The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 89

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 89
Zeke McLafflin, who had traveled only by carriage until now, rode in a magical carriage prepared by the Duke’s Mansion for the first time in ages.
It was certainly more comfortable than a regular carriage, making the journey pleasant.
Though his mind was anything but at ease.
‘What is this situation?’
Only Zeke McLafflin and Princess Sillis rode in the magical carriage.
Duke Jose had excused himself, saying he would take a separate magical carriage.
‘The space is plenty wide, yet he wouldn’t ride with us….’
Being alone in one space with Princess Sillis felt awkward, but what truly drove Zeke McLafflin to madness was her endless barrage of questions.
“You’re saying that by inhaling mana, aura accumulated on its own without you realizing it?”
“That’s correct.”
“How fascinating. I doubt there’s anyone across the entire continent besides you, Young Master Zeke McLafflin, who uses both aura and magic simultaneously. So you’ve achieved intermediate Aura Master rank and 7th Circle magic at the same time?”
“You could say that.”
“It’s difficult enough to achieve one, yet you’ve accomplished both at once. That’s truly remarkable! Reaching 7th Circle at sixteen years old is something only the 12 Pioneers could achieve. But why have you hidden such tremendous power until now?”
“I wasn’t intentionally hiding it. There simply hasn’t been an opportunity to reveal it.”
“I see. Now all that’s left is to make a name for yourself as a Sword Mage. I wonder how astonished the world will be….”
Zeke McLafflin clicked his tongue inwardly.
How could she have so many questions about him?
‘Before we departed, she was sitting quietly like a refined lady….’
Princess Sillis had become more talkative once she’d grown accustomed to sharing the magical carriage alone with him.
“Don’t you have any curiosity about me, Young Master?”
“Well….”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Zeke McLafflin paused to think carefully.
‘She asked me so many questions, so if I say I have none, she’ll be disappointed, won’t she?’
There wasn’t much to ask, but upon reflection, he found one thing.
“I heard you’re close with Tracy, the daughter of Count Hamilton. Is that true?”
“Yes, that’s true, but….”
Princess Sillis countered with eyes wide in surprise.
“How do you know about Tracy?”
“I stayed at Hamilton Territory not long ago. Tracy apparently went to the Deporte Family Estate and saw a portrait of my eldest brother….”
“Oh! I didn’t request that! My father brought the portrait on his own, asking what the First Son McLafflin was like. Please don’t misunderstand—I’m absolutely not interested!”
Though her sudden rush of words was somewhat endearing, Zeke McLafflin couldn’t fathom why she would react that way.
“We’ve arrived.”
Before they knew it, they had reached Hamilton Territory while conversing.
As the castle gates opened and they approached the Lord’s Castle, they descended from the magical carriage.
The Lord of Hamilton, who had come to greet them, welcomed them with a broad smile.
“Welcome, Duke Jose Deporte. The war has only recently ended, so things are still somewhat disorganized, but we’re honored to have you in our territory.”
“Haha, no need for formalities between us. Have you been well, Count Burke Hamilton?”
“Yes. Princess Sillis is as beautiful as ever.”
“Thank you, Count. Hm?”
Surprised by Tracy’s presence to greet her, Princess Sillis smiled softly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the outside world, hasn’t it? Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, I’m much better.”
Tracy’s gaze turned toward Zeke McLafflin.
Though they made eye contact as acquaintances, Duke Jose interpreted it differently and approached to introduce him to the Count.
“Count Hamilton. I mentioned it through the communication stone, didn’t I? That I had someone to introduce. This person is….”
“Well, this is surprising. To meet Sir Zeke McLafflin again.”
At the Count’s familiar greeting, Duke Jose’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Do you two know each other?”
“Did I not mention it? There’s a mercenary who, despite his young age, led the territorial war to victory. That person is Sir Zeke McLafflin here.”
“Sir Zeke McLafflin… a mercenary?”
Duke Jose looked at Zeke as if questioning whether this was truly the case.
“You worked as a mercenary?”
“Yes. I apologize for not mentioning it beforehand.”
“I heard Count Hamilton lavishing praise through the communication stone right after the territorial war, but to think it was you….”
Duke Jose wanted to hear more details about the circumstances, but Count Hamilton also had many questions.
“Sir Zeke McLafflin, what brings you to our territory? And how do you know Duke Deporte?”
At this, Zeke answered with a smile.
“Rather than discuss it here, let’s go inside and talk about the details.”

* * *
“Hah, to face hundreds of Aura Knights alone. Surely without Sir Zeke McLafflin, we would have lost the territorial war.”
Having heard the full details from Count Hamilton, Duke Jose could not help but be astonished.
He had never imagined that the war hero of the territorial war would be Zeke McLafflin standing before him.
But the Count was equally surprised.
“Sir Zeke McLafflin is not merely a mercenary but the First Son of the McLafflin Family. No wonder his skills seemed far too exceptional for a mere mercenary….”
He too had never considered that Zeke was a nobleman.
“But Sir Zeke McLafflin, what brings you back to our territory?”
“I have information to share with the Lord of Hamilton.”
Zeke shared with the Lord of Hamilton the intelligence he had gathered thus far.
With each word, the Lord’s eyes grew wider.
“My goodness, that terrifying illusionist even visited the Duke Family….”
“I was shocked as well. When Marquis Winston transformed into the illusionist’s form, it felt like a dream.”
“You must have been quite frightened. Are you injured anywhere, Duke Jose?”
“I’m fine, but my daughter fell under the illusion. Fortunately, had Sir Zeke McLafflin not appeared, something terrible would have happened.”
As Duke Jose spoke thus, he regarded Zeke with the benevolent gaze of one looking at a prospective son-in-law.
The Lord of Hamilton’s gaze toward Zeke was similarly warm.
“We too owe Sir Zeke McLafflin a great debt. I shudder to imagine what would have happened had we lost the territorial war. Moreover, he even uncovered a spy for us….”
“A spy? What do you mean by that?”
The Lord explained to the Duke the circumstances that had transpired.
From the territorial dispute onwards, it had all been Azrahil’s grand design—and the spies he’d planted were observing everything unfold.
Duke Jose’s expression grew grave as he listened to the account.
“Then… are you saying this entire affair was an illusionist’s elaborate scheme to seize Hamilton Territory?”
“Yes. To be precise, it appears he’s targeting the Hamilton Mine within the territory.”
Zeke McLafflin, who had answered in his stead, turned his gaze toward Count Hamilton.
“Lord of Hamilton. You mentioned that mine contains nothing of particular value, correct?”
“Indeed. It’s merely an ordinary mine—iron ore, copper, and the like.”
“Would it be possible for me to investigate it? I need to discover why the illusionist is targeting that mine.”
“Very well. Since matters have come to this, let us all venture to the mine together.”
Anticipation gleamed in Zeke’s eyes.
The mine surely contained whatever material Azrahil sought.
‘Whatever it is, I’ll find it for certain.’

* * *
The Hamilton Mine bustled with activity as always.
The territory’s inhabitants depended on selling the minerals extracted here to sustain their livelihoods.
Clang! Bang!
“Hey, Jacob! Take a break while you work!”
“No way! Just a bit longer!”
The miners continued their labors late into the day.
Since they earned according to their output, greed was inevitable.
“Huh? Look over there. Someone’s coming in.”
“Isn’t that the foreman and the Lord of Hamilton?”
“Tracy is with them too.”
The miners extracting ore paused one by one, their attention fixed on the arriving group.
The foreman managing the mine waved his hands dismissively whenever he saw the workers distracted.
“Everyone, continue with your work. They’re just here to observe. The Lord of Hamilton has no wish to interfere—”
Yet the miners could not tear their eyes from the Lord’s entourage.
One reason lay with Princess Sillis.
Opportunities to behold a woman as beautiful as she was were rare indeed.
Though the men’s gazes converged upon her, Princess Sillis showed no sign of discomfort.
Such attention was familiar to her, given her striking beauty.
The true concern lay with Tracy, who stood at her side.
“A… ah…”
Sensing the weight of their stares, Tracy’s pupils trembled with unease.
Princess Sillis, detecting her distress, regarded her with concern.
“What’s wrong, Tracy? Are you alright?”
“T-the people… they’re staring.”
“No, they’re not looking at you. So there’s no need to worry—”
“A… ugh…”
Princess Sillis spoke kindly, but Tracy had descended into panic.
It seemed her words no longer reached her.
“Father! Lord of Hamilton! Tracy is acting strange!”
“Hmm?”
As the Duke and the Lord of Hamilton turned their heads, they caught sight of Tracy trembling violently.
“Tracy! Are you alright?”
Burke Hamilton, startled, tried to steady Tracy, but she could not regain her composure.
“It seems her trauma has resurfaced!”
“Oh no, we must leave at once!”
“Zeke. Continue your inspection!”
The Lord of Hamilton did not wait for a response and swiftly led Tracy out of the Mine.
When even Deporte’s Daughter, who had been fretting over Tracy, followed them out, I found myself alone with only the foreman.
“If you are concerned, you may leave as well, Zeke.”
“No. I wish to look around a bit more.”
“There is not much to see, even if you do….”
The foreman could not fathom why I insisted on staying to examine the Mine further.
‘Azrahil said there was a material he wanted here. It must be some mineral not easily found in the market.’
Convinced there must be a clue, I ventured deeper into the Mine alongside the foreman.
As we walked, the foreman kept glancing at me with eyes that screamed incomprehension.
“Look here. Everything you see is just common ore, is it not? Going deeper will only show you the same landscape.”
The foreman was right.
Despite having ventured quite deep, I could find no unusual minerals.
The miners who had been everywhere were now nowhere to be seen.
“The miners do not venture this far. Going deeper only wastes time on the return journey, and transporting ore takes several times longer. So perhaps we should stop here and head back….”
“I wish to see more.”
My resolve was unyielding.
There had to be something hidden in this Mine—something worth waging a territorial war to claim.
But the foreman, unaware of this fact, could only see stubbornness, and he sighed.
“Beyond this point is dangerous. There are no further excavations.”
“Then please return first, foreman. I will look around on my own and make my way back.”
“If that is your wish, very well. Look as you please.”
The foreman left those words behind and departed without a backward glance.
‘I have come this far. I cannot turn back now. I must find what Azrahil was searching for.’
My eyes gleamed as I ventured deeper into the cavern.
Just as the foreman had said, the tunnel ended abruptly where no further excavation had been done.
‘There was no reason to dig any further, after all.’
Even as I looked around, I found nothing remarkable.
As I considered turning back and placed my hand against the wall.
[Magical energy detected at the 60-meter mark.]
An unexpected message appeared.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————