The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 252
Leaving Duchess Beth to Joanna, we pressed further inside.
Objectively, Joanna, who had just reached Level 5, facing off against the Duchess seemed impossible, but I wasn’t worried.
‘The Duchess won’t harm Joanna. No matter how monstrous she has become.’
I knew their eventual fate.
Duchess Beth had abused Joanna for her own ends.
She was the worst kind of mother, undeserving of the title.
But even such a monstrous person couldn’t bring herself to kill her own daughter.
‘Given how cruel she has been?’ one might wonder, but she still harbored the faintest bit of maternal instinct.
‘I would prefer to stay and watch over them.’
It would be an extremely tough fight for Joanna.
Emotionally.
As a professor, it was my duty to support her, but the situation was too urgent right now.
‘I have a bad feeling.’
It wasn’t just about the success or failure of the coup.
Something terrible seemed to be happening further inside.
It was an instinct as an Ascendant.
‘I need to capture the Emperor before it’s too late.’
Just then,
The worst possible opponent blocked our path.
“Haha. It’s been a while. My muse, Van the Legend. I’ve been waiting for you.”
It was Duke Alfonso!
However, his appearance was strange.
He was usually a neatly dressed gentleman, but now he looked haggard.
The madness that used to flicker in his eyes was gone.
Instead, there was a deep sense of nihilism, darker than the abyss itself.
“Why have you sided with the Emperor? Don’t you realize the current Emperor is not sane? Besides, the magical families have always remained politically neutral, haven’t they?”
I asked, unable to comprehend his actions.
Both the swordsmanship and magical families supported the Empire externally but maintained strict neutrality in internal political matters.
It was a survival tactic.
Getting entangled in politics inevitably led to significant bloodshed.
“Because of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t I just say you’re my muse? I couldn’t contain my jealousy towards you and couldn’t refuse the Guardian’s offer.”
Duke Alfonso shook his head bitterly and continued.
“The problem you posed in the ‘Top of Ruby’ exam. The problem that contained the absolute highest truth. The moment I saw it, I realized you had already reached the level of Ascendant. And that no matter how hard I tried, I would never reach where you have.”
“So you accepted the Guardian’s offer? To become an Ascendant? You know it’s a deception, don’t you?”
“Haha. It doesn’t matter. What if it is a deception?”
Duke Alfonso’s eyes were filled with regret.
“I’ve done everything to become an Ascendant. I’ve explored all the magic in the world and indulged in horrific, inhumane methods. It was all meaningless. Unlike you, I wasn’t chosen by the heavens.”
“……”
“I had no other choice.”
Swish.
An aura emanated from Duke Alfonso’s body, transforming the surrounding scenery.
It wasn’t the boundary power of Level 8.
It was a far superior and magnificent power, the power of Heaven Descent.
The ability to bring the heavens he touched into reality.
‘Within this space, an Ascendant can manipulate causality at will.’
The most significant feature of a Level 9 Ascendant is the ability to twist causality.
This allows them to create massive miracles that defy the laws of reality.
However, such acts invite the world’s backlash, imposing restrictions.
By invoking Heaven Descent, they transform the surroundings into the heavens they’ve reached, avoiding the world’s backlash.
But
“This isn’t a true Heaven Descent.”
I stated firmly.
The reason I mentioned it being a deception earlier.
Duke Alfonso hadn’t truly reached the level of a Level 9 Ascendant.
He was at the level of a “False Ascendant” who hadn’t truly touched the heavens.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean he can be ignored.’
The aura he emitted was incomparable to when he was a mere seeker.
Excluding true Ascendants, there would be no match for him on the continent.
“I know. I’m not even a half Ascendant. But this is my limit. Instead, I’ll prove my worth by defeating you here.”
‘Why me?’ I wondered, but Duke Alfonso had already made up his mind.
‘This is troublesome. What should I do?’
If it were the original Level 8 seeker Alfonso, I might have stood a chance, but now I was bound to lose.
I wasn’t a true Ascendant either.
Then, I quickly thought of a solution.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of fighting you, Your Grace. There is someone else to face you. Catherine, it’s your turn.”
Catherine stepped forward, her face set in determination.
“Catherine? You expect that child to face me? Haha. Ridiculous.”
“Well, I believe Catherine will win. Your half-baked ascension won’t be enough to block Catherine’s sword.”
“!!”
“You said you wanted to prove your worth by defeating me. Catherine feels the same way. She will defeat you and overcome the scorn she’s endured.”
Duke Alfonso had never directly abused Catherine.
He had merely ignored her.
Treated her like an insect.
Even when his vassals and other nobles secretly tormented her, he did nothing to stop it, believing she wasn’t worth his attention.
The past had left a deep scar on Catherine’s soul.
‘She’s overcome a lot since coming to Ruby, but it hasn’t completely healed yet.’
Defeating Duke Alfonso would allow Catherine to fully grow and heal.
“…But how can I do it?”
Catherine whispered anxiously.
“You can do it. As long as your will is strong enough.”
I raised my hand.
Fwoosh!
The area around Catherine shimmered like a mirage.
“What is this?”
“It’s the same Heaven Descent that Duke Alfonso has invoked.”
Since I had also reached the level of Ascendant, I could naturally invoke Heaven Descent as well.
However, my Heaven Descent was much smaller and fainter due to my lack of mana.
“For just a moment, you’ll be able to ignore all of Duke Alfonso’s techniques with the help of my miracle.”
Though my mana was insufficient, my level of ascension was higher, allowing me to perform this miracle.
But this was my limit.
Whether Catherine could seize this opportunity to defeat Duke Alfonso depended on her.
“…I’ll do my best.”
Catherine nodded firmly.
Her sword began to glow.
And then,
The miracle of the stars burst forth.
* * *
As Catherine’s sword of light cut through the air, she recalled her past.
It was a time when she was with the prestigious magical family.
But something felt strange.
The memories were blurry.
Such a disgrace to the lineage of a magical house.
The voices that tormented her.
She had never forgotten them for even a moment, yet they had started to fade.
There was only one reason.
‘…It’s thanks to Professor Van.’
Even her grudge against her father, Duke Alfonso, felt less intense than before.
It wasn’t that she had forgiven or forgotten him, but as she grew, his significance in her life diminished.
She had joined Van on this mission not so much to defeat her father but to help Van.
Foolish as it might seem, it was to repay his kindness.
She was grateful to her professor.
‘So I won’t lose.’
Duke Alfonso, who thought only of his own desires.
Van, who sought to save the world.
There was no question about whose will was righteous.
She would follow Van’s will.
And then,
The Sacred Hero of Light performed a miracle.
* * *
Duke Alfonso fell to Catherine’s sword.
An unbelievable event.
But I nodded.
‘I believed she could do it.’
“…Ha. Ha. Catherine, when did you… develop such a sword?”
Duke Alfonso was not dead.
However, with this defeat, the forcibly elevated status of his ascension collapsed, leaving him with critical injuries.
He might survive, but as a mage, he would suffer a significant demotion.
“I just learned from Professor Van.”
Catherine responded coldly.
She didn’t seem to place much significance on this victory.
This was different from the scenario.
It showed how much she had grown.
“Let’s go. We don’t have time.”
The sense of unease that had been lingering grew stronger.
For a moment, the thought that it might already be too late crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
‘With Duke Alfonso defeated, there should be no more obstacles.’
We finally entered the Emperor’s palace.
But I was taken aback.
‘What is this chaos?’
The palace was in disarray, with parts broken and scattered.
It looked as if a battle had already taken place.
Turning my gaze, I saw a familiar figure collapsed among the debris, coughing up blood.
‘The Sword King? Why is she here? Did she cause this chaos?’
I had thought she remained neutral, quietly upholding her family’s creed, but that wasn’t the case.
“Are you alright?”
I hurriedly supported the Sword King.
Her condition looked severe.
“Fast, get her treatment.”
“Professor Van? That’s not the urgent matter. We… we must stop them.”
The Sword King spoke in a trembling voice.
Fear was evident in her eyes.
“If this continues, the Empire… no, the world will face a terrible disaster….”
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine.
Something horrific was happening inside.
At the same time, I realized it was too late.
I hurriedly moved inside.
And I swallowed hard.
A horrifying scene unfolded.
Mikhail, who had followed, spoke in a shaking voice, unable to believe what he saw.
“Esmeralda?”
A girl with a familiar doll-like appearance looked at us.
It wasn’t Esmeralda.
I realized it immediately.
Her eyes were empty, devoid of life.
It was the Guardian.
The one behind all the recent events.
Drip. Drip.
The Guardian, using Esmeralda’s body, was drenched in blood.
In her hand, something red and pulsing was writhing.
It was a heart.
I knew whose heart it was.
It was the Emperor’s heart.
The Emperor lay dead, a massive hole in his chest.
His twisted face showed that he had died in extreme fear and pain.
The time has finally come.
Swish.
The surroundings transformed.
It was Heaven Descent.
But unlike the one Duke Alfonso or I had invoked.
A true heaven had descended upon the earth.
