The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 145

My traits were as follows:

[Master of Magic]

[Versatility of a Thousand Transformations]

[Charisma of the Black Flame Dragon]

[The Judgment of the Gambler]

Additionally,

[The Imperfect Ascendant’s Dignity]

All of these, except for the adorable Black Flame Dragon, were ridiculously overpowered traits.

And then,

[All Demons Bow]

   

‘Insane. Another overpowered trait?’

Dark attributes are used by dark mages.

Demon attributes by demonic beings.

Malevolent attributes by demons and other malevolent entities.

Having an attribute advantage over these often troublesome forces in the world was a tremendous boon.

Plus, gaining ownership over the opponent’s power.

I soon understood what that meant.

“What?! How is this happening?! Why is my curse…?!”

The astonishment of the Dark Lord.

It was inevitable.

The curse that tried to infiltrate my soul instead became my property!

‘This means I can turn such coercive attacks into my own power!’

Coercive subjugation attacks are a favorite among dark mages, demonic beings, and demons.

There’s a condition about that “ability level”, and this trait could become a secret weapon.

‘I can amplify mana!’

The power from the Dark Lord’s curse came entirely under my control. Meaning, I temporarily had access to more mana!

The amount of mana taken wasn’t huge.

“Ability level” likely refers to Lv., so it would be difficult to take in a significantly larger amount of power that greatly surpasses my own Lv.

Yet, even with just a speck of power, I’ve been able to work wonders.

What more if, for a moment, my power were to nearly double?

The possibilities expanded immensely.

The same was true now.

In an instant, countless spells I could use against the Sword King flashed through my mind.

‘Sword and Sword Battles don’t forbid using magic.’

Sword Mages use magic as support in Sword and Sword Battles.

However, I soon shook my head.

‘It probably won’t work on the Sword King.’

It was an intuition.

Instead, another method came to mind.

‘Acceleration magic.’

I mobilized all my mana to cast acceleration on myself.

Thanks to that, for a moment, I achieved the same physical speed as the Sword King, who did not use mana.

Such foolishness.

The eyes of the Sword King, who rushed at me, flashed with that thought.

It wasn’t mockery.

It was just a harsh reality.

There was a gap wider than the sky and earth between the king of knights and a novice like me.

So, even if my physical speed became similar, it meant nothing.

That was the ‘common sense.’

But then, an anomaly occurred.

Everyone,

Including the Sword King and even myself, didn’t expect this anomaly.

Flash!

The moment the Sword King swung her sword.

It was a diagonal cut aimed at my thigh, as she had warned beforehand.

‘I can’t avoid it.’

But then,

I saw ‘something.’

It was a ‘path.’

A faint, solitary path.

Swoosh.

My hand moved.

Following the path instinctively.

And then,

I saw it.

The Sword King’s eyes widening.

My sword’s trajectory aiming precisely at the Sword King’s neck.

I could tell that my thigh being cut was slower than the Sword King’s neck being cut.

‘Ah, no way. It’s the Sword King. She’ll block it herself, right?’

With that thought, I didn’t stop my sword. Instead, I put more effort into it.

But it wasn’t so.

The Sword King’s eyes wavered.

Astonishment, confusion.

An embarrassed face.

‘…What?’

I was startled too, but it was too late to stop the sword.

‘I can’t kill the Sword King!’

That’s when it happened.

An incomprehensible event occurred.

Flash! Boom!!

Something flashed from the Sword King’s body, followed by a loud noise.

At the same time, my view changed.

I saw the sky.

‘The sky?’

“Professor Van flew into the sky!”

“It’s because of the Sword King’s protective aura!!”

“Why did the Sword King use a protective aura?”

“Is Professor Van hurt?”

“Are you okay?!”

I could understand the situation belatedly.

Because the Sword King used a Level 6 defense technique, I was flung far away and ended up sprawled on the ground.

Whether the Sword King delicately controlled her power or not, unlike the students’ fuss, it seemed I wasn’t injured.

I wasn’t hurt.

‘So, I won anyway?’

As I got up, I flinched.

The Sword King’s face was strange.

A dumbfounded expression.

An expression I had never seen throughout the progression of the storyline.

“…You’ve never practiced with a sword?”

“Yes, it was my first time holding a sword.”

“And that strike just now? How could such swordsmanship…?”

“…It was a fluke.”

“Are you calling that an excuse?!”

…Why is she angry?

“Could it be, Van, you possess the supreme quality of a knight, the ‘Ultimate Martial Physique’?”

A shocking word popped out.

“No. It doesn’t make sense with your mana insensitivity. Perhaps the legendary ‘Heavenly Restrained Vessel’?”

‘…That’s not a legend, it’s a setting from a novel.’

This world also has fantasy novels similar to Earth’s, teeming with even more absurd settings, among which the Heavenly Restrained Vessel is one.

It’s a ‘fantasy’ setting that suggests a talent for swordsmanship surpassing the Ultimate Martial Physique in exchange for being born unable to accumulate mana.

“Sister, the Heavenly Restrained Vessel? That’s absolutely not it.”

The Dark Lord seemed to have calmed his surprise and had a composed face.

“Van, my nephew, is of the ‘Extreme Dark Physique.’ If only he learns dark magic, he’s destined to become a Level 9 Dark Emperor.”

“……”

Scratch that.

This man is even more delusional.

It seems he misunderstood because of the ‘All Demons Bow’ trait, but his eyes were swirling with madness.

‘Damn, attracted unnecessary aggro. Need to smooth things over.’

Just as I was about to elaborate that it was truly a coincidence and a misunderstanding, an unexpected situation occurred.

“Urghk!!”

He spat blood!

‘What? Why blood?’

   

Fortunately, it was a beneficial effect.

Given that it was a high-level curse, remnants had lingered, but now my body had completely recovered.

However, the situation took an unexpectedly dire turn.

“Pro, Professor!! Don’t die!”

“Why would he die! You want to die? Stop talking nonsense! Snap out of it!!”

Libel and Catherine rushed to support me. Libel, in particular, had tears brimming in his eyes.

‘Guys, I’m fine?’

“I am okay…”

But then.

   

“Keugh!”

“Professor!!!”

Just as I was speaking, I was interrupted, making the situation look even more critical!

“Is Professor Van okay?”

‘Does it look serious?’

“What did the Sword King do to Professor Van?”

“How could the Sword King go too far, I mean, she is the Sword King here?!”

The Sword King was confused.

I was confused too.

‘The Sword King did nothing wrong. If anything, when she pushed me away with her protective force earlier, she did it so delicately that I wasn’t hurt at all. And I’m telling you, I’m perfectly fine?’

Strictly speaking, if anyone were to blame, it would be the Dark Lord for casting a Level 6 curse.

But the situation was too coincidental.

All evidence pointed to the Sword King being at fault.

The situation escalated further.

“You’re at fault, so you should take responsibility.”

“!!”

“If anything happens to Professor Van, I will never forgive you. I will seek revenge. Definitely. Definitely. Even if it costs me my life.”

This was Libel.

Catherine also furrowed her brow and growled.

“Damn it. I’ve been holding back my words since you started talking nonsense about Professor Van’s teaching methods, but do you even understand how much he has done for us?”

“!!”

“And now you resort to violence just because someone doesn’t agree with you. Is this the chivalry of the Swordsmanship Noble House?”

‘Why are you guys acting like this? Catherine, especially, you’re in a swordsmanship class; you should be making a good impression on the head of the Swordsmanship Noble House.’

“I-I am… really fine.”

I tried to calm things down, but my voice cracked, making things worse.

Others began to step forward as well.

“It seems to me that this incident is your fault, Duchess Louis.”

“The Third Prince?”

Everyone looked surprised.

The Third Prince, due to his position within the royal family, never usually stepped forward like this.

But they were standing up for me.

…Even if it was a misunderstanding.

“Professor Van is the truest professor I’ve ever met.”

Professor Burnstein stepped forward.

“Professor Van is the junior professor I cherish and respect the most. To criticize Professor Van’s teaching policy is to criticize Ruby itself.”

“That’s right!”

“Professor Van might be a bit of a goofball and funny, but everyone knows he cares about his students more than anyone!”

“You have no idea how many times Professor Van has risked his life for his students! He’s used self-sacrifice spells several times!”

Even students I wasn’t close with were shouting like that, it honestly surprised me.

‘…When did I get so popular?’

Thinking back, there had been many incidents.

The Puppeteer incident in the underground waterways, the demon summoning during a class competition, the erased night episode.

In all of them, my “dedication” (?) and “sacrifice” (?) saved the students.

Lastly,

“I think Mother is wrong in this matter.”

“!!”

It was Theren.

The Sword King looked even more confused at her son’s rebuke.

‘It must be the first time Theren has criticized her like that.’

A silence flowed between them for a moment.

I swallowed hard.

In the storyline, the first confrontation between Theren and the Sword King was after Theren became the Sword Devil.

But it happened much earlier now.

The first to look away was the Sword King.

Seeing those rallying for me, the Sword King sighed.

“…Whatever else, I can see that Professor Van is an excellent professor.”

Then, something unbelievable happened.

The Sword King bowed to me!

“Professor Van, I apologize for everything today. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“!!”

“Theren, give the Communal Body Elixir to Professor Ban.”

I was astonished.

‘That’s the special recovery elixir known as the extra life, isn’t it? The direct descendants of the Swordsmanship Noble House carry it for worst-case scenarios.’

“As a sign of my apology, I will send another treasure from our house. And if there’s anything you need my help with, please let me know. As long as it does not contradict the justice of the Swordsmanship Noble House, I will assist with anything.”

The treasures of the Swordsmanship Noble House!

A blank check from the Sword King!

It was a tremendous compensation.

“And, this is a different matter, but how about reevaluating your aptitude? You really might be the legendary Heavenly Restrained Vessel…”

“No, My Sister. That’s not it. Nephew Van is of Extreme Dark Physique, right? Nephew Van, how about entering the grand world of dark magic? We are planning to hold a Dark Symposium at our house soon…”

“Enough. Both of you stop making a fuss at the student festival and go.”

When Duke Huam stood up, both of them instantly shut their mouths.

“Van, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Still, I’ll send our family’s healer to examine you.”

“Thank you.”

“And.”

Duke Huam looked at those who had stood up for me and casually said,

“You seem to be doing well.”

It was a nonchalant compliment.

But, why?

I felt a surge in my heart.

Then, a thunderous cheer erupted from the students.

“Wow!! Today is the best!”

“I want to join Van’s fan club too!”

“You haven’t joined yet? We can’t let the Amethyst folks outdo us, join quickly!”

“Long live Van the Legend!”

“It’s Van Cutie for me!”

“I’m more into Van Wildgenius though!”

Feeling that enthusiasm, I was convinced.

Our event booth had hit a grand slam.

Next, it was time to catch Erich and the other spies.

Everything was ready.

 

 

 

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t/n – The raw chapter translation of Van’s new name, Van Cutie, was supposed to be Van Cuticle (like part of the nail or something). I don’t know the korean slang or the meaning of it but if you know, just comment if I should bring the original back. I think Van Cutie might be the best one for this scenario though. 

Idk maybe the Van the Cuticle means he’s just being fabulous or something. But a lot of people seem fond of Van’s tone (referring to the black flame dragon) in a cute way