The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 17

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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 43
‘So Baluduk was connected to the Black Moon….’
I had already experienced what the Black Moon could do.
The assassination squad that my half-brother Alex had hired to kill Peter and me was none other than the Black Moon.
But Baluduk was behind all of that?
‘If that’s the case, then there’s nowhere in the Decan Kingdom that Baluduk’s influence doesn’t reach….’
What could his true objective possibly be?
And why did he plant spies throughout the Decan Kingdom?
I felt a deep sense of frustration.
Not only could I not resolve these questions, but there was nothing I could do about them right now.
‘I need to find something, anything.’
I rifled through the bodies of the tavern owner and the man.
Apart from a coin purse filled with gold, there was practically nothing else on them.
Not a single item that could prove their identity.
All I learned was that they wore black robes like the Black Moon, and their Circle rankings.
‘The one posing as the tavern owner was a 6th Circle mage, while the man who took his own life was a 7th Circle.’
Judging from the way he gave orders, the man seemed to be the superior of the two.
There would have been plenty of information to extract from him, but now he was nothing more than a cold corpse, useless to me.
‘I should search the kitchen.’
I entered the kitchen and examined every corner of it.
Apart from the two dead outside, there was no trace of any other organization members.
It was nothing more than an ordinary kitchen, nothing special.
Or so I thought.
‘Wait… there’s something here.’
The cabinet beneath the sink was slightly ajar.
I approached and opened the door to find an endless darkness beyond.
It was a secret passage leading somewhere.
This was an excellent clue.
Then, an unexpected message appeared.
【Main Quest: Subdue the Leader of the Black Moon】
└You have discovered that the Black Moon is behind the rebellion and found what appears to be a secret passage they use.
└Find and subdue the leader of the organization that commands the Black Moon.
【Conditions】
└Subdue the Leader of the Black Moon
【Rewards】
└Obtain Skill ‘Blessing of Light’
‘A Main Quest!’
The only advantage Main Quests have over sudden quests is one thing.
The rewards are substantial.
As expected, this time too a skill is offered as a reward.
‘Blessing of Light? Wait, Blessing of Liiiiight?’
My eyes widened as I recognized the skill.
It was a skill I’d heard of countless times in my past life—one wielded by a healer known by the epithet “God’s Hand.”
‘They’re giving me that as a mere Quest reward?’
A grin spread across my face.
There was no turning back now. I had to press forward.
To capture the leader of the Black Moon, I would have to venture into the serpent’s den.
Even if I didn’t know where the passage led, I had to find clues.
‘I should disguise myself in case I run into anyone.’
I retrieved a long box from my subspace storage.
Inside lay several magical scrolls.
They were shape-shifting scrolls.
‘Carbollearos, do you know how to use these?’
-It’s simple. Envision whose face you wish to assume, then tear the scroll with both hands. The magic embedded within the scroll itself will activate the spell.
I pictured a face in my mind, then tore one of the scrolls.
Shwoooosh—
Light erupted from the scroll and enveloped my face, transforming me into an entirely different person.
I now bore the face of the robed man I’d killed moments before.
‘How is it? Do I look identical to him?’
-Perfectly. Even twins would be indistinguishable.
I smirked and stripped the corpse of its clothes, then carefully donned the black robe.
I looked every bit a member of the Black Moon.
‘Shall we go in?’
I crouched low and squeezed my body into the passage ahead.

* * *
Three figures in black robes stood in the already dim Underground Passage.
“He said he’d be back soon, so why is he taking so long?”
“Who knows. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“Is he the only one with things to do? We’re drowning in missions too.”
Black Moon had four commanders.
The 1st Commander, 2nd Commander, and 4th Commander gathered here were exactly those men.
Each oversaw different territories and received different orders, but today they had assembled in one place.
It was for the weekly mission briefing they held every seven days.
However, the 3rd Commander, who was supposed to return shortly, was nowhere to be found.
“Did something happen? We’ve been waiting for an hour already.”
“It is strange. He’s never been this late before…”
The 3rd Commander, who had gone to deliver something to a contact, had not appeared at the meeting location for an hour.
They couldn’t conclude the briefing until they heard whether the item had been delivered successfully, so how frustrating must this be.
“Maybe he got lost? The passages here are pretty complicated.”
“That doesn’t make sense. No matter what, how could he get lost in the Underground Passage when he moves through it like it’s his own home?”
“Then why isn’t he coming?”
“How should I know?”
Irritation crept into their voices, and patience was beginning to wear thin.
“Sorry I’m late, am I?”
A figure emerged from one of the branching passages.
It was the 3rd Commander they had been waiting for.
“Why are you so late? We’ve been waiting for an hour!”
“My apologies. The contact didn’t show up on time.”
The 3rd Commander spoke with apparent composure, but his true thoughts were entirely different.
‘Damn it. Why did these bastards create so many intersections down here? Is this a maze?’
The 3rd Commander was actually Zeke McLafflin with a changed face.
The reason he was so late was because he had gotten lost wandering through the labyrinthine Underground Passage.
Which is why this moment felt quite sudden.
He hadn’t expected to encounter the organization members while exiting the passage.
‘Fortunately, my identity hasn’t been exposed. They don’t seem surprised to see me.’
From what I could gather, they were calling me the 3rd Commander.
It was an impromptu performance, but for now I had to pretend to be the 3rd Commander and extract information.
However, the way they looked at me wasn’t entirely favorable.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“3rd Commander. Your voice sounds a bit different. Did something happen?”
“Something? I just caught a slight cold, *cough cough*. Ahem!”
“…”
Though I attempted a convincing performance, my act was somewhat clumsy against the keen eyes of these perceptive men.
“Who are you? Why are you impersonating the 3rd Commander?”
“Caught, huh? Well, no big deal.”
Zeke laughed awkwardly, realizing he’d been discovered far sooner than expected.
“If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered with the disguise at all. Just wasted a scroll for nothing.”
The three figures stared at Zeke with expressions of disbelief as he pouted about the wasted resources.
He showed absolutely no sign of tension whatsoever.
“We asked who you are.”
“Drop the magic while we’re being civil.”
The hems of the three robes billowed outward.
The Underground Passage became saturated with mana.
Their eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
An ordinary person would have been intimidated by that gaze, and a mage would have trembled under the weight of such overwhelming mana—but Zeke was neither an ordinary person nor a mage.
“Looks like I have no choice. Might as well go with the direct approach.”
I was an Awakened One blessed by the System.
Tssssss—
Pure white light materialized in my grasp.
The light stretched and took the form of a blade.
“That… that’s…”
“An Aura Blade…?”
Aura users who reach a certain level of mastery can infuse their weapons with aura.
But coating a blade’s edge with aura and creating a pure blade made entirely of aura are completely different matters.
The difficulty was on an entirely different level.
That’s why aura users bestow the title of Aura Master upon those capable of creating aura blades.
“You… were an Aura Master?”
“So that’s why our mana didn’t provoke any particular reaction from you.”
The assassins’ expressions shifted from shock to bewilderment.
Now mockery played at the corners of their mouths.
Mages had a tendency to look down on aura users.
True to form, they didn’t hold back their ridicule as they regarded Zeke.
“So a worthless sword-swinger without talent for magic is lurking here.”
“An aura user dares to challenge a mage? The audacity.”
“Ignorance breeds courage, it seems. You’ve clearly never faced a mage before.”
“Then we should teach you. Show you how magnificent a 7th Circle mage truly is.”
They revealed their circles to intimidate me, but I already knew.
I could see the seven mana rings in each of their chests.
‘Not even forty, yet already 7th Circle. Worthy of leading a strike team, I suppose.’
I acknowledged their strength in my mind, but that was all.
I felt no fear at their threats, no hesitation.
Since they were mages, they were simply my prey.
“Come on then, great mages. Give it everything you’ve got.”

* * *
The organizational structure of Black Moon was simpler than I had anticipated.
At the apex stood the leader, beneath whom four Commanders received their orders.
Each Commander issued individual directives to the cell-based operatives under their command.
That was the entirety of it.
Even among members of the same organization, information was compartmentalized strictly on a need-to-know basis.
Thus, the operatives of Black Moon knew far less about their own organization than one might expect.
They simply killed when ordered to kill, and moved when ordered to move.
Only the Commanders possessed truly valuable intelligence.
The Commanders were composed of formidable 7th Circle mages, so their credentials were beyond question.
And yet.
‘The 3rd Commander was defeated by a mere Aura Master?’
The remaining Commanders watched the figure crafting an Aura Blade with undisguised bewilderment.
The 1st Commander, John Wheeler, shared their astonishment.
‘No matter how skilled an Aura Master might be, defeating a 7th Circle mage should be far from simple. How did this happen?’
Of course, if the opponent were a high-tier Aura Master, the situation would be entirely different.
Should they face a Grand Aura Master—one of the Five Star Masters—there would be no question at all.
But this one was not among the Five Star Masters, was he?
‘A Five Star Master would never be found in such an insignificant kingdom.’
Decan was the weakest of the Five Great Kingdoms.
Encountering a Five Star Master by mere chance would be like plucking a star from the heavens.
Moreover, given that magic was more developed than Aura usage in this kingdom, finding even a competent Aura Master was difficult.
‘At best, this would be a lower or intermediate-tier Aura Master.’
That such a creature had slain the 3rd Commander and assumed his guise was unacceptable.
Regardless of identity, the impostor could not be allowed to live.
Yet the opponent appeared not fully aware of the situation.
“Come at me with all your might, you so-called great mages.”
‘A pathetic provocation. Likely an attempt to lower our guard.’
On this side: three 7th Circle mages. On that side: one Aura Master, presumed intermediate-tier.
By any measure, the advantage lay with us.
Under such circumstances, even a contemptible taunt served a purpose.
Without some action, survival would prove impossible.
‘But you will die here.’
First, I would cast a paralysis spell to render the limbs useless, then subject him to torture with fire magic.
I needed to recover the object the 3rd Commander had taken.
The 1st Commander, John Wheeler, exchanged a subtle glance with the 2nd and 4th Commanders.
-Do not kill him. Torture him.
-That was already my intention.
-Let us simply sever his limbs.
As the three reached a tacit agreement in silence, they simultaneously drew upon their mana.
‘Huh…?’
‘What…?’
‘What is this?!’
The three of them couldn’t help but be taken aback.
The mana gathered in the staff had evaporated into an unprecedented force.
“Your expressions are quite entertaining. I wish I had some popcorn.”
“You bastard, what have you done…!”
“What did I do? I’ve just been standing here.”
…
His feigned innocence was infuriating, but I could discern the truth from his demeanor.
He had employed some trick to prevent the mana from gathering.
“Anyway, since I’m short on time, let me get to the point. Where is your leader?”
“Are you insane? Even if you beat me to death, I won’t say… Gack!”
A sword forged from aura pierced through the 4th Commander’s heart.
The moment he collapsed with a dull thud, a chilling voice echoed.
“Anyone want to follow your friend?”
…
“If you don’t speak, I’ll kill you both.”
The 1st Commander and 2nd Commander exchanged glances.
As if they had silently sworn never to reveal the leader’s location, no matter what.
Reading that resolve in their eyes, the opponent’s expression grew troubled.
“High loyalty for officers. What should I do?”
The contemplative figure suddenly snapped his fingers with an idea.
“Then let’s do this. Whoever tells me the leader’s location first gets to live. How about it?”
…
…
It was a decent proposition, if the promise held true.
Perhaps that was why.
John Wheeler’s lips trembled.

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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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