The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 56

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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 56
Chancellor Karak’s atmosphere shifted.
The ridiculous theatrics vanished, and the air around him sharpened into something blade-like.
‘So this is the First Year Arc’s final boss.’
Tension coiled in my chest, but if you want to pitch to a tiger, you have to meet the tiger face-to-face.
“With respect, Chancellor, I don’t think this is a time for leisure. At this rate, Rubinesse Academy will fall to either Duke Rafalte’s Faction or Former Chancellor Randolph’s Faction. You’ll be driven out alone—with nothing to show for it.”
Driven out.
Those words touched Karak’s Reverse Scale.
The atmosphere grew even sharper.
“How presumptuous. Do you really think you’re someone special just because you dealt with a bunch of nobodies like Conrad and his cronies?”
“It’s not presumption—I am someone special. I’m meant to be your wings.”
!!
Karak flinched, and I met his gaze unflinching as I continued.
“I’ve told you more than once that I want to stand with you, Chancellor. Now it’s time for you to choose. Will you take my hand?”
‘I can’t afford to hesitate anymore. I have to make my allegiances clear.’
Being marked by Former Chancellor Randolph still stung.
If I stayed silent and passive, people would assume I’d sided with Randolph’s line—whatever my actual intent.
‘Joining a minority faction means grinding myself to dust. I can’t stand with Duke Rafalte’s people either. For now, hiding in Karak’s shadow is my best play.’
And when Karak eventually fell, I’d stab him in the back and slip away cleanly.
Perfect social survival strategy.
I dealt my finishing blow.
“If you can’t bring yourself to trust me, then so be it. It seems you’re not the vessel to hold me, Chancellor. I’ll have to look elsewhere.”
“Hahahaha!!!”
Karak burst into sudden laughter.
It was a wild, tempestuous laugh that drained the blood from your veins.
Then.
“Oho, I concede. I’ve misjudged you these past weeks. Professor Alif, would you step in?”
As student affairs dean, he was a core member of Karak’s faction.
“Yes, Chancellor? What is it?”
“Would you arrange for Professor Ban here to establish a solo lecture course?”
“I beg your pardon? But—such a privilege for Professor Wilhelm?”
Professor Alif stumbled over his words, caught off guard.
Not a single temporary professor had ever established a solo lecture course before.
It was a privilege even Balas had never received.
“Oho, I hear that Professor Ban has done extraordinary work turning around three of the academy’s most troublesome cases. You can manage that, can’t you, Professor Ban? If you fail, I’m afraid this heart of mine will break with disappointment.”
His eyes still held doubt, still held suspicion.
It couldn’t be helped. Doubt and distrust were Karak’s true nature, after all.
And I was only planning to use him anyway, so it didn’t matter.
“Don’t waste time on needless worry. Just keep your best date and time slot open. This will be a lecture remembered throughout Rubinesse Academy’s history.”
* * *
I decided to seek out the students first.
‘Susan—why does she have no registered address on file? She’s not even in the dormitories?’
An inexplicable dread crept up my spine.
I had no choice but to track down the others first.
Their responses were exactly as I’d anticipated—which is to say, not good.
“Oh my, who’s this? Isn’t it the original Wilhelm? Come looking for Wilhelm the Second? The poor mutt’s so drunk he can’t even recognize his own parents, so do come back another time. Though I can’t say he’ll be any better then, haha!”
Gwangyong’s disciple gave a similar response.
“Miss Yulia is currently in critical training and cannot be disturbed.”
“Even when her designated professor comes calling?”
“Yes. There are no exceptions, she said.”
Both of them refused to let me through.
I simply nodded and withdrew without protest.
I didn’t bother visiting the Third Imperial Prince of Yodo.
‘I expected something like this, of course.’
I made those visits anyway—to give the students a chance.
‘Looks like I’ll need to use harsher methods.’
For that, I’d need parental consent.
-Haha! Who do we have here? Why, if it isn’t the young master Ban! It’s been ages. How have you been? And how fares his Grace the Duke?
Through the communication device, a middle-aged man with a kindly face appeared.
It was Leming, Marquis of the North Sea.
“I’m reaching out as your son’s class instructor.”
—Ah, I’ve heard about it. You must have your hands full. Whenever I think of that boy, I’m worried sick.
“Yes, at this rate he’ll face expulsion soon. I imagine you’re quite concerned.”
—…What did you just say? Expulsion? The son of the Northern Border Earl?
“Yes, he’s already broken so many academy regulations that expulsion would be well deserved.”
—But that’s… a few rule violations happen to everyone! Didn’t you do the same when you were at the academy?!
“Of course. However, the House of Leming is hardly the House of Ecclesia, is it? Forgive my presumption, but a provincial marquis’s influence won’t be enough to prevent your son’s expulsion.”
Even through the communication device, Leming’s face visibly flushed red and then pale.
The marquis was about to raise his voice when—
“How much longer will you enable him?”
—…What?
“You could certainly avoid expulsion by making a substantial donation to the academy. But what would that accomplish? Your son will be a grown man soon. He’s at an age where he must take responsibility for his own actions.”
Seventeen was young, but not so young as to excuse everything.
—But Wilhelm… that boy won’t change.
A confession that he had no faith in his own son.
Thinking of Wilhelm’s conduct in the scenario, it was a fair concern.
Wilhelm was even more of a failure than Vanregi himself.
“Leave that to me.”
—…To you?
“Didn’t I just say I’m his class instructor? It’s my responsibility as a professor to reform a student under my charge. However, there is a condition.”
—Will you use rough methods? Beat him senseless if need be, by any means necessary!
“No, I prefer civilized approaches. Violence isn’t my preference. Instead, I ask that you sever ties with your son.”
—!!
A brief silence followed.
He hadn’t grasped what I meant.
—…What did you say?
“By severing ties, I don’t mean simply cutting off financial support. I’m asking you to disown your son from the family.”
—!!
The marquis’s eyes widened, but I continued in an even graver tone.
“There is no other way to change him. Choose: will you let your son rot in your embrace, or will you give him true love’s discipline so he might be reborn?”
* * *
After deliberation, Leming accepted my proposal.
Soon enough, the news would reach Wilhelm.
‘I still need Gwangyong’s consent. Ugh. Damn it.’
He was an entirely different order of existence from Leming.
His very epithet was “the Mad Dragon,” after all.
Moreover, Gwangyong’s disciple Yulia was an incomparably more difficult opponent than Wilhelm.
For one, she wasn’t a problem student at all.
If anything, she was problematic precisely because she was too much of a prodigy.
‘A genius who overshadows the protagonists of the Knight Department. At least for now.’
For instance, by current standards, Yulia’s skill surpassed even Tern’s—the direct heir of a swordsmanship lineage and the Knight Department’s sub-main protagonist.
‘What is Tern up to anyway? Well, he’s a proper-living protagonist, so he’s probably managing fine on his own. I can barely manage myself—let me not worry about him.’
It was well-known that Gwangyong took great pride in his disciple Yulia.
Which meant he’d never consent to what I was about to do.
‘I have to. It’s do or die anyway.’
I wrote a letter and sent it to Gwangyong.
A letter that would turn Gwangyong upside down.
“Senior, did you really write ‘duel’ in that letter just now?”
“…You misread it.”
“No, I didn’t. It clearly said ‘duel.'”
“You fool, Linden! You absolute idiot! Even if you’re arrogant, surely you wouldn’t send a duel challenge to Gwangyong?!”
“Right… I mean, even you wouldn’t pull something that insane.”
“…….”
I let their fuss go in one ear and out the other, heaving a sigh.
‘It’ll take a few days for Gwangyong to arrive in a rage, so let me settle Wilhelm’s affair in the meantime.’
I made the rounds to handle what needed to be done.
“You seem to be visiting me pretty often these days?”
“It’s purely for business. Don’t worry—I swear on my life I have no intention of becoming closer to you than a business partner, Emily.”
“…….”
Leaving Emily with her dissatisfied expression,
“Don’t get confused, Ban. I’m not doing this because you’re my sister. I’m simply helping you because it seems like it might benefit the Free City.”
“…You don’t mean the photo you hastily shoved into the drawer earlier, do you?”
“No, of course not! What nonsense—!! I’m getting angry now?!”
“…It was a joke, but when you react so seriously, it starts to look true.”
“Get out!”
After negotiating with Mariam, I made my way toward the pleasure district of the Free City where Wilhelm was said to be frequenting.
‘Even when he amuses himself, it has to be in some cesspool like this.’
The Free City, sprawling as it was, had several pleasure districts scattered throughout.
This was the worst of them all.
It wasn’t so much dangerous as it was simply of appalling quality.
Filthy and unkempt—a place no nobleman with any means would ever set foot in.
As I approached the spot where Wilhelm was said to be, I found a cramped tavern thick with cigarette smoke, gambling cards scattered haphazardly across its tables.
“Oh, who’s this? The original Linden the Younger! Back again, are we?”
“Wilhelm, come over here! Why don’t you show your father your face!”
Soon a boy appeared, his face flushed scarlet and bloated with drink.
‘At seventeen, drinking isn’t illegal under Imperial law, but he’s certainly had his fill.’
Wilhelm, Linden the Younger, grinned drunkenly and pointed a crooked finger at me.
“Hic, good day to you? My dear professor? By the way, you certainly had a lot to say to Father about cutting ties with me, didn’t you? As if I’d care about something like that?!”
“…….”
“I don’t need Father! Look here—see how many friends I have?”
Wilhelm spread his hand expansively, gesturing at the rabble of the pleasure district around him.
They all seemed to regard his estrangement from his house as little more than entertainment.
‘Admittedly, given Leming’s soft nature, he’ll probably reinstate him eventually.’
Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen.
“Shut up. I’m not interested in talking with you. Hic.”
“I’m afraid you misunderstand. I didn’t come as your professor.”
“Hic, then why did you come?”
“I came as the executor of your debt collection and criminal charges.”
“…Hic?”
Wilhelm’s expression went blank, as if he hadn’t understood a word.
“You’ve borrowed a substantial sum from House Rapelt—money you couldn’t cover with your allowance from the Marquis.”
“Th-that’s something I borrowed legally on my own credit?!”
“The moment you were disowned by your house, your credit ceased to exist. As of this moment, including interest, you owe exactly 75,272 Pena. Pay it now.”
Wilhelm’s mouth fell open.
Either the alcohol hadn’t worn off, or he still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation.
“Beyond that, you’ve engaged in numerous illegal activities.”
“So what if I’ve gambled a bit?! What’s the big deal?!”
“Gambling itself is fine. Here’s a list of the crimes you’ve been involved in.”
As Wilhelm looked over the documents I handed him, the color drained from his face.

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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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