Accidental Elf: My Passive Allure is Ruining My Plans

The mage was determined to summon a few more spiders and test their strength against a goblin or whatever crossed his path outside the village. However, barely two steps down the dirt road, a familiar voice called out to him from a distance.

"Lord... Al!" Norde shouted, breathless.

The village chief was running toward him as if he hadn't rested since leaving home, drenched in sweat.

"What's wrong?" Alaster asked, slightly alarmed.

"It's the golem. A scout spotted it coming from the west. It'll be here in an hour!"

"What?" the elf replied in surprise. «This isn't good... Though thinking about it, it saves me the trouble of hunting it down tomorrow.» He looked at Norde and added, "Right, we need to warn the others."

Norde shook his head frantically.

"No need, someone already alerted your friends. They should be at the wall by now. I had a hard time finding you—what were you doing over here?"

Alaster drew his sword a few inches from the scabbard at his hip.

"I was looking for a weapon."

The older man looked at him in confusion for a second before shaking his head. «No time to ask why a mage needs a sword,» Norde thought.

"Al, if we don't hurry, we won't be able to hold it off for long."

Norde turned and sprinted toward the west. Alaster overtook him with ease, keeping one hand on his hilt so the blade wouldn't clatter against his side or drag along the dirt. Kick up dust along the path, the elf left the village chief behind. Other men and women joined the sprint toward the perimeter, gripping swords and wearing light leather gear. Alaster felt the wind in his ears; his long coat gave him an imposing, battle-ready presence compared to the locals.

A hundred meters out, the timber wall came into view. Militia soldiers atop the palisade were firing arrows down below, while dozens more streamed out through a half-open gate with shields raised.

«What's happening? Wasn't the golem supposed to take another hour?» Alaster thought.

He didn't have to wait long for an answer. Reaching the wall, he spotted someone waving from above. Remis was pointing toward a wooden ladder. The elf scrambled up alongside several women carrying bows and quivers. The moment he reached the warrior, she spoke in a rush:

"Where were you? This spiraled out of control. There's a goblin horde out there, and I saw orcs riding bloody wolves. This looks bad."

The elf tuned out her words as he peered over the timber parapet. Beyond the wooden wall lay a swarming green sea of goblins, and past them, two-meter-tall orcs mounted on massive, red-furred wolves. Pig-nosed, gray-skinned, and sporting tusks from their jaws, the orcs were heavily muscled and held tight formations, making it clear they were far more disciplined than the goblins. Alaster watched the militia line barely holding back the horde with wooden and metal shields.

The orcs bellowed in guttural tones. Alaster could hear them clearly:

"Advance, damn it!" yelled an orco at the front of the rider formation.

The elf turned to look at the warrior beside him. Remis was pale.

"I've never seen this many goblins in my life," she whispered.

She was visibly terrified, and Alaster wasn't faring much better.

«There are too many. I don't think I can just scatter them with a few fireballs,» the elf muttered to himself.

"Why not?" Denderatrix's sensual voice purred from behind him.

Alaster looked to his right to find the mage standing casually. She held a glass goblet filled with sweet-smelling wine in one hand, and a powdered pastry filled with jam in the other, taking small bites.

"You're eating at a time like this?" the elf asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

The mage shrugged, spilling a drop of wine and stepping back to avoid splashing her dress. She smiled brightly while still chewing, and once she swallowed, she simply said:

"Do your best."

Alaster watched her turn and walk off with her usual feminine grace. This time, he didn't care to admire her walk; it simply wasn't the time.

"Do my best? What am I supposed to do to that horde with four fireballs?!" he nearly shouted after her.

The woman glanced back, her perfect profile catching the light.

"There are plenty of solutions. You just have to think, handsome elf."

She swirled her glass gracefully, took a sip, and added, "I'm getting more rose pastries. I'll bring you a couple to clear your mind."

With that, Detrix vanished down the ladder. Alaster let out a resigned sigh. Moments later, he saw Norde and his wife shouting orders from the wall, their commands relayed by men across the field raising signal flags of various colors.

«I need to calm down and think. Come on, focus. What would Sun Tzu do?» he told himself.

Taking a deep breath, he scanned the front lines. Tagard was swinging his greatsword like a man possessed, felling goblins left and right. Further back, Syrus was correcting the stance of a few militia soldiers who were holding their shields too far from their bodies, overcommitting their weight to one leg. He didn't see Berona or Elise, but he forced himself to stay composed. «No time to worry about them; the battle is just starting. They're probably safe behind the shield lines.»

Alaster surveyed the field again. «I have to figure something out,» he thought, until an obvious realization struck him. «Of course! It's so obvious I feel stupid for not seeing it sooner. I just need to take out the leaders. The orcs are clearly in command.»

He looked toward the tree line at the edge of the forest. The rider formation had pulled back to a safe distance over 320 meters away—far beyond the reach of conventional bows or crossbows. Magic, however, followed a different set of rules.

Without delay, he extended his off-hand. His mage ring glowed faintly as he focused his mana, visualizing the energy coursing through his body's internal pathways. He funneled power for a few seconds as the wind whipped across the top of the wall. He locked his eyes on the distant mounted orcs. There were over thirty of them, clad in weathered, rustic bronze armor atop massive wolves.

[450 MP]

Shifting his focus from charging the ring to shaping the spell, he prepared a fireball meant to sever the horde's leadership in a single blow. Just beyond the wall, a swirling vortex of blue flame condensed into a brilliant point of light. He methodically wove the magic concepts together. It felt natural now—he was truly getting used to the spell.

He looked at the vortex in mild fascination. «When I look closely, this fireball is actually quite beautiful,» he thought. The blue core throbbed with a burning hum as the outer ring whirled, expanding before violently compressing inward. «The energy compression is flawless this time—not a trace of instability.»

Fixing his eyes on the target, he flicked his wrist. The sphere shot forward like a blue comet streaking across the sky. The soldiers below looked up at the passing projectile and broke into cheers.

The blue comet slammed into the orcs' position, triggering a massive explosion. Alaster smiled, but his expression froze when the smoke cleared. The orcs were completely unharmed, protected by a large, semi-transparent dome.

"What? What the hell? A barrier?" Alaster muttered.

Nearby, Remis stared with wide eyes.

"Impossible... How do they have a barrier?"

Alaster narrowed his eyes, focusing on the details. Several of the monsters burst into laughter after pulling their heads out of their mounts' fur, shedding their panicked posture to mock the wall's defenders. Alaster ignored the taunts; what caught his attention was an orco in the center of the formation holding a round object covered in glowing runes.

The elf paled for a second.

"What is that? They have an item generating the barrier."

Snapping out of her shock, Remis added, "It's an artifact. This is bizarre, Al. Monsters like that shouldn't have access to something so advanced."

Elise appeared from another section of the wall with her bow in hand, looking at Alaster with wide eyes.

"Al, what do we do now?" the girl asked, firing an arrow into the crowd below without even looking.

Alaster glanced back at the mounted orcs, noticing fine cracks across the dome that were slowly mending.

"Maybe another hit will shatter it," he muttered.

"No! Wait, don't waste your mana," Remis warned. "It might not break. Defense artifacts are ridiculously tough. Besides, that group isn't an immediate threat; they can't breach the reinforced wooden gate, and if they try to jump the wall, they'll be swarmed by hundreds of defenders while the goblins remain trapped outside."

Remis had analyzed the layout quickly. Alaster couldn't help but admire her tactical instincts—she truly was a natural leader.

"So you're saying we should hold off until the golem arrives and take it out first?" the elf asked.

Remis smirked.

"No, I'm saying if you're going to cast, hit the horde instead. Won't your mana regenerate before the golem even gets here?"

Alaster smiled as the logic clicked: why hoard mana when it would fully replenish in less than an hour anyway?

Before he could act, Elise interrupted:

"Wait, we can't do that. What if they have another artifact and use it to blast through the wall?"

Their smiles instantly faded. They couldn't rule out the possibility.

"She's right... they might be holding onto something else," Remis admitted with a frown.

Elise pressed on: "Facing the golem and the horde while those orcs direct them would be lethal. Besides, they look like they're waiting for something."

Alaster looked back toward the tree line. The orcs were laughing boisterously, giving him an uneasy feeling.

"If I attack again, that barrier should collapse," Alaster insisted.

He was cut off by Detrix, who approached carrying a woven basket filled with rose pastries.

"It won't break," the mage said bluntly before softening her tone. "Al, be a dear and help a lady out."

She was balancing the basket in one hand and a wine bottle in the other, while five goblets floated alongside her in a soft orange glow. Alaster stepped forward and took the bottle.

"You really think my fireballs can't breach that barrier?" he asked, uncorking it.

The woman waved a hand, steering the floating goblets toward Alaster and Remis. Alaster took two while Remis grabbed another pair, leaving the last one floating before Detrix.

"I thought Bero and Syrus were up here. Where are they?"

"You're dodging my question," Alaster noted, pulling the cork free with his bare hands.

"I'm not, handsome Al. You should just know those cracks are fake. Artifacts like that often display decoy fractures after the first heavy strike—it's a trick to make enemies waste their energy."

Detrix's tone turned serious.

"The fact that simple orcs possess a strategic tool like that is deeply concerning."

Remis nodded in agreement. "I thought the same."

Elise looked between them, pouting slightly. "Why don't I get a glass?"

The group exchanged glances. «Because you look way too young,» Alaster thought, though he kept it to himself. Shaking his head, he said simply:

"An archer shouldn't be drinking before a fight, and neither should I. Besides, how do we deal with those orcs before the golem arrives?"

Even as he asked, the answer was already taking shape in his mind.

"A strike team," Remis suggested.

"I'm not a child!" Elise huffed, crossing her arms.

Alaster smiled and handed his glass to the archer, who instantly brightened.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Where are you going?" Detrix and Remis asked in unison.

"To kill some orcs," he replied with a smirk, heading down the wooden stairs.

«It shouldn't be too hard,» he thought. «A few short warps to get close, step inside the barrier, wipe them out, and leave. Simple. Worst-case scenario, I just use Blink to escape.»

Stepping through the main gate onto the battlefield, Alaster began charging his ring casually. He was greeted by the stench of blood, the clashing of steel, and the shrill screams of goblins mixing with the shouts of town defenders. Auxiliary personnel—mostly women—were running back and forth delivering weapons, towels, and buckets of water and ale.

Scanning the area for a covered approach, Alaster was intercepted by Cladis, who jogged over in worn leather armor.

"What happened?" she panted, eyeing him intently. "Why didn't those orcs blow up?"

Alaster stepped back slightly to reclaim his personal space, weighing his response before answering:

"They have a strong barrier, but we're handling it."

The woman let out a long sigh, her posture relaxing. "You scared me, mage. For a second, I thought you were retreating."

Alaster smiled. "No, I just need to get close enough to cast a spell and end this command structure before the golem arrives."

Cladis stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "By yourself? Where are your companions?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Alaster said, though inwardly he added: «I hope I know what I'm doing.»

He bade her farewell and slipped into a small grove bordering the battlefield.

"Keeping secrets is annoying," he muttered, brushing a thick branch aside.

Looking across the open field, he estimated the orcs were roughly 270 meters away. That meant about fifteen uses of Blink, though he considered walking part of the way to avoid burning through 300 mana just on travel. «Doesn't matter,» he decided. «I have more than enough mana to deal with them.»

Finding a dense patch of bushes, he cast Blink, reappearing instantly within the foliage. He crouched, surveying the horde. To reach his targets, he'd need to flank them from behind. Fortunately, the orcs had their backs turned toward the forest edge. Executing a rapid sequence of short warps, he reached the tree line.

He teleported onto a thick branch of a large tree, spotting three straggling goblins below. Dropping down directly in front of them, he drew his sword. The nearest goblin yelped in surprise and swung its crude blade, but Alaster parried the blow with a swift wrist motion. The impact knocked the weapon straight out of the monster's grip.

The goblin stared at him in terror, but Alaster knew the creature wouldn't hesitate to butcher a child for entertainment. Without hesitation, he executed a clean arc, slicing through the monster's chest.

A second goblin lunged, but Alaster thrust forward. The point passed through the monster's guard and impaled its chest so quickly the creature didn't seem to realize it was dead. Feeling the weight of the corpse dragging his blade down as it fell, Alaster braced his arm and yanked the steel free with a clean snap.

The third goblin turned and bolted. Raising his free hand, Alaster manifested an ice lance slightly above his head.

"Running to call your friends? Can't allow that."

With a flick of his wrist, the ice lance shot forward at blinding speed. It pierced the monster's back, pinning the corpse to the dirt a few meters away.

The elf scanned his surroundings to ensure no other scouts were nearby. Clear. Turning around, his long leather coat flared—only to reveal two massive orcs standing twelve meters away, staring at him with wide eyes.

«Crap!» he thought.

He immediately began funneling mana into his ring, gathering 100 points in just two seconds. Combined with his remaining 130 mana, he didn't have enough for a massive spell, but it was plenty for several ice lances or emergency warps if the ambush went south.

Three ice lances materialised above him, emitting faint wisps of cold mist. With a sharp gesture, he launched them in rapid succession.

Shaking off their shock, the orcs tried to roar a warning, but the incoming projectiles forced them to dodge. A massive 2.4-meter orc intercepted a lance with his broadsword, attempting to swat it aside, but the force of the impact threw him off balance, sending him tumbling onto his back.

Alaster seized the opening instantly. Teleporting directly above the fallen brute, he brought his longsword down in a heavy downward strike. The orc raised his blade just in time, resulting in a dull metallic clash. The elf pressed down, testing his physical strength against the monster's resistance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alaster saw the second orc lunging. The massive creature swung its heavy sword toward the elf's neck—but the blade sliced through empty air.

Alaster had already vanished.