Surviving in a Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage - Chapter 94

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 94: A Black Market Going to Hell Is the Norm

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The dwarf mage Grimball leaned back in his luxurious chair and smiled.

"I've finally made it this far."

A dwarf, not even a dark elf, had risen to become the manager of the underground auction house run by the Kazak Family, one of the Twelve Families.

Shelves were lined with decades-old fine wines and refreshments, while dozens of subordinates stood ready to lay down their lives at a single gesture.

"You fucking losers, you ghosts of a bygone age. You thought I couldn't do it? Look. I made it in the end."

He had once been a pickpocket missing one finger from the back alleys.

For a worthless young man who had been a slave in the mines, it was an astonishing achievement.

It had only been possible because Grimball possessed the wickedness, persistence, and luck to crush even the demons of the lawless zone.

'Finding this was the opportunity of a lifetime.'

As Grimball toyed with an antique iron goblet on his bookshelf, his thoughts turned to the people who had been standing in front of the auction house earlier.

They hadn't really been guests.

'That gloomy Daimond's disciple.'

Grimball had recognized Darnen's face and thrown her out.

She was a monster who, despite not being pureblooded, had won the elders' wholehearted backing through talent alone and built her current power base.

She had clearly come to his place of business with some vicious scheme in mind.

That wasn't actually the case, but Grimball assumed as much because she was a dark elf.

'Once the auction starts...'

He had thought everything was going well.

Kwoooong!

Until a deafening blast shook the Black Market and chaos erupted.

What the fuck?

As Grimball looked out the window...

"Boss!"

"The elves have broken in!"

His subordinates rushed in with panicked expressions.

"Elves? Dark elves?"

"No! Not dark elves, real elves!"

"..."

Elves had an elegant side to them, so they didn't get into dirty fights like dark elves.

It seemed this incident had finally driven them mad.

"Ugh..."

Why now? Why did this have to happen when he was in charge of the auction?

"What do we do?!"

Grimball's hands trembled with fear.

If he couldn't put an end to this chaos, the Kazak Family's dark elves wouldn't let him live.

They would cut off his head, gouge out his eyes, and display his mutilated remains on the mansion's iron bars.

"What do you think we do, you useless bastards?! Go beat them down!"

"Yes!"

His subordinates grabbed their weapons and rushed out.

"For the Mother of Life!"

Kwoooong!

Yet the elves' momentum was no joke.

One elf in full plate armor, in particular, was sweeping aside the guards like a complete monster.

"Fuck."

After everything he'd done to get this far... His dream...

Grimball trembled.

Then he quickly gathered the items hidden in the secret safe in his office. He also took all the valuable goods scheduled to appear in this auction.

'I'll offer these up and seek protection from another family!'

Grimball ran on his short legs.

His destination was clear.

'Darnen Veliar!'

* * *

Crash!

Swords and spears danced amid surging flames.

Most of the Black Market consisted of tents, so the fire spread incredibly quickly. Toxic potions and monster corpses burned, filling the air with even more poisonous smoke and making the situation even worse.

"Stop them!"

The Black Market guards stepped forward, but elves were a race that could spend decades, perhaps even centuries, honing a single combat skill thanks to their long lives.

Crash!

"Urgh!"

They were no match for them.

The Kazak Family dark elves managing this quarter's auction house could fight the elves head-on. Still, they were being pushed back by the sheer number of attackers.

I covered my nose and mouth with my robe to keep out the smoke, frowning.

"So this is an 'Excuse me, but you're on fire' situation."

They worshipped the god of plants, yet here they were committing arson.

Elves really were no less savage than any other primitive medieval barbarians.

"What are we doing now?!"

Gimlius grabbed my thigh with his short limbs and shouted.

There was only one answer.

"We run."

A genius mage and experienced Expedition Party member had to anticipate every possibility.

Naturally, I had prepared a countermeasure as well.

"There's an escape passage, right?"

I asked Darnen.

"Yes. But I don't know how the Kazak Family might have altered it. Dark elves see other dark elves as rivals too."

"Let's check it out first."

We began making our way out of the Black Market, pushing through the flames and smoke.

"M-Move! Do you know who I am?!"

"Get lost!"

The panicked customers were also running wildly to escape the elf soldiers, so shoulders constantly collided. But as we approached the secret passage, the crowd gradually thinned.

That also meant we were more likely to encounter the elves raiding the Black Market.

Of course, that wasn't a problem for us.

[Invisibility]

I had the Shadow Helm of the Darkgrove Warden, the magic item I had obtained from the Secret Society's lackeys.

Shhhh.

As I poured my will into the helm, our bodies warped and faded from sight.

"Kill them!"

"Search every corner! Don't let any dark elves, or anyone connected to them, escape!"

We easily avoided the murderous elf soldiers and headed toward the secret passage.

'This is fucking amazing!'

It was the best spell for infiltration, stealth, and escape.

"Hehehe. This is fun. It feels like we're watching blind people."

Even from only a few meters away, the elves couldn't see us, and Elena giggled.

"Shh, shh."

That soon reached its limit.

The duration of Invisibility had ended.

'There are too many people, so the duration is shorter!'

"Dark elves!"

A group of elf soldiers with blood dripping from their swords spotted Darnen and Elena. Their eyes immediately went wild as they charged at us.

"What do we do?!"

"What do you think?! We fight!"

We had to avoid killing them if possible.

Otherwise, our relationship with the elves could become irreparable.

"That's easier said than done!"

Clang!

Elena gritted her teeth as she crossed swords with a screaming elf swordsman.

Subduing someone was twice as hard as killing them, and elf soldiers were superior to humans in every way.

'Still, we have Darnen, a powerful dark mage.'

Just as Darnen and I began preparing spells...

"You fucking pointy-eared bastards! Because of you, I've lost everything!"

Someone came running over with a hate-filled voice.

Grimball.

He was the Kazak Family dwarf who managed the auction house.

Unlike before, he wore a strange helmet, and his body flashed.

"Die, all of you!"

Something incredible happened.

The dwarf vanished in a burst of light, replaced by a massive bull the size of a house.

Moooooo!

He rammed and battered the elves who had been fighting us.

"Urgh!"

"W-What is that?"

While my companions stood stunned, the monstrous bull subdued the elves, snorted through his nostrils, and spoke.

"Darnen Veliar!"

"You know me?"

"Yes! I know you well! I have a proposal!"

"What is it?"

"Take me into your family, and I'll give you these treasures."

Grimball, transformed into a monstrous bull, pointed at the sack on his back.

It was loaded with Grace Stones expected to be sold at this auction, along with all sorts of treasures.

"I'll clear a path!"

Darnen shook her head, though it didn't suit the situation at all.

"Hm. I don't really feel like it."

"What?"

"That's a bad thing to do."

She gave a completely ridiculous reason.

"...What the hell?"

'Is this crazy dark elf for real?'

Leaving the flustered transformed dwarf behind, I leaned close and whispered into Darnen's ear.

"Come on, take him in."

He'd be useful, wouldn't he?

"Hm..."

Darnen's ears twitched. She glanced at me, then nodded.

"Fine. I'll take you in."

"Good choice. Get on."

"Everyone, get on!"

"These people too? Ah, you're going to use them as meat shields! I understand!"

The monstrous bull's back was wide enough for all of us to climb on.

Moooooo!

Just as Darnen had said, the dwarf shapeshifter was skilled.

A house-sized monster's headlong charge was something elves, who specialized in agile movement, couldn't stop.

"Stab them!"

Several elves formed a shield wall with tall shields and spears, but the dwarf bull simply breathed fire and broke through.

Whoooosh!

"Argh!"

"Fuck, now we're being chased by elves of all things... Hey, everyone, keep your faces hidden!"

"Hold your shield properly, Gimlius!"

The pursuit didn't stop.

Elves were born archers, and sharp arrows came flying from every direction.

Gimlius and Hans blocked them with their shields.

Tang! Tang!

Sparks flew.

"Meia, I'm sorry... I have to protect my friends..."

Daisy cast Blessing, and the strengthened dwarf monster ran even faster.

[Magic Missile] + [Electric Spark] = [Lightning Missile]

Holding tightly to the monstrous bull's back so I wouldn't fall off, I used magic to subdue the pursuing elves.

Crackle!

"Aah!"

Spheres of Lightning flew through the air and stunned the elves.

"Ian."

"Yeah."

After catching my breath for a moment, I met Elena's eyes and felt around on Grimball's transformed back.

Rustle, rustle.

There was something I absolutely had to take for the plan.

"Over there. Once we pass that, the passage is right ahead."

After passing several huge boulders, the secret passage appeared before us.

We were almost there.

We only had to get out now...

"Evil dark mage! Receive the Mother's judgment!"

That was when it happened.

[Heads/Tails]

A coin spun into the air.

A flash of light cut through the air with a violent whistle.

Before I could even choose, a spear had already been thrown and buried itself in the bull.

Groooaargh!

It was an attack so fast and powerful that neither Elena, Gimlius, nor I could react.

Tap, tap, tap!

One elf in red armor caught my eye, moving far more swiftly than the elf soldiers running toward us.

That was...

A named NPC I knew too.

The Elf King's right hand.

'The Red Crusader!'

'Patrol Commander Eleonora!'

She was the beautiful elf Paladin Elena wanted to become.

Fuck, an unexpected variable.

A high-tier Expedition Party member had suddenly appeared.

Whoosh! Thud!

As the monstrous bull staggered, arrows flew in from every direction.

[Animate Dead]

[Arcane Barrier]

Darnen summoned undead, and I erected a barrier, but the corpses turned to light and ash from the high-ranking Paladin's battle cry alone.

"Return to the light!!!"

'Dark mages are helpless against Paladins!'

"This is troublesome..."

Darnen frowned as she stared at Eleonora.

Even Darnen, who had been smoothly shaking off the elves, couldn't do much against that elf Paladin.

"We'll be caught at this rate!"

"Ian!"

'Damn it.'

My plan had been to hide Darnen, the dark elf, clear a path, and escape from here.

After all, we were a decent Expedition Party made up of an elf, a dwarf, and three humans.

But things had gotten far too big.

Think. Think.

'A different plan...'

As I was thinking...

"Let's part ways here. It'll be easier for you too, won't it?"

Darnen suddenly said that.

"Huh?"

"This expedition was fun too. Tell me if you want to sleep together again next time."

Her purple eyes curved playfully.

"What?!"

"I-It's a misunderstanding!"

Darnen chuckled, then kicked us off the bull's back.

"You annoying deadweights. Get lost."

She then drove the monstrous dwarf in another direction.

"We're going that way."

Moooooo!

"There! Chase them!!!"

Most of the elf soldiers followed the two of them.

"That bitch?!"

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted a dark elf! You wicked, vicious bastard! Aaah!"

Elena and Gimlius didn't understand what Darnen was doing. They cursed her in panic.

'My dark elf who gives like The Giving Tree is leaving.'

I rolled across the ground and shook my head as I watched her leave.

Darnen must have seen through my plan and made that decision.

"Stop!"

Ah, if we were separating anyway, I wished she had taken this high-tier Expedition Party member with her...

"Aah!"

As I despaired, countless spears and swords were pointed at our throats.

Elf soldiers had surrounded us before we knew it, their eyes murderous.

"What did you do with the World Tree Seed?"

A terrifying named NPC.

Eleonora glared at Elena and the rest of us as she asked.

I looked at the elf Paladin wearing blood-red armor and calmly waved my hand.

"What are you talking about? It's a misunderstanding. We were only kidnapped by that vicious dark elf."

I lied without hesitation.

"You speak nonsense. Do you expect me to believe the words of disgusting, loathsome dark elves and their lackeys?"

As if she had no intention of listening and planned to end things here, Eleonora raised a mace soaked in blood and flesh.

"You'll understand when you see this."

Without backing down, I rubbed Elena's face all over.

Ueeeng.

The potion on her face came off, revealing the peach-colored skin and pure face unique to elves.

"...An elf?"

Then I gave the alibi I had prepared in advance.

"We were sent on a certain mission and disguised ourselves to investigate the Black Market. We were just suddenly caught up in this. Ha, we're confused about what the hell is happening too."

"Why did you attack our soldiers?"

"I told you. We were threatened by the dark elf who escaped earlier. Still, we only subdued them. We didn't kill anyone, even when you people were trying to kill us."

"..."

Eleonora had thought Elena was a dark elf, but upon discovering she was an elf, she paused.

Then she asked Elena, "What's your name?"

"Elena."

"I've never heard that name before. Whose child are you?"

"I'm from a village, so I don't know anything like that."

"...Is that so?"

'We did it!'

My smile vanished just as I thought we had gotten through it safely.

Eleonora, who had lowered her arm, raised it again and spoke with a suspicious look.

"You said your name was Elena... Aren't you mixed with dark elf blood? Your aura is strange."

"What?!"

An ideological test had suddenly begun.

"Smile."

"Kkan, kkan, kkan?"

"Elves don't laugh like that."

"What?!"

"Then, elfpfft?"

"Not like that either. You're not some clown."

"..."

My companions and I were shocked.

Did that mean the bizarre laugh had only ever been Elena's personal trait?

'What the fuck?'

'She definitely laughed like that in the game.'

"Elena, what exactly are you..."

"She seems suspicious, Captain. We should take them in for questioning."

The lieutenant beside Eleonora whispered.

Just as Eleonora was about to nod, her gaze stopped and turned toward me.

"You..."

She was staring at my face and silver hair, exposed beneath my fallen robe.

"Ian, the mage of Thunderfall...?"

"..."

[Heads/Tails]

The coin spun into the air.

'Heads!'

[Heads]

The coin succeeded.

There was a moment of silence.

Then Eleonora suddenly lowered her weapon and let us go.

"My younger sibling was there. Go."

In the end, we were able to leave through the secret passage, leaving behind the elves' murderous stares.

"That was scary..."

Daisy's legs gave out, and she limped over to lean against me.

"Is that why we separated from Darnen earlier?"

"That's right."

I hadn't expected her to sacrifice herself like that.

'I hope we can meet safely again next time.'

"Putting that aside, why, why did those crazy pointy-ears let us go?"

Gimlius asked, sweating nervously. Elena smiled.

"She believed in the innocence of her fellow elf! Kkan, kkan, kkan!"

Hans shook his head.

"I think she meant the Floor Master incident. There were elves among the survivors too. Didn't they survive because of Ian?"

"What?! Not because of me?!"

"As expected of Ian!"

The achievement I had accomplished before had returned as a butterfly effect.

Oh, was that it?

"I expected it all along!"

Though I hadn't known, I laughed as if I had.

Hahahahaha!

We left the passage and returned to the southern district.

"Mm."

Warm sunlight fell pleasantly over us, unlike the gloomy atmosphere of the western lawless zone.

Our exploration of the dangerous western district and Black Market had ended.

"Phew. Still, that was fun, wasn't it?"

I casually shrugged at my companions.

"Fun?! Fun?! Are you joking right now?! I almost became a dwarf skewer just a moment ago!"

Gimlius shouted.

Hans and Daisy didn't say anything, but their expressions clearly said, What the hell are you talking about?

"..."

"It's worth celebrating that we got Miss Daisy's holy relic cheaply, but didn't we get nothing else out of this? If I have to go through this every time, I'm never going to the Black Market again! Even if it costs more, the Crystal Auction House is better!"

'What a cowardly bastard.'

The scared dwarf kept rambling.

I regarded his pathetic display with disdain, then met Elena's eyes and tilted my head.

"Why are you saying we got nothing?"

"Hm?"

We had gotten free treasure.

"Heh heh."

"Ehehe."

Elena and I each held a Grace Stone in our hands.

'What kind of skill could be inside?'

I should thank those elf bastards.

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