The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 226
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend the situation.
It made sense that Duke Roshran would suddenly appear.
But why was Leona here?
And what did they mean by the time of ascension approaching?
“Silence. How dare a mere human speak so arrogantly.”
It seems you’ve forgotten whose help you relied on to gain this chance at ascension. If I hadn’t deciphered the ancient temple’s code, you wouldn’t have this opportunity.
Crack.
A chilling aura erupted from Duke Roshran’s body.
“I’m playing along with you for now, but mark my words. I don’t know who you are, but if we ever meet, I’ll tear you apart.”
I’m looking forward to it. Please ascend quickly and bring chaos to our empire by taking over the Demon Realm.
Leona replied in a detached tone.
As their conversation indicated, Leona wasn’t physically present.
She was communicating via a remote magical device.
Still, I could roughly piece together the situation.
‘Leona uncovered the secret of this ancient sanctuary and informed Duke Roshran. All to bring chaos to the empire.’
There are two Ascendants in the Demon Realm.
One is the Demon King. As we know, her condition isn’t good.
The other is the Hermit.
As the title suggests, this Ascendant never involves himself in worldly affairs.
‘In the scenario, only the name is mentioned, and he never appears, so no one knows who he is.’
In such a situation, if Roshran becomes an Ascendant, the Demon Realm would effectively fall into his hands.
Even now, while being kept in check by other demon dukes, he’s causing all kinds of terror in the empire. Imagining what he could do in the future was terrifying.
‘The more the empire is engulfed in chaos, the more likely Leona’s ultimate goal will be achieved.’
Leona’s ultimate goal:
The destruction of House Ecclesia.
I could never allow that.
‘I have to stop them. But how?’
I checked the gambler.
<Winning odds against an extremist super-powerful demon> : 0%
It was clear.
Naturally.
This time, I looked at my monocle.
Even with Duke Roshran’s appearance, it still showed nothing.
It meant that Durandal’s invisibility effect worked on him too, so if I stayed quiet, I could pass without danger.
However, simply hiding wouldn’t prevent him from becoming an Ascendant.
There was one glimmer of hope.
Lucky! Lucky! The gift is right around the corner! Unveiling soon! Look forward to it!
…this nonsense.
Despite the frivolous wording, this monocle was a legendary magical artifact, so there might be a way.
It was then.
I made eye contact with the Demon King.
“…….”
“…….”
I blinked.
I wasn’t seeing things.
From across the way, the Demon King was blinking back at me.
‘When did she get here?!’
Shh.
The Demon King sent a message spell.
I didn’t follow you. The celestial energy of the Demon Realm suddenly became ominous, so I followed its guidance and ended up here. I was surprised to see you too.
Thinking back, I had only told the Demon King that I was going to the Demon Realm, not that my destination was this ancient temple.
Her claim that she didn’t follow me was no lie.
It’s dangerous. If Roshran discovers you, he won’t let you go.
I sent a message back.
Duke Roshran, to be specific, was of the ‘knight’ class.
With my master of magic abilities and the Demon King’s celestial power, we could exchange message spells without Roshran noticing.
The Demon King hiding from Roshran’s sight was also due to her celestial-level magic power.
Yes, it is dangerous. That bastard always wanted to kill me, unable to understand his place. Ha. He’s a pathetic fool who’s never even come close to my level. I left him alone because there were too many complications, but I regret it now.
If you know it’s dangerous, you should leave this place quickly.
No. I am the king.
!!
The Demon King’s eyes were calm.
Well, being a king is just a hassle. Still, I cannot deny that I am the king. The king’s duty is to protect those below. If that madman becomes an Ascendant, it won’t just be you humans who suffer. Countless ordinary demons will also bleed. I must stop him.
The Demon King’s words were fitting for a king, and I swallowed my silence.
There was no way to dissuade her.
So, how do you plan to stop him?
That’s a good question. How should we stop him? Don’t you have any good ideas? You’re smart, aren’t you?
…….
Nothing? Tsk. Well, we’ll figure it out somehow, won’t we?
I remained silent.
‘The Demon King was never the strategic type.’
She was more of a charge-in-and-see-what-happens kind of person.
How else could she have gone to another world, fought its greatest entities, and nearly faced death?
Let’s watch for now. There will surely be a flaw when he attempts to ascend.
Since there wasn’t any other way, we decided to wait and see.
However, as usual, things took a turn for the worse.
“Something feels off.”
Roshran’s face twisted into a deep frown.
“It feels like a rat has snuck in.”
“!!”
My heart sank.
Luckily, he wasn’t looking directly at us, so he hadn’t noticed our presence yet.
But
“Something feels strange.”
I swallowed hard.
‘A Seeker’s intuition.’
Thump, thump. My heart pounded.
I hoped that he would just let it go.
If you feel uneasy, it’s better to clean it up, isn’t it?
Leona’s advice.
‘Hey! Your brother will die here!’
Roshran, who always snapped at her, silently agreed with Leona this time.
“It would be wise to do so. Refining oneself through the help of an isomer on the moon’s surface is no easy task. All variables must be eliminated.”
Swoosh.
Roshran began to gather his demonic energy.
A shiver ran down my spine.
I had only seen a transcendent of this caliber go all out when the Sword King fought a great demon, and now the energy Roshran was emitting was no less than that.
“First, I need to clean up that room over there.”
“!!”
Of all places, it was the room I was hiding in!
He was planning to wipe everything out indiscriminately.
Invisibility wouldn’t save me; if I got caught in that energy, I would definitely die.
‘Damn it! You lying monocle! How is this a danger level of 0? This is a 100% death rate!’
I would die if I revealed myself and die if I stayed put.
I was debating whether to use the long-distance teleport scroll I had prepared just in case.
“Stop.”
“!!”
Swish.
The Demon King revealed herself!
Roshran, puzzled by the altered appearance of the Demon King, soon widened his eyes in recognition.
“Could it be, are you the King?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I read the celestial signs, but you have indeed been reincarnated. Your humble servant pays respects to the great King.”
Thud.
He knelt before the Demon King.
Contrary to my expectations, he showed utmost reverence.
‘No, it’s not that it’s unexpected. Roshran has always had loyalty to the Demon King. It’s just twisted.’
The Demon King frowned.
“Cut the crap with your pretentious respect when you’re trying to kill me.”
“It’s all an expression of my loyalty to you.”
“Ha. What kind of nonsense is that?”
“If my lord walks a misguided path, isn’t it the duty of a loyal servant to set them right? Since I couldn’t change you with my meager skills, I intended to make you right even through death.”
Madness.
The problem was that he was sincere.
Roshran continued his crazed rant.
“Seeing you like this, I’m relieved that I don’t have to kill you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason I couldn’t properly serve you was because you were too strong despite your misguided beliefs. In your current state, I can guide you correctly.”
A pure, manic light flickered in Roshran’s eyes.
“I’ll cut off your arms, legs, and wings, seal all your power, and place you on the throne. Even without your former strength, you will be a truly great king.”
I clenched my fists tightly.
He was truly insane enough to do it.
Roshran was a genuine madman, even more so than Duke Alfonso.
At that moment, an unexpected message came through.
What are you doing? I’ll buy us some time, so you get out of here right now.
And what about you? Did you not hear what that bastard just said?
I heard.
He’s not bluffing. If he catches you, you’ll….
What does it matter to you what happens to me?
!!
The Demon King frowned in displeasure.
Didn’t I tell you last time? Don’t you dare pity me.
…Then why are you trying to help me?
Help? Don’t be mistaken.
The Demon King sighed.
Even a madman like him is my subordinate. Therefore, as his master, it’s my duty to clean up his mess.
!!
So, this is something I have to handle. Don’t concern yourself with it.
I sighed inwardly.
‘What a fool.’
The Demon King’s words were contradictory.
If it were truly just for that reason, there was no need for her to be concerned about me.
In the end, I slowly revealed myself from invisibility.
“Stop.”
“You?”
The Demon King raised her eyebrows.
“Are you insane?! Leave now…!”
“Shut up, you fool.”
“What?”
“I said fool. A foolish Demon King who doesn’t even know she’s being a fool.”
“!!”
The Demon King’s eyes widened at my outburst.
I clicked my tongue and gathered my energy.
Then I spoke to Duke Roshran.
“It’s a professor’s duty to take care of foolish, naive students. Come at me, you filthy demon.”
The atmosphere in the room grew tense.
Roshran’s face turned cold.
More than anything, my words ‘filthy demon’ must have struck a nerve with him, being the demon supremacist he was.
“And who are you? Ah, I see. You must be a professor from Ruby Academy. Was your name… Van the Legend? It’s not even funny. A mere human.”
“Not recognizing my greatness, you truly are a lower-class demon.”
I deliberately provoked him further.
Unexpectedly, a voice intervened.
Wait a minute? Van? Why are you there? Stop. Do not touch Professor Van.
Leona unexpectedly tried to dissuade Roshran.
Of course, he paid no attention.
Snap.
He crushed the communication device linked to Leona.
In the meantime, the Demon King approached me.
“What are you going to do now?”
“First, you keep him busy. If you buy me some time, I’ll come up with something.”
“What kind of plan?”
I hadn’t stepped in without a backup plan. I had one gamble to try.
I recalled the monocle’s message, ‘Unveiling soon! Look forward to it.’
And the conversation between Roshran and Leona earlier.
“While you keep him occupied, I’ll attempt the tempering in the moonlight.”
It meant I would attempt the ascension myself.
