The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 74

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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 74
The butler nodded in understanding.
“I hear that Professor Ban is making unusual preparations for the Joint Competition. Please, Your Excellency, don’t disappoint the Baron again.”
The butler withdrew coldly, and Aiden slumped onto the sofa.
‘Damn it. What grand thing could I possibly accomplish at the Joint Competition? Should I aim for the formal exams instead? No. That petty bastard Volmen won’t wait for me until then. I can’t let things go back to how they were.’
Originally, Aiden had been an unremarkable professor.
Then a certain entity granted him a ‘Blessing’, and he became an A-Pesser—all because House Rapelt’s gaze fell upon him, elevating him to his current position.
‘…What if I sought that Blessing once more?’
Aiden swallowed hard.
That Blessing had transformed him from an insignificant figure into a thriving A-Pesser.
With it, he might just weather this crisis.
He could seize it again whenever he wished.
It wasn’t difficult.
All he had to do was ‘desire’ it in his heart.
The moment Aiden steeled his resolve,
—Do you need help again?
A chilling whisper cut through the air.
A voice like metal scraping against metal—unsettling, visceral.
Merely hearing it felt like one’s soul plummeting into an abyss.
Aiden whimpered the identity of that voice.
“…A Demon.”
That was right.
The one who had granted Aiden his Blessing was a Demon.
It was in desperation, just before expulsion from the Academy, that he had summoned this creature.
—Heh heh, calling me a Demon? How ungrateful. Am I not your benefactor?
“Y-yes. You are.”
—Then, do you wish to receive my favor once more?
“Yes! Please grant me the ability to perform a miracle—to overwhelm the other professor at the Joint Competition!”
A Demon.
Many confused them with the denizens of the Demon Realm, but Demons were something entirely different.
The denizens of the Demon Realm were earthly races whose power stemmed from darkness.
Demons, by contrast, were metaphysical entities—the evil of the world given tangible form—rooted in another dimension: the infernal depths of Gehenna.
And so, high-ranking Demons could work miracles that defied all ordinary law.
—It is no simple matter.
“…What do you mean? My opponent is merely a deficient fool suffering from Mana Insensitivity!”
—Ha ha ha ha! Do you call him deficient? Him, who stands beyond the Sixteen Stars ordained by the world’s Causality—a being constrained by no natural law, perhaps even the true ‘protagonist’ of this tale?
Causality constrained? Beyond natural law? The Sixteen Stars? The protagonist?
Aiden’s expression betrayed his incomprehension, and the Demon whispered close.
—Yet there is a way, if you entrust yourself entirely to me.
“I… that’s not…”
His counterpart was a Demon.
If he surrendered completely, there was no knowing what fate might befall him.
But—
—Do you truly believe you have a choice?
“…What?”
—The price for the Blessing you received before remains unpaid. I shall collect it now.
“!!”
Aiden’s eyes snapped wide open.
He tried desperately to sever the connection with the Demon, but it was futile.
“No, no! This can’t—! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!”
A sickening crunch. A terrible wail.
With those horrifying sounds, Aiden’s soul was sucked down into Gehenna.
At the same moment, something else claimed his body.
“Ban Ecclesia. Not one of the Sixteen Stars, but the deepest, most secret true star of this world.”
The ‘Demon’ smiled with grotesque satisfaction.
“Yes, I wonder what miracles you shall show me.”
* * *
The day of the Joint Competition drew near.
The Great Hall filled with a crowd—not overwhelming in size, but far from sparse.
‘Fortunately, the provocation worked.’
The journalists weren’t just from the Gossip Daily—reporters from other magical news agencies were visible in the crowd as well.
But that wasn’t all.
Chancellor Karak himself was in attendance!
‘Open your eyes wide and watch carefully. I’ll show you that I’m a talent you absolutely cannot overlook. Stop hesitating now.’
A heavyweight from the Rafalte Faction had also come.
Werner, the Earl.
Volmen’s own brother, serving as the academy’s director.
The two highest-ranking officials of Rubinesse Academy were attending what was merely a freshman competition.
‘The problem is the third person.’
Former Chancellor Randolph sat in the corner, his gaze boring into me with a terrifying intensity.
A chill ran down my spine, but I turned away and pretended not to notice.
‘What’s Aiden preparing for, though? I heard he taught some Magic Faculty students a secret incantation separately.’
A strange unease crept over me.
It wasn’t the fear of losing the competition—it was a different kind of dread.
In other words.
It felt like the intuition I’d had just before several previous incidents.
‘…Why?’
Just then, Aiden took the platform.
Since Class One went first, the competition was beginning.
But then.
“I thank all of you for attending. I’ve prepared a special competition for your enjoyment.”
The word “special” grated against my ears.
‘In the original scenario, forcing such elaborate preparations caused a disaster.’
In the original timeline, Karak’s faction, losing the competition, invites an S-Pesser for the exhibition.
The students of Rubinesse Academy, unable to keep up with the S-Pesser’s instruction, suffer an unexpected accident—that’s what the catastrophe entails.
‘Even if the same accident happens this time, I can handle it perfectly. There are all sorts of distinguished professors here now.’
I’d drawn attention partly to stand out, but also to prevent any potential disaster.
The catastrophe in the original scenario could be handled by just Former Chancellor Randolph and Professor Bernstein, seated over there.
Yet the omen didn’t fade, and I found myself instinctively sensing something.
If an incident occurs here, it will be entirely different from the original scenario’s catastrophe.
Far more terrible and vicious.
‘I have to stop this right now…!’
I tried to move urgently, but it was too late.
“Well then, do enjoy it to your heart’s content, hehehehe. After all, it’s a competition that this humble master Aiden has prepared with his very soul.”
And at that moment.
Splurt!!
Aiden’s head exploded.
The hall froze.
Everyone was too stunned by the sudden shock to process what was happening.
But only for a moment.
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
“Wh-what?! Why all of a sudden?!”
“Look there!! Black aura pouring from Aiden’s neck!!”
It was the aura of a Demon.
‘Aiden was a Demon contractor? What? There was nothing about that in the scenario!’
What came next was even more horrifying.
Bulge. Bulge.
Aiden’s body began swelling like foam.
‘Self-Destruct Magic. If that detonates, it’s all over!’
Self-Destruct Magic normally unleashes terrifying explosive force.
Combined with the power of a high-ranking Demon, the destructive potential was beyond imagination.
‘I have to stop it immediately.’
Then, several figures moved swiftly.
“Dare you! A filthy Demon thinking it can harm Rubinesse Academy?!”
It was Former Chancellor Randolph!
Along with Professor Bernstein and other professors from the Magic Faculty who had come to observe the competition, he stepped forward.
Yet the situation remained dire.
‘If Randolph were in his prime, perhaps—but he can’t completely contain a Self-Destruct Magic infused with a high-ranking Demon’s power.’
Even suppressing the explosion as much as possible, the surrounding area would inevitably be caught in the blast.
The problem was the swarm of first-year students gathered here.
Ordinary people. Raw recruits, no different from civilians.
I had no idea how many casualties would result if even a tenth of the explosion’s shockwave leaked through.
‘There’s only one way. If we can’t avoid the explosion, we have to delay it as long as possible. In the meantime, we evacuate the students.’
Bernstein must have been thinking the same thing—a Message Magic came through from him.
-Randolph and I will buy as much time as we can. While we do, you get the freshmen to safety.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
But then a problem arose.
“Why—why can’t I control my body?!”
“P-please, save me!!”
Bang!
Students engulfed in the Demon’s aura blocked the hall’s entrance.
All of them screamed as though acting against their own will.
‘These are the students Aiden prepared with a hidden technique for the competition!’
The hidden technique was a ruse.
It had been the Demon’s trap all along!
‘What do I do? I can’t get outside if I don’t move these students.’
If it were just one or two, I could use my Grand Master Magic Ability to break the Demon’s control, but there were more than five of them.
‘It’s not impossible, but if I spend that much time, the explosion will go off before we can evacuate all the students.’
I could see Randolph straining to pull his strength up beyond his limits.
We had no time.
I had to find a solution, and fast.
Then a low, calm voice spoke.
“Oh my. How troublesome. So many students have sold their souls to the Demon.”
It was Karak, the headmaster.
Despite his peacock-like appearance, his eyes were cold.
Shink!
He manipulated the handle of the parasol he always carried and drew out a blade.
The Aura of a Sword Master took shape around it.
“A grievous matter, but Demon worship is an unforgivable felony. As the headmaster responsible for this academy, I must dispense justice on the spot.”
“N-no! We didn’t worship the Demon!”
“Ahhh! Please, spare us!”
But Karak paid them no mind.
It wasn’t that he disbelieved the students.
‘Karak knows these students are innocent. But there’s no time, so he’s going to eliminate them as Demon worshippers and evacuate the others.’
It was pure Karak—pragmatic to the core.
After all, he cared nothing for the academy itself; he only wanted to seize it for his own purposes.
Yet in this moment, it was hard to condemn him.
To save a few might mean dozens or more would die instead.
It could be called a rational choice.
But—
‘Is this really the only way?’
Then a chilling whisper brushed against my ear.
-Disappointed, are you, Ban Ecclesia?
‘!!’
It was the voice of the Demon who had orchestrated this catastrophe!
-I went through the trouble of arranging this spectacle, even submitting to the constraints of Causality, just to see how magnificent you truly are. And yet—how disappointing. How dreadfully dull.
My hands clenched into fists.
‘You cause all this and complain it’s boring?’
Anger boiled up inside me.
That was why.
My stubborn, rebellious nature suddenly welled up.
“Stop, Headmaster Karak.”
“Professor Ban?”
Karak tilted his head in confusion.
“Surely you understand time is of the essence? Let’s hurry and dispose of these criminals seduced by the Demon’s allure—”
“These children are still our students. We have a duty to protect them.”
“!!”
Karak’s expression darkened in an instant.
Unlike his usual light demeanor, a sharp, oppressive force bore down on me.
“Oh my, I know you’re a righteous man, but this is no time for idealism. It’s impossible to save everyone.”
“You might feel that way, Chancellor. But I don’t. My greatness is in a different league than yours.”
“!!”
Ah.
This wasn’t the moment for it, but the Black Flame Dragon reared up.
Or perhaps it was the resentment I’d harbored toward Chancellor Karak all this time finally breaking through.
“The reason the Rafalte Faction keeps outmaneuvering you, Chancellor, is precisely because of this attitude of yours.”
“B-Professor Ban?”
“Stay there and watch quietly.”
I turned my back to him.
“You’ll see me work a miracle.”

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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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