The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 35

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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 35
“Gerard.”
“Yes, Master.”
“How was it? What was the atmosphere like at the induction ceremony?”
Gerard shook his head with a troubled expression.
“It wasn’t very good. Everyone seemed unwelcoming.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. No matter how many merits one accumulates, nobody likes a nepotistic appointment.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to withdraw the offer now and bring Zeke here instead?”
“Why? Are you afraid he’ll face some kind of sabotage there?”
Dalpred Bigsland held back a smile at Gerard’s worried tone.
“If we keep a tiger locked away only with us, what’s the difference between it and a house cat? Sometimes you have to let it loose in the wild.”
“Are you hoping Zeke will awaken through trials and hardship?”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would I have gathered all these people and held an induction ceremony in the first place?”
My deliberate introduction of Zeke before all the members had a specific purpose.
I wanted him to overcome the prejudice of being a nepotistic appointment and awaken amid the envy and contempt of these elites.
“That boy is no ordinary child—he’s a Draconian. He’s already blessed with magical talent beyond anyone else, and if he truly awakens, people will reassess him.”
“But isn’t this too reckless? Throwing him into an environment where jealousy and envy are inevitable, and simply waiting for him to awaken? He may not be able to endure the scrutiny of others.”
“Zeke is already aware of that. That’s precisely why he made that bold condition—asking me for a favor later, isn’t it?”
….
“He’s already a child who instinctively knows how to dismantle magic. You have nothing to worry about.”
Dalpred smiled reassuringly, but Gerard still couldn’t shake his worried expression.

* * *
‘Is this my dormitory room?’
I opened the door bearing my name and stepped inside.
A satisfied smile crossed my face at the unexpectedly spacious quarters.
‘This will be perfect for building up skill proficiency without anyone knowing.’
In moments like these, I’m grateful for the connections my father provided.
After all, unlike the others, I’d managed to secure a private room.
But what truly made me smile was something else entirely.
A Quest that had appeared just before arriving here.
【Main Quest: Earn Recognition from the Royal Court Mage Order】
└You’ve entered the Royal Court Mage Order, an organization every mage dreams of joining, yet the gazes of those around you are far from favorable.
└Demonstrate your true abilities, earn the recognition of your fellow members, and shed the stigma of being a nepotistic appointment.
【Conditions】
└Earn recognition from a majority of the Order’s members through demonstrated skill
【Reward】
└Acquire the skill ‘Eye of Truth’
‘I didn’t expect another Quest to appear right after joining.’
For me, who had been waiting for Quests, this was welcome news.
But what excited me most was the reward listed below the Quest.
‘Eye of Truth? What kind of skill is that?’
Regardless of what it was, completing it would grant me a new skill.
Having already acquired the Subspace skill, I couldn’t help but covet this opportunity.
‘Earning recognition from the Mage Order… It seems the system at least wants me to gain acknowledgment here and make a name for myself.’
A new tag had already been added to my status window: “Nepotistic Appointment.”
Surrounded by people who looked down on me as a nepotistic appointment, how could I earn their recognition?
‘Simple. I just need to prove I’m not one.’
It seemed the Duke of Bigsland was hoping I would awaken magical talent.
Otherwise, why would he throw me into a situation where accusations of nepotism were inevitable?
‘He wants me to use magic? Then I’ll give him exactly what he wants. The stage is already set.’
Without hesitation, I accepted the Quest.
I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity to gain another skill.
‘Now, how can I effectively demonstrate my abilities in front of everyone?’
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Yes, that would work perfectly. Let me start by provoking them.’
A meaningful smile played at the corners of my mouth.

* * *
Crash—!
“Damn it all!”
“P-please calm yourself, Young Master.”
“Let go! You bastard!”
Gawen Baldor shook violently as he shrugged off the member trying to restrain him.
Blood stained his clenched fists and the dormitory wall.
‘That arrogant little punk dared to challenge me without a shred of fear?’
Gawen Baldor had administered hazing to every new recruit, but never had he encountered someone so fearless.
Typically, once they recognized the disparity in magical power, they would submit willingly.
The sharper ones among them would even fawn over him, wagging their tails to curry favor.
‘Yet that bastard showed none of that—as if fear itself had abandoned him entirely.’
Was it because of his youth that he lacked situational awareness?
Or perhaps he simply hadn’t yet learned to fear me?
‘It seems to be both, so I’ll need to find an opportunity to teach him some manners.’
During the initiation ceremony, he’d held back because the rules forbade magic within the hall, but this place was different.
Here in the dormitory, there were no such restrictions—he could teach this lesson as thoroughly as he wished.
Did his subordinates sense the fury trembling through Gawen’s expression?
His lackeys began venting their indignation, each eager to volunteer.
“Young Master! Shall we truly let that dog get away with this?”
“If you entrust him to me, I’ll beat him to a pulp!”
“No, no! Dealing with such a brat is my specialty. I’ll drag him to an alley and absolutely destroy him—”
“Shut your mouths. Stop making a racket, damn it.”
At Gawen’s single word, his subordinates fell silent.
‘Damn it all, how should I crush that bastard so thoroughly he never dares show his face again?’
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Only by utterly demolishing him could he purge this festering rage that had been building within him.
The McLafflin Family was his sworn enemy, after all.
‘Yet I’ve never heard that the fourth son of the McLafflin Family learned magic…’
He’d heard rumors that First Son Peter McLafflin had achieved such heights in magical training that he’d been invited to the Magic Tower itself.
The second son’s accomplishments were also reportedly respectable.
‘The third son lost his Circle and became crippled after deploying assassins in the succession struggle, but the fourth son…?’
He’d heard nothing about him whatsoever.
Not a whisper of him possessing magical talent that surpassed Peter.
‘This is clearly a complete nepotistic appointment. That story about subduing the Tower Master must be entirely fabricated.’
To deceive everyone into believing a lie as truth, making all the members look like fools.
‘It’s absurd. Like a rotten commander.’
It wasn’t just Gerard.
The Bigsland Duke, and indeed the King and the entire Royal Court Mage Order who permitted this, were all corrupt.
How could there be nepotism at a time like this?
Gawen Baldor, who had been nurturing his resentment toward the pathetic state of the kingdom, glanced back at the members who had become his followers.
Though they were fools, the fact that these wretches followed him gave him a certain sense of pride.
‘My father is a disgrace, and the Baldor Family has fallen for now, but we will soar again someday. Once I inherit the position of family head and achieve outstanding results in the Royal Court Mage Order, the stigma of being a traitor family will vanish without a trace.’
Because he believed this would come to pass, these fools followed him.
Even if the sun is setting, it still shines brightly.
“Listen up.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
“Don’t just stand there gawking. Pool your ideas together. How should we deal with that bastard Zeke?”
“Y-yes, understood, sir!”
‘Ugh, these idiots. At least they know how to answer.’
As he turned his head with a hidden sneer, it happened.
Thump—
A scrap of paper slid under the door.
“What’s this?”
Gawen immediately approached and picked up the paper someone had pushed through.
The note contained an absurd message.
[To Young Master Gawen Baldor.
Hello. I’m Zeke McLafflin.
It seems you have quite a few grievances with me. How about we have a magical duel?
I’ll be waiting at the Plaza in Front of Dormitory.
P.S.: If you’re scared, just die.]
“Ha, haha! Hahaha!”
When Gawen suddenly burst into laughter, the people in the room flinched.
They realized it wasn’t laughter born of amusement, but rather the laughter of madness.
“Haha, damn it, I’m laughing because this is so ridiculous. You guys, look at this.”
“What is it, sir?”
Gawen shared the note with his lackeys as well.
They all wore the exact same expression as Gawen.
“This bastard is completely insane, isn’t he?”
“A 4th Circle mage challenging a 6th Circle to a magical duel?”
“The fool doesn’t know his place and is taking Young Master Gawen far too lightly.”
“We need to teach him a lesson so he understands his position.”
“What will you do, Young Master?”
“What do you mean what will I do?”
A cruel smile spread across Gawen’s face.
“If he wants to taste hell, of course I’ll oblige.”
Gawen’s eyes burned with fierce intensity as he seized this opportunity.

* * *
Jake Palmer, a mage of the 7th Circle, considered himself an excellent instructor.
Despite scout offers coming from various quarters, his decision to remain with the Royal Court Mage Order until now was surely driven by honor and a sense of duty.
Otherwise, why would he be teaching novices here for such a pittance of a salary?
But those days were behind him now.
He had long since abandoned his original convictions.
Otherwise, he would never have turned a blind eye to Gawen Baldor intimidating the newcomers.
‘Gawen Baldor is undoubtedly the ace of the Mage Order. His personality is absolutely rotten, but his skills are genuinely exceptional.’
There was no one in the Order capable of replacing him.
As a result, Jake found himself inadvertently accommodating Gawen Baldor’s preferences.
One example was turning a blind eye to the hazing under the guise of an initiation rite.
He was doing so even now.
‘Zeke McLafflin, was it? So Gawen Baldor has targeted another newcomer this time.’
Though Gawen Baldor broke the spirit of every newcomer who arrived, forcing them into submission, Jake didn’t believe his actions were wrong.
The strong survive—this was an eternal truth and the natural order of things.
Since Gawen Baldor was the strongest in the Order, no one would dare object to him acting as the leader.
‘Technically, this shouldn’t happen… but wasn’t the Commander the first to break protocol?’
Not once in all his time had the Order ever accepted a parachute appointment.
And now the Commander had brazenly inserted his own son.
‘Does becoming Commander strip away all sense of honor?’
It wasn’t his place to criticize, given that he himself condoned Gawen Baldor’s harsh treatment, but even so, this was unacceptable.
He and everyone here had earned their place through fierce competition and demonstrated ability.
This was precisely why Jake couldn’t help but view Zeke McLafflin as an eyesore.
‘If he has talent, he should go through proper procedures to join. Why use special recruitment and invite such backlash?’
From what he’d heard, Zeke McLafflin’s achievement was 4th Circle.
At fifteen, reaching 4th Circle showed genuine talent, but not enough to justify bypassing procedure.
‘Unless he could surpass Gawen Baldor, that is.’
Harboring resentment, Jake deliberately refrained from intervening when Gawen Baldor’s group intimidated Zeke McLafflin, instead watching from the sidelines.
Hoping the atmosphere would frighten him into leaving of his own accord.
‘That would be best for our Order’s honor too. If rumors spread that a parachute appointment was made, the Order’s prestige would plummet without question.’
Yet Zeke McLafflin endured Gawen Baldor’s intimidation far better than expected.
He didn’t even report it to Jake, dismissing it as nothing serious.
‘Strange. He didn’t seem to have such strong resolve…’
In any case, judging by Gawen Baldor’s reaction, he didn’t seem ready to back down.
He was the type to tremble at the name McLafflin Family.
‘He’ll probably call him in separately outside training hours for some disciplinary education.’
Though Jake felt a twinge of pity for Zeke McLafflin’s impending ordeal, he resolved to feign ignorance.
He hoped this would straighten out Zeke McLafflin’s thinking and make him abandon his parachute appointee attitude.
‘At least Gawen Baldor should get through today without incident…’
That was the moment.
The Dormitory suddenly erupted into chaos.
‘What’s happening?’
I could hear the thundering footsteps of at least dozens of people rushing through the corridors.
And the voices of the members shouting over one another.
“Gawen and the newcomer are having a magical duel?”
“Where? Where is it?”
“I heard it’s at the plaza over there!”
“Let’s go, hurry!”
Jake Palmer’s eyes widened as he listened to the commotion beyond the door.
‘Gawen and Zeke are doing what? A magical duel?’
A 6-Circle mage dueling a 4-Circle mage? Was such a thing even remotely fair?
‘It seems Gawen is genuinely furious. He’s going to publicly humiliate Zeke through this magical duel.’
The situation had finally escalated.
If things went wrong, Zeke could be seriously injured.
With that thought, Jake Palmer grabbed his coat and reached for the door handle.
‘No, wait.’
He released the handle he’d just grasped.
‘I can step in a little later, can’t I?’
Part of him hoped this would be a good opportunity to crush Zeke’s spirit.

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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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