The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 174

“Surely you’re not really planning to leave Ruby?” 

Kansir growled, ready to grab me by the collar any moment.

‘They think of me this way?’

I never had any desire to get closer to these guys, not even a speck, but somehow, their concern was flattering.

The Black Flame Dragon quickly interjected.

“Calm down. Of course, I understand your admiration for my greatness. Once you’ve seen my brilliance, it’s impossible to stay away.”

“…Let’s go back, Balas. I told you we shouldn’t have come.”

“We must have been momentarily insane. Please, disappear forever.”

I quickly stopped them from leaving, cooled off and headed for the door.

“Hold on. I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

I shared my plan with them.

Their eyes widened as if about to split.

“T-That’s what? Is it real?”

“Impossible. I can’t believe it.”

Their reaction was expected.

When the true nature of the Shangri-La Academy project first came to light, people refused to believe it.

It was too horrific to be true.

Would I, Van the Legend, spout nonsense?

They swallowed hard.

“If what you’re saying is true, this isn’t something we can handle at our level…”

“No, we have to do it. It’s ‘our academy’s’ matter.”

“!!”

“Besides, don’t you want to ‘make a name’ for yourselves?”

“What do you mean?”

“If we solve this issue together, no one will dare to look down on you anymore. Not the noble houses of swordsmanship, not the noble houses of magic.”

They swallowed hard again.

Kansir had failed to make his mark in a noble house of swordsmanship and had fled to become a professor in the magic department.

Balas, too, was in a similar plight, having been cast out from a noble house of magic.

“Really, can we do this by ourselves?”

“We can. Because I, Van the Legend, am here.”

The two exchanged glances and then nodded heavily.

“Okay, we’ll give it a try. But are you sure you’re okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re about to leave the academy soon. Then you won’t be able to see your plan through, will you?”

I shook my head.

“That’s not a problem. It’s not me who’s running out of time, but them.”

“??”

“There will be an important announcement soon.”

They left, looking puzzled, and I called Hans and Lindon.

“Hans, you’re still my graduate student, right?”

“Still? Even if I become a professor, I will always be your student! I’ve even inquired whether I can hold both positions simultaneously!”

…Though I wasn’t sure if that was possible, Hans declared it with determination.

“Then get started on manufacturing the items I mentioned.”

“Understood! Lindon, come here! Can’t you assist the soon-to-be Professor Hans here? Make sure to call me ‘professor’ diligently!”

“Ah, geez.”

Hans’s eyes sparkled with life and pride as he looked over the ‘manufacturing proposal’ I had given him.

“Professor Van?”

“What is it?”

“Why have you asked us to make these items?”

“Because they’re needed.”

“…Needed?”

“What’s the problem?”

Hans asked with a face gone pale.

“Are you planning to start a war or something?”

The reason for Hans’s reaction.

What I had requested was ‘weapons’.

Not just any weapons, but ‘lethal arms’.

‘Because it can’t be resolved peacefully.’

That Plan B was a harsh method wasn’t an exaggeration.

It was something I had hoped to avoid.

A bloody battle was necessary.

Simultaneously,

The Duke of Volman’s side began to make their move.

Just as I had forewarned, a major announcement was made.

 

 

 

* * *

 

Thump.

Duke Volman put down the newspaper and gulped.

‘Finally, the die has been cast.’

The sealed lands.

They cover most of the Ruby campus.

A vast area larger than some small cities.

Nobody knew what secrets it hid, but one thing was certain.

The sealed lands were dangerous.

There’s a reason the Free City and the Ministry of Education have forbidden its development and kept it strictly sealed.

But it’s Ruby Academy’s private property.

If the shareholding exceeds 75%, development couldn’t be stopped.

That was why Duke Volman had aggressively pursued this merger.

Of course, if the imperial royal family intervened, even with over 75% shares, proceeding would have been difficult. But the royal family was on his side.

More accurately, he had a ‘backer’ with connections to the royal family.

‘Am I really doing the right thing?’

Duke Volman’s face darkened.

‘The backer’, the Three Evils.

The demons that had allowed him to climb to his current position.

Yet, even he wasn’t sure where the path he was walking on was leading.

It might very well be leading straight to hell, tricked by a devil’s scheme.

Then, there was the sound of clapping.

The Three Evils.

And among them was from the Abyss, particularly notorious, appeared.

“Congratulations. You have finally achieved a great feat. It won’t be long before the Rapalt Ducal family surpasses the ‘Two Major Commercial Houses’ to become the true leading commercial house of the continent.”

“…Thank you.”

Astonishing news.

The Rapalt family is the empire’s premier merchant family.

However, they weren’t considered the continent’s foremost.

There are the ‘Two Major Commercial Houses’ in the Ran Republic and the Seven Kingdoms, recognized as the continent’s leading merchants.

Surpassing these houses was significant, but Duke Volman’s expression was grim.

It meant he had to commit horrendous deeds.

“Why not wear a happier face? Anyone seeing you might think we’ve coerced you into this against your will. After all, it was you, Your Grace, who joyously accepted our proposal in the first place.”

“Yes, yes. Ha… ha.”

Right.

It was too late for regrets.

He had no choice but to move forward.

Even if that end led straight to hell.

“But isn’t this too rushed? The merger just started a week ago, and now you’re already pushing for the development of the sealed lands. Shouldn’t we take our time a bit more?”

“We can’t delay any longer. We are already far behind schedule.”

The counterpart cut in sharply.

“Do not forget. That the ‘Administrator’ from the Abyss has worked with you thus far, Your Grace, was for this very moment.”

The Administrator.

Merely hearing the name sent shivers down one’s spine, a top official in the Abyss.

According to Demon Brain, the Three Evils had cooperated with Duke Volman under the influence of this ‘Administrator’.

“There’s a complication. Van, that damned man, you never know what he might do. Wouldn’t it be better to at least wait until he has left the academy?”

“Van? Are you referring to that Van the Legend? Ha-ha!”

After a loud laugh, the counterpart’s face hardened.

“Just because people talk about Van the Legend, do you really think he’s so significant as to threaten us? Unless he wishes death upon himself, he wouldn’t dare to interfere with us.”

“…….”

“Put aside your needless worries and expedite the work as much as possible. Ink Moon is not far off. If we miss this timing, the ‘Administrator’ will not let it slide.”

With a flash, the counterpart disappeared, and Duke Volman sighed deeply.

The feeling was not good.

But he had no choice.

‘Still, I must prepare a contingency plan.’

If this path truly led to hell,

He needed at least some safety measures.

“Call Emily. I have instructions for her.”

 

* * *

 

News of the merger followed by the development of the sealed lands struck Ruby Academy hard.

“Is this really okay? Hasn’t the development of the sealed lands ever been successful before? Even if they’re only developing a single area?”

“Moreover, the development of the sealed lands is to be managed by the faculty of Shangri-La Academy, with only four professors from Ruby allowed to observe.”

Many at Ruby protested, but Duke Volman paid them no heed.

The faculty from Shangri-La Academy entered the campus in a group, like an invading force.

‘The work of the Three Evils.’

I immediately realized the true identity of the Shangri-La Academy faculty.

‘Just a bit longer. The time isn’t ripe yet.’

Two days later.

News was relayed that an entrance to a ruin was discovered inside the development area of the sealed lands.

Another two days passed.

Numerous magical devices and equipment were moved inside the sealed lands.

Although it was well-concealed, I could tell that these were preparations for some kind of ‘ritual’.

And again, two days later.

Just before a week since the Three Evils disguised as Shangri-La’s faculty arrived,

With only a day or two left before I had to leave the academy,

The dark moon began to rise.

Different from the new moon or full moon,

It was the Ink Moon, the Dark Moon, tainted in a deep black color like ink, said to surge with malevolent energy once every few years.

I saw the dark moon rising in the sky and stood up.

The time had come.

I headed to the promised meeting place with the collaborators… well, no, my partners.

“Hoho, have you arrived?”

Chancellor Karak was waiting for me at the entrance to the sealed lands, holding a parasol decorated with floral patterns.

…I wasn’t sure why this middle-aged man was holding a flower-patterned umbrella on a moonlit night without the sun, but that wasn’t important.

“Ugh, ugh!!”

“Ugh!!”

Four figures were rolling on the ground, gagged and bound hand and foot.

Faces I had seen a few times in passing.

They were professors from Duke Volman’s faction.

The ones who were supposed to observe the development of the sealed lands as part of the Ruby faculty.

I had asked Chancellor Karak to capture them.

“Hoho, are you really planning to enter the sealed lands in their place?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

My plan was brutally simple.

To directly expose the atrocities happening within those sealed lands.

“That’s reckless.”

“I agree. We don’t know what dangers lie within.”

It was Professor Burnstein and Department Head Diego!

“It would be better if all the professors joined forces for a decisive strike…”

“They’d immediately notice and seal off the ruins to conceal the evidence. Then we’d miss our chance.”

Of course, they had prepared countermeasures against external intrusions.

A mana detect alarm.

Simple but effective, it would trigger an alarm if someone with a certain level of mana attempted to intrude.

The stronger the intruding force, the more sensitively it reacted, making it harder for large groups or high-level individuals to enter unnoticed.

This was why I had asked for cooperation from Kansir and Balas instead of Professor Burnstein or Department Head Diego.

“You two will draw their attention from the outside.”

“It will only buy us time.”

“That will be enough. Please start, Department Head.”

“…Do I have to go as well?”

“For the sake of the academy, it’s only natural for the department head to take action, isn’t it?”

Flash!

Another pawn I had enlisted, the head of the Magic Department, Stefan Grossman. In reality, the fraud Graham, with a disgusted expression, cast a welcoming spell on us.

Myself, Kansir, Balas, and Graham transformed to appear as the flailing professors on the ground.

True to a legendary magical device, the illusion was flawless.

“Are you sure this is okay? Even now…”

“Don’t worry.”

I briefly reassured Professor Burnstein, who continued to express concern.

“This, is stronger than I thought.”

I’m a pacifist who opposes violence, but.

It seemed unavoidable for today.

It was time to deliver justice to them.

By my hand, Van the Legend.