The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 12
Zeke’s mind came to a grinding halt at the absurd proposition.
“Pardon? Magical training at the Magic Tower?”
Magical training at the Magic Tower was a method of broadening one’s horizons by having talented mages like Peter work there, expanding their knowledge and experience.
In modern terms, it was akin to studying abroad at an early age.
‘But that’s only for talented mages.’
Both people here, as well as those at the Magic Tower, surely knew I lacked the qualifications. So why?
“What about the successor’s trial?”
“Going to the Magic Tower for training and creating a circle—that is your successor’s trial. To qualify as a successor, you must at least create a circle first, must you not?”
“That may be true, but….”
“I’ve already spoken with Peter. The Magic Tower has readily accepted his request, I’m told.”
“For the sake of my beloved younger brother, I pulled some strings at the Magic Tower. I hope you achieve your aspirations, and I support you as your elder brother.”
‘My eldest brother?’
As I looked at him with curiosity about his intentions, Peter spoke in a familiar tone.
His previously cold expression melting away.
“You don’t seem pleased? It’s not easy to make such an unreasonable request of the Magic Tower. I’m a bit hurt.”
“It’s just… I don’t understand.”
“Don’t overthink it. I recommended you partly because of you, but I couldn’t ignore the family’s reputation either. So consider this a special opportunity and think of it favorably.”
‘Think of it favorably?’
For me, this sudden announcement could hardly be welcome.
Go to the Magic Tower out of nowhere?
‘Magical training at the Magic Tower typically takes eight years to complete.’
No matter how important the successor’s trial was, I couldn’t waste that much time.
“Father. Do you truly intend to send me there?”
“Hmm… I apologize for the sudden notice, but Peter has already spoken with the Tower Master and obtained permission, so there’s little I can do about it. Refusing would also look rather poor….”
….
My expression hardened.
Because Peter had needlessly put in his two cents, an unplanned trip to the Magic Tower had materialized.
“Since it’s come to this, why not accept the Magic Tower’s invitation and broaden your horizons? Haven’t you been carrying mana stones all this time with no results to show for it?”
“That’s true, but….”
“Staying there might prove beneficial in its own way. The Magic Tower is filled with magical texts you enjoy, so you could study there as well. And you needn’t stay the full eight years. Once you create a circle, you pass the trial and can return immediately. Conversely, if you show no progress, the Magic Tower may send you back early.”
To be honest, I didn’t want to go.
More than anything, it was a nuisance.
I could grow stronger here comfortably, building my proficiency—so why venture outside?
‘I don’t need the Magic Tower’s help, but because of that eldest brother of mine. Sigh….’
-If you don’t need it, couldn’t you simply refuse?
Carbollearos interjected, but it wasn’t that simple.
Refuse an invitation from the Magic Tower, the very headquarters of the Decan Kingdom?
Even for a Prestigious Magic Family, it would likely result in falling out of favor.
And I couldn’t exactly create a circle on command to prove myself either.
‘What choice do I have? If I refuse, it will only put Father in an awkward position….’
Since things have come to this, adapting to the Magic Tower wouldn’t be so bad.
There would certainly be more materials to absorb there than here.
‘Whatever skills awaken later, the Magic Tower would offer a better environment than this place.’
If I truly despise it, they can always send me back from the Magic Tower, so there’s no reason to be overly pessimistic.
“I understand. I’ll do as you wish, Father.”
“Good decision. I’m certain you’ll achieve excellent results. Prepare yourself and depart in the afternoon. It won’t take long since you only need to reach the Teleport Gate. Your brother will accompany you, so don’t worry about the journey.”
“My brother?”
Zeke turned to look at Peter McLafflin.
Recalling the glances Peter had cast his way in that brief time, I couldn’t say they were particularly reassuring.
Rather, I felt uneasy.
“Don’t worry. I’ll see you safely to your destination.”
“….”
My departure to the Magic Tower—decided as suddenly as roasting beans over lightning—left me sighing inwardly.

* * *
‘I feel uneasy about this, so I should bring it along.’
Returning to my room, I retrieved clothes from the wardrobe.
While I needed to pack spare garments, that wasn’t the real reason.
It was because of the Dragon Ruins relics I’d hidden in the wardrobe.
‘Carbollearos, I’m taking this with me, alright?’
-Why are you asking permission now when you’ve already visited my nest and taken what you pleased?
‘Because it eases my conscience?’
Surely I should ask for permission when the owner is right beside me, eyes wide open?
Even if the owner had no use for these items.
‘I always knew there’d come a day to use these, but I never imagined it would be today….’
I had secretly visited the Dragon Ruins and collected several items.
It seemed wasteful to let Carbollearos’s legacy rot away in the stone chamber.
Of course, I hadn’t taken everything from the chamber.
I’d only selected a few items with manageable size.
‘The remaining items should still be safe in the chamber, right?’
-The residual mana at the ruins makes it difficult for even great mages to approach, so don’t worry about thieves.
‘And yet you were robbed. By me.’
-Ahem, that’s only because you’re special. Aren’t you a descendant of the gods?
‘Well, I suppose I am rather special.’
Who else could reach the pinnacle of Aura Mastery at fifteen years old?
Even the magical geniuses known as the Twelve Pioneers would marvel at such talent.
‘This is all thanks to the System.’
That said, I don’t agree with the notion of being a god’s descendant.
If I didn’t resent the god who let Earth perish, that would be a lie.
‘Phew, I should train a bit more before heading to the Magic Tower.’
Zeke exhaled deeply and began honing his skills within the confines of his chamber.

* * *
“Brother! Peter, brother!”
At the sound of someone calling, Peter’s footsteps faltered.
Turning his head, he saw Alex McLafflin, the third son, bounding toward him breathlessly.
“What is it?”
Peter’s response was glacial.
Having spent the past eight years without any contact with his family, Alex was little more than a stranger to him.
Yet Alex, seemingly regarding him as a true brother, grinned widely regardless.
“I was hoping to have a word with you, brother.”
“I’m busy. I have nothing to discuss with you.”
“Please, just spare me a moment. There’s something I’m curious about, hehe.”
His apologetic smile struck Peter as resembling a puppy wagging its tail.
“Fine. I’ll make time. What is it you wish to know?”
“It’s about Zeke. You mentioned that his progress in magical training was thanks to your recommendation… I was wondering if I might ask why you suggested him?”
“Nothing particularly profound. I simply couldn’t bear to watch him languish within these walls without even a Circle, dragging the family’s reputation through the mud.”
“I feel the same way. I absolutely despise that bastard Zeke.”
Peter couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Alex’s sudden candor.
“It seems you and the youngest don’t get along.”
“That’s right. Luna feels the same, and honestly, none of us care for Zeke. Well, except perhaps our second brother.”
“Russell?”
“Yes. From what I’ve observed, he seems to approach Zeke first and shows genuine interest in him.”
Russell, being the second son, maintained relatively cordial relations with his younger siblings.
But hearing this, even that superficial bond seemed hardly worth preserving.
“Associating amicably with a talentless bastard born of a concubine? I didn’t think Russell capable of such weakness. Even within families, the law of survival of the fittest applies.”
“Exactly. I wholeheartedly agree with your perspective, brother.”
“…”
Peter studied Alex in silence.
The way he’d been wagging his tail suggested he was angling for something, like a dog hoping for scraps.
“What is it? Is there something on my face…”
“What is your true intention?”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you approaching me? What exactly are you trying to say?”
Caught off guard by the direct question, Alex laughed nervously and waved his hand.
“Well, I simply… I just wanted to grow closer to you, brother…”
“There’s something you should understand.”
“Yes?”
“I despise dishonest people above all else. Second to that, I loathe those without talent who tarnish the family’s honor.”
“….”
“From what I can see, you fit both descriptions.”
“No, that’s not—I’m not like that…!”
“I’ve given you all the time I’m willing to spare. I’m busy, so don’t bother me again. I’m already in a foul mood—don’t make it worse.”
Peter spoke coldly and rose from his seat first.
Alex could only watch him leave with trembling eyes.

* * *
[Absorbing the cast spell ‘Lightning Hands’.]
[Skill proficiency increased by 30.]
[Skill ‘Magic Absorption’ achievement has reached 9 stars.]
[Magic Absorption range expanded: 50m▶60m.]
[4th-tier skill awakened.]
‘Excellent.’
Zeke let out a silent cheer in his room.
After three years of effort, I had finally awakened my 4th-tier skill.
‘What will it be this time?’
My eyes widened as I opened the information window.
[4th-Tier Awakened Skill: Master of Magic Absorption]
-Achievement: ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (1 star)
-Type: Passive
-Proficiency: 0/100
-Effect: The number of spells you can absorb increases to 2. Absorbed spells are each [stored] in a dimensional rift and can be [released] at will. Each stored spell carries a 10-minute cooldown.
-Cooldown: None
-Special Notes: Using Magic Absorption increases proficiency. Upon reaching 9-star achievement, the 5th-tier awakened skill will unlock.
‘Another passive skill?’
Looking at the description, it was an enhancement to Magic Absorption.
But this enhancement looked better than I’d anticipated.
‘The number of spells I can absorb increases to 2? And each has its own separate cooldown?’
That meant I could absorb twice what I used to in a single instance.
It was equivalent to expanding my storage slots.
‘Could it be that reaching 9 stars lets me absorb and use 10 spells?’
If so, I would truly become a Master of Magic Absorption, just as the skill’s name suggested.
Absorb 10 spells directed at me and send them right back?
If that were possible, I’d have confidence in winning even against a dragon.
Though I’d already defeated one dragon anyway.
-Did you perhaps insult me? My ears are itching.
‘Why would a spirit’s ears itch? It must be your imagination.’
-Hmm, perhaps. But what are you doing standing there vacant? It’s about time we got moving.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know.’
Even to Carbollearos’s spiritual eyes, the system remained invisible.
With my proficiency maxed out, I slipped from the room.
I’d already entrusted my belongings to the servants.
Naturally, excluding Carbollearos’s legacy.
As I walked the corridor, a servant happened to be searching for me.
“Young Master Zeke. It’s time to depart.”
“Where are Father and my eldest brother?”
“They’re both waiting outside.”
“Ah, I’d better hurry then.”
I rushed outside to find my father, mother, grandmother, and siblings gathered together.
My entire family had assembled to see me off.
“Travel safely and return well. I’ll give you a communication stone—don’t forget to contact us if anything happens.”
“Don’t worry, Father.”
“My son, you must contact us often even when you’re at the Magic Tower?”
“I will. Don’t worry, Mother.”
Christina, my grandmother, didn’t even spare me a glance.
Her disdain for a concubine’s child remained unchanged, then and now.
Peter, who had been watching my farewell with our parents as though it were some pathetic farce, turned away coldly.
“Let’s go. The Tower Master is waiting.”
“Yes. I’ll be going then.”
“Take care of yourself!”
“Safe travels, Zeke!”
After my final goodbyes with my parents and Russell, Peter and I boarded the magical carriage.
“Then we depart! Onward!”
Led by Raker, the Guard Knight Order surrounded and escorted the magical carriage.
Rumble, rumble—
My parents watched my departing figure with worried eyes, uncertain when their youngest son would return.

* * *
Throughout the journey to the Magic Tower, I felt deeply unsettled.
‘Not a single word. Not one.’
Though we’d boarded the magical carriage together, the atmosphere was decidedly frigid.
I’d suspected as much from the moment Peter’s gaze turned glacial, but even now, a full day later, he hadn’t uttered a word to me.
‘So I’ve kept my silence as well.’
How could I view him favorably when his eyes gleamed with killing intent, and he’d cast me out under the guise of demonic cultivation training?
‘He’s probably trying to remove me from the family because I lack talent. And the successor trials provided the perfect excuse.’
We hadn’t discussed it, but I didn’t need to.
It was painfully obvious how he looked down on me like I was beneath contempt.
‘However long it takes, by the time I return, I’ll have already established my position within the family. Then the successor trials won’t matter.’
The successor trials were merely a process to prove one’s qualifications as a candidate.
Even if I formed a circle and passed the trials, the likelihood of being chosen as successor remained slim.
Not if my other brothers also passed their trials.
‘If that happens, I may no longer receive Father’s protection.’
I might not be able to continue my secluded training in the Magic Library either.
To prevent such a situation, I needed to return to the family as quickly as possible.
Of course, that depended on the Tower Master’s permission.
‘Damn it. I don’t actually have to stay for eight years, do I?’
Standard demonic cultivation training typically lasted eight years, from age twelve when the initiation ceremony concluded until age twenty.
But I’d received a special invitation to the Magic Tower, allowing me to begin at the late age of fifteen.
‘The real question is why my eldest brother recommended me, and why the Tower accepted.’
Offering unconditional favor to someone without talent?
Gerard had neither the power nor justification to refuse the Tower’s goodwill.
Neither did I.
‘I’m completely trapped. I’ll end up working for the Tower without question.’
I had no idea what tasks they’d assign to someone without a circle, but I had no intention of walking the path of a mage.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
My dantian already contained aura equivalent to an Aura Master’s level.
The system wouldn’t allow me to form a circle.
‘The Tower will probably grant me personal quarters. Then I can continue accumulating proficiency.’
With this fourth awakening, I could absorb multiple spells, allowing me to raise proficiency faster than before.
The problem was the lack of a space as large as my home.
‘If only this demonic cultivation training didn’t exist… Sigh.’
Just as I sighed inwardly like a conscripted soldier, Peter finally broke his silence.
But his words weren’t directed at me.
He’d turned his head and spoken through the open window.
“Hey, Raker.”
“Yes, First Son McLafflin.”
“At this pace, how much longer until we arrive?”
“It will take at least a week.”
“Can’t you pick up the pace? Cut it down to three days.”
“That, that is….”
Raker, captain of the Guard Knight Order, wore an expression of distress.
To halve a journey that took a week.
It was tantamount to demanding they move without a moment’s rest.
“That, that seems practically impossible. It would be far too grueling a march.”
“Why not? Isn’t there a shortcut along the way?”
“A shortcut? Are you referring to the Monster Forest?”
There were two routes to reach the Teleport Gate, their current destination.
One took longer but wound around safely, while the other cut straight through the Monster Forest.
But the Monster Forest was notorious for good reason.
The monsters that dwelled there were fearsome enough to give even Aura Masters pause.
Passing through carelessly could very well mean death.
“The Monster Forest is a place even Aura Masters hesitate to approach. It teems with ferocious monsters, and no matter how elite we are, we cannot….”
“Tsk, unable to breach the Monster Forest? And you call yourself the finest Guard Knight of the family?”
“….”
Raker maintained his silence, though his pride must have been deeply wounded.
Not only was he forced to admit his own inadequacy, but he was also being openly scorned for it.
Yet he could not talk back—the position of First Son was far too elevated.
“Never mind. Hand me the communication stone. I need to contact Father.”
“Here it is.”
Peter took the communication stone he’d been entrusted with and tapped it three times to reach his father.
But for some reason, the stone remained unresponsive.
“Is it broken?”
Just as Peter muttered this, an unexpected message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Mana detected 60 meters in the 3 o’clock direction.]

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