The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 101

Kyaaaaaakkkk!!!

The Demon King’s Sword screamed.

Despite its resistance, it was futile.

The vulnerability I targeted was precisely the connection point where the Demon King’s Sword dominated Rune.

No matter how powerful the Demon King’s Sword was, this point was inevitably its weakness.

‘Of course, if it weren’t for me, this spot wouldn’t even be targeted in the first place.’

Eventually,

Thud.

Rune dropped the Demon King’s Sword and collapsed.

‘Done! It’s finally over!’

Indeed, messages like these appeared.

   

A message confirming victory.

Just as I was about to rejoice, another message made me stiffen.

   

Upon reflection, this was not something to be happy about.

Cold sweat dripped down.

‘Did I just cause trouble?’

The situation was so urgent that I acted without considering the consequences, and now it felt like I had dug my own grave.

Confirming my thoughts, messages continued to inform me of my doom.

Actually, there was no need to hear the messages.

Just the looks from those around me were enough to tell.

“…….”

Former Principal Rudolph, Professor Burnstein, Principal Karak, and even the grumpy Duke Muller.

They all stared at me in astonishment.

What was even more terrifying was that everyone, including the usually loud Former Principal Rudolph, was silent.

As if they were too shocked to even open their mouths.

Instead, the messages frantically rang out.

Emphasizing my doom.

   

I’m doomed.

Truly doomed.

‘Ahh. I didn’t want to cause such a stir. I felt compelled to act because doing nothing seemed like it would lead to disaster.’

I have to do well from now on.

‘There’s hope in the fact that I was originally considered trash. Everyone must be doubtful right now, so if I live quietly, the rumors will eventually die down.’

But then,

These damned messages dropped another bomb.

   

I was appalled.

For the record, Dark Heaven’s Destruction is the official name of the Demon King’s Sword.

‘I don’t need something like this!’

Of course, the Demon King’s Sword is an enormously powerful weapon.

That is, if it can be properly wielded.

‘It’s not for nothing that only the Demon King can handle it.’

Owning it might make it slightly easier to wield, but the real problem lay elsewhere.

The Demon King’s Sword was aggro bait.

‘Becoming known as the owner of the Demon King’s Sword will attract an incomparable level of aggro to what I’ve faced so far.’

I made a decision.

‘Just pretend I don’t know about it. Having ownership doesn’t mean I have to keep it, right?’

Brrrr.

The Demon King’s Sword seemed to vibrate, but I ignored it.

The abandoned Demon King’s Sword would probably be collected by the Mage Tower or the Royal Family, but that was not my concern.

‘There’s a rumor that legendary items like the Demon King’s Sword find their owner, but that’s surely just a myth, right? How can a sword without legs find me?’

I looked at the people still gaping at me.

‘I need to handle this.’

Rumors might die down over time, but not with people like Former Principal Rudolph.

If left as is, this would greatly hinder my life as an academy professor.

‘Act like it was nothing special…’

As I was cautiously choosing my words, wary of the Black Flame Dragon’s bluster,

Suddenly, I heard this voice in my ear.

It was a magic message sent by Former Principal Rudolph.

   

“…….”

Seeing Former Principal Rudolph’s eyes burning with intensity, I had an intuition.

Forget handling the situation, I was doomed.

 

*    *    *

 

The events of that day struck the entire empire.

Phase 4 had been breached, and in that gap, the Three Evils caused a disaster.

   

The Three Evils denied their wrongdoing.

‘After all, with the Second Prince behind them, this will probably fade into obscurity.’

Above all, the empire lacked the capacity to deal with it.

The rebels had already become warlords, the war with the Seven Kingdoms showed no signs of ending, the Ran Republic was eagerly waiting for an opportunity, and the situation in the Demon Realm was far from ordinary.

Keeping the Three Evils from causing more trouble was all that could be managed.

‘Still, letting this go isn’t right either.’

I crossed my arms.

It was okay to let the Three Evils be.

They were merely being used as tools, after all.

The problem was the Second Prince.

This incident clearly crossed the line.

‘Does my Father not see the Second Prince’s true nature?’

I wondered.

When progressing through the storyline, the inner thoughts of the father, Duke Huam, were not revealed.

Whether he was unaware of the Second Prince’s misdeeds or knowingly overlooked them.

‘In any case, I need to seriously consider the issue with the Second Prince. Even for the sake of achieving my dream of a leisurely professor life.’

With that thought, I sighed.

A newspaper caught my eye.

   

The meaning of ‘Van the Trash’ had changed.

Now, it was ‘Van the Legend.’

‘It wasn’t me who dealt with the dark mages; it was Syphin. Why is that being credited to me as well? Did Syphin deliberately manipulate this?’

I pictured Syphine’s smirking face.

And that wasn’t all.

‘How on earth did my name end up in the Hall of Ruby?’

As seen in this incident, the sealed area contains all sorts of mysterious places.

One of them was the ‘Hall of Ruby.’

The names of those who have made significant contributions to the Ruby Academy are automatically recorded.

‘It was said to be created using the Philosopher’s Stone by the founding chancellor.’

Consequently, a commotion ensued.

   

‘While receiving so much attention is burdensome, it’s not something to view negatively.’

It wasn’t just fame that was gained.

There were tangible rewards as well.

I looked around my office.

It was no longer the previous storeroom.

I had been given a spacious new room!

Yippee! No mowe… cwamped space!

The significance went beyond just the comfort.

Just as on Earth, one’s place within the workplace symbolizes their stature.

This meant the academy acknowledged me.

‘Having made such contributions, there’s no way I’ll be eliminated from the temporary professor competition.’

Moreover, the student’s act of activating the barrier was also recognized as a meritorious deed, earning me more than full marks for class guidance.

‘Unless something utterly improbable happens, my professorship is as good as secured.’

To the extent that this happened:

The interest rate on the mortgage I took out when buying a house was reduced.

When I inquired why,

The likelihood of you failing to secure a formal appointment has nearly vanished. We look forward to your continued patronage, ‘Professor.’

The loan officer, who had previously looked down upon me as just a temporary professor, now bowed deeply with a much more respectful attitude.

‘Am I… slowly becoming successful?’

It seemed so.

Especially since even during my days as a sales king on Earth, I never had such a spacious office.

In a company, you’d have to be at least an executive level to use an office like this.

‘Come to think of it, I had a bucket list.’

After quickly looking around to make sure it was empty.

I sat down, placing my feet up on the desk.

‘Ah! I’ve always wanted to indulge in the privacy of my own office like this! I’ll even take naps here later!’

There was more on my bucket list.

I walked to the window with a coffee cup in hand.

You know how in TV shows, successful people gaze out the window of their private offices in a cool manner.

“…….”

Hmm?

“…Never mind.”

‘…The view isn’t great from the second floor. It would have been nice if it were on the fourth floor.’

For context, the fourth floor was reserved for senior professors with years of experience.

‘It’s fine. This is enough. Now, I’ll use this place as my hideout and live quietly, tucked away.’

That’s when it happened.

“Professor, do you have a moment?”

A polite and heavy voice.

Shockingly, it was Hans.

His gaze was entirely different from before.

‘Even the way he addresses me has changed. From Master or Young Master to Professor.’

If before it felt like he was following the young master of the family he served, now he was fully presenting himself as my disciple.

‘…But, shouldn’t he be independent by now? At Lv. 6, why continue to stay as a graduate student?’

“Why the long face? Are you about to tell me to leave again?”

“…….”

“Haven’t I said? I will always be Professor Van’s disciple, forever. I will never leave. You told me to be honest with my desires, you are my Master.”

‘Okay, I get that, but can you do something about that intense gaze? It’s suffocating.’

Moreover, Hans’s nuisance(?) did not stop there.

“Lindon, you slacker! Are you lazing around again?!”

For context, the new office I received was divided into my personal office inside and a shared research space outside for the graduate students.

“No, I’m preparing for a lecture, you know?”

“This pathetic guy! Back in my day! Such lecture preparations were… !!”

Becoming Lv. 6 turned him into an even more formidable grumbler!

Still, the authority of Lv. 6 was significant; Lindon could no longer dismiss Hans as before.

“Tch, I should also hurry and elevate my status. This is just too low and petty.”

This turned out to be an unexpected positive effect.

Lindon was one of the Ten Demons in the original storyline.

Though his mentality was garbage, his talent was exceptional.

If Hans’s nagging wakes him up, his future will be promising…

“Hehe, if I become a high-ranking mage, I’ll get more credit loans, right? Should I start setting up my stock account in advance?”

Hmm.

It seems Lindon’s change is still a long way off.

“But Hans, what is it?”

“There’s a guest waiting outside. They’ve been waiting for 2 hours now. How much longer should I tell them to wait?”

“2 hours? Why have you not told me sooner?”

“How dare I interrupt your work for an uninvited guest without an appointment?”

Eyes sparkling with loyalty.

‘Please return to the old Hans. No, he wasn’t great either.’

The useless Hans of the past.

The overly loyal nuisance Hans of now.

Deciding who is more lamentable was a battle of epic proportions, hard to judge in its grandeur.

“It’s fine, just let me know immediately next time. Making someone wait for 2 hours is impolite.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll let them in.”

“And who is the guest?”

The next moment, I realized that being impolite was the least of my concerns.

“The head of the Rapalt ducal family, Duke Volman.”

I was doomed.

 

* * *

 

If we were to modernize the situation, it might go something like this:

The tale of a temp making the number one tycoon in the business world wait outside for 2 hours.

I was so flustered that such a ridiculous thought crossed my mind.

Why would Duke Volman want to see me?

And he waited for 2 hours to meet me?

“Ahem! Seems quite busy around here. To make me, Volman, wait for 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds. Truly, the hero of the academy, Professor Van.”

Duke Volman entered the research space, his face alternating between red and pale.

He plunked down on the sofa, and then something alarming happened.

“Duke, that seat is reserved for Professor Van. Your seat is over here.”

“!!”

‘Hans, have you lost your mind?!’

Lindon and I were shocked.

There’s a phenomenon known as a “level-up high.”

The joy of leveling up can sometimes make one lose their reason, entering a state of mental disarray. Hans appeared to be in such a state.

He might regret it later, but for now, Hans felt invincible.

However, what was even more surprising was Duke Volman’s reaction.

“This… insolence.”

Yet, he obediently moved to the next seat.

‘Did he eat something wrong? That’s not like him.’

No, I suddenly felt a chill.

‘Duke Volman, true to his merchant nature, can exhibit tremendous patience when he wants something.’

It was clear he wanted something from me too.

Sure enough,

“Ahem, nice research space, isn’t it? Do you like it? I played an active role in assigning this lab to you, did you know?”

“…Thank you.”

A suspicious attempt at taking credit.

I gauged Duke Volman’s intentions.

As expected,

“Let’s cut to the chase. Come work for me.”

“!!”

Duke Volman’s brows furrowed.

“To be frank, I desire your talents. Enough to forget all our past animosities. Swear loyalty to me, and I won’t spare any support to make you the highest-ranking professor in the academic world.”

I swallowed hard.

‘This is problematic.’

I’m currently rising as a new star at the Ruby Academy.

From Duke Volman’s perspective, aiming to take over the academy, I’ve become a person he must ensnare.

Conversely,

‘If he can’t win me over, I become someone he must eliminate.’

Indeed, Duke Volman declared,

“This is my final offer. If you refuse, I will use whatever means necessary to have you expelled from the academy.”

Wham!

Typical of a duke.

Though he hadn’t learned any sword or magic, an intense pressure bore down on me.

Realizing one thing under that intimidation, I felt a chill.

‘Of all things, to be entangled like this in the next episode.’

The next main episode of the Ruby Academy scenario.

I was directly caught in the ‘Disaster of the Golden Spirit.’