The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 63

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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 63
The Quest appeared the moment the mercenaries began whispering about Mary.
【Sudden Quest: Teach Them a Lesson】
└Some mercenaries have conspired to sexually assault Mary.
└Save Mary and instill proper conduct, making them understand who their superior is.
【Conditions】
└Save Mary
└Conduct discipline training for the mercenaries
【Rewards】
└5th-tier Skill Proficiency +4,000
Though the Quest appeared suddenly, I had no reason to refuse it.
In fact, I had been waiting for a Quest like this to emerge.
‘The System must find it distasteful too. Those idiots laying their hands on Mary.’
Mary wasn’t a comrade, but she was ultimately my subordinate.
I wasn’t the type to let those who coveted what was mine go unpunished.
‘I needed to make an example anyway because of the disdainful looks around me. It’s strange how well I align with the System.’
I needed to demonstrate my strength to shatter those contemptuous gazes.
But I couldn’t just beat them without cause.
I needed a justification that even the Captain would acknowledge.
‘Catching them in the act would be the perfect pretext.’
I had brought Mary to the drinking gathering without hesitation for a reason.
To catch them red-handed and beat them senseless.
That’s why I had used Invisibility to slip in unnoticed and observe the situation.
This way, I could intervene before Mary suffered any harm.
‘Peter’s timing was perfect too. He called the Captain just as I instructed.’
Having resolved everything, I gazed at the proficiency reward with a satisfied smile.
[You have cleared the Sudden Quest!]
[You receive 5th-tier Skill Proficiency +4,000 as a reward.]
[Remaining Proficiency until 6-star Achievement: 5,900/10,000]
Though I hadn’t reached 6-star, 4,000 proficiency was a substantial reward.
‘So all that’s left is their punishment?’
I watched the sexual assaulters being dragged away by the Captain.
The Quest was complete, the magic duplication was done—what happened to them now was no concern of mine.
Yet curiosity stirred within me.
What punishment would the Captain impose?
‘If he has any sense, he won’t let this slide.’
My eyes caught the Captain’s stern expression.
“Have you lost your minds? Didn’t I tell you to treat the new recruits well? And you cause trouble not even a day later?”
“Captain, sir! That’s not what happened!”
“It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding?! I saw them with their pants down!”
“That… that was because that man Zeke McLafflin over there was controlling my body without permission…!”
“Are you drunk? What nonsense are you spouting?”
The mercenaries offered their explanations with aggrieved expressions, but their words fell on deaf ears.
The Captain was only a 5-Circle mage—there was no way he could know 7-Circle magic, and even if he did, Zeke McLafflin was known to be 6-Circle at most.
It was utterly impossible for him to cast 7-Circle magic.
Moreover, knowing that Zeke McLafflin and his companions were 5 and 6-Circle mages, the Captain found it awkward to take the mercenaries’ side.
If he handled this half-heartedly and they took offense, leaving the Mercenary Company would become a serious problem.
‘Among mages, age means nothing. Circle is law. Especially in the mercenary business where mages are precious.’
And so the Captain had no choice but to side with Zeke McLafflin.
He couldn’t afford to offend a 6-Circle mage.
Yet with the mercenaries making such excuses, he couldn’t punish them without evidence.
“This won’t do. Mary!”
Mary, who hadn’t been drunk in the first place despite her earlier drinking, stepped forward at the Captain’s call.
She displayed an exaggerated performance of unsteadiness, as if still intoxicated, while recalling the instructions Zeke McLafflin had given her beforehand.
‘Mary. The Captain will call you and ask what happened. He might even entrust you with judging those who assaulted you. When that happens, what you need to do is…’
Mary swallowed hard as she approached the Captain.
“What is it you wished to ask me…?”
“I’ve heard the story. Is it true that these men assaulted you?”
Mary’s eyes turned toward the criminals.
Unable to bear looking at them through her fear, she deliberately averted her gaze.
Intentionally.
“That is… well…”
As memories of the assault’s terror surfaced, tears streamed down her trembling eyes.
Drip. Drip.
“Sob… sob…”
Mary wept pitifully.
At her display, everyone except Zeke McLafflin was taken aback.
Mary’s acting prowess had come into full bloom.

* * *
The fate of the mercenaries who laid hands on Mary had been decided.
Expulsion across the board.
Those who surrendered their mercenary badges and were cast out from the Combat Mage Order could never again set foot in the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps.
Of course, they could join other mercenary companies.
‘Whether they become mercenaries again or go off to thievery somewhere—they’ll figure out how to survive.’
After all, they were 4th Circle mages, so they wouldn’t starve.
Regardless of anything else, I was satisfied with the mercenary company’s decision.
In this industry, even a 4th Circle mage was valuable personnel.
For the company to take such a decisive measure was quite impressive.
Of course, it was a calculation that abandoning them was better than keeping my group around.
‘If I’d come alone, they might not have gone through with expulsion.’
It was fortunate that I’d brought Peter and Mary along—otherwise, they might have taken a different approach.
‘Not that it matters. Either way, I drove them out as intended and succeeded in the Quest. This should change how the other members see us.’
And indeed it did.
After the incident, the members no longer treated my group carelessly.
They’d learned the lesson that careless provocation could result in expulsion, but more than that, the difference in Circle was significant.
I and Peter were 6th Circle—higher than even the Captain.
‘Most of the members are 4th Circle or lower. I suppose that’s considered high among commoners?’
Talented mages were usually nobles, and naturally, nobles didn’t engage in mercenary work.
A 4th Circle mage among commoners was considered exceptional.
My group, exceeding 5th Circle, could be called truly outstanding.
Of course, I’d only come here to refine my skills—I had no intention of continuing as a mercenary.
‘I’ve already copied all the magic from the members here. I should be looking for my next objective soon.’
According to the Captain, jobs came up about twice a month.
Since the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps was so renowned, there was always time needed for price negotiations with various clients.
I’d understood we’d need to wait for a while, but that proved unnecessary.
“Recruit. You’re lucky. A deployment has been approved.”
A job had come up faster than expected.

* * *
In an ordinary village like any found in the countryside, there existed an extraordinary man.
“Damn it, ugh. I’ve run out of liquor, and now I don’t know how I’ll survive.”
His gait wavered as though drunk.
Gaunt features and a withered appearance.
The man, who looked far too shabby to evoke any image of nobility, pushed open the Cabin door.
Creak—
Yet inside, an uninvited guest had already made himself at home.
“A penniless nobleman wandering about so freely?”
“Wh-who are you? What are you doing here?”
A well-groomed gentleman in a bowler hat sat with his legs crossed as though he owned the place.
The man, startled by this sight, burst out in anger.
“Why did you barge into someone else’s home like this?”
“Why? I came to meet the third son of the McLafflin Family.”
“What?”
At the title he hadn’t heard in so long, Alex McLafflin’s brow furrowed.
The alcohol’s haze evaporated instantly.
“A… young master? It’s been ages since I was cast out by the Family.”
“Alex McLafflin, correct? The one expelled after hiring assassins during the succession trial.”
“If you already know, why keep asking?”
“Merely confirming. You look far worse than I expected.”
Twitch.
Veins bulged across Alex McLafflin’s forehead.
Not only had this man barged in uninvited, but he’d dredged up painful memories—no wonder his temper twisted.
“What’s your business? And more importantly, who are you?”
“My identity is irrelevant. Living in such a remote village must have been quite impoverished. Leaving home means hardship, doesn’t it? Though I suppose you brought it upon yourself.”
“What are you trying to do? Are you mocking me…?”
Ting!
In an instant, something flew in an arc, and Alex reflexively caught it.
A gold coin.
“That should be enough for four months of comfortable living, wouldn’t you say?”
“…What is this? Right now?”
Despite receiving the money, Alex remained wary of the gentleman.
He couldn’t fathom the man’s intentions or what he truly wanted.
Sensing the wariness, the gentleman smiled faintly and withdrew a pouch from his coat.
“There’s no need to overthink this.”
Jingle.
A heavy sound emanated from the money pouch placed on the table.
It clearly contained at least hundreds of gold coins.
“Answer my questions, and I’ll give you every coin in this pouch. You’ll never need to worry about sustenance for the rest of your life.”
An eye-widening proposal.
As the saying went, my finances were so dire that my eyes couldn’t help but light up.
That was why Alex’s tone had become so deferential.
“…What would you like to know?”
As I quietly tucked the purse of coins into my pocket and asked, an unexpected answer came back.
“You know of Zeke McLafflin, don’t you?”
“….”
“I’d like to know things about him.”
The gentleman in the bowler hat, Esca, lifted the corners of his mouth deeply.
‘Who did he say? Zeke?’
For a moment, a nightmare flashed through Alex’s mind.
The memory of that bastard Zeke, playing the assassin, catching evidence at the scene and making a fool of me—a memory I’d rather forget.
Even now, a year later, it was a nightmare that hadn’t faded, appearing in my dreams from time to time.
“You want to know about Zeke, that son of a bitch?”
It was only natural that Alex’s reaction had turned rough.
If I had to name the person who’d sent me to rock bottom, it was undoubtedly Zeke.
“From your reaction, it seems you two aren’t on good terms.”
“Good terms? How can you even say that? I’m like this because of that bastard!”
“Calm yourself. I’m merely curious whether the rumors about Zeke McLafflin are true or false.”
“Rumors? What…?”
“You don’t know? That he joined the Royal Court Mage Order and became an ace there.”
Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
It was the first I’d heard of it.
The rumors circulating in the capital hadn’t reached this remote countryside.
“That bastard joined the Royal Court Mage Order? How could someone who can’t even use magic do that?”
“Can’t use magic? You really don’t know anything. When was it that he was revealed to be a 6-Circle genius?”
“6-Circle? Zeke?”
Esca’s expression twisted slightly as he watched Alex’s continued astonishment.
‘I came here to gather information about the target, but he knows even less than I do. Is there nothing worth salvaging from this?’
Unaware that Esca was clicking his tongue inwardly, Alex was too busy satisfying his own curiosity.
“Really? Are you sure you didn’t mishear? That bastard was determined to have no talent since childhood, a worthless piece of trash who couldn’t even use magic. He was always cooped up in the Magic Library staring at books, and now you’re telling me he’s 6-Circle? What in the….”
“That’s precisely why I’m trying to verify the truth of these rumors. I’ve heard that the McLafflin Family recognized Zeke’s talent early on and kept it hidden from childhood….”
“Father did it intentionally…?”
Watching Alex’s continued shock, Esca concluded there was no more information to be gained.
‘This was a wasted trip.’
Just as he was about to stand up.
Alex’s murmur stopped him in his tracks.

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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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