The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 41

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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 41
Crack—thud—thud!
Relentless punches drove into the man’s face.
With teeth scattering in all directions, the man glared through trembling eyes.
“You… you damned bastard…”
“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”
“Ugh… hack! Hack!”
Fully pinning him down in a mounting position, I rained down fists without mercy.
Mary watching from the side squeezed her eyes shut.
The man couldn’t resist—not with the wounds from the Shadowless Blade still tearing at him.
The moment he tried to chant an incantation, my fist would fly at him, making any counterattack impossible.
Smack! Smack!
Though it seemed like I was beating him savagely, I was actually exercising considerable restraint.
‘If I’d gone all out, this bastard would’ve been dead long ago.’
A few minutes earlier, I’d broken out of the Prison by force and inadvertently overheard a conversation between two people.
As I’d suspected, my opponent wasn’t the real Count Louis.
It was someone who’d disguised themselves to look like Count Louis.
‘No doubt about it—he’s one of Baluduk’s pawns.’
The way he cast magic in Demonic Speech suggested a connection.
‘I’ll get information from him first, then beat him. Just not to death.’
He had information I needed, so I wasn’t planning to kill him.
Not yet.
“Phew.”
Only after the man’s teeth had fallen out and he’d completely lost consciousness did I stop throwing punches.
When I turned to Mary, she flinched.
This wasn’t over.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“I’m… I’m sorry, Prince Zeke…”
I approached, cracking my knuckles.
“I don’t go easy on women.”
“I’m… I’m sorry!”
Mary immediately dropped to her knees.
Well, it made sense she was terrified—I’d just beaten that fearsome count so effortlessly.
“I was wrong. I wasn’t trying to put you in danger, Prince Zeke…”
“Wasn’t trying? You already did.”
…
“I overheard enough of your conversation, but still—you lured me into a trap to save your father?”
“I’m sorry, truly sorry.”
Though Mary cast aside her pride and prostrated herself completely, it wasn’t enough to soothe my anger.
‘Still, I should hear her out.’
Zeke unclenched his fist and crossed his arms.
“I’ll be magnanimous and give you a chance to explain yourself. Tell me everything, from start to finish. Who is this bastard, and what’s been happening?”
Mary stopped her tears and laid bare everything she had endured.
“I don’t know the man’s name. He appeared out of nowhere one day, kidnapped my father, and used me as leverage. He said if I wanted to see my father again, I had to do exactly as he commanded.”
“What did he make you do?”
“He told me to join the Mage Tower. The man already knew I was preparing to enter the Mage Tower. He also knew how dearly I cherished my father. He said that’s precisely why he targeted me.”
“So you changed your appearance and joined the Mage Tower?”
Mary’s eyes widened in shock at Zeke’s words.
“H-how did you know that?”
“It’s obvious. Do you think I, who wield Shadowless Incantation, wouldn’t notice something like that?”
Mary had witnessed the magical duel between Zeke and Gawen Baldor firsthand.
She had long known he was a monster who wielded Shadowless Incantation, but…
‘Could he have seen through my face transformation as well? Wait—does that mean he accepted my proposal deliberately…?’
The sudden realization sent a chill down her spine.
Zeke had known all along.
That she had approached him with ulterior motives.
Perhaps he no longer saw any point in her maintaining the face-altering magic.
Fzzzt—
Mary dispelled the magic concealing her face.
Beneath the freckled visage emerged a complexion so fair and unblemished that one might mistake her for a noble lady of distinguished lineage.
“Why did you hide your face?”
“He said I needed a different appearance to join the Mage Tower. He even provided the face-altering scroll himself.”
“What did he order you to do after joining?”
“He told me to identify the true powers within the Mage Tower and lure them to my home. As you’ve likely guessed, everything about finding a fiancé was a lie. I’m truly sorry.”
“Was it also a lie that your father has little time left to live?”
“Yes… but he is certainly in danger, that much is true.”
The real Count Bryant had been kidnapped.
By a mysterious assailant who appeared without warning.
[The target you are currently observing is speaking the ‘truth’.]
‘At least she’s not fabricating this story.’
Zeke gestured with his chin.
A silent command to continue.
“At first, I tried to approach Gawen Baldor. But he showed no interest in me whatsoever. I attempted many times, but getting close to him proved impossible. Eventually, I told the man I couldn’t go through with it because of my guilt.”
“You told this man?”
“Yes. I said I couldn’t endanger someone else just to save my father. But he manipulated me, saying that if I succeeded this one time, he would release my father. He even promised not to kill the member I brought to him.”
“And you believed him?”
“I had no choice. My options were limited.”
Mary was well aware that she shouldn’t drag others into a trap.
But she had no alternative.
Not if she wanted to save her father.
“Ever since that man arrived, he’s been acting as father. The family members had no choice but to believe he was the real Count Bryant.”
Mary wrapped her arms around herself, trembling at the mere thought.
“Watching that man impersonate father for months… I couldn’t bear it. I just wanted to reclaim my father as quickly as possible.”
“So you lured an innocent person into a trap?”
“I’m truly sorry for that.”
“An apology doesn’t erase your mistake. You understand that, don’t you? If I hadn’t been strong, I’d be dead. It could have been Gawen Baldor instead.”
“I have no excuse. I’m truly sorry.”
“You should be ashamed. Honestly, you deserved the same fate as that bastard over there.”
Where Zeke pointed lay an unconscious man, his face a bloody pulp.
“But I’m willing to give you a chance.”
“A… a chance?”
Zeke extended his hand toward Mary.
“Swear a Mana Covenant with me. If you vow never to betray me, I’m prepared to let you live.”
“Ah…”
For Mary, it was mercy.
She wasn’t ignorant of the fact that she deserved a thorough beating.
But she couldn’t understand Zeke’s reasoning.
To draw someone who had trapped him into his own camp instead.
Mary stared at him with confusion in her eyes, but Carbollearos felt the same way.
-Why are you sparing this woman? Did you perhaps fall for her appearance?
‘As if. Would I spare a woman who tried to make a fool of me just because of her face?’
-Then why are you sparing her?
‘It would be a waste to kill her.’
Of course, he wasn’t referring to her appearance.
‘It would be useful to have one reliable subordinate in the Mage Tower.’
-True, that Peter fellow is exiled far away and useless for now. A sound decision.
Zeke didn’t immediately need subordinates.
But he thought it would be beneficial to plant someone in the Mage Tower.
‘Perhaps I could even use Mary to draw in other traitors.’
There were still spies remaining in the Royal Palace.
Though he didn’t know how many, if they recognized Mary as one of their own, it wouldn’t be a bad choice.
She was definitely worth keeping alive.
‘Besides, by binding her with a covenant, I can naturally silence her as well.’
Mary had seen it.
Her own secret—that she absorbed magic.
‘Since she’s seen the secret, I can’t let her live normally, but killing her feels unsatisfying too.’
When you thought about it, she was also a victim.
The true culprit was the man lying unconscious here, not Mary.
Though that didn’t absolve Mary of her guilt either.
‘No need to kill her. I should use everything I can.’
By making a contract with Mary like Peter, I could both conceal my secrets and use her as a hidden subordinate to draw out the traitors.
That calculation lay beneath my decision to spare Mary’s life.
“What will you do?”
“I… I will do it. I’ll serve you for the rest of my life as atonement.”
“Good? Then I’ll give you a chance.”
“Th-thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
I watched Mary as she prostrated herself, studying her carefully.
‘There’s sincerity in this.’
At least she’d decided it was better to follow me than those thugs who’d kidnapped my father.
“Well then, shall we make a contract?”
“Yes…”
Mary closed her eyes and extended her wrist.
She was offering her hand for a mana oath, but I didn’t actually need it.
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon?”
“Take this.”
What I handed to Mary as she opened her eyes was parchment and a small golden pen.
“Write on the parchment with this pen exactly as I dictate. This will have the same effect as a mana oath.”
“Ah, yes.”
Mary did as instructed without fully understanding.
“I, Mary Bryant, swear to take Zeke McLafflin as my master for the rest of my life. Should I break this oath, the Circle shall collapse according to the laws of the Almighty El. Write exactly this.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Thus my second subordinate was added.

* * *
“Ugh….”
As Corel Shadow regained consciousness, he flinched at the sharp pain radiating across his face.
‘Damn it… my handsome face….’
Even without a mirror, I could sense that half of it was ruined.
Well, that wasn’t the priority right now.
‘Zeke McLafflin. However you escaped from Prison, if I survive this, you’re a dead man. I’ll report every detail of what I witnessed today!’
My face and body throbbed relentlessly, but fortunately I could still move.
It seemed the shadow blade had miraculously avoided my vital organs.
‘But how did that bastard use demonic magic?’
Corel had seen it clearly.
Zeke counterattacking with the same demonic arts as himself.
‘Regardless of where or from whom he learned it, I must report this shocking fact to Baluduk!’
I squinted and surveyed my surroundings briefly.
The ruffian who had beaten me like a dog was nowhere to be seen.
The silence suggested no one else was nearby.
‘He must have thought I was unconscious and left. Perfect.’
I had to seize this opportunity and flee immediately.
I needed to contact Baluduk before getting caught and beaten again.
Gritting through the pain, I forced my upper body upright.
The conditions were ideal for escape.
But then.
“You’re awake?”
“…!!!”
A voice came from directly behind me.
My heart nearly stopped.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“….”
“We’ve got round two.”
“You, barbaric brute… gack!”
The moment I turned around, a punch landed squarely on me, and I tumbled down ungracefully.
“Still cursing, huh? Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson yet. I’ll have to turn up the intensity.”
“La tek sha… gack!”
“Don’t even think about casting magic.”
With a fist driving into my mouth, I couldn’t speak at all.
Blood poured relentlessly from my already shattered nose.
The agony was beyond words.
But my opponent showed no signs of mercy.
Thud—thud—!
The merciless beating resumed.
But this time, it was different.
Crack—snap—
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
I targeted the joints of his limbs with methodical precision.
Searing agony blazed through him as bones shattered beneath my assault.
“How does this intensity feel?”
“….”
“Still not ready to talk? Should I turn it up?”
“Hah, ugh, wh-what could you possibly want to know?”
I smiled with demonic cruelty.
“Start by telling me your pathetic name.”

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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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