The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 5

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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 5
“…A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding are you talking about?”
“Small men cannot peer into the depths of a great vessel, after all.”
It was an old saying from the Empire.
Ordinary men struggle to comprehend genius.
Why was he suddenly coming out with something like that?
“…Have you eaten something spoiled? Has dealing with Ban stressed you out too much? Your hair seems to be thinning a bit more.”
“I originally had no hair, Your Grace. This crown is my pride.”
“…Right, yes.”
Hans’s scalp gleamed as he fixed the Duke with an intense gaze.
“I hear you’ve agreed to a match with Young Master Ban.”
“That’s right. I’m planning to give him a proper lesson that day.”
Hans let out a soft laugh.
A laugh whose meaning could not be fathomed.
“Indeed…? It would do well for Your Grace to be on guard.”
“…What?”
“It’s possible that quite a remarkable upheaval might occur.”
Hans turned on his heel and departed, leaving the Duke bewildered.
‘What is this? Has Ban really driven him mad with stress?’
Then Ban’s voice echoed through his mind once more.
-That day, I will present Father with a gift of astonishment.
* * *
Time rushed past.
The day of my duel with the Duke was drawing near.
I’d spent the intervening weeks studying magic diligently.
‘At this rate, have I picked up knowledge roughly equivalent to the upper classes of the Academy?’
I’d acquired magical knowledge up to the 3rd Star Rank.
It was tremendous progress for less than a month.
It was all thanks to the Grand Master ability and Hans’s excellent service as a living teaching manual.
‘The problem is that this falls far short of what’s needed to be appointed as a professor.’
And there was the duel with the Duke looming immediately ahead.
‘Right now, there’s no hope whatsoever.’
I’d never intended to win in the first place.
My goal was simply to land one solid blow on the Duke.
Yet it still seemed hopelessly distant.
<Gambler’s Judgment activates!>
-Current probability of landing a blow on the Duke: 0%
I fell silent.
‘…Should I grovel and apologize right now? That’s one thing I’m exceptionally good at.’
But giving up seemed premature.
Then another message appeared.
-Probability of landing a blow on the Duke after successful training: 100%
In other words, it was impossible now, but possible after training was complete.
‘I’ve nearly finished the whole month already, haven’t I? I’ve studied enough. What more could there be?’
It couldn’t be asking me to practice more magic.
My Mana reserves were pathetically meager—casting a few 1st Star Rank spells would drain me completely, making further practice impossible.
Then I heard Hans’s voice.
“Is there perhaps something you require? I am Young Master’s servant, so please command me as you will.”
It wasn’t sarcasm.
Hans’s eyes gleamed with absolute devotion.
Nothing like the man I’d first met.
‘His character has changed dramatically, hasn’t it?’
He’d followed my instructions faithfully, gained some great insight, and caught sight of a new hope?
Ever since then, he’d been giving me that burdensome look.
“You can stop being a servant now. Our studies together are drawing to a close anyway.”
Magical knowledge at the next level up couldn’t be acquired through this method, so I no longer needed Hans.
“…Are you discarding me now?”
“…Huh?”
“I wish to continue serving you. I can remain your servant. Please, don’t cast me aside!”
Hans clung to me with desperate, pleading eyes.
Though the middle-aged bald mage’s gaze burned with such fervent hope that it shook me, Hans pressed on.
“I understand, sir! Your crookedness stems from excessive genius! The world refuses to acknowledge your brilliance, so you’ve gone astray! Damn this wretched world!!”
“No, that’s not—”
“Even if you possessed only half—no, a tenth—of what other mages carry, you’d already be ruling the world!!”
In that instant, a single realization struck me.
I finally understood what I lacked.
‘I need to obtain Mana.’
Since becoming Mana Insensitive, I’d never once attempted to accumulate Mana.
My absorption rate was only one-hundredth that of a typical mage.
Which meant that even if I spent a hundred years grinding to build Mana, I’d still fall short of what another mage accomplished in a single year.
‘Compared to those so-called genius mages, the gap would only widen.’
Yet the path wasn’t entirely closed.
‘I can use shortcuts.’
Such as Spirit Elixirs.
Of course, even Spirit Elixir consumption would be filtered through my Mana Insensitivity.
Where another mage might consume a high-grade elixir and gain ten years’ worth of Mana, I’d gain perhaps a month’s worth—one-hundredth of theirs.
‘But even that much would be meaningful to me.’
My true goal wasn’t to become a powerful mage.
Growing strong only meant being dragged into the coming chaos and suffering needlessly.
I needed Mana only insofar as was practically necessary.
‘But where could I find Spirit Elixirs?’
Spirit Elixirs were extraordinarily expensive and rare.
Every mage’s eyes gleamed with desire for them.
‘The Duke’s wealth could procure them, but he won’t give any to me—I’m the family embarrassment. And hunting for Hidden Pieces containing elixirs would consume far too much time.’
Then, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘But the Duke Residence itself has one Hidden Piece, doesn’t it?’
I swallowed hard.
It didn’t contain a Spirit Elixir.
Instead, it offered another way to obtain Mana.
The problem was.
‘This is insanely dangerous. In the game itself, it’s a Hidden Piece you only attempt in third year?’
Confronting ‘that entity’ would be preferable to being cast out by the Duke.
Compared to ‘that entity,’ I’m nothing but a mote of dust.
Then, a message appeared.

-Probability of vanquishing the Evil Spirit Lord: 63.3%
I fell silent.
‘…Why isn’t it zero?’
It was even remarkably high.
Sixty-three point three percent, no less.
The problem was its ambiguity.
High enough to attempt, yet with a substantial chance of failure.
‘What do I do? If I fail, the risk is too great.’
Then I heard a thick voice that moved my heart.
“Have no fear, sir. Even should you lose a duel and be cast out, I shall serve you. I, Hans!! Wherever you go, I swear to remain by your side to the end.”
Looking at the middle-aged bald mage’s fervent, hopeful gaze fixed upon me, I made my decision.
‘I’ll succeed by any means necessary.’
* * *
The Ecclesia Duke Residence harbored one secret.
An Evil Spirit Lord lay sealed within the Family Tomb where the ancestors were interred.
One of the Duke’s forebears had captured it.
Unable to destroy it, they’d sealed it instead in the Family Tomb, which overflowed with spiritual essence.
‘Destroying the sealed Evil Spirit Lord had long been one of the Duke’s cherished ambitions.’
Vanquishing that Evil Spirit Lord was the essence of this Hidden Piece.
Hans asked carefully.
“Are you truly intent on vanquishing the Evil Spirit Lord? Will you truly be all right?”
His voice trembled with concern.
Understandably so.
‘Once the seal breaks, its power won’t fully return immediately—it’ll be weakened. But even so, it’s far beyond what I can manage.’
Moreover, I couldn’t even rely on Hans for assistance.
The Family Tomb was a sacred ground protected by a special barrier, accessible only to those of the Duke’s bloodline.
‘In the worst case, I can always flee—I won’t die.’
Even if the seal on the Evil Spirit Lord broke, he couldn’t escape the Family Tomb, so escape would be possible no matter what.
However, the aftermath of his rampage would reduce the Family Tomb to rubble.
‘…And I, having caused this incident, will be reduced to rubble myself by the Duke’s beating.’
Cold sweat trickled down my temples, but I shook my head.
‘Still, there’s no choice. I will succeed, no matter what.’
I recalled my previous life’s memories of working in sales.
Just as I’d achieved countless sales victories in my past life, I would succeed this time too.
‘For a sweet future, let’s go!’
My will triggered the Black Flame Dragon’s Charisma.
A fierce momentum surged forth.
“Have no fear. No matter how formidable he is, before my greatness he is nothing but a trifling evil spirit.”
…The translation seemed to grow more grandiose by the day.
Even I, the one speaking, felt my limbs shrivel with embarrassment, yet Hans’s eyes gleamed with fascination.
“Aaaah! Surely you will become the star of the magical world, my lord! My unwavering loyalty!”
“…Let’s go to the Family Tomb.”
“Yes, sir! I shall lead the way!”
The Family Tomb lay upon the Ancestral Burial Ground behind the mansion.
As we drew near, an unfamiliar voice reached my ears.
“What brings you here, brother?”
!!
He must have been in his late teens by now.
A face resembling Bran’s.
But sharper and more youthful—a boy with an austere air.
‘Karl Ecclesia!’
The fourth of five siblings in the Duke’s household.
Like all of the Duke’s blood, he was an important character—a student still enrolled at the Academy.
‘Was he in his second year? Vice president of the student council at one of the four prestigious academies, if I recall.’
A vice president despite being only a second-year student. One could see how remarkable a talent Karl was.
‘He had such a tiresome personality, though.’
And there it was.
“What sort of trouble are you stirring up now? First this, then that—you’re not planning to wreak havoc in the Family Tomb itself, are you? Brother, when exactly do you intend to grow up?”
Karl was, by all accounts, extraordinarily diligent.
He despised his older brother—a worthless loafer, his polar opposite.
“Your words are harsh. I merely came to honor the spirits of our ancestors.”
“Ha! You, brother? When you’ve never so much as glanced at the Family Tomb in your entire life? Suddenly?”
Karl furrowed his brow and huffed indignantly.
‘How cute.’
I scratched my head inwardly.
Unlike Bran, I’d experienced all manner of absurdity back on Earth.
That sort of huffing seemed little more than endearing.
‘There’s no need to bicker with the boy—I’ll just send him away with some smooth talk.’
With that intention, I opened my mouth—but I’d overlooked something.
The Black Flame Dragon’s Charisma activated at Karl’s hostility.
“Karl, it seems you need proper instruction in etiquette.”
“…Pardon?”
“Though I suppose some blame lies with me. As your brother, I must bear responsibility for how rudely you’ve been raised.”
I panicked, but my cursed tongue would not stop.
“Karl, you’ve carried much stress, I understand. Despite all your effort, you’ve reached only Star Rank 3. I’m sorry I haven’t looked after you as a brother should. Whenever you need my guidance, reach out. I am your brother, and I shall impart my wisdom to you.”
!!
Karl’s eyes blazed with fury.
“This…!!”
Then came unexpected salvation.
“Enough, Karl.”
It was Hans, who had followed beside me!
“…Sir?”
“Is that how you speak to the young master Bran? Did I teach you such manners?”
Karl’s face showed confusion.
Karl belonged to the Magic Department.
So it seems Hans, the family’s mage, took on the role of tutor.
“But… why would you say that?”
“Ban’s young master is the future of the magical arts. He is a figure of such greatness that we cannot even be mentioned in the same breath. Kale, from now on, as one who walks the path of magic, you must conduct yourself with proper respect toward Young Master Ban.”
Kale’s mouth fell open.
His expression screamed, ‘Has the master lost his mind?’

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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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