The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 253
The Guardian’s heaven had descended upon the earth.
And then.
“??”
Nothing happened.
I looked around, but everything was still.
However, with the intuition of an Ascendant, I sensed that something significant had changed in the world.
“Guardian, why? What have you done?”
Mikhail asked in a bewildered tone.
Normally, the Guardian couldn’t interfere with the affairs of the royal family due to the restrictions of causality.
‘He left Esmeralda’s soul intact to avoid the restrictions of causality. He had Esmeralda kill the Emperor instead of doing it himself.’
But why?
Why did the Guardian want the Emperor dead?
The Guardian then revealed an unexpected story.
Do you know the origins of the Reinhardt royal family?
“??”
We looked puzzled.
A thousand years ago, a great famine struck the world. Just as the world was finding stability after the Age of the Eight Heroes, it was plunged into turmoil once again. It was the Reinhardt royal family that saved the world.
A well-known story.
By now, it is regarded more as an exaggerated legend than actual history.
It’s not an exaggeration. The world was on the brink of destruction back then. Do you know why such a famine struck the world?
“…Was it due to the fractures left in the world from the Age of the Eight Heroes?”
When I answered, the Guardian’s eyes glinted briefly before he spoke of something else.
It’s been a while.
“It feels like our first meeting.”
Although in Esmeralda’s body, the being now was entirely different.
It was my first encounter with the Guardian.
Huhu. Is that so? It seems you haven’t realized who you truly are yet. That’s fortunate for ‘us.’
“??”
His words were cryptic.
However, the Guardian quickly shifted back to the main topic.
As you said, the famine a thousand years ago was a disaster caused by the instability of the world. The first Emperor at that time created altars at four central points to mend the fractures of the world. You know where those four points are, don’t you?
Four places.
Amethyst.
Sapphire.
Peridot.
Ruby.
These are the locations of the four prestigious academies.
The academies weren’t intentionally built over the altars.
Over the thousand years, the altars at these four locations gradually faded from people’s memories.
However, the places where the altars were located remained the most important areas topographically in this world.
These locations naturally became sites where the world’s energy converged, leading to the establishment and flourishing of the academies, which became the four prestigious institutions.
‘That’s why the Ouroboros has been plotting to bring down the four prestigious academies. If the four academies fall, the world’s fractures will become unstable again.’
Among these, Ruby was the most central.
If you draw lines on the map connecting the four academies, Peridot, Sapphire, and Amethyst form the vertices of a triangle.
Ruby is located at the exact center of this triangle.
The first Emperor passed down the duty of maintaining the sealed fractures through his bloodline. The Reinhardt royal family members were unknowingly preventing the world’s collapse.
Mikhail asked in a trembling voice.
“…Then, did you harm His Majesty the Emperor to…?”
Yes, to create new fractures in the world.
“!!”
If the royal bloodline is what holds the fractures together, then using the royals as sacrifices can exacerbate the fractures. I have worked tirelessly to make the Emperor valuable as a sacrifice.
I remained silent.
I realized why the Guardian had made the false prophecy that Mikhail would become Emperor.
After that prophecy, the Emperor, driven by paranoia, eliminated many royals under various pretexts.
Those who showed even a slight favor to Mikhail were not spared from the purges.
As the number of royals dwindled, the Emperor’s value as a sacrifice increased.
“…Was it also you who planted the seed of the demon in the First Prince?”
Incidentally, when the First Prince harbored the demon’s seed, a great bloodbath ensued in the royal family.
The Guardian did not deny it. It confirmed that it was indeed his doing.
‘And it’s not just that. The Guardian must have also been behind the Emperor’s obsession with immortality.’
All the forbidden arts and elixirs the Emperor consumed were likely not to grant him immortality, but to increase his value as a sacrifice.
Now that the altar of Ruby has fallen, Peridot, Sapphire, and Amethyst will follow suit.
When that happens, only one outcome remains.
The wave of destruction that was once sent to another world will return, leading this world to complete annihilation.
I swallowed hard.
“…I don’t understand. Why do you want to bring about the end of the world? You’ve been prolonging your life by changing bodies countless times because you didn’t want to die, haven’t you?”
The Guardian stared at me silently for a moment.
I didn’t expect an answer, but unexpectedly, he spoke.
To reclaim lost glory.
“What?”
An incomprehensible response.
But then, his expression suddenly hardened.
What is this? Why is there such an anomaly at Ruby?
He seemed puzzled, as if something hadn’t gone according to plan.
With my Ascendant’s senses, I could also feel the world’s fate suddenly pause.
‘Did former Chancellor Rudolph do something?’
But, this was the work of the most powerful Ascendant.
Someone of merely Level 8 in decline wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Then, a name I hadn’t expected spilled from his lips.
Ha, could it be that a descendant of the Braus bloodline is interfering?
I was taken aback.
Braus was Chancellor Karak’s family name.
Chancellor Karak had somehow performed a miracle.
* * *
One of the surprising things upon my return from the other dimension was the peace of Ruby Academy even after the end of the second semester.
Usually, by the latter half of the second semester, Chancellor Karak would have caused all sorts of chaos in his attempts to bring down Ruby.
Hoho. You’ve returned? Do you know how much I’ve worried about you, Professor Van?
…….
What’s the matter?
…It’s nothing.
Hoho, are you moved by my concern?
During that seemingly trivial conversation, I glimpsed into Chancellor Karak’s true feelings.
He was still confused.
What was clear was that, unlike the first time I met him, he no longer harbored blind hatred towards the academy.
And now.
“What is this chaos?!”
“Take cover!!”
A massive earthquake was sweeping through Ruby Academy.
Chancellor Karak furrowed his brow deeply.
As a descendant of the Braus family that founded the academy, he recognized what was happening.
‘Someone is tampering with the altar?’
He didn’t know it was the Guardian’s doing.
Even Chancellor Karak viewed the Guardian as a distant, almost unreachable entity.
Regardless, he had to decide on a course of action.
‘…Perhaps this is for the best.’
If there truly was a problem with the altar, Ruby would be swallowed by the fractures of the world and disappear entirely.
It wasn’t the way Chancellor Karak had envisioned it, but there was no reason to mourn the outcome.
But
“…….”
Chancellor Karak looked over the grounds of Ruby Academy.
Was it really okay?
You have changed.
Something Van had mentioned once.
Karak let out a small, ironic laugh.
It was true.
He had changed.
Because of Van.
Karak acknowledged his own feelings. He no longer wished for the destruction of Ruby.
In that case, there was only one choice.
‘I never thought I would follow in my parents’ footsteps.’
His parents.
The former Chancellor and Dean of Ruby had given everything for the academy.
They valued the academy more than their son, and when the seal had problems, they sacrificed their lives, leaving him behind.
Determined, Chancellor Karak knew what he had to do.
The reason Chancellor Karak had despised Ruby was ironic.
He had mocked his parents for sacrificing their lives for the academy, and now he found himself doing the same.
What a twist of fate.
Hoooom.
Karak stood at the site of the altar’s seal.
The altar, having endured a thousand years, no longer had any visible traces.
However, though its physical form was gone, the invisible magic still existed.
The Braus family had prepared a contingency plan for any issues with the altar.
By offering a sacrifice, the collapse of the altar could be temporarily halted, and the sacrifice had to be from the Braus bloodline.
Shhk.
Chancellor Karak cut his own wrist.
Blood gushed out, and through his blood, the Braus family’s arrangement was activated.
“I’m doing this all because of you, Professor Van.”
Chancellor Karak raised his chin proudly.
“So, the rest is up to you.”
* * *
The Guardian looked annoyed.
I have no choice. I will have to handle this personally.
The Guardian glared at us intently.
But first, I need to deal with you. Especially you.
He pointed directly at me.
I appreciate that you completed the vessels of the stars. It allowed me to expedite my plans.
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
I had heard something similar before.
To prevent the world’s destruction, the vessels of the stars must be completed.
To reclaim lost glory.
The Eight Heroes have not vanished.
All the information I had gathered so far was jumbled together, leading to one conclusion.
“…You, could you be a remnant of the Eight Heroes?”
The Guardian’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he chuckled.
Yes, it seems you’ve finally figured it out.
“You Eight Heroes, were you trying to complete the vessels of the stars?”
Yes. We, the Eight Heroes, were originally exalted constellations. We plan to use the bodies of the children of the stars as vessels to become constellations again.
“And summoning the wave of destruction to annihilate the world was part of it too?”
Correct. For beings like us to become constellations again, sacrifices are needed. The humans swept up in the wave of destruction will serve as the necessary sacrifices for our ascension.
Finally, I understood the entire scheme.
It was a conspiracy by the Eight Heroes to reclaim their place as constellations.
This conversation has gone on long enough. It’s time to end this. Van… no, remnant of the ‘Corruptor’. You will face defeat.
Hoooom.
An overwhelming power began to gather.
At that moment.
“Shut up with your nonsense. The one who will die is you.”
Another heaven descended upon the world.
It was the Demon King.
