The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 181

Since Han Siha couldn’t go around the academy looking like a mess, he said he would head back to the dorm to clean up.

Solia stood in the hallway for a long time, holding the necklace that Han Siha had given her.

It shimmered softly.

‘Because you’re my fiancée.’

Solia placed a hand over her chest.

Thump. Her heart pounded.

“What is this… What’s really going on?”

Solia mumbled, blinking as she gazed down at the necklace again.

Darkness had already fallen outside the window.

She could hear snippets of students’ voices from the hallway in front of the library.

As Solia slowly looked around her surroundings, she suddenly realized.

That line Han Siha had said—it felt familiar.

Could it be?

“Wait… Did I just get proposed to?”

Gasp.

Solia instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.

“No way… Is that real?”

No matter how she thought about it, that was the only possibility.

This was a one-of-a-kind, precious artifact. It could have simply been a detoxification tool, but Han Siha had made it so exquisitely beautiful—there had to be a reason for that.

‘Even if it’s not your style, don’t forget to wear it. It was really tough to make.’

He even told her to wear it all the time!

Yeah, it had to be. It was definitely a proposal!

Recalling Han Siha’s words, Solia chewed on her nails anxiously.

Everything was great except…

One thing bothered her.

“Do people normally propose in a place like this?”

The hallway was dim and gloomy, not even properly lit.

If a ghost were to come out and propose, that would make sense. But normally, people don’t give necklaces in places like this, do they?

And usually, you’d want to see the person put on the necklace, right?

‘Maybe he was in a hurry?’

Solia felt a bit confused, but it didn’t matter much.

“Oh my… He just swooped right in.”

She let out a bashful laugh.

She knew the necklace in her hand was worth more than any other, and that Han Siha had put an incredible amount of effort into creating this artifact.

So, a little gloominess was okay.

“Was he planning to give it to me on the day of the engagement?”

“But… since he couldn’t, he came all the way here just to give it to me?”

Solia paced up and down the hallway, lost in her thoughts, considering all the possibilities.

Her heart pounded so hard she couldn’t even look at the necklace properly. She thought it was hot, but it was her cheeks that were burning red.

Solia pressed her cold hands against her face, trying to calm herself.

“Hoo….”

When their eyes had met earlier, she couldn’t keep her composure at all.

Now that she feels a little calmer…

Solia looked down at the necklace in her hand.

Then, she carefully put it around her neck.

The gem glimmered, casting a mysterious light that reflected off the window.

She slowly lifted her head.

Wow.

“It’s beautiful….”

Solia held the necklace tightly and smiled.

* * *

– Get away. You must survive, no matter what!

– Go! Don’t come back! Run as far as you can… somewhere beyond their reach!

– Please… please… just live….

Voices filled with anguish.

Han Si-hyuk clutched his head as the haunting whispers echoed in his ears.

Crash—.

Unable to endure it any longer, Han Si-hyuk picked up the nameplate from his desk and hurled it.

The glass nameplate shattered and rolled across the floor. The voices, momentarily subdued by the dull noise, began to shout in his ears once again.

– Avenge us. Avenge us. Please, avenge us.

– It hurts. It’s unfair. It’s agonizing. You knew, didn’t you? You knew. Why did you run away alone? Why did you leave us behind? Han Si-hyuk… Han Si-hyuk….

“Please… please stop!”

Han Si-hyuk clenched his teeth and struck his own ears.

The sinister voices wouldn’t subside.

The eerie whispers continued to speak.

– Kill the emperor.

– Kill him… kill him… kill him….

The plea to kill echoed repeatedly.

Anyone else would have fainted from the sheer malevolence in the voices.

Even Han Si-hyuk, who had some resistance to hallucinations and visions as a seer, felt his sanity slipping.

Han Si-hyuk screamed in desperation.

“Come out right now! Stop hiding like a coward and show yourself!”

It was the same mage who had shown Adela dreams and made Han Si-hyuk see visions.

Han Si-hyuk knew the mage was nearby, but he couldn’t trace his steps.

“What… Do you want?”

Was his intention to drive him to madness?

It had been over a week. Han Si-hyuk let out a low groan and collapsed to the floor.

At this rate, he might truly go insane.

Panting heavily, Han Si-hyuk clenched his fist.

It was always like this.

A torrent of information would sweep through his mind, and just as he regained his senses, his heart would ache sharply.

As if all the mana in his body was being wrung out.

“No…”

Black mana began to swirl at his fingertips. It was the same power he had used to tear Archant apart.

The power he had longed for so desperately. But Han Si-hyuk felt no joy from it.

He knew for certain that this power was eating away at him.

‘Then the hallucinations…’

Even the hallucinations, which he suspected were someone’s trick, might just be a side effect of this power.

Han Si-hyuk felt an unbearable fear.

Black mana flickered in his grasp. It was a sight that would surely get him dragged off to the palace if anyone saw.

It was power that burned at the cost of his life.

Han Si-hyuk forcibly tried to suppress it.

He was inside the academy.

This wasn’t the time-twisted labyrinth.

There were too many eyes watching.

“It’s dangerous.”

He couldn’t use it here.

If he wasn’t careful, he could be tracked. Han Si-hyuk, trembling, gripped the door to the interrogation room.

Even in that moment, the power in his hands continued to swell.

His heart tightened, ready to burst. Han Si-hyuk staggered like a man about to collapse and forced himself to move.

He had to get out. At least past the academy’s gates.

“Please.”

The moment Han Si-hyuk took a single step forward, he knew it wasn’t going to work.

“Hah… hah….”

The mana in his hands dissipated like thick smoke.

Finally, the demonic power revealed itself.

Back when he wished to kill Han Taesu and take revenge for his brother.

But in those powerless days…

Han Si-hyuk had succumbed to the sweet temptation.

And he regretted it.

Cough—

Han Si-hyuk coughed up blood and raised his hand.

His body no longer obeyed him.

“Damn it.”

Knowing he couldn’t hold on any longer, Han Si-hyuk squeezed his eyes shut.

And then.

As soon as he extended his arm, mana surged out of him.

“Argh!”

Boom—

With a deafening explosion, the cement wall burst apart.

The blast was powerful enough to pulverize the wall to dust.

Han Si-hyuk quickly turned and aimed his mana at the window.

Crash—

The window shattered,

glass shards scattering across the floor,

and the cement wall caved in, on the verge of collapsing.

Thud.

The door to the interrogation room fell with the impact.

It looked as though a dark mage had stormed through the place.

The rampage was over.

“Ugh…”

Amidst the debris,

Han Si-hyuk raised his head, his eyes filled with despair.

* * *

The next day, Ardel Academy was in an uproar.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“They say a dark mage broke into the interrogation room last night.”

“What? How does that make any sense?”

“They found clear traces of mana. It was obviously from necromancy….”

Even though the interrogation room on the first floor was located on the outskirts of the academy, it was still within the grounds.

And it was also where Professor Han Si-hyuk resided. To think someone would dare attack that place.

“Isn’t this place dangerous too?”

The students were filled with unease.

The atmosphere was as chaotic as when it was revealed that Professor Divert Grunui was a dark mage.

Some even voiced similar suspicions.

“At this point… do you think there’s another dark mage hidden among the professors?”

“You can’t just say something that reckless!”

“What did you think last time? It turned out to be true, didn’t it? They really were hiding among us!”

The academy was abuzz all day.

To find out more about the incident, Han Siha and Solia made their way to the first-floor interrogation room.

“You’re wearing it?”

“Oh… yeah….”

Han Siha had only mentioned the necklace as soon as he saw it, but Solia’s voice grew faint, almost timid.

She looked somewhat deflated, prompting Han Siha to tilt his head in confusion.

‘Did I push her too hard to wear it?’

He wanted to tell her it was okay if she didn’t wear it, but it was a necklace she needed to wear, even if it was by force.

After considering his words for a moment, Han Siha smiled and spoke.

“It looks nice.”

Solia’s face flushed red again at Han Siha’s compliment.

‘So, it really was a proposal…’

She wanted to say thank you, but the crowd was so overwhelming that she couldn’t.

She was almost swept away by the surge of people. Solia hurriedly pulled herself together and stuck to the wall.

“Whoa… Why are there so many people here?”

“It’s quite a spectacle, huh?”

Tsk.

Clicking his tongue, Han Siha pushed his way through the crowd.

He had come to see the spectacle as well, but his situation was a bit different since he was indirectly involved.

A commotion right outside Han Si-hyuk’s interrogation room.

It was only natural to worry about whether Han Si-hyuk was okay. There was no word that the professor had been injured, so he was probably fine, but Han Siha still wanted to hear what happened from him directly.

“Wow.”

Han Siha groaned the moment he saw the hallway outside the interrogation room.

The building’s interior was exposed, the damage so severe that it was surprising it was still standing.

According to the signs, the structure was barely being held up by magical reinforcement, and repairs were scheduled to start next week.

Seeing the scene in person left Han Siha at a loss for words.

“It’s amazing no one got seriously hurt with all this destruction.”

“Shouldn’t we check on the professor?”

“That’s why we’re here… but yeah, I’ve got a lot of questions.”

It was clear why people thought there had been an attack by a dark mage.

There were two distinct traces of mana.

One of them was definitely Han Si-hyuk’s, but the other was not from an ordinary mage.

The aura of dark magic was unmistakable. There had clearly been a brief but intense confrontation.

“The opponent seemed pretty strong too.”

Han Si-hyuk’s skills were beyond doubt. He was the one who had taken down Archant, so it wasn’t surprising that he had driven off the attacker with ease.

As Han Siha nodded, organizing his thoughts, the door to the interrogation room, which had been closed the entire time, finally opened.

“Oh, it’s the professor!”

“Professor!”

“Are you alright?”

“What happened last night?”

Seeing the person they were looking for, Han Siha’s gaze also shifted toward him.

Worried students bombarded Han Si-hyuk with questions as he dragged his feet, his face twisted in discomfort.

His normally crisp collar was disheveled, and he looked exhausted.

It was clear from one glance that he was in bad shape.

‘Did he overdo it?’

Han Siha thought as he waited for Han Si-hyuk to speak.

His low voice echoed down the hallway, crowded with students.

“There was a break-in last night.”

At his words, the atmosphere immediately chilled.

Their suspicions had been confirmed. Han Si-hyuk, with a grim expression, continued with difficulty.

“Figuring out what happened, and who did it, is a job for the professors. It could be dangerous, so everyone return to your dorms and stay there.”

In the silent hallway, Han Si-hyuk coldly added,

“So, go back, all of you.”

Then he slammed the door shut.