Jobless Reincarnation: Live Seriously Even Without Transfer Events

I looked at Merlin, who was walking ahead, and pointed to the lines of text that Sylphie and the clerk couldn't see.

"Mr. Merlin, this..."

"Oh."

I think I heard a cold laugh.

Is this Professor Merlin?

Master Merlin didn't even turn his head, as if he hadn't heard anything. His robes swayed as he moved deeper into the corridor and then into a room.

Judging from his reaction, this strange old man must know something. Those few lines of text seemed to have been prepared specifically for me.

"Rudy?"

Seeing that I looked thoughtful, Hilfi didn't ask what I was thinking. Instead, she pulled my sleeve and followed me into the room.

The room has bookshelves on both sides and a floor-to-ceiling window that takes up an entire wall.

In the middle of the room was a desk piled high with files, leaving only a small space for reviewing documents. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window was a single bed with a wooden basin for washing under it, making it look like a studio or dormitory.

Teacher Merlin pulled out a chair from behind his desk, spread his robe forward, and sat down steadily.

Hilfi and I stood opposite him, looking exactly like a dean of students confronting each other.

Hilfi looked at me, then at Merlin, who seemed to be thinking about something.

"This is my office. I also live here. If you need anything, just come here to find me."

Mr. Merlin spoke slowly and deliberately, and then his gaze fell on me, just like the way Philip used to look at me.

"Teacher, I have a question."

"You said."

It's only about a half-hour drive from the Magic Association to the Magic University, but Merlin-sensei made Sylphie and me wait from five to seven. But I don't intend to bring this up. After all, it's common for old monsters who have lived for nearly a hundred years to do strange things, whether in anime or online games.

But what really caught my attention was that magic trick called "Chaos Demon".

Merlin created his own school of magic, and even the introduction given by the Magic Association only mentions a few words about his magic tricks, which are completely invisible to anyone except me.

"Teacher, I want to know about the Chaos Demon."

"Um, okay."

As he spoke, Mr. Merlin crossed his left leg over his right, reached onto the table and rummaged through the pile of documents, pulling out a pipe-like object. Unlike the short wooden pipe that Lord Salos used when he was alive, this pipe was long and thin, and appeared to be made of metal, with a tobacco pouch hanging underneath.

It's like the simple dry tobacco used by daimyo during the Edo period. I never imagined that such a thing existed in this world.

He used his mind to manipulate fire magic to ignite the material at the bottom of the cigarette holder, put the cigarette holder in his mouth, and with a puff, a cloud of white smoke was exhaled from his mouth and nose into the air.

"I bought this from a ghost merchant in the Kingdom of Bigenliru. You've never seen it before, have you?"

The last time I heard the name of the Kingdom of Bigenliru was before my engagement to Alice. At that time, I saw a dress that looked like a kimono, which was also from the Kingdom of Bigenliru.

"Yes, that's right..."

I nodded quietly.

Then, he patted the tobacco pouch hanging under the tobacco rack. The sound was not like the usual rustling of tobacco; it sounded more like small solid particles.

"This is the best way to use tobacco. However, once you get hooked on it, you can't live without it. You should stay away from it in the future."

Is it that kind of thing...? It's definitely best not to get it...

But what does that have to do with the demon? Or is he just trying to get through withdrawal symptoms by taking a few puffs?

Teacher Merlin smoked one cigarette after another, and soon the room was filled with smoke.

He put the cigarette holder on the table, got up and walked to the French windows. After opening half of the window, he used his wind magic to blow all the white smoke out of the room.

Then he sat back down in his chair and stroked his long, completely white beard.

"Cough cough."

Hearing him cough lightly, I felt that he might finally be about to talk about the Chaos Demon.

"You saw those lines in the description, huh? It seems your magical power far surpasses that of ordinary people."

"far exceeding ordinary people" means...

"The words used to write that introduction were written with special ink. When a person's magical power reaches a certain level, magical essence will emanate from their body. The amount of magical essence will change with the change in magical power. Only people who can emit a total amount of magical power that reaches the level of a Demon King can see the words written by magic."

"In other words, my total magic power..."

"At least at the level of a demon king."

"Demon King..."

In the past, I saw some articles about this in Roya's library. Above the Demon King is the Demon Emperor, and above the Demon Emperor is the Demon God Laplace. According to Master Merlin, my total magical power is above the Demon King level, which means I might be on the same level as the Demon Emperor and Demon God...

"You have now earned the right to learn the art of chaos from me."

Chapter 88: Karma (Part 9)

Even without a job transfer event, I will still live earnestly [Chapter 88] Karma (Nine)

Chapter 88: Karma (Part 9)

……

"You have now earned the right to learn the art of chaos from me."

Mr. Merlin casually stroked his beard, stretched his other arm across the table, and picked up his cigarette holder.

The smoke in the room had just dissipated a few minutes ago, and now he wants to take a couple more puffs?

When I saw him take a handkerchief out of his pocket with his other hand to wipe the cigarette holder, I dismissed that idea.

The ink that Merlin mentioned earlier intrigued me. Only when the magical energy emitted from the body reaches a certain level can one see words written with that ink. Merlin used it to measure the amount of magical power. When he discovered that my magical power was at a relatively high level, he said that I had qualified to be taught "Chaotic Magic" by him.

In other words, learning the "Chaos Demon" magic trick requires a very high level of magical power.

How high? At least at the Demon King level or above.

"Just because I can see those words...?"

"Yes."

Hearing those two words, I was secretly delighted, and Merlin's answer further confirmed my thoughts.

"Rudy just showed me those words, but I couldn't see them, which means I'm not qualified to learn that magic trick, right..."

Hilfi's ears drooped, and she looked very disappointed.

If it were someone else, pretending I were Sylphie, hearing my conversation with Merlin would surely leave them completely bewildered, their minds a jumbled mess, while Sylphie herself would be disappointed at not being able to learn this magic trick.

Hilfi was indeed clever.

She initially looked surprised when I used the word "Chaos Demon," but as my conversation with Merlin continued, she clearly understood what "Chaos Demon" meant and what the few lines in the description I showed her were about.

"Your name is Silphiet, right?"

"Yes, Teacher Merlin, I am Hilfiet."

Merlin's gaze at Sylphie was somewhat ominous. I was used to that kind of look; it was like the way I stared at the anime heroine when I was playing adult games.

This old lecher is just like that old guy with the tortoise shell on his back!

[Note: The old man carrying a turtle shell refers to Master Roshi from Dragon Ball.]

I moved two steps to the side and blocked Silphie's path.

"what."

Teacher Merlin chuckled softly.

This strange old man seems to be deliberately teasing me.

He placed the cigarette holder he was wiping on the table, and at the same time used earth magic to create a cup on the table and water magic to fill it with hot water. He slowly picked up the cup, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip.

"Although I said you are qualified to learn the Chaotic Demon technique, I haven't said whether I should teach you or not."

In other words, what other conditions are required if I want to learn the Chaotic Demon technique?

"Mr. Merlin, what can I do for you?"

"It's not you, it's all of you."

"Do you need... us?"

Hearing this, I was at a loss, because according to Merlin, Sylphie was not qualified to learn "Chaos Magic". If Merlin wanted me to learn "Chaos Magic", I would have to ask Sylphie for help. Could it be that Merlin had something else he could teach Sylphie?

"What? You don't want to learn?"

Teacher Merlin placed the water glass on the table, staring intently at me with a somewhat eerie gaze.

I couldn't help but avoid his gaze and look at Sylphie standing to the side.

Hilfi reached out and tugged at my sleeve, looking at me earnestly, hinting that I should quickly agree to Merlin's request.

Does Sylphie have any plans in mind...?

"Uh, no, teacher, please tell us, what do you need us to do?"

"It's very simple."

Hearing that, I breathed a sigh of relief. If it's really that simple, I hope it truly is.

"Three months to change people's perception of you based on rumors."

Three months... to change the rumors?

"Teacher, you...you must be joking..."

"I'm not joking with you."

Teacher Merlin stood up from her chair, walked to the French windows, and looked out the window with her back to us.

My gaze followed the sun, which was now almost directly overhead, its rays streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and filling the room.

Outside the window, there was a bustling crowd, vendors selling all kinds of goods, and various street stalls. The elderly, women, children, and all sorts of people were walking through the streets.

But whether it was because the floor-to-ceiling windows had soundproofing or because Mr. Merlin had cast a wind spell on the windows, the lively sounds outside could not be heard at all inside the room.

"I'll be a hundred years old next year, and I don't want to end up with a bad reputation because of my students who have become infamous."

"As expected, it's all because of the rumors..."

Hilfi muttered something under her breath. Having suffered from strange looks since childhood, she showed a little disgust upon hearing this rumor, but it was not obvious. She felt a little wronged.

It breaks my heart.

But Merlin also reminded me that the rumors were still very serious. Although some people might not know us yet, a small number of Asuras might think we were heroes. During the few hours that we had followed Merlin from the streets, almost everyone had refrained from doing anything excessive to me and Sylphie only because of Merlin. But the discriminatory looks in their eyes were impossible to hide.

In my past life, I was just a scumbag NEET, and I've experienced all sorts of discriminatory looks.

What about Silphie? She's already suffered discrimination because of her green hair since she was in Buena Village. Now, because of me, will she have to live under that kind of gaze in the future?

Even if it weren't for learning some kind of "Chaotic Demon," even if it were just for Sylphie, I would still have to agree to Merlin-sensei's conditions.

"Okay, I agree."

"very good."

Mr. Merlin looked very pleased, turned around, took a ring out of his pocket, and handed it to me.

"This is my token. With it, you can use all the resources of the Magic Guild."

The resources in the Magic Guild are freely available, which is almost the treatment of special students and outstanding graduates, and I haven't even enrolled yet.

I suddenly had an idea... I can make use of the Mage Guild's resources...

Mr. Merlin, you've been a great help.

"Thank you, Professor Merlin!"

"However, don't use him to do anything that will damage my reputation."

After saying that, Mr. Merlin walked away from the room with a brisk pace.

If we can utilize the resources of the Magic Guild and proceed according to my plan, then changing people's perceptions of me and Sylphie within three months is definitely feasible!

There is another important part to this plan, and this part must be completed by Silphie herself.

"what…"

I suddenly hugged Hilfi, pulling her soft body into my arms. The sudden action surprised Hilfi, but she also put her hands behind my back.