The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 58

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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 58
Swordsmanship Intent.
A concept corresponding to the Magical Way that mages pursue—also called the Way of the Sword or Chivalry.
The path that knights seek.
“Your student treats me no differently than you do, I notice. Tell me—do you truly believe that constitutes righteous Swordsmanship Intent and Chivalry?”
…….
Gwangryong could not answer, his expression caught between surprise and defenselessness.
‘Chivalry is not the same as the Magical Way.’
Swordsmanship Intent, the Way of the Sword, Chivalry.
Though they corresponded to the Magical Way that mages pursued, there lay a crucial difference between them.
One’s approach to life reflects in the blade itself.
‘One needn’t walk the righteous path alone to reach great heights, of course. Villains abound among high-ranking knights.’
The problem was that Gwangryong saw himself as a righteous guardian knight.
“You claim your Swordsmanship Intent lies in protecting the Empire as a guardian, but isn’t it merely drunken arrogance masquerading as duty?”
…….
Gwangryong’s eyes flashed with lethal sharpness as he glared at me.
Yet he did not draw his blade immediately—because my words had struck something true within him.
‘Good. Push forward with this momentum.’
But then a voice cut through the silence.
I’d never heard it before, but it dripped with unmistakable malice.
“Chivalry, too, chooses its adversary. One extends respect only to those worthy of it.”
!!
I turned to see a girl with sharp, refined features standing before us.
Our first meeting, yet I’d glimpsed this face countless times as the scenario unfolded.
Gwangryong’s student.
A prodigy who transcended the bloodline of a legendary sword family.
Top-ranked student of the Knight Department.
The student villain of Rubinesse Academy.
Yulia.
“Greetings to you, Master.”
Yulia dropped to one knee before Gwangryong in a gesture of respect.
She did not spare me so much as a glance.
A calculated dismissal.
What surprised me was Gwangryong’s response.
Whatever shift my words had provoked in him, he now said this:
“…You should pay your respects to Professor Ban as well. After all, she is your homeroom instructor at the academy.”
Yulia’s brow tightened briefly before she smoothed it away and turned to me with a smile.
To any observer, it was transparently false.
Suffused with barely concealed mockery.
“Professor Ban, I offer my greetings. I’m afraid I was neglectful in my courtesy toward a temporary instructor who will soon depart. My training keeps me so occupied, I do hope you’ll forgive my oversight.”
The message was clear: a temporary professor playing pretend needn’t expect my attention—though my own paranoia may have sharpened that edge somewhat.
‘…I’m itching for a confrontation.’
The inflammatory miss Joanna came to mind.
They were alike, yet different.
Where Joanna was a spoiled child who couldn’t master her own temperament, Yulia was a far more cunning and intelligent villainess.
“Master, I am deeply sorry. My poor conduct has brought you such indignity. To subject one who guards the very Empire to such insult—I have committed a grave sin.”
Her words were masterful.
By claiming responsibility, she deftly shifted the blame onto me, implying that *I* had been the one to commit the rudeness.
‘Exhausting.’
Responding in kind would only lower me to her level.
Direct, straightforward provocation was best.
“Now that I’ve met you in person, Yulia, I’m certain his instruction has failed you.”
“…Pardon?”
I fixed my gaze directly on Gwangryong.
“When she conducts herself this way, what sort of knight do you believe Miss Yulia will become?”
…….
“It is the duty of any instructor to correct a student’s moral failings. As I proposed in my letter, let us settle the matter of Yulia’s education through a duel.”
Gwangryong’s brow twitched.
“You truly mean to duel me?”
“Of course.”
“Ha! You’re not even worth a single stroke of my blade!”
“Why would I need to block your sword? I’m a Magic Department professor. Theoretical studies, in fact.”
“…Then what kind of duel are you proposing?”
“Did you not read my letter? I said we should test our ‘qualifications as teachers.’ Your student and my student will face each other in a swordsmanship match.”
At those words, Gwangryong and Yulia wore expressions of disbelief.
“Wait—didn’t you just say you’re a Magic Department professor? Then your student must be a Magic Department student too, right?”
“Correct. A 1-Star Apprentice Mage who has never studied swordsmanship at all.”
“You’re going to pit such an amateur in a sword duel? Yulia is the kind of genius who outshines every prodigy around her!”
“We’ll know soon enough which is better when they face off.”
“Ha! Let me see who you’re putting forward—show me their face!”
I nodded, then called over a girl who had been standing apart, quietly watching the commotion.
“Katrine.”
“…Why me all of a sudden?”
“Come over here.”
“…??”
With a frown, I gestured to Katrine, who had stepped beside me with a bewildered expression.
“This girl will face your student.”
* * *
Chaos erupted.
Most shocked of all was Katrine herself, now the focus of attention.
“Wait, what are you saying?! A swordsmanship duel—not even Magic? You want me to fight with a sword?!”
“You can do it.”
“I’ve never even held a sword in my life!”
“I said you can do it. Trust me.”
Katrine’s mouth fell silent, and I leaned in, my voice tempting and low.
“I hear the two of you don’t get along. Don’t you want to land a blow against her? If you follow what I say, you can do it.”
Yulia and Katrine had a bitter history.
Yulia had dismissed Katrine, an illegitimate child, on more than one occasion.
And Katrine, lacking the magnanimity befitting a future hero, was the petty type who never forgot a grudge once harbored.
“…There’s no way I could land a blow on her.”
“When have I ever spoken nonsense? If you trust me and also believe in yourself, anything is possible.”
Katrine’s expression remained doubtful.
‘This duel is what Katrine needs too. It will be invaluable for her growth.’
Meanwhile, Gwangryong and Yulia were astounded.
“Are you serious? Putting someone who’s a complete novice at swordplay against Yulia?”
“Did I not say we were testing our qualifications as teachers? Defeating your student—with my instruction, that will be more than enough.”
“Tch…”
“However, there is a condition. The match will be fought under Weapon Breaking rules.”
Duels among knights were typically sparring matches.
But special match types were often designated, and this was one of them.
‘A duel where both wield the same weapon and try to break the other’s.’
Simpler than a general sparring match, but certainly not advantageous to a beginner.
If anything, with no room for variables to intervene, victory or defeat hinged entirely on pure swordsmanship skill.
“The weapon will be wooden swords. We’ll hold five rounds—the first to shatter the opponent’s sword three times wins.”
“Fine. Don’t regret it later.”
“Then please give me a moment. I need to teach her.”
I led Katrine to a secluded corner.
“You must have some sort of winning strategy, or you wouldn’t be setting up something this ridiculous. Don’t be angry—just tell me what you’re plotting.”
“There is no strategy. Just believe in yourself. That’s the whole plan.”
“What? Are you insane?”
I elaborated further.
“People often mistake Weapon Breaking for a contest of who can exert stronger swordsmanship intent. But that’s wrong. It’s a clash of the will infused in the blade itself. I don’t for a moment believe your will is inferior to Yulia’s.”
Katrine closed her mouth.
“But even so…”
“It’s fine. If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me, who believes in you.”
And so the duel began.
Two girls stood facing each other, identical wooden swords in their hands.
“Well, well. Who’s this? Long time no see. Katrine—you look exhausted dancing to the Professor’s tune like a clown. Though you were always that kind of fool, even when you were following Joanna around…”
“Shut up.”
“…What?”
“Stop flapping your mouth and draw your sword. You’re getting on my nerves.”
“!!”
The smile vanished from Yulia’s face.
“I was trying to be kind for old times’ sake, but that won’t work.”
Clang!
The air in the hall grew taut and crackling.
And then.
Their blades flashed, and the sharp sound of a wooden sword snapping filled the space.
* * *
‘Insane professor. Having me do something this ridiculous.’
Katrine gasped for breath.
Two severed wooden swords lay scattered across the floor.
She’d already lost twice in five bouts.
‘There’s no way I can win. I’m a mage.’
She didn’t even need to invoke the Swordsmanship Intent.
In every aspect—strength, agility, sword technique—she was hopelessly outmatched.
Yulia’s body, despite her delicate frame, was like a human weapon.
‘What am I doing here, following along with this madness?’
She’d come on a whim, but as expected, it was hopeless.
The only reason she hadn’t quit was pride.
Katrine had a pathological aversion to giving up on anything midway through.
As she picked up a third wooden sword with pallid, trembling hands, Yulia’s brow furrowed.
Yulia, exhausted by frustration, abandoned her pretense of civility.
“You’re unbearably stubborn too. If you don’t stop right now, I’ll break this sword on purpose and scar that face of yours. The only thing you have going for you is your pretty face, so think carefully.”
Katrine let out a short, bitter laugh.
She’d been half-thinking of surrendering, but after hearing that, her mind changed.
If Joanna’s temperament was hopeless, then Katrine’s was downright rotten.
“Want to make a wager?”
“What?”
“Whoever wins gets one good punch at the loser. I’m thinking a solid knuckle to your smug face might help me sleep like a baby.”
Yulia’s eyes turned predatory.
“Like teacher, like student. Brace yourself.”
Yulia raised her sword, and Katrine met it with her own.
Yet still, she felt no certainty of victory.
Though they were the same age, it felt like facing a wall.
Even if they’d competed in Magic instead of swordsmanship, defeat would have been inevitable.
‘You said I could win! You liar of a professor!’
As the complaint burst out, a single remembered phrase surfaced.
-Believe in yourself.
But it still felt hollow.
Believe in what, exactly?
Doubt pooled in her chest.
‘I know better than anyone that I’m a hopeless dullard.’
Despite being born of a prestigious magical lineage, she was inferior even to common folk.
All her desperate effort existed only to mask her lacking talent.
‘There’s no way I can do this.’
Her will was about to snap.
Then her eyes met Ban’s.
Despite having lost twice already, Ban’s gaze remained unshaken.
-You can do this.
That’s what those eyes seemed to say.
-If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me, who believes in you—didn’t I say that?
“!!”
Thinking back, Ban had always looked at her that way.
Blunt and gruff as it seemed.
There was a trust beneath it without any apparent reason.
A kind she’d never received from anyone before.
‘Why? What could you possibly know about me?’
Katrine clenched her teeth.

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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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