NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 124. It was okay when you came in, but when you left (2)
* * *
What the heck, why is this professor calling me? Should I just turn off the phone?
After thinking about it seriously, I called her via KakaoTalk. Since she had already read the message, if I didn’t call her, it would be ignored. When I called, the phone rang twice and then hung up.
The first words this gentleman uttered as soon as he received it.
[ Please report your recent status . ]
He didn’t ask me why I used KakaoTalk instead of a regular phone. I answered appropriately.
“… I’m not feeling so good. I can’t sleep.”
[ I’m not calling to ask about your health. I’m busy, so please speak quickly. Keep it brief and to the point. ]
Why do you want me to just tell you the main points when you told me to call you?
This part of this vampire is awkward. He doesn’t get jokes. He’s so pragmatic that it makes you question his usual interpersonal relationships, but at the same time, he’s so arrogant that his arrogance is sky-high.
I know it’s not because I’m inherently dirty. It’s because I can feel that he cares about me. He even offered me a professorship, and he even tried to take care of various tasks for me as a half-magician.
I hadn’t thought about it when we met before, but I think this might be a characteristic of the vampire race. They are practical and have a strong ego. When I was told to just get to the point, I said so.
“One of the two quotas for this month has already been captured and is in progress. The other one is a bit more ambiguous.”
A small anti-mage certificate in my pocket. In order to use this certificate, I have to take on tasks that prove that I am ‘actively working as a anti-mage’. Two tasks per month.
I’m thinking of filling one of the two positions by helping out with the pharmaceutical company that deals with potions, and the other by helping out with the police department. Let me explain, and after a while the professor answered.
[ Keep that pace for the time being. Don’t be greedy. ]
“Even if you tell me to do it, I won’t do it. I don’t have the ability. But is that why you asked me to call you now to ask this? You said you were busy.”
[ It’s true that I’m busy, I’m on the move right now for work. ]
“What do you want to see?”
[ I can’t say. Because it’s an embargoed issue. ]
I flinched as soon as I heard it. Embargo. Really?
[ As a shooter, let me advise you that sooner or later you will hear something you shouldn’t say. When that happens― ]
“Wait a minute. Is what you’re trying to do right now because of the core gate?”
As soon as I asked, the gentleman suddenly stopped talking. I couldn’t hear him clearly, but I could hear something like a very small gasp. It seemed like he was quite surprised to hear me speak after that.
[ How do you not know that? ]
“I can’t say anything because this is an embargoed issue.”
[ … where are you now? ]
“I can’t tell you a joke. I was told not to say anything when I heard about this, but you’re in charge of this gate, right?”
[Gate Incident Temporary Countermeasures Committee, advisory role for damage prevention and response. This is the position I am in. Is that okay?]
I said it because I thought it was done. I heard it from a hunter I know, and the reason I heard it was because the harmful agents came through the gate into the store where I work and made a mess.
As I finished explaining the circumstances and process of the crimes committed by those harmful assistants, I heard a sound like rustling paper on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds, the professor asked me.
[ Are you sleepy now? ]
“I woke up a little after hearing this story. Please tell me.”
[The number of nationally licensed anti-magicians currently selected by the committee is 60. These 60 people are in charge of an area of approximately… 30 square kilometers on the map.]
The area of Yeouido is about 4~5㎢. It is between 6 and 7 times that area.
“Is that area enough to accommodate 60 people?”
[ It is impossible. That is why we are continuing to recruit people. The recruitment criteria are at least 3 years of experience, and whether the qualifications have been maintained without any disqualifications during that period. ]
It’s strangely typical of this professor to say something outright like, “It’s impossible.” He’s a practical gentleman whose motto is that there’s nothing more foolish than holding on to something that can’t be done.
By the way, I was trying to think about why he was telling me this story, but the professor continued talking without giving me a chance to think.
[ Let’s get to the main point. Any thoughts? ]
“no….”
[ I’m asking for your opinion. I’m not telling you to do anything. ]
I know why you’re saying this.
This guy is under the illusion that I’m some sort of hermit who’s been living in the mountains for half his life, practicing magic. Not some high school graduate nerd from another world.
That’s why he would have offered me a professorship. It’s up to him to overestimate me, and there’s no way to correct it, so he’s just letting it be.
But now, things are different. At least 3 years of experience and no disqualifications during the period of maintenance. This means that only veterans are hired.
And there’s usually only one reason why veterans are needed in companies and everywhere: They need the flexibility to deal with whatever situation arises.
I don’t have anything like that. I have no idea, and I’m just a stiff person. So I don’t have any thoughts. It would be better to draft another anti-magician, he said, opening his mouth to answer.
“…that.”
[ Speak . ]
“What happens if you have an idea?”
Something completely different came out of his mouth. He tried to bite back, but the vampire answered him before he could.
[ You will be assigned a specific area based on your career and abilities, and you will be given a certain amount of authority within that area. So that you can respond without the consent of your superiors in case of an emergency. ]
“…If there isn’t any.”
[ Nothing will happen. You can just continue living your daily life as you normally would. ]
After hearing that, I took the phone away from my ear for a moment. I picked it up again and tapped my forehead against the corner.
It was because my temples were throbbing. I wasn’t trying to hear this story. This is something I can’t do. It’s definitely true.
I don’t think this judgment was wrong. Even getting the license was beyond my ability, and it would have been impossible without the help of the store manager or my older sister.
It is clearly a reasonable judgment. It is correct to say that it cannot be done. It is correct. It is clearly correct… .
“…Where will the districts be assigned?”
This time, the agari won’t listen to me. Okay. Since it’s come to this, let’s listen to it till the end.
[ In your case, I’m thinking of assigning a circular area with a radius of 1km based on the store. It’s probably easier to monitor and operate in a familiar place. ]
“What if a key gate pops up around my store? I was definitely told that was a possibility?”
[ I’m asking with that in mind. Do you have any thoughts? ]
“It’s not a question of whether I should do it or not, but whether I can do it―”
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
[ I’m asking with that in mind. Do you have any thoughts? ]
It leaves me speechless. After a brief pause, the vampire continued speaking.
[ I live my life believing that there is nothing more foolish than holding on to something that should not be done. Even more foolish is telling someone else to hold on to something that you know should not be done. ]
“… … .”
[ Don’t make it long, number 44. Any thoughts? ]
The ability is there. That’s what I’m talking about.
Asking for opinions is probably because when taking on a task, not only ability is needed. Will is also important. Can someone who has never done something like this do it or not?
After thinking about it, I asked them one by one. In my own way.
“When do I have to decide?”
[Until midnight two days later. After that, things get a bit complicated.]
“Pay.”
[ Not much. If you ask what I get out of it, I guess it’s recognized as experience. ]
“Then why do you do this, Professor?”
There’s no way this vampire is the only anti-magic professor in the world. Vampires aren’t always short on money, and of course, they have a lot of experience.
I expected to hear something like, “What can I do when the country is calling me that?” That was exactly what I was expecting when I asked. However, the professor gave me an unexpected answer.
[ I did it because I wanted to. ]
“Yes? Why?”
[ Does that matter now? ]
It’s a strangely sharp answer. That peculiar thing that pops out when you touch a sensitive part.
I was embarrassed and kept my mouth shut, but the professor sighed softly and continued speaking.
[Please contact me after deciding by the time period I mentioned. You need to sleep too.]
“Uh… Wait a minute. Now that you mention it,…”
[ What now? ]
“The road to my house was blocked by the gate. In times like this, what doesn’t the government do?”
When I was talking to this vampire after the practical exam, I remembered that he said there were many benefits to obtaining a national license.
Transportation costs are okay since I already brought some money from the store, and I think I can save on accommodation costs. It’s not entirely wrong to say that the gate is blocking my way home.
I asked because I thought it would be nice to save at least 40 or 50 thousand won, but the vampire sighed as if he was listening to what I said. Then, there was a knock.
[ Check the photo . ]
When I turned the screen to check, there was a picture of a 5-star hotel, not a motel or a guesthouse. The accommodation fee written under the picture was 280,000 won.
“No, what the heck, you’re paying 280,000 won just to sleep here?”
[This is one of the benefits that a nationally licensed magician can enjoy. I will contact the manager separately, so please stay there.]
“Ugh… .”
[ I will decide on the matters discussed today and send it by midnight in two days. I will end here. ]
Then, I put the phone down and looked at the photos again.
The hotel looks like a place where diplomats would stay. If I asked for a blanket here, would they give it to me? I can’t sleep on a soft bed…
“… Hey, I don’t know.”
Surely there wouldn’t be a single blanket on the floor in a five-star hotel? After checking the route to the hotel, I glanced up at the bus departure board. Regardless of the route, the fastest bus was 40 minutes.
This must be because of that damn gate. I immediately opened the call taxi app, wrote down the name of the bus stop, and sent a text message. A reply came a little while later.
[ We are open 365 days a year, regardless of gate. What race are you? ]
I wondered if the CEO of this taxi company was a racist, so I wrote back that I was human, and after a while, I received this reply.
[ I’ll send you by taxi. It’ll take about 3 minutes ]
I immediately agreed. Races like orcs, bears, and kobolds can’t ride small cars. After sending a text message saying I understood, I leaned back against the bus stop and checked my phone.
Here’s another message I didn’t see earlier. This one is from… Elena. The time is 10:10, and the content is… .
[ The gates are opening and closing all around! ]
[ Mr. Chan, are you okay? ]
[ Mr. Chani? ]
[ Mr. Chani ]
[ ㅠㅠ ]
[ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ ]
I feel like I’m going to be in big trouble if I don’t reply to this. I sent a text asking if he was off work today, and he replied in less than 3 seconds.
[Nothing happened.]
[ That’s fortunate ]
[ ah ]
[ Yes, I’m off today because of the gate ]
[ Mr. Chan, aren’t you sleepy? ]
I guess he asked this because I work overnight. I answered honestly.
[ I’m fine now. Strangely enough ]
A single word lingers in my head, driving away all the sleepiness. It’s the vampire’s answer when I ask him why he does something he has no reason to do. I did it because I wanted to.
This one is particularly memorable. Why would a person who is so concerned about money want to do something that doesn’t give him any money or career recognition? Is it a deviation from his position as a professor or something like that?
[ hmm…. ]
[ Hey, Mr. Chani ]
In the meantime, a single line was sent. The content of the message a little while later was like this.
[ Could you spare some time this morning? ]
[ It will only take a moment ]
[ I have something I want to talk about briefly regarding the potion ]
[ I will go to where Chan-i is ]
My hands are pretty fast. I thought about it for a moment and then replied.
[ Yeah, I guess so ]