The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 218
Duke Alfonso.
A truly peculiar individual.
In terms of his overall role in the scenario, he could be considered a villain.
Not just an ‘ordinary boss’ level villain, but a ‘final boss’ level.
And what about his character?
Utterly despicable.
‘Pure evil would be better; Duke Alfonso’s personality is downright repulsive.’
A superiority complex, an inferiority complex, a twisted longing for unattained ascension, and unpredictable madness.
What’s even funnier is his selective madness.
He is merciless towards the weak, yet can suddenly manage his anger perfectly in front of formidable opponents like my father, Duke Huam.
Despite his detestable nature, there was one undeniable fact.
He was the greatest mage on the ‘surface.’
‘The one closest to ascension among the Lv. 8 seekers.’
Lv. 7s are rare, not called superhumans for nothing.
Lv. 8s are even rarer.
And naturally, those who have reached the pinnacle of Lv. 8, the seekers, are the rarest.
They are the ones who reign at the continent’s summit.
The Lord of the Abyss, the Medicine Sage, the Order’s Leader, the Demon Dukes, and so on.
Among these stellar giants, Duke Alfonso stands at the very top.
Whether it’s the Sword King, the Lord of the Abyss, or the Demon Dukes, in terms of pure power, they were a step below Duke Alfonso.
Why am I talking about this?
‘Because despite all that greatness, he’s surprisingly gullible.’
Duke Alfonso is the epitome of a powerful, world-controlling villain with the worst possible personality, yet also a pushover.
‘If I play my cards right, I can get what I want.’
Duke Alfonso poured me some tea.
“So, what brings you here? Are you perhaps worried about Joanna?”
He smirked derisively.
“Joanna is doing well. I expected her to run away crying like a bug, but she’s holding up with surprising resolve. Although Lv. 4 is probably her limit.”
I frowned.
True to his repulsive nature, his words were as unpleasant as ever.
Still, it was good to hear that Joanna was holding up well.
‘As long as she doesn’t falter midway, the monastery experience will be a significant opportunity for her.’
She might awaken as the ‘Radiant Screen Carver’ much faster than I anticipated.
“I’m here to propose a deal. I want the Angel’s Tear.”
“What?”
Duke Alfonso looked taken aback.
“Do you realize that the Angel’s Tear is one of our family’s most precious treasures?”
“Yes, I’m fully aware.”
The Angel’s Tear was a healing elixir that could repair damage to one’s core.
Even if the core was shattered by internal energy deviation, it could restore it to its original state, making it an incredibly valuable treasure for magicians.
Given its extraordinary effects, it was extremely rare and not freely available even within the most prestigious magical families.
‘Even Duchess Vess couldn’t use the Angel’s Tear when her core was injured.’
“The Angel’s Tear is reserved for the head or the heir of the family.”
“That’s why I’m asking.”
“What?”
“My use of the Angel’s Tear would be far more valuable than if Your Grace used it.”
“!!”
If Catherine or others heard this, they would exclaim, ‘Oh, come on!’
As expected, Duke Alfonso’s expression grew cold.
“That’s quite an interesting statement. Truly interesting. Haha.”
Thump.
My heart raced.
While I called Duke Alfonso a pushover, that didn’t mean he was easy to deal with.
I had to approach it carefully.
‘First strategy with Duke Alfonso: prick his pride to draw his attention.’
The second strategy was to throw out bait.
Subtly, while also mending his ego.
“Don’t misunderstand. I meant that if I use the Angel’s Tear, it would ultimately benefit Your Grace greatly as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will soon reach Lv. 3. With the Angel’s Tear, I can become a much stronger Lv. 3. A vessel becomes stronger the more thoroughly it is tempered.”
As I explained before, to reach Lv. 3, one must go through the processes of refining, expanding, and filling the core.
For someone like me with mana insensitivity, all of these steps were challenging, but the most difficult was the ‘expansion.’
No matter how many elixirs and treasures I used, there was a limit.
The only thing I found somewhat manageable was ‘refining.’
‘Refining’ has no limits.
‘Of course, if the core collapses in the middle, all efforts will be wasted. That’s why I need the Angel’s Tear.’
“You know, my Lv. 3 is different from others. Especially if I refine my core to be exceptionally strong using the Angel’s Tear, can you imagine what I will be capable of?”
Duke Alfonso fell silent.
I smirked.
“I will be able to handle my path of magic.”
“!!”
“Aren’t you curious, Your Grace, what my path of magic will look like?”
I was curious too.
What kind of Magic Arts I would be able to wield.
And how powerful it would be.
* * *
By observing my Path of Magic, Your Grace will undoubtedly gain significant benefits on your own path.
In the end, Duke Alfonso accepted my proposal.
‘As expected, an endlessly giving pushover. He always takes the bait.’
Well, it wasn’t a false lure.
It would indeed be a great help.
However, even with that, Duke Alfonso would never become an ascendant.
‘Lv. 9 is not a realm allowed for him.’
It’s a matter of destiny.
At higher levels, factors more important than talent come into play.
In truth, based on talent alone, Duke Alfonso should have already become an ascendant.
But he will never break through his limits. It’s his fate.
I could somewhat understand why he had become so twisted in his despair.
‘It’s actually good for me if Duke Alfonso gets stronger, as it’ll only make him harder to deal with later.’
I began preparing in earnest to reach Lv. 3.
But there was a problem.
Brring, a message from Lindon arrived.
Professor, aren’t you coming to the academy? Did you forget you have a class today?
‘…Ah.’
Unlike the first semester, when I was a half-hearted professor, I had taken on many responsibilities and was quite busy.
‘Time is short.’
Ascending to Lv. 3 wouldn’t be a task I could complete in just a few hours.
It would take at least a few days, maybe even close to a week.
“I can’t come. I’m not feeling well. Tell Hans to substitute for my lectures.”
What? Are you pretending to be sick?
“No. I mean… I’m about to feel unwell soon.”
Since I needed to go through the ‘refining’ process, my health would indeed deteriorate.
‘Wait. Can I use this to my advantage?’
A brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
What exactly is going to make you feel unwell?
“I’m going to suffer from qi deviation.”
…Qi… what?
“I said qi deviation. Announce on the academy’s Philosopher’s Stone server that my classes are canceled due to qi deviation.”
…….
Lindon was silent on the other end of the communication device.
Qi deviation, my butt. What kind of weird scheme are you up to now?!
Hmm.
I felt wronged.
I wasn’t lying.
Although, it was true I had a hidden agenda.
And so, the news of my qi deviation (?) rocked the academy.
* * *
The professors were abuzz.
“Have you heard about Professor Van?”
“Yes, I’ve heard. Qi deviation?”
“How could someone with just a Lv. 2 core suffer from qi deviation?”
“Is it true?”
“The professors from the Healing Faculty checked on him and confirmed it’s true.”
“Well, even if it is qi deviation, with a Lv. 2 core, he should recover quickly.”
“Exactly. It should only take about a month to heal, at most.”
The higher the level, the more severe the impact of qi deviation.
The higher you fall from, the greater the injury.
As they mentioned, it’s extremely rare for someone below Lv. 4 to suffer from qi deviation.
At Lv. 2, it’s nearly impossible to induce it deliberately.
It’s like falling out of bed and dying from the fall.
Recovery is also quick.
As such, most people didn’t take this news too seriously.
The professors reacted with mild curiosity, and the students with sentiments like, ‘Oh no, our cute Professor Van, what happened? I want to comfort him.’
However, some took the news more seriously.
In the Chairman’s office.
Second Prince Renius sat in silence, his eyes dark and contemplative.
“What do you think, Count Milo?”
Count Milo, head of the Noble Council, hesitated to respond.
It was an unexpected situation.
Renius’s voice carried an edge of irritation.
“Damn that Van the Legend. Van Legend! Now he’s claiming qi deviation. How long will he keep tormenting me?”
“Isn’t it good for us if he’s suffering from qi deviation?”
“That’s because you don’t know him, Count! That man is more cunning than a snake. He must have some scheme!”
Renius shouted angrily, recalling all the times Van had ruined his plans.
“There’s no reason to doubt the qi deviation itself, is there? Your Highness personally sent professors from the Healing Faculty to verify it.”
“It’s real, which makes it all the more suspicious. Damn that Van Snake, I can’t fathom what he’s plotting this time.”
Renius was so stressed out by Van that he was on the verge of developing hair loss.
Meanwhile, Count Milo had a slightly different reaction.
‘His Highness is too fearful. It’s probably just a case of overexertion leading to qi deviation.’
They received information from the spy sent to the prestigious Magic House that Van had a private meeting with Duke Alfonso.
He likely overexerted himself somehow, leading to such an incident.
‘Despite being called a legend, Van still has his immature moments.’
At that moment, Renius sharply eyed Count Milo.
“Be careful.”
“What?”
“I know you’re a follower of that cult, the Order.”
“!!”
“I don’t care what sinister plans you have, but do not let Van catch any trace of you. Especially during this club festival.”
“I understand.”
“I’m not just saying this for show.”
Renius emphasized his warning, and Count Milo nodded.
Count Milo had no intention of recklessly causing trouble as the Order’s agent right now.
However,
‘It would be prudent to diminish Van’s influence with this opportunity, for future benefits.’
There was no need for the Order’s help for such a task.
His own cunning was sufficient.
“Rest assured. What Your Highness fears will not happen.”
Precisely.
This was the reaction Van had intended.
T/N: The term “qi deviation” refers to a concept in martial arts novels where a practitioner’s internal energy goes out of control, causing serious harm. In simple terms, it’s just like ‘mana overload’ (example in chapter 149).
