The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 182

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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 182
Crious and his disciple ceased their sparring match and ventured toward the front of the Reinhardt Duchy.
“Zeke!”
As if welcoming home a prodigal son, a warm smile blossomed across Crious’s face.
“Where have you been all this time? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“Haha, my apologies, Master. I had some matters to attend to.”
“But who are all these people…?”
A multitude of individuals stood behind Zeke.
“Ah, allow me to introduce them. These are my family members. And this is the House Deporte.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Gerard McLafflin.”
Gerard stepped forward and extended his hand for a handshake.
Though Crious grasped it instinctively, his suspicions remained unresolved.
“Zeke? What on earth compelled you to bring your entire family here?”
“I’ve come to claim a wish.”
“Hmm? A wish?”
At these unexpected words, Crious recalled a memory he had forgotten.
The promise he had made to grant a wish as the price of his defeat in their sparring match with Zeke.
“I thought I’d use that wish now.”
“What wish is it?”
Zeke smiled gently and spoke what he desired.
“Please look after my family.”

* * *
‘Hmm….’
Gerard McLafflin swallowed hard as he faced the Reinhardt family in the reception hall.
A quiet atmosphere.
The silence that had settled over this place was undeniably uncomfortable.
It wasn’t merely due to the awkwardness.
‘Zeke assured me it would be fine, so I came…. But aren’t they Aura users?’
The continent was divided into two major factions.
Aura users and mages.
The two groups with opposing natures could hardly be called anything but rivals.
Strictly speaking, Aura users were in a position of being oppressed by mages.
‘Mages, possessing superior power, have long looked down upon and scorned Aura users. History itself proves this.’
When given the same amount of time, mages became stronger.
Aura users were merely a second-rate alternative—the inferior choice of those who failed to become mages.
For this reason, mages had dismissed Aura users as low-grade swordsmen.
Conversely, Aura users had come to view mages as arrogant beings to be avoided.
‘So why would they look favorably upon us?’
Even now, the Iron-Blooded Lord continued to sip his tea in silence, did he not?
For Gerard, this place could only feel like sitting on pins and needles.
But then.
“My apologies—I was lost in thought for a moment. The Pioneers targeting families…the more I consider it, the more grave this situation becomes. Since this is my student’s request, I would be grateful if you would make yourselves comfortable, as though this were your own home.”
Contrary to expectations, Crious welcomed Gerard warmly.
Rather than regarding him with prejudiced eyes, he smiled gently and sipped his tea.
He was far removed from the cold, ruthless reputation of the Iron-Blooded Lord.
‘Hmm. Yet the aura he emanates is far from ordinary. So this is what they mean by the Five Lords?’
One might say he concealed a blade within gentleness.
At times he appeared soft, yet at others he seemed formidable and cold.
Gerard, who had experienced the overwhelming pressure of a Grand Aura Master, felt it only briefly.
When Zeke’s name came up, Crious’s demeanor shifted entirely.
“I heard that Zeke defeated me in a sparring match?”
“Ah, yes indeed. You had made a wager, I understand.”
“It was a match where merely touching me would count as a victory. To be honest, I accepted because I was confident I would win. Yet he managed to wound my cheek.”
Crious, speaking with admiration, gently touched his cheek.
The scar from that time had long since healed, but the sense of wonder and exhilaration he felt then remained vivid in his memory.
“Zeke possesses true talent with the blade. Watching him grow stronger with each sparring session makes me think I may soon need to yield him a position.”
“Is Zeke’s skill truly at that level?”
“Indeed. If he continues to develop at this rate, he will surely become the sixth Grand Aura Master and be called the Sixth Lord without question.”
It was the highest praise.
Hearing such commendation of his son, Gerard felt nothing but pride.
“I regret that I have no daughter. Had I one, I might have taken Zeke as my son-in-law….”
It was a sound that would have startled Zeke McLafflin had he heard it, but Crious regarded him as far more than merely a disciple.
The master’s praise for his student continued endlessly thereafter.

* * *
[Permission from Crious obtained!]
[Sudden Quest cleared!]
[Random Stats increased by 4,000 as reward.]
[6th Circle Skill Proficiency increased by 20,000 as reward.]
[Proficiency remaining until 9-Star Achievement: 287,878/300,000]
Upon receiving the sudden quest reward, my overall stats surpassed the ten-thousand mark.
‘This is incredible. I, who once had pitiful stats, have now exceeded ten thousand.’
While stats accumulate daily, the amount gained from quests is far from negligible.
At that moment, Zeke McLafflin approached as he saw Gerard McLafflin and Crious emerging from the reception hall.
“Did you two have a good conversation?”
“Yes. You’ve been waiting here?”
“Yes. I wanted to inform you before I depart.”
“Depart? Where to this time?”
“I haven’t finished my business yet.”
I had told Gerard McLafflin that I was going to search for the Dragonian.
Recalling that fact, Gerard McLafflin could only nod and let me go.
“I suppose it can’t be helped. Go and return safely.”
“Yes. Please stay here with Master. There is no place in Byso safer than the Reinhardt Duchy.”
“Understood.”
“Zeke, how long has it been since we last met, and you’re leaving again without even a sparring match….”
Hearing of my departure, Crious expressed his regret from beside me, but I answered with a smile.
“My apologies, Master. When the opportunity arises next time, let’s spar to our hearts’ content. You’ll need to be truly prepared then. I’ll be completely different from before.”
“Hahaha, I look forward to it. Go and finish your business quickly, then return. I’ll be waiting here.”
“Yes.”
After exchanging farewells with my family in succession, I set out on the road once more.
To the Eastern Continent, together with Carbollearos and Cardi.

* * *
“Where is First Son McLafflin?”
“He’s already left.”
“What?”
Sillis Deporte’s face went pale as she heard the news too late.
She had been waiting for the right moment to propose to Zeke McLafflin, but she had missed her chance.
“Ah.”
As I wandered the corridor with a hollow heart, someone tapped my shoulder gently.
I turned to see a nobleman smiling at me.
“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ruin Reinhardt, the Second Son.”
“….”
Sillis stared blankly at the man who suddenly introduced himself.
When she looked at him with eyes that seemed to ask “What do you want me to do about that?”, Ruin spoke again.
“I… usually in situations like this, the other person introduces themselves too….”
“Oh! I’m sorry. My mind is half-scattered right now. I’m Sillis Deporte.”
“Ah, so you’re the princess of House Deporte! My brother has told me so much about you! You know Jack Reinhardt, right? My older brother, the First Son. Even though he courted you so earnestly, you refused him….”
“That was the case….”
“You came together with Zeke earlier, didn’t you?”
“Zeke…?”
Confused by his casual tone, Ruin smiled and explained.
“Ah, Zeke and I speak informally with each other. We became close after he became our father’s disciple.”
“I see.”
Unlike Ruin, who kept trying to engage in conversation, Sillis answered only in short replies.
“Say, if you don’t mind, would you like to have tea together and talk….”
From countless courtship attempts she had experienced, Sillis immediately understood.
What Ruin’s intentions were.
“I’m sorry. I already have a fiancé.”
And so she refused him outright.
At her blunt response, Ruin was momentarily taken aback.
“Y-yes…. My apologies for the intrusion.”
Ruin turned away, his face flushed red.

* * *
‘Ugh, how embarrassing.’
I didn’t know her name, but this incredibly beautiful woman had come with Zeke, so I’d tried striking up a conversation.
I hadn’t realized she was Sillis Deporte, the woman my brother had mentioned countless times.
‘Still, since my brother gave up, I thought I’d at least try to muster some courage….’
I was thoroughly rejected.
I hadn’t even known she had a fiancé.
‘Does my brother know? That she has a fiancé now?’
He must know.
That’s why my stubborn brother gave up.
‘Does she hate me because my face looks identical to his? Damn it.’
To soothe my melancholy mood, I sought out my brother.
My twin brother Jack Reinhardt happened to be wandering the corridor.
“Brother, let’s spar.”
I dragged him off to the training grounds without hesitation.
I immediately tossed him a wooden sword and took my stance.
“Here I come, brother. I’m going all out today, so be ready.”
“Uh….”
Jack and I were evenly matched in skill.
Usually it was a fifty-fifty split, trading victories back and forth.
But.
Crack!
“Ugh.”
Thud!
“Argh!”
Jack allowed my attacks through several times.
“Brother? What’s wrong? Your skills are off today.”
“Ouch, that hurts….”
Jack’s manner of rubbing his elbow where the wooden sword had struck was slightly different from usual.
It was as if his mind was elsewhere entirely.
“Brother, do you have something on your mind?”
“Huh? Oh, no.”
“No, you don’t. You’re even stammering, which isn’t like you at all.”
“….”
“If something’s bothering you, tell me. There’s no one else you can talk to but me.”
Jack let out a small laugh at my irrefutable point, but his expression quickly turned gloomy.
“Well, actually… among Zeke’s companions who came this time, there’s a woman I’m interested in….”
My expression immediately turned serious.
“Brother. Don’t tell me you’re talking about Princess Sillis?”
“No. I told you before that I’d given up on Princess Sillis.”
“That’s right. So I tried talking to her a moment ago.”
“What? To Princess Sillis?”
“Of course I got rejected on the spot. She said she has a fiancé.”
Jack’s eyes widened.
The news about her having a fiancé surprised him far more than the fact that his brother had approached her.
“Really? That prideful woman?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”
“How would I know?”
“I thought you gave up because of that.”
“I gave up because no amount of knocking would open the door. How am I supposed to open it when she’s locked her heart so tightly?”
“But that door opened for someone else, didn’t it? Hehehehe.”
Jack’s expression turned sour at the way his brother laughed as if it were someone else’s problem.
“Who are you making fun of right now?”
“More importantly, tell me. This woman you were so taken with—who is she? What does she look like?”
“She has brown hair.”
“Oh! I’ve seen her.”
Ruin Reinhardt recalled Zeke’s entourage.
That woman was certainly striking in her beauty.
Though I don’t know her name.
“So you’re interested in that woman?”
“Well… I’m not sure what her connection to Zeke is, but…”
“Give it a try. I’ll support you from behind.”
“You’re going to support me? You, who just got rejected by Princess Sillis? Pfft, even a stray dog passing by would laugh at that.”
Ruin’s expression hardened.
His brother’s snickering was unbearably irritating.
“What makes you think you’re any different? You’ll probably get rejected even faster than me.”
“What are you talking about? Our faces are completely different.”
“That’s funny. We’re twins—how could there be any difference?”
Jack’s eyebrows twitched as his pride was pricked.
“Want me to show you?”
“Go ahead and show me, then.”
“Fine. Let’s go right now.”
Jack set down his wooden sword and strode forward with purpose.
It was hard to believe this was the same brother who had been gloomy just moments ago.
‘My brother really is simple-minded, isn’t he.’
Ruin chuckled softly and followed after his brother.
Jack wandered through the Duke’s Mansion here and there, searching for someone.
Soon enough, he spotted the person he was looking for.
“There, there she is.”
In the direction he pointed, a woman with brown hair was conversing with a man.
I watch my brother swallow hard.
His earlier confidence evaporates, replaced by visible tension.
“Brother. You’ve got this.”
“Huh?”
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going? You said you’d show me.”
“Y-yeah. I’ll show you. Really.”
Jack Reinhardt stepped forward with renewed confidence.
At that moment, Mary, who had been standing with Peter McLafflin, turned her gaze toward him.
When their eyes met, Jack flinched slightly, then cleared his throat and bowed his head.
“I-it’s an honor to meet you. I am Jack Reinhardt, First Son of the Reinhardt Duchy.”
“Oh, hello. I’m Mary Bryant of House of Bryant.”
“Ah… so your name is Mary. It’s a beautiful name.”
“Pardon?”
“N-no, never mind.”
Jack mumbled and found himself at a loss for words.
His face flushed crimson.
‘G-good heavens, she’s even more beautiful up close?’
She possessed a different kind of beauty than Sillis Deporte.
It left him breathless.
“….”
“…?”
An awkward silence settled between them.
Someone needed to speak, yet they merely stared at each other.
Unable to bear it any longer, Peter McLafflin interjected from beside them.
“By the way, what brings you here, Prince Jack Reinhardt?”
Jack turned his gaze away, clearly displeased by the mere presence of another man beside her.
“And who might you be?”
“I am Peter McLafflin, First Son of the McLafflin Family. I’m Zeke’s older brother.”
“I see.”
Jack’s response was lukewarm.
Then a warning bell rang in his mind, and he asked a question.
“You two aren’t betrothed to each other, are you?”
“W-what?!”
“Wh-what….”
Their reaction alone answered his question.
Mary seemed eager to clarify the matter.
“Absolutely not! We’re nothing like that.”
“That’s a relief.”
Jack relaxed visibly.
But Peter found his reaction deeply irritating.
“What do you mean by fortunate?”
“It means I still have a chance.”
“A chance? Don’t tell me you’ve set your sights on Mary?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
An invisible battle of pride played out between the two men.
“It is. She’s not someone I can give to anyone.”
“And what gives you that right?”
At that question, Peter spoke impulsively.
“Because I love Mary too.”

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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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