The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 251
Libel’s eyes were pitch black and empty.
‘No. His mind has been overpowered.’
The ‘House’ had placed numerous restrictions to control the ‘weapon.’
Of all times, they chose to mess with Libel while I was away from the academy.
‘What should I do? If I break the restrictions carelessly, the aftereffects could leave him harmed.’
The restriction was deeply rooted in his mind, requiring delicate and prolonged effort to remove it.
The problem was the current situation.
Whoosh!
A boy exuded a black aura of death.
Though lacking in profound achievements, the sheer force of his presence was intense.
It was the pure aura of death he had gained by killing hundreds of his peers.
‘The House’s weapon, and now Libel too?’
The greatest threat was undoubtedly Libel.
While other weapons were merely letting their death aura run rampant, Libel was using it for magic.
His aura of death was surging with ‘magic.’
‘He reached Level 5 in my absence. He would have been pleased if I praised him.’
I could vividly picture Libel, hesitantly saying, ‘I-I worked hard, Professor,’ eagerly seeking my praise.
But then, an idea struck me.
‘Wait. Libel reached Level 5? Doesn’t that mean he meets the conditions for awakening?’
I analyzed the magic contained within Libel’s aura of death.
It was a somber, yet hopeful magic, reflecting Libel’s inner state.
“Libel, snap out of it. What are you doing right now?”
If I couldn’t break the mental restriction from the outside, there was only one solution.
Libel had to overcome it himself.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy task. It was almost impossible.
‘In the scenario, if Libel reached this state, it was enough to trigger a game-over.’
However, Libel had changed drastically from the scenario.
He had learned to believe in himself and his mind had become much healthier.
I spoke to Libel firmly, putting my trust in him.
“Don’t forget. You are a cherished student of mine, Van the Legend. Don’t be swayed by such petty restrictions.”
“!!”
Libel’s eyes began to waver.
* * *
After Van disappeared, Libel was surprisingly fine.
He believed in Van.
‘Professor Van would never be in trouble. He’ll be back soon.’
However, the reason he lived like a recluse was something else.
‘I will achieve something great and surprise Professor Van.’
Driven by the single-minded goal of mastering magic, he devoted all his time to it, and ultimately succeeded in acquiring magic.
It was magic that reflected the warmth of Van, who had reached out to him in his loneliness.
‘…But, when is Professor coming back?’
As time passed, Libel began to worry.
Although the state-sharing magic tool Van left behind indicated that Van was safe, Libel decided to look for him in person.
However, upon leaving the academy, Libel encountered unexpected people.
L-Libel. I missed you.
My son.
By chance, he met the parents who had sold him to the ‘House.’
Libel had already erased them from his heart, but he had just awakened the magic of ‘hope.’
Hearing his parents’ affectionate words for the first time, Libel’s heart wavered.
Can you spend just one day with us?
Our hearts are breaking at the thought of letting you go again.
After some deliberation, Libel nodded, and his parents sold him back to the ‘House.’
Hehe, I brought him back. Now, about the promised 1,000 penas….
Just 1,000 penas.
An amount that even commoners could earn in half a year with hard work.
However, his parents never got to hold that money.
The House immediately eliminated them to silence them.
Number 1, it’s been a while. Do you understand now? Only we will accept a monster like you.
Libel thought he had no expectations from his parents, but that wasn’t the case.
His heart wavered because of the parents who sold him again, and the House seized upon that crack to impose a restriction.
Never forget. You’re a monster. Even your parents abandoned you. Only we care about you.
The core of this brainwashing-type restriction was to erode the victim’s self-esteem.
The House endlessly drilled into the children’s minds.
You are monsters. We are all you have.
Don’t trust the outsiders. They may pretend to care, but in the end, they will abandon you. Because you are a monster.
Libel resisted at first, but the relentless brainwashing eventually brought him to his knees.
‘I am… a monster….’
And then,
“Libel, snap out of it.”
Van’s voice shook Libel’s mind.
‘Professor Van….’
Don’t believe it. Even Professor Van will eventually abandon you. There’s no way he’d accept a monster like you.
The restriction whispered.
But,
“Don’t forget. You are a cherished student of mine, Van the Legend. Don’t be swayed by such petty restrictions.”
‘!!’
Libel grit his teeth.
‘I am not a monster.’
No, you are….
‘I am a student of Van the Legend!!!’
Crash!!!
Like cracks spreading through glass, the restriction fractured and eventually shattered.
An astonishing event.
It happened because the restriction was never perfect.
Libel was no longer the pitiable child who saw himself as a monster.
Libel’s eyes returned to normal, and his clouded mind cleared.
“P-Professor.”
Libel called out to Van, who noticed that Libel had overcome the restriction, and a smile tugged at Van’s lips.
“Well done. As expected, you are a student of mine.”
Libel’s heart swelled with joy at Van’s praise. He had longed to hear those words.
* * *
Fortunately, Libel had regained his senses, but the situation was still dire.
‘What should I do about all this?’
There were about twenty ‘weapons’ at Levels 7 and 8.
Of course, their actual skill was much lower despite the aura they exuded, but for someone like me with mana insensitivity, their brute force style was more troublesome.
I was reluctant to kill them indiscriminately.
After all, they were children in the same situation as Libel.
Then, Libel said something unexpected.
“I-I will take care of them.”
“Libel?”
“I-I can do it.”
At that moment, one of the weapons attacked us.
Just as I was about to deploy a shield, Libel stopped me and stepped forward, and an astonishing sight unfolded.
Swoooosh!
Libel absorbed the opponent’s aura of death!
‘Drain!’
It was a technique learned by the children of the House, taking their opponent’s energy through killing.
However, something was strange.
An opponent subjected to Drain should have lost their life, but the weapon attacked by Libel was merely drained of energy and remained otherwise unscathed.
“I’ve modified it using my magic. It now only drains the energy without killing. Moreover, I can absorb their energy much more easily this way.”
I was amazed.
As expected, he was the true protagonist. His talent was incredible.
However, there was a problem.
‘Even with the Drain technique, to face these weapons, Libel would need to continually use the aura of death.’
The aura of death adversely affected Libel’s mind.
But
“I-It’s okay. I am your student, Professor. I am no longer swayed by mere death aura.”
Libel spoke with firm resolve.
“The others will be glad. Their remaining energy will contribute to helping you, Professor.”
Affirming himself in every way was part of Libel’s character arc.
I realized that Libel had already ‘awakened.’
Fwooooosh!
Libel summoned the aura of death he had been concealing.
Was it because his magic of ‘hope’ was mixed in? Libel’s aura of death didn’t feel as dark and sinister as the others.
It felt as if the friends who had been with Libel were blessing him.
‘That is the true majesty of Libel.’
“I-I am the Professor’s student. Everyone, trash, come at me. I won’t let you interfere with the Professor.”
…Though, he could use a bit of a change in his lines, it sounds a bit familiar.
* * *
Leaving the House’s weapons to Libel, Catherine, Mikhail, and I headed further inside.
“It’s quiet here. What’s inside, Your Highness?”
Catherine asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been this far in before,”
As Catherine and Mikhail conversed, a chilling scream echoed.
Screeeeech.
“What is that? It sounds like there’s a monster ahead. And it’s not ordinary,”
I could feel a tingling sensation.
At the very least, it was a Level 8 monster.
Unlike the House’s weapons earlier, whose auras were Level 7 or 8, this one was the real deal.
Summoning monsters as guardians was common, but I tilted my head in confusion.
‘Why does this aura feel familiar?’
When I finally saw the monster, I clenched my fist tightly.
Catherine covered her mouth in shock.
The sight before us was that astounding.
“Duchess Beth….”
Duchess Beth had transformed into a monster!
‘So, it has come to this.’
It was a familiar sight from the scenario.
Duchess Beth married Duke Alfonso out of a desire for power.
However, even Duke Alfonso couldn’t forcibly elevate her achievements.
Instead, the Duchess made a pact.
If Joanna succeeded in reaching Level 5, she would receive a forbidden art.
But perhaps because of her past misdeeds, Duchess Beth failed with the forbidden art and became this monster.
Considering all the atrocities she had committed, it wasn’t exactly a moment for sympathy.
‘Of all times, we had to run into her now.’
I wore a troubled expression.
She was already a powerful villain, and now she was further enhanced by forbidden arts.
Although subduing her wouldn’t be too difficult given my current level, it would take time.
Especially since Duchess Beth had a knack for bodily transformations, allowing her to regenerate endlessly.
But then, an unexpected voice called out.
“Wait, please.”
“!!”
“I will stop her.”
It was Joanna!
Her fierce eyes were unchanged, but there was something different about her demeanor.
“You?”
Joanna bit her lip and glared at Duchess Beth.
“I will restore my mother to her original state and make her apologize for all she has done to me.”
The sub-main protagonist of the Mage class.
It was the moment when Joanna, known as the Radiant Screen Carver, who could manipulate anything, unveiled her carving knife to the world for the first time.
