The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 14

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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 14
Balik’s face went slack with disbelief. He thought I was joking.
But when he saw the steadiness in my eyes, his mouth snapped shut.
“…You’re serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Balik bit his lip hard.
“Fine. What kind of wager are we talking about?”
“Anything.”
“…What?”
“You pick the event. I won’t lose, regardless of what we choose.”
Balik’s brow furrowed sharply.
“You’ve really lost your mind! Alright then—Butterfly War it is. You’d better prepare yourself!”
Unlike knights who tested their skill solely through swordplay duels, mages had developed many varied methods of measuring their prowess against one another.
Butterfly War was among the most popular.
“The dueling chamber is this way.”
Because dueling culture ran so deep in the empire’s upper society, the tavern had even set aside a luxuriously appointed dueling arena.
One could watch while drinking.
Those nursing their drinks became spectators, chattering excitedly.
“Professor Balik and Young Lord Ban are going to compete in magic?”
“How could there be any contest? Young Lord Ban has Mana Insensitivity.”
“Even so, he insulted the house—he can’t just leave it at that! I saw Young Lord Ban again today. I’d written him off as a pitiful fool, but he showed real backbone.”
“Still, it’s an utterly reckless challenge.”
“Well, we’re just here to watch and enjoy, aren’t we? Let’s place some bets. I’m putting 300 Pena on Professor Balik.”
“I’ll put 500 Pena on Balik.”
“Balik for me too. Does anyone have money for Young Lord Ban? We won’t have a proper wager otherwise!”
Betting on duels was an ancient tradition.
Naturally, no one placed money on my victory.
Then a rough voice cut through the crowd.
It was Hans.
“1,000 Pena on Young Lord Ban.”
!!
Six months’ wages for a commoner.
‘…Hans, that pauper. Isn’t that nearly his entire fortune?’
And Hans didn’t stop there.
He turned to the tavern manager.
“I’ll pledge my Mage License Certificate and take out a loan from you. You can advance me 10,000 Pena on the spot, yes?”
The tavern erupted.
“Is he insane?”
“He’s betting over 10,000 Pena on Young Lord Ban?”
Hans smirked, needling them all.
“You cowards who only throw pocket change around shouldn’t talk so much. Keep your eyes wide open and watch Young Lord Ban’s greatness unfold. All your money will be mine.”
“What nonsense is this? I’m adding another 1,000 Pena to Balik!”
“And another 2,000 for me!”
The stakes ballooned in an instant, and my face went slack.
‘…That bald old man?’
Greed glinted unmistakably in Hans’s eyes.
It was the gleam of someone betting heavily on my victory—a greedy man out to make his fortune.
‘…Not a terrible idea, actually.’
I gestured to the manager.
“I’ll place a wager on myself too. 1,000 Pena.”
It was every coin I had.
In other words, losing meant I’d be left with nothing.
“Ha! Have you truly gone mad? Money too?”
Balik let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.
I crossed my arms. Thanks to the Black Flame Dragon’s charisma, arrogance radiated from me naturally.
“Balik, you don’t seem confident in your victory.”
“What…?”
“I’m certain of my win, and I’ve staked everything on it. What can you wager? Oh, you can’t—you’re a junior branch nobody with no money to your name, aren’t you? That’s understandable. Perhaps you should ask the Rapalt Ducal House to raise your allowance.”
“I’ll bet 10,000 Pena!!”
Bingo.
I’d worried that living expenses in the Free City would be astronomical, but it seemed manageable for now.
What if I ran out of money?
‘That won’t happen.’
I thought with unshakeable confidence.
“Prepare yourself.”
Balik unleashed his magic.
A whisper of sound.
A butterfly made of mana materialized in the air.
The Butterfly War was a contest where these mana-constructed butterflies were pitted against one another—a test of mana’s purity and the skill to wield it.
“Impressive! I thought you specialized in Manipulation School, but butterflies that size? Each one the size of a palm!”
“Not just one! Five of them!”
I released my own magic.
A whisper of sound.
A single butterfly bloomed into existence.
Compared to Balik’s towering butterflies, mine looked pathetically small.
“Well, at least you managed to conjure one, Ban.”
“Though… it does seem rather inadequate.”
Balik flashed a pitch-black grin.
“Ban, you’ve improved from before, I’ll admit. In the past, you would have failed at the formation stage entirely. If you concede defeat now, at least you won’t suffer the indignity of—”
“Quiet. I’m fairly certain this isn’t a war of words.”
“…Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The butterflies dove forward with savage momentum.
My butterfly looked like a candle flame standing before a storm.
But then.
“Did you ever wonder why I applied for a professorship in the first place?”
For the record, my temperament is the typical small person’s—bold when I smell victory, timid otherwise.
Once I sensed I could win, confidence flooded through me.
I spoke with unwavering certainty.
“Now you’ll see firsthand.”
<Win Rate Against Incompetent Parachute Professor in Magical Combat>
– 100%
A sharp tearing sound.
The wing of Balik’s butterfly, the moment it touched mine, shredded completely.
As if cleaved by a blade.
“Wh-what?!”
Gasps of incomprehension rippled through the hall.
This was only the beginning.
My butterfly soared upward with effortless grace.
Balik’s massive butterfly intercepted it, but to no avail.
“Second one.”
A dull impact.
My butterfly pierced straight through the creature’s chest and emerged on the other side; the punctured colossus trembled and dissolved into nothingness.
“Third one.”
Another sharp tearing sound.
Balik’s butterfly’s wings shredded again.
“This—this can’t be real!!”
“Am I seeing things?”
The audience erupted in shock at the one-sided slaughter.
‘Of course. Balik was never particularly talented to begin with.’
Balik was a political appointee—the Rapalt Ducal House’s creature, installed to control Rubiness Academy to their liking.
A man of his caliber couldn’t possibly contend with the ability of my grand master.
“What sorcery is this?!”
A sharp cry.
The remaining two butterflies’ movements grew increasingly violent.
Balik was concentrating the full force of his mana into them.
But then.
“Fourth. Fifth.”
A piercing, tearing shriek.
The last two butterflies shattered into fragments and vanished.
“Ghck!”
Balik swallowed blood as Mana backlashed through his body.
The arena fell silent.
Victory. And a decisive one at that.
I spoke toward Balik, who stood wavering on his feet.
“Let me offer you a lesson. Your final concentration of Mana—that was the act of someone who doesn’t understand the subtleties of Mana manipulation at all.”
“!!”
“I hope it was a mistake born of panic. If not, I genuinely feel for your students.”
Balik’s face flushed crimson.
Fury painted across his features.
But I wasn’t afraid.
I was the victor of this match, after all.
And once I held the advantage, I could wield it as readily as he ever had.
The Black Flame Dragon bolstered me, and I cut an arrogant figure.
“I suppose I must honor our wager. You remember what you agreed to do if you lost?”
Balik’s face drained of all color.
He was to kneel before everyone and declare, “I revere you and the Ecclesia Ducal House!”
It would be social death—humiliation beyond mere defeat.
In a society that prized honor, he would never be able to show his face in aristocratic circles again.
“I… I cannot possibly—”
But Balik caught himself mid-protest, his mouth snapping shut.
Every spectator watched him intently.
As though waiting to see whether he would honor his word.
‘Just entertainment for the crowd,’ I thought.
A situation where he could neither advance nor retreat.
The moment Balik’s knees began to tremble—
I spoke abruptly.
“I was joking.”
“…What?”
“Why so tense? Would I really impose such a thing on my friend? It was all in jest.”
‘If Balik completely collapsed here, that would be troublesome.’
I’ve said it before, but Balik was an ‘angel’—someone who would help me pass.
“Here’s what we’ll do instead. You’ll cover everyone’s drinks for causing such a disturbance—as an apology. How’s that?”
Balik’s complexion turned pale for an entirely different reason.
The Rapalt Ducal House was famous as a house of gold, but it earned another nickname.
—The house of misers.
There was no chance they’d give generous financial support to a distant branch like Balik.
‘At best, he probably receives a stipend equivalent to what the servants earn. If he pays for all these drinks, he might as well declare bankruptcy.’
But Balik had no choice in the matter.
“Ah, very well. I’ll do as you say.”
“Is that all?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you going to thank me for my mercy?”
Balik’s face flushed red this time like an igniting powder keg.
In such a short span, his expression had cycled through a remarkable palette of colors.
“I… I’m grateful for your consideration.”
“That didn’t sound sincere.”
“I… that is—”
“Though I suppose I can’t expect proper etiquette from someone of a cadet branch. I’ll let it slide. I’m magnanimous, after all.”
Finally, Balik could contain himself no longer and erupted.
“I’m leaving!”
He spun around and stormed out of Daien with violent haste.
The proprietor called after him with a caustic edge.
“Professor Balik, what about the bill?”
“I’ll send for a loan from my family’s bank and settle it later!!”
As Balik vanished, the others turned their admiring gazes upon me.
“You seem quite changed, Young Master.”
“How did you manage to defeat Professor Balik just now?”
“Perhaps Professor Balik made a mistake? The Manifestation School isn’t even his specialty, after all—he must have let his guard down.”
Had these people been ‘proper mages,’ they might have grasped the significance of the magic I had wielded, but no one here possessed that depth.
What they admired was something else entirely.
“Still, what you showed today was magnificent.”
“You’ve become entirely different from before.”
“So this is what they mean by the blood of the great Ecclesia Ducal House.”
Just then, the steward approached from the side.
“Will you be all right, sir?”
“All right about what?”
“Balik won’t sit idle. He’ll certainly harbor resentment and try to sabotage your examination.”
At that very moment, a deafening crash erupted from outside the shop.
Looking out the window, I saw Balik raging in the street, causing a senseless commotion.
“It’s fine.”
“But—?”
“Do you know when the moon shines brightest? When the darkness runs deepest.”
The steward tilted his head, puzzled.
His expression screamed: what utter nonsense was this?
…I cringed inwardly at my own hollow words, but the Black Flame Dragon’s mouth kept running.
“Whatever scheme Balik attempts, it will only serve me. He’ll become a tool to illuminate my greatness.”
Could I actually pass the examination through legitimate means?
Impossible.
Even without those who harbored resentment toward me, with a zero across every category, how could I possibly pass?
‘There’s only one way. I need to create an utterly shocking impression.’
But that wasn’t easy either.
There were limits to how much impact one could make during an exam.
An exam was, after all, just an exam.
I needed an accomplice.
Someone to set the stage.
‘Balik will help me.’
The more he tries to humiliate me,
the more favorable the stage becomes for me.
‘Go get them, Balik!’
Just then, Hans approached with a face brimming with happiness.
“Master, I’ve collected all the betting winnings!”
“…How delightful for you.”
For the record, I’d only wagered 1,000 Pena, so my take was modest.
The one who struck it rich was Hans, who’d bet 11,000 Pena and earned ten times that according to the payout ratio.
‘So this is what they mean—the bear performs the trick, but someone else walks away with the money.’
“Haha! Let’s drink tonight, shall we?”
“…You’re treating?”
“Oh my! How could a lowly servant like myself presume to impose upon you so brazenly? Alas, the heart may will it, but fortune forbids it. Loyalty, loyalty, eternal loyalty!”
I regarded Hans with an irritated stare.
In any case, the day of the exam drew near, and I wore an expression of bewilderment.
‘Has Balik gone mad?’
The stage Balik had prepared was far larger than I’d anticipated.

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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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