How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 70: 6-Circle (1)

“Yeah, yeah. Got it. I was leaving anyway.”

She raised a hand and lifted her visor.

Through the gap in her helmet, crimson eyes were revealed.

She flashed a sly, squinting smile.

“Well then, Mister Mage, see you around. There’s all sorts of nasty stuff on this island—try not to get eaten, alright?”

She spoke like she was teasing a child.

Karl checked her information.

[Lv.52]

[Squad Leader of Lugesium]

The woman and the knights moved on, leading the prisoners down the road.

As their figures grew distant, Henry finally spoke.

“My apologies. The people stationed here tend to be a bit... blunt. Especially her.”

In this grim, isolated place, constantly surrounded by convicts, it was understandable.

“That was Rail Carat, Squad Leader of Lugesium's 3rd Unit. Her unit's main task isn’t prisoner management but exploration of uncharted zones. Since she was heading out with convicts in tow, I assume she’s just begun a new mission.”

“When she said there were all sorts of ‘nasty things’... was she referring to the prisoners?”

“Hmm, more like... sometimes monsters from the uncharted areas spill into the central island. It’s rare, but it happens. Nothing to worry about.”

Karl nodded, then suddenly paused.

“Carat...?”

Henry glanced at him, seemingly having caught the muttered question.

“Yes, the Carat you’re thinking of. One of the three ducal houses of the kingdom.”

So that woman—Rail—was a member of a ducal family.

Karl’s eyes widened.

“Then why is she in a place like this?”

The question left much unsaid, but its meaning was clear.

Why would the daughter of a ducal house be working here, on this dangerous island, taking on a military post?

Especially when this place was essentially a massive prison surrounded by monsters. Not a battlefield for earning military merit, just a pit for managing convicts.

“Is there some kind of amazing resource hidden on this island?”

Maybe pioneering the island came with way more prestige than expected?

Henry let out a dry laugh and shook his head.

“Hardly. I don’t know all the details of her family situation, but... let’s just say she’s an illegitimate daughter.”

In other words, not of the main bloodline.

That alone was enough for Karl to piece things together.

It differed from house to house, but children of concubines often ended up neglected or sidelined within noble families.

“She was already here before I even joined the Black Shark Knights and started doing transport missions. Back then, she wasn’t even a squad leader—just a regular member. That was... what, seventeen years ago now.”

Karl blinked in surprise again.

“She doesn’t look that old.”

“Well, she wouldn't. I first met her when she wasn’t even an adult yet. So she’s probably just past thirty now. Among the squad leaders, she’s the youngest—but also the most experienced on the island. Even if they send her out with convicts, surviving nearly twenty years of frontier missions isn’t something just anyone can do.”

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“She’s pretty amazing, then.”

Sure, her first impression was a bit rude—but clearly, she was no lightweight.

As they chatted about Rail, they arrived at a building.

It was located close to the central tower.

Henry arranged for Karl to stay in a large room on the top floor.

“You can stay here during your time on the island. I’ll find out when the next trade ship is leaving and let you know.”

“What about you, sir?”

“I need to go file a report. If there’s anything you need, just ask any of the other knights.”

Karl scratched his head, then asked,

“So, how are you going to report that all the prisoners are dead?”

Since they were all killed on his side, it wasn’t exactly easy to gloss over.

Not to mention Karl technically wasn’t even supposed to be aboard the transport ship in the first place.

Henry waved off his concern.

“It was an unavoidable situation. I’ll make sure you bear no responsibility—none at all. If there’s any blame, it’ll fall on me and my men. As far as we’re concerned, you’re the hero who stopped the prisoners from rioting.”

“Hero, huh...”

“All I want is to get through this quietly without any trouble. If it helps, feel free to leave me out of the report altogether.”

“Hmm, that’ll be hard. There’ll be a formal investigation, even if it’s just a formality, so I can’t exactly submit a false report...”

Karl just nodded. He’d only said it half-seriously anyway.

Henry would handle it without getting him in trouble—he trusted that much.

“So, who exactly are you reporting to?”

“Oh? Didn’t I say?”

Henry gave a faint smile.

“I’m submitting it to Count Uldemir, the administrator of Lugesium. He’s a fair and reasonable man. If anything, he’ll commend you for your service, not blame you.”

And with that, Henry stepped outside, leaving Karl to rest.

Karl glanced around the room for a bit, then grabbed an apple from a basket on the table and took a bite. Sweetness exploded across his tongue.

He finished it in a flash and sat down on the bed, pulling a book from the nearby shelf at random.

“A monster encyclopedia?”

The book was about monsters.

Intrigued, Karl started flipping through the pages.

The further he got, the more grotesque the creatures became. A lion with two heads, a bull with a massive horn nearly as long as its entire body, a monstrous bird with a tail like a whip...

Reading the detailed descriptions below each image, Karl was quietly impressed.

Usually, this kind of book was more fantasy than fact. Written by amateur adventurers who filled the pages with wild imagination.

But this one wasn’t like that at all. It felt like a proper encyclopedia—thorough and accurate. Whoever wrote it knew their stuff.

Maybe it was considered required reading on an island like this?

“Huh. Even magical beasts are in here.”

Karl muttered as he stared at the drawing of a monkey the size of a house.

Magical beasts.

When the evil gods opened the gates to the Demon Realm, a host of grotesque biological entities were unleashed into this world along with the demons.

These creatures are collectively known as magical beasts.

The Kerus Karl had encountered during a previous ruin expedition was also a type of magical beast.

The difference between magical beasts and ordinary monsters is that magical beasts each possess at least one extraordinary ability.

Breathing fire or discharging electricity is considered mild—some can even manipulate minds.

They also tend to be more intelligent than regular monsters.

Just like demons, many magical beasts still lurk in hiding throughout the continent.

Suddenly remembering that most of this archipelago remained unexplored, Karl had a thought.

'There might be a magical beast hiding somewhere on this island, too...'

Karl closed the book.

He killed time browsing through other books and reading whatever caught his eye.

After quite a while, there was a knock at the door.

It was Henry.

“You’re back earlier than I expected.”

Karl rose from where he’d been lounging on the bed.

He’d figured the report would take longer—but it seemed Henry had already finished and returned.

Henry asked out of the blue,

“Do you have a moment?”

“A moment? Of course.”

He’d just arrived on the island—what pressing business could he possibly have? If anything, he had nothing but time.

Henry nodded.

“Then come with me to the Central Tower.”

“...Huh?”

“The Count wishes to meet you in person. Don’t worry—it’s for a good reason.”

* * *

Karl followed Henry straight to the Central Tower.

After passing several guards and knights standing watch, they climbed to the top floor, where a lone room stood at the end of the hall.

Administrator’s Office.

Henry knocked on the door, and a deep voice answered from within.

“Come in.”

The room, once revealed, was surprisingly plain.

Not very spacious. No gaudy decorations. Just the necessary furniture—desk, chairs, shelves.

At the desk sat a man leafing through papers, who then looked up.

He was middle-aged, with an imposing presence and a finely styled mustache.

This was Count Uldemir, the overall administrator of Lugesium.

He stared at Karl, who stood beside Henry, then his stern face softened into a warm smile.

“So you’re the one. Thank you for saving our knights and sailors—I mean that. Please, have a seat.”

Karl sat down beside Henry on the guest sofa in the center of the office.

Once Uldemir finished tidying up his paperwork, he came over and sat across from them.

“Sir Henry’s already briefed me on the situation.”

“Ah, yes.”

“The Royal Court will send inspectors, but I give you my word—under my name—that no blame will fall on you. On the contrary, I’ll make sure your contributions are properly recognized.”

Karl shook his head.

“I appreciate the kind words, but it’s really not necessary. I’ll be leaving soon—just want to wrap things up quietly.”

Uldemir stared intently at him.

Truth was, he already had a fair idea of who Karl was.

Spending most of his time isolated on the island, Uldemir made it a point to stay well-informed about the outside world.

Though not yet widely known, a certain young prodigy from the Altius School had recently stirred a lot of interest.

Once he heard Henry’s report, Uldemir immediately realized who ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Karl was.

'The hidden disciple of Elder Seindal. A once-in-a-generation genius who reached 5-circle at this young age...'

Now seeing him in person, Karl looked even younger than expected.

It was hard to imagine someone with that innocent face having slaughtered an entire group of prisoners.

But there was no way Henry had submitted a false report, and there were plenty of knights and sailors who’d witnessed it directly.

He had no choice but to believe it.

Uldemir smiled again.

“There’s still plenty of time—we can revisit this later.”

The conversation moved on to other topics.

They talked in more detail about the incident, the arrangements for those who had died, and even discussed having dinner together later that evening.

As the meeting wound down, Henry asked Uldemir a question.

“By the way, Count—just earlier, I saw Squad Leader Rail heading out with a group of prisoners. Was today an exploration day?”

Uldemir shook his head.

“Not a scheduled mission—just something that needed handling. Some insect-type monsters crossed the bridge over from Island 11. A few large spiders, apparently.”

In Lugesium, the unexplored islands surrounding the central one were numbered and managed accordingly.

“So we sent knights to scout the island. While they were there, they found something strange.”

“Strange...?”

“They reported a massive cocoon swarmed with spiders. So before the situation escalates, I decided to send out a squad with prisoners to deal with it.”

Karl’s expression stiffened.

“Did you say... a massive cocoon?”

“Hmm? Yes.”

“...Was it red by any chance?”

Uldemir blinked in surprise.

“How did you know that? Yes—it was described as a huge cocoon made of red thread—”

“You need to recall the squad immediately.”

Both Uldemir and Henry stared at him, stunned by the sudden urgency.

Karl spoke, his face hard as stone.

“If they touch that cocoon even slightly, the entire squad—prisoners and knights alike—will die.”