The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 254
“First, I’ve confined them to the dimensional rift, so they won’t be causing any trouble for a while.”
The Demon King and the Guardian.
The battle between the two greatest beings in this world ended surprisingly anticlimactically.
The Guardian knelt down powerlessly.
‘Well, considering the Guardian is in a state that triggered the wave of destruction, he probably had no strength left.’
However, the Demon King, having not yet fully recovered her celestial powers, could only manage a temporary seal.
“How long will the seal last?”
“It should hold for at least a month. But that’s not the real problem.”
I understood what the Demon King meant.
‘The wave of destruction will hit this world before that.’
I remotely checked the situation in Ruby.
Chancellor Karak sacrificed himself to prevent the collapse of the altar, but it wouldn’t hold for long.
As the altar of Ruby crumbles, the other four great houses will fall one by one, causing cracks in the world and summoning the wave of destruction.
‘It’s already happened, and there’s no stopping it.’
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“The Seven Kingdoms are gathering a massive army!”
“The movements in the Great Forest are suspicious! The Dead Sea is boiling over! The Fairy King is up to something…!!”
It was as though on cue, problems erupted everywhere.
It’s no coincidence.
‘This is the work of the other Ascendants of Ouroboros.’
The list of the three Ascendants behind Ouroboros was as follows.
The Guardian of the Empire.
The Fairy King of the Great Forest.
The Gatekeeper of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aside from the Guardian, the others were clearly remnants of the Eight Heroes.
‘Their intention is to create chaos and accelerate the world’s fracture.’
Given the situation, there was only one way.
“…Before the wave of destruction descends upon the world, we must go to the other world and eliminate the wave of destruction.”
It’s what the protagonists do right before the final ending in the scenario.
But, I felt a sense of helplessness.
‘With the current level of the children, eliminating the wave of destruction is impossible.’
The wave of destruction that Catherine and Sylphin had eliminated was just a single strand.
This time, we had to eliminate the entire wave of destruction.
Even if all the protagonists gathered, it would be impossible.
‘We can’t force the children to grow rapidly in a short time.’
At that moment, I hesitated.
I remembered something the Red Mage had said.
If a situation arises that you cannot handle, come to us. The preparations we’ve made will bless you.
Now that I knew the true nature of the Eight Heroes, it seemed like a worthless tale.
But a theory came to mind.
The Eight Heroes’ goal was to make the children vessels for their own ascension to become constellations.
In that case.
‘The arrangements left by the Eight Heroes are probably meant to complete what the children lack. Only when the children are complete can they become vessels.’
There was something I suspected.
The Trial Grounds.
It was one of the relics of the Eight Heroes.
Unlike other relics left by individual Eight Heroes, the Trial Grounds was a common relic left by all Eight Heroes.
Heroes destined to save the world, let the trials perfect you, so challenge it.
These words were inscribed on the relic.
However, despite countless attempts to challenge the relic, no one had ever succeeded.
No matter how remarkable the challenger, the door would not open, deeming them unqualified.
It was a relic exclusively for the protagonists who bore the will of the stars.
I was torn.
‘It’s a trap.’
The Trial Grounds existed even when played as a game.
When the protagonists challenge it, they go through appropriate trials and their abilities grow.
However, that’s just part of the scenario.
Considering that the scenario itself might have been written by the Eight Heroes, it was impossible to know what the actual Trial Grounds would be like.
If things went well, it could be the key to completing the vessels.
‘In the worst case, the children could be devoured by the Eight Heroes.’
I couldn’t take such a risk.
As I was about to shake my head, Catherine spoke.
“Don’t hide anything and just tell us. We’ll do whatever we can.”
When I didn’t respond, Catherine frowned.
“How long will you see us as just children to protect?”
“!!”
“Yes, that’s right. For the honor of Professor… I mean, for the honor of the professor, I’ll do anything…”
Eventually, I hesitated and spoke my thoughts.
Catherine answered simply.
“Of course we have to do it.”
“…It’s dangerous.”
“We’re all going to die if we don’t do it anyway, so what’s the risk? And you’re going to come with us, right?”
Huh?
“Were you thinking of sending us into such a suspicious place alone?”
“No, that’s not…”
“If the Eight Heroes or whoever are up to something, it feels like everything will be fine if you come with us, Professor.”
I nodded.
She was right.
Whatever the Eight Heroes had planned, I could stop it.
‘There wouldn’t be another one like the Guardian.’
Having made my decision, I gathered all the other children and revealed the truth I had hidden until now.
“…For these reasons, you must take on this role.”
“……”
Everyone was silent.
Fortunately, no one doubted my words.
All the protagonists had experienced various trials directly or indirectly, and the situation was clearly dire.
Due to the fractures, natural disasters were occurring all over the world.
It was an apocalyptic scene.
“However, I won’t force you. I’ll do my best to protect you, but it’s still dangerous. So, only those who want to…”
“Shut it. Why all this back and forth? I’ll do it.”
It was Joanna.
Fortunately, she had survived the encounter with Duchess Beth. The Duchess, having lost her powers as a witch, had returned to her original form.
“Finally, a chance to humble the professor. I can’t miss this opportunity.”
Despite the apocalyptic situation, her spirited attitude made me smile, just like before.
“What’s so funny? Why are you smiling so annoyingly?”
“I’ll do it too. I want to humble the professor just as much.”
It was Theren.
“…Of course, I will do it. I’m disappointed you didn’t tell us earlier.”
That was Johan.
“…I’ll do it too. I don’t want to sit idle.”
Muse Juliet.
“Haaah. I owe you one, so I can’t stay still.”
“…I feel the same. Just to be clear, I’m doing this to repay what you’ve…”
“Hmph. Why even ask?”
The villainous protagonists, Alpha Zero, Bern, and Sylphin, nodded as well.
Mikhail added from the side.
“As the next Emperor of the Empire, I will do my best to manage the chaos.”
The humanities protagonists had different roles during the apocalypse.
They were tasked with managing the chaos in the world, not stopping the wave of destruction.
“…I’ll lend a hand too. With the money I’ve saved, I can help manage the disasters occurring everywhere.”
That was Senin’s words.
For the record, Senin had amassed a huge fortune while I was gone to the other world.
‘Of course, compared to the original scenario, it’s still a long way off.’
Originally, Senin became the world’s greatest merchant, so this is just the beginning.
Still, it will be a great help.
While the royal family needs time and procedures to mobilize the budget, Senin’s relief funds will act like lifeblood in the meantime.
“Don’t misunderstand. This is just to make people owe me, as part of becoming the world’s greatest merchant.”
His words, echoing the scenario, made me smile again.
“…Leave the Seven Kingdoms and the Mafia to me. I’ve already made some preparations there.”
It was Leona.
For the record, Leona was currently detained, but as a protagonist, she was allowed to attend.
I looked surprised.
“Leona, you?”
“I never wished for the world’s end. I’ll watch my brother’s world from prison.”
Leona’s punishment was inevitable. She would be sentenced to a severe penalty.
Still, if she contributed this time, it might mitigate her sentence somewhat.
‘Brother Ron heeded my words in the end and revealed that our father was falsely accused, avoiding severe punishment.’
Ron’s punishment ended with the loss of his succession rights.
Compared to the original future where my father and Ron died, and Leona faced ruin, this was a much better outcome.
“We will deal with the schemes of the Gatekeeper and the Fairy King.”
New faces.
Sword Saint.
Spear Demon.
Ice Emperor.
These were the other Ascendants of the Empire!
Those who had been in seclusion until now revealed themselves in the face of the apocalypse.
And with them, the Hermit of the Demon Realm.
A total of four Ascendants stepped forward.
For reference, the Demon King was currently using all her strength to seal the Guardian and couldn’t offer any help.
‘Four isn’t enough to feel secure. The Gatekeeper and the Fairy King, true to their remnants of the Eight Heroes, are immensely powerful Ascendants too.’
Apart from the Demon King’s prime, the Guardian, the Gatekeeper, and the Fairy King were considered the top three strongest Ascendants.
Moreover, there were other Ascendants who sided with them.
So, in terms of Ascendant strength, we were at a severe disadvantage.
At best, we could only disrupt their plans.
‘Ultimately, the world’s fate rests in the hands of the children.’
We headed straight for the Trial Grounds.
* * *
The Trial Grounds were an underground relic.
The door was firmly shut.
It had never allowed anyone to enter before, but as the children approached, it creaked open easily.
“It’s eerie.”
“I’ll lead the way. Follow me closely.”
At the center of the relic, multiple rooms became visible.
These were the Trial Rooms.
Upon entering a room, each person would face their own trial.
‘The children should be able to overcome it now.’
“Can you do it?”
“Why ask when we’ve come this far? We have to do it.”
With determined faces, they each entered their respective rooms.
And then.
As expected, a problem arose.
Swoosh.
Specters appeared.
They were the ghosts of the Eight Heroes.
