The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 100
Among the wrongs attributed to Van, many were false accusations, but the misdeed committed against Marquis Muller was not among them.
It was purely, 100%, Van’s fault.
‘I’ll apologize later. The situation is urgent now.’
“Your Excellency, Marquis, I’ll be brief due to the urgency. Please help us stop that demon who has gone berserk with the Demon King’s Sword.”
“Why should I?”
“…Your Excellency?”
“Even though I’ve retired, my sword serves only His Imperial Majesty. Why should I draw my sword for trash like you?”
I furrowed my brow.
“Is this because of the disrespect I showed you in the past? I sincerely apologize for my remarks. I was immature.”
“Don’t misunderstand. Do you think I act this way over some past grudge? It’s simply not worth it for me.”
“…Not worth it?”
Marquis Muller snorted disdainfully.
“As I said, I am the sword of the Royal Family. I came here on the off chance that His Highness, the Third Prince, might be in trouble. And now you want me to fight that monster for trash like you? Do you realize how much of a loss it would be if I were to get injured?”
I recalled Marquis Muller’s personality and swallowed hard.
‘Marquis Muller traditionally doesn’t draw his sword for what he deems unworthy. Especially in situations where he might get hurt.’
Because he considers himself property of the Royal Family.
“There are others here, not just me.”
“Hmm.”
Marquis Muller gave a nonchalant look.
“Well? I don’t see anyone worth exerting myself to save. Rudolph may have been a great mage in the past, but now, he’s nothing special. The rest? Well, they may be talented, but do you think there are only one or two people like them in the Empire? Even if all of them died, it wouldn’t make a difference.”
My face stiffened.
‘That’s a bit ruthless, huh?’
Former Principal Rudolph,
Professor Burnstein,
Even Principal Karak and the other temporary professors,
None of them deserved to be dismissed so summarily.
‘I can see why ‘Van’ might have been rude to him in the past.’
As we know, ‘Van’’s trashy actions often had justifiable reasons behind them once the full context was understood.
While I don’t know the exact circumstances of Van’s rudeness towards Marquis Muller, seeing his current demeanor gave me some insight.
Van’s disrespect was likely a fault on both sides.
‘Anyway, I need to persuade Marquis Muller now. Using my experience as the Sales King…’
“Your Excellency, I respect your loyalty. But it’s strange. Why haven’t you gotten glasses?”
“What did you say?”
“Considering you lack an eye for people, it seems you might have severe presbyopia. You might need glasses.”
“!!”
Oops.
The Black Flame Dragon’s wrath inadvertently made an appearance.
‘Hey! I should be careful about the situation! Getting him riled up now isn’t…!’
I blinked momentarily.
‘…Why not?’
Clearly, persuading Marquis Muller smoothly wasn’t going to be easy.
Based on my experience as the Sales King, in situations like this, a different approach was necessary.
‘Provocation.’
“You… shut up.”
“Not sure why you’re angry. Not recognizing someone as talented as me seems more like disloyalty to the Royal Family.”
“Ha! What nonsense?!”
“Should I prove it then?”
I lifted the corners of my mouth.
It was the trademark sneer of the Black Flame Dragon.
“Do you remember what I said before? No matter how strong, a knight is merely a shield for a mage. I’ll prove that to you right here with your own eyes.”
“You brat!!!”
Bingo.
Marquis Muller was triggered.
“I’ll block that demon just this once. If you fail to prove your point then, be prepared. Even if you survive that demon’s hand, I’ll make sure you’re dead.”
Just once.
It was an absurd proposition.
What could possibly be achieved in such a short time while that lunatic is standing there?
However,
“I have a condition as well.”
“What?”
“If I prove my point, you apologize for the remarks you made earlier, dismissing those individuals.”
Marquis Muller scowled fiercely.
Seemingly aware of his earlier slip, he didn’t retort.
“There’s only one chance. After that, I won’t interfere.”
Just then, Rune lunged towards me.
Former Principal Rudolph and the others had exhausted their strength in the brief struggle so they couldn’t stop him.
“Be careful, our Professor Van!”
“Danger!!”
Fortunately, Marquis Muller stepped in front of me.
Chaaaang!!!
An explosive force erupted as the Demon King’s Sword clashed with the noble sword bestowed by the royal family.
“Kuhp!”
Surprisingly, Marquis Muller was pushed back by the force.
‘It’s not incomprehensible that Marquis Muller would be cautious. Facing the rampage of the Demon King’s Sword, even one of the empire’s 5 great swordsmen might not escape unscathed.’
From Marquis Muller’s perspective, it was probably wisest to sustain some damage while dragging out time until the Demon King’s Sword calmed down.
“What are you waiting for? Don’t forget. You only have one chance I’ve given you!”
“Don’t worry.”
I stepped forward.
Into the range of the Demon King’s Sword’s aura.
A tingling vibration went through my body.
Had Marquis Muller not shielded me, stepping inside would have turned me into a bloody mess instantly.
The protection wouldn’t last long.
That was okay.
I had a plan in mind.
“Just watch closely with both eyes.”
I raised my hand.
“For thy presbyopia will be enlightened by my dazzling astonishment that unfolds.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
<Chance to subdue the self-destructing demon>
If there’s an opportunity to perform a miracle: 100%
An absolute win.
Yes.
I had a surefire method.
The opportunity had arrived.
First, I raised my hand to manipulate mana.
Whoosh!
A strong backlash came.
‘As expected of the Demon King’s Sword. I can’t see its essence.’
I examined the controlling spell that the Demon King’s Sword used to dominate Rune.
As one of the strongest magic swords in existence, it was so solid that not even I could find a way in.
‘It doesn’t matter. My target was something else anyway.’
“First, I apologize, Your Excellency.”
“…What?”
“I’ll just borrow this for a moment.”
I deliberately didn’t specify what I was borrowing.
They would know soon enough.
“!!”
Whoosh!
I unleashed my magic.
The problem was the type of magic I cast.
I replicated the controlling spell used by the Demon King’s Sword on Rune.
And who did I suddenly cast a controlling spell on?
…On Marquis Muller, who had his back turned to me.
“What is this treachery?!”
Marquis Muller’s eyes widened in shock.
“Didn’t I mention? I intended to prove what I said before. For that, Your Excellency needs to become my reliable shield.”
Yes.
I struck Marquis Muller from behind, putting him under my control.
Completely unprepared, Marquis Muller was caught without resistance.
‘…Hopefully, he won’t really hold a grudge after the fight is over.’
It couldn’t be helped.
I had to create a weakness in the Demon King’s Sword.
‘Marquis Muller needs to be more aggressive, not just defensive, to create an opening in the Demon King’s Sword.’
Direct puppeteering was impossible.
Only general instructions were feasible.
‘The moment Marquis Muller becomes aggressive and creates an opening in the Demon King’s Sword, I’ll subdue it.’
“You brat!!!”
Chaaang!!
However, there was an unexpected problem.
Even as Marquis Muller took the offensive, he failed to gain any advantage.
‘Is Marquis Muller not giving it his all?’
That didn’t seem to be the case.
The capability of the Demon King’s Sword far exceeded expectations.
I broke out in a cold sweat.
‘This could be a disaster. What do I do?’
That’s when I had this thought.
‘Was there just an opening? Why did I let it go?’
An absurd thought.
Marquis Muller is a transcendent knight.
And I, a mere mage with no knowledge of the sword, dared to think of advising him.
Even more absurd was the realization that my thought wasn’t just a fantasy.
‘This feels familiar.’
I swallowed hard.
It was similar to when the Master of Magic’s abilities manifested!
‘Could it be?’
‘Versatility of a Thousand Changes’ is activated!
Possesses ‘unprecedented talent’ in any field!
It was one of my abilities!
‘I knew I had talent in other areas, but to think I could advise a Level 8 knight on swordsmanship? That’s a bit much.’
I was dumbfounded.
Of course, it didn’t mean my understanding of swordsmanship was equivalent to Level 8.
It was about having a genius idea that could exploit a momentary weakness.
‘What do I do with this? Even if I give advice, he’s unlikely to accept it. It would probably just make him angrier.’
That’s when the situation changed.
Whooshhh!!!
The Demon King’s Sword unfolded a ‘domain’.
A unique power of Level 8, exerting transcendental power by dominating the surroundings under its control.
‘A magic sword unfolds a domain!’
Marquis Muller gritted his teeth and unfolded his domain in response.
But the moment the two domains clashed,
I saw an opening.
Different from the previous gaps.
A definite path to victory.
I sent a message spell without hesitation.
It was difficult to explain with words, so I shared my thoughts.
Your Excellency, please follow my instructions.
Naturally, Marquis Muller’s response was not favorable.
“Ha! You insolent brat!! Now you even dare to advise me, a transcendent knight?! Once this fight is over, I will not leave you be….”
In the midst of his anger,
Marquis Muller suddenly fell silent.
He had realized the same gap I had seen. He understood my words were not foolish.
His sword moved as if enchanted.
Exactly as I had envisioned.
The result was astonishing.
Whoosh!!
The domain unfolded by the Demon King’s Sword was significantly disrupted.
“How could you conceive of infiltrating this distance? Even the most exceptional knight couldn’t think of such a strategy, unless they were a once-in-a-millenuim genius?!”
A statement full of astonishment.
I pondered my response.
‘Let’s be careful with my answer this time.’
“Didn’t I tell you? I intended to cure your presbyopia with my brilliant marvel.”
“!!”
…Such a response should be typical for the Black Flame Dragon.
Anyway, as the domain faltered, the Demon King’s Sword also suffered considerable damage.
The real opportunity had arrived.
I raised my hand.
“Rest now. Evil magic sword.”
Whoosh.
It was a dispelling magic.
Don’t joke…! With just… this…!!
As expected of the Demon King’s Sword.
Even having accurately exploited its weakness, it did not collapse.
It resisted my magic with its intense power.
‘It won’t be easy.’
If it were before, there would have been no way to further intervene.
But now, things are different.
‘I am now a Level 2 mage. I have two stars!’
Another star rose.
For ordinary Level 2 mages, a second star serves as a tool to contain spells that one star cannot.
But for me, it was different.
I could transform a Level 2 magic spell to be contained within one star.
Then, what role does the remaining star play?
‘It amplifies the first star.’
So, becoming a Level 2 mage didn’t just mean I could perform Level 2 magic.
The spell I unleash at Level 2 is entirely different from conventional magic.
Like now.
“By my command, kneel before the grand marvel.”
Whoosh!!!
t/n – Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural, often annoying part of aging.
