The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 129
Joanna scowled deeply.
‘I don’t like this.’
She had a hunch about why Van was acting this way.
He was provoking her to boost her spirits.
It wasn’t ineffective.
As she completed the 100 times copying task, her anger reached its peak, momentarily distracting her from her issues with her mother.
Reviewing the basics was a bonus.
‘Who does he think he is? Did I even ask for his help?’
Of course, she knew.
Van was acting this way out of concern for her.
She couldn’t not know.
Despite his prickly words, his eyes were filled with worry.
Foolishly.
But, twisted by nature, Joanna couldn’t purely accept someone’s kindness towards her. Maybe it was because she had never truly experienced this kind of affection before.
Unlike her half-sister Catherine, who had felt some degree of warmth even in the slums, Joanna had never once experienced pure affection directed at her.
Duchess Beth always claimed to love her, yet she had never given Joanna even half the warmth Van’s gaze did.
‘I don’t like it.’
Yes.
She disliked it so much that Joanna firmly resolved.
She would crush Van’s pride, making sure he could never look at her that way again.
‘I’ll reclaim the top spot in the next practical session!’
It was the change Van (intentionally?) aimed for.
* * *
Days later, Amethyst Academy began to buzz.
It was because of the waning crescent moon, the Lower Crescent, starts to appear.
Though the Lower Crescent is a monthly occurrence with nothing special, it held a particular significance at Amethyst Academy.
“Wow, look at that. The mana distortion is getting stronger.”
“It’s starting to be affected by the moon’s shape right now.”
Mana distortion is exactly that – mana being twisted, flowing like a river.
This mana distortion acts as a barrier between the wilderness and the Great Forest.
‘The Great Forest is visibly close, but due to this distortion of mana, passage between the two is impossible.’
The distortion of mana is a remnant of a war between the Great Ones from another world and the Eight Heroes, a conflict that took place in the distant past.
The fight that shook dimensions resulted in the laws of the world being warped.
Hence, anomalies often occur.
The most notable of these are the appearances of magical beasts.
Especially when the waning crescent moon rises, the mana distortion becomes unstable, and a significant number of these beasts appear.
It was Amethyst Academy’s crucial duty to fend off such beasts.
‘Now, it’s become routine to the point of using it for student practical sessions.’
The ‘Tragedy of Lower Crescent’ episode is precisely this disaster occurring during such a practical session.
‘Originally, it wasn’t supposed to be a difficult episode. But I should expect something beyond what I know to happen.’
My monocle still flashed a lavender color.
It was a warning of a crisis with a 50% mortality rate.
‘I’ve done all the preparation I can.’
Eventually, the Lower Crescent of the moon fully rose.
The episode had begun.
* * *
At that moment, someone else was watching the same scene of the moon rising.
A face resembling Van’s.
It was Ron.
However, he was not alone.
A small boy was with him, cute in appearance but with a timid and subdued demeanor.
Surprisingly, it was the villainous protagonist of the magic department Van had encountered in the alley not long ago! It was the small beggar boy!
“…Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”
“Yes.”
“But, won’t this cause big trouble? Are you really sure?”
“Stop pretending to worry. I know you’re a terrible monster.”
“……”
The boy clammed up, stopping mid-sentence.
As the boy stared, a chilling shiver ran down Ron’s spine.
Though Ron was neither a knight nor a mage but a significant figure who had sway in the political realm, to feel such fear was telling.
Ron swallowed hard, internally recounting the boy’s identity.
‘Bern of the Dark Prestige Family. A monster born with the greatest talent in the history of the Dark Noble House.’
Indeed, this was the identity of the villainous protagonist of the magic department.
His class was, naturally, a Dark Mage.
As his nickname ‘monster’ suggests, he possessed unparalleled talent even within the Dark Noble House.
A true genius far beyond the mediocre prodigies. Expected to become the Lv. 9 Dark Sovereign, a long-held aspiration of the Dark Noble House, Bern harbored a lethal issue unknown to others.
“Hehe. You really are a cunning political fox. Right, it doesn’t matter how many of those insect-like people die. It’s just fun.”
A completely different demeanor and voice than before, not merely unmasking but revealing another personality.
Yes.
Bern had dual personalities.
Due to side effects from a dark magic experiment in his childhood, his personality split into two.
The usually kind and timid ‘Bern’ and the cruel ‘Beril.’
“Be-Beril, don’t say such terrible things.”
“Shut up. You stupid Bern. You want to kill them all too, don’t you?”
“N-No. I don’t want to harm others, as per the teachings of our house.”
“To hell with the damned house. When I become powerful, I’ll exterminate our house first.”
As if performing a one-man show, they had a bizarre conversation before they sharply turned to Ron.
It was ‘Beril.’
“Hehe, anyway, I’ll do as you’ve asked. This will be fun. But are you sure?”
“Sure about what?”
“You seem hesitant yourself?”
“!!”
Ron’s face stiffened.
“Nonsense.”
“Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Be quiet. Just make sure you complete the task as requested.”
“Hehe, okay. Just don’t regret it later.”
Poof!
After Beril disappeared, Ron bit his lip and then threw the glass he was holding.
Crash!
“Damn it.”
It wasn’t Beril’s taunting that disturbed him.
It was Van’s words that kept coming back to him.
Please don’t forget that we are family.
* * *
Late at night.
Finally, the Lower Crescent fully rose.
SSSssssss
The mana distortion intensified, and a sinister aura spread in the darkness.
Simultaneously, the city gates of the scholarly city opened.
“Alright, senior year of the 4th year, form a single line!”
“Second and third years, form the second line!”
“First-year selected members, follow from the rear!”
There are various kinds of magical beasts.
Monsters that have taken root and multiplied across the continent.
Ghosts born from human malice.
Summoned beasts from places like Gehenna or the spirit realm, among others.
Most of the creatures emerging from this mana distortion belong to the last category, the summoned beasts.
The distortion of mana itself causes instability in dimensions.
‘Ordinary soldiers’ strength is almost useless against these summoned creatures.’
This was why professors and students had to step in.
Especially the seniors from Amethyst’s 4th year, who were mostly 3rd ranked achievers, equivalent to official knights or mages.
‘The main force of this extermination practice is the 4th year. The 2nd and 3rd years assist.’
For first-year students like Joanna and Johan, it was more about observation.
They followed from a safe distance at the rear and might combine forces under a professor’s supervision to deal with any low-level magical beasts that stray their way.
‘Because of safety concerns, only the top 5 students capable of defending themselves from each department participate from the 1st year.’
So, the 1st years are strictly to be protected.
They are placed far behind.
‘Ironically, it’s such arrangements that lead to the disaster.’
Then, a boastful voice was heard.
“How does it compare to Ruby? Witness the grandeur of our elite Amethyst Academy students.”
It was Baron Garden, who had picked a fight with me during the special lecture.
He smirked at me, possibly holding a grudge.
“Our Amethyst not only pursues the highest theories but also values practicality in harmony. Unlike those desk mages who only talk big.”
Hmm.
That was aimed at me.
After it was revealed that day that I was V.L., Amethyst’s professors have been keen to belittle me.
A defective mage with dazzling theories.
They attributed my victory over Duchess Beth entirely to her being caught off-guard.
Well, their reaction was expected.
‘It’s more about their pride than not recognizing my worth.’
Rather than retorting, I simply responded.
“I look forward to the professors of Amethyst showing their valor.”
“Haha! Make sure to watch closely. A spectacle like this isn’t something a theoretical mage like yourself gets to see often.”
I merely nodded.
I had deliberately suggested to Chancellor Karl Gritton to place Baron Garden among other senior professors around the first-year students.
Hoping they would be of help in the impending disaster.
I sincerely hoped that Baron Garden and the professors would play an active role.
An unforeseen event was about to occur.
‘Is it too soon? Can it be prevented?’
It was impossible.
Storylines have a ‘force’ to them.
I even suggested changing the first-year students’ placement from the original scenario, but the same event would occur.
‘All I can do is minimize the damage.’
Using ‘minimize’ here means it’s impossible to completely prevent harm.
Yes.
Someone among the first-year students gathered here will shed blood.
How much blood will be shed depends entirely on the protagonists’ actions.
‘Ugh. What have I done to deserve this, going to another academy and enduring this ordeal again?’
But I couldn’t just leave it to the protagonists.
In the worst case, all the first-year students here could die.
Joanna and Johan included.
It would be as good as game over.
‘After this, as compensation, I’ll thoroughly raid Amethyst’s storeroom!’
Unaware of the dreadful fate looming near, the first-year students exclaimed in admiration, watching the seniors engaged in monster subjugation from a distance.
Theren commented:
“Wow. They really are impressive. Honestly, it seems like they’re even better than our graduating seniors.”
The formations of the third and second years were so tight that it seemed impossible for any monsters to reach the first years.
An unthinkable situation for any disaster to occur.
But the world always has a way of exceeding expectations with unforeseen events.
Ghhoooooo!
Suddenly, an echo made everyone freeze.
It was the beginning.
“What’s that sound?”
“The mana distortion is surging! Why?!”
“Look at the moon!! It’s a Red Moon!!”
“No, it’s a Blood Moon given that color! Why is it appearing now when it only shows up irregularly every few years?”
Astronomically, the chance of A Lower Crescent coinciding with a Red Moon was below 0.05%, and with a Bloody Moon, it was even less, below 0.005%.
“We might face an unexpected event! Everyone, retreat!!”
“Fall back to the scholarly city!”
“First years move first! The 4th years will cover the rear!”
“Wait a minute! The sky?!”
Rumble!
The earth trembled as if hit by an earthquake.
It wasn’t an illusion.
“It’s a spatial distortion!”
“Near the first years?!”
“We need to escape!!”
Alas.
Baron Garden and the other professors, who were supposed to protect the first years, were seen fleeing in panic, their faces pale with fear.
They were scared for their own safety first.
It wasn’t something I could readily blame them for.
Getting caught in a spatial distortion was unpredictable, and the principle in textbooks for such emergencies is to secure one’s own safety before attempting to rescue others.
The problem was the students left behind.
“Aaah!! Help me!!”
I sighed and, unlike the other professors, moved closer towards the students.
Simultaneously.
Flash!
The surroundings flickered as though struck by lightning.
After blinking for a moment, I found myself unharmed.
But something had changed.
Where there had once been a desolate wilderness, now stood tall, towering trees.
It was a scene from the storyline.
“In the Great Forest.”
Myself and the first-year students had been swept up by the spatial distortion and dropped into the Great Forest, becoming lost!
And, of all places, right into a monster habitat.
Raaaaaghhhhh
Ggraaaaawww
Growls and roars echoed from various directions.
Yes.
This was precisely the “Tragedy of Lower Crescent” episode.
Surviving in the Great Forest.
It was the start of a survival game.
The clear condition was the safe return of the students.
