The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 76

Finally, the power of the demon erupted, and the explosion crashed into the magic circle.

It was more potent than I had anticipated, requiring all my strength,

‘No, will this lead to mana exhaustion symptoms?’

Even though it was magic manifested by students, as the core, I had to use mana too.

My meager mana evaporated in an instant, and I suffered from mana exhaustion.

For your reference, a typical symptom of mana exhaustion is fainting.

My body felt incredibly heavy, and my vision darkened.

‘…Wait, if I faint like this, it could lead to even more misunderstanding…’

“No, you must not die! Professor! sniff“

“Why are you saying such words? Why are you crying?! Who said anyone’s dying?! Professor Van, why do you always sacrifice yourself like this?! If you die, I won’t let it go, so can you please open your eyes right now?!”

“Hah! Are you going to die like this? Get yourself together!”

The overlapping voices of misunderstanding piled up, but I couldn’t say a word.

As students rushed towards me, I lost consciousness completely.

 

*    *    *

 

Van’s miracle was astonishing.

Despite the explosion of demonic energy, the situation concluded without any casualties.

Van’s declaration to ensure no one got hurt had been fulfilled.

However, one person.

The protagonist who caused this miracle, Van, was the only one who lost consciousness and collapsed, causing a commotion.

…In truth, it was nothing more than exhaustion, but when people misunderstood due to the self-sacrificial spell used earlier, chaos ensued.

“Hmm. How boring.”

In the highest seat of the hall,

A girl was wearing a bored expression.

But something was off.

Wearing a uniform with a name tag indicating she was a first-year student, it was clear she was a freshman. However, despite sitting conspicuously in an open seat, no one seemed to recognize the girl, and she hadn’t participated in the competition.

“I was really looking forward to this, but what’s this? It ended so blandly without even the satisfaction of contributing to the demon’s cooperation. I was hoping at least 50 people would die.”

This incident wasn’t caused solely by the demon; this girl had a hand in it too!

Moreover, she wished for 50 people to die?

Madness flickered in the girl’s eyes.

“For a while, it’ll be hard to find anything fun to do at the academy, so I should go out and play. Come to think of it, I heard there’s going to be a Dark Auction soon. Should I go?”

The girl stretched.

“I wonder how many I can kill there? Hehe, I’m looking forward to it~♥”

A cheerful hum that didn’t match the horrifying content.

Before leaving, the girl glanced briefly downward.

She saw Van, who had sacrificially collapsed for everyone.

“Come to think of it, was that professor my assigned instructor?”

Contempt flickered in the girl’s eyes.

Those who acted so nobly were the ones the girl detested the most.

“Disgusting.”

Pooof!

And so.

Using the alias ‘Susan,’ she was a long-term absent student from Van’s class, and one of the 16 protagonists.

One day, the girl who would later be known as the ‘Massacrist Mage,’ leaving behind a sinister scent, disappeared.

 

*    *    *

 

Thanks to the self-sacrificial spell, I slept like a log for three days.

They say sleep is the best medicine, and my body felt incredibly refreshed.

‘But that’s not the problem.’

After sleeping for three days and waking up, the world had changed.

This time, quite literally.

   

…I felt like I was reading gossip daily’s statements with the words I never even made.

As I sat there in bewilderment, someone entered the hospital room.

It was Professor Burnstein.

“Our hero Van, are you awake?”

“Hero? What are you talking about?”

“Thanks to you, so many students’ lives were saved. It’s fair to call you a hero. Now, no one at Ruby Academy will dare to call you ‘Trash Van’ disrespectfully.”

It truly felt like the world had changed.

“By the way, how’s your body?”

“I am fine now.”

After sleeping for three whole days, it felt like I had truly flown away.

But Burnstein frowned slightly.

“Your body probably isn’t in good shape yet, but you’re forcing yourself to appear strong.”

“…”

Burnstein let out a deep sigh.

“I examined your condition with the chancellor, and we couldn’t fathom it. You must have paid a serious price. Going to such lengths for the students.”

Perhaps people couldn’t examine my internal state due to the nature of the Grand Practitioner’s passive magic.

Thanks to that, tons of misunderstandings arose.

“…I’m really fine.”

“Just don’t overdo the tough act. I know your heart well enough.”

‘No, you don’t seem to know at all?’

I decided to keep my mouth shut, fearing I would just keep digging myself deeper into the pit.

“Former Headmaster Rudolph was also very concerned about you. He wanted to come with me, but since you still need to rest, he sent a gift instead.”

I glanced at the message written on the surface of the gift and fell silent for a moment.

   

…Would it be delusional to feel burdened affection in carefully crafted words?

Even though it was originally intended, I felt like there was no turning back from this incident.

‘…Still, it’s probably an expensive magical tool, so I’ll accept it. After all, there’s no harm in receiving a gift.’

“I have something to tell you. It seems that besides Baron Aiden, someone else was involved in this incident.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Even for a high-ranking demon, it’s not easy to exert influence over students who have nothing to do with them. It seems that someone at the academy assisted in the demon’s actions.”

I wore a serious expression.

I didn’t want to be interested, but this was not something I could ignore.

‘Who could possibly do such a dreadful thing?’

Someone at the academy had used their hands to cause dozens, even hundreds, of deaths.

‘Ruby has its fair share of villains, but it’s rare for someone to commit such a terrible act. Wait, could it be?’

I swallowed hard.

One person came to mind.

‘…No. We’re still not sure if that Massacrist Mage has come to Ruby or not.’

I tried to shake my head, but I couldn’t deny that the possibility was increasing.

‘…We still haven’t identified who the main character from the support department at Ruby is.’

Catherine and Libel from the Magic Department.

Theren, from the Swordsmanship Department.

And Demon Blade Mikhail, from the Humanities Department.

There should be one more person in the Support Department.

‘If the main player from the support Department is indeed the Massacrist Mage, what should I do?’

My heart sank.

As I’ve explained before, among the 16 protagonists, there are different tiers.

Four are main characters, four are sub-main characters, and four are supporting characters.

The remaining four are villainous types.

‘Unless there’s some special miracle, they’ll all become dreadful villains.’

The worst of them were two individuals.

The Demon Brain and the Massacrist Mage.

Among them, if you had to choose one, people would undoubtedly pick the Massacrist Mage.

‘While there’s a chance for change with the Demon Brain, the Massacrist Mage is beyond redemption.’

Especially the Massacrist Mage, with the deceitful cheat abilities, making it difficult to thwart her misdeeds.

“It seems there’s something bothering you.”

“…”

“Whatever it is, I’ll offer one piece of advice. Don’t do foolish things like this alone, thinking you can handle it by yourself. You’re not alone. I’ll always be here to support you.”

“…I don’t intend to…”

“You’re saying that again. Didn’t I tell you that I know what’s on your mind?”

No matter what I said, I felt like he wouldn’t believe me, so I just kept quiet.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. It wouldn’t do to monopolize your time any longer, or the students might start resenting me.”

“??”

With a wide grin, Professor Burnstein opened the door to the ward, revealing a multitude of faces peering in.

“Master, how are you feeling?! This Hans was so worried about you that I was on the verge of dying of hunger!”

“Three square meals and snacks on top of that, what nonsense are you spouting, old man? Just look at the double chin you’ve developed. Senior, you know I’m the only one genuinely concerned about you, right? Haha.”

“You rascal!! I forced myself to eat just to gather enough strength to worry about Master! And what do you know about worry?! Weren’t you just nagging about how this was the perfect opportunity to laze around?!”

“What? Why are you bringing that up? You were lazy too, weren’t you, old man?”

Smack! Pak! Smack!

It wasn’t just the two of them.

There was the teary-eyed Libel, the frowning Catherine, Yulia sneakily checking on my condition while nonchalantly folding her arms, and even Wilhelm, who seemed to have been dragged along reluctantly.

Professor Burnstein chuckled softly.

“Do you know how worried those students were about you?”

“…”

It was truly unusual.

Just a moment ago, I was regretting the events at the academy, but seeing the concerned faces of those worried about me, I had this thought.

Maybe, it’s not all that bad.

‘…Of course, getting closer could be awkward.’

“Feeling tired, why don’t you all head back.”

“Are you feeling embarrassed?”

“…No, I’m really just tired.”

“T-The sight of the great professor being shy… how precious.”

“Why do you have to be cute when you’re embarrassed? So annoying. Well, of course, I’m not saying I was worried or anything.”

Even if it’s Libel and Catherine…

“Haha, what a cute twist. I like this professor even more.”

“Professor, you’re adorable! So, does that mean you won’t send me to prison anymore?”

“…I told everyone to leave.”

The stream of visitors didn’t stop after that.

‘Hmm. The world really has changed.’

It wasn’t just an exaggeration.

The faces of those who came to inquire about my health were out of the ordinary.

“Professor, I’m the student council president.”

“Why the student council president?”

“I’ve come to express my gratitude as a representative of the students for saving them.”

The third-year student council president, whom I didn’t even recognize, came and bowed to express thanks.

“I also want to apologize. Truth be told, I’ve heard rumors of you being called ‘Trash Van’ behind your back, but I’ve turned a blind eye to it.”

“…….”

“In the future, if any student engages in such inappropriate behavior towards you, I will take measures within the student council to stop it.”

But that’s not all.

“I’m Laiten, a professor from the Swordsmanship Department. Though you’re a mage, your sacrifice this time is truly admirable and serves as an example for knights!”

“I’m Adon from the Humanities Department. I was also moved by your dedication to the students. I apologize for any misunderstandings and nonsense I may have said about you to the students during lectures.”

The professors came and said,

“Professor Van, here are invitations from our masters. Please visit whenever you have time; we would appreciate it.”

“We are planning a banquet for our family this time, and we would be delighted if you could attend.”

Various influential figures from the free city reached out to establish connections.

‘Of course, such cases are rare and few, but still, it’s quite something.’

Until recently, I was just a mere professor, but now I have experienced a remarkable rise in status.

By the way, the most touching words I received were these:

“…Thanks to you, Professor, our child survived. You are the savior of our child’s life.”

“I-I’m also grateful.”

Those who had been affected by the demon’s schemes came to express their gratitude.

There were also students who came with their parents, and they all expressed their gratitude so deeply that it made me feel somewhat burdened.

Although it was tough at the time, it felt rewarding.

Even Chancellor Karak visited.

Fortunately, it seemed that he didn’t dwell on the words I had spoken back then.

However,

Ohoho, Professor Van, what happened this time was truly impressive. Will you continue to give your best for the academy?

Here, “the academy” refers to the loyalty towards him, the chancellor.

I naturally nodded in agreement, but,

Hoho, understood. I’ll be counting on you in the future.

‘…Don’t say it with such a fake look. You’re so suspicious.’

The Chancellor Karak seemed to continue to be wary of me.

Nevertheless, he gave me a gift, a week-long sick leave combined with a reward vacation.

‘Vacation is the best!’

What more could I dream of?

Isn’t this the life of luxury?

‘Finally, the first rest after becoming Van!’

With lofty dreams in mind, I headed home.

“I’m finally going home. Mari, aren’t you homesick too?”

Kyuu! Papah!

‘I wonder what we’ll do and rest for a week. As expected, the best thing is probably lazing around at home without a care in the world, right?’

Even though the noise between floors was stressful, home was still the best.

But then,

“…What’s this?”

Kkyuu…?

There was no home.

It was definitely there before, but now it had turned into an empty lot.

More precisely, it had turned into a pile of ashes.