The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 193
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 193
Archbishop Raber of the Holy Empire.
Assassination threats were hardly surprising to him.
After all, any person of prominence faced threats to their life for one reason or another.
Moreover, once one passed seventy years of age, the affairs of the world seemed to lose their capacity to astonish.
The emotion of surprise grew distant.
Yet now, he found himself more astonished than ever before.
“Sir Zeke, what on earth are you saying?”
The boy who had saved him—Zeke McLafflin.
It wasn’t merely that he had appeared unexpectedly at the Holy Empire.
“I must ask a favor of you, Archbishop.”
Rather, it was the utterly unforeseen request he had made.
“To arrange a connection with the Saint? What in the world could you possibly mean by—”
“The truth is, I have feelings for the Saint…”
“Since when?”
“Since the moment I first saw her.”
The sight of Zeke, lowering his head shyly and scratching the back of his neck, evoked the image of an innocent countryside youth with no experience in matters of the heart.
For Raber, it was a request beyond all reason.
“Well, yes… Prisciel is certainly beautiful. But isn’t this rather sudden?”
“Why would it be sudden?”
“Because you’ve never expressed such feelings before, have you?”
Zeke had first met the Saint in the Braham Kingdom.
It was when he had conducted an undercover investigation after learning of a gathering of the Mados Religion, and they had been together then.
‘Yet at that time, there was no sign of affection whatsoever…’
Could it be that when she introduced the Saint as his fiancée under his cover identity, he felt a romantic thrill?
Had that moment awakened such feelings in him?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Zeke spoke.
As if reading his very thoughts.
“I was drawn to Lady Prisciel partly because of her appearance, but also because she introduced me as her fiancé. If she said something like that, it means she doesn’t have absolutely no feelings for me, doesn’t it?”
“No, that was merely a cover identity. You mustn’t take it seriously…”
“Regardless, my feelings for the Saint will not change.”
Raber pressed his forehead.
The boy was thoroughly mistaken.
‘To confuse a beautiful woman’s kindness for romantic interest… They say naive youths are most likely to fall in love with a woman they’ve just met, and this boy is the perfect example.’
He would need to hear Prisciel’s opinion as well, but from what Raber could see, her actions had been entirely selfless.
Even if he were to arrange a meeting between them, it was painfully obvious that only Zeke’s heart would be wounded.
“Sir Zeke. I say this for your own sake…”
“I don’t wish to hear anything else. Please arrange for me to meet the Saint. You said before that I should speak if I had a wish, didn’t you? This is my wish.”
Zeke was resolute.
With the boy staking his wish on this, there was no way to simply brush past it.
“Ugh… I see. If you’re going to say it like that, I suppose I can’t refuse. I’ll grant your wish.”
Zeke grinned widely as he watched Raber accept.
“Thank you so much!”
Though it was all an act.
* * *
I had known the Saint’s true identity from the moment I first saw her.
‘What? Who is this woman?’
Nine mana rings resonating in my chest.
Yet the Saint introduced herself as a 7th Circle mage.
[The target you are currently observing is speaking ‘falsehoods’.]
‘She’s lying outright on our first meeting?’
Suspicious, I immediately read her thoughts.
And I was able to discover it.
Prisciel’s true identity.
‘Her real name is Stella. A 9th Circle mage wielding light attribute magic, and the leader commanding the 12 Pioneers?’
I didn’t show it, but I was genuinely shocked.
However, what surprised me even more was something else.
‘An angel? Not human, but a Celestial?’
The woman masquerading as a Saint was a fallen angel.
Rather than serving the god Ellos of the Holy Empire, she served the opposite—the Mados Religion.
Appearing as a Celestial on the surface, but actually siding with the Demon Faction, a traitor.
That was Prisciel’s—no, Stella’s true identity.
Moreover, I discovered she was a direct subordinate of the Demon Lord Beelzebub.
‘Nothing surprises me anymore, truly.’
Though I was quite shocked upon learning Prisciel’s identity, I maintained my composure.
My skill helped, but more importantly, no Quest had appeared.
‘That’s why I left her alone and pretended not to know until now.’
But things are different now.
A Quest has appeared.
【Sudden Quest: Make contact with the Saint!】
└You are aware that Prisciel Christenson, the Saint of the Holy Empire, is actually Stella, ranked 1st among the 12 Pioneers.
└Now that the clues have run dry, this is the right timing. Meet with her.
【Conditions】
└Meet the Saint
【Rewards】
└Random stat increase of 5,000
└7th tier skill proficiency increase of 10
The proficiency increase caught my eye more than the stat boost.
‘Right. I already knew that proficiency could increase through quest rewards.’
A reduction of ten days isn’t particularly significant.
‘But even this much helps. I should be grateful I can shave off ten days.’
I need to meet the Saint regardless, because of the Quest.
However, there’s no way she’d agree to meet me just because we’ve seen each other once.
I’ve heard she’s busy distributing holy water throughout the Holy Empire and extracting intelligence on the Mados Religion.
‘She’s probably occupied with her double life.’
In any case, without a legitimate reason, she wouldn’t agree to meet me, which is why I sought out Raber.
I thought that if I brought up the story of how I’d fallen for the Saint under the pretext of making a wish, he’d arrange a meeting for us.
Fortunately, the plan worked.
Raber, who couldn’t have imagined such scheming, was worried about how to arrange their meeting.
* * *
“Pardon? You’re coming here?”
―Yes. We’re departing together right now.
“Ah, then I’ll be waiting. Archbishop Raber.”
After ending her communication with Raber, Prisciel couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
‘I have no scheduled appointments. Why is he suddenly visiting the Holy Sanctuary?’
She couldn’t fathom the reason for the Archbishop’s sudden visit.
‘And he’s not coming alone—he’s bringing the Successor of God with him.’
She had first met Zeke McLafflin, the Successor of God, in the Braham Kingdom.
‘I didn’t expect him to come with the Archbishop back then either.’
If the Archbishop’s assassination had succeeded, they would never have met, but because it failed, a connection was formed.
Though if she was being honest, it was more of a curse than a connection.
‘He doesn’t know my true identity. But I know his. I know what abilities he possesses.’
Even if we meet again, I have nothing to fear.
The advantage of information lies with me.
‘I’m genuinely curious why he suddenly wants to meet.’
Prisciel’s curiosity would be answered shortly.
“Prisciel.”
“Welcome, Archbishop Raber. It’s been a while, Zeke.”
“Ah, yes….”
Zeke appeared somewhat bashful.
The Archbishop seemed to be facing an awkward situation, fidgeting uncomfortably.
Both seemed off, but Prisciel got straight to the point.
“So, what did you wish to discuss….”
“Well, that is….”
The Archbishop considered it a foregone conclusion, yet he couldn’t avoid speaking since he’d made a promise.
“How about you have a conversation with Zeke here?”
“Pardon? What sort of conversation?”
“Well, that is….”
I had no experience arranging matters for a saint, and the situation was proving awkward.
It was Zeke McLafflin who found the courage to speak first.
“I like you, Saint.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m saying I like you, Saint.”
He’d said it twice—there was no way she could have misheard.
Yet the saint still felt compelled to ask again, as if to confirm she hadn’t misunderstood.
“What are you saying, Zeke McLafflin?”
“You just heard me. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”
“You’re saying you like me?”
“Yes. How do you feel about me, Saint?”
“I like you too, Zeke McLafflin.”
“No, Prisciel.”
Raber stepped in, unable to bear it any longer.
“Zeke McLafflin means he likes you romantically.”
“What?”
Her thoughts came to a complete halt.
Prisciel’s mind flooded with confusion.
‘What? A descendant of God likes me?’
A confession out of nowhere.
And the one confessing was a descendant of God—the very enemy of the Forerunners?
An enemy declaring affection for her. The absurdity of it all.
Prisciel couldn’t help but ask.
“Are you sincere, Zeke McLafflin?”
“Yes. I’m being serious right now. I was captivated from the moment we first met.”
Zeke McLafflin’s eyes were clear and unwavering.
There was no hint of jest in that gaze.
Realizing his sincerity, Prisciel became even more confused.
‘But I didn’t make any advances. Why is he suddenly saying this? Could it be because I introduced him as my fiancé before?’
No matter how she reasoned it, that seemed the only explanation.
Or perhaps he simply found her appearance appealing.
‘When I wore casual clothes, humans confessed to me fairly often.’
But once she dressed as a saint, those confessions that had seemed routine vanished like lies.
The reason was clear.
‘A saint is the symbol of purity.’
To confess romantic feelings to the saint—the symbol of the Holy Empire and the representative of the Ellos Church?
That was the perfect way to become a target of every believer and the Holy Empire itself.
This was why the saint typically declined such confessions out of courtesy.
It was the standard procedure.
It was better for the other person’s sake as well.
It was obvious that if she dated him, she would be branded a public enemy.
But.
‘This is an opportunity.’
Prisciel Christenson saw it differently.
‘A chance to make the successor of God into my puppet.’
The common enemy of the Pioneers and the Demon Faction had approached her first with affection.
Where could she find a better situation to stab him in the back?
‘If I keep him infatuated with me, mold him carefully, and then betray him at the crucial moment?’
She could dispose of the troublemaker with remarkable ease.
Getting what she wanted without lifting a finger.
That was why Prisciel Christenson accepted his confession so positively.
“I’d like that.”
“Really?”
“Let’s talk about each other. I’m not entirely uninterested either….”
An answer he never expected.
Zeke McLafflin, who had been wearing a dumbfounded expression as if struck, broke into a radiant smile.
“That’s wonderful! Thank you for accepting my feelings, Prisciel!”
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet. I simply want to get to know you better through conversation….”
“Yes! That’s perfect!”
Unlike Zeke, who was shouting with joy, Archbishop Raber stood there utterly flabbergasted.
He had expected her to refuse, after all.
“P-Prisciel. Are you s-serious?”
“Of course. Would I lie in the Holy Sanctuary of the Ellos Church?”
Prisciel Christenson smiled brightly as she watched Zeke McLafflin, who was delighted like a child.
‘The fool. He’s walked right into my trap.’
Unaware that it was she who had fallen into the snare.
* * *
The demons who had manifested in the Human Realm gazed upon a single human.
[Who is this one?]
[A human named Baluduk. He is my subordinate and ranks second among the 12 Pioneers.]
Andrealpus spoke thus and approached Baluduk.
Baluduk immediately dropped to one knee and prostrated himself.
“Master, I greet you.”
[Baluduk. What brings you here? How did you know we were present?]
“I was unaware that nobility from the Demon Realm were here. I simply followed the aura of dense demonic energy.”
[Demonic energy?]
[Ah, we were far too careless in concealing our presence.]
[Our excitement made us slip up.]
The demons finally suppressed their demonic aura.
With six of them gathered together radiating demonic energy so openly, there was no way Baluduk could have missed it.
[This works out well. I was just about to contact the Pioneers anyway.]
“Yes? What is this matter…?”
[Come closer. We were just formulating a plan to deal with the Divine Heir.]
“Ah… Yes.”
Baluduk readily joined their group.
With six towering figures exceeding three meters in height gathered together, Baluduk could not help but feel tension.
‘Six high-ranking demons from the Demon Realm….’
Certainly, faced with such overwhelming power, Baluduk listened to their plan with a face etched with reverence and fear.
Or rather, he was about to listen.
[Hmm? A message has arrived from the Luminous Portalsphere.]
[Who is it? Is it Stella?]
[Let me check.]
Andrealpus, the highest-ranking among them, closed his eyes.
He appeared to concentrate his mind, as if conversing with Stella.
Soon, opening his eyes which glowed a pale yellow, he wore a faint smile.
[Stella sent a delightful message. She says she has the Divine Heir in her possession.]
[What? What do you mean?]
[Has she already captured the Divine Heir?]
[How?]
Curiosity erupted, and Baluduk shared in it.
Unlike the other demons, his curiosity was tinged with worry rather than anticipation.
‘Could it be that Zeke has already been captured by Stella…?’
Just as he was praying for Zeke’s safety, an unexpected revelation came.
[The Divine Heir is deeply infatuated with her, it seems.]
[What?]
[So she says there is no need to worry, as she can easily lure him in.]
[Completely smitten? Does that mean he’s fallen in love?]
[Has the Descendant of God already made contact with Stella?]
[I’m not certain of the details, but his tone made it clear he has her firmly under his control. He even said not to worry, that he could betray us whenever he wished….]
Baluduk’s expression hardened in an instant.
In contrast, the Demon Faction members grinned widely, baring their teeth in laughter.
[Ha ha! Now that’s music to my ears!]
[This might just work out smoothly after all.]
[Hmm. As it happens, I’ve just thought of an excellent strategy to perfectly ensnare the Descendant of God… Would you like to hear it?]
[What is it?]
[Listen then.]
Belial, a genius of intrigue, laid out his plan.
Baluduk listened to that plan with more attention than ever before.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————