The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 187
We left the expo hall.
Hans and the rest of the group exploded in outrage.
“How can we accept this?! The automobile was developed by Count Armand and the professor, how could that thief…!”
“H-How dare he take the professor’s invention… He must be killed…”
“Ooh, I’m excited. That doctor from earlier, he’s just my type. I bet he’d scream prettily.”
…Though it seems the Massacrist Mage isn’t exactly advocating for me but rather finds Kaplan genuinely to her taste.
That’s when,
“How pathetic. You pretend to be all high and mighty, but then this happens.”
“!!”
It was Joanna!
She stood with her arms crossed, looking down at me with a scathing gaze.
You could title a photo of her as ‘The Archetype of a Villainous Lady.’
“Can’t even protest properly. I’m embarrassed for you. Really…”
“Thank you.”
“What did you say?”
“Aren’t you getting angry on my behalf? Thanks for worrying about me.”
“!!”
That harsh delivery was Joanna’s way of showing concern.
How do I know?
Whether she’s insulting someone or worrying about them, Joanna’s approach is consistently brash.
“What nonsense! Why would I ever care about someone like you?!”
“It’s okay. The current situation is exactly what I wanted.”
“To sue that thief right now…! What did you say?”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
“No, it would be more accurate to say I intended it.”
“Professor, what kind of trouble are you planning to stir up now?”
Classic Hans.
As the man who’s spent the most time with me, he knows me well.
“It’s not a dangerous gambit, is it? They’re the mafia! A bullet could silently find its way to your head without anyone noticing!”
“Even if they are the mafia, they can’t just mess with someone from the Empire, especially someone under Ecclesia’s protection.”
“B-But still! The mafia we’re dealing with now isn’t like those who’ve crossed you before! Whatever you try, it won’t work on them.”
Well, it’s not an entirely baseless worry.
The mafia isn’t an easy entity to deal with.
But,
“There’s a way.”
“…What is it?”
“Ever heard of fighting fire with fire?”
It’s a saying similar to the strategy of “using barbarians to control barbarians.”
“Even the mafia will fear if you bring in a devil they dread.”
I had one candidate in mind for such a role.
* * *
I decided to go fishing for a ‘mark’ first.
Once Hans realizes who the ‘mark’ is, he would definitely start making a fuss, so I left him behind.
The Massacrist Mage went off to indulge in her ‘hobbies’ for a bit.
So, it was just Joanna and Libel left with me.
“But why are you coming along, Joanna? You don’t have to.”
“It’s my choice. Mind your own business, will you?”
“…Alright.”
I had thought of leaving Joanna behind too, but she was so adamantly opposed, fire blazing in her eyes, that I couldn’t say anything more.
Flash!
The portal emitted light.
Normally, using the Republic’s portals is forbidden for Empire individuals for security reasons, but one destination was an exception.
“…Where is this?”
Joanna looked puzzled.
“Haven’t you been here a few times?”
“But still!”
“I clearly said you didn’t have to come.”
Joanna clamped her mouth shut.
Woosh.
A sharp wind was heard, it was as if we had stepped into the eye of a storm.
Glancing around, I saw the distant landscape of the ground.
That’s right.
We were above the sky!
Specifically, on the ‘Sky Island.’
A gathering place for all sorts of mad mages of this world.
“Who’s that? A newbie?”
“Hey, isn’t that Van the Legend?”
“Van the Legend? Who’s that?”
“Come on, keep up with the outside world. He’s the hottest topic in the Empire’s magical community right now.”
“I don’t care. Not interested.”
Murmurs and whispers came from all around.
They were the mages of the Sky Island.
Their appearances varied, but they shared one common trait.
They were powerful.
‘This is where those aspiring to ascend gather.’
There was no one below Lv. 5 in sight.
‘I see some familiar faces. Quite a few villain mages, too.’
Sky Island doesn’t care about one’s status in the outside world.
It only judges by a mage’s skill.
‘To enter, you must pass the examiner’s test.’
Then, a being with a formidable aura approached.
The examiner, who would decide whether to let me in or not, had appeared.
But something was off.
The feeling was familiar.
“Who dares to come to Sky Isla… Van?”
“…Professor?”
A familiar face with a puzzled expression.
It was Professor Burnstein!
“Why are you here, Professor?”
“I usually come to Sky Island during the vacations.”
“No, I mean, weren’t you supposed to be spending time with Lady Sienna?”
Don’t get it wrong.
Their relationship hadn’t progressed that far.
It was literally just an agreement to spend time together.
“We did spend time together.”
“But why come to Sky Island so soon? Were you rejected?”
“I wasn’t rejected. I did not think the atmosphere was bad. Actually, no, it was good.”
“Then why?”
“…….”
“…Did you run away? Out of fear?”
This simpleton.
He ran away because he was scared of the relationship progressing!
“You’re too young to understand.”
“What do you mean I don’t understand?”
“Have you ever been in a proper relationship?”
“No, but I can imagine how frustrated Lady Sienna must feel about you.”
How many awkward situations has this been now?
I couldn’t speak softly.
But Professor Burnstein was audacious in his response.
“Just take the test. Since I’m the examiner.”
“That tone. Are you harboring some ulterior motives? It’s not my fault you’re a frustratingly dense simpleton.”
“You’re mistaken. The test will be conducted fairly, regardless of any acquaintance between us.”
So, he’s not going to go easy on me.
‘Always so stubborn.’
I sighed.
Though he said that, Professor Burnstein wasn’t actually looking to vent his frustrations.
His eyes sparkled with amusement.
He was looking forward to a magical duel with me.
As mentioned, Sky Island is a gathering place for eccentric mages. Lone wolves.
And Professor Burnstein was eccentric enough.
‘It’s not a bad thing.’
Actually, I was looking forward to it too.
What kind of contest could unfold between me and Professor Burnstein?
When we first met, Professor Burnstein was someone I couldn’t even dare to challenge.
‘Even more, Professor Burnstein is much stronger now than he was back then.’
Yet, why do I feel like it’s worth a try?
He no longer seemed like an insurmountable cliff to me.
Of course, winning would be absolutely impossible.
‘But I think I can put up a good fight.’
“Come on then. But be warned. The glorious radiance of Van the Legend might cover this Sky Island so brightly that it could dazzle your eyes.”
“…I see why you’re still single.”
…The Black Flame Dragon didn’t miss its chance for a fancy quip, and the duel between the 8th Grade Syndrome and the helpless singlehood commenced.
* * *
I lost.
But it wasn’t a powerless defeat.
It was, perhaps, a “good fight” despite the loss?
I would say it was a fairly splendid contest.
Naturally, I passed the test.
‘The decision wasn’t based on win or lose.’
The mages who watched the duel were astir.
For a mere Lv. 2 like me to have battled it out with a Lv. 7 Master Mage.
Still, I felt a twinge of regret.
‘If only I had a bit more mana.’
That is to say,
Even if I were just at Lv. 3, the duel might have taken a different turn.
If this duel was me putting up a fight in a surely lost cause,
‘Maybe I could have posed a bit of a threat.’
Could there have been a slim chance of victory, a thrillingly close contest, if we fought ten times?
But reaching Lv. 3 isn’t easy.
Even for regular mages, it’s not easy.
…Well, it’s not that it’s extremely difficult, but considering that some students from the four prestigious academies don’t reach Lv. 3 by graduation, it’s not as if everyone and their dog can do it.
For me, it’s a daunting challenge.
‘But still, let’s lay the groundwork during the vacation. At the latest, I need to reach Lv. 3 by the middle of the next semester. Otherwise, I might not survive. The dangers will only escalate from here.’
As I thought this and walked on, I noticed Joanna with a worried look.
By the way, after the duel, Professor Burnstein decided to go meet Lady Sienna again. Somehow, I suspect he’ll just end up doing more moping.
“Why the concern?”
“…The person you’re about to meet, it’s who I’m thinking of, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Your guess is correct.”
I didn’t deny it.
Joanna’s expression grew even more solemn.
“That’s why I said you didn’t have to come. It’s not too late to back out if you don’t feel like going.”
I spoke sincerely.
The person we were about to meet was definitely not someone Joanna would be happy to see.
“……”
Joanna bit her lip tightly and then,
“Hmph, why wouldn’t I go? Follow me. I’ll lead the way.”
She strode forward confidently, her steps familiar as if she had been here many times.
Eventually, I encountered our target.
“Oh, who do we have here? Just last night, I dreamed of killing you. Am I still dreaming now?”
Eyes swirling with madness.
Yes.
The ‘mark’ I intended to recruit was none other than Duke Alfonso, the head of a renowned magical family.
* * *
You might wonder why I specifically sought out Duke Alfonso.
There was a reason.
“Hmm. You want to borrow my name?”
“More accurately, I wish to borrow the authority of the King of the Contrary Heaven. Even the mafia knows that Your Excellency is the King of Contrary Heaven.”
The difficulty in dealing with the mafia lies in their illegal existence while wielding power.
Legal methods prove ineffective against them.
‘Thus, even for Ecclesia, subduing the mafia isn’t easy.’
However, there’s something even the mafia fears.
A greater evil than themselves.
Being illegal entities, they are inherently vulnerable to primal violence.
If beings like the ten demons or the King of the Contrary Heaven were to sweep them away, where could the mafia possibly complain?
“I understand your intent. But why should I help you?”
Duke Alfonso laughed.
“I still want to kill you, you know. You can’t possibly imagine how many times I’ve killed you in my dreams.”
Hmm.
Duke Alfonso’s madness seemed to have intensified since our last encounter.
“Haha. Maybe I should just consider this a dream and kill you now? What do you think?”
I swallowed a sigh.
Drawing on my experience as a sales king, I was about to try to calm the situation, but someone else stepped forward first.
Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Libel.
Well, Libel seemed about to step in, but someone beat him to it.
It was Joanna.
“Stop it, Father.”
“!!”
My face showed my surprise.
Duke Alfonso, unlike the Duchess Beth, didn’t abuse Joanna.
Still, he had always treated her with complete indifference, so Joanna was quite intimidated by him.
Despite that,
With a face pale from fear, Joanna spoke firmly.
“He is my professor. Please do not speak so carelessly about him.”
