The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 57

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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 57
Ever since Mary joined my journey, things had become considerably easier.
From gathering firewood for camp to cooking, hunting, and preparing bedding—everything fell under her purview.
Mary took care of anything that might ease my burden.
I’d essentially gained a maid.
‘A rather competent one, at that.’
Watching her ignite fires with magic proved she had her uses.
Crackle—
“There. You won’t be cold tonight. Here’s a blanket.”
The “blanket” she offered was the traveler’s robe she’d been wearing.
“What about you? You don’t have a blanket.”
“I’m fine. As long as you’re warm, Zeke.”
She hugged herself, visibly shivering as she spoke.
I had no choice but to give it back.
“Take it. I’m not cold.”
“Why not? You must be freezing….”
“I’m not. I have high cold resistance.”
It wasn’t an empty boast—it was the truth.
With my resistance stat exceeding three thousand, cold posed no obstacle whatsoever.
I could sleep on frozen ground in winter without my lips turning blue.
I’d confirmed through the seasons that I could spend summer comfortably without breaking a sweat.
“Still, you should wear something….”
“I’m fine, I said.”
When she continued to insist, I draped the robe over her shoulders myself.
Whether from the campfire or something else, Mary’s face had turned crimson.
“Th-thank you. Zeke.”
“About that—stop calling me by that title. From now on, just call me Zeke. Unless you want to reveal my identity wherever we go.”
“What should I call you then?”
“Just Zeke. You’re two years older than me anyway. Drop the formal speech.”
“That’s a bit….”
The consciousness of servitude seemed deeply ingrained in her mind, making casual speech difficult.
I watched her wavering pupils for a moment before nodding in resignation.
“Fine. Keep the formal tone, but just call me Zeke. Will that work?”
“Yes! Yes!”
Mary’s expression brightened as if she’d been granted a reprieve from death itself.
“I’m getting hungry. Should we start preparing dinner? Get the fire ready. I’ll handle the butchering.”
“Zeke, please rest. I can handle everything….”
Mary’s eyes suddenly widened like a startled rabbit.
It was because I’d just pulled a staff from thin air.
“Zeke, h-how did you just do that?”
“I’m using magic to create a spatial pocket and storing things in it like a warehouse.”
“What? Ah, you mean you created a subspace? Is that even possible?”
“Of course it’s possible. I’m doing it right now, aren’t I?”
As Zeke McLafflin placed items into the space and withdrew them, Mary’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Don’t be surprised by this. You’ll be seeing it often from now on, so you’ll need to get used to it.”
“But what is that? It looks like a staff I’ve never seen before.”
“Oh, this?”
Zeke McLafflin, holding the staff wrapped in golden light, smirked.
“I received it as a gift from someone of high standing.”
“Someone of high standing?”
Mary’s confusion was entirely justified.
The fact that Zeke McLafflin had visited the King’s treasury was classified information known only to a select few retainers.
Of course, only the King and Zeke McLafflin knew what he had received.
‘But the hidden abilities within the staff—even the King wouldn’t know about those.’
-That’s certainly true. The staff is a fine item that only reveals its power when inscribed with mana patterns.
Just as Carbollearos said, the staff received from the King was quite a remarkable object.
Named [Uriel’s Feather], it appeared no different from any other staff in its normal state.
But when Zeke McLafflin inscribed it with a specific mana pattern, just like the Adolias Ring he currently wore?
Its form transformed.
Like this.
“Huh? The staff… it turned into a sword?”
Seeing the staff suddenly change into a blade, Mary couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Uriel’s Feather could freely shift between the forms of staff and sword.
A perfect weapon for Zeke McLafflin, who wielded both magic and aura.
Particularly, the blade was infused with holy power, making it useful when facing demons, or so I’d heard.
‘But Carbollearos, did the Celestial Demon War really occur three thousand years ago?’
-It did.
‘And you just stood there watching without participating?’
-From a dragon’s perspective, it didn’t matter who won. Though I don’t think I said I was just standing there watching?
‘Is that so? Anyway, you didn’t even participate, so how do you know the mana patterns of such a precious artifact?’
-I happen to take great interest in other people’s possessions. Ahem…
Was it because he was a Gold Dragon?
Carbollearos certainly had an unusual obsession with material wealth.
-But Zeke, why did you take out Uriel’s Feather? Why are you approaching that wild boar?
‘Why? To butcher it, of course.’
-Y-you’ve lost your mind! Using such a precious artifact for butchering!’
‘So what? It’s already cut through demon bellies. Slicing through a boar shouldn’t be much different. Besides, I don’t have any proper tools.’
-N-no! You can’t use something so valuable for such a trivial task! Step aside! Let me handle it with magic!’
The pendant glowed, and in an instant, it conjured a blade of wind.
Skreeeek— Skreek—!
The technique of precisely cutting leather and scraping away only the meat was skillful enough to earn the title of butcher.
-Is this enough?
‘Okay. Perfect.’
After finishing the meat preparation using Carbollearos, Zeke called for Mary.
“Butchering’s done.”
“Already? Wow, you did such a clean job!”
Mary, bursting with admiration, threaded the meat onto skewers she had prepared beforehand.
After grilling them until golden brown over the fire and finishing their meal, they retired for the night.
“Are you really sure you don’t need a blanket?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll keep watch. Please get some rest first.”
As she spoke, Mary’s face betrayed a grim resolve as she surveyed the surroundings.
Even knowing this was an arduous journey, I could feel her unwavering determination to see it through.
‘What is this? She’s ready to give her life for her master?’
While newly appreciating the magnitude of the contract, I felt a thrill at the thought of meeting Peter McLafflin, slave number one.
‘Once I meet Peter and acquire magic, I’ll join the Mercenary Company. What Mercenary Company wouldn’t welcome three mages of Circle 5 or higher?’
My plan was to join a renowned Mercenary Company that conducted many territorial wars, meeting as many mages as possible.
“Then sleep well.”
“Yeah. You did good work.”
Zeke, who had been warming himself by the campfire, rolled over and lay down.
Though it was late enough that sleep should have come easily, I found myself unable to close my eyes.
It was because of the gaze that had been fixed on me since earlier.
‘One person within a 100-meter radius. Looks like they’re watching through something like a telescope…’
I could sense it wasn’t an animal through a hunter’s instinct.
What animal stands on two legs watching for an entire hour?
Unless it was someone with ulterior motives.
‘Whoever it is, now that I’ve lain down, they’ll make their move.’
Zeke’s act of lying down was a kind of bait.
By feigning sleep, I wanted to see how the other party would move.
It was effective—the one who had been watching suddenly turned and disappeared.
‘Should have chased them. Well, they’ll be back.’
My prediction proved accurate.

* * *
Tap-tap-tap-
A group huddled around a campfire on the Mountain Slope.
Ten men in total.
Most of them had swords or axe handles thrust through their belts.
“Hehehehe, so what I did to that wench was….”
“Hey! You’re just a commoner anyway. Me? I actually seduced a noble’s daughter….”
They boasted back and forth about their exploits with crude laughter, but these were the same tired stories exchanged year after year—and someone was thoroughly sick of them.
Dave, the Bandit Group’s only mage, was that someone.
“Stop talking about women. I’m bored to death, you fools.”
“Seems the mage doesn’t find it amusing.”
“I have no interest in women. Money is what matters most.”
“True enough, money is the best!”
“Thanks to you, mage, we’ll all be rich soon, eh? Bwahahaha!”
The area around the group was littered with sacks stuffed with various goods.
Not long ago, they’d robbed a merchant caravan passing through the region, with Dave leading the assault.
Of course, they’d buried the merchants and guards in the ground, and dumped the women at the Riverbank after having their way with them.
“Without the mage back then, we’d never have dared attack a caravan.”
“Indeed. We didn’t expect them to have an Aura User as escort. We nearly got ourselves killed.”
“Tsk, trembling before a mere Aura User. Pathetic, you dogs. That’s why I keep telling you to practice Aura when you have time.”
“If that were possible, would we be resorting to banditry?”
“We’re content just working as the mage’s assistants and scraping together whatever scraps fall our way.”
“Hehehehe, that’s right.”
The Bandit Group laughed weakly, but Dave didn’t join in at all.
He viewed these commoners with utter contempt.
‘Useless bastards who can do nothing but haul cargo.’
Yet he had no intention of abandoning them.
He’d been having too much fun lately robbing merchant caravans.
‘Still, tasks that would be difficult alone become manageable thanks to these idiots.’
Transporting plunder, scouting, setting up camp—
The Bandit Group served multiple purposes.
They could even be used as bait or shields if necessary.
‘It’s definitely more convenient using the Bandit Group than working alone. And they benefit from having me around too.’
Thanks to a mage’s superior skills, the Bandit Group could raid merchant caravans they’d normally never dare touch.
I could command them as subordinates and reap the rewards effortlessly.
A mutually beneficial arrangement.
That’s why I received treatment I could never get elsewhere.
‘At least here, I’m king and god. I enjoy luxuries the Mage Guild could never offer.’
In my Mage Guild, being a 5-Circle mage meant nothing—they’d just sneer—but here was different.
I felt like the leader of the Bandit Group itself.
In truth, he had replaced the previous leader and taken his seat, so it wasn’t an inaccurate claim.
‘Once I’ve squeezed enough coin out of these fools, I’ll need to dispose of every last one of them.’
Unaware of their impending fate, the bandits chattered idly amongst themselves.
The conversation drifted once more toward women.
‘I’m sick to death of this, truly.’
Just as Dave was about to speak up.
“Mage! Mage!”
The scout who had departed an hour earlier came rushing back in a frenzy.
“What is it?”
“Over there, sir. About 500 meters away—we’ve spotted prey.”
“Is that so? How many?”
“Two of them—a man and a woman. No guards or carriages accompanying them.”
“What?”
Dave’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Damn it, you’re making a fuss over targets with nothing worth taking?”
“Please, hear me out. The items they’re carrying are far from ordinary.”
“What are they carrying?”
“The man has an elegant staff inlaid with gold.”
“Gold?”
In this world too, gold was precious.
If someone had wrapped such gold around a staff, it would be no ordinary object.
“Are you certain? You saw it clearly?”
“Absolutely! I confirmed it with the magnifying lens you gave me—it gleamed in the firelight.”
‘Hmm. A staff adorned with gold leaf… I could fetch at least 300,000 gold for that alone.’
This haul would rival the profits of a decent merchant company.
“If the man carries it, he must be a mage?”
“That appears to be the case. But the woman was also carrying a staff.”
“A male and female mage party… that’s an unusual composition to find in a place like this.”
Typically, mages would use teleportation or merchant caravans—they had no reason to camp in the mountains.
It didn’t suit their nature either, given mages’ lack of physical endurance.
Then a comrade beside him questioned the scout.
“Ellen. Did you see the female mage’s face?”
“I did.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Incredibly beautiful. Like an angel, honestly.”
“Ohhhhh!”
His comrades erupted in cheers.
At the sound, Dave’s brow darkened.
“You idiots, keep your voices down. They’re 500 meters away.”
“Ah, my apologies!”
“Mage! Why don’t we just dispose of those bastards quickly? I’ll make sure the Golden Staff goes to you.”
“What are you acting so noble about? Did you think I’d share the spoils with you lot?”
“Ha, of course not. But if we capture that mage….”
“Could you perhaps hand her over to us… hehe.”
Their drooling grins made their intentions painfully obvious without needing to ask.
“Tsk, pathetic wretches. Do whatever you want with the woman.”
“Th-thank you so much! Hihihi!”
“But the valuables are mine.”
“Of course, sir. Hehehehe.”
The delighted bandits each grabbed their weapons.
“Since we’re on the subject, let’s head out right away.”
“Clean this place up first, you idiots.”
“Ah, right. I wasn’t thinking clearly, hahaha!”
Dave, speaking with irritation, called over a scout.
“Hey, scout. Are both of them still awake over there?”
“The man fell asleep a while ago, but the woman is still awake.”
“Perfect. I’ll make the first move, so you all just keep watching like you have been.”
“Understood.”
“Lead the way.”
Dave and the Bandit Group soon followed the scout up the mountain path.

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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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