The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 180

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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 180
“Duke Degreid Alphonso. Is it truly you…?”
“Yes, yes, I hired assassins with vast funds to strike at our family. In particular, I issued a special order that Gerard McLafflin must be killed without fail…”
Even hearing it directly, Gerard’s eyes reflected disbelief.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing? What grudge do you hold against me?”
“Grudge? You looked down on me!”
Duke Degreid Alphonso shrieked, his fear momentarily forgotten.
Zeke considered concentrating his Dragon Fear once more but decided against it.
The truth was already exposed.
There was no need to amplify his terror further.
“It’s been that way since the Magic Tower days! You, the honor student, always looked down on others! You were so consumed with arrogance that you ignored and brushed past the hand I extended as an inferior student!”
“What nonsense! Who looked down on anyone!?”
“Hmph! You don’t even remember, it seems. Of course, perpetrators never recall their own deeds!”
Gerard, suddenly cast as the aggressor, wore an expression of bewilderment.
And with good reason—the Magic Tower days were forty years past.
For Gerard to be confronted with accusations about events from so long ago, when memories had grown hazy, he could only be dumbfounded.
“I looked down on you? That’s a misunderstanding. I was a student myself—why would I scorn anyone?”
“Lies! When I spoke to you, you ignored me like an insect and left!”
“You spoke to me? You did?”
During those days, Gerard and Degreid were in the same class, yet they had never exchanged a single conversation.
They knew only each other’s names and faces.
That distance persisted even through their graduation from the Magic Tower.
They only encountered each other occasionally afterward at academic conferences or Magic Tower-related events.
Dalpred, who had been listening, interjected.
“I know my student’s character better than anyone, and Gerard is certainly not one to be arrogant or look down upon others.”
“Ha! Your master knows his student’s character far less than he should!”
He was deeply ensnared in the delusions of the past.
One might even call it a fabrication.
Only Zeke, who possessed the eyes of a sage, could perceive the truth.
‘He’s created his own misunderstandings and delusions, which have formed false memories that fuel his rage.’
In short, Duke Degreid Alphonso was nothing but a mass of inferiority.
Lacking the courage to blame himself for his lack of talent, he had turned his gaze toward another target.
That target had become Gerard, who was the most popular at the time, and it had ultimately led to this outcome.
‘This won’t do. He’s too dangerous to leave as is.’
His father would likely not be able to kill Degreid.
He was a classmate, and despite appearances, he lacked the ruthlessness required.
‘So I must step in.’
Duke Degreid Alphonso had hired assassins to massacre his own family.
If left alive, there was no telling what he might attempt in the future.
‘I’ve already extracted all the information from him. Including who was behind him.’
He’d outlived his usefulness. There was nothing left but to dispose of him.
Of course, I couldn’t kill him outright here in front of everyone.
‘If I concentrate Dragon Fear intensely enough….’
I made Degreid Alfonso tremble with terror once more.
Not weakly this time, but with far greater intensity than before.
“Aaaa—ahhhhh, ahhhhh—aaaahhhhh….”
“Duke Alfonso? Duke!”
Degreid Alfonso’s eyes suddenly rolled back in convulsions.
Gerard, sensing something was terribly wrong, hurried to shake him, but instead of coming to his senses, foam began to form at his mouth.
The overwhelming terror had shattered his mind.
Of course, only I knew how such a thing was possible.
‘This way, I’ve had my revenge without even needing to kill him.’
I felt a grim satisfaction, but it was short-lived.
When I recalled who had ordered Degreid Alfonso to target my family, my amusement evaporated entirely.
‘Baluduk. That bastard dared to target my family?’
The one pulling the strings behind Degreid Alfonso was none other than the Black Hand—Baluduk.

* * *
The Old Man had a reputation for being dull-witted.
That was the common image, but Baluduk was surprisingly meticulous and thorough.
He always prepared contingencies for every possible situation, anywhere and anytime.
Of course, not all of his schemes bore fruit, but this time was different.
He could even congratulate himself on his own carefulness.
‘It was wise to plant agents among Gerard McLafflin’s classmates from the Magic Tower. Now they’re finally making contact.’
Not long ago, Baluduk had received a message.
The sender was Degreid Alphonso from the Baiso Kingdom.
―Ah, greetings, Baluduk Rahbez. You mentioned before that I should contact you about anything related to the McLafflin family, yes? Gerard has just reached out to me.
He had maintained this connection precisely because Degreid was Gerard’s classmate from the Magic Tower, and now the line had finally been activated.
One of many fishing lines he’d cast had finally caught something.
For Baluduk, who had been tracking the McLafflins, it was a welcome development.
―What did he ask for?
―Ah. He asked if our family could provide him temporary shelter. He said something about trouble with his personal safety….
―And what did you tell him?
―I said I would think about it and contact him back.
―Good. Allow him to stay, just as he asked. Keep him detained at the Alfonso Family Estate in the Baiso Kingdom.
―Is that all I need to do…?
―Hire assassins and kill them all.
―W-what…?
―To avoid suspicion, have all of your family’s servants killed as well. Deploy as many assassins as possible to ensure the job is done thoroughly.
―B-but….
―If you do that much, I’ll consider giving you a position as a cardinal in the Mados Religion.
―….
―What do you think? My proposal?
―I’ll do it.
―Good. Additionally, they’ll be bringing a prisoner named Lillis Lin. Since we need to secure that prisoner’s safety, don’t lay a hand on her.
After that, Baluduk left detailed instructions and cut off the communication.
‘Fortunate that the Duke of Alfonso is a devotee of the Mados Religion. He’s tempted by the promise of a cardinal’s position.’
Of course, I have no intention of actually giving him such a position.
I said I’d consider it—I never said I’d grant it, did I?
Baluduk chuckled darkly and pondered for a moment.
‘Now that I’ve pinpointed the location, should I send additional forces?’
Perhaps I should dispatch a Forerunner to completely annihilate the McLafflin Family and extract Lillis Lin in one fell swoop?
‘No. I don’t have spare troops to send right now. All I can do is wait.’
For now, it was better to wait and see if the Duke of Alfonso handled things properly.
If I overstepped and bungled things again, the losses would be incalculable.
‘Truth be told, what happens to the McLafflin Family doesn’t concern me. What matters is securing Lillis Lin.’
To be honest, I don’t expect the assassins to succeed in killing the McLafflin Family.
I sent Lillis, and they stopped her. I sent Ethan, and they stopped him.
Now I’m supposed to send a Forerunner for a third assassination attempt?
It won’t be easy.
There’s no guarantee it will work.
That’s why Baluduk withdrew his hand.
‘I’ve done my part. The rest is up to that bastard Alfonso. He’ll bear the full burden of responsibility for it.’
Sending assassins to create chaos was enough.
The important thing was extracting Lillis Lin.
“Hmm. The attack should be over by now, but why haven’t I heard anything? I should contact Todd.”
Baluduk picked up the communication device.

* * *
[Assassin Interception 50/50 Complete!]
[Sudden Quest Cleared!]
[Reward: Random Stats increased by 4,000.]
[Reward: 6th Circle Skill Proficiency increased by 20,000.]
[Proficiency Remaining Until 9-Star Achievement: 267,577/300,000]
After clearing the sudden quest, I examined my rewards.
Including the main quest rewards I hadn’t checked earlier.
[Basic Skill: Lightning Burst]
―Effect: Detonates lightning to halt all mechanisms within a 1km radius.
―Special Note: 30-minute cooldown after activation.
Upon reviewing the acquired skill, I felt slightly perplexed.
‘I assumed it was an offensive skill based on the name, but it wasn’t.’
It didn’t matter much.
I already possessed more than enough offensive skills as it was.
‘Let me check what entered the subspace.’
I opened the subspace and examined the items that had arrived.
[Pants of Lightning Flash]
―Classification: Lower Garment
―Effect: Immunity to all lightning-attribute magic, function [Lightning Petrification] available.
―Durability: Infinite
―Usage Restriction: Bound to Zeke McLafflin
―Description: Pants worn by the Forerunner of Lightning. A total of 13 items exist, and set effects can be obtained.
―Forerunner’s Vestment Set Effect (8/13)
―4-Piece Effect: All attack power increased by 300% against Dragon Race
―7-Piece Effect: All attack power increased by 300% against Demon Faction
―10-Piece Effect: ?????
―13-Piece Effect: ?????
The pants possessed a function called [Lightning Petrification].
To verify what it did, I changed into the pants.
‘These aren’t women’s pants, are they?’
Contrary to my concerns, they looked unremarkable and not feminine at all.
The size fit perfectly as well.
The moment I put them on, the information window appeared.
[Function Skill: Lightning Petrification]
―Effect: Move at the speed of light for 1 second.
―Special Note: Only movement is possible; no external physical force can be exerted. Movement speed can be controlled, and the effect can be deactivated at will. 24-hour cooldown after activation.
‘No external physical force… meaning I can’t use acceleration to destroy walls or continents, is that it?’
If that were possible, it would be an absurdly catastrophic ability.
‘Movement only? The cooldown is lengthy, but it’s not bad. At the speed of light, after all.’
At the speed of light, one could circle Earth seven and a half times in a single second—wasn’t that the velocity he now possessed?
‘Let me test it. Flash Step.’
The moment I activated the skill.
Whoooosh—
My world slowed to a crawl.
No, it would be no exaggeration to say it had come to a complete halt.
I could tell by observing the water droplets from the fountain outside the window.
‘The droplets aren’t moving at all.’
Yet my body moved freely without restriction.
I could even control my speed.
‘Oh, when I try to run faster, I do run faster?’
However, since I couldn’t exert physical force on the external world, I was unable to open the locked door.
‘So that’s how this skill works. Understood. Deactivate.’
The moment I deactivated it, the world returned to normal.
The water droplets from the fountain, frozen in time, resumed their descent.
‘Not bad.’
I was satisfied with acquiring such a useful ability.
‘Hmm?’
Light was seeping from my pocket.
It was Todd Ward’s communication stone, which I’d been carrying all along.
‘Could this be… Baluduk?’
Todd Ward was Baluduk’s subordinate.
Knowing that fact, I’d gone undercover at his cabin several months ago.
I’d even sent false reports multiple times.
Now, after all this time, the communication stone was ringing.
‘I need to take this.’
Since I’d been planning to deal with Baluduk anyway, I immediately used my transformation skill to reshape my body.
“Ahem.”
Only after confirming my voice had perfectly transformed into Todd Ward’s did I accept the communication.
-Why are you answering so late, Todd?
“My apologies, Baluduk. I was occupied with a matter.”
-You mean gathering the sacrifices?
“Yes, that’s correct.”
-Well, we can postpone that for now. There’s something you need to do immediately.
“Please give me your orders.”
-Go at once to the Alfonso Family Estate in the Baiso Kingdom. The McLafflin family is there. I sent assassins, but I’ve lost contact with Duke Alfonso.
“Is that so?”
-Go and assess the situation. Bring out Lillis Lin, who should be confined there.
“Understood. I’ll contact you after confirming the details.”
With shameless composure, I smiled quietly and bided my time.
There was nothing to confirm.
Lillis Lin and her assassination unit had already been dealt with.
‘I’ll just pretend to confirm and waste some time before making contact.’
After spending thirty minutes that way, I reached out again.
My voice tinged with urgency.
“B-Baluduk. We have a serious problem. Something’s gone wrong.”
-What kind of problem?
“I’ll explain the details when we meet in person. Could you spare the time to see me?”

* * *
After ending the call, Baluduk found himself puzzled.
“Todd suddenly wants to meet? This has never happened before.”
Moreover, I’d never heard him sound so flustered.
Something serious must have erupted.
“I should make time to see him. It sounds like a critical situation has arisen.”
Curiosity piqued, I agreed to meet Todd.
The location: Todd’s Cabin.
Since I already knew the coordinates, I could teleport there instantly.
“Todd. Are you inside?”
Baluduk swept into the cabin, his black robes billowing.
The door creaked open.
A man stood within.
Examining his face, it was Todd.
Yet something felt wrong.
‘What is this… this sense of discord?’
The gaze Todd fixed upon me was not the one I remembered.
Eyes sharp with intelligence, yet radiating unmistakable hostility.
He seemed like a different person entirely from the Todd I knew.
Then.
His form rippled and warped.
An unbelievable transformation unfolded before my eyes.
From Todd’s face to his feet.
His entire body began to shift and change.
“T-Todd?”
“Do I still look like Todd to you?”
Zeke McLafflin stood before Baluduk, having shed Todd’s disguise, a smile playing across his face.

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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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