The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 9

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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 9
I was standing there bewildered when it happened.
A sound reached my ears that made me doubt my own hearing.
“I was wrong.”
“!!”
I stared at the Duke, wondering if I’d misheard him.
I hadn’t.
The Duke’s face was radiant with a smile.
Despite the crown of his head being singed bare, he looked endlessly joyful.
“As a father, I failed to trust you. All this time, you’ve been working so hard, pushing forward.”
“…….”
“I apologize once more. Can you forgive me for not trusting you all these years?”
In that moment, I understood something clearly.
‘No matter what, the Duke truly loves his son.’
His anger had stemmed from love for his son.
Perhaps because I’d never properly received a parent’s love in my childhood, my chest felt oddly warm.
Then another voice cut through.
“Father!! Brother defeated the Evil Spirit Lord that was sealed in the Ancestral Tomb!!”
It was Karl!
He’d come to just in time, roused from mana depletion.
“The Evil Spirit Lord awakened by my mistake, but my brother vanquished it!”
“!!”
Everyone stared at me as if they couldn’t believe it.
The Black Flame Dragon Charisma activated naturally, and my unlucky voice spilled out.
“It was nothing remarkable. I merely did what was necessary as a member of Ecclesia.”
The entire hall fell silent, confusion and shock mingling on every face.
Their entire understanding of the world had crumbled, and they didn’t know what to say.
“Ignorant knights, what are you doing? Won’t you show respect to Young Master Han?!”
“Wh—what?”
“Now!!”
At Hans’s shout, the bewildered knights cried out, “L—long live Young Master Han!”
-You have won against the Duke in a duel!
-Your vanquishment of the Evil Spirit Lord has been recognized!
-The Duke’s gaze toward you has changed!!
-The Duke’s retainers’ gaze toward you has changed!!
-Your honor increases slightly!!
-You may now claim a Wish Token from the Duke!
I latched onto the words “Wish Token.”
The Duke spoke up just then.
“So you really did defeat the Evil Spirit Lord. I want to apologize for misunderstanding you all this time. This alone won’t mend your heart, but is there anything you wish for?”
I swallowed hard.
The moment I’d been waiting for had arrived.
“Father, I ask that you use your Recommendation Authority for Rubines Academy on my behalf.”
“!!”
The Duke’s eyes widened in shock.
Rubines Academy was one of the Four Great Academies.
The Ecclesia Ducal House was one of the highest patrons in academic circles.
They provided substantial support to the Four Great Academies in particular, and held Recommendation Authority.
‘It’s called recommendation, but it’s essentially appointing whoever you want as professor.’
In other words, my request was for him to parachute me in as a professor!
I smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘Becoming a professor through legitimate channels would be hellishly difficult. A parachute appointment is the best way.’
The Duke looked troubled.
“A Recommendation Authority? That’s….”
No matter how much authority he held, he couldn’t use it carelessly.
If he recommended an unqualified person as professor, it would be a stain on the Duke’s honor.
Recommending me—famous trash across the entire empire—as professor wasn’t merely dishonorable.
Everyone would point and say the Duke had lost his mind.
‘That’s his burden to bear.’
“You don’t trust me, Father?”
“Ugh.”
The Duke let out a troubled groan.
He’d just said he trusted me, so it would be difficult to refuse.
That was when I heard a voice come to my aid.
“Do not worry yourself, sir! Young Master Ban will become a shining star to illuminate not just the Ducal House, but the Empire itself—nay, the very world! Does not your receding hairline prove it?”
“…You’re going to be quiet now.”
Hans wasn’t the only one.
“I support this plan.”
“Kale?”
Kale averted his gaze in a flash, his face flushing.
He seemed embarrassed to be saying such a thing.
“Perhaps you have a natural talent for teaching. The guidance you gave me when we fought the Evil Spirit Lord was incomparable to any instruction I’ve received from the academy’s professors.”
“…Is that so?”
The Duke’s expression grew troubled.
While he’d acknowledged me, actually pushing me through like this felt daunting to him, judging by his hesitant look.
That was when Ron, the eldest son who’d been quiet until now, spoke up.
“What if we appoint Ban as a Temporary Professor?”
“Temporary?”
“Yes, rather than a permanent appointment, we’d hire him temporarily, assess his performance, and then proceed with a formal position. The fallout would be minimal.”
The Duke nodded as if it were a good idea.
‘Hmm. Not entirely satisfying, but it’s not a major problem?’
With my Grand Master of Magic ability, there was no way my performance would be lacking.
A permanent appointment was as good as already in my pocket.
‘I’ll just coast along idly and then produce some magical achievements with the Grand Master ability, and that should do it.’
Besides, as a member of the Ducal House bloodline, who would dare question whether my conduct was diligent?
‘I’m going to live the sweet life of a lazy professor!’
There was just one thing that bothered me.
‘The problem is I have to work as a professor at the academy at the same time as the main characters.’
Right now, it’s the break between school years before the new term begins.
So when I go to the academy as a professor, the protagonists will be enrolled for their first year as well.
‘…Anyway, I’ll keep my head down. I just need to steer clear the moment I see their hair.’
As I’ve said before, it’s a thousand times, ten thousand times better than going into the military or taking a government post.
Then came a question from the Duke.
“Why specifically Rubines Academy? If you want one of the Four Great Academies, wouldn’t one of the others be better?”
I answered silently.
‘Because the others are too demanding.’
Each of the Four Great Academies had its own character.
If I had to describe Rubines Academy in one phrase, it would be this:
—An academy shameful even to call one of the Four Great.
Perhaps because it was located in the Free City, known for pleasure and crime?
Its academic atmosphere was lax, and among the Four Great, it was the one with the poorest achievements and most avoided.
‘It’s the perfect environment for me.’
Sapphire Academy, located in a border dispute region.
Peridot Academy, adjacent to the Demon Realm.
Amethyst Academy, nestled in a warped mana environment above the desert.
In such harsh places, even I couldn’t pull off the lazy professor lifestyle.
‘Loose academic culture—the best! Entertainment city—the best!’
Of course, I couldn’t answer like that.
“A place with some room for improvement would suit me well, where I can better display my radiant talents.”
“…Y-yes.”
The Duke nodded reluctantly, and my appointment through the Ducal House recommendation was settled.
* * *
‘Finally, a break!’
I threw myself onto the bed in triumph.
The Duke would send a recommendation letter, and the academy would need to approve it.
In the meantime, with nothing particular to do, I decided to loaf around as much as possible.
‘Now I don’t have to worry about the Ducal House watching me anymore.’
The way the Ducal House people looked at me had completely changed after the recent duel.
Perhaps because I’d made such an impressive showing, even my past was repackaged.
‘I came to be seen as warped by a world that failed to recognize my genius.’
Well, in any case, it’s nothing bad.
I’m perfectly content to laze about.
The trouble was, there was a problem.
“Oh, my lord! Lying in bed with your eyes closed again, are you? Conducting meditation research to contemplate the nature of magic itself? What magnificent horizon of arcane knowledge do you seek to unveil! My heart simply cannot contain its admiration!!”
A middle-aged mage kept visiting me like a girl smitten with first love, growing more tiresome by the day.
When he’d asked why I kept lying down, I’d brushed him off by claiming I was pursuing meditation research—and now this.
Hans wasn’t the only one making a nuisance of himself.
Kael kept showing up as well.
“What exactly are you doing? You’re not slipping back into idleness again, are you? Why do you keep coming here? Don’t misunderstand—I’m not visiting because I like you. I still hate you.”
If he hated me, I couldn’t fathom why he kept appearing.
Was this some new form of harassment?
There was more.
“Ban, as your senior professor, I’ll teach you the techniques necessary for instructing students.”
It was Ron, my eldest brother.
The one who supposedly cared for me.
‘Ron’s a professor too. And at the Amethyst Academy—supposedly the finest of the Four Great Academies.’
Ron’s eyes held the light of concern for a thoughtless younger sibling.
‘This is uncomfortable.’
It wasn’t mere unease.
The Ecclesia Ducal House was a prominent family in the Hero Academy.
The Duke himself and all five of us siblings held crucial roles in the scenario.
Ron’s particular role was….
‘I shouldn’t think too deeply about this. The future isn’t set in stone yet, after all.’
Ron’s future would shift depending on how the scenario progressed.
There was no need to worry about it now.
“It would have been better if you’d come to the Amethyst Academy where I am. A shame, really. Though mana distortions cause natural disasters fairly often, it’s quite livable otherwise.”
“…I’m content as is.”
“Living expenses at Rubines must be steep. You’ll receive a professor’s salary, of course, but you’ll struggle.”
Hm?
I gave him a puzzled look.
‘I thought the family was supposed to provide support.’
“You’d know this already, but while the family fulfills its obligations to the military, bureaucracy, and such for four years, all family support is cut off—it’s tradition in our house, though I’ll admit it’s rather harsh.”
‘How is that even allowed!!’
It struck like a bolt from the blue.
Rubines Academy was located in the Free City, renowned for its hustle and bustle.
Monthly rent and living costs were notoriously ruinous.
Even a professor’s generous salary made a comfortable life impossible.
According to the setting, professors at Rubines Academy often took on side work.
But the lightning strike wasn’t finished yet.
The Duke summoned me.
“…Rubines Academy rejected your appointment.”
My patronage nomination had fallen through.
I hadn’t seen it coming.
‘They rejected the Duke’s recommendation? And for a mere Temporary Professor position, no less?’
The Duke let out a heavy sigh.
“Their stated reasons for rejection are as follows: insufficient character, insufficient record, insufficient ability, insufficient experience, insufficient reputation, insufficient academic performance, insufficient leadership.”
…….
“All seven criteria they require are failed marks, so they said even my recommendation cannot override it.”
In other words, I was so hopelessly terrible that the academy couldn’t accept me even at the risk of offending the Duke.
‘What do I do?’
To realize my golden dream, I had to get into Rubines Academy no matter what.
But character, record, experience, academic performance from my time at the academy, reputation—all of it was beyond improvement in my current state.
Perhaps it had been a foolish wish from the start—someone like ‘Ban,’ a piece of refuse, becoming a professor, the most coveted profession in the empire.
‘But it can’t be! I have to find a way to pass Rubines Academy’s requirements somehow.’
Then, all at once, a single method occurred to me.
‘Could this actually work?’
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.
“There is one method.”
“Do you have an idea?”
“I’ll demonstrate my greatness to Rubines Academy.”
“…What?”
Through the power of my Grand Master of Magic.
All I had to do was display prowess that overwhelmed every other failing grade.

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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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