The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 199

—————
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 199
Thud, thud—
An old man walked through the dark corridor, his gaze grave and measured.
He was none other than Shane II, King of Decan.
He was making his rounds to manage Decan’s Treasure Vault, one of his daily duties.
Upon reaching the Stone Chamber, Shane II pressed his palm against the crystal orb.
—Shane Philip de Decan. Identity confirmed.
Click.
As the sealed door swung open, Shane II stepped inside.
Within lay countless treasures passed down from his ancestors—riches that no amount of gold could purchase.
Shane II carefully wiped each treasure with cloth.
As he dusted them, he counted each piece meticulously.
‘Everything is here, accounted for.’
Just as every king before him had done, Shane II maintained the vault without fail.
Not a single day had been missed since his ascension to the throne.
These were relics the elves had entrusted to humanity, artifacts used during the Heavenly Demon War—they could not be neglected.
‘I wonder if that boy, Zeke, is making good use of his gifts?’
Two years ago, he had bestowed two treasures upon a boy named Zeke, who had saved his life by preventing an assassination attempt.
A ring and a staff—he wondered if the boy was still using them well.
‘The elves said I could lend them to those worthy of trust, so there should be no issue.’
That boy would surely treasure and use them well, given they were gifts from the King himself.
With such thoughts, he finished his inspection and exited the vault.
He carried with him the assurance that he had protected the treasures safely for another day.
But Shane II did not know.
Slip—
A thief had already slipped into the vault.

* * *
‘As expected, it’s easy to slip inside.’
The figure who dispelled his invisibility and revealed himself was Clifford, the Iron Man.
Levitating with telekinesis and gazing down at the royal fortress, he discovered gaps where the protective barrier failed to reach, allowing him to infiltrate the Royal Palace without obstruction.
He then proceeded through a corridor he had memorized beforehand, arriving at the Underground Chamber of treasures, and waited for someone while maintaining his invisibility.
None other than the King.
‘Without the King, it would be difficult to enter quietly.’
Of course, if he used telekinesis, he could destroy the Stone Chamber’s door and force his way in.
But doing so would trigger the alarm spells installed throughout and alert everyone to the intrusion with the resulting explosion.
‘That’s not what Stella desires.’
She had instructed him to plunder the vault as quietly as possible, so he had no choice but to wait for the King’s arrival.
‘If I hadn’t discovered that Shane II enters the vault at the same time every day, I would have waited far longer.’
When Shane II opened the door, Clifford slipped inside while maintaining his invisibility, making infiltration effortless.
‘Now then, shall I examine these items?’
The vault contained countless Elven weapons forged three thousand years ago.
A common thief would have stolen everything and fled, but Clifford harbored no such intention.
‘I’ll destroy them all. Every single one.’
He unleashed telekinesis to render them non-functional.
By warping the internal components of each item, he rendered them utterly useless in an instant.
They would appear intact to the naked eye, yet they would not operate.
‘If the Heavenly Demon War erupts, they will surely attempt to reuse these Elven weapons. But with them destroyed like this, they’ll be powerless.’
This was the reason the Forerunners had targeted Decan’s Treasure Vault.
To secure victory in war, it was necessary to destroy these treasures.
‘With this, the probability of the Demon Faction losing the war has diminished considerably.’
Having destroyed every treasure, Clifford exited the vault, his mission complete.
As he departed the Royal Palace under the veil of invisibility, no one witnessed his escape.

* * *
Before departing for the Western Continent.
I found someone—or rather, a dragon.
“I’m planning to head to the Western Continent. Do you happen to have any teleportation coordinates?”
“Pardon? The Western Continent… what business do you have there?”
Cardiplian’s expression grew bewildered before his eyes widened with sudden realization.
“Don’t tell me… you’re going to rescue our brethren!”
“Shh. Keep your voice down. Someone might hear.”
I quickly silenced him since there were people nearby.
Most people had no idea he was actually a dragon.
They certainly didn’t know I was venturing to the Western Continent to rescue enslaved dragons.
Cardiplian’s face soon filled with gratitude and emotion.
“You’re willing to cross not only the Eastern Continent but venture all the way to the Western Continent to help us. I’m truly grateful, Zeke!”
“I said keep your voice down…”
Though uncomfortable with the praise, I redirected the conversation, urging him to be quiet.
After all, I was only motivated by the Quest rewards, so I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
“Anyway, do you have the coordinates or not?”
“My apologies. I’ve only heard rumors that our brethren exist there, but I’ve never actually visited that region myself…”
‘Hmm. Then I’ll have to find another way.’
I’d hoped Cardiplian, being a former enslaved dragon himself and having volunteered as a guide for the Eastern Continent, might know something. But it seemed I’d miscalculated.
Fortunately, the conversation wasn’t entirely fruitless.
“While I don’t know the coordinates, if you visit Berhiman Harbor and ask around, you should be able to find a way. It’s the region closest to the Western Continent, and you’d need to go there anyway to arrange a teleportation…”
“Berhiman Harbor… thank you.”
I had my destination.

* * *
After bidding farewell to my family, I set off without hesitation.
Once I had my bearings, my pace quickened.
I was using the Glacial Path skill, after all.
Whoooosh!
As I ran, a sheet of ice spread across the ground before me like a freshly paved road.
I glided across it with such velocity that even a Magic Carriage would seem sluggish by comparison.
I had to admit—this skill was incredibly fast.
The Wind God’s Boots I wore, which increased my movement speed by 300%, only amplified the effect.
At this pace, I’d arrive far sooner than expected.
I hadn’t yet obtained the coordinates for the Western Continent, but I planned to gather detailed clues at the Harbor.
Once I arrived, something would turn up. With my ability to read true intentions, extracting information would be effortless.
As I dashed through the Forest Path, scattering ice in my wake, something caught my senses.
I immediately changed direction and stopped before a massive tree.
There was something here.
Thump!
I plunged my hand into the earth.
Something solid met my grip.
I pulled it free—a black gemstone gleamed in my palm.
So this was what they called a Demonic Stone?
My senses had suddenly sharpened, giving me the feeling that something was buried here. When I excavated it, this appeared.
All thanks to the Demonic Stone Detection skill I’d acquired from Seire of the Demon Faction.
My eyes sparkled at the sight of this unfamiliar treasure.
Consuming this would permanently increase my Demonic Power by 1?
After brushing away the dirt, I placed it in my mouth and swallowed.
Someone might mock me for eating a jewel out of desperation, but why would I hesitate when my Demonic Power would increase permanently?
As expected.
[Demonic Stone consumed.]
[Demonic Power has permanently increased by 1.]
A smile curved across my lips at the welcome notification.
This is excellent. Are there any other Demonic Stones nearby?
I looked around, but I couldn’t sense anything like before.
Well, I’d probably encounter more on the way.
Just as I was about to resume my journey.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Father had been curious about Russell’s whereabouts.
Unlike my eldest brother Peter, my second brother Russell had been friendly with me from the start.
Since I was equally curious about Russell’s location, I closed my eyes and pressed my hand to the ground.
[By borrowing the power of the earth, you can track a desired target.]
[Close your eyes and envision the target you wish to locate.]
[The more detailed your memory of their face, the higher the accuracy.]
Following the message’s guidance, I recalled Russell’s visage.
The memory surfaced vividly—Russell turning back his steps a year and three months ago to prepare for the succession trial.
[Target location identified.]
[Transmitting location data.]
‘Found him. The direction matches too.’
Had it been the opposite direction from the Harbor, I would have hesitated, but fortunately the path aligned.
‘Russell. Thank the heavens you survived and didn’t perish.’
Where was he now, and what was he doing?
What had he been doing these past year and three months?
‘I’m heading to meet you now.’
My movements accelerated like the wind itself.

* * *
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
A Merchant Caravan was escorting a Magic Carriage along the road.
It was a sight common enough anywhere, yet one peculiar detail stood out.
A knight in polished armor and a ragged mercenary in leather armor were escorting together.
“Damn it. I should’ve refused this contract from the start.”
“Having to travel alongside these arrogant knights…”
“I agree. This is unbearably uncomfortable, truly.”
“Shh. Watch your tongue. Do you know how keen their hearing is? They enhance their senses with aura or whatever it is?”
“Hey, you there. Mercenary rabble!”
The gossiping mercenaries lifted their heads with guilty expressions.
“Yes? Us, us?”
“Is there another band of mercenary rabble here besides you lot? Stop your muttering and focus on watching the perimeter! We’ll be approaching a prime location for bandit attacks soon!”
“Y-yes, yes, of course, sir.”
The commoner mercenaries had no choice but to bow their heads before the knights’ rebuke.
They were ordinary mercenaries—unaffiliated, living hand to mouth—with neither status nor martial prowess to match the knights.
Mere sellswords who knew how to swing a blade, nothing more.
“Hell. Should’ve stuck to odd jobs like usual.”
“But once this job’s done, we’ll pocket serious coin.”
“Right. A whole month without money troubles, they said.”
“Still chattering away, are you rabble?”
At the knight’s thunderous rebuke, the mercenaries fell silent and scattered from one another.
The escorting knights watched their retreat with disdain.
“Utterly useless lot, if you ask me.”
“Useless? At least they make our numbers look impressive, don’t they?”
“Hah, true. We can dump all sorts of tedious tasks on them.”
“Well, they’re not bad for using as expendable shields, anyway.”
The muttering knights cast scornful glances toward the mercenaries, their eyes gleaming with contempt for pitiful wretches.
They regarded them as one might observe the dregs of society.
“We don’t even need them as shields. If a band of thieves appears, we can handle them easily enough on our own.”
“That’s true enough.”
“Still, they’re useful for cheap labor, which is why the Merchant Caravan hired them.”
The knights continued their murmuring, oblivious to one crucial fact.
A man was listening intently to their every word through magic.
‘So we were hired merely as expendable shields?’
That man was none other than Russell McLafflin.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————