The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 35.1
‘I feel a bit uneasy about just watching, but it should be fine. After all, I’ll quietly reap the benefits now.’
All the rushing and hustling I’ve done so far was just to pass the employment exam.
There’s no need for unnecessary trouble anymore.
‘Though it’s temporary for a year, I won’t even have any accidents, and naturally, I’ll become a full-fledged professor in a year.’
I left Rudolph’s laboratory after exchanging pleasantries.
Could it be because of the lightness and brightness in my heart?
The Academy campus looked beautiful.
In fact, the atmosphere at the Academy was buzzing with excitement.
‘The results must be out.’
I could see the successful students happily embracing their families.
‘Looks good.’
A smile formed on my lips.
I never had such experiences when I was young.
With my father addicted to alcohol and gambling, and my mother always in the hospital, I never received proper congratulations from my family.
So, seeing such scenes made me inexplicably happy.
But then, a voice interrupted my peaceful mood.
“Why are you grinning like an idiot over something so trivial, Trash Van?”
It was the infuriating Joanna, the cancerous darling!
She seemed to be in the mood to pick a fight for no reason, glaring at me with fiercer eyes than usual.
‘She must be in a bad mood. After all, she ended up failing.’
To be precise, she got third place.
Catherine took first, and Libel took second.
Their significant bonus points came from leading the charge against the demons.
For Joanna, the next heiress of the prestigious magic family, such grades were unacceptable.
‘I wonder if she’ll end up applying to the Amethyst Academy after all?’
Fortunately, the entrance exam schedules of the four prestigious academies didn’t overlap, so if you failed one, you could apply to another academy.
If she hurries and teleports now, she won’t be late for the exam.
Joanna looked around the Ruby Academy and snorted.
“I suppose it’s for the best. It’s better for someone like you to attend the Amethyst Academy, the top of the four prestigious academies, rather than becoming a professor at the Ruby Academy.”
Even as we were about to part ways, Joanna couldn’t resist making a sarcastic remark.
However, rather than getting angry, I found myself contemplating a different thought.
‘If she continues like this, she’ll end up ‘failing.’ What should I do?’
If Joanna is on the other, she’ll easily secure the top spot at Amethyst.
The problem lies in what comes after that.
Unless there’s some special intervention, she’ll inevitably ‘fail.’
The keyword symbolizing her future is ‘disappointment.’
‘She’ll just keep spiraling downwards from here.’
With the high likelihood of a hard difficulty ahead, I knew I had to plant seeds to prevent Joanna from breaking in disappointment.
“Anyway, Catherine, that ‘filthy one’, is the top student. The grading criteria are a mess. The standards of the academy…”
I said as I watched Joanna in that state.
“You don’t have to break down like this just because you lost.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m telling you not to delude yourself into thinking you’re something you’re not. You’re just a student who’s starting to grow. Naturally, you can lose and fail.”
“!!”
Joanna stood there in silence.
Perhaps, it was something she had never heard before.
She had always been pressured to succeed.
‘…Even if I say this now, it probably won’t sink in immediately.’
Given Joanna’s personality, she would typically lash out in anger. However, she showed an unexpected reaction.
“…What do you know?”
It was true that she was angry.
The problem was,
“H-How much have I struggled just to avoid losing?”
Thud.
As tears welled up in her determined eyes, a single drop fell.
‘Gosh, why are you crying?’
The tear she shed was only one.
But considering Joanna’s usual reluctance to show weakness in front of others, it was a significant event.
Joanna bit her lip tightly, as if trying to suppress her tears.
“I’ll never lose to you.”
With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared.
I stared blankly at her retreating figure.
‘…I’ll have to see if she’s okay next time we meet. There’ll be opportunities to cross paths even if she goes to a different academy.’
The Hero Academy boasts 16 protagonists and 4 academies.
Naturally, there’s interaction between academies.
Joint classes, training sessions, festivals, competitions, and so on.
Through countless interactions, the 16 protagonists collide with each other.
‘As for professors, there’s also a system for exchange appointments.’
But that’s a matter for later.
For now, I decided to put off worrying and just enjoy the present.
After all, today is a happy day for me too.
‘I finally passed the employment exam! It’s temporary, but now I’m a professor too!’
Just then, loud voices could be heard.
“Hahaha! Congratulations, Professor! The renowned Trashy Van finally ascends as a star in the magical community. Hehe, this Hans… will continue to follow you, Professor!”
“C-Congratulations. I-I never thought Professor Van would actually be appointed. Oh, I-I didn’t mean to wish for your failure because I didn’t want to go to school!”
Ignoring Lindon’s nonsense, I looked at Hans.
“Hans, are you not going back to the Dukedom now?”
Just for your information, Hans followed as a retainer.
Since I passed the employment exam, I should technically return to my original position at the Ecclesia Duchy as a nobleman.
“I already submitted my resignation to the Duchy. I found a new job.”
“…What? A new job?”
“I’ll be entering Professor Van’s lab as a graduate student! I look forward to working with you, Sir!”
I wore a bewildered expression.
A 5th-tier Supreme Mage as a graduate student?
To add, the achievement level for “Junior Professors,” at the academy was typically 5th-tier.
“Eeh, Senior Van. Could you please stop this old man?”
