The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 125
“I’ve brought you a gift. It’s a potion to enhance your talents.”
“!!”
Joanna’s complexion turned deathly pale upon seeing the item Duchess Beth offered.
‘No, I don’t want it.’
Joanna had already tried all kinds of such potions.
She never saw any benefits, only suffering terrible side effects.
Moreover, this one clearly looked like it was made using forbidden dark arts.
She was terrified of the sinister ingredients it might contain and the potentially horrific side effects.
“Do you not trust your mother’s love?”
“No, it’s not that. I-I’ll take it.”
Joanna, facing her mother’s cold gaze, couldn’t voice the doubt swirling in her mind.
‘Do you really love me?’
She quickly buried that thought.
Her mother loved her.
Definitely. Surely.
‘It’s all because I’m not good enough.’
But why then did these words come to mind?
You’ve done nothing wrong. So, don’t blame yourself.
These were the words Van had once said to her.
Joanna bit her lip hard.
‘What do you know? How can you say such things so easily?’
Did he know?
How much those words had tormented her.
‘If it weren’t for that talk, I wouldn’t be hurting more now.’
She would have just clenched her teeth and ended it thinking she wasn’t good enough and that she just needed to try harder.
But now, it hurts.
Her heart. So much.
‘Forget such nonsense and try harder. If I show I’m excellent, Mother won’t be angry at me anymore.’
She swallowed hard, staring at the disgusting-colored potion.
She didn’t want to drink it, but she had to.
But why then?
At that moment, Van’s face came to mind again.
‘I don’t need you!’
Just as she was about to force the potion into her mouth.
“Stop. Let her be.”
“!!”
Joanna’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
Van was there.
Ironically,
Despite all the resentment she harbored inside, seeing Van’s face made her suppressed tears fall.
She wanted to cry.
* * *
‘So it is.’
I sighed.
It was as I had expected.
A scene all too familiar from countless scenarios.
“Van, what audacity brings you here?”
“I came because it seemed like student abuse was happening. And from what I see, my suspicion wasn’t wrong.”
“Ha!”
Duchess Beth let out a scoff.
“I was merely disciplining my daughter for educational purposes as her mother.”
“Is that what you call discipline?”
I still looked at Joanna, who was bleeding from her forehead.
“So, what’s the issue with making a small fuss? It’s not like it’s a disabling injury.”
Her confident rebuttal left me speechless.
‘Absurdly enough, I’m at a disadvantage here, argument-wise. This isn’t modern Earth, after all.’
Even on Earth, there was a time when parents could beat their children to death under the guise of discipline without facing punishment.
Here, although not to that extent, parental corporal punishment was widely accepted.
More troubling was.
“Joanna, you tell him. Have I abused you?”
Joanna bit her lip and then stood up.
The tears she shed when I first appeared had stopped.
“No. My mother did not abuse me. I was lacking, so she disciplined me.”
Joanna glared at me, frowning.
“I never asked for your help, Professor Van. Your meddling is unwelcome, so please leave.”
“Did you hear that? If you don’t want to end up in jail for home invasion and interfering with parenting, you better leave now!”
It was a difficult situation.
With Joanna responding like this, I had no grounds to intervene.
But,
‘Sigh.’
I clenched my fist.
Joanna hadn’t stopped crying.
The tears had stopped, but her eyes were still screaming.
Begging me to leave.
To leave her alone.
The silent cries weighed heavily on my heart.
I made an impulsive choice.
“‘Contract.'”
Joanna looked puzzled at the sudden mention of the word.
But Duchess Beth did not.
“…What did you say?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
“!!”
Duchess Beth’s eyes flickered unsteadily.
Her composure was shaken.
“How do you know about that?”
“Shall we discuss it here and now? In front of Joanna? It would be troublesome for you, wouldn’t it?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Joanna, go back to your room! Now!”
“!!”
Joanna flinched but soon lowered her head and disappeared.
Once we were alone.
Whoosh!
I took a breath.
An overwhelming presence pressed down on me.
“How do you know about that?”
Duchess Beth’s eyes were filled with a chilling aura.
This was a different level from our few previous encounters.
‘This is the true power of the Witch of Tyranny.’
I swallowed hard.
Instinctive fear rose within me, but I knew I couldn’t back down.
The Black Flame Dragon emboldened me.
I lifted the corners of my mouth in a mocking smile.
“What’s so surprising? Is a contract to fulfill your own greed by selling off your daughter something to be proud of?”
“!!”
Yes.
Duchess Beth’s relentless pursuit of Joanna wasn’t out of love but greed.
“You… Do you really wish to die?”
Her aura intensified, making it hard to breathe, but I clenched my teeth and stood firm.
‘It’s okay. She can’t kill me… right?’
Her menacing gaze had me momentarily revert to my cowardly instincts, but I held firm.
It wasn’t just the Black Flame Dragon’s influence.
To be honest, I was also angry about what Duchess Beth had done to Joanna.
“Ha!”
Eventually, it was Duchess Beth who backed down.
“So, what do you want to talk about? If you’re going to spout nonsense about leaving Joanna alone, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
I knew too well that mere words wouldn’t persuade her.
I approached the conversation differently.
“Do you really think you can achieve the contract?”
“Of course, I do.”
“You know it’s impossible the way things are going, right?”
She remained silent, indicating she understood.
“Joanna lacks because of you. Why did my lineage produce such a failure? Laughable.”
“Watch your words. Joanna’s lack of progress isn’t a talent issue; it’s because your education is atrocious.”
“!!”
Duchess Beth’s face was about to turn red when I added,
“I’ll prove just how inadequate your teaching is during the lecture contest.”
“What?”
“If I lose, I’ll no longer interfere in Joanna’s affairs. But if I win, you’ll give up your educational rights.”
“Are you out of your mind?!”
“It’s a no-loss proposition for you, isn’t it? Your goal is for Joanna to fulfill the contract’s conditions. It would be better for her to recognize her shortcomings sooner and be taught by a more capable teacher.”
“…….”
“If you disagree, I’ll have to discuss this issue with Duke Alfonso. Even if he lacks interest in his daughter, I doubt he’ll tolerate her being used for such a contract.”
My threat made Duchess Beth grind her teeth.
“Fine. But if you lose, as promised, stop meddling in Joanna’s life.”
I nodded.
“There’s another condition.”
“What?”
“I know you have no affection for Joanna as a parent. But at least, don’t make it apparent.”
I looked directly at Duchess Beth as I continued,
“Children may seem oblivious, but they feel everything.”
After stepping out of the mansion, I sighed.
Though I managed to handle the situation, I felt sullied.
Was it because Joanna’s situation reminded me of my own childhood?
My mood was unusually hard to lighten.
That’s why.
“Professor, where have you been? Here’s the preparation for tomorrow’s lecture!”
Hans showed me the materials prepared via a magical projection device.
Unlike the match with the extra, Lanian, given the stature of my next opponent, I had prepared diligently.
I shook my head.
“Sorry, but it seems I’ll need to use that material another time. A new lecture topic has come to mind.”
“Now, suddenly? There won’t be time to prepare. Why not go with the safe option? The lecture you prepared should be more than enough to secure victory.”
Hans was confident enough in the quality of the lecture I had prepared.
However,
“Merely winning isn’t enough.”
“Professor?”
Yes.
It seemed that wouldn’t be enough to alleviate my mood.
“What lecture are you planning to give then?”
And
Upon hearing my explanation, Hans jumped.
Naturally.
“That’s outright declaring a fight, isn’t it?”
He was right.
‘I’ll crush them completely.’
No, beyond that.
‘I’ll make a spectacle of them.’
By nature, I’m a benign commoner who hardly harbors any animosity towards anyone, unless provoked to this extent.
This incident made me that angry.
Duchess Beth would pay tomorrow.
And so, the day of the final lecture contest dawned.
* * *
In the Amethyst Tower’s mid-levels.
There was a grand auditorium created by combining five floors.
A massive space that rarely filled up, yet today, it was swarming with countless people.
“Today is Duchess Beth’s lecture, isn’t it?”
“I’m excited. The manipulation techniques of the Witch of Tyranny.”
“But she’s a villain from the abyss, isn’t she?”
“What does it matter? She’s a duchess now. Besides, when it comes to magical teachings, it doesn’t matter if she’s a villain or not.”
Duchess Beth’s stature as a mage was so significant that even the high-and-mighty of Amethyst acknowledged her greatness.
“It’s a bit anticlimactic that her opponent is Van the Trash.”
“Don’t underestimate him. Didn’t you see yesterday’s lecture? The nickname ‘Van the Legend’ might not be a mockery after all.”
“Still, it’s not quite on the level of Duchess Beth.”
“Shh, I’ve got a secret. There’s a rumor that the divine V.L. from the Street of Truth is actually Van the Legend.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, senior professors here are all eager to see if Van Legend is truly V.L. with their own eyes.”
It was rare for the typically prideful senior professors to attend an external special lecture in such numbers.
“Shh, it’s starting!”
Duchess Beth was first to present.
The order had been requested by Van himself.
He must be frightened. I’ll show him the difference in our levels.
With a disdainful glance at Van, Duchess Beth ascended to the podium.
Then, her lecture began.
It was excellent.
Or, it seemed excellent.
‘It’s too difficult.’
Even though Amethyst’s students were exceptionally bright, they were still students.
On the other hand, Duchess Beth’s lecture was of a caliber that even formal mages might find challenging to grasp.
Yet, no one complained.
‘True teachings of a high realm are naturally hard to understand.’
‘We should be grateful even to receive such teachings.’
Following the conclusion of her lecture, thunderous applause erupted.
Next was Van’s turn.
A mix of curiosity, anticipation, and skepticism filled the air.
“What is the topic of your lecture, Professor Van?”
“A <Critique Lecture>.”
“Excuse me?”
Van’s gaze turned towards Duchess Beth.
“I will critique, point by point, how flawed the previous lecture was, and rectify the misconceptions and misunderstandings about manipulation magic.”
