The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 94

Flight Test on the First Day of Class

From the very start, the atmosphere in the training arena was heavy.

The faces of the students who had signed up for the Basic Flight class, expecting another instructor, were already clouded with gloom.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they were attending a funeral.

The oppressive silence grew even thicker when Professor Grint entered.

“Sigh…”

Someone muttered under their breath, “This first test is going to be brutal.”

As if responding to that remark, Professor Grint surveyed the students with his hands behind his back.

“I mentioned you should prepare for the opening test. I hope you’ve all done so.”

I cursed internally, thinking about how I had wasted half my vacation on this. I forced a stiff smile.

Keeping up appearances is my specialty.

“This is just the start of the term, so I’ll keep the test simple.”

“Yay!”

No one really believed him, but there was a weak, half-hearted cheer.

Professor Grint paced around the spacious arena, quickly explaining the rules of the test.

The rules were far more complicated than I had anticipated.

I was barely managing to keep a neutral expression, but it was starting to crack.

As expected, the test involved riding brooms, but there was an added twist.

“You will be riding brooms and engaging in duels.”

“Duels…?”

And the next part was even more bizarre.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Difficult? Are you kidding me?

Isn’t this supposed to be a basic flight course?

Who makes beginners duel on brooms? That’s like asking someone to drift during a driving test.

My expression was growing darker by the second. If I had known this, I would have prepared for dueling as well.

Thanks to the two weeks I spent practicing, I could barely maintain balance on a broom. But dueling? That’s just absurd!

I turned to Adela.

“Have you ever dueled before?”

“…Has anyone in their second year ever done that?”

How many people actually fight while flying?

If you fall, you’re done for.

Adela’s reasoning made sense.

This test was going to be extremely difficult for everyone, not just me.

Then, Adela’s gaze shifted to a girl standing confidently in the corner.

“Look at her.”

“Huh?”

A girl with wild orange hair and a black hat stood there, her posture straight, and a confident smile on her face.

Adela leaned in and whispered, “She might have done this before.”

“Who is she?”

I frowned, trying to recall if I’d seen someone like her in the original story, but I came up blank.

“Her name’s Rosetta. She comes from a family of witches.”

“A witch…?”

“Yeah. She’s probably the only one here who rides a broom like it’s second nature.”

Could she be one of those witches I’ve heard about? She certainly looks like she’s been riding a broom since she was a baby.

Though Adela seemed wary of her, Rosetta didn’t strike me as someone I needed to worry about. Maybe she’s just a side character?

Her name didn’t ring any bells, so I didn’t give it much thought and turned away.

Meanwhile, Professor Grint continued explaining the rules of the test.

Students would pair up and duel, and he would evaluate them based on their performance.

“I will now announce the first pair of students for the duel.”

I made a final check of my broom and scanned the arena, trying to figure out how to approach this.

It was a complete mess.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a strategy.

And then, of course, my name was the first to be called.

“Han Siha and Rosetta, please step forward.”

“…!”

“Why does it have to be me and that girl?”

Wasn’t she the one with the professional flying experience? A witch?

“Why does my luck have to be like this?”

* * *

As with any duel, the start is all about establishing dominance.

Rosetta smirked and held her head high, looking down at me.

“You know who I am, right?”

Oh, I just heard about you from Adela.

But honestly, I didn’t know before, and I don’t really care now.

Han Siha shook his head firmly.

“No, not really.”

“What?”

Rosetta’s expression went cold.

“I’ve made quite a name for myself on a broom, and you really don’t know…?”

“Has anyone in our school ever become famous for riding a broom? There must be a lot of people who sweep the floors, though.”

“Pfft.”

“Lol, ‘sweeping the floors,’ that’s harsh.”

The students around us started laughing.

Adela muttered quietly, “Wow, that’s really….”

It almost seemed like he was doing it on purpose to get under her skin.

Han Siha shrugged with a grin.

Rosetta had won numerous awards in acrobatic and technical flying competitions. She had a lot of pride in her abilities.

But Han Siha’s casual dismissal of her achievements clearly irked her.

Rosetta’s face flushed as she pouted.

‘So you’re Han Siha, huh?’

She had heard of him.

In both good and bad ways.

Back in his first year, Han Siha had been infamous, almost as much as herself, who was avoided by students because of her witch heritage.

But starting from the second year, his reputation had suddenly shifted. Now, he was a superstar in the Magic Department, known by almost everyone.

She had hoped that someone who had been in a similar situation to hers would at least recognize her.

‘You’re just like everyone else. Annoying.’

Rosetta, still fuming, glared at Han Siha and issued a warning.

“I’ll be watching you.”

“Sure, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Ha?”

Rosetta clenched her fist tightly and snatched up her broom, frustration evident in her movements.

* * *

The heat in the training arena was intense.

Of all things, the first match was a significant one, practically a big match, which had the students buzzing with excitement.

“When you think of Rosetta, you think of flying.”

“Wow, she’s a real flight prodigy!”

“Woohoo!”

Adela ignored the lame jokes and kept her eyes on Han Siha, who stood in the center of the arena.

While the results of the duel were important, the process was also taken into consideration, especially if the opponent was strong.

However, losing here could severely impact his evaluation.

‘That would be problematic.’

Adela had plans to participate in the Empire Tournament in the fall with Han Siha.

To qualify, they needed to rank within the top ten of their respective year at Ardel Academy, so Han Siha couldn’t afford to get a poor grade in Basic Flight.

Looking at it objectively, this match was heavily tilted in Rosetta’s favor.

That was likely what everyone thought.

“Is Han Siha any good at flying?”

“Didn’t he participate in the horseback hunting event during the sports festival?”

“But isn’t that really different? What do you know, Seymour?”

“Huh…? Me?”

Seymour was startled when all eyes suddenly focused on him. It was strange for the students who used to treat him like he was invisible to now be talking to him.

But, not minding the attention, a slight smile formed on Seymour’s lips. However, his face quickly turned uneasy as he recalled the training with Han Siha.

Since he wasn’t too familiar with Rosetta, having transferred from the Necromancy Department, and knowing how poorly Han Siha performed in flight, he could only give an ambiguous response.

“Maybe… he’ll do well?”

“Oh, so he’s good at flying too, huh?”

“This should be interesting.”

“Wow, this really is a big match!”

Ah, this wasn’t going well.

Recalling how Han Siha had kept falling off the broom nonstop, Seymour scratched his head.

Even though he wasn’t familiar with Rosetta, Han Siha’s lack of talent in flight was something he was all too aware of.

“Let’s begin.”

But Han Siha appeared calmer than anyone else.

Perhaps because, even if he might lose to that orange-haired girl in flying, he was confident in his abilities in dueling.

Whistle.

With the sound of the whistle, the broom shot into the air.

“Woooo!”

“Win! Win! Win!”

As the cheering students watched, Han Siha smoothly ascended.

Rosetta, with a relaxed demeanor, gripped her wand in one hand.

They could only use their magical energy—no advanced spells, no traps.

Han Siha quickly calculated his strategy.

He had to keep the complexity of flying to a minimum.

In other words, he needed to avoid frantically dodging her attacks.

So, a preemptive strike was crucial.

“Hoo.”

He decided to make the first move.

Bang.

A sphere of magical energy shot from Han Siha straight towards Rosetta.

“Huh… what?”

Whoosh.

Rosetta smirked as she swiftly twisted her broom.

This level of attack was something she could dodge with her eyes closed.

Her acrobatic flying skills were nothing to scoff at.

But Han Siha had anticipated that she would dodge.

He immediately prepared for his next attack.

Bang.

A flicker of surprise crossed Rosetta’s face as the wave of magical energy nearly brushed her.

Only for a moment, though, as she swiftly maneuvered her broom upward and launched her own magical energy towards Han Siha.

“He’s going to lose, isn’t he?”

Adela watched Han Siha with a worried expression.

His flight seemed precarious, as if one hit would cause him to lose. Though he was holding on, the difference in their stability was significant.

There was nothing he could do. If she were in his place, she’d likely struggle just as much in a duel rather than just flying.

Rosetta was seasoned. She knew exactly where Han Siha’s weak points were and had calculated her attacks to exploit them.

“Han Siha!”

But then—

Boom.

Rosetta’s sphere of magical energy didn’t even reach Han Siha.

“What?”

He neutralized her magic with his own in an instant.

“He didn’t dodge it… he blocked it?”

Usually, using magical energy to block an attack was considered inefficient, but for Han Siha, this approach was easier.

In the center of the arena, the two spheres of magical energy collided with a loud explosion.

‘He blocked it?’

Rosetta gritted her teeth and prepared her next attack, but once again, Han Siha was faster.

“Ack!”

If she had been a second slower in ducking, she would have fallen.

Rosetta calmed her racing heart and clenched her teeth.

“Are you just going to keep attacking like a coward?”

“What does that even mean? In a real fight, would an enemy hold back?”

Rosetta trembled with frustration as she regained her posture.

‘Ugh… he’s got a point.’

This was a duel, and Han Siha was just following the rules.

Han Siha tilted his body slightly to the right, adjusting his position.

Even during this, he was carefully observing Rosetta’s hand movements, the way she positioned her feet, every little detail.

He still had plenty of magical energy left, so there were plenty of opportunities to strike.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

This time, the sphere of magical energy split into three.

“Ahhh!”

Rosetta let out a scream as she managed to block one and dodged the other two.

Adela clicked her tongue in admiration.

“He’s a genius.”

Flight, more than any other subject, requires overwhelming composure.

The moment you lose your balance, it’s over.

While Rosetta was more experienced in flight, Han Siha had the upper hand in relentless attacks and psychological warfare.

By now, even the students who had been betting on Rosetta’s victory were starting to change their minds.

“What’s with that guy?”

“He’s just sitting there, attacking non-stop.”

“Hey, it looks like Han Siha’s going to win this.”

Boom. Boom.

The arena echoed with the sound of repeated explosions.

Professor Grint scratched his head and muttered under his breath.

“Wow… this is a flight class, right?”

Han Siha was maintaining stable flight, so there was no reason to dock points for flying.

And since he was overwhelmingly winning the duel, there was no reason to penalize him there either.

Aerial acrobatics weren’t part of the evaluation criteria, so there was no need to perform beautiful maneuvers.

At this rate, Han Siha was on track to win.

Whistle.

As the whistle blew again, signaling the end, Rosetta let out a shout and launched a desperate attack.

But at the same moment, she watched in shock as her attack was shattered in mid-air.

‘Another direct attack?’

She gritted her teeth, determined not to fall for it, and quickly twisted her body.

But then—

“What?”

A heavy sphere of magical energy was hurtling towards her from the side.

He hadn’t just launched one; he had sent multiple at once.

Rosetta, her face pale, clung tightly to her broom.

“Why the heck does he have so much magical energy…?”

Bang.

“Aaaagh!”

Rosetta plummeted to the ground.

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