The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 33

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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 33
In the Royal Underground Prison, even the squeak of a rat could not be heard.
Thud, thud—
Footsteps that shattered the silence pierced Gregor Fontaine’s ears.
“Gregor Fontaine.”
At the sound of his name, I lifted my head to find a familiar face standing before the iron bars.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the great hero who captured the traitor?”
“Shut your mouth, you worthless spy.”
Gerard spat the words out, his gaze boring into me.
“Ever since you sent assassins to attack the Duke Family, I have dreamed of only one thing—the moment I would seize you and tear your limbs asunder.”
“Is that so? Then why not try now? Go ahead.”
I spread both arms wide with brazen nonchalance, forcing Gerard to swallow his rage.
“Tch. I would tear you apart this very instant if I could. But His Majesty the King has commanded that I first hear what spills from your tongue. Be grateful for this reprieve.”
“Dream on. There’s nothing you’ll extract from me.”
“Everyone says that before torture begins. What makes you think you’re any different? I assure you, you’ll soon be screaming like a child.”
“Heh, heh. Your bluster has grown while we’ve been apart.”
“You’ll know whether it’s bluster or not once you experience it.”
Gerard gave a subtle nod to the guards who had accompanied him.
One of the guards thrust a spike through the iron bars.
Squelch!
“Ugh!”
My arm was pierced, blood spilling forth.
Thud!
Another guard’s spike tore through my thigh.
My other leg suffered the same fate.
“Kgh!”
In an instant, I was skewered on the spikes of three guards, my brow furrowing.
I wanted to counterattack immediately, but these were no ordinary guards.
Though they performed the grim work of monitoring prisoners in the royal dungeons, they were undoubtedly Aura users—far beyond the category of common folk.
I could never overcome them through sheer physical strength.
‘Damn it. And I can’t use magic either.’
Shackles bound my wrists, ankles, and even my neck.
The restraints made it impossible to cast spells.
‘Should I use Demonic Speech?’
The thought crossed my mind, but these men were no fools.
The moment I uttered Demonic Speech, they might pierce my throat and end me.
‘I cannot die miserably in a place like this.’
An opportunity would come if I waited long enough.
There were other spies in the Royal Palace besides the Third Prince.
Perhaps even Baluduk, who had abandoned me, might have a change of heart and extend a hand to help.
‘I must survive until then. I absolutely must live through this.’
Gritting my teeth and enduring, Gerard’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
“The pain must be excruciating, yet you haven’t screamed once. You’ve grown quite ruthless in my absence, haven’t you?”
“Go ahead. Try as you wish. I won’t open my mouth.”
“Then I’ll need to increase the intensity.”
At Gerard’s gesture, the guards began twisting the skewers.
Unbearable agony erupted from the body pierced by the skewers.
“Ugh, uuuaaagh!”
“There we are. Now you’re screaming. Much better.”
Satisfied with Gerard’s response, the guards twisted harder.
Just before Gregor Fontaine lost consciousness from his continuous screams—
The guards wisely stopped twisting the skewers.
“Speak. How many spies have infiltrated the kingdom? Where are they and who are they?”
“Hah… hah… damn it. Uuuaaaagh!”
With each twist of the skewers, blood flowed like water from a tap.
The silent dungeon filled with screams.
When the skewers stopped, so did the screaming.
“Speak. Why are you so desperate to destroy our family? Have I done something you couldn’t forgive?”
“Kekeke, truthfully, you’ve done nothing wrong. This entire operation was merely to humiliate Dalpred Bigsland.”
“You can’t mean… you orchestrated all this simply because your master cast you out?”
“Indeed.”
“….”
In that moment, Gerard’s expression went blank before he snatched the skewer from the guard’s hands.
Then he began twisting it with frenzied intensity.
“Over such a trivial reason, you sought to kill me and my entire family?”
“Uuuaaagh! Uuuaaagh!”
“Worthless scum. Die like this. Die!”
With each twist, blood gushed forth and the wounds tore wider.
“M-My Lord Duke. At this rate, he’ll truly perish.”
“Hah….”
Only after the guard beside him intervened did Gerard finally regain his composure.
“Kekeke, ‘My Lord Duke,’ is it? So you’ve been promoted in exchange for betraying me. Quite a favorable trade, wouldn’t you say? What reason do I have for anger?”
“This madman!”
Gerard fought to reclaim his reason as rage threatened to consume him.
“Hah, I was foolish. Time will resolve this matter anyway. There’s no need to waste my emotions. Listen well.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Continue applying pressure until he speaks. Have a mage tend to his wounds periodically so he doesn’t die.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll remain nearby. Report to me immediately if he says anything. Should he attempt any forbidden dark magic, you have permission to execute him.”
“Yes, My Lord Duke!”
As Gerard turned around, a harsh scream erupted from behind him.
“Gahhhhh! Ughhhh!”
If he continued the torture for one or two more hours, the man would have no choice but to break.
He wouldn’t be ignorant of the fact that magic could restore him, allowing for endless suffering.
‘The way he’s holding out like that—he clearly doesn’t want to die. When the moment comes, he’ll surrender without fail.’
As expected, Gerard’s prediction proved accurate.
After thirty minutes had passed, a guard came to find him.
“Your Excellency. The prisoner says he’s willing to talk.”
“Bring him.”
Gregor Fontaine, whom Gerard met after just thirty minutes, looked haggard—as if he’d gone thirty days without food.
“…I’ll talk. I don’t want to die like a dog in this place.”
“Who said anything about killing you? You won’t die until you tell me what I want to know.”
“I understand. That’s why I’m cooperating.”
“In that case, you must want something in return?”
“I’ll tell you everything I know—Baluduk’s true purpose, the number of spies, their identities, all of it. Just spare my life.”
“That’s impossible. There’s no precedent for sparing a traitor. Instead, I promise you a painless death on the guillotine.”
“Truly, there’s no way to spare me? Send me to some nameless countryside village. You could exile me to another nation. Anything—just let me live.”
“That decision rests with His Majesty. I have no authority in that matter.”
“How well you lie. You came here with absolute authority.”
“…”
“Then let’s do this. In addition to your previous terms, I’ll surrender my Circle as well.”
“Your Circle?”
“I’m bound to Baluduk through a mana covenant. The moment I betray him, my Circle collapses and I become a cripple. Then exile me to another country. Isn’t that a punishment equivalent to execution?”
Gerard stroked his chin, pretending to deliberate for a moment.
In truth, he had already made his decision.
“That seems acceptable. The final decision will ultimately rest with His Majesty, of course.”
“Then we have an agreement?”
At Gerard’s nod, Gregor Fontaine took a deep breath before speaking.
“Then I’ll tell you. First, Baluduk’s true purpose is…”
In that instant, Gregor Fontaine stopped mid-sentence and held his breath.
Sensing something amiss, Gerard regarded him with narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong? Why did you stop talking…”
“Cough…”
Blood gushed from Gregor Fontaine’s open mouth as he collapsed, his head striking the ground.
Blood poured from every orifice in his body.
“Open the door at once!”
The guards hurriedly unlocked the cell and rushed in to examine Gregor Fontaine.
“He’s dead, sir.”
“Damn it!”
Just as Gregor Fontaine was about to divulge the information, he died by some inexplicable force.
‘It’s not because of the Oath of Mana. The oath only destroys the Circle—it cannot kill a person. Baluduk must have planted something beforehand as a safeguard. A curse that ensures self-destruction if the secret is revealed.’
He had actually imposed a restriction that even he himself could not verify.
I’ve wasted precious time for nothing.
If I’d known it would come to this, I should have used Gregor Fontaine differently.
‘Sigh… what am I supposed to tell His Majesty the King…’
A deep sigh escaped Gerard McLafflin’s lips as worry settled across his face.

* * *
The Quest appeared not long after Dalpred Bigsland made his proposal.
‘Accept the proposal and undergo the initiation ceremony at the Mage Tower?’
Zeke McLafflin had honestly intended to refuse the offer.
He wasn’t idle enough to volunteer for tedious tasks.
‘I need to raise my proficiency and grow stronger as quickly as possible—what do I need the Mage Tower for?’
Those were his only thoughts at the time.
Until the sudden Quest appeared.
‘Hmm. If I just join, they’re giving me 450 stat points?’
I could always work on proficiency in my spare time.
If I could gain stats, there was nothing I couldn’t do.
‘Fine. I should accept it.’
After accepting the Quest, Zeke McLafflin told Dalpred Bigsland he would join.
In the process, Carbollearos misunderstood, thinking Zeke was thanking him for granting his request, but it was purely because of the Quest.
‘If it weren’t for the Quest, I wouldn’t have given the initiation a second glance.’
I deserved to be called a slave to the Quest, but there was no helping it.
Without the system, there would be no reincarnation or anything else.
‘Besides, seeing how the Quest appears right on cue whenever something happens… honestly, it gives me chills. It shows up so perfectly timed, as if someone is watching me.’
Looking at it that way, there must be someone of a higher dimension managing the system.
‘A god? Or a demon?’
Who exactly is giving me these Quests, and for what reason?
Why send me here with the purpose of growing stronger, and offer me the chance to return to Earth once I’ve built up my power?
‘I’ll figure it out once I get stronger. Though I don’t know how much stronger I need to be.’
-What are you thinking about? It’s been ten minutes.
‘Okay. I’m ready.’
I was absorbing the magic that Carbollearos cast while steadily building proficiency when it happened.
Knock, knock.
“Young Master Zeke McLafflin. You have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
I stopped my magic training at the sound from outside and stepped out the door.
Standing there was an unexpected person with an awkward expression on their face.
“Future brother-in-law? What brings you here? You’ve even searched the Royal Palace.”
“Ahem, I came because I have something to discuss. May I come in?”
“Of course.”
Theo stepped into the room behind Zeke and immediately did something unexpected the moment the door closed.
Thump—
He suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“I’m sorry! My family has done terrible things to yours!”
Antonio, the head of the Baldor Family, had obstructed Gerard’s evidence before the King under the guise of revenge.
But it turned out that Antonio was a collaborator of the Magic Tower Master, and everything—including the assassination—had been meticulously planned to create grounds for blame.
As a result, the Baldor Family now bore the stigma of traitors and faced the worst of reputations.
This was why Baldor was acting like a criminal before the McLafflin Family, whom they had wronged.
‘So that’s why he was making such an awkward expression.’
Zeke quickly helped Theo to his feet as he bowed his head in shame.
“My brother-in-law hasn’t done anything wrong. If anyone’s at fault, it’s the Magic Tower Master and the head of the Baldor Family.”
“Still, I’m sorry. It’s true that I approached your family intentionally on my father’s orders….”
“Intentionally?”
“My father told me to seduce the young lady of the McLafflin Family to gain his approval. I foolishly took the bait, wanting to be recognized by him. I didn’t even know his real plan was to use assassins to kill you and Luna, thereby creating grounds to blame the McLafflin Family.”
Though he confessed his wrongs like a penitent, the truth was that Theo had been used by his father just the same.
‘A father who would sacrifice his own son as a scapegoat because he has no talent for magic… He’s completely different from my father.’
Betrayed by someone he trusted.
And by his own father, no less.
Though he didn’t show it, Theo’s heart must have been in turmoil.
“I know you might not believe me, but I truly had nothing to do with this. I was also stabbed in the back by my father.”
“I know. So please calm down now and stop apologizing. You’re not at fault at all.”
“Th-thank you. For understanding.”
Theo answered with a choked voice, then quickly opened his mouth as if he had something else to say.
“Anyway, I heard the news. You’re joining the Royal Court Mage Order?”
“Ah… Yes, that’s right. News travels fast.”
“How did that happen? Zeke, you’ve never even studied magic before.”
“Well… It seems they viewed my talents favorably. They said there would be no problem teaching me magic.”
“Wow, that’s truly remarkable, Zeke! To receive recognition from the kingdom’s greatest mage!”
“But what did you really come here to tell me? It doesn’t seem like you came just to praise me.”
“Ah, right. I came to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
Theo glanced cautiously around before speaking carefully.
“There’s someone in the Royal Court Mage Order who harbors a grudge against you.”

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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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