The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12
Blast.
The Black Flame Dragon’s mouth had gotten us into trouble again.
But Katrine’s reaction took me by surprise.
I’d expected her to fly into a rage and attack Lich, given her usual arrogant, crude temperament.
“…What are you even saying right now?”
“Huh?”
“…Ban, why are you saying you’ll protect me? Have you lost your mind?”
Her words were still rough, but there was no bite in her voice—something venomous had drained away.
Looking closer, I caught a flicker of confusion in those cold, sharp eyes.
‘…Don’t tell me she actually took what I said as genuine concern.’
Then it hit me.
‘Katrine’s never been protected by anyone in her life.’
From birth, she’d been abandoned by her father and mother.
Even after joining the Prestigious Magic Family, no one had ever shielded her.
Everyone was her enemy.
She’d never experienced the ordinary protection that every other child in the world takes for granted from adults.
No wonder she was reacting like this.
The classic ‘You’re the first one to ever do this for me’ moment.
‘…Should I try to manipulate Katrine?’
The thought wormed its way in.
I’d meant to exclude her because there was no chance she’d obey my orders willingly.
But looking at the mood now, I thought I might be able to coax her into doing exactly what I wanted.
“Do you want to catch that Lich so badly? Then do as I say.”
“What nonsense—!”
“Or do you really think you can catch that Lich on your own? Quite the reckless boast.”
Katrine hesitated.
Because I was right.
“Ban, are you saying you can catch that Lich?”
“That’s right. With my greatness, anything’s possible. Trust me.”
“Ha!”
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll handle it alone. You’re in the way, so get back. Just stand there admiring me as I take care of this Lich—that suits you better anyway.”
In the end, Katrine gritted her teeth and spoke.
“If you’re lying, I won’t let it slide.”
Bingo.
She’d taken the bait.
I extended my hand.
“Take this Magical Sword.”
“…A Magical Sword?”
“Yes. When I give the signal, strike at that Lich with all your strength using this blade.”
Katrine’s brow furrowed.
“I’m a mage. I’ve never handled a sword before…”
“Even so, swinging this Magical Sword will work better than your pathetic magic. Surely you’re not delusional enough to think your weak magic would actually work on a Lich?”
Katrine fell silent, as if struck dumb.
For the record, despite being seventeen—the age students typically enter the academy—she’d never mastered the First Star Rank.
For someone from a Prestigious Magic Family, it was a desperately inadequate achievement.
“Remember this: when I give the signal, swing the blade, then immediately withdraw.”
After repeating my instructions, I turned toward Lich.
Lich showed no sign of awareness, as though still asleep.
‘It regains consciousness in response to the opponent’s mana.’
My mana reserves were so negligible that it remained dormant.
It was an opening I could exploit.
‘But once I make my move, it’ll wake up. I have to shatter its Life Vessel with my Transcendent Technique before Lich can mount a real counterattack.’
It was a race against time.
Whether Lich’s retaliation would strike me first, or whether I’d destroy the Life Vessel first.
‘I can do this.’
I swallowed hard.
My heart hammered in my chest.
‘Think of the comfortable, brilliant future ahead. I can do this.’
I stared into Lich’s chest.
Deep within lay a Life Vessel, its core exposed.
As I focused, the magical incantation came into view.
It was a Seven Star Grade magical incantation, condensing no fewer than seven stars.
‘That star in the center—that’s the core!’
My Transcendent Technique pierced through the very essence of the stars, revealing which one held the most critical function.
‘The second star protects the whole thing, and the fourth and fifth stars orbit like satellites around the core.’
The core itself had its own protection too—a triple layer of defense.
With only a millet-seed amount of Mana at my disposal, there was no way to breach it directly.
‘But if I find the gap…it’s possible.’
The second star’s defense was broad.
There were faint openings scattered throughout.
The fourth and fifth stars moved like satellites, filling those gaps.
But in a single instant, as the two stars crossed paths, a crack appeared.
A window only I could exploit.
‘Now!’
I raised my hand.
Black Flame Dragon’s charisma seized the opportunity without hesitation, delivering a flawless incantation.
“Vanish, filthy beast of chaos.”
The spell activated.
A One Star Grade Mana Needle.
A basic attack spell that pierced the target with a needle of pure Mana.
It would cause only a slight sting, possessing no lethal force whatsoever, yet strike at the precise moment in the precise location and it could produce effects beyond imagination.
[KYAAAAAAAA!!!]
Crash!
The Life Vessel’s defensive incantation shattered.
But I had only dismantled the defense—the core still stood unbroken.
Lich’s voice erupted with fury.
[How dare you…! To one such as I, the Recluse of Darkness…!]
Lich raised his hand.
Whoosh!
Magical Energy of darkness gathered—Dark Mana was beginning to manifest as Dark Magic.
The moment that Dark Magic struck me, I’d be like a fly swatted flat.
But.
“Now!”
“Ha!”
Katrine, who had been waiting behind me, thrust her blade forward.
Clumsy technique, perhaps, but the strike was resolute and unhesitating—befitting the future Light Champion she would become.
[Tch! Insignificant humans, dare you…!!]
The magic infused in her blade was the Sacred attribute’s Holy Sword.
It gave Lich pause.
It lasted only an instant, but that moment was worth its weight in gold.
‘My victory!’
Lich belatedly manifested Dark Magic, drawing together a fog of darkness, but destroying the Life Vessel’s core would be faster.
Yet something I hadn’t anticipated occurred.
“You worthless fool! All that talk and posturing! Watch out!!”
Thinking I was in danger, Katrine leapt in front of me and swung her Magical Sword at the fog of darkness.
My heart was grateful for the gesture.
‘But it’s dangerous!!’
The fog surged toward Katrine instead of me.
My vision went black.
My original plan had been to shatter the core and escape backward using magic—preparations complete.
But if things continued this way, even if I escaped, Katrine would be caught in the fog and die.
‘No! If Katrine dies, who’ll save the world?!’
I clenched my teeth.
I had to find a way.
Then, a single thought flashed through my mind.
‘What if…?’
I didn’t know if it was possible.
If it failed, I’d be caught in that terrible fog alongside her.
But.
‘Katrine has to fight in my place—she’s my pawn! I can’t let her die!’
“Foolish. Did I not ask you to trust me?”
Tap. Tap.
As I reached out my hand, a sound rang out like dust scattering through the air.
Mana dust.
More precisely, the residue flowing from the Magical Sword that Katrine had been wielding—the Holy Sword.
“What, what are you trying to do?”
Katrine’s eyes widened.
She’d grasped that I was attempting something impossible.
What I was trying to do was manifest magic using the mana residue scattered in the air.
I had no idea if it would work.
Deploying magic on the spot using mana drifting in empty space was theoretically impossible in the first place.
But.
‘Somehow, I think I can do this.’
“Watch closely.”
The residue of luminous mana arranged itself around me in an orderly pattern.
Like a single star.
The faint particles of mana that had danced between the vertices became points, then connected into lines.
An improvised magic circle.
“This is true magic.”
What manifested was a One Star Rank Shield Magic.
Yet its power was incomprehensibly formidable for a One Star Rank spell.
Strong enough to hold back the Lich’s Death Mist for a time.
At the same moment.
Crack!
The Life Vessel shattered.
[ROOOAAAAARGH!!!]
-You have destroyed the Lich’s core!
-You have conquered the Weeping Cave!
-You have obtained the Mysterious Magic: Shadow Sword!
Done!!
It was close, but we succeeded.
‘The Shadow Sword pairs perfectly with the Grand Master Art. With this, a recruitment test is nothing….’
But then an unexpected message appeared.
-You have become Katrine’s (Hero Candidate) benefactor!
-Katrine’s Intimacy toward you increases!
‘…What is this?’
Cold sweat poured down my back.
* * *
Intimacy.
It was one of the systems in the Hero Academy.
Through interaction between protagonists, their ‘Intimacy’ with one another could increase, and this Intimacy would have an important influence on future scenario development.
‘…But I’m not even a protagonist—I’m just an Extra! Why am I getting an Intimacy system?!’
It didn’t seem to be a false message.
Outside the cave, resting, Katrine was staring at me from across the way with an intensity that could kill.
‘What do I do?’
I felt troubled.
As I’ve said repeatedly, I need to avoid the protagonists.
And yet here I was, drawing the aggro of the most dangerous bomb of all.
‘Ugh. But I couldn’t just let her die either. Who’s going to save the world if Katrine dies?!’
I had no choice but to clean up the mess.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t trying to save you specifically.”
Ah.
This doesn’t seem right.
Katrine’s gaze had become strange.
As I was about to make more excuses, Katrine cut me off with a sigh.
“…When did you master such magic?”
“I didn’t master it. I’ve always been a genius.”
“…Ban, are you saying that?”
“Yes. Until now, the world simply failed to recognize my genius, and so I wandered.”
Katrine’s expression said I was talking nonsense, but I kept my face confident.
What was there to do when he insisted it was true?
In the end, Katrine couldn’t press the matter further.
Instead, she let out a sigh, then asked something unexpected.
“…Could I become like you someday?”
Her voice was heavy with genuine worry.
‘Hmm.’
I found myself hesitating.
‘That’s impossible.’
Katrine had one fundamental ‘problem’.
I couldn’t tell her the solution directly.
She had to understand it herself.
‘Wait. What if I do this?’
A way to make Katrine recognize her own shortcomings suddenly occurred to me.
Above all else.
‘With this method, I can keep her far away from me!!’
“It’s hard for you to become like me. I’m a natural genius blessed by heaven, while you’re a hopeless fool who’ll never learn.”
“…….”
“However, it’s not impossible. Going forward, gain more practical combat experience.”
“…Practical combat?”
“Yes. As a future distinguished professor, I guarantee you—practical experience will be far more effective for you than mere study. Go to Peridot Academy.”
Peridot Academy was adjacent to the Demon Territory.
It was famous for its practical-combat-oriented approach.
Struggling endlessly against monsters, Katrine would eventually recognize her own weaknesses.
‘Besides, Peridot Academy is the farthest from Rubines Academy, so I’ll never have to see her again!’
It wasn’t that I disliked Katrine.
But you know how it is, don’t you?
The farther apart, the better.
Keeping only good feelings while staying forever separate—that would be ideal.
And yet.
“A distinguished professor? Surely you don’t mean you’re planning to become a professor? At which academy?”
“…Rubines Academy. Why do you ask?”
“…I was just wondering.”
Katrine clamped her mouth shut firmly.
“I’m saying this for your sake. You absolutely must go to Peridot Academy. Believe me.”
I emphasized it again with sincerity.
“…Understood. I’ll go to Rubines Academy.”
“…No, I said Peridot Academy.”
“Yes, Rubines Academy.”
“…….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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