The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 13.2
Daien.
As mentioned before, it was the finest luxury tavern in the capital.
‘…Is it really okay for me to be in a place like this?’
I have been to upscale bars on Earth. No, I had been to many for entertaining purposes.
However, even for someone like me, it was exorbitant.
‘If I swiped my corporate card here, the accounting team might strangle me.’
“…Strawberry ju… Oh, no, wait a moment.”
Instinctively, like a commoner, I almost ordered the cheapest fruit juice, but then I heard a deep voice.
“Lord Van, it’s been a while.”
Dressed as a refined butler, he seemed like the owner.
As befitting the manager of the most expensive tavern, his dignity overflowed, and I involuntarily flinched.
‘…Don’t be intimidated. I’m a diamond spoon now too.’
Clearing my throat, I spoke.
“Sure, nice to see you. Can you bring a bottle of ‘Dragon’s Tears’?”
“…Dragon’s Tears, you say?”
A whopping 6,000 penas.
It was an ultra-premium wine, priced as high as a commoner’s three-year income.
A price that even nobles would hesitate at.
“I apologize. The Duke instructed not to provide expensive drinks to you, Lord Van, anymore, so extending credit is difficult.”
“Don’t worry. I have a friend who will settle the bill for me today. Valic will be here.”
“…Professor Valic, you mean?”
“That’s right.”
The manager looked suspicious.
I maintained a confident expression.
Although momentarily stunned by the high price, I had enough power to deal with the manager.
The charisma of the Dark Flame Dragon assisted me, imbuing my voice with a strong sense of intimidation.
“You might want to be a bit more careful with your expression. If this place is truly the capital’s finest dining, it would be fitting, wouldn’t it?”
“!!”
The manager made a realization, his expression changing.
Even for a troublemaker like me, openly displaying a skeptical expression was disrespectful.
“…You’ve changed.”
“I’ve simply rediscovered my original dignity.”
The manager greeted respectfully,
“I shall bring the Dragon’s Tears.”
Hans, the only other person present, looked startled.
“Why bother if Professor Valic doesn’t show up?”
“He’ll come.”
…Truth be told, I was a bit nervous too.
If things didn’t go according to plan, I would end up with a debt of 6,000 Pena before even starting my professorial career.
However, I believed Valic would come.
‘If I know Valic, he won’t miss this great opportunity to insult Van.’
Indeed.
Before the first glass was emptied, a voice was heard.
“Haha. What do we have here? Isn’t it my friend Van? How long has it been? Nice to see you!”
Despite the loud greeting, his eyes were ice cold.
It was Valic.
* * *
The character I embodied, Van Ecclesia, was a peculiar one.
Despite being an extra with no influence on the storyline, there were strangely entangled characters.
not in a positive way.
‘It feels like everyone’s curse.’
Valic was one of them.
‘He harbored inferiority towards Van, the direct heir of a duke, and allegedly subtly tormented him secretly during their school days.’
Well, that past was probably a good thing.
What mattered was moving Valic according to my plan.
“Do you know how surprised I was when I heard the news? Professor appointment, really. As expected of my friend Van! Still clueless as ever, huh?”
His friendly demeanor thinly veiled the mocking words.
Not acknowledging the courtesy even once was probably because he still looked down on Van.
“But did I say I’d cover the cost of the Dragon’s Tears? That’s ridiculous…”
“If it’s too much trouble, it’s fine. Even with the Rapalt duke’s bloodline, it would be difficult for someone with a narrow mind like yours to afford such a large sum. I’ll generously understand.”
“!!”
Nice, Dark Flame Dragon.
Even though it was my own narrative, I listened to the words that had Valic’s face stiffened.
It was usually the kind of talk that scratched his inferiority complex.
“…Are you done talking, then?”
There was a particularly irate look from Valic, who I had previously underestimated and provoked.
“The duke must have lost his mind. To have you take a professorship exam. He’s not even old enough to be senile. Does the Duke of Ecclesia not understand the concept of honor?”
Bingo.
It caught on faster than I thought.
I purposely rose from my seat with a rough motion.
“Are your recent words to be considered as contempt towards his Grace, the Duke of Ecclesia?”
“…What?”
“With enough witnesses, it’s sufficient.”
Valic, belatedly realizing his mistake, glanced around.
Everyone was listening intently to our conversation.
This place, Daien, is the finest tavern
The crème de la crème of society gathered – nobles, influential merchants, and dignitaries. No one could silence us.
“I-I didn’t mean to say it with that intention…”
“That will be judged in court. Given our past relations,, I won’t specifically request your father for a small compensation. However, preparations for a duel are underway. A knight from our family will be visiting you soon wearing a white glove.”
Valic’s complexion turned pale.
His crime was the offense of insulting the family.
A serious charge in a society that highly values honor.
What’s particularly fearsome is that the offended party can challenge the offender to a duel.
Valic found himself in a position where he had to duel with the knight of the Ecclesia Duchy.
“Wait a moment. I… I didn’t mean…”
“Sorry. You never held my father in high regard anyway. So it seems you’re not willing to listen to what I have to say. Come on, Hans, let’s go.”
As we tried to leave, Valic hastily grabbed my arm.
“I-I didn’t mean it that way!”
His demeanor had completely flipped from his initial confidence.
‘…But he’s seething on the inside.’
I shook my head.
Desperation and resentment were evident in Valic’s eyes as he clung on.
It was clear that he was determined to overcome this crisis and seek revenge against me.
It was all part of the plan.
‘For me to succeed, I need to push Valic to the edge and make him act recklessly.’
I further provoked Valic, offering a proposition.
“I have a suggestion.”
“What…?”
“Let’s have a ‘magic contest.’ If you win, we can forget about what happened today.”
I snapped my fingers.
“But if I win, You will kneel in front of everyone here and proclaim, ‘I respect Lord Van and the Duchy of Ecclesia.’”
