The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 40
‘Where did the Black Bird go?’
I cocked my head.
People seemed to overlook the fact that the Black Bird had gone missing, considering it insignificant.
‘Is it really just unauthorized absence? It didn’t seem like she had a dishonest personality. Something seems off.’
Since I knew nothing about the Black Bird in the first place, there was a limit to how much I could speculate.
‘But it’s strange. Haven’t I seen the Black Bird in the storyline before?’
In my judgment, among the four new professors, the ones to pay attention to weren’t the ones from prestigious magical or swordsmanship families.
The other two were the ones who came to Sky Island and the Black Bird.
‘Both had almost no presence in this training, but they don’t seem like ordinary individuals.
Surely, they must have had roles in the scenarios.’
As the Black Bird Suddenly disappeared, I felt even more uneasy.
Is there something I’m missing?
‘Especially, the fact that this place is the Rantzel Plateau bothers me. Wait, could it be related to ‘that incident’?’
A shiver ran down my spine at the sudden conjecture that came to mind.
‘…No. The Black Bird Isn’t a demon. That’s absolutely impossible.’
Demons
They were different from the demons of hell.
They were a race born of the magic world, harboring evilness.
What I’m worried about must involve the magic world’s demons, and ‘the Key’ must be involved for it to happen.
‘I’ve prepared for the worst just in case, but I can’t afford to dwell on it.’
I didn’t have the luxury to contemplate further.
‘I need to focus on the training. The second day is also crucial, and I need to excel to the fullest.’
The main schedule had begun.
“Today, the new professors will engage in volunteer activities with the local settlement for the day.”
The professors directed their scrutinizing gazes toward me.
“Your volunteer work will all be utilized in the evaluation, so please give it your best effort.”
They might be underestimating my ability to handle volunteer work, but I had nothing to worry about.
‘I’ve already decided what kind of assistance I’ll provide.’
With a calm mind, I arrived at the settlement village.
I hardened my expression.
Unexpected challenges awaited me.
‘No no, why is he here?’
A gentle-faced young boy.
It was the Devil Priest, Johan!
‘Could this be the settlement village of the rebels? Damn it.’
Even I, a professor, didn’t know where the rebel settlement villages were this widespread.
At that moment, Johan smiled softly at me.
The renowned Deer Saint.
It was a perfect smile that would make countless female fans swoon, but it only made my heart skip a bit literally.
“Are you Professor Van? I’ve heard about you. Thank you for coming to help our village.”
A calm voice.
I immediately calmed my startled heart.
‘Stay calm. We just happened to meet, and Johan doesn’t know that I saved him. He hasn’t even turned dark yet.’
The Deer Saint
The Darkened Deer
Those were all nicknames for Johan.
As the storyline progressed, Johan would gradually turn darker and become tainted with evil, but that was still a story for the future.
‘After all, Johan is one of the four main protagonists. He’ll grow up fine on his own. I’ll just treat him coolly as if nothing happened.’
However, the Dark Flame Dragon encountered an unexpected incident.
This charisma responds to the opponent’s pure kindness!
‘Kindness of the Dark Flame Dragon’ is manifested!
“No, we are sorry for bothering you unnecessarily. We shall be in your care for the day.”
An unexpectedly likable greeting, even to me!
Despite always being brash and egotistical when it came to needing etiquette, the Dark Flame Dragon was surprisingly tactful only at times like this.
Johan’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, then he smiled brightly.
“Professor Van, you seem different from the high-ranking individuals I’ve met before. Thank you. We’ll be in your care for the day.”
Feeling like I had made an unnecessarily good impression, I felt a cold sweat break out.
‘It’s okay. I just need to do well from now on.’
But as always in life, things didn’t go as smoothly as planned.
“Kid, where’s the village chief? Bring the chief here, not some brat like you.”
It was Kansir from the swordsmanship family.
“…The village chief has left the village at the moment.”
“What about the other elders?”
“They’re absent because they have other matters to attend to.”
Johan looked troubled.
I noticed the situation.
‘They must be the guardians of the rebel army hiding here. It’s strange to have knights of their caliber in such a remote settlement village.’
Kansir frowned.
“Did they deliberately ignore us to leave? This is too much. Forget it, bring an adult here instead of you, brat!”
“Uh… ah… sorry.”
“What? Is this kid being insolent?”
‘Are you crazy?’
I was horrified.
Perhaps due to the grudge he held against me throughout the training, he seemed uncomfortable and was stepping on landmines left and right.
‘If you mess with Johan, we could all be wiped out at once!’
Johan, who seemed to be a crucial figure as a saint of the rebel army, was accompanied by guards that were not to be underestimated.
‘If you make a mistake, they’ll kill us all and move this entire settlement village.’
I intervened urgently.
“Keep it in check. What do you think the meaning of public service is? It is about your individuality to help others. If you want to be treated well, go back to the Malvern Duchy.”
“!!”
Kansir glared at me with gritted teeth.
But I didn’t back down either.
He was someone I had defeated once. And I could become even stronger than any weakling.
In the end, he backed off.
“…Just showing off. We shall see. You will not be favored in today’s activities. Nonetheless, there is perhaps not much you, a mana-insensitive bigot, can do.”
With a swish!
Kansir turned his back and disappeared.
I didn’t care about his insults, but there was another problem.
“Thank you for your help. I was in trouble, but thanks to Professor Van, I survived.”
Johan’s sparkling eyes!
I couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
“…Let’s avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. I am just not fond of that guy, so it was not like I did it for you.”
I tried to play it off urgently, but then I realized.
It ended up sounding more like, “I did it 200% for you!”
“Ah hehe, Professor, you seem like a genuinely good person.”
“…You are misunderstanding.”
“Sure, sure. I misunderstood.”
I furrowed my brows.
I decided to ignore it and focus on the task at hand.
‘In reality, because of my mana insensitivity, my ability to participate in public service is limited.’
But there was one thing.
There was something I could do.
“You want me to set up a defense barrier around the village?”
“Yes, it will help prevent minor monster invasions.”
Of course, a grand magic barrier was out of the question.
My mana was insufficient, and more importantly, maintenance would be an issue.
However, a simple protective magic circle was feasible.
‘Since the monsters that come to settlements like this are usually around Level 1 or so.’
If higher-level monsters were roaming around, it wouldn’t be a place fit for human settlement.
‘I’ll get it done quickly.’
It might have taken a while if I did it alone, but fortunately, I had two excellent… no, graduate students with me.
With Lindon and Hans diligently following my instructions, we sweated and set up the magic circle.
“No, old man! Don’t mess around!”
“You rascal! How dare you spout such nonsense?! I was contemplating how to better fulfill Professor Van’s orders!”
“While pretending to contemplate, you’re actually just slacking off?!”
But then, Johan admired me again for an odd reason.
“As expected, Professor Van is different from others. You wouldn’t recklessly go hunting monsters like others and risk harming the village, right?”
“…”
It wasn’t so much that I chose to give up monster hunting due to my mana insensitivity, but rather, it didn’t seem worthwhile since I couldn’t make much of a difference.
Unless I could sweep them away with an army or a knight order, it wouldn’t be particularly helpful.
“But even if you set up the magic circle, how will you obtain the mana stones for maintenance?”
“I will design it to utilize the mana imbued in the corpses of the monsters for maintenance.”
“…Is it even possible?”
“It is. Because I am Van Ecclesia.”
Johan’s expression turned peculiar upon hearing my name.
“Is something wrong?”
“Strangely, Professor, your name feels familiar to me.”
I felt a pang of discomfort.
Come to think of it, there was a time when I uttered my name while treating Johan, under the influence of Dragon Charisma’s banter.
“…You probably heard it through word of mouth. My name is quite famous.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Johan hesitated as if trying to recall something, and it was the moment I started sweating nervously.
Suddenly, he stopped short.
A sinister aura filled the air.
‘…What’s going on?’
It felt familiar.
A sensation I had experienced several times recently.
‘The Abyss Puppet…? No… It resembled the feeling I had when the Lord of Nightmare awakened during the appointment exam. Why now?’
I wasn’t mistaken.
Rumble!
A loud noise echoed as the ground shook!
It was an earthquake!
“?!”
“Ahhh!”
“Take cover!”
The village was thrown into chaos!
The hidden guardians of the rebellion emerged.
With the situation dire, the guardians urgently revealed their identities.
“Priest Johan! We need to evacuate.”
“What’s going on?”
“The center of the plateau is emitting malevolent energy!”
My complexion paled.
It was a phenomenon I was familiar with.
It was a precursor to the awakening of the evil dragon Ashtat.
‘Why?’
Suddenly, the hidden scenario, “The Savior of the Great Dragon,” began.
* * *
I felt like crying.
‘Why does this keep happening?’
I went to rescue one troubled student, then encountered the Puppet, and when I attended the entrance exam, the Lord of Fantasy awoke.
And now, a hidden scenario?
‘This is too much! Where does this even happen?! Let’s just end it all! No more!!’
…I wanted to collapse in frustration, but even in such a situation, the Black Flame Dragon maintained my dignity.
“May I intervene as well?”
“Oh, Professor Van! I’ve heard about you.”
The leader of the guardians who had just appeared turned his gaze towards me.
I recognized him.
A member of the rebellion, the “Butcher” Aktor.
He was a formidable knight of level 6, equivalent to a gladiator grade.
He seemed to have heard about me from Lyran, and unlike his infamous reputation as the Butcher, his demeanor was rather composed.
“It seems there’s a problem with the seal of the plateau.”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s as if the aura is leaking out, much like the arrival of a demon.”
“Hmm.”
“We need to evacuate immediately. If the legendary evil dragon truly descends, no one will survive.”
His words were accurate.
In this world, dragons were not invincible beings by nature.
Typically, they possessed strength around level 6 to 7.
However, the evil dragon Ashtat of the Rantzel Plateau was different.
The Ascendant Dragon.
A being that had reached level 9, no less.
