The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 39

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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 39
Gerard’s arrival left Jake Palmer completely frozen.
I knew he stood behind me, but I lacked the courage to turn around.
“Jake Palmer, instructor.”
“….”
“Are you not hearing me?”
“Ah, n-no…! Eek!”
Jake Palmer spun around in haste, unable to suppress his terror.
Gerard’s gaze burned with the ferocity of a predator.
“Is what my master said true? You looked after Gawen?”
“Ah, w-well…! Ugh!”
The mana of an 8th Circle Archmage constricted Jake Palmer’s body.
He could scarcely draw breath.
As death loomed near, excuses fled his mind entirely.
“Y-yes! It’s true! I did it!”
At Jake Palmer’s swift confession, Gerard’s eyes shifted with contempt.
“Tsk, a creature lower than vermin.”
Gerard withdrew his gaze and turned his eyes toward Dalpred.
“Master, allow me to handle this wretch’s punishment. He may have connections to Baluduk.”
“Since he aided the Baldor Family, such a possibility is certainly not without merit.”
“N-no! I absolutely…!”
“Drag him to the dungeons.”
The guards who had accompanied Gerard shackled Jake Palmer and hauled him away.
“Now it is just the three of us.”
“Zeke, we have matters to discuss, do we not?”
“…Matters to discuss?”
As Father and his master regarded me with expectant gazes, I felt an inexplicable unease settle over me.
“I heard of your magical duel with Gawen. That you cast magic despite lacking a Circle.”
“Ha, well, about that….”
As I prepared a suitable excuse, Father’s sudden embrace caught me off guard.
“Ah, Father?”
“At last…at last the day has come when my son steps into the light.”
Gerard’s voice trembled with emotion.
Faced with this unexpected turn, I could only stand bewildered.
The warmth radiating from him bore no resemblance to the terrifying presence he had displayed mere moments before.
Dalpred observed the scene with evident satisfaction.
“Heheheh, do you know how long your father has awaited this day? How anxious he has been all this time, with his youngest unable to cast magic? Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“Ah….”
There was no need to prepare excuses.
Regardless of the reason, I could cast magic.
For Gerard, that fact alone was sufficient.
Dalpred, however, had eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Zeke. You’ve awakened magical talent as a Dragonian?”
“It seems to be the case.”
“I heard you can even use silent casting. How did that come about?”
“Well… I do it instinctively, so…”
“I see.”
Zeke brushed past it hastily, but Dalpred didn’t press further.
He merely smiled as though the single fact of being Dragonian explained everything.

* * *
‘Thank goodness the excuse of being Dragonian existed.’
-Indeed. Had you revealed yourself as a descendant of the divine, you’d likely still be enduring an onslaught of questions.
Zeke silently agreed with Carbollearos’s words.
It was fortunate they believed he’d awakened Dragonian magical talent—otherwise, he’d have been racking his brain inventing excuses by now.
‘In any case, it’s fortunate. Draconians are perceived as far more formidable than I expected.’
-I still wonder who coined the term “Dragonian.” Isn’t it a legendary being that few have ever witnessed directly?
‘Even so, if it actually exists, it would be recorded in history, wouldn’t it?’
-Three thousand years ago, when I wandered the world, I never once heard that word.
‘Really? Though dragons themselves are now treated as legend, so it’s hardly surprising.’
When dragons themselves are relegated to myth, what difference would Draconians make?
Still, a question suddenly occurred to me.
‘Since we’re on the subject, Carbollearos, which regions did you wander? Surely not Decan?’
-Have you heard of the Akidelphia Empire?
Zeke quietly shook his head.
-You haven’t? Well, it’s hardly surprising the empire I founded couldn’t have lasted three thousand years.
‘What? You founded an empire?’
-I was quite successful back then, you see. Hehehehe.
The words carried a note of self-satisfaction, leaving Zeke uncertain whether to believe him or not.
Unlike with people, one couldn’t discern truth from a spirit’s voice.
‘For now, let me focus on building proficiency in magic absorption.’
It was just as he was preparing to leisurely exchange magic with Carbollearos in his room.
Knock, knock—
At the sudden sound of knocking, Zeke’s gaze turned toward the door.
‘Who could that be at this hour?’
It was late at night, when even servants didn’t venture about.
Who would be knocking on a private room’s door?
“Who is it?”
“May I come in for a moment?”
At the delicate, feminine voice, Zeke was taken aback.
‘Who is this woman-like person?’
-Wait a moment. Let me go check.
Carbollearos, who moved freely through walls in his spirit form, volunteered to peer beyond the door.
-You’re right, she is a woman. Quite beautiful too. But there’s something odd—she’s concealing her pretty face.
‘Concealing it? Does she wear a mask or something?’
-It appears she’s altered her face using shape-transformation magic.
‘What?’
There exists someone in the Mage Tower who has deliberately changed her face?
Whatever her intentions, it reeked of suspicion.
It carried the stench of treason itself.
‘Could she be one of the spies the Third Prince planted?’
I decided to meet her in person.
The door swung open—
Before me stood a girl who appeared to be around seventeen, with chestnut hair and striking freckles.
Her appearance was unremarkable, perhaps even below average.
‘So this is the disguised face, then?’
If Carbollearos spoke truth, beauty lay hidden beneath this facade.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Mary Bryant of House of Bryant. You’re Zeke McLafflin, aren’t you? I came because I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
“Come inside, then.”
I ushered Mary into my room, closed the door, and crossed my arms.
“It’s late, so let’s get to the point. What business do you have with me?”
“You’re direct, I like that. I’ll tell you right away, so don’t be too shocked when you hear it.”
Why was she frightening me with a warning beforehand?
My confusion dissolved the moment I heard her words.
“Zeke, would you… marry me?”
“Pardon?”
I was shocked, though internally far more so than my expression revealed.
‘What? This woman? She’s proposing out of nowhere?’
It was quite a startling declaration from a girl I’d only just learned the name of.
As I regarded her with bewildered eyes, Mary smiled as if she understood.
“I thought you’d be taken aback. I got the same reaction from Gawen Baldor when I asked him.”
“Baldor… you mean Gawen?”
“Yes. I asked him to marry me too, but he refused.”
“Why did he refuse?”
“Perhaps… I simply wasn’t to his liking.”
“Wouldn’t it be more that he was bewildered? Anyone would react with refusal if someone suddenly asked them to marry.”
“You’re probably right. I understand. But as I said, please don’t be too shocked. I’m not actually asking you to marry me.”
“Then?”
“Would it be possible for you to pretend to be engaged to me? It’s necessary for my father to see it that way.”
What is this nonsense?
Father?
“Could you explain the situation in more detail?”
At Zeke’s request, Mary nodded readily.
“You may not know this, but the House of Bryant ranks among the lower tier of magical families. All the bloodline members of our house were born with mediocre talents. To make matters worse, we have no sons among our children, leaving our family line in a precarious state.”
Mary bit her lower lip as if to suppress her bitterness.
“In such circumstances, joining the Royal Court Mage Order was truly a stroke of fortune. I was the only one among my siblings to inherit magical talent. Perhaps because of this, Father held great expectations for me. I was the only person who could revitalize our family. But…”
A shadow crossed Mary’s face.
“I could not inherit the family due to the principle of primogeniture. At the very least, I needed a new fiancé to take responsibility for the family.”
“So you’re trying to find a fiancé from the Mage Tower? To meet your father’s expectations?”
“That’s right. Father hopes I will bring home a husband from the Mage Tower. And the strongest one at that.”
This was why Mary had chosen Zeke.
Because the man her father desired was a strong one.
“Unfortunately, Father suffers from a chronic illness. He doesn’t have much time left.”
“Ah…”
“That’s why I’m asking this of you, Prince Zeke. Would you pretend to be my fiancé, even if only for a moment? I want to fulfill Father’s wish before he closes his eyes for the last time.”
Zeke nodded as if he now understood.
Mary wanted to see her father happy, even if it meant lying to him.
She was truly a filial daughter.
Most others would have been deceived.
[The target you are currently observing is speaking ‘falsehoods’.]
Despite her lengthy explanation, it was all lies.
I could see through it thanks to the system.
‘The system doesn’t lie.’
At least the system was more trustworthy than a woman who suddenly proposed marriage.
‘She changed her face to pose as someone else and is trying to manipulate me with cheap sentimentality. What on earth is her real agenda?’
I wanted to interrogate her immediately using force, but it felt premature.
‘If this woman is truly a spy and Baluduk is involved behind her…’
Even if I interrogated her, I would gain little.
She would die like Gregor the moment she revealed any critical information.
‘The best way to gather evidence in this situation is to pretend to be fooled by her story.’
To catch a tiger, one must enter the tiger’s den.
But Zeke had no real motivation to capture Baluduk.
Though the man had threatened his family, he was too formidable for me to handle alone.
‘What should I do? Should I pass this to Father or Duke Bigsland instead of handling it myself?’
As I pondered this, Mary seemed to notice my hesitation and added further.
“Of course, I’m not asking for help without compensation. I can reward you generously.”
“What kind of reward?”
“Father said he would give me our family’s heirloom if I bring home a fiancé. It’s a staff passed down through generations.”
“A staff, you say…”
My reaction was lukewarm.
Other mages might covet such a thing, but it held no particular value for me.
It was precisely when I was deliberating whether to accept or refuse.
【Sudden Quest: Pretend to Be an Fiancé】
└Mary Bryant has proposed that you pretend to be her fiancé for her father’s sake.
└Accept the proposal and visit the Bryant Estate to meet the family head.
【Conditions】
└Pretend to be a fiancé and meet the family head of the Bryant Estate
【Rewards】
└Random stat increase of 600
[Do you accept the Quest? Y/N]
‘Two months’ worth of stats hanging as a reward?’
There was no reason to refuse under these circumstances.
Problem solved.
“Very well. Your situation seems dire, so let’s proceed as you’ve suggested.”
“R-really? Th-thank you so much, Prince Zeke.”
“Speak freely. We’re lovers who’ve promised marriage now, after all.”
“Ha… yes, I suppose so.”
Mary’s expression, which should have been joyful, seemed oddly clouded.

* * *
“This is our family estate.”
Descending from the magical carriage alongside Mary, I gazed upon the Bryant Estate.
‘For an earl’s house, it’s not as grand as ours.’
This was my first time visiting another family’s estate.
And certainly not as a fiancé.
I studied Mary from the corner of my eye.
‘What exactly is she hiding? The Bryant Estate name seems genuine enough, but something’s off.’
From our conversation in the carriage, I’d gathered enough information.
The Bryant Estate was indeed real, and Mary Bryant’s existence as the earl’s daughter was confirmed as fact.
Only one thing was certain—the face she showed me now was not her true face.
She was concealing her real purpose.
‘I’ll discover her scheme soon enough when we meet face to face.’
For now, I would play the role of her lover and meet the family head.
In time, her true intentions would surface.
“Please follow me, Prince Zeke.”
“I told you to speak freely. Mary.”
“S-should I?”
Despite dragging me into this situation, Mary seemed uncomfortable playing the role of a lover.
Just then, someone hurried out to greet us, apparently having heard of our arrival.
It was Louis Bryant, the head of the Bryant Family.

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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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