Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 260

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 260

169. Sorcerer of the Jungle (1)

The ritual was conducted a day earlier than scheduled.

This was due to the priest’s opinion that unknown intruders might disrupt the ritual.

Inside the jungle, ‘Wakaru’, who was to take the children to the hut designated by the sorcerer, thought.

What could those unknown intruders, those foreigners, possibly be?

‘Did the Empire send them down? To disturb our peace?’

Wakaru proudly thought that their village had maintained its own way of life for a very long period without interference from the Empire.

In reality, the Empire had left this place alone because there was no reason to manage or covet it.

Anyway, he didn’t like at all that those guys claiming to be ‘Empire people’ had suddenly appeared now.

The same went for how they had treated Reutake’s wounds and taken him away.

However…

‘Certainly, it was sorcery.’

What one of them, the silver-haired boy, had used was definitely ‘sorcery’.

He had heard that long ago there was something similar called ‘magic’, and he wondered if that might be it.

‘But I understood that sorcery was an omnipotent power that only the sorcerer could use…’

Wakaru decided to put aside such useless thoughts for now.

The ritual had begun, and he had been given an important mission by the priest.

“…”

Specifically, to take these two sleeping children to the hut.

After bringing them there, he could return to the village.

Then his mission would be complete.

He knew they were innocent children, but thanks to these children, they could safely spend the remaining year.

It was truly a ‘valuable’ sacrifice.

‘That fool Reutake…’

With a father’s heart, he could understand what kind of feelings Reutake, a fellow villager, must have.

But… to think he would bring in foreigners.

‘We can’t let those foreigners interfere.’

Wakaru kept watch on all sides while continuously checking on the two children loaded unconscious on the cart.

After about 2 hours like this.

Finally arriving at the hut, Wakaru surveyed all directions before opening the hut door.

“There… good children.”

Moving the two children one by one onto the straw pile inside the hut, his mind felt a little at ease.

“Now I just need to wait for the person the sorcerer sends.”

Wakaru was taking on the guide role for the first time.

So he couldn’t gauge when the people sent by the sorcerer would arrive.

According to his predecessors, it could be as short as 2 hours, but when really late, they might have to wait up to 10 hours.

“Yawn.”

Though he had to keep his eyes wide open, he had been tense all the way here, and another 2 hours had passed since arriving at the hut.

Then-

Rustle.

At the sound of leaves being stepped on finally reaching him, Wakaru jumped up.

Beyond the hut.

Two silhouettes swaying in the darkness.

“You’ve come.”

A man and woman wearing distinctive masks were approaching.

No doubt about it.

They were definitely the ‘sorcerer’s apostles’ he had heard about from his predecessors.

“A-Apostles.”

Wakaru hurriedly bowed his head and stepped backward.

The apostles, seeing this, approached Wakaru without saying anything and asked.

“Where are the children to be sacrificed?”

“I-Inside the hut… they’re still sleeping.”

“Any surveillance or unusual incidents?”

“…”

Gulp.

Wakaru swallowed dry saliva.

Should he tell them about what happened in the village?

The fact that ‘foreigners’ who suddenly came from the Empire had caused a disturbance?

‘The sorcerer might punish us.’

He had heard the sorcerer was ruthless.

Extremely so.

“Speak the truth.”

“S-Sorry. Actually…”

Wakaru eventually confessed everything truthfully.

The apostles listened to this and then suddenly asked in cold voices.

“So you’re saying that despite such incidents, your village people conducted the ritual on their own without even thinking to report to us.”

“S-Sorry!”

Wakaru urgently fell to his knees.

He was so rushed that there was a loud sound from his knees, but his face showed no concern.

He was even trembling.

What had happened to those who had crossed the sorcerer until now.

They were dragged into the endless jungle and never returned.

Just like the children sacrificed over the past 10 years.

His whole body trembled at the fact that he could meet the same fate.

God of the jungle.

To the village people, the sorcerer was such an existence.

“Though we should severely punish you on behalf of the sorcerer, we’ll take into account the merit of bringing the precious sacrifices this far.”

“Th-Thank you…”

Snap.

Before Wakaru could finish speaking, one of the apostles flicked their finger-

Slash!

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Suddenly a wind blade came from somewhere and cut off Wakaru’s right arm completely.

“We’ll end it with just one right arm.”

And the apostle let out a ruthless laugh.

“Ughhhhh…”

Wakaru couldn’t even think to pick up his severed arm as he groaned in pain and rolled on the ground.

The two apostles passed by Wakaru as if they had no more business with him and entered the hut, then shortly after appeared again, each carrying one child.

“Let’s go back.”

And soon the two apostles disappeared back where they came from.

“Ughhhhh…”

Around that time, Wakaru barely managed to raise his body. The bleeding was severe. If he didn’t stop the bleeding immediately, he might die.

Thud.

But his body wouldn’t obey him.

Was it because he had maintained a state of alert ever since the foreigners’ intrusion and hadn’t rested at all from then until now?

‘My body…’

His consciousness gradually blurred, and it was then, in a dreamlike sensation, that it happened.

Uwoong.

A warm light enveloped him.

He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like being in his mother’s embrace.

‘So warm…’

With that, Wakaru’s consciousness faded.

“That bad fellow, do you really have to heal him?”

“Altur. When Priscilla heals someone with divine power, just leave her be. She has her reasons.”

“But that guy is the one who brought the children…”

Then the group appeared.

Priscilla had brought the severed arm and was attempting to reattach it with divine power.

It was Priscilla’s belief, if you could call it that.

It was a belief that people like Altur, Jenna, and Griffin, who hadn’t seen her often, found difficult to understand.

In the midst of this, only Dane was lost in thought, looking in the direction where those ‘Apostles’ had just disappeared.

Then he soon called Altur and asked.

“You saw what just happened, right?”

“Yeah. I saw it.”

“That was definitely magic.”

“…You thought so too?”

“Considering the mana that manifested instantaneously and its rearrangement, it was magic. Magic that twisted the magical rearrangement we know well.”

Altur was at a loss for words.

He had only caught by instinct that mana was moving, but this guy had seen everything in that brief moment?

“What one of them used was definitely magic.”

“Then that sorcerer fellow inside is…”

“Right. Not a sorcerer, but a mage.”

In any case, what was certain was that the fellow inside scheming and making children into sacrifices was a mage.

‘Why would a mage?’

Then a hypothesis suddenly came to mind.

“Don’t tell me…”

“It might be that.”

Dark mages.

Mages who had been corrupted by demons using powerful force as bait.

But they were beings who had disappeared after the war with demons ended.

Had they begun stirring anew?

“Since we’ve already faced demons, it’s possible.”

But Dane harbored doubts.

Was it really a dark mage?

The sensation he felt from that magical manifestation just now was rather familiar, more so than dark magic.

That is, like the circles that had settled within his own body now.

“But it doesn’t seem like dark magic.”

“It shouldn’t be. If it were that, it wouldn’t be something for us to handle.”

As Altur said, if it were dark magic, it would be a matter that should be reported to the Imperial Palace immediately.

Though it was questionable whether they would believe it or not.

“We just need to go inside and confirm it.”

Ancient mana concentrate.

That was most likely it.

Dane looked toward the jungle.

Something shimmering visible from a certain section onward.

“It’s a magic field.”

Well, it would be stranger if there wasn’t one.

The approach had to be stealthy.

Dane decided to go with a number of people within the range he could cover himself.

“I’ll stay behind. I want to see inside, but I need to protect the remaining people too.”

They decided to leave Leila, Priscilla, and Dorian behind.

Leila for the reason stated above.

Priscilla in case of potential injuries.

And Dorian… well, he was the type to follow wherever Priscilla went.

Plus Jenna.

“Jenna, I’m counting on you.”

“Okay. I’ll do my best!”

And Altur was going too.

Dane included him since he seemed to want to be active.

“Now I’ll finally get to be active.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Dane chuckled as he looked around at the remaining people.

Ernest.

Altur.

Griffin.

And Reutake.

Plus Karnas.

It would be nice to have Chiron too, but unfortunately this was a jungle so he couldn’t bring him.

In the midst of this, Dane recalled a fact he hadn’t yet told his companions.

One of the children the ones called ‘Apostles’ had carried away.

That he had felt a considerable mana flow from that child.

The Apostles, or rather, the two who had come to be called that by the villagers at some point, were walking through the jungle carrying the sleeping children.

“…”

“…”

All that could be heard were the chirping sounds of insects and the whispering of leaves.

“Mmm…”

Then, when the boy showed signs of waking up, rubbing his eyes, one of the Apostles covered his face with a hand.

“Sleep a little more.”

Shortly after, the boy fell back into peaceful sleep as if nothing had happened.

One of the Apostles looking down at that child, who was also Reutake’s son, suddenly spoke.

“If there’s no ‘suitable one’ among these children either…”

“Be quiet. Mother is listening.”

“But you know. Mother said there must be a ‘suitable one’ this time. That there’s no more time left.”

“…”

Suitable one.

Mother.

Time.

After they had only listed incomprehensible words, silence fell between them again, but only briefly.

The Female Apostle who had told him to be quiet responded.

“Honestly, I don’t really understand.”

“What?”

“What’s so special about that damn ‘suitable one’… that she abandons all those children and obsesses only over that.”

“What are you saying…”

The Female Apostle looked down at the children thoughtfully.

“If even these children aren’t suitable ones, then what’s next? What happens to the ‘divine power’ that Mother possesses?”

“…”

“Mother has declined. She’s old and sick. Her mind wanders too. She often gives us ‘sorcery’ claiming to share her ‘divine power’ with us, but that’s all. Everyone has complaints.”

The Female Apostle’s words continued.

“These children also have talent in ‘sorcery’… but what if they’re not ‘suitable candidates’?”

“They’ll live the same life as us.”

“That’s exactly it. What if Mother passes away in the meantime? What happens to these children?”

“…So what are you trying to do about it?”

An answer came as if she had been waiting for this.

“I’m curious about the Outside World.”

“You really keep…”

“You heard earlier, right? That ‘Foreigners’ came to the Village. That they hastily performed the Ritual because of it. I almost ran straight to the Village when I heard that.”

“Even so, that’s not right! We can’t betray Mother! She’s the one who gave us power!”

The Male Apostle added to that.

“And that power can’t be used if we leave Mother’s domain.”

“That’s not even a confirmed fact. Mother might have said that to scare us.”

“No. I heard it clearly. It’s certain. She said that power was also ‘borrowed’ by Mother. You know what? I heard this too – Mother stores that power somewhere and takes it out whenever needed.”

Then that means even Mother doesn’t use ‘sorcery’ completely on her own.

“Lower your voice. Mother mustn’t hear us.”

The Female Apostle looked around nervously.

“Should we run away? Even now? I don’t care if this measly power disappears. I’m sick and tired of this Jungle.”

“…We won’t be able to escape Mother’s eyes.”

“If we go back inside, we’ll have to wait another year until the next Ritual.”

“…”

Their steps gradually slowed in proportion to their conflict.

Was it really right?

To betray Mother, who had brought them from the Village and enabled them to use the power called ‘sorcery’.

But paradoxically, that’s exactly why they wanted to leave.

They wanted to see the Outside World, and they were tired of a life where they couldn’t expect love just because they weren’t ‘suitable candidates’.

“Damn it…”

The Male Apostle looked down at the Child, conflicted.

“What about these children?”

“Let’s leave them at the Village on our way.”

“Then what about the Village? Even though we’ve almost forgotten it, it’s still where we were born…”

“…So you’re going to stay trapped forever? If you won’t go, I’ll go alone.”

At those words, the Male Apostle finished his internal conflict and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Fine. Either way… let’s go. We’ll leave the children at the Village entrance and just the two of us…”

That’s when it happened.

Kugung!

A tremendous pressure of mana rushed toward The Two, instantly pressing them down without any chance to resist.

“Ugh…”

“Kugh…”

At the same time, their limbs began trembling.

‘Th-this… Mother?’

This all-too-familiar energy.

The feeling was strangely different, but the first impression was similar to the power felt from Mother’s ‘sorcery’.

However…

It was much more intense, dense, and indescribably deep.

What is this power?

‘Is Mother enraged…?’

Soon The Two fell into a whirlpool of questions.

As their strength gradually drained away, unable to move a muscle-

“Got them properly. Rescue the children first.”

What appeared wasn’t Mother, but four men and women.

Two of them quickly approached and took the two children from the hands of The Two Apostles.

“Kakuna! Kakuna! Try to come to your senses!”

“The Child is safe. Thank goodness.”

And finally, a silver-haired boy approached, looked The Two up and down as they couldn’t move due to Gravity Magic, and grinned.

“You two, where did you get that power?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————