The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 96

Professor Ernst was the kind of teacher who, if you were one of his few students, would go out of his way to support you wholeheartedly.

And as with all professors with that kind of personality…

He was a bit overzealous.

Every time I reported to Professor Ernst’s newly set-up lab, I could feel his intense and somewhat burdensome gaze.

‘Hoho, how’s your research coming along?’

‘Hoho, are you eating well?’

‘There’s a book I’ve taken an interest in lately—how about you take it and give it a read?’

It seemed he’d taken quite a liking to me. He would call me out of the blue to hand me books written in ancient runes or push a new research topic onto me.

Damn it. Damn it.

Honestly, there’s nothing more daunting than a professor who’s overly interested in a student.

Despite his fearsome kindness, Professor Ernst started giving me more and more tasks with that unnerving smile of his.

While it was something I could handle as someone who had already gone through grad school once before, it was true that I was now busier than most of the other students, barely having a moment to breathe.

I mean, isn’t it a bit much to expect a 15-year-old to work this hard?

You didn’t even teach me anything, did you?

Not that I regretted choosing Professor Ernst, who specialized in Summoning Magic, over the other options.

“It was the only logical choice.”

Taming studies are closely related to Summoning Magic.

It’s no coincidence that people often say this field is similar to Necromancy, which falls under dark magic.

While Professor Ernst’s personality was more appealing than Professor Grint’s, the truth is that Practical Magic wasn’t really my thing anyway.

So here I am, holding the reading list Professor Ernst gave me, heading to the library.

[Understanding Advanced Taming Studies]

[Spirit Summoning]

“What else was there?”

But seriously, when am I going to finish all this reading?

I was frowning at the sight of these books, which were twice as thick as the average textbook when—

“Han Siha?”

Unexpectedly, it was Adela who popped up at just the right moment.

Adela was naturally talented in combat, but she wasn’t the type to bury her head in books during her free time. She only came to the library during exam periods, so why was she here now?

“Did you come to borrow a book?”

“No, not really.”

There was something about the way Adela’s eyes sparkled that made me feel uneasy.

It was the look of someone who wanted to ask a favor.

Scratching my head, I decided to ask outright.

“Then did you come to see me?”

“I was looking for you, actually. You weren’t in the lab.”

Well, lately, I’ve been either in the lab or the library.

That’s kind of depressing. Why am I living the life of a grad student already?

Instead of explaining further, Adela pulled out a poster that had been stuck to the bulletin board and showed it to me.

Judging by the large print, it seemed to be for a competition that wasn’t part of my original memory.

It was a Magic Research Presentation Contest.

So, was she gauging my interest in joining this?

First, I needed to ask what this was all about.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the Magic Research Presentation Contest. I wanted to know if you’d join me.”

“Why do you suddenly want to participate in this?”

“There’s a grade bonus, and… it seemed like a good opportunity. There’s also a cash prize! Look, it’s 10 gold!”

She emphasized the last part as if it were a big deal.

10 gold was about 5 million won, which was a decent sum for a student prize.

“Sounds good, especially the prize.”

“I’m not so sure… I already have plenty of money.”

Did she really think I was that obsessed with money?

That was when I was abandoned by my family and struggling financially, but not now.

Adela’s expression darkened.

It’s not like I said no.

The prize money didn’t particularly appeal to me, but the grade bonus did.

“And about the grade bonus…”

I was third in the last exam.

Given the nature of Smart Academy, there were quite a few events that awarded benefits to students who ranked in the top three.

The last event organized by the Magic Department was one of them.

So, according to the original story, Lee Han, Solia, and Adela should have all received those perks together…

But there’s no guarantee that I’ll make it into the top three this time.

Solia will likely be giving it her all, and Lee Han and Adela are so naturally talented that they’ll likely secure their spots.

In that case, I can’t ignore this grade bonus.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

“So, you’re saying yes? Right?”

Adela urgently asked, her eyes wide.

It was a bit strange that she was clinging to me when she could easily have others follow her lead. But I nodded.

“How many people are we allowed to have?”

“A total of three.”

“What about Lee Han?”

“I think he’s teaming up with Solia.”

So, that’s how the teams are shaping up.

It looks like I’ll be competing against some tough opponents for the top prize.

But then, as I mulled over Adela’s words, something struck me as odd.

Wait a minute. If Lee Han and Solia have already formed a team… Given that they don’t have any other close friends, they wouldn’t have left out Adela, who’s solidly in second place.

And as far as I know, there isn’t anyone else who would fit in with them.

There’s a reason those three always did things together in the original story.

Curious, I asked her bluntly.

“Why aren’t you teaming up with those two?”

“…!”

Oh?

Adela froze, looking startled.

“Did they already finalize their team?”

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

Adela stammering? That’s not like her. Is there some serious reason behind this? Did she and Lee Han get into a fight? Given their temperaments, that’s not out of the question.

I noticed that Adela’s ears were turning red.

“Is it hot in here?”

“N-no. That’s not it…”

“Why do you keep saying no? I’m not even that good at presentations.

There’s got to be a reason you want to team up with me. Did you have a fight with Lee Han?”

“That’s not it! I just thought you might want to participate… and if I did it with those two…”

Wham, wham.

Adela suddenly started banging her head, shaking it vigorously.

“Let’s just do it together!”

Adela suddenly shouted.

…My heart nearly stopped.

“Jeez, you scared me.”

Adela seemed to have forgotten where we were: the library.

As her voice rang out, drawing the attention of the other students, she quickly scowled and snatched the poster from my hand. Her face was beet-red—probably out of embarrassment, or maybe even a bit of anger.

She pouted, her lower lip jutting out as she spoke again.

“You sure do talk a lot. If you don’t want to do it, just say so.”

“Wait, hold on. Shouldn’t you at least tell me why you’re mad before getting angry?”

“That’s… none of your business.”

Geez, that’s harsh.

I decided it was best to calm her down first.

“So, what do we need to do, just fill out the application?”

At my words, Adela hesitated for a moment. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, and then her eyes, which had momentarily lost their spark, lit up again.

Now, she started explaining in detail, including things I didn’t even ask about.

“Ahem, listen carefully.”

What’s with this sudden mood change?

“Just fill it out according to this format and submit it. We have until the day after tomorrow to register. Hang on, I’ve got the form right here.”

“Wow, you’re really prepared. You must’ve really wanted to team up with me…”

I was almost hit again for my teasing remark.

I should be careful; getting hit by Adela could actually send me six feet under.

As I followed her instructions and filled out the application, a thought struck me.

“But who’s going to be the third member?”

Finding someone shouldn’t be too difficult, but who it would be was a crucial decision.

The first person who came to mind was Won. He was quick with information and good at handling tasks.

The only problem was, I had no idea if he was any good at presentations. Still, if there was no one else, Won could at least cover the basics.

“Well, I don’t have anyone in mind either…”

Adela seemed to be facing the same dilemma, trailing off as she spoke.

“How about we ask Won?”

“That’s not a bad ide—”

“I’ll join.”

Huh?

The voice was unfamiliar, cutting in just as Adela was speaking. Startled, Adela turned to see a girl, her entire figure obscured by a robe.

That silhouette… It’s familiar.

And now that I think about it, so is the voice.

“I’m a pretty useful person, you know.”

Swish.

As soon as the girl pulled back her hood, I recognized her immediately.

It was Yoon Haul, the girl who always covered her eyes with a black eye patch, striking a pose whenever she could.

“So, what do you think? Let’s team up.”

* * *

A combination of the top three students in the Magic Department and someone from the Theology Department. It was a pairing I had never considered before.

And for good reason—it almost never happened in the original story.

Oh, right. In the original, I’d already died by now.

Anyway, the Magic Department and the Theology Department weren’t on as bad terms as the Necromancy Department, but they didn’t really have much reason to interact either.

The only time they joined forces was when the dark wizards took over Ardel Academy.

I had never heard of them collaborating for something as trivial as a presentation competition.

Nevertheless, Yoon Haul joined our team.

I wasn’t sure what her motives were.

She just kept staring at me with a look that made me feel uneasy.

“Is something wrong? Did you read some ominous signs in the stars?”

“…No.”

Jeez.

Hanging out with someone with spiritual powers can be pretty nerve-wracking.

It’s like she could suddenly blurt out something terrifying, like “You’re going to die tomorrow” or “Don’t leave the house today.”

But instead, Yoon Haul said something I didn’t expect at all.

“You’re… handsome.”

“Are you asking for a beating?”

Adela’s immediate reaction came like a whip.

“No, I want to live long! The stars say so too!”

“I’ll make sure you end up alongside those stars.”

“Th-that’s a bit harsh!”

Yoon Haul quickly covered her face with her eye patch and changed the subject.

We almost went off on a tangent, but we eventually got back to the main topic.

“Did anyone come up with a theme?”

Yoon Haul scanned the topics that Adela had gathered, scratching her head.

“This one seems good.”

She’s more enthusiastic than I expected.

I always assumed she was the type to slack off and still manage to be top of the class, but she actually has opinions.

“Why that one?”

“The stars guided me to it.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Her eyes were starting to glaze over. She must be tired.

Yoon Haul stretched with a smile.

“So, should we go with ‘The Relationship Between Toxic Magic and Purification’? Let’s settle on that as our presentation topic—after a nap!”

“…I’ll really bury you.”

Yoon Haul flinched at Adela’s direct threat, wincing.

Adela’s tone was deadly serious.

“Yoon Haul, you’re good at presentations. That’s why we picked you, so if you slack off, you’ll be underground in no time.”

Scary.

Judging by their banter, they must’ve been in the same class back in first year.

I decided to stay quiet, sandwiched between these two powerhouses.

But it was inevitable that they would turn to me next.

Adela smiled sweetly as she turned her gaze on me.

“Han Siha, what do you think?”

If I give an answer like Yoon Haul’s, tonight’s dinner might end up being a funeral feast.

Thanks to that, my brain started working fast.

“Personally, I think the topic itself is good, but how we present it will be crucial.”

As it stood, it was a pretty abstract topic.

The idea was to examine whether magic could be categorized into black and white and whether purification spells could effectively counter dark magic.

Is it true that all dark magic can be neutralized by white magic?

Definitely not.

Instead of diving deep into that complexity, I suggested we focus on specific examples and particular spells to make the presentation more digestible.

“So, what I’m saying is we should classify toxic magic into different types and see which ones are most vulnerable to purification.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

“And if we present the data clearly, it could improve our evaluation. We could even reference experiments conducted by the Magic Department. If we need more resources, we could use Professor Ernst’s lab.”

Judging by the excited glances between Yoon Haul and Adela, my brief explanation seemed to resonate well with them.

“He’ll probably give us permission. He even contacted me recently about researching a similar topic.

It might be a bit challenging, but as long as we stick to the broader framework, we don’t need to get too deep into it.”

I was in the middle of elaborating when suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.

What now?

“Hah.”

That sounded like a scoff.

“Pathetic.”

It wasn’t a pleasant face that greeted me. Standing behind me with a smirk was Han Si-hyuk.

I had no idea why he suddenly showed up at Ardel Academy, but his first words were certainly irritating.

Didn’t he learn his lesson after all that?

“This is still better than that rejected paper you submitted to the Magic Department last month.”

“W-what…?”

I unintentionally delivered a savage blow.

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