The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 154

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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 154
‘A woman?’
A woman with porcelain skin and long flowing hair.
Everyone’s expression shifted in surprise at the sight that clashed so starkly with her drab attire.
It was the moment when their assumption that she was male, based on her appearance, proved entirely wrong.
“Prisciel. It’s been a while.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Raber Archbishop.”
“Has all been well?”
“As you can see.”
Their conversation, punctuated by gentle smiles, seemed remarkably familiar and warm.
Her golden hair and pristine complexion made her smile all the more radiant whenever she laughed.
Peter’s jaw fell slack at the sight of her.
“Z-Zeke. Who is that woman?”
“I have no idea. This is the first time I’ve seen her.”
“She’s absolutely stunning….”
Perhaps it bothered me that Peter had become so entranced by her?
Mary’s expression turned sour.
“Honestly. He’s never made that face for me.”
“Are you jealous?”
“J-Jealous? No, it’s just that he’s doing something he never does. Zeke, why don’t you tell me—who’s prettier, that woman or me?”
“Well. I don’t have an eye for judging women’s beauty.”
I gave an evasive answer, knowing that an honest response would land me in considerable trouble.
Mary continued to regard Peter’s vacant expression with clear displeasure.
‘She certainly is beautiful, though.’
Perhaps because of the shabby hooded cloak, her beauty stood out all the more distinctly.
Peter’s infatuation was entirely understandable.
The woman who had been conversing quietly with Raber suddenly widened her eyes like a startled rabbit upon hearing something.
“Really? Such a thing happened?”
“Yes. I nearly lost my life.”
“A-Are you injured anywhere?”
Her worried gaze swept across him, and the Archbishop responded with a benevolent smile.
“Haha, can’t you see for yourself? Thanks to these kind people, I’m perfectly fine. Don’t worry yourself.”
Only then did the woman’s attention turn toward us.
“These people are…?”
“They are the ones who rescued me from the Forerunners. Come closer. Let me introduce each of them to you.”
The Archbishop approached us alongside the woman.
Then he introduced each member of our group one by one.
Zeke McLafflin, Carbollearos, Carse, Mary, and Peter.
Of course, he revealed nothing about being a Sword Mage or a Dragonborn or any such details.
It would have been impossible to disclose such information without first obtaining consent from Zeke McLafflin’s party.
But there was no way to keep hiding it forever.
“You must be quite formidable. I see you’ve managed to stop Forerunners of the 9th Circle.”
“Hmm. That’s right.”
Even as I answered, Raber Archbishop gauged my reaction.
His eyes sought my approval.
Since we couldn’t keep it hidden any longer, I nodded in agreement.
With my consent granted, Raber’s face broke into a smile.
“This one is a Sword Mage. This one here is a legendary Dragonian. Both are 9th Circle. These are 6th and 5th Circle.”
At the Archbishop’s introduction, the woman’s eyes widened.
“Ah… you’re all incredibly skilled. Now I understand how you managed to stop the Forerunners.”
“But who is this person…?”
At Peter’s question, the woman introduced herself belatedly.
“Oh, I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Prisciel Christenson. Please, feel free to call me Prisciel.”
“Prisciel is the Saint of the Holy Empire.”
“What? A Saint?”
At the Archbishop’s clarification, everyone turned to stare at Prisciel in shock.
Their eyes questioned why the Saint who should be in the Holy Empire was here.
And dressed in such shabby robes at that.
As all attention focused on her, Prisciel’s expression grew troubled.
“This isn’t really the place for a detailed explanation. Why don’t we go to our residence instead?”
“Your residence?”
“We’ve arranged temporary lodgings. I’d like to invite you all over so we can talk more comfortably…”
The first to nod at her words was Peter.
What man would turn down an invitation to the home of such a beautiful Saint?
Reading his thoughts, I shook my head at Peter with a wry smile.
‘Brother Peter. I never knew—looks like you’re quite the romantic after all.’

* * *
The Saintess’s residence was not far away.
“Please have some tea. It’s rosemary herbal tea. It’s said to be good for memory and immunity.”
Sitting at the table and sipping tea while observing the Saintess’s home, I found it was not particularly large.
Just the right size for someone living alone.
It was essentially a studio apartment.
“Have you been living here by yourself?”
“Yes. I’ve only been here for a few days. About a month? Since it’s a temporary residence, it’s time for me to move on.”
Prisciel answered Zeke’s question readily enough.
‘Will she answer this one too?’
I wanted to test whether she would provide more detailed information as well.
“What brings you to the Braham Kingdom?”
An awkward question to ask a mere escort.
Yet Prisciel answered without hesitation, as if unconcerned.
“I received information recently. That followers of the Mados Religion are consuming forbidden substances. Because of that, I’ve been staying here to investigate and gather intelligence.”
“Isn’t that important information? Are you sure it’s alright to tell us?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? You’re the benefactors of the Holy Empire who saved the Archbishop. Moreover, since we must move together, there’s no reason to keep secrets.”
“Prisciel. So you’ve obtained the information?”
At the Archbishop’s question, Prisciel’s head nodded.
“Yes. There’s a gathering of the Mados Religion tonight here. I plan to disguise myself as a follower and directly observe what they’re doing.”
“I’ll go with you. I can’t just sit idle after coming all this way.”
“That would be wonderful, but… are you certain? It could be dangerous.”
“It’s fine. If things go wrong, you can protect me, can’t you?”
It was then that Peter, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
“How exactly would the Saintess protect you…?”
“Despite appearances, I’m a 7-Circle mage.”
“What?”
I hadn’t realized it because of her youthful appearance, but she was a 7-Circle mage?
It was no wonder that Peter was startled.
The Saintess appeared to be at most around twenty years old.
“And besides, you have many escorts here. You’ll accompany us, won’t you?”
“Of course! If the escorts don’t go, how can we protect the Archbishop? We absolutely must go!”
It was Peter who shouted this.
He seemed quite smitten with the Saintess.
Mary’s expression remained displeased, clearly not approving of his behavior.
Carbollearos and Carse appeared indifferent, their faces expressionless.
“Thank you for your help. Then I’ll explain in detail when and how we’ll infiltrate.”
At Prisciel’s words, the entire party listened with rapt attention.

* * *
[Baluduk.]
“Yes, Stella.”
[We’ve received reports that a Saint has appeared in Brahm.]
Baluduk’s weathered eyes widened.
“…Wasn’t it supposed to be only the Archbishop?”
[The Archbishop came to meet the Saint. According to our informants, she has five guards accompanying her.]
“Could it be…?”
[I suspect it’s the Sword Mage Zeke and the 9-Circle mages.]
“That would make sense. They’d be the most trustworthy for an escort.”
[Yes. This is our opportunity. Instruct the Forerunners to eliminate them all. By any means necessary.]
“Understood.”
Once the voice cut off, Baluduk immediately summoned the other Forerunners into the virtual space.
It was Pyreo and Ilena, who had failed the previous mission.
“You called for us, Baluduk?”
“I have additional information. The Saint is traveling with the Archbishop.”
“The Saint…?”
“Stella’s orders are to kill the Archbishop and the Saint as well. The Saint is a 7-Circle mage of considerable skill, but she shouldn’t require caution. The real concern is the Sword Mage Zeke. Of course, that’s assuming he truly is a descendant of the gods.”
If he truly was a descendant of the gods capable of severing mana and magical power, Pyreo and Ilena would stand no chance against him.
“So you two will infiltrate the gathering and wait for an opportunity among the crowd.”
“An opportunity, you say… What kind of opportunity are you referring to…?”
“There will be a beverage service during the gathering. At that time, replace it with a potent poison and ensure they all die.”
“Are you saying to poison the beverages and kill them through poisoning?”
“Exactly. It’s a poison that Nox Venomayer prepared beforehand. It won’t take effect immediately, but it will certainly kill anyone who consumes it. No matter how much of a descendant of the gods he is, as long as he’s human, he won’t be immune to poison.”
“But…won’t that kill innocent believers as well?”
“That’s certainly a painful loss. But it can’t be helped. To catch a tiger, some casualties are inevitable.”
“But Seire would want that Sword Mage to survive….”
“He will survive. Even after consuming the poison, he’ll live for twelve hours. If we summon Seire within that time, he won’t have complaints.”
“Hmm, well then….”
“It does seem like a solid plan.”
We’ll leave him in a state where death is certain from the poison, then summon Seire.
Whether he’s a descendant of the gods or a 9-Circle mage, he won’t be able to resist.
“You two will disguise yourselves as believers, poison the beverages, and observe the situation. When the time comes, reveal yourselves and confirm whether he’s truly a descendant of the gods by testing his abilities.”
“Understood. It doesn’t seem like a particularly difficult mission.”
“Then you must succeed without fail. As I’ve said before, if you fail, all that awaits you is death.”
Pyreo and Ilena bowed their heads with tense expressions.
“We will keep that in mind.”

* * *
The day had drawn to a close.
The lights across Braham Kingdom flickered out one by one.
The hour crept toward midnight.
As complete darkness and silence consumed the surroundings.
Creak—
Seven figures slipped through a door and made their way quietly toward an unknown destination.
None other than Zeke McLafflin’s group.
All of them had changed into ordinary clothes and followed Prisciel Christenson.
Their staffs, vestments, and other equipment had been left behind at home.
To pose as believers, they needed to appear as commoners.
“Just a bit further and we’ll reach the gathering. Please be careful not to draw attention with any suspicious behavior.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The tense group followed her words, keeping watch of their surroundings.
As they ventured toward the city’s outskirts, lights piercing the darkness came into view.
“We’re here.”
True to her word, the group could now see it.
A gathering of countless people holding torches.
“Certainly, no one would notice us here. It’s remote enough that even Brahm’s guards wouldn’t detect us.”
“Peter, keep quiet. We’ve arrived.”
The group approached with tense expressions.
The presumed believers’ eyes shifted toward the newcomers.
Their wariness was evident at a glance.
“Who are you?”
When someone who appeared to be an organizer spoke, Prisciel Christenson responded calmly.
“We are believers who belong to the Mados Religion. We heard that a grand gathering of the great Mados was being held, so we came to pay our respects.”
In the Holy Empire, which served the Elos Church—the god of light and restoration—praising heresy was, in principle, a capital offense.
Especially the Mados Religion, which was practically their sworn enemy.
However, since this had been agreed upon beforehand, the Archbishop said nothing.
He was well aware that this was a false statement meant to gather information.
Yet despite Prisciel Christenson’s plausible words, the organizer’s suspicion did not fade.
“Believers, you say? But believers don’t usually come in such large groups, do they?”
“Ah, we are a family. Our entire family serves the great Mados.”
It was plausible for a family to fall into religious devotion, but there was another problem.
“What is your family composition?”
A detail they had not discussed beforehand.
Yet Prisciel Christenson smiled as though she had already prepared for this.
“This gentleman is our great-grandfather.”
The Archbishop, suddenly promoted to great-grandfather, nodded his head.
“These are my mother and aunt.”
Carbollearos and Carse wore expressions suggesting they didn’t care how they were introduced.
“And these are my siblings.”
Peter and Mary grinned in agreement.
“This is my fiancée.”
At the final introduction, Zeke’s face twisted in bewilderment.
‘My fiancée? Me?’

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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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