The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 222
As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, each of the four prestigious academies has its own unique characteristic. If Amethyst is known for scholarship and Sapphire for combat prowess, Peridot is known for its holiness.
‘Holy magic is their specialty.’
Holy magic, which deals with blessings, also has the effect of restraining demons, naturally serving as a barrier that protects the Empire from the threats of the Demon Realm.
“Here we are in the Holy City. That’s the gathering place of the Paladins, over there is the Hall of Holy Mages, and there’s even a statue of my master.”
The Demon Realm and the Empire share a border along the ‘Black Mountains,’ a treacherous terrain guarded by ‘Paladins,’ who are magic knights trained in holy magic, and a special unit known as ‘Rangers.’
Bright Dragon, one of the Empire’s top five swordsmen and a Lv. 8 knight, was the Supreme Commander of the Rangers.
Given Bright Dragon’s crucial role in this case, Yulia also accompanied us.
“Hmm. Every time I come here, it feels like a truly dull place.”
Since this involved the Demon Realm, the Demon King came along as well.
I worried about the potential for Duke Roshran’s group to discover her and cause trouble, but the Demon King reassured me.
Duke Roshran could only vaguely sense through celestial readings that the Demon King was in Ruby; he couldn’t pinpoint her exact location in real time.
However, there was another problem.
“How can you speak to the professor like that? Didn’t you learn any manners at home?”
“…What?”
“Yes, Yulia is right. Show some respect.”
“Hah!”
Yulia took on the role of the disciplinarian due to the Demon King’s odd manner of speaking, and since she wasn’t wrong, I had no choice but to address the Demon King’s attitude.
“…It’s a dull place, professor.”
The Demon King ground her teeth and spoke politely, and I broke out in a slight cold sweat.
‘This is why I told you not to come along.’
At that moment,
I heard a familiar voice.
“It’s been a while.”
“Master!”
A woman with a scar running across her face, giving her an impressive and fierce look.
A dragon who had mastered the sword, an oddity.
One of the Empire’s top five swordsmen and the leader of the Ranger unit.
Known as the Knight of the Scorching Fire, it was Carla, the Mad Dragon!
“Greetings, Dame Carla.”
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you. When we last met, you introduced yourself as ‘the radiant sun,’ and I honestly laughed, but it wasn’t an exaggeration.”
Did I really say that?
Thinking back, it seemed like Dark Flame Dragon had made that boastful remark.
I felt a bit embarrassed, but the Dark Flame Dragon, on the contrary, seemed invigorated and made another grand statement.
“I still have a long way to go. My brilliance is continuously becoming more radiant even now.”
“Haha! Alright, I’ll look forward to it. So, you’re here to solve the serial murder case in your capacity as a Mage Tower investigator?”
Originally, this case was Lady Sienna’s responsibility, but I had taken full control over it.
‘Having Lady Sienna around could interfere with my plan.’
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm. It won’t be easy. Our Rangers, the Academy, and the city guards are working together on the investigation, but we have no leads on the culprit.”
I nodded in agreement.
It was indeed a challenging case.
So much so that even the formidable Bright Dragon would end up getting killed.
‘But now that I’m here, that won’t happen. Solving this case will be a piece of cake for me.’
The reason for my confidence was simple.
I already knew who the culprit was.
However, I couldn’t just arrest the perpetrator immediately.
‘I need to gather evidence.’
“First, I’ll inspect the crime scenes. Let’s start with Peridot Academy.”
Peridot Academy had suffered significant casualties.
True to its reputation for holy magic, Peridot Academy resembled a grand cathedral.
Upon arriving at the entrance, a familiar face greeted me.
“Welcome, Professor Van the Legend! Respect, respect, respect!!!”
The person, with a dignified yet overzealous demeanor, was Professor Repel, whom I had met at the summer camp.
“I’m deeply moved by your dedication to come all the way to Peridot Academy for the students.”
“Can I see the crime scenes?”
“Yes, please follow me.”
The academy was currently in a state of temporary closure.
We walked through the eerily silent campus.
“There have been a total of five casualties at the academy. Fortunately, no students, but two professors and three staff members.”
“By staff members, do you mean Paladins?”
“Yes, three Paladins were among the victims.”
I looked surprised at this explanation.
‘That’s far more than I expected.’
Originally, the ‘Durandal’ incident didn’t involve a high number of casualties.
A total of four people were supposed to die, with Bright Dragon’s inclusion causing a major stir, but the number of victims wasn’t particularly high.
But with already five victims just at the academy?
‘Could it be that this isn’t the Durandal incident I know?’
We soon arrived at the crime scene, and I received further explanations.
“All the victims suffered sword wounds.”
“This means the culprit uses a sword.”
“Yes. But the puzzling part is that none of them managed to put up any resistance. All the victims were at Lv. 5 or Lv. 6.”
A perplexing story.
However, I nodded in understanding.
‘This is indeed the Durandal incident I know. Only Durandal could pull off something like this.’
With the culprit identified, the remaining task was to gather evidence.
The problem was how to secure evidence here.
‘Given that the culprit’s identity is unimaginably unexpected, capturing them won’t be easy.’
As I was pondering, a stranger’s voice interrupted.
“Are you the investigator from the Mage Tower? Pleased to meet you.”
“!!”
A refined and gentle voice.
I turned my head and couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Greetings, Chancellor Lupus of Peridot. I am Van the Legend from Ruby.”
“Haha. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard much about you. So, you actually introduce yourself as Van the Legend.”
Chancellor Lupus appeared to be in his fifties, with a kind and pleasant demeanor.
He conversed with Bright Dragon in a familiar and friendly tone, suggesting they were close.
“Carla, you don’t look well.”
“How could I? With such incidents happening.”
“Indeed. Ah, it’s been a while, Yulia.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Haha, you should have come to Peridot. It’s a shame you insisted on Ruby. I’d love to have a barbecue party like before, but as you know, the situation isn’t favorable for that right now.”
Peridot Academy not only educates students but also operates a large Paladin Order.
The Chancellor also serves as a commander of the order.
Chancellor Lupus, a Paladin himself, is also recognized as one of the Empire’s top five swordsmen.
Thus, he had a close relationship with Bright Dragon, the commander of the Rangers and also one of the top five swordsmen.
“By the way, there have been reports of demons frequently crossing the border recently. How about we go on a joint operation together after a long time?”
“Just the two of us?”
“I’ve been cooped up in my office for too long. Carla, you must feel the same, right?”
“Hm. That’s true.”
“I’ll get in touch. Well then, Professor Van the Legend, I’ll leave the investigation in your capable hands.”
From start to finish, he maintained a courteous and pleasant demeanor before departing.
However, I couldn’t relax.
“Why do you look like that, Professor?”
Yulia tilted her head, puzzled by my expression.
“It’s nothing.”
The reason for my reaction.
The Lupus Chancellor who had just appeared was none other than ‘Durandal,’ the culprit behind this incident.
* * *
The headmaster being the serial killer.
It’s hard to believe.
‘That’s why it was difficult to catch him even in the scenario.’
When you think about it simply, it’s easy to understand.
There are very few who could kill Lv. 5 or 6 experts instantly without leaving any evidence.
Even for one of the Empire’s top five swordsmen, it wouldn’t be an easy task.
‘Only Chancellor Lupus, wielding Durandal, could do such a thing.’
Durandal.
The holy sword passed down through the generations of Peridot chancellors.
It had a special power, an ‘authority’ that could ‘subdue’ those of lower ranks.
‘Still, no one suspected him. Because he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do that.’
In truth, Chancellor Lupus could also be considered a victim.
He didn’t commit these acts willingly.
‘It’s all because of Durandal. Durandal isn’t a holy sword but a cursed sword.’
This is why the incident was known as the ‘Durandal’ incident, not the ‘Lupus’ incident.
The Duke Roshran faction had awakened the long-dormant malevolence within Durandal, and Chancellor Lupus had been consumed by it.
After much deliberation, I confided this to Bright Dragon.
“…Lupus. So that’s how it was.”
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes, I had similar suspicions myself.”
Bright Dragon nodded.
“There were faint traces on the victims that matched the energy of Lupus’s sword. Very faint, but I’ve seen his sword long enough to recognize it.”
In the original scenario, Bright Dragon also vaguely suspected Chancellor Lupus but ended up falling into Lupus’s trap and dying while still in doubt.
“Of course, I’m not completely convinced yet. It’s just suspicion, not solid evidence.”
“What will you do?”
“This upcoming joint operation should reveal the truth. If Lupus is indeed the culprit, he’ll try to ambush me when I show a moment of weakness.”
It was the cleanest and most certain solution.
“Please take care of it. Just in case, I’ll be nearby as well.”
“You? Not sure how much help you’d be. Haha.”
Bright Dragon laughed lightly, but then her expression turned serious.
“You… you’ve gotten stronger? When did this happen?”
She had realized that I had reached the level of a Lv. 3 Veteran!
Of course, I was still far from reaching the level of a Lv. 8 Transcendent, but I could certainly be a significant force.
“At this rate, it won’t be long before you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with me.”
I didn’t deny it.
‘Obtaining the powers of Lv. 8 would be relatively easy for me.’
The barrier I’ve constantly faced is the immense mana required to wield the Path of Magic.
On the other hand, the ‘Boundaries’ handled by Lv. 8 depend more on elevating one’s ‘Aura.’
‘I already have enough Aura.’
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.
“Commander! There’s a serious problem!”
“What is it?”
“There’s been another victim!”
Both Bright Dragon and I tensed up.
‘Another victim in such a short time?’
“Who is the victim?”
“Well….”
“Speak.”
The messenger swallowed hard and then mentioned an unexpected name.
“Chancellor Lupus has been murdered.”
