The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 79
‘The first encounter is crucial.’
I racked my brain.
The Massacrist Mage desired the extinction of humanity for the revenge of her kin. Kindness would only repulse her.
But if I were cruel?
That would only incite more anger. So, I couldn’t treat her too kindly or too harshly.
It was clear why she was considered irredeemable.
‘There’s only one way. I need to “tame” her.’
“Why do you think I bought you?”
“I-I don’t know. Please, spare me.”
“Stop pretending to be scared. I know you’re acting. You’ve survived as the last of the Gem Clan, so you must have some hidden power.”
“……”
Sylphin’s expression turned impassive.
Chills crawled onto my spine, but with the help of the Dark Flame Dragon, I managed to show no weaknesses.
‘I have to handle this carefully from now on.’
Can a beast become friends with humans?
Impossible. Genetically, they are instinctively hostile towards humans.
Yet, there are those who tame such beasts and command them.
I had to ‘tame’ the Massacrist Mage.
‘Like walking a tightrope, like climbing a cliff on one foot, it’s going to be perilous and difficult.’
The essence of taming involves both carrot and stick, but for a formidable beast like the Massacrist Mage, a stick wouldn’t work.
I needed a different approach.
I recalled dealing with the most difficult clients and continued.
“You probably want to kill me right now, don’t you? In fact, you want to kill all humans. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
Sylphin stared at me intently.
Her expression seemed to say, ‘What nonsense are you spouting?’
“Whatever your true intentions are, it’s not my concern. You just need to work for me.”
“Work?”
“Killing. I need to see blood.”
“!!”
“I plan to drench this Dark Auction in blood.”
Seeing the immediate spark of interest in Sylphin’s eyes, I clenched my fists.
What I was attempting was essentially ‘bait training’.
‘I’ll feed you well if you follow me, so please don’t eat me.’
At least until the bait ran out, she wouldn’t consider devouring me.
“Hmm.”
Sylphin crossed her legs.
She had completely abandoned her gloomy act.
The slave marks engraved by the dark mages were there, but due to her cheat abilities, they were ineffective on her.
“What will you do if I end up killing you too?”
A genuine smile flashed across her face.
This was the crucial moment.
I needed her to see me not as food, but as a master to follow.
“If you wish to forsake revenge for your kin, feel free to try.”
“!!”
“I have no hobby of keeping a dog that bites its owner.”
A wave of intense pressure bore down on Sylphin.
Of course, it was all bluster, but it was the bluster of the Dark Flame Dragon.
Sylphin’s face stiffened.
Not that she was scared.
She quickly returned to smiling.
“Hehe, you’re more interesting than I thought. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead with you, Master♥”
Her voice was dripping with honey.
Translated, it meant something like, ‘I’ll endure for now, but I’m excitedly anticipating the day I shall kill you.’
‘Oh dear, my fate. What sin have I committed to deal with such a psychopath?’
The Massacrist Mage wasn’t solely driven by revenge.
She was also a hedonistic killer who enjoyed murder.
A hedonistic killer with the pretext of avenging her kin was virtually unstoppable.
Having thrown the bait of painting the Dark Auction in blood, she would be content for the time being.
The real issue was what would follow, but I had already devised a plan for that.
‘First, I need to focus on stealing the Gray Ritual Tome. It’s been put up as a private bid item, and a winner has already been decided.’
Unlike the public auction that had taken place earlier, this was a private auction conducted using the Philosopher’s Stone server.
‘The winning bidder is someone with a fox mask. Just a level 6 dark mage of no particular note. But that’s not the problem.’
I gulped as I reviewed the bidding information.
The winning bid was 3.47 million Penas. Considering its value, the Gray Ritual Tome was sold at an astonishingly low price compared to the others.
The real issue followed.
‘The item is to be stored at the Dark Mage Tower until the end of the auction period.’
Usually, items are claimed immediately, but sometimes bidders request storage at the Dark Mage Tower, fearing theft or robbery by other attendees.
Meaning, I had to somehow steal the Gray Ritual Tome from the Dark Mage Tower itself.
‘Damn it.’
The mere thought was daunting, but it had to be done.
I stood up.
“Get ready. We have somewhere to go.”
To the puzzled Massacrist Mage, I simply said,
“We’re attending a banquet.”
* * *
The Dark Auction spans over 5 days.
Only the first day involves actual bidding; the rest is filled with non-stop revelry and feasting.
‘This banquet is what the Dark Auction is really about.’
There’s one rule in the banquet hall.
You must not harm your fellow attendees.
Beyond that, the Dark Mage Tower doesn’t intervene, no matter what happens.
‘People devise all sorts of schemes to “legally” steal treasures from each other.’
To attend this banquet, one had to bring the treasure they won as proof of entry.
It’s an outright encouragement to steal each other’s treasures.
If one didn’t want their treasures stolen, they could simply stay in their rooms provided by the hosts, but the banquet hall was bustling with people.
Driven by greed, they all wanted to snatch away each other’s treasures.
‘The Gray Ritual Tome won’t be at this banquet, of course.’
As mentioned earlier, the winning bidder had requested storage for the Gray Ritual Tome at the Dark Mage Tower.
It wouldn’t appear at this banquet.
[Welcome. May we verify the item you’ve won?]
“Here is the item.”
[Confirmed. The one with the rabbit mask has arrived! Let’s welcome them with a round of applause!]
The noisy banquet hall came to a sudden halt.
Everyone turned to look at me.
“The rabbit mask?”
“Who is he really? To pay something like 50 million penas?”
“Even my master couldn’t see through the rabbit mask’s identity.”
“If your master is close to reaching the ‘Grandmaster’ level at Lv. 7, that’s incredible. It doesn’t make sense. Could the one with the rabbit mask be a Transcendent at Lv. 8?”
Eyes filled with suspicion.
It was understandable.
An unfathomable level of power.
Astonishing wealth.
And the majesty of the Dark Flame Dragon to boot.
To anyone observing, I was a titan among titans.
Then something happened that further fueled their speculation.
“M-Master, I’m scared. Please protect me.”
The Massacrist Mage trembled and leaned on me for support.
Wondering what her angle was, I saw the Massacrist Mage flash a mischievous smile.
Just for fun.
‘…She always was a trickster. The problem was that her pranks always ended in bloodshed.’
The attendees murmured at the sight of the Massacrist Mage’s behavior.
“He got the better of a prideful member of the Gem Clan in just half a day?”
“Those of the Gem Clan are stubborn, refusing to bend even under torture, let alone to anyone.”
“What exactly is his identity? Could it be… one of the Ten Demons?”
The mention of the Ten Demons chilled the room.
Even if they considered themselves influential, the Ten Demons weren’t names to be casually thrown around.
The person who first mentioned it quickly shut up, but the word ‘Ten Demons’ had already made a lasting impression on everyone.
They whispered among themselves.
“A Demon Lord here, in this place? They must have sent an emissary.”
“An emissary of that caliber?”
“But, did anyone see the Unlimited Card the rabbit mask pulled out? There was something familiar about the emblem, wasn’t there?”
I didn’t respond.
I couldn’t care less about your babbling.
I left them with a disdainful expression, and my aloof demeanor only deepened their misunderstandings.
‘Now’s about the time for them to start biting.’
It was then that whispers began circulating among the attendees.
“That emblem on the card earlier, wasn’t it the emblem of the reversed heaven symbol, the King of Contrary Heaven?”
“…Is the one with the rabbit mask the King of Contrary Heaven?”
That moment was interrupted by a low whisper nearby.
“Van Ecclesia, what exactly are you up to now?”
Turning, I saw a lady wearing a mantis mask staring at me intently.
Shockingly, she knew my identity!
She hadn’t seen through the mask.
“First, you disobey his commands, and now you’re impersonating him? Do you have a death wish?”
This lady was also a follower of the King of Contrary Heaven!
The very person I had been waiting for.
I addressed the lady.
For context, as soon as the conversation started, a magical barrier was erected to prevent anyone outside from hearing our discussion.
“Aren’t you doing the same, disobeying the King of Contrary Heaven’s will?”
“What did you say?”
“Your being here isn’t by his command, is it?”
I smirked, calling the lady by her name.
“Isn’t that right? The Witch of Tyranny, Duchess Beth?”
“!!”
Indeed.
The lady was none other than Duchess Beth, the matriarch of a renowned magical family.
‘Beth has always had deep connections with the King of Contrary Heaven.’
Not just because she was a named villain.
She was related to the ‘true identity’ of the King of Contrary Heaven.
They shared a closer relationship than anyone.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were also here to buy the Brain Elixir for Joanna with the King of Contrary Heaven’s money, weren’t you? That wasn’t approved by him, was it?”
The elixir purported to enhance intelligence.
Despite its severe side effects, its effectiveness made it highly sought after among magicians.
However, she failed to acquire it.
“A bidding price of just 500,000 penas, and you came to the Dark Auction without even that amount. Isn’t that a bit petty? Or is it the King of Contrary Heaven who’s being stingy? Even with your relationship, he wouldn’t permit 500,000 penas.”
“You…”
“Enough. I will handle obtaining the Gray Ritual Tome commissioned by the King of Contrary Heaven myself. You don’t need to worry about it. But, are you willing to return empty-handed?”
Duchess Beth closed her mouth.
“Let me acquire the Illumination Elixir for you.”
“!!”
An elixir far superior to the Brain Elixir.
It was said to enhance not only intelligence but overall magical talent.
Its bidding price was a staggering 3.5 million penas.
“How can you? The one who won the Illumination Elixir is the ‘Knight of the Dead’.”
A Level 6 Necromancer.
Although Duchess Beth was of higher rank, the problem was that the bidder was affiliated with the Order.
Untouchable.
“I can make it happen. But, you’ll have to do one thing for me.”
“Do one thing?”
“Yes, it’s neither difficult nor demanding.”
Duchess Beth snorted but couldn’t hide her interest.
“It’s simple. During the banquet period, accompany me as my partner and serve me as your master.”
“What? Do you truly seek death?!”
“Everyone secretly knows you have a deep connection with the King of Contrary Heaven. If you serve me as your master, everyone will be convinced that I am indeed the King of Contrary Heaven.”
Duchess Beth gritted her teeth.
‘I dislike the idea of you accompanying me as much as you do. I’d rather dance a sexy tango with bald Hans.’
To have the Massacrist Mage and the Witch of Cruelty as companions.
Truly a banquet from hell, but for the sake of my goals, it was necessary.
