The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 144

—————
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 144
[What… are you saying?]
“How can a human go to the Demon Realm?”
[A human… why would you want to go to the Demon Realm?]
It was only natural that Dantalian’s question came out as a counter-inquiry.
The Demon Faction regarded humans as creatures inferior even to beasts like Cerberus.
Seeing how humans feared the Demon Faction suggested they understood this hierarchy well.
Yet this human wished to enter the Demon Realm?
It was incomprehensible.
But my perspective was different.
For me, the Demon Realm was an ideal environment to satisfy my magical hunger.
Of course, I revealed none of this to Dantalian.
“Never mind the details. Just answer this: can I go or not?”
[Of course you cannot. Do you think crossing dimensions is so simple?]
“Then how did you come to the Human Realm?”
[As a legion commander of the Demon Realm, I was granted authority to traverse dimensions. But it is not without restrictions.]
“What kind of restrictions?”
[The moment I cross into the Human Realm, I lose 80% of my power. Furthermore, I must undergo a summoning ritual using the blood of five human maidens.]
“So you’re saying you can’t enter the Human Realm without the ritual? You can’t come of your own will?”
[That is not entirely true. To enter the Human Realm without a summoning ritual, I must use human souls as sacrifices from the Demon Realm. In my case, approximately one hundred souls are required…]
“Your case? Then higher-ranking demons require even more souls as sacrifices?”
[Yes…]
Even as Dantalian spoke, he watched my expression carefully.
There was no way to feel good about using human souls as catalysts.
Sure enough, my expression darkened.
“So you’re telling me you sacrifice humans just to explore the Human Realm a bit? This won’t do. You demon bastards.”
[I, I consume fewer souls because my rank is lower. Compared to other legion commanders, it is quite…]
“Stop making pathetic excuses. Why did you take the Lich Dragon as your subordinate? What were you planning to do with a dragon in the Human Realm?”
[That is…]
He hesitated, struggling to speak.
Thunk!
My blade drove without hesitation into his thigh.
[Krraaaagh…!]
“Not going to answer?”
As I twisted the embedded blade, his screams grew louder.
[I, I will! I’ll tell you! So please, this…]
“Go ahead. If you answer properly, I’ll pull it out then.”
[To p-prepare for the next Celestial Demon War…]
“Celestial Demon War? What are you talking about? Didn’t the Celestial Demon War end three thousand years ago?”
[It did not end. It cannot end. We lost to those cursed Celestials, so we must open the next Celestial Demon War, must we not?]
“So you’re telling me that right now, the Celestial Realm is staging a revenge match against the Demon Faction to settle a grudge from three thousand years ago…?”
[That’s essentially it.]
“And we humans are the ones being sacrificed in the process?”
[Well, when you put it that way…yes.]
“Tch….”
I exhaled sharply, my brow furrowing with displeasure.
“I don’t care about the Celestial-Demon War or whatever you want to call it. But why are you fighting it in our Human Realm? It’s your war—why not settle it among yourselves?”
[I wish I could, but there’s no choice. When we open the Gates, the most convenient meeting point between the Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm is the Human Realm, right in the middle….]
I opened my mouth in utter disbelief as I listened.
Why were they waging their own war in someone else’s dimension?
Innocent humans suffering casualties in the process.
“So then, why did you turn the dragon into a Lich?”
[We needed to create subordinates to prepare for war. You were also considering becoming a Lich for that same reason.]
“What about the 12 Pioneers? Do they all have the same objective?”
[Ultimately, yes. However, they are beyond my direct control. They are beings created as subordinates by the Lich Dragons.]
In other words, beneath the Demon Faction are the Lich Dragons, and beneath the Lich Dragons are the 12 Pioneers.
‘So they’re all ultimately preparing for the Celestial-Demon War?’
I had grasped the general objective.
Now it was time to hear the detailed plans.
But Dantalian wasn’t about to divulge secrets so easily.
[Ah, I don’t know the plans going forward either.]
“I haven’t even drawn my blade yet.”
As I twisted the sword again, Dantalian felt a sharp pain shoot through his thigh and cried out.
[Aaahhh! I’m telling the truth! I really don’t know the detailed plans! I’m just following orders from above, moving as I’m commanded each time!]
“Above? Who?”
[The Demon King Beelzebub, of course!]
I asked who it was, but the name meant nothing to me.
[The target currently observed is speaking the ‘truth’.]
‘He’s not lying.’
Besides, being ranked 71st out of 72 high-ranking demons practically made him a foot soldier, didn’t it?
What could someone like that possibly know?
“I’ll take your word for it. Then explain why the 12 Pioneers are creating gravitational fields, and why they’re using hallucinogens to increase the followers of the Mados Religion.”
[I, as I said, the 12 Pioneers are humans who move according to each Lich Dragon’s orders. I don’t know much about them. It’s not my domain.]
This time too, the truth comes through.
I asked about other things.
The locations of other Lich Dragons, the whereabouts of surviving dragons.
But there wasn’t a single piece of useful information to extract.
“So you’re just a polished exterior with nothing inside—a worthless foot soldier?”
[….]
Dantalian couldn’t exactly deny it.
“Phew, good. Thank you for answering honestly. I’ve asked everything I needed to.”
[S-so you’re going to spare me now?]
“Before that, I have one more question.”
I pressed the feather blade against Dantalian’s throat.
“Why do you fear death? Your current body is just a manifestation sustained by 20% of your power. Your true form must be in the Demon Realm.”
[T-that’s because….]
Dantalian stared at the blade’s tip with fearful eyes before swallowing hard and speaking.
[If I lose this manifested body, my original form in the Demon Realm suffers as well. In other words, I would lose that 20% of power permanently.]
“So you fear it because it cannot be recovered.”
[Precisely. It would be far better for me to return alive.]
“Even so, I don’t understand. Why would losing power terrify you as much as losing your life? You’re only losing 20% after all.”
[In the Demon Realm, power determines rank. Lose this strength, and my standing plummets instantly to 72nd. My position, my reputation, my subordinates—everything would be affected. Of course I would fear it.]
“I see.”
A meaningful smile played across my lips.
In that instant, Dantalian’s eyes widened as he read my thoughts.
[W-what are you thinking? Didn’t you promise? You said you wouldn’t kill me….]
“I never made any such promise.”
[D-don’t do this. If you spare me, I’ll make you into a Lich Dragon. You could gain eternal life….]
“I don’t need that.”
Before he could finish speaking.
Whoosh!
My blade pierced through Dantalian’s throat like lightning and withdrew.
[Gaaahhh…!]
The lifeless body began to scatter into sparks of light.
[Dantalian eliminated!]
[Sub Quest cleared!]
[You have acquired a new basic skill as a reward.]
[Basic Skill: Read True Thoughts]
―Effect: Read the true thoughts of your target. You can only read thoughts when the target is visible in your field of vision.
―Special Notes: The skill can be toggled on and off using the command ‘Read True Thoughts Activate/Deactivate’. Using it consumes mental power.
‘Another mental power consumption skill like future foresight?’
The reward skill was exactly as its name suggested.
A skill to read true thoughts, just like Dantalian possessed.
Though it came with limitations—requiring visual contact and consuming mental power.
‘Still, this is an incredible skill. To read a person’s thoughts…’
Perhaps because I had gained a superpower that every human dreams of.
I eagerly began to test it immediately.
‘Read True Thoughts Activate.’
I turned the skill on and looked toward Carbollearos.
―C-crazy… Even if it’s just a manifested body, he really killed Dantalian… He’s become a true monster, Zeke.
I stood there staring blankly at the spot where Dantalian had vanished, only to realize what thoughts had been running through his mind.
Truly, it was a useful skill.
With this, I could even discern whether someone was ally or enemy.
What they were thinking as they looked at me.
‘An upgraded version of the Eye of Truth, one might say?’
Zeke McLafflin chuckled and deactivated the skill, then checked the next reward.
There remained one Main Quest reward I had yet to examine.
[Basic Skill: Protection of the Earth]
―Effect: Grants a Protection of the Earth buff to targets standing upon solid ground. Protection of the Earth blocks any single attack once.
―Special Notes: Can only be applied to one target at a time, and has no effect if the target is not in contact with the ground. Has a 1-minute cooldown after activation. Can be used on others as well as oneself.
‘Excellent—it blocks any attack whatsoever?’
Though limited to one use, it was practically invincible—a sort of protective buff skill.
‘And I can cast it on others, not just myself?’
There was a condition requiring contact with the ground, but it wasn’t unreasonable.
It seemed like an excellent skill for protecting someone.
Zeke then opened a subspace to examine the item as well.
[Gloves of the Earth]
―Classification: Gloves
―Effect: Immunity to all persistent magic; when hand touches ground, [Tracking of the Earth] becomes usable.
―Durability: Infinite
―Usage Restriction: Bound to Zeke McLafflin
―Description: Gloves worn by the Forerunner of the Earth. A total of 13 items exist in this set, and set effects can be obtained.
―Forerunner’s Vestment Set Effect (5/13)
―4-Piece Effect: All attack power increased by 300% against the Dragon Race
―7-Piece Effect: ?????
―10-Piece Effect: ?????
―13-Piece Effect: ?????
‘Immunity to persistent magic. Not bad. But what does [Tracking of the Earth] do?’
Since it could be used by placing my hand on the ground, I put on the gloves first.
They appeared to be ordinary leather gloves at first glance.
But the moment I knelt and placed my hand against the cave floor.
[You can track your desired target by borrowing the power of the earth.]
[Close your eyes and mentally envision the target you wish to track.]
[The more detailed your memory of their face, the higher the accuracy.]
A message appeared.
‘I can track someone just by thinking of them?’
It was an even more broken item than I’d anticipated.
‘Then first….’
With my eyes closed, I brought Carbollearos to mind—he was nearby.
[Target location found.]
[Transmitting location information.]
Along with that message, information flooded into my mind.
It was data revealing Carbollearos’s location.
Where to go and how to find him.
But with him standing right before me, there wasn’t enough distance to properly test this ability.
‘Then…’
Pressing my hand to the ground again, I thought of Yupinelsia in Elsorium.
Immediately, a message of success appeared, and information poured directly into my consciousness.
‘I could find her with my eyes closed—I know exactly where to go and how to get there.’
In that instant, the city of Elsorium, which had been hidden from humanity, was completely exposed.
‘This is incredible. So I can find anyone as long as I know their face?’
I grinned wickedly, but it was too early to celebrate.
There was still one more message that hadn’t appeared yet.
[You have located and eliminated the source of magical energy.]
[Absorbing all magical energy possessed by ‘Dantalian (Incarnate Body)’.]
[You have absorbed 11,000 magical energy.]
[Skill proficiency has increased by 11,000.]
[Proficiency remaining until 7-Star Achievement: 15,219/30,000]
‘Oh. That’s quite a bit of magical energy.’
Now I had collected all the rewards.
Only one thing remained.
‘If I resurrect Terion as an undead too, will it actually work?’
I decided to test it immediately while I was at it.
Pointing my palm at Terion’s corpse.
“Imr Imnaij Diénai Isisir (Arise, my servant).”

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