The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 66
Catherine, Libel, the Third Prince, all of them had expressions that seemed to say:
All this for us.
But the biggest problem lay elsewhere.
“…My eyes weren’t mistaken after all. Van, you truly are a gem meant for our Ruby Academy.”
It was Rudolph, the former Chancellor!
His eyes were filled with a fervor no less intense than the protagonists’.
“You chose to side with Chancellor Karak, there must be a deep meaning behind it, right? Ah, I misunderstood you without knowing any of this.”
‘No, why is he like this? The misunderstanding is happening right now, you know?’
I tried to speak up urgently to clarify,
“Keugh!”
“Professor!”
“Professor Van, are you alright?! Oh! To be in such a grave condition. You must have used the self-sacrifice spell ready to face death. Such dedication for the students! And to think I was unaware of this…! Rudolph, shame on me!”
‘No, don’t overdo it. I need to clear up this misunderstanding…’
But I couldn’t open my mouth, and my body grew heavier.
“Professor? Professor?! Open your eyes!”
“Oh no! Van, are you okay?!”
“Professor Van! I’m just a passing reporter from Gossip Daily! You’ve repelled the Puppeteer with a self-sacrifice spell, any comments…!!”
As the noise around me grew louder, my vision went dark, and I lost consciousness.
* * *
In the deeper parts of the underground sewer,
Far from the surface where Van had been, in the central core.
Especially near the ‘Labyrinth’, a horrific scream was echoing.
“Arghhhhh!! Why?! Aghhhhh!!”
Astonishingly, it was the puppet that had been annihilated by Van’s hand!
“It was just a dummy that was destroyed, but why is this happening to my true body? Aghhh!! Ahhhhh!!”
The entity that had just vanished wasn’t the true body but a fake dummy.
The reason the puppet seemed somewhat lacking in the presence of a level 7 entity was not only due to its own deficiencies but also because it was a dummy.
Dummies are at a disadvantage in manifesting abilities compared to the true body. Even the most intricately made dummy could only exhibit up to 80% of the true body’s power.
Still, the puppet never exposed its true body to others, afraid of death.
Some called the puppet a coward for this reason, but it was thanks to this caution that the Puppeteer had been able to survive any crisis up to now.
The dummy’s destruction was supposed to have no effect on the true body, yet an impossible anomaly was occurring.
“Arghhh!! It hurts…!! Why, how?!”
The hand was disintegrating into pieces.
Like a sandcastle crumbling away.
What was more terrifying was that the fragments of the scattered hand were disappearing into thin air right where they floated.
Leaving no trace behind, as if erasing its very existence.
Disappear from the world forever.
Van’s words echoed in its mind.
Even now, it felt like its spirit was being crushed by something absolute.
Swept up in real-time into a dark void, an unstoppable fear washed over it.
“Arghhh! Don’t make me laugh! I am the Abyss Puppet! I cannot die!”
It tried to resist by summoning all its dark mana, but that only slowed the process.
The disintegration that started at the fingertips had now consumed half the wrist.
‘To die like this?’
The puppet trembled.
There was one way to survive.
To make a sacrifice and seek help from someone capable of resolving this anomaly.
‘The “Lord” of our abyss might be able, but no. He would demand a price worse than death. What about the “Apostles”? No, they’re just as dreadful. Perhaps the Witch of the Dead Sea with whom I have some rapport, or the Demon Blade?’
The Puppeteer, having focused on puppetry, had a comparatively lesser understanding of magic in general than others at level 7.
Someone with a deeper understanding of magic might have the potential to solve this horrific spell, but the fear of the cost prevented it from readily asking anyone for help.
Then, at that moment.
“Oh, you seem to be in trouble. Do you need help?”
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Rune, the new temporary professor at Ruby Academy.”
It was an unexpected arrival!
Even more surprising was the Puppeteer’s reaction.
Astonishingly, the Puppeteer recognized Rune.
“Rune… as in? Could you be the one from the Demonic Realm?”
“Ah, indeed, an Apostle of the Abyss. You have great insight. Yes, I am that ‘Rune’ you know of.”
“Please, save me! If you serve him, you can solve this accursed magic! I will pay the price!”
“Ha ha.”
Thud!
The Puppeteer knelt.
A shocking sight.
On the other hand, Rune appeared calm.
As if receiving such a plea was only natural.
“What price will you pay?”
“That is…”
The puppet cautiously began.
“…You’ve come to Ruby Academy for ‘that purpose,’ haven’t you? I will assist you in achieving your goal for the glory of the Demonic Realm.”
“Ha ha. Indeed, your puppetry would be of great assistance to me.”
“Then?”
It was when the Puppeteer’s eyes filled with anticipation.
Boom!
Half of the puppet’s head exploded.
The remaining half, with its eyes sneakily glancing around, tilted awkwardly before it fell with a thud.
“How dare you speak of the glory of the demonic realm. Disgusting.”
Rune dusted off his blood-stained hand.
“Now, this is interesting.”
Smoothly.
The Puppeteer’s body disintegrated.
It wasn’t Rune’s doing.
The magic Van left continued to exert its power even after the Puppeteer’s death, erasing its existence from the world.
“Imperfect, yet undoubtedly this is Ascendant magic. To violate destiny without even reaching the heavens? Such an event was only possible during the Demon King’s time as a prince.”
A startling name was mentioned.
The Demon King.
A being who reached the pinnacle of ascension.
A level 10 entity.
“If the demonic dukes hear of this, there will be chaos. I must keep a closer eye. Van might just be the joker who could shake the foundations of our demonic realm.”
An unexpected event.
A story that would horrify Van if he heard it.
“All for the glory of the demonic realm.”
Flash.
Rune disappeared, and silence returned to the sewer.
The Puppeteer’s body was completely gone, erased, like it had never existed in the world.
* * *
After being unconscious for a full three days, I woke up to find that quite a lot had changed, though not to the extent that the world had turned upside down.
The Transformation of Young Van! Professor Van! Saved students from the Puppeteer’s grasp with a self-sacrifice spell!
The Puppeteer was a villain known throughout the empire.
This incident had been widely reported.
‘My reputation has improved significantly.’
Past deeds of mine were also getting attention alongside this event.
Has Young Van truly become a dragon? An in-depth analysis of Young Van’s recent actions!
Defeating the Mine! Clearing out a den of dark mages! Preventing admission exam casualties with meticulous preparation! Young Van also resolved the Rantzel Plateau disaster!
Young Van’s boast of ‘I shall become a great star’ not just a boast after all?!
Former Chancellor Rudolph, ‘Van is both a rising star and a treasure for our Ruby Academy.’
An anonymous student expressed fervent admiration, ‘Pr… Professor Van is the teacher I respect the most. He is my eternal professor.’
‘…Isn’t this getting a bit too noisy?’
I sighed as I put down the newspapers.
While it’s welcoming to have a better reputation, everything is best in moderation.
‘I aim to enjoy the sweet life quietly from the background. Becoming too famous just draws unnecessary attention.’
And that wasn’t all.
‘The more famous I become, the more people there will be who harbor ill will towards ‘Van’.’
‘Van’, despite being considered a nobody, has become entangled in various hostilities with many people.
A significant number of these hostilities stem from false accusations and misunderstandings, but that’s only from my perspective, who knows the backstory.
Would those who see Van as an archenemy think upon hearing his recent fame, ‘Wow, our Van has changed~.’ and view it positively?
‘More likely, they’d find it detestable and grind their teeth in anger.’
I sighed, but what’s done is done.
I decided to think positively.
‘After all, I’ve gained a lot from this incident.’
Just then, the door to the hospital room opened.
Cautiously.
As if worried someone might see.
Surprisingly, the person who entered was Yulia.
She even held flowers in her hand.
‘I heard she visited me every day while I was unconscious. The flowers in the vase over there are also from Yulia.’
…For reference, during my time unconscious, it seemed as if a competition had arisen, with no less than ten vases of flowers placed in the room.
‘Catherine, Libel, the Third Prince are one thing, but why Hans, Lindon? Is it for flattery? Emily seems to have sent hers for business courtesy.’
Regardless, I nodded at Yulia.
“You are here?”
“…Were you awake?”
“Yes, what about you? Any aftereffects?”
Yulia had also been affected by the puppetry.
She might look fine on the outside, but the inside could be a different story.
‘There might be lingering psychological trauma.’
“If there’s any problem, let me know right away. I am your homeroom professor, after all.”
“Have you always been like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Acting like a pushover who worries about others before himself, especially just after regaining consciousness.”
Her tone was sharp.
I couldn’t quite tell what she found displeasing, but,
“No, not usually. But you’re my student.”
…I omitted the fact that if something happened to her, it could affect the class evaluation.
Yulia looked at me with a complex expression for a moment before speaking.
“While you were asleep, I thought about it. But I guess I’m just inherently flawed, I can’t become like you, professor. Even now, I doubt it. I wonder if your sacrifice was just to use me in some way.”
I quietly listened to her words.
“So, I’ve decided. Instead of forcing myself to do something I can’t, I’d rather stick to what I’m good at.”
“And what’s that?”
“From now on, I’ll be using you, professor.”
A phrase with a decidedly negative connotation.
However, the nuance was different.
Yulia smiled.
It was that sly, villainous smile I had seen often during the course of the story.
“I’m certain that you won’t remain a mere professor but will definitely become a star that shakes the empire. So, I plan to firmly stamp my mark on you. Not just as a common disciple within the academy but as something more, riding on your coattails.”
I smirked.
‘So, she’s roundabout saying she’ll become a good disciple who listens to me earnestly.’
“I plan to use you too, so it’s mutual.”
“…I expected you to respond with such consideration. You know being too nice can sometimes be a bad thing, right?”
Yulia frowned and then suddenly swung the hospital room door open.
Catherine and Libel, who had apparently been eavesdropping from who knows when, stood frozen with stiff expressions.
“Yulia, you….”
“Did you hear?”
Yulia twisted her lips in a smirk towards Catherine.
“The position of Professor Van’s top disciple is mine, you know? You’re no match for me anyway.”
“!!”
