The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 197

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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 197
‘How… how did you find out?’
Stella stood bewildered, unsure what to do.
She never imagined he’d uncover her true identity.
As the impossible became reality, her mind clouded over as if shrouded in fog.
She couldn’t find the words to respond.
“Your real name is Stella, isn’t it?”
“….”
“You’re not denying it?”
It was Baluduk who reacted to Zeke’s menacing expression.
“N-now, let’s not do this. Let’s talk this through calmly….”
“Stay out of this, old man. Unless you want another beating like last time.”
“….”
To any observer, he might have seemed like an insolent brat, but given the circumstances, it was justified.
Before anything else, the two were enemies—and one held overwhelming superiority.
Regardless, Stella fixed Baluduk with a sharp glare and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Did you two meet before? And you didn’t report it to me? Not even a word?”
“Ah… well, that is….”
Seeing Baluduk’s distress, it was clear they had indeed met.
Stella let out a sigh at the absurdity of it all.
She could only draw one conclusion.
‘Baluduk betrayed me. He spilled everything about me. There’s no other explanation.’
Perhaps he’d been coerced.
Given the actions of a descendant of gods, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Regardless, what mattered was that he’d not only seen through the Demon Faction’s plans but had also uncovered her identity.
“Sigh… I can tell you’re not testing me. Fine. I’ll admit it. I am Stella.”
“You were planning to send demons to kill me, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You saw me as an obstacle?”
“I won’t deny it.”
At this point, there was no use in playing dumb.
‘It’s all over.’
Stella had given up.
She wouldn’t grovel pathetically for her life, nor would she resort to lies or excuses.
It would all be meaningless anyway.
‘He’ll probably kill me.’
She’d already attempted his assassination multiple times, and evidence of her involvement with his family was secured.
His eyes alone made it clear he held no goodwill toward her.
‘Lord Beelzebub. I apologize. It seems this is where my journey ends. I sought to open the Heavenly Demon War and achieve our great cause, but it was not meant to be. I offer my apologies once more and shall see you again in the depths of hell.’
She closed her eyes softly and silently spoke her final words.
A situation where death was a certainty.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for him to let me live.
But then something unexpected happened.
“That’s enough. I’ll accept your acknowledgment.”
“…?”
“From now on, stop your foolish games and live quietly. If you ever touch me again or massacre innocent citizens….”
Zeke McLafflin’s eyes, brimming with murderous intent, swept across Stella and Baluduk in turn.
“Know that neither of you will escape unscathed. Remember that.”
With only those words, Zeke McLafflin departed.
The situation concluded with nothing but a warning.
“D-did he really leave?”
“I-I think so?”
The two stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the spot where Zeke McLafflin had vanished.

* * *
‘Damn it. What’s his intention? The system?’
The reason I had no choice but to withdraw.
It was none other than the system.
The system had issued a new mission.
【Sudden Quest: Release Stella and Baluduk!】
└You have already obtained all necessary information from Stella and Baluduk.
└Your objective has been achieved. Release them now and wait for the right moment.
【Conditions】
└Release Stella and Baluduk
【Rewards】
└Random stat increase of 5,000
└7th-tier skill proficiency increased by 10
It was an exceptionally simple task.
Just letting them go would raise my stats and proficiency.
But from my perspective, it was a blow to my pride.
‘Let me release the very source of evil that touched my family and slaughtered innocent citizens?’
Moreover, I knew all too well what they would scheme in the future.
I knew better than anyone that they intended to use countless people as sacrifices to ignite the Second Heavenly Demon War.
‘The system must know that too. Yet it still tells me to release them….’
What could possibly be the system’s hidden agenda?
In that moment, I found myself endlessly curious about the intentions of the system, which I’d always believed was a navigation guiding me toward the righteous path.
‘If the system says to do it, then I do it. It’s not just anyone—it’s the system’s will.’
In truth, I hadn’t intended to kill them anyway.
If I killed them without a quest appearing, wouldn’t I be unable to collect the Forerunners’ vestment set?
‘Still, I was planning to vent my frustration. But now even that is forbidden… sigh.’
I couldn’t contain my frustration any longer—my irritation was reaching a boiling point.
‘Quest or not, why should I follow the system’s whims?’
The thought struck me suddenly, and I halted my steps.
Should I just return as things stood, eliminate those bastards, and put an end to this once and for all?
‘But what about the Demon Realm’s army? The Demon King?’
I’d already become entangled with the Demon Realm in a way that couldn’t be undone.
Without a doubt, they were preparing to send higher-ranking demons again to exact their revenge on me.
‘Is the system accounting for that? Is that why it told me to spare those two? Because they still have value to exploit?’
Just then, as if dismissing my tangled thoughts, a message window appeared.
[Stella and Baluduk Released – Complete!]
[Sudden Quest Cleared!]
[Reward: Random Stats increased by 5,000.]
[Reward: 7th Circle Skill Proficiency increased by 10.]
[Proficiency Remaining Until 2-Star Achievement: 35/100]
Following the rewards, a Quest window appeared.
【Main Quest: To the Western Continent!】
└You have obtained information that enslaved dragons exist on the Western Continent.
└To rescue them, find the enslaved dragons on the Western Continent.
【Conditions】
└Find enslaved dragons on the Western Continent
【Rewards】
└Acquire Skill ‘Thousand-Mile Vision’
‘The system gives me no time to think. Fine, I understand. First, I need to rescue the other dragons.’
Regardless of the system’s intentions, I began preparing to journey to the Western Continent.

* * *
Having narrowly escaped death, Stella’s first action was to file a report.
She needed to inform her guardian, the Demon King Beelzebub, of everything that had transpired.
‘Why isn’t he responding to my calls?’
In the spiritual space of the Luminous Portalsphere.
There, Stella—bearing the wings of the Celestial Realm—waited for the king with an anxious expression.
Not the king of the Celestial Realm, but the king of the Demon Realm.
In that moment of yearning anticipation.
Space tore open, and a presence manifested.
The connection had been answered.
By the Demon King himself.
[I greet Your Majesty, the Great King.]
[Formalities are unnecessary. What matter compelled you to summon me?]
Beelzebub’s indifferent tone stung, but Stella set aside her personal feelings and proceeded with her report.
[Your Majesty, I have critical information to relay.]
[Speak.]
[The six demons sent to eliminate the Divine Descendant were utterly destroyed.]
[I am already aware.]
[You are?]
[Rahimos reported to me in astonishment—all the high-ranking demons who manifested in the Human Realm returned with fractured souls, and were subsequently annihilated entirely.]
Shock flickered across Stella’s eyes.
The annihilation of a soul meant eternal death.
How could she not be astounded that wounds had been inflicted not merely upon the body, but upon the very soul itself?
[Ah… Now I understand how the immortal Lich Dragon was slain. To sever even the soul itself….]
[So, you summoned me merely to report the deaths of these demons?]
Beelzebub’s response was remarkably unmoved.
His subordinates had perished, yet he remained so utterly composed.
‘If he were the type to be shaken by such matters, he would never have ascended to that throne.’
Besides, the high demons numbered exactly seventy-two, with Beelzebub at their head.
Though eight had fallen, it was hardly a catastrophic loss in terms of overall strength.
Yet they could not simply ignore a Divine Descendant who had struck at the Demon Realm.
[Is that all your report contains?]
[No, Your Majesty. There is more.]
[What is it?]
Stella recalled her conversation with Zeke and swallowed hard.
[The Divine Descendant… has discovered my identity.]
[How?]
[I do not know. I questioned Baluduk, but he insists he has never betrayed us… yet there are inconsistencies that make his words difficult to accept outright….]
[Speak plainly. What is the crux of the matter?]
[The point is, Your Majesty, that now the Divine Descendant knows our identities and our plans, we cannot leave him unchecked. Please dispatch reinforcements at once.]
[That won’t do.]
[Understood… Pardon?]
Stella’s face went blank at the unexpected response.
[If I may be so bold, why can’t you provide support?]
[Eight high-ranking Demon Faction members have already fallen. What good would sending more do except provide more sacrifices? And this is a battle in the Human Realm, not the Demon Realm itself.]
High-ranking demons could only exert twenty percent of their power when leaving the Demon Realm.
Considering that, it was indeed a disadvantageous fight.
A valid point.
[That may be true… but we can’t just leave him alone like this….]
[I have no intention of accepting needless losses. Leave that creature alone and focus on preparing for the Heavenly Demon War. Our true enemy is those accursed Celestials, not some mere human.]
The words rose to her throat—that mere human had brought the Demon Faction to ruin—but she swallowed them back down.
The Demon King’s decision was law.
Stella had neither reason nor courage to overturn his words.
[Understood. I shall expedite preparations for the Heavenly Demon War.]

* * *
“Zeke, where have you been? Do you know how much the lords have been searching for you?”
At his father’s question, Zeke feigned ignorance.
“Oh, is that so?”
The lords were searching for him?
The reason was obvious.
‘They want to know the results of my investigation.’
Zeke had acted as though he knew something and quickly excused himself with the pretense of conducting an investigation.
Without telling the lords the details.
So naturally they were anxious.
“Gerard, has Zeke arrived?”
“There he is!”
“Zeke! What happened? The investigation you mentioned?”
Four lords, excluding Maligore, rushed toward Zeke in a frenzy.
They wanted to hear the results.
I wanted nothing more than to tell them plainly that the Saint was the culprit.
‘But the system stands in the way.’
The system’s intention in sparing the Saint troubled me.
‘And even if the lords act, they won’t be able to stop them.’
The opposition was the 12 Pioneers.
Specifically, the first, second, and third ranked.
No matter how powerful four lords were, it would be impossible to stop those who had reached the pinnacle of the 9th Circle.
‘Then I have no choice but to mention the Mados Religion.’
I decided it would be better to guide the lords to stop them instead, in case they ignored my warning and proceeded with preparations for the Heavenly Demon War.
“From my investigation, I found that there’s a problem with the Mados Religion.”
“The Mados Religion?”
“What kind of religion is that?”
“I’ve heard of it. It’s a new religious movement that opposes the Elos Church of the Holy Empire.”
The lords murmured among themselves, and I elaborated further on the information.
“From what I’ve gathered, the Mados Religion’s followers are growing in number. But apparently, someone is using hallucinogens or something similar to facilitate this growth.”
“Hallucinogens?”
“I don’t know the details. The important thing is that we need to find and dismantle all branches of the Mados Religion across the continent. We can’t allow more followers to suffer harm from these hallucinogens.”
“If what you say is true, this is indeed a grave matter.”
“I understand your concern. Let’s work together to prevent the followers from increasing, as you suggest.”
“Thank you.”
Fortunately, the lords believed my words.
It seemed I had earned their trust through my actions thus far.
“I have business elsewhere, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Where are you going?”
To my father’s question, I replied casually.
“The Western Continent.”

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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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