The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 47

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

Episode 47
‘…What’s gotten into them?’
I tried to soothe them again, though startled,
“My mind’s already made up, Professor. So please stop worrying about me. It doesn’t matter if the class doesn’t run properly with so few students.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m fine too. I actually prefer spending time with you in such an intimate setting, Professor.”
‘…No, that’s not what I’m worried about.’
I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
My persuasion wasn’t working.
For the record, students had the authority to choose their classes. So in principle, a professor couldn’t refuse a student’s selection.
‘…Is this really okay?’
I looked up at the sky.
My academic career, which had begun full of dreams and hope, already felt twisted from the very first step.
Squeak.
As if to comfort me on such a day, the Baby Dragon poked its head out of the Magic Pouch and nuzzled against my cheek.
‘…You’re one of my worries too, you know.’
Misreading my sigh, Katrine asked,
“Are you really okay with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“At this rate, you’ll be fired. Let’s somehow fill those six spots. I’ll make up for the rest by myself, no matter what.”
“I—I’ll do my very best too. Of course, I do prefer it like this with you, Professor, but….”
I watched the two of them worry over me for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Don’t worry. The situation isn’t necessarily bad right now.”
I’d been a former sales king for a reason.
I’d learned to look for the positive side even in the worst circumstances.
‘This is the absolute bottom, so a turnaround could make a far more dramatic impression. Depending on how I handle it, this could actually be perfect for a spectacular success.’
A concrete plan occurred to me.
‘I need to cause an incident.’
A word that would make anyone listening flinch.
But I meant it sincerely.
Though not just any incident.
I needed a big one.
And conveniently, there was a way that could be a win-win for everyone.
I looked at both of them squarely and spoke.
“You two. You need money, don’t you?”
“…Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Because I’m your Directed Student professor.”
“What do you take me for? I’m the daughter of a duke, you know?”
“So how much living expenses do you have left?”
“…About a week’s worth. If I sell some jewelry I smuggled out of the family ahead of time, I might be able to last a bit longer.”
As expected, Katrine’s support from the ducal house had been cut off due to the duchess’s machinations.
As for Rebel, there was hardly any point discussing it.
The gurgling sound from her stomach suggested I should seriously question whether she was even eating properly.
‘There’s a way. I can solve both their poverty and my student recruitment problem at once.’
“I’m fine, really. I’m used to going hungry—one meal a day is enough for me, so please don’t worry.”
“And I don’t want you to be concerned either. I’ll handle the money situation myself.”
I shook my head.
I wasn’t offering direct financial support.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I was broke myself.
“How about the two of you take on a part-time job?”
“…A part-time job?”
Both of them perked up their ears.
It wasn’t easy for first-year freshmen to come by work opportunities.
“Yes, if you just do as I say, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
And it was after I explained what the job was.
Katrine shot to her feet.
“That makes no sense whatsoever! How could we do something so dangerous?!”
The part-time job I’d mentioned was clearing out the Underground Sewers.
It was work that even experienced adventurers hesitated to take on.
But.
“If you just do as I say, you can do it. I’m a Half-Ecclesia, after all.”
!”
“How pathetic, getting cold feet over something so trivial. Katrine, didn’t you enroll at the academy with the sole determination to strike a blow against your house?”
Katrine’s lips pressed into a thin line.
I looked straight at her and Rebel as I spoke.
With sincerity.
“You’ve chosen this Half-Ecclesia. You made your choice, so trust me—I won’t let you regret it. Though the time is short, merely two months, I’ll guide you to greatness during that period.”
The most effective marketing.
It was viral.
I planned to become the kind of professor who, by showcasing those who’d chosen me reaching the pinnacle, would inspire everyone to seek my instruction.
* * *
The next day.
A letter arrived at the academy.
Remarkably, it was a Letter of Commendation from the City Guard.
—Commending students Katrine and Rebel of your esteemed academy for the extermination of Monsters in the Underground Sewers.
Everyone was astonished.
“Wait, the Underground Sewers—isn’t that where Level 3 Monsters spawn?”
“Even senior students struggle with that place, right? And regardless of them being first and second in the Magic Department?”
The reason came out quickly.
“That day, someone saw Ban—I mean, Professor Ban—enter the Underground Sewers with both of them!”
“So it was thanks to Professor Ban?”
I answered their doubts simply.
“They are my Directed Students. Before beginning formal classes, I merely put them through Special Training.”
!”
“Unfortunate, truly—that only two will receive my exceptional instruction. It can’t be helped. That you’ve lost the teachings of a professor who will become legend, blinded as you are by prejudice, is merely your own misfortune.”
…The black flame dragon slipped that last jab in, but people’s reactions were favorable.
All eyes fixed on me, wide with shock and bewilderment.
‘This is only the beginning.’
I continued the ‘Special Training’ in succession.
—Letter of Commendation for the extermination of Ghost Monsters at the Municipal Cemetery.
—Letter of Commendation for resolving a Curse in an abandoned house in Slum District 5.
Within days, I’d resolved more than three of the city’s problems, and a special Commendation Plaque was even delivered under the Guard Captain’s name.
“Were those stories about Professor Ban actually true?”
“Then the tale about Professor Ban refuting Professor Balas’s theory during training—that’s real too?”
“There are rumors that Professor Ban is a legendary genius. Of course, that was according to gossip magazines.”
“…Did we choose our Directed Professor too hastily?”
The students murmured among themselves.
Everything unfolded as intended.
‘Though nothing’s been formally decided yet, inquiries from one or two prospective students have already come in. If I keep riding this momentum, it’ll work out.’
And there was one more ancillary benefit.
Along with the Commendation Plaque, I received additional reward money—more than I’d anticipated.
‘I’d love to pocket it all.’
But I decided to ‘invest’ with the future in mind.
“P-Professor, why here? Do I really need clothes like these?”
“I have no need for new garments either.”
The place I’d come to was a clothier.
When the two of them recoiled from the new clothes as if they’d triggered an allergic reaction, I spoke.
“Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t for you—it’s for me.”
“…For you, Professor?”
“That’s right. My honor won’t allow my Directed Students to go about looking shabby.”
It wasn’t a lie.
For the promotional effect to work, they needed to appear presentable, didn’t they?
‘Rebel, needless to say, but Katrine looks quite poorly dressed too. How could they subject even an illegitimate daughter to such obvious discrimination?’
But then I realized something.
“…I said I didn’t need this. And you go and—”
“…I will never forget this kindness.”
Despite my merely buying them ordinary clothes, both wore expressions of excessive gratitude.
‘They must have never received a gift like this before.’
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
It felt as though I’d dug my own grave, but what was done was done.
‘Besides, this is only for the two-month adaptation period for freshmen anyway.’
Still, she chose her words with a certain coolness, drawing a line regardless.
She was especially worried about Rebel, more so than Katrine.
“Rebel, you need to care about your appearance. No matter what your inner nature is, if your outward look is shabby, people will ignore you and treat you carelessly.”
It was precisely the kind of thing Rebel would face countless times ahead.
‘The problem is that Rebel isn’t exactly a saint either.’
In truth, she had a temperament more dangerous than anyone’s.
She feigned meekness, but there was no telling when or how she might explode and cause a major incident.
“You’re a commoner. In this academy, there’s no one of lower standing than you. If a conflict arises, don’t think of standing up for yourself—come find me instead.”
“…Th-thank you, Professor.”
“It’s not for your sake. If something happens to you, it becomes a problem for me—that’s all.”
“I’m…even more grateful, Professor.”
The professor understands my sincerity completely—I made a face of exasperation at such transparent honesty.
At any rate, there were side effects to growing closer with the two of them, but the Directed Student selection proceeded smoothly.
‘Now I just need to land one decisive blow.’
I expected that Kansir and Balas would eventually snap and pick a quarrel with me.
When that happened, crushing them would be the perfect finishing touch.
‘But both of them are quieter than I expected. Should I provoke them deliberately?’
I was pondering this.
Then an unforeseen problem arose.
An invitation arrived.
—An invitation to tea time.
The problem was who had sent it.
—From the Mayor of Free City.
My face hardened at once.
‘Why this person?’
It wasn’t simply because he was a high-ranking individual.
The Mayor of Free City had deep ties with Ban.
And they were troublesome ties at that.
‘Ban’s natural nemesis.’
That was precisely the Mayor of Free City’s nickname.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Main House of the Magical Noble Family,
—Crack!!
A sharp sound of a slap echoed through the air.
Remarkably, the one who had been struck was Balas, the newly appointed and highly acclaimed professor of Rubynes Academy.
Before him stood Bes, the duchess and mistress of the Magical Noble House, her eyes cold as ice.
Balas dropped to his knees in urgency.
“I apologize, Your Grace! Though my performance during the training period fell short of expectations, from now on I will handle that wretch Ban….”
“Silence.”
At her frigid rebuke, Balas’s face went pale.
“You will have only one more chance. If you disappoint me again, there will be no place for you in the Magic Academic Circle. I will ensure you are exiled to some southern backwater and never return.”
It was no mere threat.
The duchess before him was more than capable of following through on such words.
In fact, those who had fallen from her favor and become invalids or had seen their lives ruined were too numerous to count.
“…I shall keep that in mind.”
After Balas withdrew with a heavy expression, a loud crash rang out.
“Argh! Damn it! That woman Katrine, and Ban!!”
News that Katrine had made an immediate splash at Rubynes Academy since her entrance was driving her to distraction.
And her daughter Joanna, whom she had borne to her bitter frustration, had recently fallen into a slump—showing nothing of particular note since her enrollment.
‘It’s all because of that wretch Ban.’
It was as Duchess Bes was grinding her teeth.
“My, my. Surely you shouldn’t be angry—it will damage that lovely complexion of yours, won’t it, Sister?”
A smooth-talking middle-aged man appeared.
“Is it Katrine again? I told you long ago that I should eliminate her. Shall I dispose of her right now?”
The man’s smile widened wickedly.
It was a smile brimming with malice.
“If murder is too much, perhaps I could pluck out that insolent child’s eyes instead? Just as you used to do so often in the old days when you dwelled in the Abyss as the Witch of Cruelty.”

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