The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 84
Of course, besides Ouroboros, there were many enemies of the Gem Clan.
Broadly speaking, even the consumers who purchased the sentiments of the Gem Clan could be considered enemies.
However, it was Ouroboros that played a decisive role in leading the Gem Clan to extinction.
‘Sylphin unknowingly becomes a member of Ouroboros later. Eventually, she learns the entire truth and crumbles.’
Sylphin’s character scenario had nothing but bad endings.
No matter how many lives she took, she never succeeded in her revenge and was destined to end in despair, either by suicide or being executed by other protagonists.
‘The scenario was set that way, but not now. This is reality. There’s no such thing as a predetermined fate. Anything can be changed.’
I had no real confidence.
But taking on seemingly difficult challenges was a specialty of the sales king I used to be.
“I will help you with your revenge.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Because I am your professor. Receive my teachings and become stronger than anyone in this world. Strong enough to ascend to the heavens. That’s the only way you can succeed in your revenge.”
Sylphin let out a derisive laugh.
A face saying the story was unrealistic.
“If you’re not confident, then give up. If you can’t even do this much, there’s no chance you’ll ever succeed in your revenge.”
“!!”
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Among her true enemies were beings who had ascended.
“If you decide to trust and follow me, then I will help you. I will become known as the great Van Ecclesia, the legendary L-fessor in the future.”
“……”
Sylphin bit her lip in silence.
Her face deep in thought.
I anxiously awaited her decision.
And then,
“…What if, after I deal with all my true enemies, I decide to kill all other humans too? What would you do then?”
An unexpected question.
“If that’s your choice, I won’t deny it.”
“…Are you serious?”
“However, you’ll have to surpass me. I won’t go down without a fight.”
Sylphin stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Ahaha. Professor, you’re more interesting than I thought. Okay, Sylphie will follow your words.”
Sylphin smiled lightly.
“It certainly seems more fun to kill the real enemies first. But don’t let your guard down. You never know when Sylphie might change her mind and decides to kill you ♥”
I nodded.
‘Sylphin’s hatred towards humans hasn’t vanished.’
It was merely a leash put on with the bait of ‘more important revenge.’
Whether she remains a ferocious beast or not depends on how I proceed from here.
“However, you also have to cooperate with me.”
“Hehe, what is it? Who do I have to kill? Sylphie is looking forward to it.”
“Make sure you don’t skip classes and attend all of them. You also have to rank within the top ten in the upcoming exam.”
“……”
Sylphin promised to show a diligent attitude with a face as if she had chewed on something bitter.
With that, Sylphin’s matter was somewhat settled, and I screamed internally.
‘Argh! This is killing me! Why is being a professor so hard?! Wasn’t this supposed to be easy?’
Hans and Lindon burst in a bit later.
“Master?! You bought a house?! My dream of owning my own place that I’ve never achieved! Oh, Hans here. I’ve been so worried about you, Master, that I couldn’t even sleep at night!”
“Wow, is this the senior’s house? I’m jealous. In the 3 days without the senior, I didn’t have money to eat. Oh, not because of stocks, haha! So, could you perhaps throw me the leftovers from Mari’s food?”
Snort… Lindon… Trash…!
It seems this ordeal was tough for me too, considering I’m actually glad to see these two.
“Let’s have a meal together for old times’ sake. No, let’s have a feast.”
“A feast, you say?”
“Yes, this is a historic moment for Van Ecclesia, securing a new home. We can’t just pass it by without a celebration. A modest commemoration is in order.”
A housewarming was indeed called for with a new home!
“M-May I join as well? I’ve been… diligently working in your absence, Professor.”
“Don’t act like you’re the only one who worked hard. Anyway, the house might be small, but congratulations on the new home.”
Lonely comrades Libel and Catherine chimed in.
Yulia and Wilhelm joined in too, having heard the news from somewhere.
By the way, Yulia and Wilhelm also often hang out together, though it feels more like Yulia unilaterally making use of Wilhelm.
“Hmm, should I just buy you a mansion as a gift? Despite appearances, I’m quite wealthy.”
“Ah… Yulia, why did you bring me along? Ugh, I need to rank within the top five in the upcoming exam to avoid going to jail!”
And so, Libel, Catherine, Yulia, and Wilhelm made it a lively gathering.
By the way, it seemed like the Third Prince Demon Blade was keeping a low profile, likely to avoid drawing attention from the royal family.
‘The more, the merrier for a housewarming. And as for the expenses, we can just charge it to the corporate card under the guise of a celebration.’
However, one thing weighed on my mind.
Catherine is the forsaken child.
Duke Alfonso’s words about Catherine came to mind as I looked at her.
“What are you looking at?”
Her usual prickly and blunt response.
No shadow seemed to fall over her face; fortunately, it seemed like nothing was amiss so far.
“Pro… Professor, please look at my face instead.”
“…Let’s just drink.”
Ignoring Libel, everyone raised their glasses.
The students, all of age 17.
In the empire, it was legal to drink alcohol under the guidance of a ‘guardian’ and in ‘moderate amounts.’
“I’ll give the toast! To the great star of the magical world, Young Master Van, may this new home become the nest for the history you will write! Ugh, I’m so envious!”
With Hans’s toast, glasses clinked, and the night deepened.
For the first time in a long while, I was able to relax and rest comfortably.
However, it was deep in the night, after the housewarming had ended and everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, that it happened.
“!!”
I suddenly awoke.
It was due to a strange sensation.
‘What is it?’
A foreboding feeling I had experienced several times before.
Before a major incident unfolded, I always felt it.
‘Why now, all of a sudden?’
Pa?
Mari also seemed to sense the oddity, waking up with an anxious look in her eyes.
But something was different this time.
Though I was tense and on guard, nothing happened.
Only the sound of Hans snoring beside me, passed out from being drunk, could be heard.
‘That doesn’t mean the ominous feeling has gone away. What is it?’
I looked out the window with wary eyes, but all was quiet.
‘But, isn’t it too quiet? Was it always this silent around this time?’
Then, Lindon, who had been sleeping next to Hans, screamed, he had a nightmare of some sort.
“Aaaah! The stock market’s crashed again! Oh, Van senior, what are you doing? Staring at the moon and trying to look cool? No one’s watching, and yet you always have to strike that pose…”
Half-asleep, Lindon looked puzzled.
“Why is it so dark? Isn’t the moon out?”
“!!”
I was shocked and looked up at the sky.
The moon was still up there.
But its radiance was subtly dimmed.
‘It’s the phenomenon of New Night.’
A special natural occurrence unique to this world, where the light of the moon becomes faint.
I then realized the nature of the unease I was feeling.
‘Why did I forget about this?’
I swallowed hard.
‘The precursor to the “Erased Night” episode.’
An ominous name for an episode.
And indeed, it was no ordinary episode.
A pivotal moment.
‘In the worst case, it could lead to a game-over ending.’
The most dreadful episode of the early semester was beginning to unfold.
* * *
‘The Hero Academy’ has two kinds of game over.
First, if the essential protagonists die or fall behind, making it impossible to clear the story.
Second, if irreversible damage occurs to one of the four prestigious academies.
‘The four prestigious academies aren’t just settings. Each has its role. If any one of them encounters a problem, it could mean the end of the world.’
Failing to properly resolve the ‘Erased Night’ episode would result in irreversible damage to the Ruby Academy.
Despite the looming crisis, the campus was bustling with life.
‘…Maybe I’m worrying too much. After all, Ruby Academy has five protagonists.’
Clearing the Erased Night episode is the protagonists’ responsibility.
After all, the stars of ‘Hero Academy’ are its 16 protagonists.
‘There’s no need to worry about Ruby Academy.’
Excluding the Third Prince Demon Blade, there were still four protagonists there.
And each one was among the most powerful protagonists.
‘With two main protagonists present and Theren from the swordsmanship department being among the strongest protagonists, Sylphin will provide some assistance too.’
This episode could actually present a great opportunity for me.
‘My class alone has four protagonists. Yulia is no less than any of the protagonists and is going to play a major role during the Erased Night episode.’
My students securing the academy’s safety?
As their instructor, my guidance rating would naturally hit the top marks!
‘So, it’s fine. I shouldn’t worry… right?’
I fell silent for a moment.
But no, there was a significant issue.
‘When exactly does Catherine awaken?’
Catherine was dubbed ‘the worst dud of the magical lineage.’
However, that wasn’t true.
The one who truly lacked talent was Joanna, not Catherine. Catherine was the exact opposite.
She was just ‘unawakened,’ destined to shine brighter than anyone else.
‘She should have awakened by now on her own. Why is there still no news?’
I felt troubled.
There was a timing for Catherine’s awakening.
The early start of the new semester was the deadline.
If she doesn’t awaken now, she never will.
‘No! If Catherine, a main protagonist, fails to play her role, this world is doomed!’
It was another form of game over.
The problem was that no one could help with Catherine’s awakening.
It had to come from her, on her own.
‘I need to find out why her awakening is delayed.’
That’s when I saw a familiar face across from the lecture hall.
It was Balas.
I was about to simply ignore and walk past him, but Balas caught hold of me.
“Please wait a moment. I want to express my gratitude to you.”
“Is this about the recent lecture evaluation? That’s unlike you.”
Balas frowned.
“It’s not about that. I’m referring to Lady Catherine, the second daughter.”
A rather unexpected topic.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to Lady Catherine. I knew she was being persecuted and yet, out of fear of the magical lineage’s gaze, I offered her no help.”
“And why are you thanking me?”
“Because of you, Lady Catherine’s demeanor has brightened.”
“!!”
Balas said with a begrudging expression.
“Though I hate to admit it, it seems Lady Catherine has come to rely on you greatly.”
In his words, I realized why Catherine hadn’t awakened yet.
‘It’s because of me. I’ve been hindering Catherine’s growth.’
