The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 73

Festival Day.

I found myself gawking at the scene around me, unable to close my mouth. I usually don’t act like this, but…

“This is insane.”

I was impressed when I visited the market in Seinen, but Ardel’s festival had its own unique charm.

Bubbles floated everywhere, creating a dreamy atmosphere. Windmills spun in the air, and charming candy shops were scattered all around.

The scene was a stark contrast to the usual dignified image of Ardel. I had expected Ardel to be more reserved, but this level of excitement was surprising.

Doo-doong.

Music echoed in the distance. The Natural Sciences students were energetically beating elaborate percussion instruments, with sophisticated string sounds providing the bass. Just standing there made my shoulders start to move along with the rhythm.

Adela and Won were chattering excitedly, and Natalie was with us, trailing along with quick steps.

“The vibe is great today!”

“They’ve outdone themselves compared to last year. Wow, what’s that?”

“I want to go too!”

I was suddenly dragged along by Won, who pushed me by the shoulder.

Why am I being dragged into this…?

“Come try our water endurance challenge! If you eat our special gum, you might even be able to fly for a bit!”

“That sounds fun.”

But that wasn’t all.

“Slime shooting gallery! Pop a lot of slimes and win a stuffed toy!”

There’s a lot to do here. It kind of feels like a Korean night market, with all these attractions.

But despite the many options, we somehow ended up in front of a gambling game.

Ah, I can’t resist this.

It was an old-fashioned lottery draw.

“You there, students from the Magic Department? If you pull a number, you could win a carp! Only ten coppers to play.”

Carp?

Natalie looked up at the massive carp candy hanging above.

It was so big that you might believe it was a real carp, except it was made entirely of candy and was lazily swaying on a string.

Why is a candy carp moving around like that? They must’ve drenched it in syrup or something. It’s kind of creepy, isn’t it?

I frowned as I listened to the shopkeeper’s explanation.

Tug.

Wriggle.

“If you poke it, it moves. And it’s delicious, too.”

“Wow….”

Adela’s eyes sparkled as she pulled out some money from her pocket. She had a bit of extra cash from winning the club competition, so she was feeling generous. Won also took out his wallet.

This was a game I had played many times before, though it had been quite a while since I last tried it. I figured it might be fun to give it another shot.

After a moment’s hesitation, I nodded at Adela’s suggestion.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“Sure, why not?”

The shopkeeper eagerly explained how to play.

“Alright, just place the stick here and pull a number. If you chant ‘Carp, come out,’ it might help your chances.”

“…We’re not in the Divinity Department.”

“Surprisingly, Magic Department students are good at this. They’ve got a knack for it.”

Argh!

Natalie let out a quiet groan. The result was a dud.

Won smirked confidently, puffing out his chest.

“Natalie, it’s actually harder to get nothing. Just watch. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“….”

“Ahhh!”

Another dud.

Adela wasn’t any luckier either. It was surprising how they managed to pull dud after dud.

Without much expectation, I picked one of the remaining sticks.

Just like with the random box, my ridiculous luck kicked in here too.

“Huh?”

What is this? Why is it that the one thing that wouldn’t land no matter what suddenly comes through?

I blinked in disbelief as I held up the paper.

It was a winning ticket.

The shopkeeper clapped enthusiastically, making a big deal out of it.

“You’ve won a carp! Wow! You succeeded without even chanting, the god of luck must be on your side!”

“Seriously?”

“What’s up with him?”

Adela, who had spent all her money on failed attempts, sighed in resignation.

I awkwardly accepted the massive carp candy.

“Ah, thank you.”

Wriggle.

It was unsettling how the candy wriggled, but the tail tasted sweet enough.

I just wish its eyes wouldn’t blink.

I was about to stuff the carp candy into my dimensional bag, thinking I’d eat it during the games, when Natalie cautiously spoke up, looking at me.

“I have a question.”

“Hmm?”

Natalie’s eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked at me.

“Did you tame that carp too?”

What is she talking about?

“Is this what the world of Tamers is like…?”

Judging by her expression, she seemed completely serious.

* * *

The main festivities started in the afternoon.

The sports events were scheduled for tomorrow, so today was a day to relax and enjoy. Natalie and Won headed back to the dormitory first, while I stayed with Adela to grab lunch.

Today’s menu… was dumpling hot pot.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that my menu choices were a bit old-fashioned, but hey, good food is good food, right?

I slurped down the broth and nodded in satisfaction.

Yeah, this is the stuff.

“Ah, this really hits the spot.”

Adela, who had been poking at the dumplings in the broth with a curious expression, kept glancing at me.

“Is this how you eat it?”

“Eat the dumplings first.”

“Okay.”

“Then mix in the rice.”

“Okay.”

“Finish off with noodles. This is better than most course meals. It’s like a full-course meal, you know?”

Adela took a bite of a dumpling, her expression a mix of curiosity and surprise.

“I’ve had fried ones before, but…”

This was her first time trying boiled dumplings.

Slurp.

As she popped the hot dumpling into her mouth, her eyes widened in surprise.

“…!”

“See? It’s good, right?”

Nod, nod.

Adela nodded repeatedly, her expression full of delight.

It seemed to suit her taste after all.

It was amusing to see how these kids, though initially hesitant, ended up enjoying the food. Dumplings truly are a universal favorite.

I stretched and spoke.

“Natalie really enjoyed the soup too. Something similar to this.”

Munch, munch.

Adela, who had been following my instructions and mixing rice into the broth, looked up.

“You… came here with Natalie?”

“Yeah.”

“Natalie enjoyed it?”

Thud.

The spoon froze in her hand.

“Yeah, she seemed to really like it.”

“Oh… Natalie really enjoyed it, huh.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Nothing, that’s great.”

Mumble, mumble.

“I could enjoy it too….”

Crunch.

She seems upset, but I have no idea why.

Could it be that she’s upset because I went to eat soup without her?

…Was she really that serious about food?

I cautiously tried to soothe Adela.

“Hey, I’ll treat you next time. Full course on me.”

“….”

“Order soju too, if you like.”

After all, she’s treated me a lot, so it wouldn’t be right to stay silent now.

“Do you like pajeon?”

“….”

“Or do you prefer makgeolli over soju?”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still sulking, so I kept talking.

“But it’s not about that!”

She hesitated, fumbling with her words for a moment before finally gathering the courage to speak.

“Han Siha.”

Huh?

“They’re doing fireworks tonight.”

Adela’s eyes met mine.

“Do you want to go watch them together?”

* * *

Crackle.

A sparkler purchased from a nearby shop crackled as it burned, sending blue flames into the air like magic.

The main fireworks show hadn’t started yet, but Adela seemed thoroughly entertained just by the sparklers, waving them around in the dark.

Snap, crackle.

The sound of burning fireworks filled the night, casting a bright light into the darkness. I stood behind Adela, smiling.

“What, you like this kind of thing?”

Given her reputation as a fierce protagonist, I hadn’t expected Adela to enjoy something so romantic. I had imagined she’d be more interested in studying ways to take down dark mages than setting off fireworks.

But after all, she was still fifteen.

Adela’s cheeks were slightly flushed.

“…It’s fun.”

She looked up at the sky, which had grown darker. As the mages of Ardel moved around, preparing for the main event, Adela’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

It looked like it was about to start for real.

Taking a deep breath, I found a good spot to settle down.

From first-year students who had just entered the academy to those in their final year, who were probably busy with graduation preparations, most of Ardel Academy’s students had gathered in the square.

Rustle, rustle.

The crowd filled the square. In the midst of it all, Adela shrugged and spoke.

“I just wanted to see it once.”

If I had to guess, last year at this time, Adela was probably buried in training. Even if she tried to enjoy the festival, she would have been preparing for the sports competition, where the honor of each department was on the line.

To spend time waiting around in the crowd for a few minutes of fireworks wasn’t something that seemed like her at all.

“Since I’m always training, I thought it might be fun to watch something like this once in a while.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Adela definitely needed a break like this.

And so did I.

The main episode was already beginning to unfold.

This might be the last time I’d see Ardel’s festival for a while. Knowing this might be the last of these annual events, I smiled and nodded.

Adela looked up at the sky and murmured quietly.

“It takes a bit of courage to come here alone.”

“Are you enjoying it?”

“Yes, very much.”

Before Adela could finish her sentence, a loud bang echoed in the distance.

Boom.

The sound signaled the start of the fireworks display.

And then.

Streams of light began to cascade down from the sky like a waterfall.

The crowd’s excited voices began to rise, one after another.

“Wow.”

“It’s starting, it’s starting.”

Exclamations of awe spread through the crowd.

Red, blue, yellow—colors blended together like paint, creating vivid images in the sky before disappearing.

It was a brilliant display of light magic, painting the sky as if it were a canvas.

Boom.

Pop. Pop.

With each explosion of fireworks, Adela’s eyes grew wider.

“It’s beautiful….”

She’d said it was her first time seeing something like this.

It was clear that she was genuinely fascinated.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Well, at that age, it’s natural to enjoy fireworks.

Ardel only uses this kind of rare magic for large-scale festivals, so it’s understandable to be enchanted by it.

Even though the scale was much smaller than what I was used to, knowing that everything here was crafted through magic added to the charm.

With a soft laugh, I stuffed my hands into my pockets.

“This is nothing. There are even more amazing displays out there.”

I thought about the Yeouido Fireworks Festival back in my world, where the scale was several times larger. I wanted to brag about it, but… considering that I’d never see it again, it didn’t seem worth it.

As I was lost in thought, Adela spoke up.

“Then let’s go together next time.”

It was the first time I’d seen her so assertive.

It didn’t feel bad.

I smiled, taking in the warm night air.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

* * *

Even after the fireworks display ended, Adela remained in place for a long time, staring up at the now-empty night sky, as if trying to commit the scene to memory.

When she noticed me watching her, she turned and smiled.

“I feel like I’m finally starting to relax. I’ve been so tense since I came here.”

I couldn’t say I was much different.

I had been living on the edge, doing everything I could to survive the constant chaos of the academy.

For Adela, who had neither money nor connections, surviving here must have been a battle far fiercer than I could ever imagine.

I didn’t know why.

I only knew the basic premise of the story.

For the first time, Adela began to confide in me.

Even Lee Han didn’t know, and as a reader, I hadn’t been aware of Adela’s story.

“I thought I needed to become stronger.”

“Because of the dark mages?”

Adela harbored a deep hatred for dark mages. That simple notion was ingrained in my mind, so I asked.

But

Adela slowly shook her head at my question.

“No, that’s just an excuse.”

Her words left me momentarily stunned.

Adela’s lips moved slightly.

Excuse.

Something about that word bothered me, so I turned to look at her.

A thought suddenly came to mind.

‘Even if you had no guilt, I would have had to kill you myself.’

Was it not because of dark magic, after all?

Then why?

At some point, I stopped thinking about the possibility of her killing me.

Maybe that’s why I wasn’t eager to hear what she said next.

“I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this before….”

Adela, her eyes fixed on the dark night sky, turned to look at me.

Her smile was tinged with sadness as she finally spoke.

“I have someone I need to kill.”

At that moment, I wished time would stop.

My heart stopped instead.

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