The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 35.2
“Shut up, you lazy brat! Hans here will thoroughly monitor you so you don’t slack off!”
“Ah, seriously. The old man is the one causing all the trouble. He’s always making a fuss but never actually does anything.”
Lindon’s words had some truth to them.
Honestly, even from my perspective, Hans seemed more nagging than Lindon.
‘But he’ll probably handle the role of sergeant-at-arms well. Hans is the typical old-fashioned type.’
I nodded in agreement.
“Hahaha! Since it’s a joyous occasion, how about a celebration tonight?! Let’s go for a drink!”
“…Are you paying?”
“Oh, well, I may have more money than you, Professor, but how dare I suggest such a thing? I, Hans, am a middle-aged man who knows manners. It’s not every day I open my wallet in front of my superiors!”
“…”
“Lindon, what are you doing? Not praising Professor Van’s grace?!”
“…I don’t want to go to dinner. Oh, no! Thank you! Hail to Senior Van… No, to the great Professor Van!!”
…Was this their way of teasing me? I wondered.
An unnecessary sight caught my eye.
It was Catherine and Libel.
“…”
The two of them were silently looking at the list of successful candidates.
Alone.
Unlike the other students who were sharing joy with their families, no one was by their side.
‘…Don’t worry about it. They’ve already attracted too much attention. Getting closer wouldn’t be a good idea.’
I resolved firmly in my mind as I tried to pass by them.
But then, as I was about to walk past them, I suddenly stopped by their side.
A somewhat materialistic thought occurred to me.
“I think ‘La René’ would be a good place for tonight’s celebration.”
“What? Weren’t we supposed to go to some cheap pub?”
“Why would we go there? Isn’t it a place for families to celebrate? Besides, it’s expensive.”
La René was a high-end restaurant catering to family guests.
It’s like a family restaurant on Earth.
As Lindon said, it was a hotspot where academy graduates visited with their families to celebrate their success.
‘I wanted to go there once. It’s a famous place that appears multiple times in scenarios.’
The problem is, it’s a bit out of my budget.
But there was a solution.
“If you two don’t have anything to do, how about grabbing a meal together?”
“…Professor?”
Catherine and Libel looked at me with wide-eyed surprise.
I spoke in the coolest tone I could muster.
“I’m not particularly concerned about you two, so don’t get any ideas. I’m just suggesting we take advantage of the ‘successful student discount,’ which can be doubly stacked if you two are with me.”
Yeah.
I’m a savvy consumer, never one to miss out on a discount.
Memories of being alone as a child always remind me not to overreach.
The problem was, they didn’t seem to believe me at all.
“W-Whatever.”
“T-Thank you.”
“I told you not to get any ideas. I’m clearly…”
“Haha, Professor Ban! Your kindness is so touching! Hans here is deeply moved!”
“Ah… The Van-senpai I know isn’t like this. Why are you acting like this? You’re usually a devil to me.”
…Shut up, you guys.
Anyway, today is a happy day.
After a long time, we had a drinking session, and I drank a lot.
And the next day…
I woke up in my tiny, rundown room in the poor neighborhood where I was staying, and I was shocked out of my mind.
There was an unexpected official letter waiting for me.
[Ministry of Education Announcement]
Notice to the candidates scheduled for temporary professor appointments at the Ruby Academy.
By the way, the Ministry of Education was the administrative body responsible for overseeing education throughout the city.
As education was considered a paramount task in the city, the ministry wielded significant authority.
The problem was…
“What in the hell is this nonsense?”
I blurted out a curse word involuntarily.
I couldn’t help it.
It was just absurd.
The contents of the notice were absolutely unacceptable.
Excessive temporary professors have been hired at the Ruby Academy.
The number of temporary professors will be limited to one per department.
Already hired temporary professors will be evaluated based on their performance for the first semester, and only the best one will be selected.
For reference, there were a whopping five new temporary professors in the Magic Department of Ruby Academy this time. Originally, there were four, but with my addition, it was totalled to 5.
In other words, it meant that we had to compete during the first semester, and only the top performer among the five of us would survive.
This is…! Whyy? This wasn’t in the storyline!’
Suddenly, one assumption popped into my mind.
‘Could it be… Did my recent actions in the world of reverie provoke the Ouroboros guys?’
I gulped.
“Ouroboros.”
Especially considering the involvement of “Maestro,” who led the recent dungeon incident in the reverie, there was a possibility.
‘If my suspicions are correct, this is not something to take lightly. It’s undoubtedly a calculated move aimed at me. They’ll try whatever it takes to eliminate me.’
And there was a reason for me to think that way.
* * *
At that moment, in a garden far from the Ruby Academy, a beautiful man was observing the flowers.
He was the Apostle of Ouroboros, “Maestro.”
However, his expression was different from before.
There was no trace of ease; instead, it was hardened and stern.
“…Maestro, the death of Vermont Jasac has been confirmed. It is presumed to be the work of the newly emerged Ascendant.”
However, the Maestro responded unexpectedly.
“Is it truly the work of the Ascendant?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The unidentified star mentioned in the prophecy.”
“!!”
“It seems that star continues to be entangled.”
