The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 48
The Witch of Tyranny.
Once feared across the eastern continent as a Level 7 witch, she bore the name of terror.
It was no secret that she, the duchess, hailed from the Abyss, the gathering place of power.
“Nonsense. Even if Catherine her daughter was given up without an ounce of affection, His Grace wouldn’t tolerate anything derogatory.”
“Well then, how about we handle Van? It’s becoming kind of ridiculous now. Isn’t Catherine’s recent power-up all because of that trash?”
“Don’t make a fuss about it. Have you forgotten the lineage of Van?”
“Oh, who said anything about having direct involvement? I merely suggested giving him a gentle push out of the academy.”
“That’s already been instructed to Balas. But he’s fallen short.”
“Balas, that dimwit, was given the task, so that’s expected. To resolve this matter, we need strategy.”
“Strategy?”
The duchess showed interest, prompting her brother, Conrad the Viscount, to smirk.
“There’s a saying, ‘To fall a strong knight, aim for the horse.’ Leave it to me. Since my son has just entered Ruby Academy as a freshman, I’ll lay the traps.”
* * *
The atmosphere in the academy courtyard brimmed with vitality.
Especially among the freshmen, their faces were radiant with anticipation and excitement.
With no real classes yet to burden them, and a focus on building camaraderie, the freshmen’s faces were filled only with joy.
However, two stood apart from this atmosphere.
They were Catherine and Libel.
“…I’m going to the library.”
“Uh… okay.”
“I don’t want to go with you, so don’t follow me.”
“…Fine, I won’t. I don’t like you either.”
Catherine was accustomed to being alone from the start.
Having been treated like a nonentity, a mere shadow in her family, she didn’t mind being alone and carried herself with resilience.
However, Libel was a bit different.
‘…I want to make friends.’
Libel sent envious glances at his classmates who were chatting and laughing.
‘I always wanted to make friends when I left ‘home’.’
It wasn’t that Libel had never tried to mingle with his peers.
There were the “siblings.”
But they were merely rivals.
And deadly ones at that.
It wasn’t uncommon for someone who had laughed and chattered one day to end up dead the next, so there was no way to truly confide in anyone.
‘It’s okay. I have Professor Van.’
Libel tightly clenched the new clothes Van had given him as a gift.
It was the first gift he had ever received, so he couldn’t bear to wear it.
‘But I can’t rely on Professor Van alone. Eventually, Professor Van will come to dislike me too.’
As Libel was thinking gloomily,
“Are you Libel?”
“Um, yes. And you are?”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Montero. Conrad the Viscount is my father.”
“Oh… a noble. Nice to meet you.”
Following Van’s advice, Libel greeted Montero politely.
“It’s fine since we’re classmates. You’re the top student in the Magic Department, right? I’ve been wanting to get to know you. Can you spare a moment?”
“Um, sure? Yeah.”
Libel’s eyes widened.
It felt like a friendship event straight out of a novel!
‘But why do I sense hostility?’
Sensitive to others’ emotions, Libel tilted his head at the emotions he felt from Montero, the boy who had just called his name.
He was smiling, but he felt a strong sense of enmity inside.
However, due to his lack of common sense, he dismissed it.
‘People naturally hate each other, right? Is it the same for friendships?’
In the “home” he came from, it was much more common for them to treat each other with far more sinister enmity.
The boy who had called Libel’s name led him to the back of the academy.
There were over five boys and girls.
“Wow, you really came.”
“You’re the top student? Not bad, huh?”
Libel chuckled as he looked at the people snickering at her.
“Are these people going to be my friends too?”
“Friends?”
Montero chuckled lightly.
“You’re more interesting than I thought.”
“Um… I’m interesting?”
“Yeah, you are.”
“So, does that mean you’ll be my friend?”
Montero nodded his head.
“Yes, but there’s a condition. Do me a favor.”
“…What is it?”
‘I’m not good at anything.’
Libel became timid.
The only thing he was confident in was killing other people.
‘And… I’m somewhat good at torture too. I wish he’d ask for something I’m good at.’
But…
“Insult Professor Van in front of us.”
“…”
Libel’s face stiffened.
More accurately, it turned cold.
Whether Montero noticed the change or not, he continued to whisper like a snake.
“Call Professor Van a worthless piece of trash. Then, we’ll be your friends.”
* * *
I was sitting in my assigned laboratory.
Of course, calling it a laboratory was a stretch; it was more like a tiny alcove.
‘…Balas and Kansir seem to have gotten better labs. Isn’t this blatant discrimination?’
I muttered to myself, but in the end, I would be the ultimate winner in the competition for the position of interim assistant professor.
Once those bastards were kicked out, I’d claim the best lab for myself.
Still, the baby dragon seemed excited about the alcove and flew around energetically.
Kyu-kyu!
‘Yeah, explore around here for now. When we’re at home, we have to be quiet as ants because of the noise between floors.’
But what should I name this little one? Happy? No, as a dragon, it deserves a more elegant name like Parthash?
As I entertained such trivial thoughts, I sighed.
‘…What should I do with this invitation?’
I was hesitant to meet someone so deeply intertwined with “Van.”
‘No matter how experienced I am as a former sales king, he’s not someone I can easily deal with.’
It was due to our incompatible personalities.
‘He’s not just someone who’s casually called Van’s nemesis.’
Moreover, the background was no less significant.
‘…Anyway, I should focus on magical research first. My duties as a professor take precedence over personal encounters.’
I needed to think about how to utilize the chaos I had recently acquired.
But then, the door to the alcove… no, the laboratory opened abruptly.
“Senior Van, something terrible has happened!”
“What’s going on?”
My face stiffened at the following words.
“Catherine is attacking the students!”
* * *
I hurriedly made my way to the principal’s office, where Catherine and the injured students were reportedly taken.
‘Why would Catherine do this?’
No matter how unreasonable Catherine’s personality was, she wouldn’t just start attacking people for no reason.
The reason became apparent soon enough.
‘Libel.’
I swallowed my saliva.
Libel stood in the corner with a battered face.
‘She intervened after seeing Libel getting beaten up.’
The injured students, or rather, the students who assaulted Libel, protested as if they were unjustly accused.
“That beggar hit us first!”
“We’re victims too!”
“No… I-I didn’t hit anyone.”
Libel stammered out.
It must be the truth.
Libel rarely tells lies; he’s too pure for that.
“Where’s the evidence that this beggar isn’t lying?”
“Lady Catherine, apologize to us! Or are you taking the beggar’s side, siding with dirty bloodshed?!”
Catherine snapped.
She must have been really angry because curses slipped out halfway through her usual formal speech.
“Montero, you little brat. Saw you cursing Professor Van, didn’t I?”
“Hmph. Got any proof?”
The main instigator of the incident, Montero, is a student I know too well.
He’s a vile character, just like his father, Viscount Conrad.
“Worse than commoners, that Lady Catherine.”
The students, including Montero, snickered.
“You won’t get away with this.”
Just as Catherine was about to retort,
“Oh dear, oh dear. This is quite troublesome. Assault among students can lead to expulsion, you know.”
It was Principal Karak!
After surveying the students and stroking his chin, he delivered a thunderous speech.
“Ohoho, I’ve heard the story. Miss Catherine may face suspension or expulsion, and Mister Libel may also receive a short suspension.”
It was an absurd story.
“…The initial aggressors are these students, however.”
“Do you have any evidence? If you feel unfairly treated, you can appeal to the board, but they’ll likely come to the same conclusion.”
Evidence wasn’t the main concern here.
These were noble children.
On the other hand, Libel had nothing, and Catherine was already on thin ice with the aristocracy.
“However, it seems a bit premature to mete out such punishment before the adaptation period ends. What do you suggest, Professor Van?”
Principal Karak chuckled.
He was giving me a chance to intervene.
It was also a test directed at me.
How would I handle such a situation?
“…”
For a moment, anger surged within me.
But I suppressed it.
For now, preventing Catherine and Libel from facing disciplinary action was the priority.
“I will take responsibility as the supervising professor for this incident.”
“How do you plan to take responsibility?”
“I will stake the reputation of Ecclesia and ensure a ‘perfect’ ‘remedy.’ So, please show leniency.”
“Hmm.”
Principal Karak stared at me intently, and I didn’t look away from his gaze.
Could he read something in my subdued expression?
A weighty silence settled for a moment.
“Haha, understood. Since Professor Van has spoken so firmly, let’s put disciplinary action on hold for now.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. However, you must indeed ‘remedy’ the situation thoroughly. I’ll be expecting it.”
Principal Karak left with a meaningful smile, and the offending students dispersed in confusion.
Only Catherine, Libel, and I remained.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Libel, what are you apologizing for?”
“I-I just… It’s all because of me…”
I sighed heavily.
“Why didn’t you object?”
“W-Well… Professor said to stay out of fights. I didn’t want to cause trouble for the professor.”
“….”
As I fell silent, Libel glanced at me.
“I-I could handle it. It didn’t hurt much. I’m used to taking hits anyway…”
Despite being a mess, Libel’s face showed that this level of pain was nothing to him.
Considering Libel’s “past,” this was probably just a minor incident.
“O-Of course, I wasn’t just planning to endure it forever. I was going to… pay them back later. In my own way.”
Libel’s way.
That’s not the way to handle it, like some kind of childish revenge.
‘One of the reasons for the bad ending in the game was because Libel made a student look foolish and got them expelled.’
I sighed.
“Enough. Leave the rest to me now.”
“W-What are you going to do?”
“Aren’t you both feeling unfairly treated?”
“….”
They fell silent.
“I feel unfairly treated. I’m angry too.”
“Still, it can’t be helped, can it? We’re powerless.”
“You may be, but I’m not.”
They both stared at me blankly.
“Don’t forget. You’re my students, and I’m your professor. As long as you’re under my wing, I won’t let anyone touch you.”
Though they were the ones who needed protection, I felt a certain affection for them.
Seeing me angry like this must have been reassuring for them.
So, I took an action that I wouldn’t normally do.
“They will pay for what they’ve done.”
Back in my research room, I wrote a reply to the invitation from the mayor of the free city, which I had put off.
For the reference, the name of the mayor written on the invitation was:
Mariam Ecclesia
She was ‘Van’s sister.
