The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 128

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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 128
A cavern shrouded in darkness.
A subordinate in a black robe reports to his superior.
“What? Someone died?”
The superior, doubting his own ears, roughly pulled back his hood.
Immediately revealed were deeply wrinkled features.
“Say that again!”
“Rita Rose died while in custody, sir. It’s an official announcement from Decan, so there’s no doubt about it.”
“That’s absurd!”
Baluduk, the superior, roared with fury.
Though he hadn’t received recent contact, he had been waiting patiently in silence.
But what was this?
“…So Rita the Wind God really died?”
Baluduk had given Rita the Wind God two main tasks.
First, to infiltrate Decan and assassinate the King and the elf who came as a guest.
Second, to extract the mana pattern from the King’s corpse and steal the relics stored in the warehouse.
For one called the Wind God, such a mission should have been trivial.
‘But she failed? And even died in the process?’
It was strange enough that she was captured, but if she died as well, something serious had happened.
Who was Rita the Wind God?
Though her rank was low, she was a talented individual who had confidently risen to the position of Forerunner at a young age, drawing considerable attention.
It was safe to say she should never die no matter where she was thrown.
‘I thought even if the report was delayed, she would surely succeed, but for such an accident to occur….’
An accident.
That was the only way I could interpret what happened.
The mission was entirely solvable with Rita’s abilities.
I could only assume she fell victim to an unforeseen accident.
‘Could it be that Esca, that bastard, betrayed us…?’
That was the only possibility Baluduk could consider.
There was no one in the minor nation of Decan capable of stopping Rita.
‘Damn it. I never thought things would get so tangled.’
I should have listened to Rita’s words that a solo infiltration would have higher success rates.
But regret, no matter how swift, always comes too late.
“Very well, you may go.”
“Yes, then.”
After the subordinate left, Baluduk sat alone in the cavern, lost in thought.
‘Did Esca ultimately betray us? To protect his father, the King?’
I didn’t know for certain, but it was highly likely that Esca had stopped the assassination attempt on the King.
After all, Esca regarded the King as his father.
‘He kept saying he hated the King and all that, but blood runs deep, doesn’t it? It was wise not to trust him completely. I nearly implanted the Luminous Portalsphere in him.’
If he had implanted that ritual allowing entry into a hypothetical conference space, just imagining how much information could leak through those meetings made my head spin.
‘The suspect is identified, so I need to prepare for interrogation immediately.’
Before taking action, Baluduk picked up the communication device.
For now, I planned to speak with Esca and gauge his true intentions.
I was curious what excuses he would make.
Tap, tap, tap.
As I tapped three times to activate the communication device, the flickering light stopped and the signal connected.
-Ah, Baluduk.
“What’s going on, Esca? Why is your report so late? The job should have been finished long ago.”
-W-well, you see… It hasn’t been long since I escaped from the Underground Dungeon….
“Escaped?”
Baluduk pretended ignorance while listening to Esca’s full account.
The contents were largely as I had anticipated.
Rita Rose and Esca, who had failed in their assassination attempt, were captured in the Royal Underground Prison, and while I managed to escape by seizing an opportunity, Rita couldn’t withstand their torture and died.
‘A convincing excuse. For a traitor like you.’
It was a story that could be accepted, but there were inconsistencies.
“Two 9th Circle mages successfully infiltrated the Royal Palace—how did you fail at assassination? Is the King actually some dragon who’s the progenitor of magic?”
-W-well… Sigh, how do I even explain this….
Esca in the communication device hesitated before speaking in a despondent tone.
-Rita Rose let her guard down.
“Let her guard down?”
-Y-yes… While I was dealing with Dalpred Bigsland, Rita Rose went alone to assassinate the King, but she underestimated the elf’s spirit magic and ended up being restrained….
‘Hmph… This is absurd.’
Baluduk didn’t take the testimony at face value.
The Rita Rose I knew was sharp-tongued but meticulous and made few mistakes.
The fact that she had completed every assassination mission I assigned without error showed how much I trusted her.
Yet Esca was blaming Rita for making a mistake.
‘No, he’s framing her. To hide the fact that he killed her.’
My teeth clenched.
But Baluduk didn’t reveal his true feelings.
This communication was merely to probe Esca’s reaction.
My suspicions were firm enough that I could learn the details through interrogation once I brought him in.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a mere conversation.
“Understood. For now, stay hidden. I’ll contact you later.”
After ending the communication, the first thing I did was report.
Though I oversaw the plan like a leader, there was someone above me.
After all, I was the Second Forerunner among the Forerunners.
‘I need to contact that person first.’
Baluduk sat on the ground in a cross-legged position and closed his eyes, entering meditation.
Or rather, it appeared that way, but in truth, I was using the Luminous Portalsphere to contact the First Forerunner.
Imperfect communication devices like that are susceptible to eavesdropping.
Soon after.
Whoooosh—
Baluduk stood within a virtual space.
A single voice echoed through his mind.
[What is it, Baluduk? A report?]
“Yes. My apologies for the intrusion. Have I disturbed you?”
[No, not at all. Reports take priority.]
“Then I shall proceed with my report.”
Baluduk answered respectfully, then after a moment’s hesitation, opened his mouth.
Reporting a mission failure to his superior was shameful, yet despite this, Baluduk found himself unusually tense.
It was quite different from his usual demeanor—the way he would laugh off his subordinates’ reproaches over failed missions.
“…And so it came to pass. I am deeply sorry.”
[What is there to apologize for? Wasn’t the test conducted with the expectation of failure in mind?]
“To some extent, yes, but I never imagined Esca would actually betray us….”
[People are like leaves drifting with the wind—they sway according to circumstances. Do not blame yourself so harshly.]
“Th-thank you….”
Despite the gentle tone of voice, Baluduk’s expression remained taut with tension.
The fear of the First Forerunner was etched into his very being, evident in his restless fidgeting.
Perhaps noticing this, a small laugh escaped from the voice.
[Why are you like that? Like a puppy desperate to relieve itself.]
“Ah… No, it is not that. I simply feel ashamed….”
[Ashamed… Is that all?]
“…I apologize.”
[I did not place you as Second Forerunner merely to hear apologies. When a person fails repeatedly, they must strive not to repeat those failures next time, and through that effort comes growth. And yet….]
The gentle voice took on a chilling edge.
[Baluduk, you show no growth whatsoever. It makes me want to kill you.]
“I-I apologize! I will endeavor to improve!”
[Effort is a given, but shouldn’t you have a countermeasure?]
“I do have a countermeasure! If I bring Esca here at once and torture him….”
[You would discard the technician you’ve barely cultivated? I believe the gravitational field you were constructing remains incomplete.]
“Th-then what should I do….”
A small sigh seemed to reach Baluduk’s ears as he gauged the situation.
[Accept Esca.]
“Pardon?”
[Accept him as a formal Forerunner.]
“But how can I accept a traitor…?”
Baluduk’s expression immediately showed incomprehension.
[Allow me to explain.]
As if there was a reason for everything, the First Forerunner continued with an explanation.
At that, the doubt etched across Baluduk’s face vanished without a trace.
“Ah, I understand now. As expected, you possess insight far superior to this old man’s….”
[You know I dislike flattery.]
“…My apologies.”
[Then prepare immediately. Let’s deal with Esca first and move on to the next phase.]
“Yes!”

* * *
Tap, tap—
My footsteps through the Forest felt light and unburdened.
‘I was worried I might lose my way, but fortunately that wasn’t necessary.’
Currently, I was heading out to find the Lich Dragon.
The Spirit King had given me the location, and I needed to complete the Quest, so my destination was already set.
My only concern had been how to get there and which direction to take.
‘But there was no need to worry. The trees showed me the way.’
The Blessing of Nature buff granted the ability to communicate with flora and fauna.
When I first read that description, I didn’t know exactly how to use it, but there was no need to figure it out.
Whenever I encountered living creatures, I naturally understood their movements and could converse with them.
‘So this is what communication truly means.’
Of course, it didn’t mean they spoke like humans.
Rather, through the movements of flora and fauna alone, I could perceive what they were saying and feeling.
You could say body language worked perfectly.
Thanks to this, I could easily ask the plants for directions and navigate forward.
The downside was that I could feel the emotions of plants, so now I even felt sorry for stepping on grass.
‘…I should cherish nature more.’
While entertaining such trivial thoughts, I shifted my gaze to one side.
A message floated in a corner of my vision.
[You have obtained 1 Natural Energy.]
[Current Natural Energy Collected: 97/100]
[When Natural Energy reaches 100, it will be converted into a random stat.]
Natural Energy.
At first, I didn’t know what it was because there was no explanation, but now I vaguely understand.
It’s energy obtained when moving in harmony with nature.
‘The energy started accumulating as soon as I entered the Forest.’
I wandered through the Forest both to ask for directions and to gather Natural Energy.
The closer I felt to nature, the faster the energy accumulated.
‘Maybe I need to camp out in the Forest or something.’
In that very moment, the Natural Energy reached 100.
[Converting 100 Natural Energy into a random stat.]
[Recovery has permanently increased by 1.]
[Current Natural Energy Accumulated: 0/100]
My natural energy had reset.
This was the fifth time it had reset like this.
In other words, my stats had increased by five.
‘Two hours have passed, and I’ve gained five stats… This is absolutely incredible.’
Simply by leaving the city and living as one with nature, my stats would increase exponentially.
‘Should I just forget about quests and stay in the forest indefinitely?’
Just as I was seriously considering making a living off nature itself, a communication crystal suddenly flashed in my possession.
It was Esca’s communication crystal.
“Esca. What happened? Did you contact Baluduk?”
-Yes! As you predicted, he asked about Rita, and I answered according to the plan we prepared.
“What was his reaction? Did he seem suspicious?”
-I’m not sure. He’s such an inscrutable old man….
“Well, it seems fine then.”
I had prepared a rough excuse in case Baluduk contacted me, and fortunately, he didn’t seem to suspect anything.
-Master, how are things progressing on your end?
“Good. I’m still on my way to find the Lich Dragon.”
-I have some good news to share with you.
“Hmm?”
Good news?
“What is it?”
-I’ve finally been officially recognized as a Forerunner, hahahaha!
The moment I heard those words, my eyes widened.
“So… you accepted it?”
-Yes! They said I should come receive an implant of the Luminous Portalsphere, which the Forerunners use in every meeting!
“Really? Who’s going to teach you?”
-Baluduk said he would personally teach me.
A smile crept across my face.
The time had finally come to meet Baluduk, the Second Forerunner among the 12 Pioneers.

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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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