The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 233
Fwaaa!!
The sacred attribute of the Sealed area was activated.
The effect was dramatic.
The invisible encroachment of Gehenna that had been infiltrating the Free City came to a halt, and the condition of patients who had shown adverse reactions to Gehenna’s energy began to improve immediately.
“Wow! Hooray for Van the Legend!!”
“Shout it out! Van the Great Legend!!”
“Didn’t he ask us to call him ‘Van Saint’?”
“I don’t care! Van Saint, Van the Great Legend, Professor Van is the best!!!”
Everyone raised their voices, calling out my name in praise.
Just as on Earth, the fear of an unknown plague in this world was beyond imagination.
Solving it in one go, their cheers were only natural.
At that moment, Johan approached me and said,
“Thank you. We were able to succeed thanks to you, Professor Van.”
I nodded.
Johan had played a significant role too. Without him, this wouldn’t have been a success.
However, I noticed a problem that had arisen with Johan.
‘Isn’t that the seed of a demon hatching?’
Like the other patients, Johan’s physical condition had improved.
The problem was that the demon seed, which had been barely held back, had finally sprouted due to this incident.
However, his appearance was a bit peculiar.
According to the original scenario, he should have turned dark.
“This incident has made me realize once again that I have no one but you, Professor Van,” Johan said, his eyes gleaming.
Johan’s tone was as usual.
The problem was that as the demon’s seed ignited, a faintly murky aura mixed into the atmosphere.
So… while he previously had an innocent deer image, now he felt slightly more overwhelming.
‘…It seems the demonic tendencies are being well suppressed by the holy power, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.’
Former Chancellor Rudolph, who had been brimming with excitement like a fan meeting their idol, chanting ‘Our Professor Van, Professor Van…!’ had relapsed and disappeared.
Mariam, my sister, also approached me.
“Well done. Thanks to you, a huge burden is now gone.”
“It’s only a temporary measure.”
Yes.
The current solution was merely buying time.
A more fundamental solution was needed.
The problem was that it was extremely difficult to reverse the cracks that had already formed.
There was only one way.
“Before the barrier reaches its limit, I will bring down the dark Tower responsible for this incident.”
* * *
To maintain the Sealed Area’s barrier, a continuous supply of mana was necessary.
This meant that professors and students had to keep exerting their power.
‘Since the barrier activation has already been successful, maintaining it doesn’t require everyone to be constantly involved like at the start. However, they still need to take turns supplying mana.’
While this might be feasible for the professors, it wouldn’t be easy for the students.
The roles of Catherine and Libel in leading the students were crucial. Johan also needed to continue contributing his strength.
Additionally, if chaos broke out in the Free City, it would negatively impact the barrier, so Mariam had to keep the citizens under control.
After assigning roles to everyone, I left the Free City.
My destination was the Old Town in the capital.
It was a place where the empire’s most influential nobles resided.
Old Town was divided into several districts, with the oldest mansions clustered in one area.
Duke Street.
As the name suggested, it was home to the ducal families of the renowned houses of swordsmanship and magic, centered around the Ecclesia family.
It was truly the heart of the empire’s noble society.
Just beside Duke Street stood a mansion with a glittering, magnificent facade.
Welcome to the dark noble house full of dreams and hopes!
“…….”
That’s right.
I was heading to the dark noble house, the Prestigious Baymont family.
‘Shouldn’t a dark noble house have a more sinister feel? This isn’t exactly a new generation dark magic style.’
Anyway, the aesthetic taste of the dark noble house wasn’t important, so I quickly met the person I wanted to see.
“Who do we have here? Isn’t it my nephew Van? Have you finally decided to enter the great world of dark magic?”
“Yes, I intend to study black magic. Please take care of me.”
“No, no, if you become a dark magician, I’ll get in trouble with Brother Huam!”
The head of the dark noble house, Duke Byron, with his usual timid expression, started to panic.
“Don’t joke around. Tell me why you’re here. You didn’t come just to see your uncle’s face.”
“I’ve come to truly enter the world of dark magic.”
“No, really, if you keep making those jokes, my heart can’t take it!”
“I’m serious. To be precise, I’ve come to join the dark Tower.”
“!!”
Only then did Duke Byron’s gaze turn serious.
“Is this because of what happened in the Free City?”
“You knew about it.”
“Shamefully, I didn’t. I only guessed the full story after hearing about you activating the sacred barrier at the academy.”
Duke Byron’s face darkened.
“Ha, I knew that monster was plotting something out of my sight, but I didn’t expect it to be this.”
“Not knowing doesn’t excuse you from responsibility. The dark magus must have already prepared false evidence to implicate the dark noble house.”
The dark magus.
Refers to the master of the dark Tower.
One of the Ten Demons, a Lv. 8 Advanced Sage-level transcendent.
Along with the dark lord, Duke Byron, he was one of the two major figures in the dark magic world.
“The dark magus will use this opportunity to annihilate the dark noble house. Do you have any plans to counter this?”
“…The evidence they present will all be false. If we can prove our innocence….”
“You know that won’t work, right? The dark magus isn’t the only one who wants to see the end of the dark noble house.”
The dark noble house didn’t put up a cute sign about dreams and hopes on their gate for no reason.
As a group shunned by both evil villains and people of the light, they struggled to survive by any means necessary.
“Until now, our Ecclesia family has protected you, but this time we won’t be able to.”
“…So, what is it you want to say?”
“We need to bring down the dark Tower.”
“!!”
Duke Byron’s gaze darkened.
“That doesn’t sound like something your father would approve of.”
“You’re right. My father would never agree. It would place a massive burden on the empire.”
Holding the crumbling empire together was my father, Duke Huam’s, role.
“But even if he doesn’t actively support it, he won’t oppose it either.”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason my father opposes attacking the Dark Tower is because he fears a full-scale war with the Three Evils. Conversely, if there’s a way to avoid bloodshed, there’s no reason for him to oppose it.”
“There’s no way to deal with that dark magus without bloodshed.”
“There is. That’s why I want to join the Dark Tower. We need to impeach the dark magus.”
“…Impeach him?”
“The Dark Tower has a system to remove the tower master if it’s proven that they’ve committed a grave mistake, right?”
“Of course, but….”
Duke Byron looked skeptical.
“I know your abilities well. You might be able to prove that the dark magus is behind this incident. But even so, impeaching him is impossible. The tower master isn’t elected like in a council.”
The rule of the strong.
To impeach the current tower master, a new challenger must overpower the tower master.
“You must believe in me, but, embarrassingly, I’m no match for the dark magus. If we fight, I’ll definitely lose.”
Duke Byron, like the dark magus, was a Lv. 8 High Sage-level transcendent.
They were on the same level, but the dark magus had a power that Duke Byron lacked.
The power of demons.
‘He’s contracted with no less than six great demons, and the malevolent energy he wields is on par with high-level transcendents.’
It wasn’t without reason that traditional dark magicians like Duke Byron couldn’t stand tall in the dark Tower.
“If we can impeach him as you suggest, it would be the best solution. Without the dark magus, we could handle the other lesser demon contractors with the strength of our dark noble house. But as for the dark magus himself….”
“You’ve misunderstood. It’s not your role to bring him to his knees.”
“Hm?”
Despite our conversation, Duke Byron still didn’t understand my point and looked puzzled.
“I will be the one to bring the dark magus to his knees.”
“What?! No matter how talented you are, he is an Lv. 8!”
“Do you really think it’s impossible?”
“!!”
Duke Byron flinched.
Sensing something strange, Duke Byron’s eyes began to widen as he quietly observed me.
“What, what? You?”
“I’ll ask you one thing. What do you think would happen if we fought? Do you think you could win?”
The dark magus and Duke Byron were on the same level.
While the dark magus might win due to his demonic energy, the difference wasn’t significant.
However,
As I looked at Duke Byron, I saw a message appear beside him.
<Win rate in a duel with the timid godfather of dark magic>
: 15.8%
An astounding probability of winning more than 15 out of 100 times.
That’s right.
Bringing the dark magus to his knees was well within my capabilities.
“All I ask is that when I bring him down, you ensure there are no interferences.”
* * *
Duke Byron accepted my proposal.
Indeed, if we bring down the dark magus, the master of the dark Tower, as I suggested, everything would be resolved simply.
‘Duke Byron will prepare the grounds for impeachment, and I must secure evidence that this incident was orchestrated by the dark magus to justify the impeachment.’
It won’t be an easy task.
This was likely done without even the dark noble house, part of the dark Tower, knowing.
Moreover, I am neither a detective nor an investigator.
‘I need to hire someone.’
Someone capable of delving into even the most secretive parts of the dark Tower.
There was only one such person.
“Haaaah. What brings you here, noisy professor?”
I went to find Alpha Zero, who was napping in a corner of the Sapphire Academy grounds.
“I have a job for you.”
“I’ve been tired lately, so I wasn’t planning on taking any jobs.”
“I’ll grant your deepest wish in return.”
“!!”
I looked Alpha Zero straight in the eye and said,
“I will clear your name of the false charge of being a traitor to your clan.”
Alpha Zero’s gaze turned cold.
