The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 19

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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 19
I’ll use him as a test subject and satisfy my curiosity about Zeke McLafflin.
Gregor Fontaine’s smile lasted only a moment with such thoughts.
As the light of the communication conduit flickered, the smile vanished from his face.
It was a call from a powerful figure whose very contact made even the Tower Master himself tense.
“…What brings you to contact me, Baluduk?”
-Kkhehehe, what brings me? I was simply curious about how the preparations for the operation are progressing.
“Rest assured. The preparations are nearly complete. There is one minor issue, but I intend to resolve it shortly…”
-What sort of problem?
“Nothing of consequence. I attempted to capture the youngest son of the McLafflin Family as a test subject, but encountered interference. I plan to resolve this matter soon.”
-Don’t dawdle. Execute the plan the moment preparations are complete. This old man has no patience, you understand? Or do you hope that I’ll step in myself?
“No, sir. I will handle this within my authority. I must.”
-Kkhehehe, that’s the spirit. To prove your worth, swift action is essential. Do you understand?
“I understand. I will prove myself without fail.”
The call ended with those words, but Gregor Fontaine’s eyes remained fixed on the communication conduit for some time.
‘Baluduk himself contacted me… There is no time to waste. I must proceed as quickly as possible.’
Soon, Gregor Fontaine retrieved another communication conduit.
It was the conduit connected to his direct assassination unit, commonly known as the Hunting Dogs.
-Yes, Tower Master.
“Galph, are the preparations complete?”
-Of course. Everyone is standing by.
“Excellent. I’ll contact you again shortly. Move according to my orders.”
-Understood. We await your command.
After ending the call, Gregor Fontaine rummaged through the drawer containing the communication conduits.
“It should be somewhere here… Ah, there it is.”
Gregor Fontaine retrieved the communication conduit he had once shared with Gerard McLafflin for the purpose of exchanging information, running his fingers across its smooth surface.
“It still has enough magical power to be useful.”
Just as he was about to tap it and contact Gerard McLafflin.
The communication conduit suddenly emitted light.
The other party had initiated contact first.
Gregor Fontaine’s expression showed a moment of surprise, then his lips curved into a smile.

* * *
“There. You got what you wanted, didn’t you? I persuaded the Tower Master just as you asked.”
“Well done, First Brother.”
Zeke smiled broadly and treated Peter with respect, but Peter’s mood couldn’t have been worse.
He knew his position all too well.
‘Damn it. Completely at the mercy of my youngest brother.’
Having bound myself with that strange pen in a covenant, I couldn’t refuse his requests.
On top of that, I was compromised by the recording.
‘It’s called a favor, but isn’t this essentially blackmail?’
Just moments ago, Zeke had made one request of me.
To persuade the Tower Master to delay my magical training.
As someone bound by covenant, I had no right to refuse.
Perhaps that’s why Zeke’s smiling face looked so infuriatingly smug.
“Zeke, but how are you using magic without even a circle? Where exactly did you secretly learn such peculiar techniques…?”
“Brother. I’m being generous by smiling, so please don’t ask questions that cross the line. It’s also troublesome if you carelessly spread word elsewhere. Revealing my secrets would constitute a betrayal.”
“B-but I wouldn’t reveal anything. I know well enough not to speak of it.”
“Don’t forget. Your lifeline is in my hands.”
The smile vanished from Zeke’s face.
Peter was slightly taken aback by the change, but he didn’t particularly care.
As long as my relationship with the Tower Master didn’t reach Father’s ears.
“W-well then, let me ask you just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Do you truly have no ambition for the position of Family Head?”
“Yes. So you just stay quiet, Brother. Keep silent as a dormouse, and the position of Family Head will roll into your lap of its own accord. Don’t even think of scheming behind the scenes.”
“Am I mad? I know better than anyone that I couldn’t betray you even if I wanted to. Scheming? That’s the last thing on my mind.”
“Then I’ll trust you and watch. If you hear anything from the Tower Master, tell me immediately. But if word comes and you hide it, that would be a betrayal of me. Do you understand?”
“Ugh, fine. I’ll pass on any news I hear.”
“Then conduct yourself well.”
“Y-yes.”
Peter frowned as he watched Zeke turn and leave, speaking reluctantly.

* * *
Tap—
Zeke returned to his room and exhaled deeply.
‘Good. I’ve successfully cancelled the magical training as planned.’
If I had my way, I’d punish the Tower Master and Peter too—those who tried to sell me as an experimental subject.
But in the end, I held back.
‘This isn’t a problem I can solve by stepping in myself.’
The Tower Master’s involvement was no trivial matter.
Even if the Circle was equal to Father, the position of Tower Master represented the kingdom’s prestige—the very face of the Magic Tower.
The head of such an institution had seduced the eldest son of a Prestigious Magic Family and bound him with a Mana Oath?
And the youngest of that same family had been targeted for human experimentation?
It was an incident capable of turning the entire nation upside down.
‘The Tower Master is definitely targeting our family. I heard him speaking directly about it.’
I couldn’t understand why he was doing this.
Why he acted as though we were sworn enemies remained a mystery.
What was certain was that this wasn’t a problem I could solve alone.
‘Since it concerns the family, I need to inform Father first.’
Peter would be horrified if he found out, but I had no intention of keeping my promise.
This wasn’t something I could simply bury.
‘Promises are made to be broken.’
Keep a promise to Peter, who tried to sell me out?
Even a stray dog would laugh at that.
Knock, knock—
“Father, may I come in?”
“Zeke? Come in.”
As I opened the Study Room door, Gerard was just putting on his coat.
“I was just about to see you, actually.”
“Me?”
“I spoke with the Tower Master a moment ago. Apparently, you don’t need to attend the magical training. Isn’t that good news?”
“It is.”
“Hmm?”
Gerard’s expression hardened at my unexpected response.
“Why do you look so serious? Aren’t you pleased?”
“I am pleased. But this doesn’t seem like a time for celebration.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
I nodded gravely, and Gerard’s expression grew serious to match.
“Sit down and tell me. What’s happened?”

* * *
“…And that’s how things stand.”
“Haaah.”
Gerard pressed his temples firmly on both sides, his head throbbing with tension.
It was the most shocking revelation he’d heard in recent memory.
‘Gregor Fontaine, that bastard placed a Mana Oath on my own child?’
That wasn’t all.
He’d summoned my youngest son—the one I cherished most—under the pretense of magical training, intending to use him as an experimental subject.
Under normal circumstances, I would have dismissed such an absurd claim outright.
But the evidence was far too compelling to ignore.
I’d already heard the entire recording from Zeke McLafflin.
“Where did that butterfly brooch come from?”
“I found it in the Dragon Ruins.”
“Ah, so that’s what the Knight Commander reported on before.”
It seemed Raker had given him a full report on everything that happened at the ruins.
“But I recall you brought back a necklace at that time?”
“I brought this as well.”
“Let me see it.”
Gerard took the brooch and examined it with evident curiosity.
A brooch capable of eavesdropping on someone’s communication conduit—remarkable.
“It’s certainly intriguing, but given the content, it’s difficult to believe without question. Even with the voices of the Tower Master and Peter being unmistakably clear.”
“I anticipated this and secured additional evidence.”
Zeke McLafflin produced another recording device.
It appeared to be an ordinary rod-shaped recorder, but its contents were anything but ordinary.
-Why did you do this? Brother. Did you hate the sight of me so much that you’d sell me to the Magic Tower?
-Ha, you got me completely. Since it’s come to this, there’s no point hiding. What do you want? You wouldn’t have come to me without reason.
-I simply need someone on my side.
-Unfortunately, what can I do? I’ve already sworn a Mana Oath with the Tower Master.
-What are the terms of the oath?
-It’s set so that my Circle collapses the moment I betray the Tower Master. I have no choice but to be a loyal servant.
“This is…!”
“It’s a recording of my conversation with Peter McLafflin. When I played the Tower Master’s recording and threatened him, he spilled everything.”
The additional evidence was irrefutable.
I hadn’t revealed that I’d subdued him by preventing him from using magic, nor that I’d made a covenant with him.
“Haaah….”
Gerard exhaled a sigh that seemed uncharacteristic of him.
His stern countenance had transformed into one filled with concern.
“Hearing the additional evidence leaves no room for doubt.”
“Exactly.”
“This is no trivial matter. Not only must I cast out Peter with my own hands, but I may even need to wage war against the Tower Master.”
“But you’re not actually going to do that, are you? That would be a mistake.”
Gerard, who had been studying me intently, asked as if testing my resolve.
“Why not?”
“If you destroy or expel Peter’s circle, the Tower Master will find out immediately. He’s bound to have informants. Once he realizes his scheme has been exposed, there’s no telling what ruthless measures he might take. People like that tend to think in extremes.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Even if we expose him, we need to be prepared with countermeasures first. The reason I’m sharing this information with you now is to give you advance warning of that necessity.”
“So you’re saying we should use our informational advantage against the Tower Master and strike back? Is that it?”
“Yes. We can’t simply endure this passively.”
Gerard was inwardly astonished by my forthright words.
His own thoughts aligned perfectly with mine.
‘I asked as a test, but how can our thinking be so identical?’
Perhaps because this was his own child, the boy’s judgment was remarkably sound.
Gerard found it impossible to suppress his smile.
“Heh, I thought you were gentle-natured since you stayed home so much, but you have unexpected depths. Good. As you suggest, I’ll postpone revealing this information. I need to confirm whether the Tower Master is truly an enemy first.”
“Thank you. Is there anything else I can help with?”
“No. You’ve already been of considerable assistance. You’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to me and simply observe from here.”
“Understood.”
“And this brooch here….”
Gerard fingered the butterfly brooch he was holding.
“Could you lend it to me for a while? There’s someone I need to show it to.”
“Could you lend it to me for a moment? There’s someone I need to show it to.”

* * *
Decan is home to three Prestigious Magic Families.
Bigsland, McLafflin, and Fontaine.
The first two families maintained good relations as priest and disciple, but Fontaine was different.
Though Gregor Fontaine, the Magic Tower Master, had once been Dalpred Bigsland’s student, that was ancient history.
Everyone who mattered knew that their relationship had soured and they now stood in opposition.
It was also common knowledge that they sought to expand their family’s influence by arranging betrothals with lower-ranking families.
Given such circumstances, the McLafflin Family could not simply sit idle.
Luna McLafflin’s betrothal to the fiancé of the fourth-ranked Baldor Family was precisely for this reason.
“Theo, what should we do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Lately, the youngest has been contacting the eldest brother quite frequently. What do you think that means?”
Theo Baldor, who had been pondering his betrothed’s question, finally spoke.
“He’s already trying to climb the ladder.”
“Exactly. That cunning wretch Zeke has no confidence in winning the succession trial, so he’s clinging to Peter. If this continues, our position could be compromised.”
“Don’t worry. If First Son has any sense, would he seriously entertain such a fool? He’s probably just humoring him.”
“But we can’t just watch this happen. We need to do something too.”
“Hush, keep your voice down. There was an unfortunate incident not long ago—if someone hears this, they’ll get the wrong idea.”
The unfortunate incident Theo referred to was the Alex affair.
Rumors of how they’d mobilized assassins and been expelled after their circle was disbanded had long since spread to the remote countryside.
Though the McLafflin Family’s prestige had suffered as a result, that didn’t mean they could engage in further scheming.
“In times like these, we must remain still. If we act rashly and the backlash reaches us, what then?”
“But it’s irritating.”
“You seem to dislike the youngest quite a bit.”
“I don’t know.”
Rather than deny it, Luna crossed her arms and turned her head away.
To her, Zeke was hardly a welcome presence.
The favored position she’d once enjoyed as the youngest had been stolen from her because of him.
‘I simply want to push him out just as he pushed me out.’
The fortunate thing was that he was born a fool who couldn’t even form a circle.
Left alone, he would naturally be eliminated.
‘There’s no need to actively counter Zeke. But how can I stand the sight of him?’
Perhaps troubled by Luna’s sullen expression, Theo pondered for a moment before cautiously offering his thoughts.
Theo, who had been thinking briefly, carefully ventured an opinion.
“What if we did this?”

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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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