The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 2

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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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Episode 2
Hero Academy.
It was the name of the game I’d possessed into.
True to its name, the story followed protagonists growing into heroes at the academy to stand against forces of evil.
‘Evil forces or whatever—none of my concern. The protagonists will sort it all out on their own anyway.’
I sipped my tea leisurely.
‘I’m going to enjoy this. Diamond Spoon living at its finest.’
The Ecclesia house was counted among the Empire’s greatest families.
If you wanted an equivalent in Korea, it would be one of the top conglomerates—easily enough wealth to live a life of pure leisure.
‘I’ll keep my head down, behave myself, and then claim a decent inheritance and move out on my own.’
Though I wasn’t the eldest son but the third child, that suited me even better.
I wouldn’t be saddled with tedious responsibilities.
‘Even just the crumbs from the Ducal House would make me richer than a Seoul property magnate.’
A laugh bubbled up unbidden at the thought of such a bright, golden future.
“Hehehehe. Excellent. Truly excellent.”
The chuunibyou-tinged tone flowing from my lips made me flinch without thinking.
‘Ugh, how embarrassing. Can’t I shake this speech pattern?’
It was because of the latent trait I’d unlocked after possession: Black Flame Dragon Charisma.
Every action I took was saturated with edgy dramatic flair.
For example—
“Young master, I shall clear away the teacup.”
“Do so. Your diligence is much appreciated. I shall not forget the labor you have rendered.”
The words dripped with gravity.
What I’d actually meant to say was ‘Yes, thank you for your hard work. I appreciate it.’—but it came out like that instead.
The maid stared at me, startled.
Her expression screamed ‘What on earth has he eaten?’, and I felt heat rush to my face.
‘Back on Earth I was always the bottom rung of nothing—this voice doesn’t suit me at all.’
Fortunately or unfortunately, the Black Flame Dragon Charisma gave no hint of my mortification, instead projecting an air of perfect confidence.
Once the maid left, I lapsed back into dramatic muttering.
“Kehehe. Splendid. What a paradise of an existence this is.”
I, Ban Ecclesia, am a notorious wastrel.
So much so that despite reaching adulthood, I held no position in the Ducal House whatsoever.
Eating, sleeping, defecating, and loafing—that comprised the entirety of my responsibilities.
‘This is the life I’ve always dreamed of!’
Just as I was settling in for an afternoon nap, the butler found me.
“Young master, the Duke requests your presence.”
“Father’s calling for me?”
I gave him a puzzled look.
Since becoming Ban, I’d only glimpsed him a handful of times in passing.
‘I need to make a good impression on the Duke.’
The Duke was my only superior in this world.
If he threw me out of the Ducal House, this peaceful life would end.
“Understood. I shall depart at once. Convey my regards to Father.”
Had I slipped into chuunibyou-speak again?
The butler studied me for a moment with an odd expression.
“You seem… different, sir.”
“…foolish words. I have merely recovered the dignity that should have always belonged to me as blood of the Ducal House.”
What I’d meant to say was ‘No, it’s just that I’m trying to show proper courtesy as a member of the Ducal House.’
Transcendent translation—stop.
“…still, your newfound composure suits you far better than before. Perhaps… the Duke himself may yet reconsider his position.”
“??”
What was he talking about?
“You’ll hear the details from the Duke himself. I pray that fortune accompanies your future, young master.”
The butler left those ominous words hanging in the air before vanishing.
I knocked on the Duke’s study door with an uneasy expression.
Knock. Knock.
“Father, I am Ban, your son. I have come in answer to your summons.”
“…Come in.”
A chill of a voice replied.
Before a floor-to-ceiling window where sunlight streamed through as backlighting sat a man in his late middle years, his expression cold as ice.
Huam Ecclesia, Duke of the Ecclesia Duchy.
My father, and one of the most influential figures in the Empire.
A named character who wielded considerable sway over the game’s progression.
‘The presence he commands is no joke. It rivals my Black Flame Dragon Charisma, doesn’t it?’
His eyes cut like a blade.
Not the fabricated, artificial charisma I affected—this was the real thing.
‘He’s no mere great noble; he’s a Sword Master and holds the office of chancellor in the administration.’
A ridiculously overpowered character.
‘…I’d best not provoke him needlessly.’
I made every effort to appear as deferential as possible, waiting quietly for the Duke to speak.
As his gaze fell upon me, contempt flickered across his eyes for just a moment.
“Ban, we have decided to expel you from the Ecclesia Ducal House.”
I didn’t grasp his meaning at first.
‘…Ex…what?’
A moment later, shock hit me like a thunderbolt.
He meant to cast me out of the family.
‘Why, all of a sudden?!’
“…Might I ask your reason, Father? Please, explain.”
Bewildered as I was, I was no stranger to adversity.
I asked without letting my alarm show.
My Black Flame Dragon Charisma lent my bearing composure and nobility.
The Duke seemed taken aback by my composure, his eyes widening slightly for a moment—but only briefly before his voice turned glacial.
“You ask because you don’t know? Reflect on the garbage you’ve wrought all this time.”
…….
As I’ve said time and again, I—Ban—was the worst trash of the Empire, a lawless wretch.
“The Ecclesia Ducal House recognizes no blood relation to those unworthy. I have waited long enough in my capacity as your father. I can no longer bear to look upon your face. Leave the family at once.”
I could feel the sincerity in his words.
The Duke truly meant to sever all ties with his son.
‘This can’t happen! I just became a Diamond Spoon—how can this be?!’
I clenched my fists tight.
‘I have to convince him.’
Who was I?
The sales king of my past life.
I began to search for a way.
‘Right now, the Duke doesn’t truly hate Ban—he’s crushed under the weight of disappointment.’
I hadn’t become a master of persuasion simply by groveling.
One had to give the other person the response they actually wanted.
‘If I just bow my head and apologize blindly, it won’t work. He’ll see right through it as false.’
I needed a different strategy.
‘What the Duke wants to see is his son transformed. I have to show him confidence.’
“Would you not come to regret that decision?”
!!
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I’d meant to say something like “Please reconsider,” but the transcendent translation had pushed out something far too presumptuous.
“Of course, I understand my past was shameful. Yet you, Father, are equally trapped in the past. You refuse to truly look at who I am now.”
“…Are you saying you’ve changed?”
“I am exactly what you see before you now, Father.”
“You….”
The Duke fixed me with a stare that could kill.
As though he meant to see straight through to my soul.
My heart hammered against my ribs from the tension, but I steeled my resolve.
‘I can’t back down here.’
The art of sales lay in knowing when to yield humbly and when to inspire trust through strength.
Now was the time to press forward.
My Black Flame Dragon Charisma bolstered me.
At my bold bearing, the Duke’s brows twitched.
“…You have changed, then. Before, you couldn’t even meet my eyes.”
…….
“But I still don’t trust you.”
The Duke folded his arms across his chest.
“Here’s what you’ll do. You’ll either enter military service or pursue a government post, and you’ll prove to everyone that you’ve changed.”
“!!”
I felt my insides twist at those words.
Both paths were nightmarish.
‘Because both the military and government will have to face the evil forces that will rise up in the future head-on.’
The Duke let out a bitter laugh.
“You do know that our bloodline’s members are required to serve in the military or government for four years once they come of age, don’t you? You’ve simply been excused because you’re an irredeemable wretch.”
Now that I thought about it, the ‘Ban’ in the game had held some position too. He was just too busy throwing his weight around like garbage to amount to anything.
‘What do I do? I can’t possibly choose either one.’
I knew this game’s scenario inside and out.
I had to avoid both paths at all costs.
But looking at the atmosphere, if I didn’t do something, I’d be cast out of the family.
If they threw me out, my entire goal of living the sweet life would come to nothing.
I had enough knowledge from the game to survive somehow, but it would mean living through an absolutely brutal struggle.
‘I need to think of another way.’
That’s when an idea suddenly struck me.
“There’s no requirement to serve exclusively in the military or government, is there?”
“What?”
“I will fulfill the family’s obligation through the Academic Sector.”
The Duke’s face went blank.
“The Academic Sector? You?”
Here, the Academic Sector refers to educational institutions.
Which is to say, the academy.
I would need to become a professor.
‘Compared to soldiers and bureaucrats, a professor sounds far more appealing.’
A soldier, a bureaucrat, a professor.
Just hearing those titles, isn’t it obvious which one looks most comfortable?
Besides, I had a secret weapon to become a professor and live the sweet life.
“Yes, I assure you it’s entirely possible.”
But then a problem arose.
The Duke suddenly exploded with fury.
“The academy’s teaching positions are places even renowned talents can’t reach, and you’re telling me someone like you can manage it? Are you trying to mock me?”
True to its title as the Hero Academy, the institution held tremendous prestige throughout the Empire.
The professors’ standing was equally high—only the finest talents could ascend to the academy’s teaching ranks.
“Or perhaps you’re expecting my recommendation? You brat! Do you have any idea what kind of disgrace I suffered when I pulled strings to keep you from being expelled while you attended the academy?! Enough! It was my mistake to take your words seriously!”
The Duke rose from his seat, radiating an intense, sharp aura.
He looked ready to strike, and I flinched.
“Please, calm yourself.”
“Calm? Don’t make me laugh. I ought to—!!”
“I will become a professor of magical theory.”
“What?! You, who couldn’t reach even 1-Star Rank after ten years of study?!”
“Father, I’m telling you plainly—I will become a professor of magical theory.”
“!!”
Perhaps it was the force in my voice.
The Duke faltered.
“I have a plan. I will not only secure a professorship but also establish achievements in the Academic Sector that the family can be proud of.”
“…And how exactly do you propose to do that?”
I considered it privately.
‘My Magic Grand Master ability makes it possible.’
—You possess the qualities to become a Magic Grand Master!
—You instinctively perceive the true essence of magic!
It was, precisely put, an ability tailored for a professor.
Of course, I had the weakness of Mana Insensitivity.
‘But strength isn’t necessarily required to become a professor.’
Mages fell into two categories.
Combat Type and Scholar Type.
I intended to become a magical theorist—a Scholar Type professor of magical theory.
‘With my Grand Master ability, magical theory will be child’s play. I’ll be able to live comfortably as a professor, living the sweet life.’
But one problem remained.
I had to convince the Duke.
‘They won’t believe me no matter what I say.’
More than that—the atmosphere itself felt ready to throttle me on the spot.
‘The distrust toward “him” has taken root down to the very marrow.’
‘There’s only one way through this. I need to throw down a bold gambit.’
“Father, I will prove my words through action.”
“How so?”
“I ask that you spar with me.”
“…What?”
The Duke looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
Of course, I knew it was insane.
The message that appeared in my vision made that clear.

It was one of the latent traits I’d unlocked.
An ability to see the probability of victory.
-Odds of victory against the Duke: 0%
But.
“I don’t mean right now, of course. I’m not ready yet. So perhaps… a month from now would be ideal.”

-Odds of victory against the Duke in one month: 0%
Still the same.
It made sense.
The Duke was a Sword Master, after all.
There was no way to win in just thirty days.
And yet.
My Black Flame Dragon Charisma lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
A smile unlike my former self.
When I heard the words spill out, even I thought they sounded utterly insufferable.
“On that day, Father, I shall give you a shock beyond measure.”
The reason I’d thrown down this mad gambit.
One final message had appeared before me.
-Probability of landing a decisive blow on the Duke after one month of training: 100%

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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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