Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 85

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 85: I Finish My Business, and There's a Guest Here, Huh_

──────

"How dare these insignificant fools act without knowing their place."

"Good. We can deal with all of them, including that mosquito bitch, then take their things."

Gloomy eyes gleamed beneath their robes.

The dark elves looked at us like hunters eyeing their prey, then drew vicious weapons.

"Protect Ian and Daisy! They're masters of ambushes!"

The tension snapped taut, and just as things were about to explode...

"Stop."

A cool yet lovely voice rang out.

The violent dark elves flinched and lowered their weapons.

What surprised me even more was the person who stepped out from among them.

"Super-genius mage Ian?"

It was the dark mage Darnen.

She swept back her robe, her tied silver hair swaying as she stared at me with wide violet eyes.

There was surprise in them, along with faint affection.

"Huh?"

Why was she here?

Don't tell me...

"Hoho, please stop~"

As I stood there stunned, Cotillard stepped in to mediate.

"The dark elves may be violent and evil, fond of stabbing people in the back, stealing their things, and burning everything down, but these people are different. Or perhaps this lady is different?"

What was that? Was she really mediating?

Darnen looked like she was wondering whether this bitch was trying to screw her over.

"So these are the buyers who intend to purchase the Ogre's corpse?" Gimlius asked.

"Yes, of course~ Darnen Veliar here is the ruler of the western autonomous district. She's a member of the Great Twelve Families~"

"W-What?!"

"That dark elf... is a noble...?"

The companions who had met Darnen before were stunned by her status.

Elena was especially shocked. She came from the Orphan Gang in the countryside, while Darnen had been born into a noble bloodline.

"Th-That's a lie! Ian! It's a lie, right?!"

Sorry, Elena, but it was true.

No matter which route she took, she appeared as a member of one of the eight dark elf families.

'Though she's more like someone bound to them.'

Darnen spoke calmly.

"Enough. We didn't come here to loot you. We intend to pay a fair price for the goods."

- Were we really going to do that?

- Uh...

The dark elf attendants under her command looked uncertain, as if that hadn't been their plan at all.

Still, their leader had said it, so they put away their weapons.

The only nice dark elf.

Since I could trust Darnen, my companions and I lowered our weapons as well.

Darnen examined the Ogre corpse loaded on the wagon, then asked me, "Did you kill it yourself?"

"Of course."

The Floor Master had technically killed it, but I killed that bastard. Didn't that mean we killed it?

It was ridiculous, but Darnen believed me.

"As expected, you're amazing... To kill a rank-three monster in such a short time..."

She looked at me with admiration, but she kept business separate from personal matters.

"But the corpse isn't in good condition. I plan to use it for research, but its brain and the essence inside its skull, the most important parts, are gone."

"I'll lower the price for that. Since we have a connection, I'll give it to you for 290 gold coins."

"Too expensive. 250."

"270. You're not the only buyer around."

"It'll be difficult to dispose of something like this quickly. No matter how well it's preserved, the corpse will continue to rot, and its value will keep dropping."

Was she so sharp because she had clawed her way up from the bottom?

She was no ordinary woman.

"Fine. 250 gold coins."

"Good."

Honestly, that was still far better than what we'd get by selling it through the Merchants' Association.

Those greedy bastards would've tried to rip us off badly.

'She intends to use it for necromancy research.'

It might create some terrifying monster, but... why should I care?

This world's the one that's wrong!

Darnen paid on the spot.

"Some flawed rubies and diamonds~ The rest is gold coins. The numbers are correct~"

Cotillard took out a scale, assessed the gold and jewels, then nodded.

Good. At least it wasn't a scam...

"Thank you for the deal, super-genius mage Ian."

- Ah, we could've just killed them and taken it for free.

- Lady Darnen is far too merciful.

The dark elf attendants babbled as they pulled the wagon away.

Perhaps she was eager to begin her research, because Darnen gave me a quick farewell and left.

Elena, who had stayed wary until the end, spoke to Cotillard.

"You could've told us in advance that they were dark elves, ma'am."

"Hoho! But if I'd told you beforehand, you wouldn't have made the deal, would you?"

"...That's true."

"Haha! It worked out well in the end, didn't it? I guarantee Cotillard's abilities!"

Gimlius was right.

This vampire named Cotillard was quite capable.

Since she operated on the edge between legal and illegal dealings, her fees were low too.

'There's no harm in building a long-term relationship with her.'

Having decided that, I added a little extra to the commission I owed her.

"Here's your brokerage fee. I added a bit more because I'd like to get along with you, Ms. Cotillard."

"My, my. A capable mage like you is always welcome, Ian~ Thank you~"

Thanks to Gimlius, I had gained a useful connection.

It still wasn't too late, so after leaving Cotillard's mansion, we met with the dark mage Kadega, the barbarian Ulric, and Iromis's group to divide the money from selling the corpse.

- Hm, I'll accept this much.

- I'm satisfied! Floor Master hunter! It was a magnificent battle!

- You disposed of it already? That was fast. Hahaha.

They were satisfied even after receiving ten, ten, and twenty gold coins, respectively.

After that, we gathered to settle the loot.

This time, instead of heading to the inn or tavern where we were staying, we went to an expensive, quiet place with private rooms.

It couldn't be helped.

"Seven hundred gold coins..."

We had earned a full seven hundred gold coins on this expedition.

That was enough money to make security a concern.

"That's incredible... You could retire immediately with that much..."

Gimlius gulped down beer as he stared dazedly at the mountain of gold.

If we spent it carefully, we wouldn't have to work for the rest of our lives.

Of course, we had to divide it among the five of us.

"Everyone earned this through blood, sweat, and tears."

Gimlius had lost two fingers and been hit by three arrows in this battle.

Hans's left ankle had been crushed, and after taking two cursed arrows, he had needed the wounded flesh cut away.

Every bone in Elena's body had been shattered, while Daisy had suffered several injuries as well.

Shiver.

They had all been treated, but the aftereffects remained.

This was far from easy money.

Were the others not injured too?

They were.

Though they had survived, people whose limbs had been severed were common, and they would spend most of the rest of their lives disabled.

And didn't they receive less compensation than us?

They did.

But...

"The world was never fair."

There was no paradise where everyone was equal.

Some earned, some lost, some died, and some lived.

No one entered the Labyrinth without being prepared for that.

It was cruel, but those were the rules of this world and the other one.

"All right, shall we start dividing things up?"

"Yeeeeeah!"

"Mm!"

I deliberately raised the mood before we began settling the loot.

First, there was the Grace Stone Elena had consumed, which increased strength and physical power. Then the Speed Boots and Spell-Inscribed Ring taken from the Marauder party, the Mirror Shield with an impact-reflection effect that I had summoned through the dimensional gate, and finally the Tome of Starlight.

'Four magic items.'

Most people were lucky to see even one artifact a year, yet we had acquired four on this expedition.

That meant all our suffering had been worth it.

"Then let's have the people who need them bid first."

"Me, me!"

"I can't yield this time either!"

The Grace Stone was an exception because Elena had already swallowed it...

After some arguing, raised voices, compromises, and concessions, each piece of equipment found an owner.

Speed Boots: Elena

Mirror Shield: Gimlius

Spell-Inscribed Ring: Me

Tome of Starlight: Me

The ring and tome were mage-only equipment, so it made sense for me to have them.

"Ah! Whyyyyyy?!"

"Haha! Stop hogging everything, Elena! No one can have it all~"

Elena had wanted it badly, but Gimlius ended up taking the Mirror Shield.

She had already gained enough that she needed to read the room.

'If the two of us take everything, this party won't last long!'

Hans and Gimlius hadn't said anything because of how much we had contributed, but they must have been keeping score.

The problem now was dividing things according to the value of each item.

'Ha...'

This was giving me a headache.

The other equipment was one thing, but this tome from the Floor Master...

Rather than simply layering spells on top of each other, it naturally fused them together. Its value was so great that even the Appraisal Office would be unable to properly assess it.

'We all suffered to get it, so I can't keep it all for myself.'

'Fuck, how much am I supposed to pay them?'

Even I, who valued principles, had considered hiding the fact that I had kept it, then dismissing Gimlius and Hans.

Even though I already had the highest profit share in the party.

"Is it really such a treasure...?"

At this point, I had no choice but to force the matter.

I needed to use my smooth tongue and authority as party leader to drive down the value as much as possible.

But I had underestimated Gimlius and Hans.

Having worked together for so long, the two of them considered my circumstances on their own.

"If it weren't for Ian, we'd all have died there."

"That's right! You can't put a price on something when we don't even know the market value! Just give us a reasonable amount!"

"What?"

'Hans wants to stay in this high-level party despite his own ability, so I can call it lobbying in his case...'

I was touched.

Since the two of them said that, Elena and Daisy from the Orphan Gang felt the same way.

"If Ian becomes stronger, it'll be good for us too."

"I don't like it, but if everyone feels that way, there's nothing I can do."

"Everyone..."

Still, the tome's value was enormous, so I didn't get a single coin from the seven hundred gold coins we had earned.

"Kieeeeeek!"

The conclusion?

I was broke again.

This time, I didn't even have money for magical research.

'What the fuck?'

When was I ever going to become rich and enjoy a comfortable life in this other world?

I was even in a position where I had to borrow money for meals from Daisy.

"Don't worry, Ian. I'll lend it to you cheaply. Hehe."

It was probably a joke, but I had a man's pride too, didn't I?

"Waaah, Daisy~"

"Yes, there, there... Huh?"

"Don't act spoiled, you idiot!"

Thunk!

"Ack!"

As I buried myself in Daisy's chest for comfort, Elena flicked my forehead.

"Are you seriously insane?!"

Would she take responsibility if I got dumber?

Elena snorted and glanced sharply at Daisy.

"Daisy. Can't you stop indulging him too? You keep letting him do that, so he keeps whining."

"But Lady Meia told us to show mercy to everyone. Ah, except dark elves."

"That's mercy? Is hugging him with those huge tits divine mercy? That perverted bastard was aiming for this. I'm sure of it."

"H-Huge tits..."

Daisy covered her mouth, flustered by Elena's crude wording.

Still held in Daisy's arms, I put on a cool expression and cleared up the misunderstanding.

"You're mistaken, Daisy. Would a genius mage like me satisfy my desires with such lowly behavior? I just miss warmth. Besides, unlike you, Elena doesn't even have breasts, so she's only acting like that because she's jealous."

"Whaaaaat?!"

"I-Is that so..."

"I'm going to kill you, you bastard!"

Crash!

"Aaaaaah!"

I ducked behind Daisy's skirts as Elena went wild.

"Bwahahahaha! Here we go again! Ian! You're truly a sinful man! You remind me of my younger self!"

"Hehe."

Gimlius spouted nonsense, while Hans smiled faintly.

Anyway, we ate, drank, and celebrated.

As we giggled together and washed our brains in alcohol, the phantom pain faded and the stress from the Labyrinth eased.

'Hehehe.'

Cackle, cackle.

Once ownership of the Tome of Starlight hanging from my waist had fully transferred to me, I felt wonderful.

"Ugh..."

We drank until dawn, and the sun was already rising.

After the settlement ended, Daisy, Elena, and I returned to the inn half-dead.

"Yaaawn."

"I'm sleepy."

"I hear you've become quite famous this time. They say you've even earned the title Mage of Thunderfall?"

Perhaps the innkeeper had quick sources, or perhaps it was because I was a VIP guest. Either way, the innkeeper flattered me.

"Well, it's easy for a genius mage."

"Oh! I see!"

Leaving Daisy and Elena behind to sleep, I used the silver coins I had stashed away to pay for bathwater to be drawn, then washed myself.

Bleeegh!

After vomiting in the toilet, I changed into fresh clothes and drank orange juice to chase away my hangover.

I had been exhausted enough to sleep immediately, but something kept bothering me.

'I should do what I need to do.'

I headed to the library.

"It's been a while."

A black-haired woman with an intelligent air greeted me.

It was Renia, the library's librarian.

"It seems you've been quite busy?"

For some reason, she didn't look very pleased.

"I think I can smell alcohol on you too."

Normally, she wouldn't have let me enter the library while I was hungover, but perhaps because she hadn't seen me in a while, she let it slide.

"Yes. I exiled a Floor Master, killed an Ogre, and had a very busy time."

"I see."

Unlike others, Renia took it calmly and handed me a book.

"Here's the book you mentioned before."

"Hm?"

"Didn't you say you wanted special knowledge that the library doesn't have?"

There was nothing written on the book's cover.

There was no author's name either.

"It's a forbidden book, so please refrain from letting it leave the library."

Was it all right to lend out something like this so freely?

Then again, considering her hidden identity, perhaps it was.

Either way, it was good.

I sat down and examined the forbidden book.

I thought it would contain something about magic, but it was a history book.

It wasn't an ordinary history of the Labyrinth, though.

It presented a somewhat different perspective.

Human King Gwyndolin.

Elf King Kalasutra.

Dwarf King Vargan.

Beastman King Volkar.

Dragon King Aurelion.

Giant King Balor.

King of the Snakes Ouroboros.

[In the beginning, there were Seven Kings. Because of the atrocities of Giant King Balor and King of the Snakes Ouroboros, who coveted the Eternal Forge, eternal winter came to the once-prosperous world.]

[The descendants of the traitor kings were exiled, while the remaining Five Kings sacrificed themselves to summon the Labyrinth into this world.]

[They did so to protect what few intelligent beings remained, praying that someone would conquer the Labyrinth, lift the gods' curse, and bring spring back to this world.]

[This is the accepted theory.]

[The great Five Kings, Gwyndolin, Kalasutra, Vargan, Volkar, and Aurelion, deserve eternal respect.]

But this book proposed a different hypothesis.

[In truth, the Five Kings were also greedy people, no different from the cursed Giant King and Snake King. They wished to use the forge for their own advancement, seeking eternal life, ageless bodies, and power, and the common theory is that they were cursed for it.]

[There is one more interesting point. Among the Seven Kings, there was another hidden king.]

[It was the king of the dark elves. His name, origins, and everything else have been shrouded and forgotten, but he was undoubtedly the eighth king.]

[If it were possible to have an honest conversation with a cultured, knowledgeable dark elf, perhaps the truth could be learned... but that would be as difficult as hanging a bell around a dragon's neck. Aren't they an especially violent, sinister, and fickle race?]

[This time, I wish to discuss a secret rumor circulating among high-ranking Expedition Party members.]

[It is said that the souls of the Five Kings still sleep deep within the Labyrinth, and that anyone who finds their tombs can gain tremendous power and wisdom.]

[The person who came closest to the secrets of the Deep Floors, both in the past and even now, was Dmitri, the first explorer of the Deep Zone.]

Inside the book was an illustration of Dmitri, the first explorer of the Deep Floors.

Despite being a high-ranking expedition member, a profession that wore down both mind and body, he was a handsome man with a neat appearance.

He looked exactly like the illustration I had seen in Dungeon of Death.

'He's the guy who appears as an undead mob if you go to the Deep Floors.'

Sometimes he emerged from Shandra's Frozen Coffin, and sometimes he appeared as a skeleton.

The one thing they had in common was that he was fucking strong.

[With his frail human body, he surpassed the superior races and became the first to reach the abyss of the Labyrinth.]

[But for some reason, he disappeared while continuing his exploration.]

[He left behind neither a corpse nor any final words.]

[Where did he go?]

That was roughly the book's contents.

As befitting something the religious order considered heretical and the City Administration had designated as forbidden, it ended on an unsettling note.

Something came to mind.

By coincidence, this was exactly what the Witch of the Mine, Isanna, the evil mage I had dealt with before, had talked about.

"Do you know who wrote this book?" I asked Renia.

"That, I don't know. But I heard the author was quite an accomplished Expedition Party member."

Hm, was that so?

It had considerable credibility.

The secret of the first Seven Kings I didn't know about.

No, the Eight Kings.

It wasn't merely the one-sided claim of a witch who worshipped a different faith.

"What do you think?"

Renia asked what I thought of the hidden knowledge.

There was a proud look on her face.

"..."

Kulkin had taken Isanna's journal, so I didn't know the details.

I had learned more thanks to this, but it wasn't completely new information either.

There was only one response I could give her.

"Hm, is this all?"

I spoke as if disappointed.

"...Grit."

A vein popped out on Renia's forehead.

"Next time... it'll be different."

She's easy to handle.

If I did this, she'd probably bring me new knowledge again next time.

"Thanks for the book~"

Yawn.

I had stayed up all night, and drowsiness was overwhelming me, so I returned to the inn and lay down in bed.

Before long, dusk fell again, and darkness settled in.

"Whew."

'After I sleep, I'll go to the Magic Tower. I should get Daisy some equipment while I'm at it.'

Her armor was still good enough, but it was about time Daisy had a magic item too.

A holy relic would be ideal for a Priest, but it wasn't something I could obtain just because I wanted one, so I needed to find a suitable replacement.

'I could use the auction house run by the Golden Dawn Society.'

'Or use a discreet route.'

'Now that I have a connection with Madam Cotillard.'

As I went over my plans and slowly began drifting to sleep, the squeak of the window opening grated on my nerves.

Faint moonlight streamed through the window and illuminated the room. When I spotted something, I blinked.

"What?"

A single letter lay on the small table.

It definitely hadn't been there just moments ago.

Leaving aside the fact that I hadn't sensed anyone's presence, faint mana was coming from the letter.

Gripping my staff, I approached the table and carefully examined it.

...

Despite its strangeness, there was nothing written in the letter.