The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 46

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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 46
Gerard received an unbelievable report in the Division Commander’s Office.
“What? Say that again. Who did Zeke capture?”
“Well… I can hardly believe it myself, but he apparently captured the leader of the Black Moon….”
Gerard stared intently at Dalant as he delivered the report.
It seemed he thought this was some kind of joke.
But he had never heard his escort mage joke before.
“Let’s say he did capture the leader of the Black Moon. So what did he do with them?”
“Since you mentioned they were a dangerous individual at 8th Circle, we immediately fitted them with a restraint collar and locked them in a containment cell.”
“Where is Zeke? He should have come to report this himself.”
“He said he had urgent matters to attend to and left first. He asked me to deliver the leader of the Black Moon to you….”
“Hah.”
Rather than appearing himself, he simply dumped off this person—who wasn’t even confirmed to be the Black Moon’s leader—as a dangerous individual and departed.
Gerard’s bewilderment was entirely justified.
“This brat should have at least explained the situation before leaving….”
“You needn’t worry about that. He left someone behind to explain.”
“Someone? Who?”
“Count Bryant and his daughter.”
“Count Bryant?”
He wasn’t asking out of ignorance.
The name had simply come out of nowhere.
The Bryant Family was a magical house, but they lacked the influence to be called a prestigious family.
In other words, they were a weak faction hardly worth paying attention to.
He wondered what connection such a family could possibly have with Zeke.
‘Now that I think about it, we do have Count Bryant’s daughter among our members. Mary Bryant, if I recall.’
A female member who had joined three months ago, unremarkable in her abilities.
“Zeke said to hear the details from them… What shall we do?”
“Let them in for now.”
I’ll hear what they have to say.
With that thought, I waited, and shortly after, Dalant appeared with two people.
“Greetings, Grand Duke McLafflin. I am Count Louis Bryant, and this young lady is my daughter and a member of the Mage Order.”
“Greetings, Division Commander. I am Mary Bryant.”
“You’re Mary?”
Gerard’s eyes widened as he looked at the beautiful woman before him.
The Mary Bryant he knew had a rather plain face.
Mary, reading the confusion in Gerard’s gaze, lowered her head apologetically.
“I apologize. The face you knew was not my real one. It was a fake I created using a shape-shifting scroll.”
“What? You mean you disguised your face and joined the Royal Court Mage Order?”
“…There were unavoidable circumstances. I sincerely apologize. I can explain everything—my relationship with Zeke and the current situation.”
“Speak now.”
Mary explained calmly everything that had transpired.
How her father had been abducted one day by a mysterious assailant.
How she’d been forced to disguise her identity and join the Mage Order under the kidnapper’s threats.
How she’d lied about becoming engaged to Zeke McLafflin, the true power behind the Mage Order, to lure him in.
How the plan was for the assailant to kill Zeke and assume his identity to infiltrate the Mage Order.
As she spoke, Gerard McLafflin’s expression shifted with each revelation.
His eyes widened especially when she mentioned how close Zeke had come to danger.
He looked as though he wanted to explode in anger but was forcing himself to remain composed.
What father could maintain his composure upon learning his son had nearly been killed?
Knowing this, Mary’s voice grew quieter and more apologetic.
“I’m truly sorry… I was mad. I believed the assailant’s words without question, desperate to save my father, and nearly put Prince Zeke in danger… I deeply regret that.”
“Sigh… And what happened next? How did it resolve?”
“Prince Zeke proved far stronger than I anticipated. He was also remarkably clever. Rather than falling into the assailant’s trap, he turned it against them and traced the conspiracy. Through that investigation, we discovered an organization called the Black Moon was involved. Prince Zeke subdued the Black Moon’s leader and rescued my father, who had been imprisoned. Prince Zeke is our family’s savior.”
Gerard McLafflin looked toward Count Bryant as if questioning whether her words were true.
“My daughter speaks nothing but the truth. Prince Zeke appeared and freed me from the Underground Dungeon. If you wish, I can even tell you the location of the cabin where I was held.”
Not a trace of falsehood could be read on Count Bryant’s face.
He looked genuinely grateful for the help he’d received.
“We can discuss the location later. So the ones behind this scheme are members of the Black Moon assassination organization?”
“Yes. However, it appears that Baluduk, one of the 12 Pioneers, is connected to them.”
“Baluduk?”
That name had been coming up far too frequently lately.
Baluduk was already involved in the circumstances surrounding the late Tower Master Gregor Fontaine’s death.
“Are you certain Baluduk is connected to this?”
“There’s no concrete evidence, but I heard the Black Moon’s leader confess directly to Prince Zeke. I also learned what they were plotting.”
“What were they plotting?”
“From what I heard, the general plan was to contact a spy they’d planted in the Royal Palace and poison someone there. The reason they wanted to pose as the true power of the Royal Court Mage Order was to gain access to the palace. It seems they needed someone with considerable influence within the Royal Court Mage Order to approach the Royal Palace.”
Gerard McLafflin’s eyes widened in shock.
Dalant, who had been listening beside him, widened his eyes as well.
“So they were trying to assassinate someone in the Royal Palace by poisoning them? All the incidents so far were operations to accomplish that?”
“That appears to be the case.”
It was a story difficult to believe.
Yet the evidence was right before them.
The Bryant Family here, and the Black Moon leader locked away in prison.
“We’ll need to investigate further, but if this is true, it’s an extremely serious matter.”
An assassination attempt on a Royal Palace official.
It was far more than ordinarily serious.
As the Mage Order tasked with protecting the palace, this was a threat they couldn’t ignore.
And with Baluduk allegedly behind it all, they couldn’t simply overlook this.
“Why didn’t Zeke deliver this critical information himself?”
“Prince Zeke said he had something more urgent to attend to and left.”
“An important matter?”
Mary’s lips trembled as she hesitated, uncertain whether to speak.
Gerard, reading her uncertainty, asked with a deliberately stern gaze.
“Do you know where Zeke has gone?”
“He… told me to speak of it later…”
“If you know something, tell me at once.”
Mary sighed and opened her mouth as if surrendering.
“Prince Zeke has gone to pursue another lead.”
“Another lead? What is it?”
“The leader of the Black Moon revealed the source of the poison.”
“The source of the poison?”
Mary, who had been silent, glanced around cautiously before speaking.
“He said he was going to meet Nox Venomayer, the Pioneer of Extreme Toxins.”
Bang—!
“What?”
Gerard’s eyes widened as he struck the table.
Nox Venomayer, the Pioneer of Extreme Toxins.
He was one of the 12 Pioneers, after all.

* * *
Among the 12 Pioneers, Nox was somewhat gloomy by nature.
People often said he suited an assassin more than a mage.
Yet he preferred to think of himself as a researcher rather than either.
That was why he worked like a laboratory rat, confined in this cramped chamber, without a single complaint.
“Handle that carefully. Even if you sold everything you own, you couldn’t afford to replace a single ingredient that goes into this poison.”
“Yes, I understand. I’ll be careful.”
Nox, who had been cautioning his assistant about the solution mixture, returned to his work.
Called the Pioneer of Extreme Toxins, he took pride in the fact that no one could match his mastery of poison magic.
Sometimes he displayed an almost supernatural concentration, as if to prove he was no mere genius.
Yet he possessed a somewhat twisted temperament.
Crash!
“Ah, I-I’m so sorry! I-I made a mistake…!”
Despite the warning, Bain dropped the flask.
Nox’s eyebrows twitched as he watched the solution spill across the floor.
“What is your name?”
“B-Bain, sir.”
“You have no family name?”
“…I am a commoner.”
“Family?”
“I have a wife and a daughter who is three years old…”
Bain trembled uncontrollably as the sudden interrogation began.
He wasn’t a fool—he could sense just how furious Nox was.
He could even foresee what was about to happen.
“Your daughter is already a dead woman. Your wife too.”
“P-please! Just one more chance! Give me one more opportunity!”
Bain immediately dropped to his knees, his hands clasped in desperate supplication.
Had he simply volunteered for the sake of touching large sums of money, he wouldn’t feel this bitter sense of injustice.
But now his family was being held hostage.
Even if he accepted his own fate, he had to beg with every fiber of his being to save his family.
However, Nox was not a man who reversed decisions he had already made.
“Go meet your family.”
“Gack! Gack!”
Bain suddenly convulsed as his breath was cut off, his face turning crimson as he collapsed to the floor.
Moments later, dark blood streamed from his nose and the hollows beneath his eyes.
The commoner called Bain was dead.
He never even realized when the poison had taken him.
“Evan.”
“Yes!”
“Dispose of this corpse.”
“Understood!”
The man called Evan swiftly removed the body.
His movements were practiced—he’d done this countless times before.
Though it was unfortunate that a colleague had died, he too was merely a commoner trapped in this place, so he had no room to dwell on it.
He could only listen to the words of the tyrant who held overwhelming power over this situation.
Nox seemed utterly indifferent to the commoner’s death, returning his focus to his poison research.
Then a communication stone on the table caught his attention.
‘Hmm? What does Baluduk want?’
Nox frowned briefly before tapping the glowing communication stone.
-How is the poison production coming along?
“Naturally well. Surely you didn’t contact me just to ask that. What’s the matter?”
-I’m calling to warn you.
“A warning…?”
The word felt foreign to Nox.
What reason could there possibly be for him—a 9th Circle mage and the 7th ranked among the 12 Pioneers—to receive a warning?
Yet he couldn’t dismiss the words of Baluduk, who ranked 2nd, so he decided to listen.
“Speak.”
-Mallock hasn’t been in contact. There’s a possibility his cover has been blown.
“He’s probably just stepped away temporarily. He’s an 8th Circle mage and the leader of an assassination unit—surely his cover hasn’t been compromised?”
-Still, it’s better to be cautious. Gregor was captured, and some of the kingdom’s spies have been exposed. Things are developing strangely. In times like these, we must be meticulous. Especially since you’re the one who provided the poison—if your connection to it becomes known, it will be quite problematic.
“That may be true, but if we stop now, the losses will be substantial.”
—Isn’t it better than having your connection to me exposed? So clean this up without any loose ends and get out. We’ll have to postpone the plan for a while.
“….”
It had been three months since Nox, who belonged to Albitz, infiltrated Decan with the Third Prince’s assistance.
During that time, he had kidnapped commoners to serve as assistants for poison manufacturing and waited for the day to execute the operation.
‘But now he’s telling me to dismantle everything?’
It was no wonder that dissatisfaction appeared on Nox’s face.
He was thorough—perhaps too thorough.
“If we clean up now, what about the next plan? It could take years.”
—Sometimes you must know when to retreat. It’s better to be cautious than to ruin everything with a single mistake in a moment of carelessness.
“….”
—So clean it up. As quickly as possible.
The moment the communication ended, Nox’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Damn old fool! Now he’s telling me to clean up? Age has only made him more cowardly!”
Though his complaints were many, he couldn’t simply ignore the orders of Baluduk, the architect of the plan.
Nox had no choice but to move forward.
Crack!
Crackle!
He smashed every communication device he could find, then dumped all the poison bottles under production into the trash.
He then infused mana into the trash to completely destroy the evidence.
Now only one piece of evidence remained.
The commoner subordinates stationed outside.
“Evan. Summon all the subordinates.”
“Um, Nox… but we have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
The term “visitor” was their code for someone delivering goods.
At this point, the only visitors could be subordinates of the Black Moon.
‘We took the poison just a short while ago—why are they coming again for more goods? Without any notice?’
Nox’s face twisted as he questioned Evan.
“Which visitor?”
“Shadow Moon has come.”
“What?”
Shadow Moon.
This referred to none other than the leader of the Black Moon.

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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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