The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 126
The hall was tinged with astonishment.
It was inevitable.
“A critique lecture? Are you serious?”
“There’s no issue, is there? It’s a topic often used in academic conferences and the like.”
“That may be true, but…”
It certainly wasn’t rare.
The problem was that this format was used when groups almost akin to sworn enemies faced off.
In other words, it was a type of course conducted when there was a scholarly ‘fight to the death,’ so to speak.
“How dare you.”
“Why lack confidence? If you’re afraid of your shortcomings being exposed, I’ll consider changing it to another lecture topic.”
Duchess Beth gritted her teeth.
“Ha! Do as you wish. But be prepared to face the consequences if you spout nonsense.”
I climbed onto the podium and gestured to Hans.
Wham!
Images were projected above the podium.
Hans, having reached the realm of Level 6, used his invented magical device to instantly visualize and project the contents of Duchess Beth’s lecture.
I opened my mouth.
“Greetings. Since this is our second lecture, I’ll skip the introduction and get straight to the lecture.”
Wham!
The oppressive aura of the Black Flame Dragon was unleashed, and those sitting askew adjusted their postures.
“Everyone should know that manipulation magic is divided into tangible manipulation and intangible manipulation. The duchess’s lecture just now was about tangible manipulation.”
Elemental manifestation magic involves ‘manifesting’ elements like water and fire.
Manipulation magic, on the other hand, involves ‘manipulating’ a target.
If the manipulation involves actual, existing entities like objects or bodies, it’s called tangible manipulation. Meanwhile, manipulating abstract concepts like the mind, space, etc., is known as intangible manipulation.
Duchess Beth was a specialist in tangible manipulation.
In particular, she gained the nickname ‘Witch of Tyranny’ for gruesomely murdering her opponents by forcibly manipulating and transforming their bodies.
“I’ll start with the conclusion. Forget everything you just heard. It’s not even worth cluttering your mind with – it’s garbage.”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
The objection to my statement wasn’t just from Duchess Beth, who was glaring at me as if she wanted me dead from the back.
Most students had expressions of disbelief.
“Duchess Beth is a Lv. 7 master, a great witch. To disparage her lecture without basis is…”
“Student, what is your name?”
“Roten. I am the president of the student council at Amethyst Academy.”
He answered with an upright expression.
A familiar face, a name I knew.
A named student from the Amethyst storyline.
A prodigy who had reached Lv. 4 already in his third year.
“Alright, Roten. What did you gain from the lecture just now?”
“The principles of how transformation manipulation magic works on the body…”
“So, what did you gain?”
“Using the physiology of the body to efficiently…”
“So, what exactly did you gain?”
Roten became mute as though his mouth was filled with honey.
I looked around at the other students.
“Did anyone gain anything from the lecture just now? Or rather, did anyone even understand the content?”
The hall fell silent.
It was expected.
‘Because no one understood it.’
Why?
‘She deliberately lectured in a way that was impossible to understand.’
It’s not surprising.
Mages naturally hesitate to share their insights.
Even professors at academies are reluctant to share their real ‘secret techniques,’ beyond common lecture content, with their students.
“It’s for the best. It’s better not to absorb incorrect teachings at all. Understanding the lecture would have only harmed you.”
“You bastard!”
Eventually, Duchess Beth, having run out of patience, shouted, but I ignored her.
“What’s the most important thing about body transformation manipulation magic?”
“Understanding the physiology of the body, isn’t it?”
“Wrong. That kind of thing isn’t important.”
Everyone wore baffled expressions.
It was a statement that contradicted the academic consensus.
The content of Duchess Beth’s lecture, which had just ended, was essentially an incomprehensible explanation of how to use and manipulate human physiology on a magical level.
“I’ll ask something else. Are there any students from the support department of healing here?”
Hands were raised here and there.
“What’s the most important thing in healing magic?”
“I’ll answer! It’s the blessing for the patient!”
It was Johan.
His eyes sparkled like those of a deer, seemingly begging for praise, which made me chuckle.
“Healing magic fundamentally manipulates the human body too. Then, why is blessing considered more important than the physiology of the human body?”
“…”
“And, setting everything aside, what’s the most basic principle of manipulation magic?”
A different kind of silence settled over the hall.
The students began to realize.
That my talk was not mere nonsense.
“Does no one know? Who’s the vice president of the student council? Let the vice president answer this time.”
Cal, wondering why he was called upon, scowled and stood up.
Having received some private tutoring from me at home, Cal should know the answer.
“To transform the targeted object according to one’s intention.”
A plain answer, right out of the textbook.
But it’s correct.
The essence of all manipulation magic is contained in that brief sentence.
All manipulation magic aims to actualize that sentence.
“The same goes for body transformation magic. It’s about transforming the body according to one’s will. Then, what’s so important about physiology? Body transformation magic, in fact, disregards physiology and subjugates it to the mage’s will.”
“!!”
That’s when it happened.
Boom!
“Nonsense! Don’t spout such ludicrous nonsense!”
It wasn’t Duchess Beth.
Baron Garden.
A Lv. 6 ‘holder’ level manipulation mage and a senior professor in the Amethyst Magic Department.
His major was body transformation, just like the Witch of Tyranny.
‘Not long ago, he published a paper on a topic completely opposite to what I’ve just discussed, attracting significant attention in the academic world.’
Incidentally, one of the questions I posed in Street of Truth was directly challenging Baron Garden’s assertions.
Perhaps that’s why he was fuming even more.
“It’s impossible to transform the body without utilizing its physiology!”
“It’s because you think it’s impossible that you can’t overcome the barrier.”
“!!”
My words weren’t aimed solely at Baron Garden.
“Forcing your way over the wall only to quickly hit a limit is what happens.”
This time, Duchess Beth’s complexion turned bright red.
Though she had reached Lv. 7 at a young age, she had been unable to advance further for a long time.
“Ha! There’s no need to listen any further. Step down from the podium this instant…!”
“Should I really step down?”
“What?”
I was on the fifth floor of the auditorium.
I looked towards where the professors were seated.
“Do all the other professors also think my talk is nonsense?”
“!!”
The Black Flame Dragon infused his voice with a hint of mockery exquisitely.
“If so, that would be disappointing.”
The professors looked at each other.
Most of them didn’t understand my argument.
But not all of them.
After all, this was elite Amethyst.
There were excellent professors here.
One of the most representative figures spoke up.
“Your story is nothing but fantasy.”
Karl Gritton.
The chancellor of Amethyst, often compared to Rudolph Grampa.
If Rudolph Gramps was fiery and impulsive, this man was characterized by his cold, skeptical, and quirky nature.
“Much like the absurd questions posed by V.L. on the Street of Truth.”
The lecture hall buzzed with whispers.
V.L.? Could it really be the identity of V.L.? Surely, he wouldn’t proudly use the embarrassing nickname ‘Legend’ as his handle?
“Magic is not a daydream, but reality. The content you mentioned is something that would only be discussed in a transcendent realm. It’s an unrealistic fantasy.”
“With all due respect, but it seems the chancellor is also trapped within a wall.”
“!!”
“I’ll show you myself. That what I’ve talked about is not fantasy.”
I smirked.
It was the annoying expression the Black Flame Dragon made me wear.
“Why I’m called the Van the Legend.”
“!!”
Everyone gasped.
They all realized that I was indeed the sacred V.L. from the Street of Truth.
However, their looks of astonishment didn’t change to admiration.
The hostility of being unable to acknowledge filled the air, accompanied by many incredulous stares.
But this was preferable.
Their doubt would soon turn to astonishment.
Right here, on this spot.
“Duchess Beth, would you volunteer to be the subject of the magic I am about to perform? If you are the opponent, I can prove my point.”
The most challenging case for applying body transformation was when the opponent was another practitioner of body transformation manipulation magic.
This was because one had to utilize the opponent’s physiology, but a body transformation manipulation mage could alter their own physiology.
“It doesn’t matter how you alter your physiology, Duchess. It will be meaningless.”
“Ha! You brat!! Fine. But be prepared. The backlash of your blind magic might bring you a disaster you cannot foresee.”
The murderous intent overflowed in Duchess Beth’s eyes, as if she wouldn’t leave me be with just a counter.
“I will target the core. Be prepared.”
Duchess Beth snorted in disdain and cast a body transformation spell on herself.
Notably, the most difficult part to target with body transformation magic was the opponent’s core.
It varied in real-time and was different for every individual.
Especially when altered with magic, understanding the physiology became impossible.
‘I can do this.’
I closed my eyes tightly.
If it was impossible to perceive, then I chose not to see at all.
I even erased my sense of feeling mana entirely.
Nothing was perceivable.
In a real battle, such an act would be suicidal, but now, I could afford it.
As I did this, a thought naturally occurred to me.
‘What would Joanna have done?’
Though I am at rock bottom now.
The greatest manipulation mage I knew was Joanna.
The Radiant Screen Carver
To become a lofty ascendant.
‘Even Libel, called The One, cannot match Joanna in the realm of manipulation magic.’
This was the people’s assessment of the two.
If the strongest mage was The One, Libel, then the greatest mage was Joanna, the Radiant Screen Carver.
However, all this future depended on Joanna not falling behind.
I opened my eyes.
Was it a coincidence?
Joanna was looking at me.
With her lips tightly bitten.
I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
But I didn’t like it.
Such a defeated appearance did not suit Joanna.
Understanding why people found Joanna’s charm to be infuriating made some sense to me now.
As I performed my magic, I hoped it would help Joanna, even a little, and I recited the name of the spell.
“Moonlight Sonata.”
Moonlight is intangible.
Yet, it undeniably exists.
It’s a tangible entity, but since it can’t be grasped, it can’t be manipulated.
That had been everyone’s consensus until now.
It was Joanna, known as the Radiant Screen Carver, who broke that consensus.
Her scene of manipulating moonlight to block an enemy force was one of the story’s greatest highlights.
Because it seemed like she was playing the moonlight, people called her spell a sonata.
‘Of course, it’s impossible for me to cast such a grand area spell at my current level.’
The spell I’m casting now is entirely different from the Moonlight Sonata Joanna performed.
This is merely.
A performance I unfold for Joanna.
Wishing, as a professor, for her to find the right path forward.
Whooooosh!
“!!”
Duchess Beth’s complexion turned white.
