The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 181

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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 181
Baluduk had experienced only two moments in his life when his heart seemed to stop.
Once was when he submitted before the overwhelming power of Stella, the First Forerunner.
And the second time was now.
‘Z-Zeke McLafflin! Descendant of the divine!’
The very man who could be called the primary enemy of the Forerunners stood directly before his eyes.
He could have immediately seized his staff and shattered the man’s skull without hesitation, yet his hand refused to rise.
He had received countless reports regarding the achievements this man had accomplished.
Even though they had never met before.
‘If I… secretly manipulate mana…’
If he cast spells as quietly as possible without raising his staff, couldn’t he land a surprise attack?
Such naive thinking was swiftly exposed.
“Don’t try anything foolish. Mana is already blocked anyway.”
‘He read my thoughts?’
No, it was more accurate to say he had seen through it with intuition.
‘Then what about magical power…’
“Magical power is the same. You should know about me by now, shouldn’t you?”
Baluduk’s eyes widened.
The man was directly above his head.
“If you’re curious, you’re welcome to try.”
Without declining the invitation, he unleashed his magical power.
‘It’s… scattering.’
Somehow it vanished like a mirage.
Mana was no different.
‘He’s blocked both magic and mana in advance…’
He knew about the Descendant of the Divine’s abilities, but now that he was experiencing it firsthand, there was truly nothing he could do.
Only striking with his staff remained.
‘But that would be impossible as well.’
From what he had heard, the Descendant of the Divine was an exceptional swordsman at the level of an Aura Master.
He was not an opponent he could defeat through brute force.
Unless he summoned a Grand Aura Master.
‘More importantly, how did he know about this place? No, that’s not the issue. Wasn’t he disguised as Todd Ward all along?’
Recalling how perfectly he had masqueraded as his own subordinate, he still couldn’t believe it.
‘An illusion technique? How is that even possible?’
It was all the more shocking because he hadn’t sensed any particular magical power.
‘To possess such a perfect disguise technique…’
Was it perhaps that he disliked Baluduk’s continued silence?
A frown creased Zeke’s brow.
“You’re full of thoughts but have nothing to say? You should have wanted to meet me more than anyone.”
“I did want to meet you… your corpse.”
“You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. Provoking me even in a situation like this.”
Zeke McLafflin, offering his praise, quietly studied Baluduk’s features.
‘Esca mentioned him, but so this was the old man. He specializes in demonic sorcery, does he?’
Sorcery was fundamentally a form of magic unique to demons, drawing upon the Circle’s essence and life force as its cost.
The more one used it, the greater the burden on the body, until eventually one’s life was forfeit.
‘But if one possessed demonic essence, such drawbacks would vanish entirely.’
However, demonic essence was a trait unique to demons—obtainable only upon achieving lich transformation.
Consequently, without undergoing lich transformation, one would continually expend life force as the material cost of sorcery.
‘Yet that bastard knew this and still refused to undergo lich transformation.’
Why?
Reading his true thoughts, I grasped it easily.
‘He fears losing his identity through lich transformation. So he’s been searching for a way to use sorcery without the price of life force.’
That was Baluduk’s deepest desire.
But what if someone who had achieved that very desire appeared before his eyes?
A smile spread across my lips unbidden.
An amusing thought had occurred to me.
A delightful notion indeed.
“Hthed pow effer et et—Binding Black Cord.”
As I extended my hand, black rope erupted from the empty air.
It coiled with a sharp whistle!
“Gack!”
In an instant, Baluduk’s limbs were bound.
It appeared I had restrained him to prevent escape, but my true intent was far more deliberate.
To demonstrate the use of demonic sorcery without any cost whatsoever.
The intention struck home—Baluduk’s eyes bulged from their sockets.
“How—how did you do that? How can you use sorcery without demonic essence or the consumption of life force?”
“You’re hardly in a position to be curious about that right now, are you?”
I cracked my knuckles deliberately.
Approaching with a smile laden with malice, I continued.
“It began when you targeted the King of Decan. That’s when you and I became entangled.”
A sickening crack!
“Ugh!”
My fist drove into Baluduk’s lower abdomen with devastating force.
His entrails twisted in agony, yet he had no means of resistance.
He could only endure the blows.
“From that moment on, we’ve been tangled in one thing after another, haven’t we? Never having seen each other’s faces, yet here we are.”
Another sharp impact!
This time, Baluduk’s jaw snapped sideways.
The impact reverberated through his skull with enough force to cloud his consciousness.
“Quite the persistent curse, isn’t it? Hunting each other without ever knowing what the other looked like. But perhaps that curse ends today.”
Crack!
“Gasp!”
My fist drove into Baluduk’s ribs.
It felt like every rib shattered.
“Don’t worry. I’ll heal you.”
I restored Baluduk with Blessing of Light.
He recovered completely from his near-death state.
“H-how…?”
“How? That’s not the point.”
Crack!
“You should be worried about yourself instead.”
Thud!
“Don’t you think you should focus on your own body?”
Crack!
“You crossed the line. How dare you lay a hand on my family?”
My relentless barrage of punches reduced Baluduk to a pulp.
Anyone watching would think I was the villain.
“Tch, I don’t have a hobby of beating old men.”
Seeing Baluduk on the verge of losing consciousness, I dispelled the magic.
Thump!
Released from the restraints, he couldn’t even resist or speak.
He’d lost consciousness from the pain.
‘I won’t be able to get any more information from him now.’
I wanted to kill him outright, but I held back and cast recovery magic instead.
Since no Quest appeared, I’d miss out on any rewards for killing him.
‘I’ll have to settle for seeing his face. Now I can track him anytime with Earth Tracking.’
Besides, hadn’t I just demonstrated that I could use demonic arts without cost?
Baluduk would certainly not overlook this point.
‘The clue to the desire you’ve yearned for your entire life lies with me. So if I die, you’ll be in trouble too.’
I flashed a sinister smile at the unconscious Baluduk and teleported away.
I was curious to see how he’d make his next move.

* * *
“Nngh….”
A signal tone echoed through his mind.
It was what awakened Baluduk.
‘Who is it? Stella?’
A contact came through the Luminous Portalsphere.
Baluduk, forcing himself to consciousness, accessed the virtual space.
“Stella.”
[Baluduk. You don’t look well. Is something the matter?]
“Ah, no. But what brings you to contact me….”
[Didn’t Decarabia agree to help? I wanted to know how things are progressing.]
“Ah… You mean the gravitational field and the weapon for the Divine Descendant?”
[Yes. Have you heard how long it will take?]
“Not yet. I’m waiting, as he said he’d inform me immediately upon completion.”
[Once that’s completed, it won’t be impossible to capture and kill the Divine Descendant. I didn’t know Decarabia possessed such talent. Heaven truly favors us.]
“…That is true.”
Baluduk’s voice carried a note of displeasure.
It was because of the inexplicable phenomenon I had witnessed earlier.
‘The Divine Descendant—unlike me—used sorcery without any magical energy.’
The biological response that inevitably manifested when using sorcery without magical energy was absent in him.
‘He must know a method to use sorcery without consuming life force.’
How much I had struggled to find a way to avoid depleting life force?
‘Even my master and benefactor, Andrealpus, concluded that humans have no choice but to use life force as the price. That’s why he even urged me to become a lich.’
But becoming a lich meant losing one’s intellect.
Could a being that had lost its intellect truly be called oneself?
I did not believe so.
‘So I spent decades searching for a method. I tried using the blood of maidens, and even offered children as sacrifices.’
That’s why I had Todd gather children.
I had tried everything possible, but sorcery inevitably required life force as its price.
Thinking it was hopeless, I had given up.
Until I met Zeke.
[Baluduk?]
“Yes?”
[What are you thinking about?]
“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just pondering what to do next….”
[What is there to ponder? Once Decarabia creates the item, we use it to eliminate the Divine Descendant. Isn’t it simple?]
“Yes… it is simple.”
I answered, but my mind was in turmoil.
‘If Zeke dies… won’t I lose the chance to ask him about the method of using sorcery without a price…?’
The key to my deepest desire lay with my enemy.
For Baluduk, it was an uncomfortable situation indeed.
[So continue to monitor Zeke McLafflin’s movements beforehand. That way, you can pinpoint his location the moment he needs to be eliminated.]
“Ah… I understand.”
Baluduk spoke thus and withdrew from the imaginary space.
Regardless, I had to find Zeke McLafflin.
‘I need to find him and ask. How is he using sorcery without any cost!’
Baluduk’s eyes gleamed with renewed intensity.

* * *
After meeting with Baluduk, I encountered Gerard in the corridor.
“Father. Have you found a place for us to go?”
“Hmm, well… it’s proving difficult to secure one.”
Despite the assassin’s visit, the McLafflin Family still remained at the Alfonso Family Estate.
The reason was simple—they hadn’t found a suitable refuge.
“I considered reaching out to my other mage acquaintances, but after the Alfonso Duke’s betrayal, I can’t trust them either. I have no way of knowing how far the Forerunners have already extended their reach…”
In short, there was no one trustworthy nearby.
But unlike him, one person had just come to mind.
A Quest had even appeared at just the right moment.
“Father. I know a trustworthy person in the Baiso Kingdom. Would you like to go there?”
“Hmm? Is that so?”
“Yes. They will certainly help us.”
I accepted the Quest that appeared before my eyes.
【Sudden Quest: Obtaining Permission from Crious Reinhardt】
└The McLafflin Family and Deporte Family are seeking a refuge.
└Visit Crious Reinhardt, the Iron-Blooded Lord of the Baiso Kingdom, and obtain his permission to shelter your families.
【Conditions】
└Obtain permission from Crious Reinhardt
【Rewards】
└Random stat increase of 4,000
└6th Circle skill proficiency increased by 20,000

* * *
Whoosh!
As always, Crious Reinhardt was conducting his sword training when he raised his voice at his sons.
“Lift your arms higher! Your upper guard is exposed!”
“Yes, Father!”
Jack Reinhardt, the First Son, and Ruin Reinhardt, the Second Son.
Both were receiving instruction from Crious in the Training Ground.
However, there was no actual sparring between them.
Dissatisfied with this, Jack furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Father. Will you not spar with us today either?”
“Spar? You mean with me?”
“Yes. You’ve always said that one must face stronger opponents to build true strength.”
“That depends on the level of strength. There is a vast chasm between me and you two, is there not?”
“But then, why does Zeke get to spar with you every time he visits?”
Crious paused mid-swing, his blade cutting through empty air.
“Do you truly not understand?”
…
I understand.
Zeke and Father are on a level worthy of sparring.
Zeke is already far superior in strength compared to us.
Knowing this, I push myself relentlessly, even skipping meals to train without complaint, yet my pride cannot help but sting.
‘Damn it! That bastard Zeke…! I’m dying of envy. That insane talent of his.’
If only I possessed such talent, how wonderful that would be.
‘But why is it so difficult to see his face? Does he not realize he’s been acknowledged by Father?’
If he’d been recognized and accepted as a disciple, he should appear regularly to receive instruction. What could he possibly be doing elsewhere that he hasn’t shown his face in months?
‘Where is he slacking off, not even training…’
It was at that moment.
An attendant came rushing in breathlessly with startling news.
“Young Master Zeke McLafflin has arrived!”

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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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