The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 217
The Demon King chuckled.
“Kidnapped? You’re quite the jokester.”
“I’m serious. You’ll be staying here for a while. The academy is too dangerous for you.”
Count Kashien, the high-ranking demon from the Demon Realm, had come to Ruby because of the Demon King.
It was too risky for the Demon King to remain at the academy.
“Ha. What nonsense?”
“If that demon causes trouble at the academy, can you honestly say you’ll just sit and watch?”
“Ugh.”
The Demon King flinched.
Having lived her entire life as a noble being with zero tolerance, there was no way she could ignore and endure if a demon caused an incident right in front of her.
“No matter what, you’re telling me to hide because of that insignificant creature?”
“There’s another reason. You need to stay here to save Marquis Maxim.”
“!!”
The Demon King’s face hardened.
“What kind of delusion is this? Just because I played along with the family act, you think I genuinely consider him my father?”
“Even if that’s not the case, if Marquis Maxim is executed, you won’t be at peace either.”
“…….”
“So, think of this as my gift. Don’t even think about leaving.”
The Demon King frowned.
“How did you know I was planning to leave?”
“It’s obvious. I’m your professor.”
The fact that Duke Roshran had already noticed the Demon King’s presence was clear.
If the Demon King stayed at the academy and near Marquis Maxim, it was only a matter of time before something catastrophic happened. The Demon King’s personality wouldn’t allow him to remain and endanger those around her.
“Ha. So you know. Since I’m leaving anyway, I’ll deal with that insignificant Kashien myself.”
“No, I won’t allow it. There’s no need for you to leave.”
“What?”
If the Demon King left the academy, she would be targeted and killed by Duke Roshran’s group.
“You’re my student now. I’ll protect you, so stay put.”
“Ha. You’re underestimating me too much. Even in this state, making you kneel would be easier than squashing a bug with my finger.”
A surge of power emanated from the Demon King.
It wasn’t a large amount; she had only recovered to about Lv. 5.
‘Still, she’s likely more threatening than most Lv. 7s. Maybe even approaching Lv. 8.’
The reason I, a mere Lv. 2, could handle high-level opponents was due to my profound understanding of magic.
The same applied to the Demon King.
Having reached the pinnacle of Lv. 10, her understanding of the higher realms far surpassed mine, allowing her to exert much greater strength than her current level suggested.
In other words, she could indeed make me kneel as easily as squashing a bug.
“Sorry, but you’ve already lost.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Did you enjoy the desserts you had earlier? You seemed to like them, eating three of them.”
“!!”
The Demon King flinched as she realized my trick, but it was too late.
Her eyes began to grow heavy.
“You… you… resorted to poison… Do you think… such a thing… can defeat me…?”
She tried to use magic to purge the poison, but I wasn’t just going to stand by and watch.
While I couldn’t take her on directly, I could certainly disrupt her.
Moreover, this was no ordinary poison.
Thud!
The Demon King eventually lost consciousness and collapsed. The door to the cell creaked open, someone entered.
It was the Massacrist Mage.
“Your poison worked well. Quite effective.”
“I only did it because she annoyed me. Ideally, I’d prefer to take my time torturing her.”
The Massacrist Mage looked displeased.
And for good reason.
“You made the right choice. You will not regret it.”
“Hmph!”
She had agreed to nullify her pact with the great entity from another world!
“So, what should I do now?”
“I have an assignment for you. At the upcoming club festival, you’ll carry out the task I give you.”
“What kind of task?”
“Help Catherine with her student council election.”
“Why should I do that?”
Catherine, Libel, and Mikhail were campaigning hard, but their efforts weren’t getting much response.
They were unpopular to begin with, and their competitor was incredibly strong.
‘Why is Theren running for president again?’
Professor, I will not lose to you.
Theren, with his third-rate villain lines, was burning with a competitive spirit directed at me once more.
I needed to help them.
“It’s not just about helping. There’s something specific you need to do as an alchemist at the club festival.”
The Massacrist Mage’s expression turned peculiar as she listened to my explanation.
“You want me to do that? Me?”
“Why? Are you not confident?”
I provoked her.
“Granted, without the help of the entity from another world, it might be too much for you. What I’m asking requires at least Lv. 6 in alchemy.”
Sylphin glared at me, furrowing her brows, then disappeared with a huff.
Her compliance was evident.
With the cancellation of her pact, much of her murderous intent had subsided, but she seemed to have become more irritable instead.
I saw this as a positive change.
At that moment, a familiar figure appeared in the prison.
“Professor Van, I have come to see you.”
It was Sir Gordon, the Captain of the Guard from the Free City, making a rare appearance.
For reference, this prison was the Free City’s prison. Where else could I get a prison? I borrowed it through a favor from Mariam, the Mayor of the Free City, who is my older sister.
Following Sir Gordon, I encountered a familiar face glaring at me with cold intensity.
“…We need to talk.”
It was Marquis Maxim, the father of Iris, the Demon King.
* * *
We moved to a quiet place.
“You’ve detained Iris? What’s going on here?”
“I believe you know the reason better than I do, Marquis.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you truly not know?”
I stared at him intently.
“I think you might have a suspicion.”
“!!”
Marquis Maxim’s face hardened.
But he didn’t nod easily.
“I have no idea what you’re implying. This is outrageous. Even if you’re from Ecclesia, this is too much…”
“I’m not acting as a member of Ecclesia, but as an advisor of the Magic Tower. And I didn’t ‘detain’ Iris; I took ‘protective measures.’ From a significant magical crime.”
“…Magical crime, you say?”
Marquis Maxim’s face slowly turned pale.
I drove the point home.
“You know that Iris is not the same as she used to be, don’t you?”
“!!”
After the Demon King was killed by me, she used a reincarnation spell.
She entered the body of the deceased.
In other words, the original owner of the body that now houses the Demon King’s soul had died before the Demon King took over.
One question arises here.
Why that particular body?
‘In truth, Marquis Maxim’s daughter wouldn’t be a good match for the Demon King’s soul. Normally, the Demon King’s soul would never have entered her body.’
Some force drew the Demon King’s soul into her body.
“You performed a resurrection ritual through the Order to save Lady Iris. Am I correct?”
“…….”
“You know what the Order’s resurrection magic entails. It involves implanting another soul into the body of the deceased, making it appear as though the person has truly come back to life.”
The implanted soul has its memories erased and forcibly receives the memories of the original body.
Thus, the person lives thinking they are their original self.
In essence, it creates the illusion of true resurrection.
‘The Demon King retained her memories because she’s the Demon King.’
For reference, the Demon King is likely aware that her current body underwent the resurrection spell.
She simply didn’t care much.
Unlike humans, demons don’t have as much aversion to necromancy. After all, necromancy originated from the demons.
“Th-That… I, I…”
Marquis Maxim’s voice trembled.
Using such forbidden magic is a grave crime that could utterly destroy a family.
“I’ll cover this up for you.”
“…W-What?”
“If you were punished, it would upset Lady Iris. As her professor, I don’t want to see my student in pain.”
“…Are you serious?”
I nodded.
Unlike Count Milo, who became a pawn of the Order and caused havoc, Marquis Maxim merely used forbidden magic and didn’t commit any major crimes in the scenario.
“Yes, but it won’t be for free. We’ll make a legal deal.”
“A legal deal?”
I looked straight at Marquis Maxim and revealed my true intentions.
“Assist me in securing evidence that ties Count Milo to the Order.”
* * *
With most of the groundwork laid, there was one crucial preparation left.
‘I need to get stronger.’
Villains are classified into various tiers.
First, the common tier.
Typically, first-year students encounter these, but due to the absurd difficulty, I hardly faced them.
Second, the named villains.
Even at their weakest, they are around Lv. 6, and typically Lv. 7 superhumans.
These are the ones I’ve mostly dealt with so far.
Third, the boss tier.
As the name suggests, these villains dominate a faction and wield immense influence.
They are usually around Lv. 8 transcendents.
‘Considering the events that will unfold in the second semester, there’s a high chance these boss-tier villains will appear directly.’
Compared to the myriad other enemies that will appear in the second semester, the Noble Council I’m dealing with now is insignificant.
‘Durandal, the Demon Realm, the Sun and Moon Clan, the Dark Tower, and more—there will be all sorts of formidable foes causing trouble.’
t/n: Durandal is the name of a famous legendary sword as said in Chapter 59
I sighed in frustration.
I’m rushing now because I want to quickly deal with the smaller fry.
‘To face those kinds of enemies, my current level won’t suffice. I need to reach Lv. 3 before it’s too late.’
Just then, a package arrived from the handsome bald president of the Ran Republic.
As promised, the materials necessary to reach Lv. 3 had been sent to me.
‘Once I reach Lv. 3, I should be able to handle an average Lv. 7 Master.’
An incredible feat.
It meant I would join the ranks of superhumans.
However, I hesitated.
‘This still feels insufficient.’
As I considered earlier, I would likely face boss-tier enemies in the near future.
Reaching the ‘average’ Lv. 7 seemed inadequate.
‘It’s impossible for me to attain power equivalent to Lv. 8 right now.’
The gap between Lv. 7 and Lv. 8 was vast.
But
‘It might be possible for me to grow strong enough to face upper-mid-tier Lv. 7 opponents.’
Naturally, there are differences in power even within the same level.
When I ascend to Lv. 3, if I become a ‘special’ Lv. 3, I could wield significantly more power.
Enough to challenge upper-mid-tier Lv. 7 opponents.
‘Hmm. There is a method I could try.’
After deliberating, I sighed deeply and stood up.
I needed someone else’s help.
I went to see a familiar figure.
“Haha, what brings you here? Coincidentally, I dreamed of you just yesterday.”
It was Duke Alfonso, the head of the prestigious Magic House, who was always remarkably generous today.
