Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 395

# 396

Greetings 2

‘Greetings.’ The PD [Production Director, the head of the show] felt like he had aged ten years.

The applicant this time was a significant figure.

Duke Legion.

Until recently, he held the title of Count. The title of Count is by no means insignificant.

A Count governs a region. They are also a transcendent being with considerable power to oversee legislation, justice, and administration within that region.

It was no exaggeration to say that the most basic organization of kingdoms with strong local governments started with Counts.

However, comparing a Count to a Duke is absurd.

The power of a Duke far surpasses that of a Count.

Simply put, a Count does not have the power to overthrow a kingdom, but a Duke does.

Such a being had suddenly appeared.

From the citizens’ perspective, they couldn’t help but wonder about his intentions.

The fate of the kingdom could change drastically depending on what kind of man Duke Legion was.

The rumors weren’t good.

All sorts of evil rumors circulated.

The most credible rumor was that he was a treacherous vassal.

In addition, rumors spread that he was raising a hundred young boys and girls as concubines.

That he ate human flesh.

That he was actually a human formed by the combination of a demon summoned by a black magician and a human.

It was true that all sorts of rumors with unclear origins were circulating.

The problem was that people were starting to believe those rumors.

The words of the soldiers who directly witnessed the Wyvern Corps and the Ogre Corps that had defeated the undead army that tried to destroy the capital, Poman, added credibility to the rumors.

The PD felt a mixture of curiosity and fear.

However, watching the brawl between Duke Legion and Baron Dreiser, one of the kingdom’s top seven powerhouses, in the main hall, he thought that he might be even more vicious than the rumors suggested.

The thirty guards who tried to stop them were swept away by magic without even being able to lift a finger and were taken to the emergency room.

In a word, they were figures with unbelievable brute force.

If they hadn’t voluntarily cooled their anger, the broadcasting station would have been devastated.

The PD bitterly regretted that he had been too naive.

The newly promoted Duke Legion was a vicious figure comparable to the Demon King.

The PD thought so.

For some reason, he only thought that about Legion.

He didn’t feel any sense of unease about Dreiser.

If Legion knew his thoughts, he would have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him, shouting, ‘Why me!’

Shuttle and Mibaek were also feeling their hearts pounding.

Who in the world could stop these two monsters, Legion and Dreiser?

Even Marquis Persimmon, who was called the Overlord of the North, raised both hands in surrender.

Well, Marquis Persimmon was so shocked to see Legion promoted to Duke that he returned to his territory. He didn’t seem to be in the mood to face Legion at all.

The PD’s shout of, ‘If you keep doing this, there will be no broadcast appearance!’ had an effect.

Legion had withdrawn his magic while huffing and puffing.

In fact, Dreiser was the one who was dumbfounded. This crazy master suddenly smacked him in the back of the head.

He had no idea why.

“Is it all because you’re popular? Is it?”

Dreiser couldn’t understand his master’s words.

He was a truly unpredictable master.

He finally calmed down after arriving in the waiting room. He seemed amazed to see the celebrities and actors he had only seen in videos.

“We will call you when it’s your turn. Please wait here for a moment.”

The PD left the waiting room with an uneasy heart. He assigned one person in charge and told them to contact him immediately if anything happened.

Legion, Dreiser, Mibaek, and Shuttle ate the snacks piled on the table while watching the large monitor.

Real-time problem counseling was taking place.

* * *

“National Problem Counseling! Greetings!”

Na na na, na na na na na! Na na na na na na na!

As the host shouted, the audience applauded. Music flowed in time with the applause.

When the music ended, the main host said.

“This problem counselor is a very unique person.”

“How is he unique?”

“According to him, he has crossed dimensions.”

“Hahaha, he’s a really unique person. Is he saying that he succeeded in a dimensional warp that even the Great Magician couldn’t do?”

“Surely not. Now, shall we call out what this unique person’s problem is? Come on out!”

In an instant, everyone’s eyes flashed. Although no one saw it, a man was standing in their field of vision. He was a man of average height and build, with long black hair.

“Ah, he has great showmanship. Please sit here.”

The host said to the man. The man nodded and sat next to the hosts.

“First, please introduce yourself.”

“I am Dong-eun, the writer of the novel ‘Magic is Learned in Vain’.”

“Ah, you’re a writer. An aspiring writer?”

“No.”

“Are you a professional?”

“Yes. I have published several works.”

“I see. But what problem brought you here?”

“There’s a site called Neyear.”

“Really? That’s the first time I’ve heard of it. And?”

“The rating is in the 4s.”

“In the 4s? Out of 5?”

“No. Out of 10.”

“Can you get such a low score?”

“That’s my problem. Why is the rating so low?”

“Wouldn’t there be a reason?”

“I thought that if I studied hard and wrote, the readers would recognize it. But it wasn’t true.”

“Alright. Then shall we ask? Is there anyone here who has read ‘Magic is Learned in Vain’?”

The 100 audience members were silent.

One person was about to raise their hand but looked around and quickly lowered it again. They seemed embarrassed.

“Ah, the person who just lowered their hand. Why did you lower it?”

“J-just because.”

“Did you read ‘Magic is Learned in Vain’?”

“Yes. Well, a little.”

“How is it?”

“It’s just okay.”

“Ah, just okay…….”

“Yes.”

“Is there anyone else who has read ‘Magic is Learned in Vain’? Don’t be shy and raise your hand. We’ll give you a prize.”

Then a few more people raised their hands.

“How is it? This person’s novel.”

“I just read it out of loyalty. Because I was reading it.”

“It’s fun.”

“It’s trivial.”

“How about the others?”

“It suits my taste, but it seems so-so to other people.”

The host nodded. Then he asked the writer.

“Do you get hate comments too?”

“I get a lot. Saying it’s a piece of trash. Asking if someone like me is even a writer.”

“How do you feel?”

“I want to stop writing.”

“Will you stop writing?”

“No. I’m going to write thinking of it as my calling. I think that if I’m having fun, someday the readers will enjoy reading it too.”

“Well, there’s your answer. Just write. Not all readers leave hate comments. The reason the rating is low is because you’re not good at writing. So work harder.”

“Ah, yes. Is that it?”

“Yes. End! Problem solved!”

Na na na, na na na na, na na na na na.

Suddenly, music came on. And then the hosts danced to the music.

The writer stared at the hosts with a dumbfounded expression.

* * *

Legion watched the monitor and laughed for a long time.

“It’s so funny!”

“Is it that funny?”

“Yeah. It’s hilarious.”

“That writer from a little while ago…….”

“What about that writer?”

“Doesn’t he seem a little pitiful?”

“Pitiful? It’s just funny.”

“I don’t know why……. I just get that feeling. I feel like he has a very close relationship with us.”

“I don’t know that kind of writer.”

“Do you even know any writers?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Who?”

Legion’s face turned red. He seemed to be thinking of a certain scene.

What on earth is he thinking to make that expression? It’s the expression a teenager makes when they’re startled when their dad suddenly opens the door while they’re secretly watching a video with the door locked.

“Alright. Then what’s the most impressive novel you’ve ever read?”

“I have one. Something like that.”

“What is it? Let me know too.”

“Memories of a Woman…….”

“Memories of a Woman?”

“It’s a book written by an author named Domishima……. It’s very touching.”

“…….”

I can tell what kind of book it is just by looking at it. There will definitely be readers who search for it.

That’s right. It’s that kind of book.

Tears well up in my eyes.

Our poor master.

He doesn’t have a girlfriend, so he’s finding comfort in those kinds of books.

I’ll take the lead and set my master up on a blind date. At this rate, he’ll really be watching videos every night.

“Alright, Duke Legion. Please come out. It’s your turn.”

The PD came in and called Legion.

“What about the others?”

“They can sit in the front row.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

They moved to the studio where the live broadcast was taking place.

* * *

The atmosphere was no longer friendly.

It was only natural.

Duke Legion, the highest-ranking aristocrat, had come to this place himself.

The commoners couldn’t even make eye contact with him. Until a few years ago, tenant farmers who made eye contact with aristocrats were often struck down, reduced to a bloody mess under the pretext of being disrespectful.

It was an era of aristocrats dominated by fear.

However, the boundary between aristocrats and citizens has blurred a lot since some point.

No one knows why.

Some say this:

‘The territories near the Dusseldorf Mountains are where aristocrats, demi-humans, and humans all live together.’

‘There’s no pretense there. I hope other regions become such a society too,’ they say.

Perhaps the egalitarianism that started there was gradually moving south, changing the atmosphere.

However, in most regions, the power of the aristocrats is still so great that they can knock birds out of the sky.

Moreover, the handsome man in front of them is the great aristocrat, Duke Legion.

The rumors are also vicious.

No one could help but be nervous in front of such a Legion.

“Greetings, Duke Legion.”

“Yes, hello.”

Because it was a live broadcast, Legion also used polite language in a friendly manner.

As Legion smiled brightly, exclamations burst out from women here and there.

“Wow! How can a man be so beautiful?”

“I wouldn’t have any wishes if my husband resembled even half of His Excellency.”

Legion has good hearing.

He thought that he should give them service, even though they were ugly women.

Wink at them.

“Ahhh! I’m ice cream. I’m melting.”

“My heart has been struck by an arrow.”

The host calmed them down.

“Everyone is swooning over the Duke’s appearance. He is very handsome.”

“It’s innate.”

He shouldn’t have said this.

Someone started uploading Legion’s pre- and post-plastic surgery portraits to social media.

-Wow. Duke Legion. Was he a plastic surgery monster?

-What is this? Is this really Duke Legion? He’s so fat. Why is he so short?

-Hey! Our kingdom is really a plastic surgery powerhouse. How can they even increase his height like this?

-Hey, hey, we can’t even dream of it. They say you need at least 10,000 gold [currency].

-10,000 gold? Dad, Mom, that’s an amount of money I can’t even dream of seeing in my lifetime. It must be nice to be an aristocrat, to slather that much money on your face.

Mibaek discovered it but quietly covered it up. It would be a disaster if he acknowledged it here. He hoped that they wouldn’t know he was a plastic surgery monster, at least not here.

“Although it’s late, congratulations on your promotion to Duke.”

The host bowed deeply. The other assistant hosts did the same.

No matter how comfortably they tried to proceed, it wasn’t easy to stand in front of someone with the title of Duke.

“Thank you.”

Although he was from the frontier, Legion was also an aristocrat.

He had received some education from Silke.

He gave a fake but elegant thank you.

“But what problem does His Great Excellency, the Duke, have that he has come all the way here?”

The numerous viewers and audience members watching the TV magic box [television] held their breath and waited for Legion’s mouth to open.

What on earth…….

What is the problem of Duke Legion, who has everything?

“Hoo…….”