The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 67
Catherine’s face flushed with anger.
“Ha, who decided that?! You think I’ll lose to you?! Of course, not that I’m interested in becoming Professor Van’s top disciple!”
“Both of you… be quiet… I mean, please quiet down. It’s starting to irritate me.”
The hospital room became momentarily chaotic.
‘…It’s good they all seem eager to do their best, but could they keep it down a bit? I’m still a patient here, you know?’
That’s when it happened.
“Ahem. It’s good to see the students so lively. Van, you seem to be doing well too.”
An unexpected visitor had arrived.
The dean of students, Professor Alif.
A key figure in Chancellor Karak’s faction.
‘Why suddenly? Could it be?’
I guessed the reason for his visit and looked slightly surprised.
Professor Alif glanced at me with displeasure before speaking gruffly.
“Here, take this. It’s a dispatch from the chancellor’s office addressed to you. Read it. Eh, why am I being tasked with this because of you?”
My eyes lit up.
The document contained various complex details, but to summarize simply, it stated:
Preparation for course establishment complete.
Chancellor Karak had kept his promise.
The moment for my first lecture was finally approaching!
‘Great! I’m now a professor who gives lectures! From here, I’ll make my way to a formal professorship!’
It felt like a dream was slowly becoming a reality.
The dream of living a comfortable life as a professor.
But I couldn’t be purely happy about it because of one detail.
‘…This course?’
I swallowed hard.
There was a problem with the selected course.
A very serious one.
“Do I have to teach this course specifically?”
“Ha! What kind of question is that? Do you have any idea how difficult it was to arrange this position for you? Don’t you realize the privilege you’ve been granted? If you don’t like it, then forget it!”
Alif stormed off in anger.
‘This is troublesome.’
Hans and Lindon looked puzzled.
“Why are you concerned, my lord? <Understanding the Basics of Magic>? Isn’t that a decent course?”
“Right? It’s an important subject, usually only famous professors get to teach it. But how did you end up with this course, senior Van? Wasn’t there already a professor assigned to it?”
“The assigned professor suddenly took a leave of absence due to personal reasons. Heard he fled to the free cities because of gambling debts?”
“Anyway, isn’t it a good thing? It’s an opportunity to build your reputation as a professor in one go. Everyone will be watching, right?”
“That’s exactly the problem.”
“Huh?”
I didn’t respond.
<Understanding the Basics of Magic>
As they said, there was no problem with the subject itself. It was actually quite good.
The problem was the incidents surrounding this course.
‘This is the subject that becomes the backdrop for the ‘faction conflict’ episode at the start of the new term.’
Here, the factions refer to Chancellor Karak’s faction and Duke Rapalt’s lackeys.
This course is the bone of contention between Chancellor Karak’s faction and Duke Rapalt’s, with major disputes arising, and amidst this conflict, the protagonists shine,
‘If this happens, I will become the affected standard-bearer for Chancellor Karak’s faction. What is Chancellor Karak thinking?’
Could it be a coincidence?
That sly Chancellor Karak wouldn’t leave things to chance.
‘He still doesn’t trust me. He’s planning to dismiss me if things don’t go well.’
If I fight well against Duke Rapalt’s faction, good for him.
If not, he’d use that as an excuse to get rid of me.
‘Damn, I swore loyalty and he still doesn’t trust me. Well, that’s why he’s the first-year part’s final boss, I guess.’
Anyway, it was a troublesome situation.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
The best course would be to skillfully avoid getting caught in the crossfire,
‘Impossible. Duke Rapalt’s faction is also baring their teeth at me.’
Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed.
One side doubts me, and the other is an archenemy.
On top of that, the one side that seems favorable to me, former Chancellor Rudolph, is a ticking time bomb I absolutely must avoid.
As always with social and political life, it wasn’t easy.
‘If only I could somehow ease the tension with Duke Rapalt’s faction, it would be less exhausting. Is there no way?’
Perhaps because I was mulling over this,
Emily came to visit.
“Van, are you okay? I came to visit.”
“Thank you.”
I took a moment to look at Emily, this body’s former fiancée.
‘Could using Emily improve my standing with Duke Rapalt’s faction?’
But I soon shook my head.
Unless I re-engaged to Emily, it seemed an impossible task.
Just as I was about to change the subject, Emily looked at me seriously and spoke.
“…Are you going to do it again?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Use another self-sacrifice spell?”
Her face was filled with anger.
“Are you worried as a business partner? It’s okay. I’ll make sure it won’t affect you.”
“That’s not it. Sigh…”
“??”
For some reason, her expression grew even more displeased.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Emily brought up another matter.
“Actually, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Emily shut her mouth firmly.
It meant that what she had to say wasn’t easy to bring up.
“It’s okay. Speak freely. Aren’t we business partners?”
“…….”
“Isn’t that right? I think we make quite compatible partners.”
In business transactions, compatibility with your partner matters.
In this regard, Emily was a very comfortable counterpart.
“What about being partners beyond business?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’ll speak plainly.”
Emily fixed her gaze directly on me.
“How about we get engaged again?”
“……”
I doubted my ears.
Emily’s expression was serious.
It wasn’t a misunderstanding.
“Is this the wish of your father, Duke Volman?”
“Yes, that’s right. After hearing about your recent exploits, he changed his mind. He plans to acquire the Ruby Academy anyway, so he intends to put you forward.”
This was unexpected.
“But this is also an ultimatum. If you refuse the engagement, he’ll use whatever means necessary to expel you from the academy.”
“That’s harsh. Ignoring the wishes of the person involved…”
“I said I wasn’t against it.”
“……”
Even the Black Flame Dragon couldn’t hide its stunned expression this time.
Emily, as if to prevent any misunderstanding, stammered out more explanations.
“Y-You, being engaged to you has many benefits for me too.”
I nodded as if finally understanding.
“After all, having the support of the Ecclesia family would be a great advantage for you too.”
“…Yes, that’s right. We’ll be the best partners. Or even a sham engagement is fine. Let’s get engaged to quell the immediate crisis, and we can always break it off later.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“What’s wrong with an annulment? For someone as capable as me, such a thing won’t leave a mark. If you want, I can even write up an annulment contract. We’ll keep the sham engagement until I can secure power within my family.”
I pondered the proposal.
‘The conditions aren’t bad. It’s not a real engagement but a sham, after all.’
First off, any trouble from Duke Rapalt’s faction would disappear.
Not only that, but Duke Rapalt’s faction would become my shield.
Unlike Chancellor Karak, who harbors only doubts, they would genuinely be on my side.
There’d be no worries about securing a professorship, and a much more comfortable life would be possible.
However,
“I refuse.”
“Understood.”
“…Your reaction is quite cool.”
“I anticipated your refusal. Why, though? Just tell me that. I’ll keep it a secret from my father.”
I quietly looked into Emily’s eyes.
The inscrutable eyes of a merchant.
It was impossible to read her true intentions.
‘The reason? Should I tell her?’
The most fundamental reason was that I simply didn’t want to.
Whether it was a sham or not, I was not in a situation to consider any engagement.
‘In a little while, all sorts of calamities will occur, and there will be talk of the world’s end. What good is an engagement?’
Beyond that, there were reasons why I absolutely couldn’t accept her proposal.
‘It’s something I shouldn’t really discuss.’
Perhaps it was because of the help Emily had always provided me that I felt uncomfortable staying silent.
Speaking up wouldn’t change the future we could face, but,
‘It might still be of some help to Emily.’
Not just Emily.
‘…It could also be useful in giving Senin a proper lesson.’
Senin.
It was the first time I mentioned this name.
He was the successor of Duke Rapalt’s family and one of the 16 protagonists of the ‘Hero Academy.’
Specifically, the protagonist of the commerce class in the humanities department.
The problem was, despite being a protagonist, he was incredibly annoying.
Not a villain, but irritating enough to rival one?
Giving him a taste of his own medicine for the future wasn’t a bad idea.
“Will you truly keep this hidden?”
“Of course. What’s the reason?”
I glanced briefly at the cufflinks on Emily’s sleeve.
Contrary to her assurances, they were eavesdropping magical devices.
Installed without Emily’s knowledge.
‘This conversation will reach Duke Volman’s ears.’
It was fine.
Knowing in advance wouldn’t change anything for Duke Volman.
“The reason I refused is…”
I slowly began to speak.
And as I did,
Emily’s eyes began to widen in shock.
* * *
In a mansion as splendid as any, rivaling the palaces of modest kingdoms in scale,
Resided in the wealth of the empire’s greatest family, the Rapalt Ducal House.
At the top floor of this grand estate, a heavy silence prevailed.
“Van, that man defeated the Abyss Puppet? Was he always that remarkable?”
“…He used a self-sacrifice spell, and it was a result backed by luck, it seems.”
“What kind of complacent talk is that? Luck is ultimately part of one’s ability!”
Bang!
Duke Volman of the Rapalt family erupted in anger.
‘Why does he care so much about a nobody like Van the trash? He’s hardly worth noting.’
The butler silently sighed to himself.
Though Van had recently made a name for himself, at the end of the day, he was considered just a promising mage and nothing more than a temporary professor at the academy.
‘If not for his inferiority complex towards the Ecclesia family, His Grace the Duke would not behave this way.’
Among the four great ducal houses, the Rapalt family has the shortest history.
Comparisons with the renowned swordsmanship and magic houses were irrelevant due to their different natures, but the Rapalt family was always considered inferior to the Ecclesias.
A family of money-grubbers with neither the tradition nor the honor to even compare with the Ecclesias.
What infuriated them more was that the Ecclesias didn’t even regard the Rapalts as worth their attention.
‘That wealthy family?’ was about as far as their consideration went, not even acknowledging them as rivals.
‘And now, that trash has even had the audacity to insult Miss Emily.’
Through eavesdropping magical devices, they had overheard his reason for rejecting the engagement proposal, and it was outrageous.
I cannot be engaged to a family that will soon fall into ruin.
The Duke had no idea what was going through that man’s mind when he made such a reckless statement.
Regardless of the reason, Duke Volman was livid with rage.
Grinding his teeth, Duke Volman spoke.
“He’s been assigned the course <Understanding the Basics of Magic>, you say?”
