The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 143
A duel with the head of the Prestigious Magical Family!
Everyone gulped down their saliva.
In this world, circuses had a completely different nature and meaning than those on Earth.
Because there were knights and mages, beings beyond the ordinary.
It wasn’t just about performing tricks; it was more like a performance art involving knights and mages.
The most representative event was the Magic and Sword Battle, which they were about to undertake.
“Haha. To think I’d get involved in such child’s play. If you live long enough, you experience all kinds of things. Well, playing games with one’s daughter is also a parent’s duty, isn’t it? This makes me feel like a warm-hearted parent. Haha.”
Duke Alfonso laughed as if he had made a funny joke.
Of course, Catherine’s face only grew colder.
‘I really hate this.’
Duke Alfonso often uses the term ‘daughter’ when calling her.
With a voice devoid of any affection, not treating her like a daughter at all.
Every time she heard it, it felt like snakes were slithering over her body.
“Still, since you’re my daughter, I can’t be too harsh. I’ll only use the 1-star Water Ball magic.”
“No, stick to the circus rules and use up to Level 3 magic.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t want to win because you went easy on me. Besides, I need to prove I can reach Ascension faster than you.”
“!!”
Thump. Thump.
Catherine’s heart raced.
‘I’m crazy. How could I say such things?’
Although Catherine had a fierce personality, Duke Alfonso was an exception. Normally, she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
But now, fearlessly, she provoked Duke Alfonso’s sore spot.
It was all thanks to the change brought about by Van.
“There’s plenty of time. Even if it takes me 100 years to ascend, I’ll still be faster than you.”
“Haha!! This is interesting.”
The atmosphere shifted gently.
A small ball of water floated up.
It was the most basic Water-type magic, Level 1 “Water Ball.”
It contained no magical essence, and the mana imbued in it was negligible.
A purely simple Water Ball.
“100 years, huh? My daughter, I’m telling you this for your own good, but with your talent, no matter how hard you struggle, you won’t be able to break even this Water Ball within that time frame.”
Chills ran down Catherine’s spine as she faced the ball of water.
‘But I will not lose.’
The water ball started to approach.
The rules of the Magic and Sword Battle were as follows:
One would unleash magic into the air, and the other would use a sword to disrupt it.
If Catherine could slice through the floating ball of water, it would be her victory.
‘Now!’
It was a basic sword technique.
She hadn’t had the time or opportunity to learn advanced sword techniques.
However, she displayed swordsmanship learned desperately in a short time more than anyone else.
Flames encased the surging blade as it interacted with the Water Ball, embodying the natural expression of a magical sword.
“Oho.”
The Sword King slightly marveled.
But soon, a look of shame filled her eyes.
‘How cruel.’
It was clear to see.
That this child was an exceptional talent.
It made one wonder why she hadn’t been recognized until now.
However, her opponent was just strong.
Slash
Catherine’s sword touched the Water Ball.
The blade began to slice through the water.
‘Success… or not.’
Catherine’s expression hardened.
The blade merely passed through the ball of water without altering its form.
Just as cutting through a stream with a sword would have no effect.
Smoothly, the water ball approached Catherine and,
Splash!
Catherine was drenched as if a bucket had been overturned on her.
“Haha. How do you like my water play? Quite entertaining, isn’t it?”
Catherine couldn’t respond.
‘It’s impossible.’
She realized that Duke Alfonso’s words weren’t just an exaggeration.
A mere mortal would not be able to break that water ball even with 100 years of effort.
‘No. I won’t give up.’
Catherine ground her teeth under the steady gaze of Van, whose eyes seemed to say:
You can do it.
‘What on earth does the professor believe in me so much for?’
Even the Sword King was shaking her head.
To the empire’s greatest swordsmanship master, it seemed an impossible task.
Yet, Van was sending his faith recklessly.
Not just this time.
Always. Every time.
How could she give up under such a gaze?
“Again. I’ll try again.”
“Hmm? Well, if you insist.”
Slash
The same scene repeated.
Twice, three times, four times, five times.
Everyone watching swallowed hard.
The rumor had spread, and now the entire academy had gathered around.
“Shouldn’t someone stop this now?”
“How can we stop it? Even the professors who came to watch can’t say anything.”
Catherine was now completely drenched, looking like a drowned mouse.
Even though it was a Level 1 magic, being hit repeatedly caused a chill to seep in, making her tremble all over.
“Now it’s not so fun anymore.”
“More. One more…”
“Hmm.”
Duke Alfonso made a bored face.
A flicker of cold contempt passed by.
“Bothersome, little daughter.”
“!!”
“I’ve played along as a duty of a parent at a festival, but honestly, I don’t see why I should be wasting my time on you. It’s starting to irritate me. Truly bothersome.”
Catherine’s face turned pale.
Why?
That last remark seemed to shatter her resolve more than any harsh words could.
‘Why feel hurt? I’ve always known that’s how my father is.’
In truth.
When she first entered the Magic House, there was a bit of hope.
Hope for what it meant to have a father.
Of course, that hope was quickly dashed.
It’s been long since she expected anything from her father, yet why did such words still sting?
From where Van was frowning and about to step in, Catherine hastily shook her head.
“It’s okay. Don’t intervene.”
But, an unexpected incident occurred from somewhere totally unforeseen.
“Don’t say you’re bothered by your own child.”
“!!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
It was Libel!
Students nearby hurriedly grabbed Libel.
“L-Libel, you?”
“Are you crazy? That’s D-Duke Alfonso!”
“I-I don’t care about that.”
Libel clenched his teeth and glared at Duke Alfonso.
“Ca-Catherine didn’t choose to be born into the Duke’s family.”
At that bold statement, everyone gasped.
But who was Libel?
It wasn’t for no reason that he had no friends.
He was ignorant of general societal norms and social skills, hardly aware of the magnitude of the blunder he was committing.
“You’re stupid too. B-Blindly slicing through his Water Ball won’t work. Water isn’t to be sliced, but extinguished.”
“Want to die? I know that! But how can I do anything when I don’t have the firepower!”
“I-I’ll help.”
“What?”
“I-I’ve come to want to give that man… no, that nobleman, a piece of my mind too.”
Libel was not an orphan.
He was abandoned by his parents at a young age and taken to the ‘house’.
Therefore, Duke Alfonso’s treatment of Catherine triggered Libel’s trauma.
A little.
Just a little bit. So, maybe 0.1% was for Catherine’s sake that he stepped in.
They were companions in solitude, after all.
“Though definitely not friends, without Catherine, I’d have no one to eat with.”
Duke Alfonso stroked his chin.
“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter. You two can join forces. But, let’s change the magic a bit.”
Whoosh.
The Water Ball expanded.
Aqua Morning Star.
It was a level 3 water magic.
“Since the performance has unnecessarily dragged on, I’ll finish it with this.”
Catherine and Libel wore faces of dismay.
The plan to extinguish the ball of water with their combined firepower became impossible.
“Damn, it was never possible from the start. A reckless challenge from the beginning.”
Then, Libel spoke.
“Hey, snap out of it. Van is watching us. Losing is fine, but I can’t forgive showing disappointment to Van.”
“!!”
Catherine clenched her fists tight.
Ridiculously, Van was still sending a look of faith.
Firmly, without a hint of wavering, even when everyone else was shaking their heads.
“Yeah, I can do this. No, I will do this.”
There’s a psychological theory suggesting that children who feel supported tend to become braver.
Van’s faith did that for Catherine.
“Hey, Libel, your ears. I have a plan.”
Libel’s eyes widened.
“A-Are you crazy?”
“The crazy one is our professor, Van.”
Catherine twisted her lips roughly and glared at Alfonso.
“If we are disciples of the crazy professor Van, we should be able to pull off this level of madness, right?”
And a moment later.
Everyone’s eyes widened to the point of bursting.
* * *
Silence fell over the place.
A different kind of silence from before.
Everyone was agape.
A miracle had just occurred.
Whoosh!
Libel’s magic collided with the Water Morning Star, and following that, Catherine’s sword flashed.
As a result,
Alfonso’s magic was dispelled!
“How?”
“Did Duke Alfonso go easy on them?”
No, it wasn’t.
Alfonso’s stiff expression was proof.
‘As expected.’
I sighed in relief internally.
‘They managed to perform a miracle.’
So,
What Catherine just accomplished could only be described as a miracle.
‘She precisely targeted the core of the water and extinguished it. It’s something impossible at her current level.’
It was Libel’s fire magic that caused a minute disturbance in Alfonso’s magic that she didn’t miss.
But that’s not all.
‘She used both magic sword and magic simultaneously when cutting through the core of that magic.’
The outcome of a battle between water and fire magic ultimately comes down to firepower.
Since the magic sword alone was insufficient, she also unleashed fire magic.
‘This is a task difficult even for a Level 4 Sword Mage.’
Using both a magic sword and magic simultaneously is akin to dual casting.
Therefore, it’s common to use them alternately, not at the same time.
‘Indeed, a true hero.’
My faith in Catherine was simple.
Because she was born with the fate of a hero, destined to grow stronger in the face of adversity.
‘No, it’s not just because she’s the hero. It’s thanks to the effort Catherine has accumulated so far.’
Identifying the core’s position through the slight disturbance was due to the foundation in magic she had painfully built up until now.
Being able to slice through with her sword at the critical moment was thanks to her repeated basic sword practices in the training ground until dawn.
The ability to simultaneously wield magic and a magic sword was likewise.
“Hahahaha. Impressive. Quite the performance.”
Alfonso burst into laughter.
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant laugh.
A distinctive madness was embedded in it.
The Duke of Alfonso was an unpredictable madman.
It was uncertain how he would react to his defeat.
Now, it was my turn to step in and attempt to calm the situation.
Just then, applause broke out.
“I enjoyed the performance thoroughly. Both you and Lady Catherine were splendid. Well done to both of you.”
My father, the Duke of Huam, set down his fork from eating cheese spaghetti and clapped.
It was a warning to maintain decorum.
Though Duke Alfonso was a madman, he knew how to control his anger in front of formidable opponents.
He twitched his eyebrows, subdued his madness, and vanished.
That’s when a loud cheer erupted.
“Did Catherine win?”
“Wowwwww!!!!”
“That was amazing!!”
“Libel was cool too!”
However, the problem wasn’t entirely resolved.
Unexpectedly.
Or perhaps, as expected.
A bigger bombshell dropped.
“The determination of the students was commendable, but it seems like the duel was too reckless. It doesn’t seem like the right way to guide them.”
“!!”
“What do you think, Professor Van?”
Duchess Louis, the Sword King, targeted me with her criticism.
