The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 212
Bubble.
The lava was emerging at the base of a volcano.
Fortunately, the volcano hadn’t erupted.
An earthquake had caused the ground to split, releasing bright red magma that was now flowing toward the city.
‘I need to stop the magma from flowing.’
If this were a naturally occurring disaster, it would be impossible, but this was an artificially induced calamity that twisted the laws of nature.
I could restore the natural order.
It was possible.
I, too, could interfere with causality.
‘Especially since my encounter with the Great Demon, my status as an Ascendant has slightly increased, allowing me to interfere with causality more effectively.’
The problem, as always, was the ‘energy’ I possessed, specifically my ‘mana.’
Interfering with causality required a corresponding amount of power.
With my meager amount of energy, it was impossible to reverse the forbidden magic unleashed by the ghost of the Red Mage.
‘But if I use this, it’s possible.’
…Master? That ominous look in your eyes… What’s that about? I must be mistaken… right?
“You mentioned creating a summer legend together?”
I-I was just excited to be out of the sheath after so long! Can I just go back though?
“Get ready. I’ll make sure the whole world reveres you.”
It’s an exaggeration to say the whole world, but at least all the merfolk will praise the Demon King’s Sword.
What are you planning to do? M-Master? I actually enjoy quietly hiding away…!
Shut up! If you keep complaining, Mari will punish you!
Ignoring the bickering between the Demon King’s Sword and Mari, I approached the Mermaid Queen.
She was busy organizing the evacuation of the merfolk.
“Your Highness.”
“Oh, Professor Van.”
“May I address the merfolk briefly?”
“Right now?”
The Queen looked surprised. It was an urgent situation.
“I have a way to stop this disaster.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But I need the merfolk’s collective will to make it work. Please.”
After a moment of contemplation, the Queen agreed.
“The young heroes who saved our people trust you. I will trust you as well.”
I climbed to the top of a tower overlooking the plaza.
The merfolk murmured among themselves.
“What? A human?”
“With the lava approaching, he wants to give a speech?”
Given the situation, most of the merfolk hadn’t yet learned that I had subdued the Sea Serpent King.
Especially with the Red Mage’s ghost amplifying the curse, the merfolk were feeling intense hatred towards humans.
“I’ll make this quick. Do you know why such a disaster has suddenly befallen you?”
“??”
I looked down at the merfolk.
With the most disdainful and arrogant expression I could muster.
“It’s all because of the karma you merfolk have accumulated.”
“…What?”
The Mermaid Queen’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
I signaled her to stay calm with a look.
I could see the kids shaking their heads beside the Queen.
Their expressions seemed to say, ‘What kind of trouble is he getting into now? Typical Van the Fight Dragon.’ But I ignored them and continued.
“How many sins have you merfolk committed so far? The stench of your wrongdoings reeks like a sewer. The heavens are furious and have sent this punishment.”
“!!”
Hmm.
It was a baseless and harsh insult, but it wasn’t entirely unfounded.
These weren’t the kind, innocent merfolk from fairy tales.
Since they were originally humans, they possessed the same nature and were just as capable of wrongdoing.
Of course, that didn’t mean it was appropriate to make such statements.
The merfolk, naturally, reacted with fury.
“What is that guy saying?!”
“A mere human! Let’s kill him!!”
Since they were already inclined to be hostile toward humans, my blatant provocation resulted in a barrage of curses.
Insults.
Hatred.
And sometimes, there are entities that feed off such hatred.
One of them was the Demon King’s Sword.
Oh… Oh… Oh?
A voice filled with delight.
‘It’s not just called the Demon King’s Sword because the Demon King used it. It has attributes befitting a Demon King.’
The Demon King’s Sword grows stronger when its wielder is subjected to fear, hatred, and other negative emotions.
Oh… Yes. Yes. More, more insults. More… curses!
Disgusting…! Perverted sword…!
Hmm… It does seem to have a somewhat perverted trait, just as Mari said.
Anyway, it seemed sufficient, so I decided to end my speech with a final remark.
“Your wrongdoings have angered the heavens, but don’t worry. I, Van the Saint, will save you.”
“!!!”
I returned to the Mermaid Queen.
“Let’s go.”
“…Where to?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’ll quell the lava, but you must escort me nearby.”
I needed to approach the source of the lava, and there was no way I could traverse it alone.
It required someone of the Mermaid Queen’s caliber, a Level 7 mage.
The Mermaid Queen hesitated but ultimately followed my lead.
Whoosh!
The Mermaid Queen cast a powerful protective spell, allowing me to safely reach the source of the lava.
The Demon King’s Sword, which had been giddy with excitement, suddenly became serious.
…Master? You’re not really… are you?
“We’ll see. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Haha… It must be a joke. Haha… There’s no way you’d be so ruthless… haha?
I floated the Demon King’s Sword in the air.
It was a Flying Sword spell.
The most effective way to break a spell is to destroy its core formula.
A Level 9 forbidden spell is no different.
I had to collapse the nucleus of causality.
In the case of the Red Mage’s ghost’s “Sea of Lava,” the core was, of course, inside the lava.
Aaaah…!! Even though… I’m the Demon King’s Sword… this lava is… hot…!
Splash.
The Demon King’s Sword pierced through the lava and sank deep.
… I felt a bit sorry, but it was necessary.
Oh, hot, oh. But this sensation…!
… I take back my apology.
I couldn’t understand why the Demon King carried around such a thing.
Anyway, I focused my mind.
Now, I had to use the Demon King’s Sword to collapse the core of causality.
I imagined becoming an Ascendant, feeling my consciousness elevate beyond the mortal realm, reaching towards the heavens.
But at that moment, I felt an alien sensation.
‘What is this? This floating feeling in the sky?’
It felt like looking down on the world from above an airplane.
I had experienced a similar sensation before, but this was more intense.
‘It’s because my rank as an Ascendant has risen.’
The world felt insignificant.
I finally understood why Level 9 Ascendants seldom involved themselves in worldly matters.
It felt like watching ants scurrying around.
But that wasn’t the only alien sensation.
I sensed other beings.
Beyond distances.
‘Other Ascendants.’
I swallowed hard.
Luckily, my level was still far too low, so the other Ascendants didn’t seem to notice me.
However, I could feel one Ascendant staring straight at me.
‘The Guardian of the Imperial Palace. No, Esmeralda.’
My expression darkened.
I had no idea what state Esmeralda was in or what her plans were.
I would have to remain cautious.
‘For now, let’s focus on dealing with the lava.’
I brought my consciousness back to the world beneath the heavens.
Trying to destroy the altar… I will not allow it… face retribution.
The ghost of the Red Mage threatened, and causality itself writhed.
It was trying to stop my interference with causality.
In battles between Level 9s, such struggles over causality or destiny were common.
But the emotion I felt was ‘ridicule.’
It was bewildering but true.
The level of my consciousness, having touched the heavens, was beyond the reach of a mere ghost, no matter how powerful the Red Mage had been in life.
“Your era is over, wraith. Now begins the era of Van the Legend.”
With that declaration, the world trembled.
The causality of the forbidden magic collapsed, restoring the natural laws of the world.
However, an unexpected ‘incident’ occurred.
Yes.
This was an ‘accident.’
Professor, I have resolved the curse on the sacred ground! It’s all thanks to your guidance!
The message from Johan came through the communication orb.
It was fortunate.
We had thwarted the Sea Serpent King’s rebellion, stopped the lava, and resolved the curse on the sacred ground. Everything had ended perfectly.
Except for one problem.
“What’s that in the sky?”
“Snow?”
“No, it’s light. Light is descending from the sky!”
Sparkle.
Light scattered from the sky like snow.
It was sacred and radiant.
It was the Holy Light.
Typically, when a saint performs a great deed, such a sacred glow can appear, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
The problem was the timing.
Just as I subdued the lava disaster, this holy light appeared.
And where is the sacred ground located?
On the volcanic mountain.
The place where I quelled the lava was also on the volcanic mountain.
In other words, the holy light shimmered around the place where I stood.
To the merfolk below, it looked like I was at the center of the sacred glow.
On top of that, the boastful remarks I made to charge the Demon King’s Sword’s energy came back like a boomerang.
“The words he spoke earlier, chastising us, it weren’t lies.”
“Yes, he truly saved us.”
“To perform such a miracle… he isn’t an ordinary human.”
“Calling him Van the Saint wasn’t an exaggeration. He’s the descent of a noble saint!”
“Look at that cute baby dragon next to him! It’s one of the divine beasts following the saint!”
The impact of breaking the sacred ground’s curse was significant too.
The curse on the merfolk had filled them with intense hatred toward humans.
With that hatred gone, it was replaced with gratitude and reverence toward me.
The result?
‘…Did I just cause another incident?’
“Waaaaah!!!!”
“Our savior!!”
“Long live Van the Saint!!”
“A reporter from Gossip Daily here, coincidentally covering the daily life of the merfolk! Professor Van Legend Saint, could we get a comment from you?”
‘Legend of the Holy Sword’ achieved! You become the benefactor of the merfolk! The merfolk will sing of your legend for generations! Your fame spreads across the interspecies alliance! The merfolk become your absolute allies!
