The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 54
For the first time today, I became aware that I longed for my ‘father’s’ praise
“…Thank you.”
“Thanks for what? Just drink. The side dishes here are quite good for the price.”
As I tilted my glass, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘Drinking with father. This too, was something I had never done before.’
My father was once an alcoholic, a gambler.
Because of him, my childhood was ruined, and later, we lost contact to the extent that I didn’t know if he was alive or dead.
Unconsciously, it seemed there had been a void of paternal affection within me.
The sweetness of the alcohol I was drinking now seemed to testify to that.
“However, don’t be mistaken. The mishap you caused this time was only manageable because it involved Ecclesia.”
“What’s wrong with showing favor to the family for once in a while? After all, it is true that I am an Ecclesia.”
“What I mean is not to act rashly. I won’t always be there to help you. If necessary, Ecclesia, cold-blooded as it is, wouldn’t hesitate to disown even their own kin.”
Bang!
Father set down his glass.
“Still, seeing you today, it seems unlikely you’ll cause trouble like the wild thunderstorm you used to be.”
Perhaps it was due to those words laden with trust?
After the light-hearted drinking session, I made a decision uncharacteristic of my usual self.
“Will you be heading straight back to the free city?”
“No, there’s a place I need to stop by first.”
“Alright then. See you next time.”
The Duke of Huam turned away without further questions, and I headed towards an unexpected destination.
A place I never wanted to visit again, it was the mansion of a prestigious magical family.
“…….”
I hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward.
Swish.
A Level 1 invisibility spell was cast, concealing my form.
Despite the throngs of mages bustling about, no one could detect my invisibility magic, and I moved deeper into the premises.
The mansion’s back garden.
Within it, I veered off the beaten path into a thicket.
It was a secluded place, but having visited it countless times while progressing through scenarios, I did not lose my way and went straight on.
“Sob sob.“
The sound of weeping reached my ears.
In a small clearing within the bushes, Joanna was crouched down, crying.
‘This was Joanna’s secret hideout where she has been coming to cry since she was young.’
I hesitated.
Though I had come here impulsively, I found myself at a loss for words now that I was actually here.
‘…Maybe I should just go back.’
But it was too late.
Joanna had recognized my stealth, something no other magician had managed to notice!
“Who’s there?!”
“…It’s me.”
“…Trash Van, why are you here?”
“…I got lost.”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence lingered for a moment.
Joanna obviously didn’t believe me.
However, it seemed she couldn’t guess why I had come here.
‘…Did I really come here for no reason?’
However, I shook my head.
‘Leaving Joanna to deal with her frustration alone isn’t right. There’s a high chance she might fall behind after facing such despair.’
In other words, this wasn’t merely sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong; it was meddling for the sake of the world’s future.
Above all,
‘I hate the saying that hardships make a person grow.’
There’s a story I heard when I became successful as the Sales King.
It was thanks to my difficult past that I could succeed like this.
Personally, I found it to be an utterly detestable notion.
Less pain is always better.
Even if one is a hero born to save the world.
“Actually, I have something to tell you.”
“…Van, what could you possibly have to say to me?”
“Are you crying over something as trivial as what happened just a while ago?”
“!!”
Joanna’s face flushed with anger.
Just before she could burst out yelling,
“It’s not like you did anything wrong.”
“…….”
Joanna abruptly closed her mouth.
“I just wanted to say that. You did nothing wrong. So, don’t blame yourself needlessly.”
Yes.
None of the wounds Joanna received today were her fault.
Neither in the past nor now.
And not even in the future wounds she might endure.
“…How dare you…”
“Well, I agree that I am being a little nosy.”
I didn’t deny it.
“Though we’re not from the same academy, preventing a student from going astray is also a professor’s role, so I thought I’d meddle unnecessarily.”
“…….”
“…I’ll be going now.”
I turned my back.
I could feel Joanna glaring holes into me, but I didn’t look back.
Even if it was meddling.
I hoped that this one statement would become a source of comfort amidst the frustrations she would face in the future.
Just as I had wished someone had comforted me when I was young.
* * *
Upon returning to the academy, chaos had ensued.
The news that Conrad Viscount’s gang had been wiped out had spread like wildfire.
The students who had assaulted Libel were properly punished.
All five were now effectively expelled from the academy.
It was a satisfying conclusion, but there was a problem.
“…Still no applicants for my class?”
“…Well, after such a commotion, it’s to be expected. Do you know what they’re calling you in the academy now? A tyrant.”
“……”
The exact term was ‘Tyrant Van.’
In other words, my image had shifted from being an easy target to being a feared presence.
“There’s a rumor that getting on the wrong side of Senior Van means expulsion, and that one shouldn’t even come near.”
I furrowed my brows, guessing the situation.
‘Someone must have deliberately spread malicious rumors.’
The suspects? There were too many.
‘It could be the professors who see me as a thorn in their side, or it could be from the Rapalt Duchy, or even Chancellor Karak.’
In reality, it wasn’t a big deal.
The rumors would die down if I just kept a low profile, and if necessary, I could launch a counter-campaign to improve my image.
The problem was the timing.
The enrollment period for the welcome class had ended.
“…Just six? Barely escaped failing, then.”
Aside from Catherine and Libel, four more students had applied, but it was the worst recruitment outcome among competing professors.
‘This is a problem.’
Gathering students for this welcome class wasn’t the end goal.
It was only the beginning.
I had to ensure that my class received the highest evaluation scores over two months.
‘The fewer the students, the more disadvantageous it is in the evaluations. The scores are determined in proportion to the number of students in the class.’
In other words, compared to Balas’s class with over 30 students, my class would need to score more than five times higher in evaluations to win.
It was an impossible task unless every aspect of the class evaluation received overwhelmingly top marks.
“What are you worried about? I’m here. The top scores will all from mine.”
“No, I will be the one to get the top scores. For the professor…”
Kyuu! Kyuu!
Catherine and Libel confidently declared their intentions, and Mari, the baby dragon, cried out as if to say it would help too, but this only filled me with more concern.
‘The two of you are also a problem. You’re terrible at common subjects.’
Both were top-notch talents.
As cliché as it might be, they were failing students in common classes.
Their brilliance would stand out once they delved into their major studies, but for the time being, only common foundational courses were being taught.
‘I hope the other four are good. Who applied?’
The applications came in a rush just before the deadline from students who had postponed their class selection, so I didn’t know who had joined my class.
‘One name I don’t recognize. Wilhelm? Could it be that Wilhelm?’
A chill ran down my spine.
He was a ‘named’ student.
The son of the Margrave of the North Sea.
The problem was,
‘He’s the worst blockhead. And with a terrible personality to boot, he was on the verge of being expelled for causing trouble.’
He was such a failure that his nickname was ‘Van 2.0.’
My vision darkened, but my troubles did not end there.
‘…Yulia? Another one? Why?’
I felt not just darkness before my eyes but a sense of vertigo.
She was also a ‘named’ student.
‘Why would the disciple of the Bright Dragon choose my class?’
One of the Empire’s five great swordmasters.
A Level 8 Knight, the Bright Dragon’s direct disciple, had chosen me.
The problem wasn’t their fame,
‘…this one’s a villain.’
A key villain in the Ruby Academy scenario.
‘And their personality rivals Joanna’s for being utterly disagreeable.’
At this point, I felt a deep sense of foreboding.
‘…Who’s the last one?’
The very last application came in five seconds before the deadline.
I opened the document to check the name, and I was left with a look of utter defeat.
Top talents Catherine and Libel? Van 2.0? The disciple of the Bright Dragon? Compared to the name now before me, these were nothing.
Mikhail Renius.
Renius.
A surname known to all.
It was the name of this empire, after all.
Moreover, the name Mikhail was equally well-known.
One of the most famous individuals in the empire, even more so than me, the so-called Van.
The Third Prince.
Born with the destiny to become Emperor by sacrificing his brothers’ blood.
The most ominous being in this world.
The Demon Blade.
The main protagonist of the Humanities department.
These were the descriptors for Mikhail Reinhardt.
* * *
Atop the high spires of Ruby Academy.
A young man with a sophisticated demeanor closed his eyes against the wind.
“Have I not told you it’s dangerous to sleep in places like this? Especially for someone without any special powers.”
“Hmph. Well, what does it matter?”
The young man yawned lengthily.
“After all, everyone’s just wishing for my death.”
“Your Highness!”
“It’s true, isn’t it? Unfortunately, this tough life of mine won’t easily come to an end,”
Said the young man, the Third Prince Mikhail, known ominously as the Demon Blade, with a sly smile.
“Don’t say things like that. When will you attend class?”
“What a hassle. To think I have to attend the academy at my age.”
Unlike the other 17-year-old freshmen boys and girls, the Third Prince Mikhail was already 23 years old.
His late enrollment was due to personal circumstances.
“Why did you apply for Van’s class, of all people? There are many other prestigious professors available.”
“Seems like it would be relaxing? Considering he was once the academy’s biggest trash, maybe he’ll overlook it if I skip class?”
“Sigh, do you not realize His Imperial Majesty is keeping an eye on you? Please, take it seriousoly.”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”
Mikhail closed his eyes as if he didn’t want to listen any further, and his attendant shook his head disapprovingly before disappearing.
Afterwards, Mikhail suddenly opened his eyes.
“Van.”
The casual look in his eyes had shifted to something much sharper.
“This will be interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”
It was an enigmatic murmur.
* * *
Among Van’s students, Mikhail wasn’t the only one talking mysteriously.
Susan.
The only student in Van’s class whom Van seemed to overlook as inconsequential.
Not a protagonist among the 16, not a named student, nor even a supporting character.
She was a girl with such an ordinary appearance that she seemed unlikely to stand out anywhere.
“Hey, be careful!”
“…Sorry.”
The girl bowed her head repeatedly as she walked on.
But something was off.
The place she headed to after leaving the academy was the slums of Zone 6.
Adjacent to the Free City near the Dragon Stronghold of Zone 7, it was the worst crime-ridden area of the city.
And that wasn’t all.
With every step, her appearance began to subtly change.
From nondescript to captivating.
It meant her original face was a disguise!
