The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 147

—————

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 147
Immediately after issuing orders to Pyreo.
Baluduk contacted his superior without delay.
He needed to share everything he had witnessed and heard with the First Forerunner.
[So, once Pyreo confirms whether this one is a Divine Descendant, you’ve decided to contact Commander Seire, is that correct?]
“Yes, that’s right. Commander Seire has agreed to handle the direct elimination.”
[This is no ordinary matter. For a Demon Realm commander to mobilize… quite significant indeed.]
The voice that had been silent for a moment echoed through my mind.
[Where is this Zeke McLafflin, the Demon Swordsman?]
“Coincidentally, the Hormos Merchant Alliance has employed this Demon Swordsman. They’re using him as reinforcement for an escort mission.”
[An escort mission? That’s precisely the operation we were planning to handle.]
“Exactly. That’s why I deployed Pyreo for this operation.”
[This works out perfectly. I was deliberating over which Forerunner to assign for the task.]
“Yes. Through Pyreo, I’ll ensure the operation succeeds and expose the Divine Descendant.”
[If the target truly is a Divine Descendant, it won’t be simple. Everything could fall apart.]
“Hmm… then what should we do?”
No immediate answer came—a moment of contemplation.
[I’ll need to send another Forerunner.]
“Who?”
[Ilena would be suitable.]
Baluduk’s brow furrowed.
“Ilena might accept, but Pyreo will resent it.”
[Resentment or not, there’s no choice. She’s the only one we can mobilize immediately.]
“But…”
[Or will you step forward instead, Baluduk?]
Baluduk could not respond.
His own workload was already mountainous.
“…I’ll issue the directive to Ilena.”
[Good. The two of them will manage well. Don’t worry.]
“Yes…”
[How is the gathering of believers progressing?]
“There was some delay due to Azrahil’s death, but things are proceeding smoothly. We still have the hallucinogenic agents we prepared beforehand.”
[Gather the believers as quickly as possible. My patron is running out of patience. And find a replacement technician for Esca soon.]
“Understood. I’ll accelerate the work immediately.”

* * *
After questioning Rant about the Holy Empire,
Zeke bid farewell to the father and daughter.
“W-wait, you’re leaving already?”
“Yes. I have matters to attend to.”
“But we should at least offer you proper hospitality, you who saved our daughter….”
“No, it’s fine.”
Rant looked reluctant to let his potential son-in-law slip away, though Patricia seemed equally unwilling.
Judging by her sudden bombshell of a statement.
“C-could I perhaps come along with you?”
“Even though you don’t know where I’m going…?”
“I don’t know the destination, but I’d be helpful on your travels. I’m confident in my laundry and cooking skills.”
“That’s right. Our daughter has such nimble hands—her work is truly exceptional.”
Rant even encouraged him to take his daughter along.
Did he have no qualms about letting her go?
‘Reading their thoughts, I can see they both trust me completely. That’s why she’s so readily offering to come.’
Zeke gazed at Patricia with a wry expression.
A girl utterly smitten with him.
I couldn’t put such a girl in danger.
The Forerunners might be targeting me, after all.
‘Why does Patricia’s image overlap with Yupinelsia’s?’
Different races, yet both were women who had saved my life.
Their eagerness to follow me was similar too.
And there was another similarity.
[I pierce through the phenomenon with the Sage’s Eyes.]
‘Huh?’
Magical talent.
I discerned Patricia’s hidden talent through the Sage’s Eyes—something no one else had noticed.
‘I didn’t see it before because I wasn’t looking carefully, but now that I examine her, she has tremendous talent?’
Patricia possessed a body exceptionally suited to accepting magical power.
Her mana sensitivity and mana affinity were overwhelming.
In other words, talent befitting the 12 Pioneers.
‘Normally, you’d need a talent assessment to discover this….’
I could tell just by looking.
Thanks to the Sage’s Eyes skill.
‘Perhaps she never received a talent assessment because she’s a commoner?’
Most infants in Pangea undergo talent assessment at one hundred days old, but such remote countryside likely never benefited from that system.
‘If trained properly, she could become a mage rivaling the 12 Pioneers?’
While I entertained such thoughts, the father and daughter waited for my answer, oblivious to my musings.
The answer was, of course,
“That won’t be possible.”
It was a no.
Patricia and Rant’s faces fell, their expectations dashed.
Rant had been hoping to benefit from his future son-in-law’s favor and escape to the city, but it was premature to despair.
“Don’t be disappointed. I won’t be leaving right away.”
“Zeke, what are you talking about?”
“I have some time, so I thought I’d stay a while longer.”
“What? Why would you—”
When I needed to return to the Mercenary Company and take on the escort mission for the Hormos Merchant Alliance, what was this about?
Staying longer?
Carbollearos’s expression betrayed his confusion about why I would linger, but my next words left him no choice but to accept it.
“Patricia has the makings of a great archmage. That’s why I intend to stay in the village and teach her how to properly harness mana.”
“Pardon?”
“W-what do you mean by that?”
The parties involved couldn’t hide their shock, but I gazed toward the edge of my vision regardless.
A Quest window had appeared, after all.
【Sub Quest: Nurturing Patricia】
└You have recognized that Patricia possesses the talent of an archmage.
└Guide her down the path of magic and help her blossom into her full potential.
【Conditions】
└Patricia’s Circle 0/9
【Rewards】
└All Skill Proficiency increases by 5,000 for each Circle achieved

* * *
“That’s right, just like that.”
“Ah, so this is what mana feels like.”
Zeke, who had been conducting a theoretical lesson in Patricia’s room, clicked his tongue in amazement.
‘She’s learning this incredibly fast?’
I had originally planned to stay at Patricia’s house for a few days.
Creating a Circle wasn’t something that could be done easily, after all.
Yet within thirty minutes of beginning the theoretical instruction, Patricia had absorbed knowledge like a sponge and was now freely controlling the mana I had channeled into her body.
A true genius among geniuses.
Watching Esca achieve the 9th Circle at such a young age had made me think of him as a monster, but here was another case of the same caliber.
“What should I do now?”
“If you can control mana to this degree, there’s nothing more to teach in theory. Now I need to grant you a Circle.”
“Grant me a Circle?”
“When creating your first Circle, you typically need the intervention of another mage. That’s usually called a Circle Conferment Ceremony, or sometimes an Opening Ceremony.”
“What’s the principle behind it?”
A senior mage supplies filtered, one-hundred-percent pure mana to create a Circle in the junior’s body.
As I explained the principle, Patricia asked more questions out of curiosity.
“How do we do it?”
“First, you need to sit cross-legged and show me your back. I’ll transfer mana through palm contact, and you must accept the incoming mana without any resistance whatsoever.”
“So… I need to remove my upper garment and expose my bare back…?”
“Yes. But you don’t need to remove everything. Just your back needs to be accessible.”
Yet even that seemed to embarrass her, and Patricia’s expression became flustered.
Not only was this her first time being around a boy her own age, but exposing her back was something a countryside girl found unbearably mortifying.
However, she couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity to become a mage out of embarrassment.
Besides, there was no reason to refuse the touch of someone who had saved her life.
“S-should we start now?”
“Let’s do it.”
Just as Patricia, her face flushed, quietly began to lift her upper garment.
I suddenly sprang to my feet!
Then I left the room and returned with someone.
It was Carbollearos.
“Carbollearos. Could you create a Circle for Patricia here?”
“Is the theoretical instruction already complete?”
“Yes. Pretty fast, right?”
“She truly does possess the talent of a Grand Mage.”
Carbollearos expressed his amazement.
However, Patricia was equally surprised for a different reason.
“W-weren’t you going to do it yourself, Zeke?”
“I can’t. I don’t have a Circle.”
“I can’t do it because I’m not in a Circle.”
“What? The Circle… you don’t have one?”
I distinctly remember seeing you fire mana bullets when fighting the Demon Faction.
The words rose to her throat, but Patricia chose to believe Zeke McLafflin—he had no reason to lie.
“Then… I’ll ask for your help.”
“Understood.”
“Call me when you’re done. I’ll be outside.”
Leaving only Carbollearos and Patricia in the room, Zeke McLafflin stepped out.
His father, Rant, approached with widened eyes.
“Is it going well, Lord Zeke McLafflin?”
“Yes. And please, drop the formalities.”
“I couldn’t possibly. I know you’re nobility—how could I be so presumptuous?”
Though Zeke McLafflin hadn’t mentioned his family name, he had already revealed his noble status.
Rant took the words at face value and adopted this deferential manner accordingly.
More than anything, Zeke McLafflin was the benefactor who had saved his daughter, so gratitude compelled him to maintain respectful speech.
For Zeke McLafflin, it was nothing but burdensome.
“Patricia learns at such a remarkable pace. I expected it would take several days for her to grasp the fundamentals, but at this rate, she could become a mage by today.”
“Truly? That’s wonderful news, haha!”
Rant’s joy was evident, but having read his true thoughts, I couldn’t help but offer some serious counsel.
“Rant. Even if Patricia grows into a mage, don’t let her leave the village.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I already know she wishes to leave the village for the great cities. I know she wants to reclaim the life you once had.”
“…”
“But that doesn’t guarantee your family’s happiness. The cities are dangerous. Other nobles might covet Patricia’s power.”
“But… wouldn’t going to the city give our daughter a chance to broaden her horizons? Wouldn’t that be better?”
“Patricia isn’t a child who needs instruction. Show her how to take her first steps, and she’ll rise on her own and walk to the door. That’s the caliber of genius she possesses. There’s no need for her to go to the cities or take another mage as her teacher.”
“…Is that… so?”
“Yes. So think carefully about this. What brings happiness—venturing into a perilous city, or living the humble life you have now?”
“Hmm…”
Rant fell into contemplation.
Having tasted life as an Imperial citizen, I understand why he couldn’t decide easily.
But.
‘He’s still conflicted even after I said that?’
Predictably, Zeke McLafflin activated his skill to read the man’s thoughts.
As expected.
―The city is dangerous, true… but with such remarkable talent, how can I let it waste away? And there’s the matter of finances too…
Despite my counsel, he showed signs of internal conflict.
He couldn’t abandon his desire to go to the city.
‘There’s no helping it. For the sake of the quest.’
Zeke McLafflin opened a subspace to ease his burden.
From within, he retrieved a pouch of gold coins he had brought from the elves’ treasure vault and placed it before Rant.
Thunk!
Startled by the heavy sound, Rant stared at the pouch with wide eyes.
“Please accept this.”
“W-what is this?”
“Ten thousand gold.”
“Gasp!”
“That should be more than enough to live comfortably in the Countryside.”
More than enough, indeed.
With this amount, he could live lavishly for the rest of his life.
So long as he remained in the Countryside.
“This should help you make your choice, yes?”
“I-I’m so grateful. Truly, I cannot thank you enough!”
“Patricia is exceptionally talented, but as a mage, she’s still an infant. You must never take her to the city.”
“Of course, of course! I shall settle here permanently!”
“That’s not necessary. It would be best if she remained here until she gains enough strength to protect herself.”
“Yes! I shall do exactly that!”
As I reiterated my warning, the door suddenly opened and I turned my head.
“Zeke. Patricia has awakened to the First Circle.”
“Really? That’s excellent news.”
In agreement with Carbollearos’s words, the system sent me a message.
[Patricia’s Circle 1/9]
[You receive 5,000 proficiency in 6th-tier skills as a reward.]
[Proficiency remaining until 7-star achievement: 25,219/30,000]

—————

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

—————