rare opportunity.

‘Heh heh…’

The hipster within me couldn’t help but overflow.

A ridiculous grin kept trying to escape. I clenched my fists and fully savored this moment.

‘How many humans have ever said this to an elf? Am I the first in this continent? Maybe even the first in history…’

Damn, this was exhilarating.

The idea of being a continent-scale hipster sent shivers down my spine.

“Heh heh…”

“….”

As I indulged in my rare moment of satisfaction, Lir curled into herself, clutching her quill tightly. She stared at the ground, unmoving.

Meanwhile, I happily ate my chicken stew, but Lir, flushed red, simply held onto her bowl, unable to take a bite.

Since I had a cursed body, eating was slow and uncomfortable for me. I could never eat quickly due to the heavy sensation in my stomach.

Yet, while I had already eaten half my stew, Lir’s remained untouched.

“It’s getting cold. Why aren’t you eating?”

I tilted my head and asked.

“Uh, ah…”

“…?”

“Well… sho…”

“Tian, stop joking! There’s no way that’s true!”

“No, really! The rats from our old barracks had tails bigger than your head!”

Lir whispered something in an almost inaudible voice, but her words were drowned out by the soldiers’ laughter.

“Huh?”

I raised my voice slightly, prompting her to repeat herself. However, she flinched and clammed up completely.

…Did she have communication issues or something?

I set my bowl down and waited patiently for her to speak, assuring her I wasn’t upset.

“…Should I apologize?”

After nearly two minutes of silence, her barely audible voice finally emerged, like a mouse’s squeak.

“Apologize? To whom?”

“To… the squad leader. I don’t want to seem impolite…”

“…”

Wow.

She had been agonizing over my offhand comment instead of eating.

…Now I felt a little guilty.

“Do you want to apologize?”

Lir held onto her hat, nodded hesitantly.

It wasn’t necessary, but if she wanted to, I wouldn’t stop her.

“Go ahead, then. And take off your hat.”

I encouraged her.

After all, I couldn’t deny my role in this.

“Without the hat too?”

“That’s how it works among humans.”

“….”

Lir let out a small sigh, clenched and unclenched her fists, then carefully set her stew down. Slowly, she made her way toward the group of soldiers.

“If that’s the case, our old barracks were worse! Tian, did you know that if you don’t trim weeds, they can grow taller than the fortress walls?”

“That’s insane! At that point, it’s not a weed—it’s a divine tree!”

Among the soldiers exchanging idle chatter, the squad leader, having finished his stew, listened with interest. Before him, Lir suddenly stopped.

“T-that… earlier… I apologize!”

Lir swiftly removed her hat, bowed deeply, and practically shouted before turning on her heel.

“….”

While the squad leader and soldiers remained dumbfounded, Lir rushed back to the tree stump where I sat.

Then, as if suddenly famished, she grabbed her stew and began shoveling spoonfuls into her mouth.

Seeing this, I gently patted her back in encouragement.

Lir flinched at my touch, nearly dropping her spoon.

“….”

After a brief hesitation, she turned to look at me, her cheeks puffed with stew, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

…Well, I wasn’t expecting that reaction.

“Oh, uh… Good job.”

Damn, that was awkward.

***

As the soldiers quietly observed Lir hurriedly eating with her hat pulled low, and the white-haired boy patting her back, murmurs spread among them.

Something about this situation wasn’t normal.

Elves typically lived ten, even fifty times longer than humans.

Even if this elf mage looked barely twenty, she was undoubtedly the oldest among them.

And yet, an elf had just apologized?

…That notoriously arrogant race?

“What in the world just happened?”

The squad leader tilted his head in confusion and turned to his men.

“…What did you do, sir?”

His soldiers were just as lost.

“Maybe Bin made her do it?”

Anyone watching would assume that.

“Bin?”

“But why…? Why make an elf apologize when he wasn’t even wronged?”

In the silence that followed, only the crackling fire filled the space between them.

None among them were sharp enough to decipher Bin’s intentions.

“…Mages are known for being eccentric, but this is beyond comprehension. Bin is always so gentle and kind to us…”

“Didn’t you speak with them when you brought the stew? Did something happen?”

“Oh, right… Bin told Lir that it’s polite to remove one’s hat when speaking to others…”

It made no sense.

Teaching elf manners?

That prideful, arrogant race, being taught human etiquette?

Elves were the type to make a twelve-year-old-looking youth fetch coffee for a ninety-year-old human elder without a second thought.

Yet, a mere sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy had lectured an elf on courtesy.

“Well, one thing’s clear—Bin made Lir apologize. No way an elf would do it willingly.”

“But… why? He wasn’t even the one wronged.”

“Maybe he found it amusing? Mages can be eccentric.”

“No, that doesn’t fit. Bin is always so respectful. I don’t want to believe he was just messing around.”

“Then… maybe he just can’t stand discourtesy?”

Tian’s suggestion left another silence in its wake.

Unfortunately, their collective intelligence couldn’t come up with a better theory.

The conclusion they settled on: Bin was someone who valued etiquette so much, he could humble even the most arrogant elf into apologizing.

To these soldiers, gathered around the fire, that became the truth.

“He always greets us with a smile, so I thought he was just kind… but he was hiding his fangs.”

“As expected… Only the truly exceptional join the Sword Saint’s party…”

The soldiers reevaluated their impression of Bin.

“Listen up. From now on, no matter what, show absolute respect to Bin. Even if he’s friendly, don’t let your guard down. Never, even slightly, think you can take advantage of him. He doesn’t tolerate rudeness.”

The squad leader sternly warned his men.

A cold shiver ran down the spines of the soldiers near the fire.

If an elf had been humbled over something as minor as keeping a hat on while speaking…

What would happen if one of them offended him?

A storm of bloodshed would surely follow.

“Never. Never act rudely. Be as respectful as possible.”

That night, the soldiers lay awake, reflecting on their past behavior.

***

“You’re awake!”

“Good morning, General!”

The moment I opened my eyes to the morning sun, loud greetings rang from all around.

“Oh… uh, good mor—”

“General Bin, you’re awake!”

“Good morning, General Bin!”

Before I could finish speaking, soldiers rushed toward me, eager to be the first to greet me, their voices filled with forced enthusiasm.

…What?

Why were they acting like this? Had they all collectively lost their minds?

“Good morning, Sir Bin! Morning roll call is complete! The horses are in good condition, and the carriage wheels have been checked! If we don’t encounter monsters or demons, we should reach the Enker Highlands by 13:00!”

Why was the squad leader suddenly addressing me with full formalities and honorifics?

Please stop.

You’re scaring me…

Frightened by the soldiers’ sudden shift in attitude, I quickly stuffed my sleeping bag into the supply cart and retreated to a corner of the carriage.

What the hell was wrong with them?

“We’re departing!”

With an eager shout, the infantry and cavalry set off on the road once more.

“…They’re acting like they’ve been through hell.”

Alter, noticing the unusually stiff atmosphere, shot me a glance.

“Maybe it’s because we’re close to the Enker Highlands? They’re probably tense about facing the dragon…”

I offered uncertainly.

How was I supposed to know why they were acting like this?

“…It’ll be their first time seeing a dragon in person.”

Lir quietly agreed, her voice steady.

“They say men remain boys at heart… Look at how excited they are over a dragon.”

There was a subtle hint of smugness in her tone, almost imperceptible.