The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 77

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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 77
“Ah, yes. The junior member I reported on last time. But what exactly makes you suspicious of him?”
“Everything. His personality seemed completely different, as if he were a spy sent by Lord of Hamilton.”
“Tell me more specifically why you felt that way.”
Chad spoke honestly about the feelings he had experienced.
“Nathan has a rather outgoing personality within the guild. You could call him the life of the party. Despite being ranked eleventh, he’s never shown any deference in front of us. He complains, sure, but he’s never been intimidated.”
“And then?”
“But when I first encountered him, he kept apologizing for being late. Then when I pointed that out, he suddenly changed his tone as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity.”
“You suspect him of being a spy just because of that?”
“There’s another suspicious point. The slovenly fellow appeared dressed neatly for once, completely unlike his usual self. When I pointed that out, he spouted some nonsense about getting a girlfriend as an excuse.”
“What’s strange about that? It’s not unreasonable.”
“From an ordinary person’s perspective, perhaps not. But he doesn’t like women—he likes men.”
“So he’s homosexual.”
Azrahil’s expression showed little surprise.
The proportion of homosexuals on the Pangaea Continent was quite high.
Many nobles openly indulged in such preferences.
“The other guild members didn’t know this fact and overlooked it, but I know for certain.”
“Is that because you’re homosexual too?”
“….”
“So you two were dating.”
“…That’s not quite right. I was the one who got rejected.”
Chad, having inadvertently come out to his boss, watched his expression carefully.
He worried whether Azrahil might take offense and cast him out.
But for Azrahil, such matters were of no concern whatsoever.
“Don’t worry about it. Whatever you do among yourselves is none of my business. As long as you do your job well, that’s all that matters.”
“…Thank you for your understanding.”
“So, in your opinion, Nathan is a spy who came in with a changed face?”
“Yes. Perhaps someone in Hamilton Territory who noticed the spy’s existence obtained a shape-shifting scroll by chance and used it to infiltrate us in disguise.”
“But his voice was the same, wasn’t it?”
“That’s true, but with a shape-shifting scroll, how could he have altered his voice as well….”
“That’s impossible.”
Azrahil stated it flatly.
“Shape-shifting scrolls only change appearance. The spell is cast to do that alone. I made them, so I know well.”
“Is, is that so?”
“And no matter how skilled I am, I can’t alter someone’s voice. I could implant an illusion to make it seem that way, but surely you’re not suggesting that this fellow is a better illusionist than I am?”
“Ah, no. That couldn’t be. It couldn’t be, but… his voice was so identical, so how….”
“You might have simply misread the situation.”
“That can’t be. The Nathan I know is far too different from this one.”
Faced with Chad’s repeated assertions, Azrahil regarded him intently.
His eyes gleamed with conviction that this was a spy from Hamilton.
“Fine. I can’t just overlook this when the second-ranked officer is harboring such suspicions.”
Azrahil couldn’t simply brush it aside either—he couldn’t entrust work to a subordinate he doubted.
“I need to run a test on that fellow.”
“A test, you say…?”
Azrahil smiled silently, a thin smirk playing at his lips.
He gestured with his eyes for Chad to follow.

* * *
Chad and Azrahil disappeared into the Forest for quite some time.
‘What conversation are they having that’s taking this long?’
My hunter’s senses picked up the two of them standing and talking.
Whether they’d blocked it with magic or not, I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
I was concentrating all my focus on my senses, hoping not to miss anything.
‘They’re moving.’
The two finished their conversation and began moving.
But their direction wasn’t toward me.
‘Where are they going?’
For a moment, I considered following them, but I quickly abandoned the idea.
I couldn’t afford to have my cover blown yet.
Fortunately, the two of them returned to where the Mage Guild members were gathered.
And they brought a man with them.
“Sit here!”
“Mmph! Nngh!”
The man, gagged and bound, bore the unmistakable marks of a beating across his face.
Everyone’s attention naturally turned toward him.
“Who is that person?”
“A prisoner from Hamilton Territory that Azrahil brought in.”
“Hamilton Territory?”
As everyone’s eyes widened, I saw it.
A message floating before my eyes.
[The target you are currently observing is speaking a ‘lie’.]
‘The claim that he’s a prisoner from Hamilton Territory is a lie.’
Why would he lie about that?
My confusion was short-lived as Azrahil’s gaze turned toward me.
“Grunt.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Kill that prisoner right here, right now.”
An abrupt order to kill.
I should have been shocked, but I remained composed.
I’d already suspected this was Azrahil’s test.
“Understood.”
If I showed any hesitation here, I’d be 100% suspected.
For now, it was best to play along.
Shring—
Just in case, I drew the dagger I’d been carrying and approached the man.
We had no prior acquaintance, but that didn’t matter.
If I didn’t kill him here, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to grow suspicious.
Thud—
“Gack!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I drove the dagger into his heart.
Chad’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
Azrahil and the other guild members showed no change in expression.
It was simply what a guild member was expected to do.
“Disposed of.”
“Well done.”
Though I received praise, I maintained an expressionless face.
It wasn’t guilt over taking a life.
The problem was that they were testing me.
Whatever the reason, it meant they suspected I might be a spy.
‘Still, I don’t feel good about this. Killing an innocent creature.’
The being I had just killed was not human.
It was a wild boar disguised to look like a person.
Azrahil’s illusion magic had made it appear that way.
Truly remarkable magic.
‘Without the Sage’s Eye, I would have been fooled like the others.’
Indeed, the Sage’s Eye revealed the boar’s true form.
This was why I had remained composed from the start.
They brought a boar disguised as a human and suddenly told me to kill it?
It could only be a test.
‘The moment they mentioned it was a prisoner from Hamilton Territory, they were suspecting me of being a Hamilton spy.’
I didn’t know where the suspicion originated, but regardless, the situation wasn’t favorable.
All I could do was hope that killing the boar would dispel their doubts.
“Chad. Take the corpse and follow me. I’ve prepared a pit over there.”
“Yes, Azrahil.”
The two disappeared back into the Forest.
Carrying the boar disguised as a human.

* * *
“Put that down.”
At the icy command, Chad lowered the wild boar he’d been carrying on his shoulder—or rather, what he’d been disguising as a person.
“I suspected his identity was questionable, so I cast an illusion and tested him. But what’s this? He didn’t hesitate for even a moment before stabbing.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry. I was certain he would hesitate if he knew he was a prisoner of Hamilton….”
Even as Chad spoke, he felt deeply aggrieved.
It was Azrahil who had first suggested disguising the boar as a person to conduct the test.
Still, by raising suspicions, Chad had caused the boss unnecessary trouble, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty.
Especially since the boss looked genuinely displeased.
“You’ve handled your duties well and you’re ranked second, so I’ve been generous and helped you out. But now I’ve wasted time on this nonsense. I feel like an idiot.”
“I-I’m truly sorry. This was my oversight.”
“Do you still suspect the newcomer?”
“No. I no longer have any doubts.”
His words said one thing, but Chad’s true thoughts were another.
Zeke still didn’t carry Nathan’s scent.
“Good. We should accept this as a misunderstanding and move on. We’ve wasted enough time on this. Let’s go. We don’t have time for this.”
“Y-yes… I apologize again.”
Chad followed with a shamefaced expression and soon returned to where his subordinates were waiting.
His eyes met Nathan’s, but still no emotion was directed toward him.
They’d even consulted together about identity concerns before.
‘Looking at those eyes, he’s definitely a spy… but there’s no way to prove it.’
Meanwhile, Zeke, unaware of any of this, merely found it strange that Chad kept glancing at him.
‘He’s still suspicious of me. Chad, was it? I’ll need to keep a close eye on him for a while.’
But there was a more pressing problem.
The disguise skill would wear off in only about five minutes.
I looked toward Azrahil, hoping he’d hurry the meeting along.
Sensing the urgency himself, he opened his mouth.
“Your task this time is the same as before—delivering goods. Each of you will take supplies equal to the number of people in your assigned village, distribute them, and observe the villagers’ behavior. If any problems arise during this, handle them at your own discretion without causing complications. Understood?”
“Yes! We understand!”
“And Nathan, ranked eleventh.”
At the sudden call, Zeke tensed up.
Or rather, he acted as if he tensed up.
“Yes!”
“Since you have no assigned territory, you’ll join another member. I’d like you to join Chad, who is ranked second.”
‘With that guy?’
Zeke and Chad’s gazes met in midair.
It was Azrahil’s thoughtful gesture to pair them together to clear up the misunderstanding, but Zeke had no way of knowing that.
Just as I felt a sense of reluctance.
[A sudden Quest has occurred!]
A Quest window appeared, capturing Zeke’s attention.
【Sudden Quest: Perform Delivery Mission】
└You have been assigned a mission to deliver goods to the village alongside Chad, who ranks 2nd in the Kelbrige Combination.
└While delivering the goods, uncover what Azrahil Johnston is scheming.
【Conditions】
└Discover the scheme while delivering goods
【Rewards】
└Random stat increase of 700
└5th tier skill proficiency increased by 5,000
[Do you accept the Quest? Y/N]
‘Of course I should accept it. It’s the only way to earn rewards.’
As someone who must continually grow stronger, I had no reason to refuse the Quest.
“Then depart immediately for the mission. The cart loaded with goods is prepared over there.”
“Yes!”
At Azrahil’s words, the guild members began hurrying into action.
I quickened my pace, following the other members.
While it appeared I was working diligently, there was more to it than that.
[‘Magic Replication’ randomly duplicates 6 of Chad’s spells.]
[The skill ‘Magic Replication’ has reached 7-star achievement.]
[The number of spells you can acquire has been increased from 6 to 7.]
My true purpose was to raise the proficiency of Magic Replication.
‘Excellent. I’ve reached 7-star.’
After Chad, I discreetly used Magic Replication on the other guild members as I approached them.
[‘Magic Replication’ randomly duplicates 7 of Dennis’s spells.]
[‘Magic Replication’ randomly duplicates 7 of Samuel’s spells.]
…
…
[Proficiency remaining until 8-star achievement: 1,400/100,000]
Having duplicated the spells of six guild members, I turned my gaze to the last one.
It was Azrahil Johnston, who was leisurely following behind.
“Is there something you need?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Azrahil looked at my gaze with confusion, but it didn’t matter.
I had already completed the Magic Replication in that brief moment.

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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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