The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 234
070 Alpha Zero.
As has been mentioned many times, he was the traitor of the Sun and Moon Clan.
‘But that wasn’t something Alpha Zero intended to do.’
Alpha Zero stood up.
The languid atmosphere vanished, and he glared at me coldly.
His voice was chilling to the extreme.
“Professor? Even students have privacy. If you invade my personal life too much, you never know what a rebel like me might do.”
It was a warning.
But I didn’t back down.
‘This is necessary to get Alpha Zero on board. Of course, it’s not easy. And no matter how much you growl, I’m not scared anymore.’
Thanks to my recent rapid increase in strength.
I could now compete with Lv. 8 transcendents, so there was no need to fear Alpha Zero, who was only an Lv. 7 master.
I stood my ground even more firmly.
“A professor stepping in for a student isn’t interference; it’s guidance. The reason you’ve been intentionally repeating years for five years is because you can’t move on from the past, isn’t it?”
“!!”
Alpha Zero’s gaze grew even colder, but he seemed to sense my newfound strength and didn’t act rashly.
Indeed, in this harsh world, power is everything.
“…Professor, you have no idea what happened back then, do you?”
“I know.”
“You know, and yet you say such things?”
Alpha Zero’s face contorted in a different way—one of pain.
“My entire family died by my hand. I killed them all.”
Several years ago,
A great tragedy struck the Sun and Moon Clan, a clan of assassins.
The heir to the clan slaughtered his entire family.
The heir, Alpha Zero, had committed such a horrific act for reasons unknown.
Afterward, the Sun and Moon Clan branded Alpha Zero as a traitor and issued a kill order, forcing him to live in hiding, evading his clan’s assassins.
“The reason I killed my family? It’s simple. At the time, I was eager to surpass my father and become the clan leader, so I succumbed to demonic influence. So, what happened then isn’t a false accusation.”
“No, the events you’re accused of were not caused by demonic influence.”
“What are you talking about? How could you possibly know that?”
There were no witnesses to the massacre.
Only Alpha Zero survived. His sister Amanda was away on a mission at the time.
“The reason I believe it wasn’t demonic influence is simple. With my legendary insight as a professor, I can see that you’re not someone who would commit such acts due to mere demonic influence.”
“Hah, what nonsense.”
“Have you ever found it strange? That someone with the best qualities of the Sun and Moon Clan would be swayed by mere demonic influence?”
Alpha Zero fell silent.
It was a question he had never considered, buried in guilt and despair.
To become an excellent assassin, one needed numerous talents, the most important of which was an unshakeable mind.
Alpha Zero possessed strong mental fortitude, making his succumbing to demonic influence unusual.
“The reason the Sun and Moon Clan hasn’t been actively hunting you might be because they suspect there’s more to your actions.”
“So, are you saying that the massacre was orchestrated by someone else?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there to witness it. Do you have any suspicions?”
“……”
Alpha Zero stayed silent.
Of course, I knew who was behind it, but I waited for Alpha Zero to figure it out himself.
It wasn’t a difficult conclusion to reach.
“…There’s only one group capable of such a thing. The scum from the Dark Tower.”
I nodded.
Only a top-tier dark magician could subtly induce demonic influence without Alpha Zero noticing.
However, Alpha Zero eyed me warily.
“Saying the Dark Tower is the culprit is just speculation. Aren’t you cleverly manipulating me for your own purposes?”
“Why don’t you verify it for yourself?”
“!!”
“With your abilities, it should be entirely possible, right?”
Alpha Zero gritted his teeth and then swiftly vanished.
He must be heading to the Dark Tower’s hidden corners.
‘Good. Now all I have to do is wait. With Alpha Zero’s abilities, he can uncover every dark secret of the Dark Tower.’
There’s a reason Alpha Zero is called the Joker.
His real terrifying skill isn’t just his swordsmanship.
It’s his stealth and espionage abilities.
‘But this isn’t over yet. The Dark Tower won’t just sit idly by.’
Renius and the Dark Tower have put everything on the line for this.
Especially for Renius, if it’s revealed that he’s behind this, it’ll be the end for him.
Not even a member of the royal family can escape severe punishment for such a crime.
Therefore, there was a high chance of additional complications arising.
Sure enough, I received a message from my sister, Mariam.
Van, bad news. A new plague has started to spread. This time, unlike the last, it’s a genuine epidemic.
“What kind of epidemic?”
The Red Corpse Plague.
I swallowed hard.
‘Are they really going all out?’
The Red Corpse Plague is a disease unique to this world.
Red spots break out all over the body, causing a high fever that eventually leads to death.
Since it spreads through bodily fluids, it doesn’t transmit as quickly as other respiratory diseases, but it has a very high fatality rate.
“How are the citizens of the city reacting?”
We’re trying to keep them calm as you advised, but we won’t be able to hold out for long.
Gehenna is a satellite dimension born from the accumulation of people’s evil deeds and negative emotions.
Therefore, if the people in an affected area fall into panic, the erosion tends to accelerate.
If the newly emerged epidemic causes the citizens to panic, the temporary holy attribute barrier I activated won’t be able to hold.
‘Dealing with the master of the Dark Tower requires preparation, so I can’t do it immediately. I need to solve the epidemic first.’
Fortunately, there is a treatment for the Red Corpse Plague.
“If they take Arancho, it can halt the progression of the Red Corpse Plague. So, use the city’s budget to buy a large quantity of Arancho in advance….”
We already tried, but we failed.
“Failed?”
I didn’t understand and asked again.
Arancho isn’t an herb that’s available everywhere,
but it’s definitely obtainable if you try.
Someone preemptively bought up all the Arancho on the market.
“The Dark Tower must have obtained the information in advance.”
I frowned.
A common tactic.
Hoarding medicinal herbs and then using dark magicians to spread the epidemic.
“Who hoarded the herbs?”
A moment later, an unexpected name came through the communication device.
The Rapalt Trading Company.
“…What did you say?”
I flinched.
A familiar name.
The culprit behind the hoarding is Senin, the heir of the Duke of Rapalt.
* * *
I fell into deep thought.
‘What should I do about Senin, this kid?’
A protagonist more villainous than the villains.
That’s Senin.
Judging by everything he’s done to me so far, he’s committed all sorts of wicked deeds.
His nickname wasn’t “the ruthless merchant” for no reason.
‘But this time, he’s crossed the line.’
This is a matter of life and death for many people.
‘Has he headed down the path of corruption?’
In fact, it wasn’t easy for Senin to become a merchant of salvation.
He had to reform after countless trials, but it was easy to falter during that process.
‘Maybe this time too.’
How dare you say such things….
I recalled a conversation with Senin during the mafia incident.
The look in his eyes, filled with deep resentment, as he glared at me.
I had a bad feeling since then, and it seems things have indeed gone awry.
‘First, I’ll meet him. There’s still one last chance.’
If Senin continues to act as a ruthless merchant, indifferent to the deaths of people, then there’s no hope left for him.
Fwaaah!
I used a portal to return to the capital and headed for Senin’s “Rapalt Trading Company.”
It was located in a prominent building in the bustling downtown area.
‘Where did he get the money in such a short time? Well, knowing Senin, he would have found a way.’
Whether by hitting the jackpot in the stock market, scamming others, or gathering investment funds,
Senin always managed to raise capital and bounce back after multiple failures.
“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t it Professor Van the Legend?”
Senin appeared with a mocking glint in his eyes.
He seemed much more confident than the last time I saw him.
“Are you here to get Arancho? That’s unfortunate. I’ve already made a deal with someone else.”
“With whom?”
“Confidentiality clause prevents me from disclosing that.”
‘So he plans to sell it to the Second Prince, Renius.’
The Second Prince’s goal is to become a hero through this incident and be elected as the mayor of the Free City.
He plans to resolve the situation at the peak of chaos and sacrifice.
“That’s going to be a problem. If you don’t hand over the Arancho right now, many people will die.”
“No matter what, I am not obligated to hand over the Arancho. I am a merchant who prioritizes profit above all.”
“I promise you will make far more profit dealing with me than with your current buyer.”
Senin twisted his lips as if my offer was absurd.
“That’s quite the claim. Whatever amount you have in mind, don’t even dream of getting it for less than 100 penas per leaf.”
That was about a hundred times the cost price.
An amount far beyond the Free City’s budget. It was a clear sign he had no intention of making the deal.
“How about 1 pena per leaf?”
“…What did you say?”
“The cost price of Arancho is about 1 pena, isn’t it? I’ll grant you the privilege of supplying it at cost.”
“What nonsense?!”
“Don’t you get it yet? I’m giving you a chance. A final chance not to lose your conscience.”
“!!”
I crossed my arms and continued.
“Make your choice. Will you walk the same path as your father, who abandoned his humanity for greed, or will you walk the path of a true merchant?”
