The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 168

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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 168
【Main Quest: Track Down Kardeipor】
└The Lich Dragon Kardeipor has returned to his lair.
└Track him down and obtain clues about the dragon.
【Conditions】
└Track Kardeipor and gather information
【Rewards】
└Acquire skill ‘Growth Accelerant’
‘A Main Quest appeared?’
Just as I was about to track Kardeipor, a fitting quest emerged.
But a Main Quest?
Protecting the family was just a side quest?
‘Is this more important than a quest to protect the family?’
Honestly, I couldn’t agree with that logic.
For me, protecting the McLafflin Family naturally came first.
‘Well, the system must be something akin to a god, so our priorities won’t always align.’
Dismissing the matter without much concern, I decided to proceed with tracking Kardeipor as originally planned.
To do that, I needed to part ways with the family for now.
‘Since I can’t neglect the protection quest, should I assign someone to stay behind?’
The description stated that the quest could be completed even if an ally handled the protection, so I decided to split our forces.
“Carbollearos. You’re coming with me.”
“Understood, Zeke.”
“Esca, Carse. While I’m gone, you two are responsible for protecting the family, understood?”
“Yes, Master.”
“We will protect them with our lives.”
The two slaves answered with resolute expressions, while Peter and Mary gazed at me with worried eyes.
“Come back safely, Zeke. What could possibly happen while you’re away?”
“Come on, why would you say that, Peter?”
I scolded him for suddenly raising a death flag, and Peter looked bewildered.
Regardless, Mary continued to regard me with concern.
“Zeke. Please take care of yourself.”
“That’s what I should be saying to you. Be careful.”
With my preparations complete, I said my final farewells to my family.
“Carbollearos and I will go search for the Dragonian.”
“Do so. Once your task is complete, seek out the Alfonso Duke Family in the Baiso Kingdom. That is the refuge we intend to reach.”
“Understood, Father.”
“We’ve only just reunited, and now we part again.”
Mother Daina showed a hint of reluctance, but I smiled brightly.
“Where there is meeting, there is parting. And where there is parting, there is meeting again. We’ll see each other soon, so don’t be too sorrowful.”
“Yes, take care of yourself….”
It’s time to truly depart now.
We don’t know when the Forerunners might arrive.
“Then I’ll see you at the Alfonso Duke Family.”

* * *
Seire and Kardeipor’s assassination attempt had failed.
It didn’t take long for news of this to reach Stella, the First Forerunner.
Kardeipor, who had returned to the Cave, accessed the virtual space and delivered the report directly.
[What did you say?]
“The operation failed.”
[How did that happen…?]
“He sensed our assassination attempt and absorbed the Meteor Strike right before our eyes. It was such an astounding sight that I couldn’t believe it even seeing it with my own eyes.”
[He sensed it beforehand?]
“I don’t understand it either. How could he have read our magical power from a kilometer away?”
[So what happened? What came next?]
“Well, that’s….”
Kardeipor hesitated in his response.
He had to expose his weakness.
Yet he couldn’t remain silent either, so he thought carefully and chose his words with caution.
Wouldn’t it wound his pride to say he’d been utterly defeated?
“We were helplessly overwhelmed. Both Seire and myself. Once he severed our magical power and mana, there was nothing we could do.”
[You were overwhelmed? But how did you survive?]
“He simply let us go and left.”
[What? The one who annihilated Dantalian’s avatar just let you go?]
A question born of incomprehension.
Yet Kardeipor shared that same confusion.
“Seire seems to have intended to toy with us. He’s confident he could win regardless of how many times we challenge him.”
[No matter how much a descendant of the gods, he’s severely underestimating us.]
“Exactly. So I intend to show him our true strength this time. Seire is also sharpening his blade in the Demon Realm. And he issued a separate order.”
[An order?]
“All current preparations for the Heavenly Demon War are to be suspended. Dealing with the descendant of the gods is now our absolute priority.”
Stella’s eyes widened significantly.
Abandon a plan they’d been preparing for over a decade?
All because of a single descendant of the gods?
It was incomprehensible.
[Kardeipor, forgive my presumption, but shouldn’t the Heavenly Demon War take priority over the descendant of the gods…?]
“This isn’t an order I gave. It’s an instruction from Seirei himself. His position is that preparing for the Heavenly Demon War is pointless until we eliminate the obstacle that is the descendant of the gods. He’s thoroughly enraged.”
[….]
“So you must devote all your efforts to capturing the descendant of the gods as instructed.”
[Do you have a separate plan?]
“First, I intend to convene the Lich Dragon Council for a meeting. The work has been piling up anyway, so the timing is perfect.”
[Understood. I shall turn my attention to the families of the Divine Heir.]
“Very well.”
With the intelligence exchange complete, Kardeipor withdrew from the virtual space.
“Ugh.”
A throbbing pain seized me, and my face contorted involuntarily.
Though the Lich’s regenerative prowess had nearly healed my wounds, the areas where the Divine Heir had struck still burned with a dull ache.
“Brute. To inflict such damage upon one bearing the same visage. A creature devoid of even a shred of mercy.”
Immortality granted no reprieve from suffering.
I shook my head, unwilling to dwell upon yesterday’s ordeal.
It felt as though I had endured a lifetime of agony compressed into a single day.
“Sigh… If only Carrocksina were here. Her presence would bring me solace.”
Of late, sighs had become my constant companion.
My beloved Carrocksina had ceased all contact with me.
“Carrocksina, my love. Where could you possibly be…?”
Then, mysterious footsteps echoed through my dwelling.
‘Who could this be?’
My eyes snapped toward the source of the sound, tensed and wary, yet I could not help but gape.
The sight before me defied belief, even as my eyes beheld it.
“C-Carrocksina…?”
My beloved, lost to the void, had returned.

* * *
Carbollearos, inhabiting Carrocksina’s body, was deeply tense.
‘Zeke, you bastard. Why are you making me do this?!’
Carbollearos’s mission was no different from what he’d done with Terion.
Finding Kardeipor’s residence and pretending to be his lover.
Naturally, it was to extract information, but Carbollearos lacked confidence in his acting ability.
―Zeke, do you think I can pull this off?
―Don’t worry. I’ll be watching from beside you, wearing the Shadow’s hood.
―No, I’m not confident in my acting. Suddenly pretending to be a lover again…
―You did fine with Terion. Just do it like you did then.
―Terion was a subordinate, not a lover, was he? This is a completely different situation.
―Your memories of Carrocksina have returned, haven’t they? You should be able to recall the memories you shared with Kardeipor.
―What returned were only information about him and his residence, not the memories of when we were lovers. If I make a mistake, there’s a risk of being exposed.
―To obtain information about our own kind, there’s no other choice. Just do as I say.
Carbollearos, recalling his conversation with Zeke before entering the Cave, let out an internal sigh.
Zeke would be watching from beside him in invisibility, but the tension was unavoidable nonetheless.
“Carrocksina! My love! Why are you only arriving now?”
“…I had matters to attend to.”
“Hmm? Now that I think about it, your magical energy feels diminished?”
It wasn’t diminished—it was completely absent.
This body, having had its magical energy drained by Zeke, was no longer a Lich Dragon.
Just an ordinary ninth-circle mage.
But Kardeipor harbored no particular suspicion.
He was too busy being angry at Carbollearos’s excuse.
“I was attacked by the Divine Heir…”
“What? By that bastard I’d like to tear to shreds!? What on earth happened!”
Carbollearos, feigning a pitiful expression, produced the excuse he’d prepared beforehand.
“When I was in the Illusion Cave, I was attacked by a human. I barely managed to escape and survive then. I only learned later that he was the Divine Heir.”
“Such a thing! Are you injured anywhere?”
“No. Thank you for your concern.”
At those words of gratitude, Kardeipor’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.
“Something feels different about your demeanor.”
“R-really?”
“I heard that Terion, the human subordinate you kept, suffered at his hands. But to think you fell victim to him as well… The reason you’ve been out of contact all this time was because you were recovering from your injuries?”
“I suppose so…”
Kardeipor nodded as if satisfied.
Considering the vicious nature of the Divine Heir, as cruel as the Celestial Realm, it was entirely understandable.
“Then what became of that dragon you kept as a slave?”
He was referring to Carse.
“I don’t know. Either the Divine Heir got to her, or she fled somewhere.”
“Did you bring the copy of the Demon’s Resurrection Grimoire? You did grab it, right?”
“Ah… that?”
Even with Carrocksina’s memories restored, the Demon’s Resurrection Grimoire remained unfamiliar to her.
It was likely due to her memories not being fully recovered.
‘Is he talking about that book inscribed with demonic sorcery that Zeke had secured?’
Carbollearos decided to answer cautiously in order to gather information.
“Of course I did. There’s no way I’d leave something that important behind, is there?”
“Haha, I was worried for nothing. Well done. As the final bastion of our Lich Dragon, it must be protected at all costs. Do you understand?”
“Naturally. It goes without saying.”
As Carbollearos answered brazenly with a slight smile, Kardeipor’s expression stiffened once more.
“Perhaps it’s from narrowly escaping death, but something seems odd.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
Though he said nothing, seeds of suspicion were already taking root in Kardeipor’s mind.
Zeke, watching from beside him in a state of invisibility, was quick to perceive this fact.
Tap. Tap.
He poked Carbollearos in the ribs with his finger.
It was a signal to talk for a moment.
Recognizing this, Carbollearos smiled and spoke.
“I’ll step outside for a bit.”
“Why? Is something the matter?”
“I just need some fresh air. I’m feeling a bit stuffy.”
“….”
Unaware of the suspicious gaze directed at him, Carbollearos left the Cave.
From beside his ear, the voice of Zeke, still in a state of invisibility, reached him.
“Carbollearos. You just made a mistake.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I thought I acted pretty well…?”
“Carrocksina in life never smiled. You shouldn’t have shown him a smile.”
“Ah…?”
Thanks to Zeke’s words, I belatedly realized my error.
“When dealing with him, you need to be blunt. You can respond curtly and dismissively, or even coldly and sharply. He became your lover precisely because he liked that about you. You can’t treat him like an ordinary lover with warmth and affection.”
“I see. Got it. But how did you know such information?”
Carbollearos’s question was natural.
Zeke had merely followed along in a state of invisibility, hadn’t he?
So how could he possibly know Kardeipor’s preferences?
It would be impossible without some form of mind-reading ability.
Of course, since I did possess mind-reading, it was possible.
‘No matter how much I trust Carbollearos, I can’t reveal that I can read his true thoughts.’
The moment I disclosed this to him, I would become an inconvenient existence.
The same applied to my other comrades.
No one wishes to have their true feelings exposed.
So I deflected vaguely.
“I could tell from Kardeipor’s reaction. Every time you smiled, he grew serious. You didn’t notice?”
“Ah… did I? I didn’t realize.”
“Now go back and extract information in earnest. Just don’t raise suspicion.”
“Ah, understood.”
Carbollearos returned to the Cave and continued his conversation with his lover.
“Did you get some fresh air?”
“Yes. But what will we do from now on?”
“What do you mean?”
“What else? That bastard, the Descendant of God. He’s the one who made me like this—shouldn’t we take revenge? Or won’t we?”
At Carrocksina’s venomous response, Kardeipor broke into an unexpected grin.
“Heh, of course we must take revenge.”
“If it’s revenge, then revenge—so why are you smiling? It’s unpleasant.”
“Ha, if it was unpleasant, I apologize. I was simply relieved to see that you’re still the Carrocksina I knew.”
“Enough of that. Tell me the plan. What will we do?”
Kardeipor’s smile faded, replaced by an expression of absolute confidence.
“Don’t worry. The Descendant of God is as good as dead now.”
“How exactly will you do it?”
“I’ll gather the Lich Dragons after all this time. We have a regular council meeting coming up anyway, so we can address this matter then—how best to dispose of the Descendant of God.”
‘A Lich Dragon council meeting?’
Watching from the shadows, I felt my lips curl upward.
Hunting them one by one would have been tedious, but now an opportunity to deal with them all at once had presented itself.
“Surely even the Descendant of God cannot face dozens of Lich Dragons simultaneously?”
“That’s right. So when is this council…?”
“Tomorrow. So let’s depart now.”
Carbollearos’s eyes widened.
“You’ll come with us.”

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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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