Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 402

Shouting Love in the Heart of the Desert (1)

The Profiler sat on a stack of boxes, blankly staring at the night sky.

In his hand, he held a bottle of cheap, harsh whiskey.

Alcohol was forbidden in the Blood Desert due to its extreme danger. Even a small sip could be perilous.

Never to the point of losing control. Nor would it be allowed.

It was a matter of life and death.

In the event of a giant monster attack, anyone too drunk to move would be the first to be devoured.

But the Profiler broke the taboo.

He simply got drunk.

With a ‘come what may’ attitude.

“What on earth have I done with my thirty years of life?”

He sighed deeply.

Though hidden by Temptation’s recommendation, he was a promising scholar.

Those who knew, knew.

That he was a genius monster scholar.

Many scholars predicted that he would one day cause a seismic shift in the field of monster studies.

But…

Suddenly…

He became a headmaster.

To be honest, he wasn’t entirely unwilling. He thought he could go for a short while and then return to his research.

It was the Duke’s proposal.

Salary aside, it wasn’t easy to refuse the Duke’s offer.

To put it bluntly, a Duke with a nasty temper could play with his life like a piece of trash before discarding it.

So, he replied:

“I understand. I will try teaching the children.”

He planned to teach for three or four months, then quit, saying it wasn’t for him.

And he intended to recommend Dr. Temptation, who had recommended him.

“By now, Dr. Temptation’s health should have improved significantly. I’m worried because of his age, but he loves children so much. He would be a great headmaster.”

It was a perfect plan.

Legion replied with a smile.

“I understand. First, sign this contract here.”

Legion presented the contract.

It was high-quality paper.

But why?

He didn’t want to sign it.

“Read it. You should read it before you sign.”

He read it.

It was a remarkably good deal.

A bonus of a whopping 2000 percent.

Condolence money, vacation pay, education expenses, housing, management fees, and even tax exemptions were incredibly generous terms.

The salary was also astonishingly high.

A full 90 gold.

Considering that ordinary farmers earned about 5 gold a month, it was an exceptionally high salary.

Moreover, there was a contract fee of 200 gold.

It wasn’t an advance on the salary but purely a contract bonus.

Furthermore.

It stated that 10,000 gold per year would be invested in research.

10,000 gold!

Not even 1,000 gold.

With that money, he could fully dedicate himself to research during vacations.

Was he a nobleman with too much money?

Why would he give me so much money?

He was a scholar.

Without grants or investments, research would be halted. Therefore, scholars were always poor.

But if there was an investor who fully supported him, the scholar could freely pursue his dreams.

The Profiler, tempted by the funding, made the mistake of signing the contract without reading it to the end.

The moment he signed, the contract emitted light. An incredibly ominous light.

It seemed as if some black shadow flowed out from within that light. Then, it entered the Profiler’s body.

The Profiler was horrified.

“Wh-what is this?”

“What is it?”

“A moment ago, a black shadow seemed to enter me.”

“Really?”

Legion replied nonchalantly.

“‘Really’? A moment ago, a black shadow…”

“It means the contract is complete.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it says. Now, let’s each take a copy of the contract. I believe you have carefully considered it. Just in case, contract termination is only possible with mutual consent. If one party objects, the contract remains in effect.”

From here on, an incomparable sense of foreboding enveloped the Profiler’s entire body.

“Let’s depart tomorrow. I look forward to working with you.”

Legion left the tent with a bright smile.

What is this? Something feels wrong.

The Profiler reviewed the contract again.

Flipping through the pages, the Profiler froze like a statue.

– All profits derived from the research results of Party A shall belong to Party B.

– Party A is obligated to serve as headmaster for 10 years. In the event of sudden death due to natural disasters, the contract will naturally terminate. However, if Party A does not express any objection after 10 years, the contract will automatically renew for another 10 years.

It was absurd.

10 years?

If it weren’t for the 90 gold salary and the annual 10,000 gold funding, he would have quit immediately.

The thought of 10 years was incredibly burdensome. The Profiler, who thought of himself as a free spirit, immediately chased after Legion.

“Duke.”

“Yes?”

“Please revise this contract.”

“Which part?”

“The clause that requires me to serve as headmaster for 10 years. Can you change it to 1 year?”

“Ho…”

Legion’s eyes turned cold.

For a moment, the Profiler felt as if his entire body was freezing.

It was a terror he hadn’t felt even when facing the Sand Mantis.

What is this? What is this?

It felt as if his body had frozen in front of a massive predator.

His bones stiffened from his toes to the crown of his head, and his blood vessels seemed blocked.

He was gasping for breath, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

His teeth chattered uncontrollably.

It’s a desert…

Even though the desert temperature drops at night, it shouldn’t be this cold.

His entire body was immobilized as if he were in a freezer.

Only then did the Profiler realize something.

It wasn’t just that Legion was good at flattering and rose to the position of Duke at a young age.

This was…

A power surpassing monsters.

A terrifying strength that he, who had only researched his entire life, couldn’t even fathom.

This was…

Duke Legion.

“You want to change it to 1 year?”

Legion asked with a cold, subdued gaze.

The Profiler couldn’t even think. He had to answer instinctively.

“No.”

“You don’t?”

“Yes, I’ll make it 20 years.”

“Really?”

“I really will.”

Thus, the contract was amended.

Holding the revised contract, Legion skipped back to his lodgings.

As Duke Legion disappeared from sight, the Profiler’s tension eased.

He looked at the contract, where he had crossed out 10 years and changed it to 20 years.

My grave…

I dug it myself.

How could he not be sad?

So, he was drinking with a ‘come what may’ attitude.

“Here.”

Someone handed him a glass.

The Profiler looked at the person who offered him the glass. At first, he thought he was mistaken. There was a skeleton in front of him. He rubbed his eyes. Even after looking again, it was indeed a skeleton.

Have I lived my life wrong?

Why do I keep getting involved with things like this?

“It’s me.”

“Who?”

“I saved you from the Sand Mantis.”

“Ah.”

Only then did he remember who this skeleton was. It was the skeleton that had helped him and Dr. Temptation up.

“Humans have trouble distinguishing me from other friends, right?”

“Ah, well…”

That’s right.

All skeletons look the same. He couldn’t tell the difference at all. They had made some markings, but to the Profiler, they all looked the same.

“I am the squad leader of the Skeleton Squad. You can just call me Squad Leader.”

“Ah, yes.”

It felt like he was sobering up.

It’s a truly unique experience.

A skeleton… pouring him a drink and offering life advice. He had no idea how to explain this.

“The thing is, you seem to have quite a big problem.”

“Well, it’s all so sudden…”

“I figured as much. Most people who sign a contract with President Le initially fall into a state of panic.”

“Le, President Le?”

“Yes, Legion CEO.”

“Is it okay to call the Duke that?”

“We are employer and employee, but it’s not a subordinate relationship. He gives us goods, and we provide labor. It’s an equal relationship. Ah, personal servants or Drayzers [likely a type of servant] are a bit different.”

Is it because he’s drunk?

He couldn’t understand what the Skeleton Squad Leader was saying.

An equal relationship with the Duke? How can that be?

“It’s the same for you.”

“I have an equal relationship with the Duke?”

“You are equating social status with providing labor. Separate those two. You are receiving funding and a salary from President Le in exchange for being the headmaster. If President Le doesn’t pay or does something that violates the contract, you can confidently demand termination.”

“Ah!”

The Profiler’s eyes sparkled.

“Of course! President Le will never run out of money.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s rich.”

“How rich is he…”

“Incredibly rich.”

“As much as Duke Sijinpi?”

The Skeleton Squad Leader chuckled.

“More?”

“More than the King.”

“Wow.”

“More than the King and all the nobles combined.”

“Is it even possible for an individual to have that much wealth?”

“I know, right? It seems like President Le has a money-making ghost attached to him. Everything he does is a hit. You know Las Vegas, right?”

“I know. The city of pleasure, Las Vegas. The kingdom’s top entertainment district. I heard that it accounts for more than 20 percent of the kingdom’s taxes? Wasn’t it Duke Gong’s territory?”

The Profiler thought it was Duke Gong’s territory. But Duke Gong was defeated and imprisoned in Alcatraz [likely a high-security prison in this world].

All territories and assets were nationalized.

So, Las Vegas became public land?

“Las Vegas was already taken over by President Le.”

“What?”

This was truly shocking. How?

“Las Vegas went bankrupt. President Le swallowed it up.”

“N-no…, why did that huge city suddenly…”

“I don’t know the details. I just know that Las Vegas is President Le’s territory. There’s more besides that.”

“There is more?”

“The maritime city of CM.”

“CM, the ocean city most frequented by the wealthy and their families!”

“That’s right. CM earns just as much money as Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a city that satisfies desires, while CM is a city of tourism. There’s even a widespread rumor that if you go as two, you come out as three [implying a high birth rate or infidelity].”

“N-no way…”

“Yes, it’s all President Le’s.”

Gulp.

The Profiler swallowed hard.

Legion wasn’t just a simple Duke.

He was much bigger than he thought. He had unknowingly underestimated him because of his playful appearance.

It was a mistake.

A clear misjudgment.

“Do you understand why I’m telling you this?”

The Skeleton Squad Leader poured him a drink.

“A little…”

“You’ve gained tremendous luck.”

“Luck…”

“And the scholar named Temptation kicked away the good fortune that rolled in.”

“I-is that so…”

“You are a lucky man.”

The Skeleton Squad Leader smiled and patted the Profiler’s shoulder before disappearing back the way he came with the remaining bottle of alcohol. He gulped down the precious alcohol.

All that precious alcohol flowed down between his ribs.

The Profiler muttered softly, watching the Skeleton Squad Leader’s retreating figure.

“Really…, did I grab onto luck?”

He truly didn’t know.

That immense luck and immense misfortune were intertwined within his body at the same time.