The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 125

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

The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 125
The older one grows, the higher their position and authority within society becomes.
The same held true for elven society.
Five Elders who had lived to the age of 1,500—their authority was beyond question.
In Elsorium, an Elder’s word was essentially law.
The Elders possessed such formidable power not merely through political standing, but through physical might as well.
By nature, mages grew stronger the more mana they accumulated, and elves were a race inherently gifted in magic.
Yet even these Elders did not share harmonious relations with one another.
Their differing ideologies had split them into the Moderate Faction and the Radical Faction.
“Elder Kiel! Will you truly not venture in to search for Elder Daryen?”
To the question posed by Arkin, an Elder of the Moderate Faction, Kiel of the Radical Faction responded curtly.
“Need I repeat myself? Why should I trouble myself with such an endeavor? And for Daryen, of all people?”
Kiel turned his head away, brooking no further discussion.
Arkin could only wear an expression of helplessness.
“We Elders must stand united in times like these. Please, let us go search for Daryen together. He is already overdue, is he not?”
“I will not. If you are so concerned, Arkin, then you may go yourself.”
“You know as well as I do, Elder Kiel, that I—the weakest mage among the Elders—cannot survive more than a week in there.”
“Then what good is a week of searching? Do you truly wish to find him, or do you harbor some ulterior motive?”
“An ulterior motive…?”
“Under the guise of concern for Daryen, you would drive the other Elders to their doom and claim Elsorium for yourself, would you not?”
In that instant, Arkin’s expression twisted with fury.
“What nonsense!”
“Spare me your pretense, Arkin. You, who have never once risked danger, now feign concern for Yupinelsia and Daryen with such transparent hypocrisy. Every Elder—even the Captain of the Knights—knows you for the coward you are.”
“I will tolerate no further insults!”
“Hah, even a worm writhes when stepped upon. You are precisely that.”
…
“Hold your tongue and prepare Daryen’s funeral rites. Two weeks have passed without his return—he is as good as dead.”
“Surely that cannot be…”
Watching Arkin’s shocked expression, Kiel let out a hollow laugh.
I saw through his deception—even in the face of Daryen’s death, he maintained his facade. A true coward.
I had discerned what lay beneath his surface concern for Daryen.
Arkin had donned the mask of pretense to conceal his dark intentions.
This was why I despised the Moderate Faction.
Only myself and the two other Elders of the Radical Faction possessed the vision to lead Elsorium’s future.
With Daryen dead, the protective barrier around Yupinelsia would crumble. I would dispose of the sickly princess and install a new puppet in her place.
Arkin would remain at Yupinelsia’s side, but soon he would realize his powerlessness alone.
I had no doubt he would surrender and submit to us of the Radical Faction before long.
Yet there was one thing Kiel overlooked.
All these plans were contingent upon a single premise: that Daryen was dead.
But what if Daryen returned alive?
All their plans crumble to dust.
Daryen was the strongest mage among the five elders, after all.
‘But there’s no way he could return. Even I, a high-ranking elder, can barely survive ten days in the Spirit Realm.’
Yet more than two weeks have passed without his return?
It wouldn’t be strange if he were already a corpse.
That’s why Daryen, who entered the Spirit Realm, is already being treated as a dead man.
However, Arkin, who belongs to the same Moderate Faction, seems unwilling to accept this reality.
Judging by the faint hope he clings to that Daryen will return alive.
“Didn’t you say that Dragonian also entered the Spirit Realm? He will surely bring Elder Daryen back with him.”
“Hmph, what nonsense. Do you think finding a person is so easy? The Spirit Realm is vast beyond measure. Even if we somehow managed to find him, he’d already be a cold corpse by then.”
“….”
“So forget about Elder Daryen and come over to our side now. Drop the pretense of protecting the princess.”
“Pretense? I would never….”
“Tsk, even when left alone, you persist with your act.”
It was then that Kiel clicked his tongue in displeasure.
The warp Gate flashed with light, and two elves appeared.
They were Abur and Dempai, the other Radical Faction elders.
“Daryen—has he still not returned?”
“He hasn’t come back.”
“So he’s dead then?”
“It must be so. Far too much time has passed.”
Like Kiel, the other two elders were also certain of Daryen’s death.
Yet not a trace of regret appeared on their faces.
They had always viewed Daryen, whose ideology didn’t align with theirs, as a thorn in their side—so his disappearance was rather welcome.
“What news of the human who went to search?”
“Nothing of him either. Shouldn’t we wait a bit longer?”
“True, he’s only just entered.”
The three of them glanced subtly at Arkin.
Arkin, who essentially had no allies, felt unnecessarily intimidated.
“Elder Arkin. Shouldn’t you begin preparing yourself mentally?”
“Do you have no intention of standing with us?”
“Now that you’re essentially alone, do you still intend to protect Yupinelsia?”
Faced with the three elders’ questions, Arkin remained silent, at a loss for words.
He could only desperately hope that Daryen would return soon.
But the Radical Faction elders harbored no such hope whatsoever.
‘The Spirit Realm is so treacherous—there’s no way anyone could still be alive there.’
‘If he’s dead, he’s surely dead by now.’
‘I hope that foolish Dragonian who entered without thinking also perishes.’
All three elders were completely certain that Daryen was already dead.
But they did not know.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!
That Daryen would actually return alive, and with a human no less.
“You’ve all been waiting, haven’t you?”
“…!!!”
“Huh?”
“Mm…!”
Two figures suddenly appeared before the Gate leading to the Spirit Realm.
It was Zeke McLafflin and Elder Daryen.
The other Elders, who had never expected them to return alive, let out reluctant sighs.
For Zeke McLafflin, it was simply a matter of joy at completing the Quest.
[Meeting Elsorium Elders 5/5 Complete!]
[Main Quest Cleared!]
[Buff ‘Blessing of Nature’ has been applied as a reward.]
‘Oh, so these people here are the Elders. The Quest completion confirms it.’
I had been wondering how to meet the remaining Elders, but there was no need.
They were all gathered here.
[Buff: Blessing of Nature]
―Effect: Grants immunity to cold and heat. Allows you to absorb natural energy and convert it into stats. Additionally, enables communication with flora and fauna.
―Special Note: The buff is maintained only while maintaining a friendly relationship with the Spirit Realm.
A second buff had arrived, following the Blessing of the War God.
Looking at the description, it seemed like quite a decent buff.
‘I don’t know what natural energy is, but if it raises my stats, that’s fine.’
Having immunity to cold and heat, or being able to communicate with animals and plants, were also advantages in their own right.
Though it didn’t feel immediately relevant.
Then, as Zeke McLafflin suddenly looked around, he asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why do you all look so miserable? We’ve just returned from the Spirit Realm, and you can’t even welcome us back?”
“Ahem….”
“Hmm….”
They all seemed to be holding their tongues.
Zeke McLafflin tilted his head in confusion, but the mystery was soon resolved by Elder Daryen standing beside him.
“You all hoped I would die.”
“What are you saying now, Daryen?”
“Why? Isn’t it true? While I was dying in the Spirit Realm, not a single Elder came to search for me.”
“That’s because the Spirit Realm is dangerous, so we didn’t enter!”
“You threw yourself into a deadly situation alone, and now you blame us?”
The Radical Faction Elders were indignant, but Daryen maintained his composure.
“I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just saying we should be honest now. Don’t you all wish for me to step down from my position? I’m sure you’d also like to dispose of the sickly Yupinelsia.”
Several Elders let out sighs, apparently not expecting him to speak so bluntly.
“Hmph, you’ve changed as a person, having consorted with a human.”
“You must have lost your mind from facing death.”
“Hold on a moment.”
Zeke McLafflin, the human who had been listening, furrowed his brow in displeasure.
“Why are you dragging me into this when I was just standing here? You kept saying ‘listen, listen,’ and now I’m irritated. And this person didn’t die from a life-threatening condition—he actually died, didn’t he?”
“Daryen Elder died?”
“What is this human talking about?”
The elders, who had been about to dismiss it as nonsense, widened their eyes in shock as I opened a subspace and withdrew a leaf.
“Do you know what this is? It’s a leaf from Yggdrasil, said to revive even the dead. The Spirit King gave it to me as a gift.”
“…The Spirit King?”
“A human conversed with the Spirit King?”
“The absurdities this one speaks are truly boundless.”
Though they seemed to think it was fake and refused to believe, Daryen Elder was different.
There had to be a reason why I, who had lost consciousness, had awakened.
“Is that truly a leaf of Yggdrasil?”
“Yes.”
“And you revived me from death with it?”
“There’s no point belaboring the point. I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but….”
“No, I believe you.”
Daryen, who answered immediately, gazed at me with eyes full of trust, as if he truly believed.
“At first, I thought I had merely dozed off for a moment, but thinking about it now, that wasn’t it. I couldn’t endure the extraordinary environment of the Spirit Realm any longer and died.”
Daryen grasped my hand firmly.
His eyes shone with gratitude.
“Thank you for saving my life. I wish to know your name.”
“My name is Zeke McLafflin.”
“Zeke… You are my savior, the one to whom I owe my life.”
Daryen, who had been gazing at me with genuine gratitude, turned his head and wore a cold expression.
“You, Zeke, who came to save me, are a hundred times, a thousand times more trustworthy than those elders who wished for my death.”
“What?”
Daryen averted his gaze from the bewildered elders, closed his eyes to create a solemn atmosphere, and then, moments later, made an unexpected declaration.
“I, Daryen, Elder of Elsorium, having incurred a debt of life to the human Zeke McLafflin, do hereby swear to the god of nature, Mune, that I shall trust and follow Zeke, and shall not hesitate to sacrifice my life for him.”
“What!?”
“What are you doing right now!”
As the elders cried out in shock, mana flowed from Daryen’s body, and the covenant was sealed.
Now the oath could not be undone.
As if it were only natural, Daryen regarded the elders with an unbothered expression.
“From now on, Zeke is the only human I trust and follow. Should any of you fail to treat him as my equal, I shall consider it a challenge to me and will not remain silent.”
“….”
The elders, who had been speaking carelessly to me, closed their mouths.
They understood well what an oath sworn by the god of nature meant.
But the most bewildered person in this place was the one directly involved—Zeke McLafflin.
‘What just happened? Now? Did he just swear to dedicate his life to me?’
I resurrected Elder Daryen to glean more clues about the dragon, and he suddenly swore an oath to me.
Grateful as I was, I couldn’t help but find it somewhat absurd.
“Zeke. You are the savior of my life. Now that you’ve heard my oath, know this—I shall trust you entirely and follow you without reservation. So if any of these elders here show you discourtesy, tell me. Any insult you receive is an insult I receive as well.”
“Ah… yes, of course.”
I nodded, but the elders clearly didn’t approve of the sight before them.
Their furrowed brows made that abundantly clear.
Zeke, too, seemed displeased with these elders, and he furrowed his own brow as he met their gaze directly.
“Elder Daryen. I’m not comfortable with the way these people are looking at me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. They all seem to need some ideological correction.”
“Leave that to me.”
With those words, Daryen immediately glared at Elder Kiel and the other Radical Faction elders.
“Lower your eyes this instant. Otherwise, I’ll take it as a challenge and won’t hesitate to duel.”
But the Radical Faction elders merely scoffed.
While it was true that Daryen held the highest authority among the elders, they outnumbered him by one.
With Zeke included, the numbers would be equal, but that hardly intimidated them.
How strong could a Dragonian be? Surely no more than those of them who had accumulated mana for 1,500 years?
Perhaps that was why.
“A duel? Now that’s a word I’m glad to hear. Why don’t we give it a try?”
“I wasn’t satisfied anyway, so this works out well. What do you say? Shall we stake our positions as elders on this duel?”
“Let the strongest claim power over Elsorium.”
At the mention of a duel, they all readily accepted the proposal.
For those who needed justification, it was actually a stroke of fortune.
This was the perfect opportunity to push out the Moderate Faction and reduce the elders to three.
Just as this political struggle was about to devolve into a brawl—
“Stop this at once!”
A youthful voice rang out unexpectedly, and the elders’ heads turned.

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