The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 91

The necromancer, Grenol, hesitated, his body freezing in surprise.

Before launching his assault on Ardel Academy, he had identified several key figures to watch out for.

He had erected barriers to block any professors who might intervene later, leaving him to worry only about Lee Han, Han Siha, and Adela.

He thought those three were his only threats.

But now, someone unexpected has appeared.

It was Solia Arkenent.

Grenol instantly sensed the aura of light emanating from her and instinctively gripped his staff tighter.

It was the worst possible match-up for him.

Yet, despite the rising tension, Grenol maintained his composure.

She was an unforeseen arrival, true, but…

“She’s still just a child,” he thought.

A weak, naive student of the Academy, easily handled with a single wave of his staff.

Confidently, Grenol stepped forward.

To overcome this disadvantageous match-up, he would simply draw more magic power.

Just as he resolved to do so, a beam of light shot towards him.

It was so intense that it blinded him, filling his vision entirely.

“Wha—?”

Before Grenol could even summon a skeleton, he was knocked off his feet with a startled cry.

“Ugh!”

Flash!

[Purification of the Earth]

Solia’s unique skill activated, and a searing beam of light shot towards Grenol, enveloping him entirely.

Taking advantage of the opening, Lee Han launched a magic attack.

Boom!

Grenol stumbled, struggling to keep his balance.

This wasn’t going according to his plan.

The students, who should have been easy to overpower, now stood tall, embodying the pride and strength of Ardel’s second year. Their cold, determined eyes were locked on him.

This was infuriating.

“These little brats…”

Grenol still had a significant reserve of magic, far more than the exhausted students before him.

Rising to his feet, he sneered.

Perhaps he should acknowledge that they had managed to injure him.

“Hah. Did you really think that would work?”

At that moment, Han Siha, who had been standing at the rear, shouted loudly.

“Left side!”

Left side?

Grenol felt a sudden chill and instinctively retreated.

The chill was coming from his right arm.

His weak spot.

In a battle five years ago, Grenol had injured his right arm, making it difficult to channel magic properly through it. Consequently, the barrier around that area was weaker.

It was his greatest vulnerability.

Gripping his staff tightly, Grenol tried to conceal it, as he always did.

The magic fluctuations in that area were so subtle that no one should have noticed.

“I have to block this.”

As the thought crossed his mind, Basilus struck with a bolt of lightning.

The searing heat and blinding light overwhelmed his senses.

Grenol flailed, trying to regain his balance, but at that moment, his skeletons were quickly being dismantled.

From the left, Lee Han attacked, and from the right, Adela joined in.

Their coordination was flawless, as if they had practiced this move countless times.

Grenol bit his lip.

He had underestimated them.

He had never expected to lose a battle he had deemed unwinnable for his opponents.

He hadn’t anticipated that the addition of Solia would tilt the scales so decisively.

The students had exploited every small opening, widening the cracks until they shattered his defenses.

Solia murmured an incantation, and her light filled the dark hallway, engulfing Grenol completely and breaking through his final barrier.

“Gah…!”

With a groan, Grenol collapsed forward.

The magic he had drawn upon to the very limit of his capacity had crushed him.

At the same time, he coughed up blood.

He had lost.

For Grenol, a mere mercenary hired to do a job, failure was equivalent to death.

“I’ll finish this.”

Though it was still a new experience for him, Han Siha knew it was something he had to do.

Without hesitation, Han Siha brought down his blade on Grenol’s neck.

Slash—

The sharp sound of the cut echoed as the dark robe crumpled to the floor.

“Is… is it over?” Adela asked, breathing heavily as she pushed herself up.

They were all in a rough state, having poured everything they had into the fight. Meanwhile, Han Siha was looking up at the air in front of him.

“Yeah. We got him.”

Ding!

[Main Episode 4: The Necromancer in the Dormitory Cleared]

[You have received the Staff of Ardel.]

[Would you like to accept?]

Click.

As soon as Han Siha pressed the acceptance button, a staff materialized out of thin air.

It was a high-quality staff, seemingly crafted from a birch tree struck by lightning, adorned with a blue cubic gem.

Han Siha examined the staff before turning to Solia.

Lee Han had already approached her with a smile.

“I didn’t expect you to be here. If it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead. Thanks.”

I couldn’t agree more.

This episode might have been impossible to clear without Solia’s support.

Solia was clearly going to be a crucial key for clearing future episodes.

It was important to ensure she was firmly on our side.

‘She seemed upset about losing her third-place ranking,’ Han Siha thought.

Though Solia wasn’t someone who would turn evil over something as trivial as that, it was still a concern.

He didn’t know what Solia thought of him, but they needed to talk.

Even if she didn’t hold him in high regard, at the very least, she shouldn’t hate him.

Han Siha nodded and spoke up.

“Thanks.”

“….”

Solia responded with a simple nod, rather than words.

“I’ll be off now.”

“Oh, uh, take care, Solia!”

Looking slightly flustered, she turned and hurried off.

It was only for a brief moment, but Han Siha noticed it.

A faint smile appeared on Solia’s lips.

He had always thought of her as someone who never showed any emotion, always serious and unapproachable.

‘It feels like this is the first time I’ve seen her smile.’

Han Siha found himself smiling as well, a strange, but pleasant feeling.

* * *

They headed straight to the Dean’s office.

Their intent was to report the strange incident that had occurred at the dormitory, which was clearly an attack.

But the Academy was already in an uproar, and Dean Ernest was well aware of the situation.

He had attempted to send professors to the scene, but the barriers surrounding the dormitory had prevented them from entering quickly. By the time the barriers were dismantled, the battle was over.

While many students were injured from the explosion, thankfully, there were no fatalities.

Knowing how serious this episode could have been, Han Siha felt relieved by the news.

However, there was one unfortunate thing…

“Why is he here?”

Just as Han Siha was about to leave Ardel Academy with a sense of relief, he froze.

There, in front of him, was a very familiar figure.

A middle-aged man with a commanding presence, holding a staff that seemed like an extension of himself.

Behind him was a splendid carriage.

It was unmistakably Han Taesu.

‘How did he find out…?’

Adela, who had a cheerful expression, innocently asked, “Who’s that?”

“….”

Han Taesu’s gaze was fixed on the still-smoking, barely-standing Ardel dormitory.

Already, whispers could be heard from those around, lamenting about those who had run into the chaos.

“They say Han Siha went in there?”

“Is it true?”

“What’s going on now?”

The murmuring voices came to an abrupt stop.

“Uh… huh?”

“Wait, is that…?”

“Isn’t that Lee Han and Han Siha?”

“And Adela too?”

Crap.

Han Siha, who had been trying to quietly slip out through the back door, froze in place as all eyes turned towards him. At the same time, Han Taesu’s piercing gaze landed on him.

Step, step.

Holding his staff in one hand, Han Taesu walked over and stopped in front of Han Siha. A few students, recognizing him, stared in shock.

“Isn’t that Han Siha’s father?”

“What’s he doing here?”

“I thought he abandoned him?”

“Guess not.”

“Well, why would he abandon a kid who’s in the top three at Ardel Academy?”

But unlike the others, Han Siha’s emotions were far from settled.

‘Something feels really off…’

Han Siha swallowed nervously, looking up at Han Taesu’s cold expression.

However, the words that followed were unexpected.

“You… did you handle that situation?”

Han Taesu had overheard everything from outside.

The panicked chatter of the students who had managed to escape had reached his ears.

They had spoken of a necromancer appearing in the dormitory and the fact that four students, including Han Siha, had fought against it.

There was a slight tremor in Han Taesu’s voice, causing Han Siha to blink in confusion.

‘Is he… happy about this?’

A second-year student of the Magic Department who had bravely saved others.

Come to think of it, that could be how it was perceived.

Looking at Han Taesu’s expression, he did seem rather moved—just like when Han Siha had shown him his report card from Ardel Academy.

Han Taesu’s gaze flicked back and forth between the destroyed dormitory and Han Siha.

Realizing this, Han Siha awkwardly smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course. Although I didn’t do it alone, I managed to clean up the situation…!”

Smack!

An intense sting radiated from Han Siha’s back, causing him to wince in pain.

Then came Han Taesu’s furious shout.

“You crazy fool!”

“What were you thinking, running in there like that? Are you out of your mind?”

Wait, what?

So he’s angry?

“Do you have a death wish? It’s a miracle you made it out alive, you idiot!”

“Why…? I mean, I got out, didn’t I—”

Thwack.

Drag, drag.

Han Siha found himself grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged away.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the crowd of students quickly moved aside.

“Oh dear.”

Adela waved at Han Siha’s retreating figure.

“Let us know when you get there!”

“Aaaargh!”

Though whether he’d be able to contact anyone was up for debate.

* * *

The following day, Ardel Academy was abuzz with the previous day’s events.

One of the dormitory buildings had burned down completely, and with it being the break, the decision was made to accommodate students in the remaining dorms.

While the attack seemed to be wrapping up, the student body was more fired up than ever.

Stories resembling grand tales of heroism spread like wildfire.

“Adela! Adela!”

As soon as lunchtime arrived, a crowd swarmed around Adela.

Lee Han and Solia had returned to their families, leaving her as the only one who remained at the Academy.

“You were the one who took down the necromancer, right? What kind of person was it? A real necromancer?”

Necromancers, who used dark magic, were among the most notorious villains even within the Ardel Empire.

The idea that second-year students had taken one down was enough to cause a stir.

Adela nodded casually, as if it were no big deal.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, amazing.”

“You all worked together…?”

“Yeah, all four of us.”

“Lee Han and… Han Siha too?”

Yoon Haul, who had been reading a book, perked up her ears.

She wasn’t particularly interested in Adela, but the mention of Han Siha changed things.

“….”

She discreetly moved a seat back to eavesdrop more effectively on their conversation.

“Was it Basilus? Did you use the dragon to defeat it?”

“We worked together to take it down. I heard its barrier on the left side was weakened.”

“But aren’t necromancers hard to approach because of all the skeletons?”

“Wow… you guys are amazing. Weren’t you scared?”

By now, the conversation had moved past Solia and was focused solely on Lee Han and Han Siha.

Apparently, they were the main subjects of interest.

A girl with shoulder-length, glossy black hair from the Magic Department clasped her hands together, sighing dreamily.

“Honestly, Han Siha is kind of cool.”

“…What?”

Not Lee Han, but Han Siha?

Adela’s expression briefly turned cold, but the shocking comments didn’t stop there.

“I saw him being dragged off by his father.”

“As long as he’s capable, that’s all that matters.”

“That’s true!”

“Honestly, he’s definitely one of the top three in the Magic Department….”

Bang.

‘Who do they think they are?’

Yoon Haul slammed her book down in anger, gritting her teeth.

“So much for this nonsense.”

“…!”

“What?”

The noise echoed louder than expected.

“….”

Feeling the heat of everyone’s stares, Yoon Haul cautiously turned her head.

Ha-ha.

As she feared, it was too loud.

With several pairs of eyes fixed on her, she forced an awkward smile and made an excuse.

“Oh, sorry. It was the will of the stars.”

Ha-ha-ha.

As Yoon Haul laughed nervously, the students from the Magic Department exchanged glances and resumed their gossip.

“Students from the Theology Department are always a bit odd.”

“Yeah, they’re always mumbling to themselves.”

“So, when is Han Siha coming back?”

Damn it.

Yoon Haul bit her lip in frustration.

“Why, why?!”

Why were there no students in the Theology Department who were even half as talented as Han Siha?!

“I should have joined the Magic Department.”

I should have ditched boring Theology and joined the Magic Department ages ago.

Yoon Haul clasped her hands together, muttering under her breath.

“Maybe I should apply for a transfer like Seymour…?”

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from behind her.

“What?”

What’s going on?

Yoon Haul turned her head to see what was happening.

Thump, thump.

Several prominent professors from Ardel Academy were rushing toward the meeting room.

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