The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 236
For the record, it was Hans who kidnapped the two of them.
“You rascal, Lindon! A proper graduate student should be ready to enter the grave with their professor, even if he just coughs! Stay still!”
Hans raised his voice sharply, seemingly having a lot of pent-up frustration with Lindon.
…In fact, having observed them closely, it was usually Hans who was in the wrong, but here he was turning the tables. This must be what they call audacity.
“Mmmpf!!”
“Ah! Young Master Bern, are you uncomfortable? I apologize for bringing you here like this. As soon as we’re done, I’ll release you immediately. Please forgive the discourtesy!”
Hans was clearly nervous around Bern, the scion of a prominent dark family, and his respect made me chuckle; as I shook my head and sat down in front of the two.
“I apologize for bringing you here so roughly. I used this method because I thought you would refuse if I asked straightforwardly.”
“…What kind of business is so urgent that you had to do this? I’m scared.”
“Mmmpf!!”
“I have a proposal for both of you.”
“…This is uneasy, but let’s hear it first.”
Unlike Bern, who was glaring and struggling, Lindon reacted calmly. Perhaps it was the trust built from our time as professor and graduate student.
“I’ve already accepted that escaping your sinister clutches on my own is impossible, so let’s hear what scheme you have in mind.”
“Don’t you both want to become stronger?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Lindon, you’re at Lv. 5 right now. Imagine yourself as a Lv. 6 or Lv. 7 dark mage. Once you graduate, many places will be eager to recruit you. You’ll earn more than you’ve lost in stocks so far. Your salary will be so substantial that you can invest in stocks to your heart’s content.”
“……”
As I dangled the bait, I noticed the caution growing in Lindon’s eyes.
He was wondering what kind of trick I was playing with this talk.
Ignoring him, I turned to Bern, who was gagged out of fear of retaliation.
He could still hear, so I continued.
“Don’t you want to become stronger too?”
“Mmmpf!!”
“Of course you do. But it’s not easy. I gave you a method last time, but you’ll still struggle at your current level for a long time.”
Bern is a villain-type protagonist.
Villain-type protagonists are usually strong from the start but often have a lower growth limit.
In Bern’s case, his growth limit is around Lv. 7, and even if he does exceptionally well, he might barely reach Lv. 8.
“Don’t you want to become a Dark Sky Master?”
“!!”
“If you accept my proposal, I’ll give you the foundation to eventually become a Dark Sky Master. The process won’t be easy, but….”
“What exactly are you planning to do? The more you hint at it, the more anxious it makes us!”
Lindon interrupted from the side.
I crossed my arms and explained my plan.
And after hearing my explanation, both of them reacted.
“You crazy professor! No way! I’m dropping out of this school!!”
“Mmmpf!!”
* * *
Time passed.
Outwardly, it was a peaceful period.
The Red Corpse Plague, which had threatened to engulf the Free City, was quickly contained and didn’t spread significantly, and the holy attribute barrier of the academy was well-maintained, preventing further erosion by Gehenna.
The citizens of the Free City returned completely to their daily lives.
“It’s all thanks to VanSaint.”
“I prefer Vangre.”
“Mayor Mariam is reliable too. It’s no wonder Ecclesia is exceptional, given they are siblings.”
“Wow. Their surname isn’t Ecclesia, but Legend?”
“That’s right. The siblings Vangre and Marleg are the best.”
Marleg.
The citizens, who had taken a liking to calling me by my nickname, started calling my sister Mariam “Mariam Legend.”
It was just for fun, but Mariam was mortified.
‘Though she secretly enjoyed it.’
The mentions didn’t stop at just me and Mariam.
“I’ve also gained a new respect for Prince Mikhail.”
“Right, he used to be mentioned with such dread, but he’s proven to be quite admirable.”
Mikhail actively stepped in to help my sister Mariam manage the city’s chaos.
It wasn’t purely out of concern for the citizens.
He also aimed to solidify his own position through this opportunity.
I won’t remain passive any longer. I will also lend you my strength.
I nodded.
‘Once the emperor returns, Mikhail will become a target. It’s best for him to establish his position as much as possible beforehand.’
Thinking of the current emperor, Sigmund III, I frowned deeply.
Though he was mocked as the “True Emperor” in the community, facing him directly was daunting.
He was no ordinary obstacle; he was the scenario’s greatest disruptor.
His return would mark the beginning of all sorts of chaos.
‘Originally, the emperor’s return was supposed to happen around the second year, so I wasn’t too worried.’
I sighed, but it wasn’t the first time events meant for later years had been brought forward.
It was likely due to the accelerated timeline of destruction warned about by the Red Mage and the Hermit.
‘In the scenario, the difficulty levels of Normal, Hard, and Hell might depend on how quickly the timeline of destruction progresses.’
Excluding Hell difficulty, which was an unknown hidden mode, the hallmark of Hard difficulty was that various events occurred sooner than expected.
In some branches, the Apocalypse meant for the fourth year could happen as early as the third year.
‘Could Hell difficulty mean Apocalypse might occur around the second year?’
It was a horrifying thought.
Caught up in various incidents, I was already halfway through the second semester of my first year.
Apocalypse was practically looming on the horizon.
Of course, these Hard and Hell difficulties were constructs created by the Eight Heroes, but since they were crafted by reading the heavenly secrets, they were likely to unfold similarly.
‘If Apocalypse happens sooner, the intensity of the disasters will be relatively weaker, which is a relief.’
Though I mostly played on normal mode and was unfamiliar with Hard difficulty, the community mentioned the following:
In Hard mode, the timing of Apocalypse is divided into three points depending on the branch.
First semester of the third year, second semester of the third year, and first semester of the fourth year.
The sooner the Apocalypse occurs, the harder it is to cope, but conversely, the intensity of the disaster also weakens, making it somewhat manageable.
‘It makes sense that the intensity of the disasters would decrease if Apocalypse occurs sooner. Given time, the opposing side would grow stronger too. Even so, Apocalypse in the second year is too early.’
The one silver lining was the growth of the students.
Not just the speed of their achievements.
“This time, Ruby Academy did an amazing job. They managed to maintain the barrier until now.”
“I heard Catherine, the first-year student council president, played a significant role.”
“They say a troublemaker named Libel also made a big impact?”
“Let’s not forget Saint Johan. The students saved our Free City.”
I often heard stories about Catherine, Libel, and Johan.
It meant that all three were progressing admirably.
And it wasn’t just them.
Wait and see. Soon, I’ll bring you down a peg, Professor.
I chuckled as I recalled the letter from Joanna.
Joanna was reportedly making great strides at the monastery.
Senin, too, seemed determined to prove himself to me and was diligently working at the Vanmily Guild.
All the protagonists were growing splendidly in their respective places.
However, not everyone was progressing smoothly.
‘Demon Brain, Muse Juliet, Theren. These three are still problematic.’
I thought of Demon Brain Leona and swallowed hard.
I would soon have to settle things with Demon Brain.
The emperor’s return signifies the start of the “Despair of Ecclesia” episode.
Recently, troubling rumors had started to circulate about Muse Juliet.
Juliet caught in plagiarism scandal!
Juliet accused of abuse of power!
All baseless rumors.
But to the public, the truth doesn’t matter.
Just the existence of such rumors was devastating for Juliet.
‘Can Juliet withstand this?’
I thought of Juliet’s scenario of a talented yet ill-fated artist.
In the end, these trials would make Juliet a great artist remembered in history, but I’ve always disliked the notion that suffering makes people grow.
‘First, Juliet has to reach out to me. Let’s wait and see.’
In truth, Juliet wasn’t the real problem.
Theren had disappeared.
‘Where did Theren go?’
A chill of foreboding washed over me.
In the original scenario, Theren also vanished from the academy.
‘Wandering,’ I thought.
But then, I shook my head.
‘He’s not wandering or being a runaway.’
Theren had also changed.
Normally, by now, he should have entered his rebellious phase, but while he was a bit wayward, he hadn’t shown any signs of outright defiance.
‘Even if it’s not a runaway, it’s a problem. It’s a disappearance.’
The prestigious swordsmanship family was conducting a massive search, so news would come soon.
I wanted to help in the search, but I don’t have the capacity right now.
“We’ve secured all the evidence.”
Alpha Zero appeared suddenly.
He had infiltrated the Dark Tower and gathered evidence of their wrongdoings.
“As you suspected, Professor. The calamity that befell our clan was indeed the work of the Dark Tower.”
“…Are you okay?”
Alpha Zero was smiling, something he rarely did.
A bright, yet chilling smile.
“Am I okay? Of course, I am. In fact, I’m elated.”
“I’m glad too, Angel.”
I flinched.
Amanda had appeared without me noticing.
And she wasn’t alone.
A multitude of others had stealthily surrounded me without me realizing it.
‘They’re all assassins from the Sun and Moon Clan.’
I swallowed hard.
Once they moved, not a single ant would survive in this vicinity.
“By the sun and the moon, we will not leave a single Dark Tower member who shed blood in our clan alive.”
I nodded.
Their fierce aura made my skin prickle, but they were on my side, which was reassuring.
“Good. But remember.”
I stood up.
“You will act only after I, Van the Great Legend, have brought the Dark Tower Master to his knees.”
It was time to bring down the Dark Tower.
