The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 205

The break was over.

First day back at school.

Usually, I would wake up early, enjoy a leisurely brunch, and leave the dorm with plenty of time to prepare for class…

But that didn’t happen today.

The sun felt unusually warm, and sparrows chirped cheerfully outside.

“…Huh?”

What’s this cold feeling down my spine?

I fumbled around to check the clock on my desk.

Hmm.

8:48 a.m.?

“Shit.”

“Whaaaa!”

As soon as I cursed, Won shot up from his bed.

His messy bangs stuck out as if a magpie could build a nest on his head, and his half-asleep, dazed face made it clear.

Ah.

This bastard’s in trouble too.

“Get up! We’re gonna be late!”

“Crap, run! Just run!”

With a flurry of noise, we grabbed whatever we could and dashed for the door without packing properly.

I was about to yank the door open, screaming, when Won yelled in a panic.

“My pants! Where are my pants?”

“Why the hell would I know that?”

“They’re gone! Help me find them!”

“You find them yourself!”

Goddammit.

We’re late!

I grabbed something resembling pants off the floor and tossed it at Won’s head.

“Ow!”

“Put them on and get out!”

Bang.

Then it was all about speed.

I leapt down a dozen steps in a flash and sprinted toward the classroom.

My knees didn’t ache, which reminded me that youth was indeed a blessing.

Ah, but that’s not the point right now.

“Aaah!”

“Huff… huff…”

Thankfully, we managed to reach the first floor, where the classrooms were located, just before class started.

We made it….

We’re not late….

Hah, hah…

“That was close.”

Smack.

Won and I high-fived, still panting heavily.

As I caught my breath and looked up, I saw the hallway crowded with students. The classroom door hadn’t opened yet.

A chaotic hallway on the first day of the term.

“Why’s everyone gathered here…?”

I grumbled, shoving my hands into my pockets.

That’s when Won poked my side and tilted his head.

“Huh? It’s like everyone’s looking at something.”

“What?”

Oh, right.

Now that I looked, there was a notice on the bulletin board.

It couldn’t be the ranking results already on the first day.

Curious about what was drawing everyone’s attention, I squeezed my way through the crowd.

“What’s so interesting that everyone’s…?”

As soon as my face came into view, the students parted with alarm.

“Huh…?”

Their faces were pale.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the gathered students stepped aside.

They looked at me nervously, shrinking back as if scared.

What’s with them?

It was the first time in nearly a year that they acted like this, so I walked forward, puzzled.

“What’s going on?”

On the board was a poster with bold letters.

I stopped in front of it and slowly looked up at the notice.

Professor Han Si-hyuk is an illegitimate son of Castica.

“Han… Si-hyuk?”

That alone was shocking enough, but…

I lowered my gaze, mouth agape.

And there, written boldly:

Professor Han Si-hyuk is… a dark magician.

I bit my lip.

* * *

The stares coming my way were unpleasant, to say the least.

The crowd split on either side of me like I was walking into a press conference.

It felt like someone was about to shove a microphone in my face.

Or rather, they already were.

Dek and Halil.

Usually too busy watching my every move, they were the first to step forward.

Their tone was sharp, as if interrogating me, assuming what they saw was true.

As soon as Dek opened his mouth, a flood of questions followed.

“Hey, Han Siha. What’s going on?”

“Did you know about this?”

“Is it true? Explain yourself.”

Explain….

Explain myself?

“Screw your explanation.”

At my curt response, Halil, who had been nagging for an explanation, slunk back behind someone else.

I glared menacingly at Dek, who flinched and cautiously watched my reaction.

Unfortunately, there were many at this academy who disliked Castica.

Mostly the entitled young nobles who harbored an inferiority complex. If I stood my ground, none of them would dare push back.

Among them, the bravest of the lot timidly raised his hand.

I didn’t even recognize his face.

“If it’s just a rumor… wouldn’t that tarnish Castica’s reputation? Shouldn’t you at least confirm it? I mean, if it’s not true, just say so… I’m not accusing, just… concerned.”

Just because you dress up your words nicely doesn’t mean they’re pretty.

I stared straight into his eyes and asked.

“Concerned?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“So you want an explanation?”

“Well… yeah, kinda…”

“If that’s what you want, fine.”

I glanced at the notice and read the first line aloud.

Professor Han Si-hyuk is an illegitimate son of Castica.

I shrugged in acknowledgment.

Technically speaking, it wasn’t entirely accurate, but publicly…

“That’s true.”

“Huh… huh? What?”

And then the next line.

Professor Han Si-hyuk is a dark magician.

“Hmm. This one… you’d have to check with him directly.”

Hmph.

“Sounds plausible.”

“What?”

“What?”

“Wha… what did you say?”

The ones clamoring for an explanation reacted like they were about to have a seizure.

What do they expect me to say?

As they started trembling, I clicked my tongue and added.

“I didn’t say he was a dark magician, did I? I just said the rumor sounds credible.”

The students who were fumbling their words finally regained some composure and spoke up, though their responses were still pointless nonsense.

This time, it was Dek who spoke.

“T-then you need to go ask him right away!”

“Oh… me?”

“If not you, then who’s going to ask?”

“Say that again. You’re telling me to go and ask?”

“Well… I mean…”

I quickly scribbled an address on a piece of paper and tossed it to him.

Dek blinked in surprise and asked.

“What’s this?”

“Han Si-hyuk’s address.”

“W-what?”

Obviously, it was a fake address since no one knew Han Si-hyuk’s current location. But it didn’t matter—if a real dark magician showed up, they’d be too scared to even squeak.

“Go ask him yourself.”

“…!”

“Make sure you go. Got it?”

“M-me? Personally?”

“You said you were curious. The professor always welcomes meetings.”

There. Task complete.

“What are you all staring at? Get lost.”

With that, the group scattered in a hurry.

* * *

Whispers followed me everywhere.

Despite kindly providing them with an address, the poster’s impact seemed to be greater than expected, making me some kind of celebrity wherever I went.

Of course, it was half and half—some believed it, and some didn’t.

Maybe because I responded so nonchalantly.

Even when I told them the truth, they didn’t believe me.

I could hear their voices through the door, debating the credibility of the information.

“Hey, does that even make sense?”

“They don’t even look alike to be illegitimate siblings… and there’s a significant age gap.”

“Is that the only issue? What about the dark magician thing? Is that true?”

“The professor doesn’t seem like that kind of person….”

Ignoring the arguments outside, I put the research sample into the mana amplifier and set it running.

As I completed the experiment setup, Senior Betty approached me with a worried expression.

With the new term starting, I was back in Professor Ernst’s lab, and Senior Betty, now in her sixth year, was still glued to the lab with dark circles under her eyes.

“You must be tired. Are you alright?”

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

“…I’m not really interested in gossip. It’s just people who don’t know what they’re talking about saying whatever they want.”

Senior Betty was a genuinely good person.

Even broaching the topic seemed to make her uneasy. Always cautious and considerate, that was Betty.

It took her nearly a year to open up enough to have even this level of conversation, given how reserved she was.

“Yes, that’s true. Thank you.”

“Alright, don’t let it get to you… let’s just focus on the research!”

Betty smiled faintly as she frantically labeled the research samples.

Then, as if something came to mind, she changed the subject to something much more comfortable for me than Han Si-hyuk’s poster incident.

“Oh, by the way, Siha.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a student in your year named Natalie, right?”

“Natalie?”

Natalie was well-connected, but I didn’t think she had any ties to Senior Betty. Surprised, I asked her why Natalie’s name had come up.

It didn’t seem like they knew each other personally, so was something going on?

“Oh, it’s nothing serious… I’m working on my thesis about artifacts, and I was wondering if I could get some help. Do you know where her workshop is?”

Ah.

The Willow family was indeed famous for artifacts.

“Yes. It’s near the plaza… not far at all. I can introduce you if you’d like.”

I knew the place like the back of my hand since I’d been there countless times.

Senior Betty looked grateful, moved by even this small offer of help. It wasn’t a big deal, so I quickly sketched a map and handed it to her.

“For detailed information, you should ask Natalie directly. She knows more about artifacts than I do.”

Considering that I had crafted a detoxification artifact myself, it was a modest statement, but it was true that no one in our class knew more about artifacts than Natalie.

No matter what Senior Betty’s thesis was about, Natalie would be a tremendous help.

Natalie loved helping others, and she would certainly go all out for a senior’s project.

“I’m researching an artifact that can store external mana… it’s nothing too special.”

“Oh, I see.”

“It might not be feasible, but I’m trying to explore it from a theoretical standpoint.”

“Got it.”

Graduation theses still felt like a distant concern to me, so it didn’t really resonate.

Distracted by the unsteady hum of the mana amplifier, I half-listened to Senior Betty while checking on the nearly completed research sample.

That’s when Betty fidgeted with her hands and hesitantly spoke.

“So, um… would you be able to help too?”

“Huh?”

I asked absentmindedly, but Senior Betty flinched and waved her hands in a panic.

“Oh, no! Sorry if I’m being a burden! I just thought you might know a lot about this… so I just thought I’d ask….”

Ah, come to think of it, Betty was so shy that she might find it difficult to approach Natalie directly.

She would probably stand awkwardly outside Natalie’s workshop before giving up and turning back.

She’s always helped me in Professor Ernst’s lab, taking on every small task she could find. I wanted to help her if it wasn’t too difficult. I had some free time, anyway.

“It’s fine with me.”

“R-really?”

Now, what was the topic again?

Artifact… storage? Something like that.

“If you’re uncomfortable asking Natalie, feel free to ask me.”

Fwoosh.

The paper fluttered to the ground as Betty looked up at me with a face full of gratitude. She seemed so surprised that she dropped the document she was holding.

“Siha… you might be an angel….”

Suddenly?

“…That’s the first time anyone’s said that to me.”

I’d been called a dark magician plenty of times, though.

“No! You’re an angel!”

For something so trivial?

Betty really had a humble side.

She squeezed my hand, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

“Thank you so much, even though you’re busy.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“R-really. Thank you so much.”

Okay, okay.

Betty’s over-the-top gratitude was making me feel awkward now.

She continued to ramble on in an uncharacteristically excited voice.

“I was so close to not graduating because I chose such a difficult topic. I tried to work through it on my own, but I couldn’t reach any conclusions… and I don’t have any friends specializing in artifact studies… so…”

Betty swallowed hard, her eyes shining with determination.

“I’ll bring the draft of my topic to you first!”

“Sure!”

“I’ll have it done within this week. I promise!”

Betty swung her pinky finger with a bright smile.

I nodded casually and smiled back.

“Take your time. No rush.”

I had promised to review Senior Betty’s graduation thesis.

It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.

Sadly, it was a promise I wouldn’t be able to keep.