The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 51

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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 51
“I know. A disgusting piece of trash who hides behind your sister’s influence and doesn’t know his place.”
“…Ha. So you do know my sister. But this kind of slander? Konrad, I’d rather not waste harsh words on you, so stop this instant. If we end this here amicably, I’ll simply let it go.”
Despite being caught in wrongdoing, his tone remained arrogant.
It demonstrated just how much backing these men had from the Duchess.
“I wasn’t aware the Duchess’s influence exceeded that of His Imperial Majesty.”
“…What?”
“This is the number of citizens who died because of your illegal activities.”
Ban produced another document.
It was the data Emily had provided—the count of citizens who had died from drinking the capital’s water in recent years for unknown reasons.
Over a hundred.
“You’ve killed over a hundred of the Emperor’s subjects.”
“B-but that’s absurd… Even if we dumped illegal byproducts into the capital’s water supply, those deaths can’t possibly be our responsibility….”
It was a fair objection.
“Do you have proof that it wasn’t your fault?”
“!!”
“You’re welcome to appeal to His Imperial Majesty, of course. Though I wonder whether he’ll side with you or with Ecclesia, his faithful servant.”
Konrad’s face drained of all color.
He’d grasped Ban’s intention.
Ban was repaying him exactly as Libel had been made to suffer.
“Surely you’re not doing this because of that beggar student, Libel? My son simply made a mistake. I’ll have him go apologize.”
“No, an apology won’t be necessary. Once your family falls, your children will face proper punishment for what they did this time. They’ll receive at minimum indefinite suspension or expulsion.”
Their complexions had turned corpse-like.
I watched them silently for a moment before I spoke.
“There is one way for you to avoid execution.”
“…What is it?”
“Testify that everything you did was on the Duchess’s orders.”
“!!”
‘So she pit Libel against me by having him insult me.’
It wasn’t premeditated revenge, but I realized I’d been quite angry. The fact that I felt a certain satisfaction proved it.
“W-what nonsense are you—”
“If you refuse, that’s fine. You can simply take all the blame yourselves.”
They hesitated.
They could never dare betray the Duchess.
“Suit yourselves. How touching that you cherish your sister so. Though I doubt the Duchess cares for you quite as much.”
Konrad clenched his fists.
He knew better than anyone that the Duchess would never protect him to the end.
In the worst case, she’d likely send an assassin to cut off this loose thread.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Next time we meet will be in court. Still, I’ll petition for clemency so you can at least be hanged with nice, soft rope.”
“W-wait!!”
Konrad ground out the words through clenched teeth.
“…Professor Ban, I’ll say what you want me to say.”
Ban’s true target.
The noose was tightening around the Duchess’s neck.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Duchess was sipping tea with elegant refinement at the Magic House estate.
Still unaware of developments, her expression remained serene.
But at the sound of a knock, her demeanor turned glacial.
“…Mother, may I come in?”
The one person in this world who could call her mother.
Her daughter, born from her own womb—Joanna.
Yet despite being her beloved child, not a trace of warmth flickered in the Duchess’s eyes.
Joanna’s manner, too, seemed off.
Gone was the arrogant attitude she’d shown to Ban; now she shrank with apprehension.
“Joanna, my one and only beloved daughter. You know how much this mother loves you, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Do you know why I called you here?”
“…Yes.”
“And what is this grade?”
Her voice was so cold it verged on sickening.
“You score a mere tie for first place on your entrance exam?”
“That… that day I wasn’t feeling well…”
Crack!
The slap snapped Joanna’s head to the side.
Her face flushed crimson, but as though accustomed to it, she showed no surprise—only lowered her head in submission.
“You dare call such pathetic excuses an explanation? How much more must you tear at this mother’s heart? Lift your skirt.”
Joanna’s complexion drained of color, fear taking hold.
Yet as if resigned, she raised the hem of her garment, and a terrible sight lay bare.
Both her calves and thighs were covered in hideous scars.
Upon each healed wound, layer upon layer of fresh scars had formed, overlapping in grotesque patterns.
The marks of countless beatings endured across years beyond counting.
“You understand this is all because I love you, don’t you?”
“…Yes, Mother.”
The duchess lifted a Wooden Rod—reinforced by magic until it was harder than steel.
As Joanna’s eyes squeezed shut against the imminent agony of tearing flesh, a voice cut through the moment.
“Madam, there is an urgent matter!”
“What is it? Did I not say you were not to disturb me when Joanna and I are alone?”
“It… it concerns Professor Pan.”
Joanna’s eyes widened in surprise from beside her.
‘Professor Pan? That trash Pan?’
The very source of her recent descent into slump.
—It’s alright to fail.
Those final words Pan had left behind continued to disturb her peace of mind.
‘What do you know of how I’ve lived?’
Joanna’s teeth clenched against her lips.
“Professor Pan? I thought my brother, Count Konrad, was to handle this matter himself.”
“That’s… there’s been a complication.”
The butler leaned in and whispered, and the duchess’s eyes widened.
Snap!
The rod—harder than steel—shattered in an instant.
“How dare he! That street cur of a wretch!”
Yet what came next overturned her composure even further.
“M-madam. You have a visitor.”
“Turn them away at once!”
“That is… it’s Young Master Pan.”
“…What did you say?”
At those words, the duchess’s face darkened with rage.
“He says he has come to prosecute you as the mastermind behind the illegal magical crystals incident that occurred in the Free City.”
* * *
I surveyed the ostentatiously ornate reception hall around me.
‘How much is all this decoration worth? I could retire just selling one piece.’
Such frivolous thoughts came because I was tense—far more tense than I wanted to admit.
‘Ugh. So I’ve come here after all. The one place I never wanted to be. I had no intention of even brushing garments with Duchess Bess.’
The Witch of Cruelty.
A duchess who brazenly held a seat as one of the rulers of the Abyss—a legendary villain of the highest tier.
‘But this time, I have to settle things. Otherwise, we’ll stay tangled forever.’
Meanwhile, Gordon, who had come along, uttered an exclamation of wonder, oblivious to my churning anxieties.
“Astounding! To enter the tiger’s den and remain so composed—I find myself admiring you anew, my friend.”
“Senior, you’re so reassuring. So, couldn’t I just head back? I still have graduate coursework waiting.”
“If we just leave like Instructor Linden suggests… Mother—I mean, the duchess is truly frightening.”
“I… I think it would be better if I just left too.”
My companions dissolved into nervous chatter.
For the record, I hadn’t brought just Gordon, Linden, and Hans this time—Katrine and Libel were with us as well.
‘They’re all involved in this affair, after all.’
That was when it happened.
Bang!
The reception hall door swung open violently.
“Who do we have here? Isn’t this some mongrel of House Ecclesia? Did you come hoping to die?”
Duchess Bess appeared, her eyes gleaming with malice.
Her fury was such that she made no attempt whatsoever to conceal the full force of her aura.
‘An aura every bit as fierce as Puppet’s.’
My body went rigid like a mouse cornered by a snake, but the Black Flame Dragon came to my aid.
-The Black Flame Dragon is enraged by the opponent’s unjust oppression!
-It manifests an even more intense pressure!
Shrieeek!
At the Black Flame Dragon’s fiercer than usual display of power, even the Duchess’s face showed a flicker of surprise.
I lifted my chin.
“You want to kill me? Then try. If you’d like to watch the Magic House turn to ash, by all means.”
“…What did you say?”
“I am here as a Special Envoy representing His Majesty the Emperor. Duchess, even if you’re some minion of the Abyss with no sense of judgment, surely you know how grave a crime it is to murder His Majesty’s Special Envoy.”
The Duchess’s face twisted in disbelief, but Gordon stepped forward from beside her.
“Professor Ban has received full authority from Mayor Mariam of the Free City to resolve this incident. Since the Free City’s ruler is His Majesty the Emperor, Professor Ban currently holds a status equivalent to that of His Majesty’s Special Envoy.”
The Duchess’s hands trembled.
She looked as though she wanted nothing more than to grind me to dust—yet couldn’t.
But she was no ordinary person. Composure soon returned to her features.
“…It seems I underestimated you, Ban. Impressive. So what do you want? You’re not actually foolish enough to believe you can do anything to me, are you?”
Her voice dripped with arrogance.
Indeed, unlike the mere trifle Konrad, toppling the Duchess over something like this was simply impossible.
“I came to make a deal. We have no wish to damage the honor of Alfonso, the head of the Magic House. If you comply with the conditions I propose, I will conclude this matter as Konrad’s independent act.”
He would face execution.
Though her brother was about to die, the Duchess didn’t so much as blink.
“And these conditions are?”
“I know your orders lay behind the harm done to my students. Swear never to repeat such actions, and since those involved are present, apologize to them directly.”
“Apologize to you? How dare you!!”
The Duchess’s face flushed with fury.
But my true demand lay elsewhere.
“And going forward, cease all interference in my student Katrine’s education.”
“…What?”
“Relinquish your Right of Education over Katrine.”
This concept had emerged from cases where poor instruction ruined children.
When stripped of the Right of Education, parents must entrust their child’s education entirely to the Academy and public institutions.
‘She would otherwise use that right as cover to obstruct Katrine’s growth in every way. I need to block it now.’
“I am Katrine’s class instructor. You may know that revoking the Right of Education when parents prove unfit is an exclusive authority of Academy faculty.”
She would not accept this without protest.
“You speak absurdity. Unfit? I am a 7-Star Rank master-class mage—you, a mere novice, dare question my qualifications?”
“Care to wager on it?”
“…What?”
“I will demonstrate a spell for you, Duchess.”
I twisted my mouth into an unpleasant smirk and raised the stakes.
“If you can block my magic, I’ll forget everything I just said. Of course, there’s no chance you’ll be able to stop it.”
!!
“Allow me to teach you what truly great magic is.”

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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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