MTLNOVEL Chapter 8: chapter 8
Chapter 8: Voldemort Has Always Been Kind and Introverted in Front of Me
"Voldemort, leave this to me. You can go back to your room and rest."
Jacob took the rag from Voldemort's hand and waved him off.
Voldemort looked up suddenly, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
To be honest, Jacob had been acting strangely these past few days. He had been going out of his way to do good deeds...
If he had simply lost his mind, that would have been one thing. But now, he was actually forcing himself to help others!
Voldemort had lived in the orphanage all his life, but never once had he done any real work. Whenever he was assigned a task, he always found a way to make the other children "volunteer" to do it for him.
But…
He couldn't exactly refuse Jacob. He wasn't strong enough to beat him.
Yet now, after enduring several days of doing chores under Jacob's watchful eye, Voldemort was being told he could rest early?
Something wasn't right. There had to be a catch.
"No… I'm not tired at all. Really. I can keep working," Voldemort said, taking the rag back with a forced smile.
He had no idea what Jacob was plotting, but he was sure of one thing—doing what Jacob wanted was never in his best interest.
"Huh? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you just say?" Jacob asked, tilting his head slightly.
Under Jacob's steady gaze, Voldemort's smile slowly faded.
Well… maybe resisting wouldn't cause problems in the future, but at this moment, it definitely would.
"I mean… I'm a little tired. I'll leave the rest to you," Voldemort said quickly, handing the rag back before disappearing around the corner of the stairs.
Jacob had his reasons for sending Voldemort away. Dumbledore was coming to see him soon, and it would be best if their conversation happened in Voldemort's room.
After all, Jacob wanted to witness firsthand the famous moment when Dumbledore set fire to the wardrobe.
He put the rag down and hurried to his own room.
If Dumbledore came looking for him first, he needed to make sure that the various bottles and jars he had hidden under the carpet were safely relocated. A wizard of Dumbledore's caliber would easily spot anything suspicious.
Over the past few days, the system's shop hadn't refreshed with anything particularly useful. Mostly just potions and odd materials—things that could be bought in the wizarding world anyway. So Jacob had only picked up a few essential potions for emergencies.
One other thing had become clear to him—doing good deeds earned him very few merit points.
However, forcing Voldemort to do good deeds? That was a completely different story.
Jacob suspected that the system rewarded him more when he made a villain act against their nature. Maybe because it reduced the chances of them becoming truly evil?
After all, when he had received 100 merit points, the system had explicitly told him it was because he had altered Voldemort's life trajectory…
Of course, this was just a theory. Jacob planned to test it on another villain later.
For now, though, thanks to forcing Voldemort into "labor reform," Jacob had successfully saved up 300 merit points!
Oh… may Merlin bless Voldemort.
After securing his potions, Jacob casually returned to his spot by the stairs and picked up the rag again.
Just then, Mrs. Cole emerged from her office, her face flushed. Dumbledore followed closely behind.
Clearly, their conversation had ended.
"Oh, Jacob!" Mrs. Cole called out as soon as she saw him.
As she approached, Jacob caught a faint whiff of gin. That explained her rosy cheeks.
"This is Mr. Dumbledore—ah, I mean, Professor Dumbledore. He's here to see you and Voldemort. He has something important to tell you… Actually, I'll let him explain. Where is Voldemort?"
Jacob met Dumbledore's calm gaze and replied, "He went back to his room to rest."
Mrs. Cole sighed. "What excuse did he use this time? Ah, never mind. He's changed a lot since he started spending time with you… I suppose I should be grateful for that. Honestly, I've never seen Voldemort help another child before. This must be because of you."
Ever since Jacob had arrived, the once-isolated and intimidating Voldemort had seemed like a completely different person.
Not only had he stopped bullying the other children, but he had even started helping out with chores around the orphanage.
Such a drastic transformation in just a few days… Mrs. Cole didn't fully understand it, but she was certainly relieved.
"Mrs. Cole, I really didn't do anything. Voldemort is actually quite kind. He was just a little introverted before and didn't know how to connect with others," Jacob said with a smile.
"Kind? Introverted? Are we talking about the same Voldemort?"
Mrs. Cole couldn't help but raise an eyebrow but chose not to argue in front of their guest.
"I have a lot to do, so I'll leave you to it. Since this gentleman is looking for both of you, you can take him to Voldemort's room."
"Mrs. Cole—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a voice called from across the room.
"Coming!" she responded before turning back to Jacob with a sigh. "You'll be alright?"
"Of course," Jacob nodded.
As Mrs. Cole hurried away, Jacob turned his attention to Dumbledore.
This was his first time alone with the legendary wizard.
Even though Dumbledore's expression was warm and his demeanor was gentle, Jacob could sense an overwhelming presence—like standing at the base of a towering mountain, knowing you could never climb it.
"Sir, please follow me," Jacob said politely before leading the way to Voldemort's room.
Dumbledore followed, his eyes never leaving Jacob.
"Aren't you curious why I'm here?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course I am."
"Then why haven't you asked?" Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "You don't strike me as an introverted child."
Dumbledore had met many eleven-year-olds, and they were always bursting with curiosity. If Jacob knew he was here to see him and Voldemort, why hadn't he asked a single question?
"Since you're here for both of us, it must be for the same reason. In that case, it's more efficient to wait and discuss it together, rather than making you repeat yourself," Jacob replied calmly.
"Hmm… that's a reasonable answer. But I don't mind repeating myself. What I'm about to tell you isn't something that can be explained in just a sentence or two."
Dumbledore studied the boy's small frame with growing interest. He had encountered many children in his lifetime, but none as composed as Jacob.
Mrs. Cole had mentioned that this boy, who had an Eastern appearance, had been found abandoned on the streets. He had never spoken about his past, and Mrs. Cole had assumed he must have experienced terrible hardship.
Yet, despite his unknown background, Jacob carried himself with confidence.
It made Dumbledore curious. Could he be from a pure-blood wizarding family from the East?
"I've heard that Voldemort did a lot of bad things before he met you," Dumbledore continued. "But ever since he met you, he's suddenly changed. Tell me, Jacob—how did you do it?"