The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 197

“Just someone who got beat up… Wow, what a beautifully flattering title. Is that all you’ve got?”

“How else am I supposed to describe getting beaten up? Now can you please move? I need to wrap this up.”

Han Siha blinked, stepping back to give the kid some space.

Adela, who had been approaching them, stopped dead in her tracks. But it wasn’t because of the bratty attitude of the kid they had saved.

‘…Han Siha is letting that slide?’

If it were the old Han Siha, he would have already “corrected” the kid’s manners with a fist to the face. But now, he was simply letting it go.

Adela exchanged a quick, surprised glance with Yoon Haul.

“It’s like his personality changed along with the polymorph.”

“He’s definitely acting more mature.”

“Yeah, finally.”

Unaware of their observations, Han Siha simply rolled up his sleeves and quietly helped the kid with his work.

“What’s your name?”

“….”

“You hate me that much? I haven’t even done anything wrong.”

“Getting beat up is a crime in itself.”

“Hm, I guess that is a major offense.”

There was a reason Han Siha was refraining from setting the bratty kid straight.

“Why’d you have to butt in and end up dragged here with us? Are you stupid?”

“If you’re going to worry, try saying it nicely. At least make it sound pleasant.”

He knew the words didn’t carry true malice.

He could tell the kid was feeling guilty, blaming himself for Han Siha and his group getting dragged into the situation.

“I don’t have a name.”

“Oh. That’s unfortunate.”

“If you’re going to feel sorry, try saying it like you mean it.”

“Can’t do that. But I can give you a name, how about that?”

“A complete stranger naming me?”

“How about ‘No Name’?”

No Name, because he didn’t have one. The kid grimace in disgust.

“That’s so lazy. It sucks.”

“Well, okay then, No Name.”

“Hah.”

He said he hated it, but the slight curl of his lips told another story.

“Hey.”

“I prefer ‘No Name’ to ‘hey,’ at least.”

Despite the sharp tongue, there was a straightforwardness to the kid that Han Siha appreciated. He nodded, finally getting to the questions he really needed to ask.

It wouldn’t help to directly ask about deliveries; that would definitely raise suspicion. Han Siha needed to approach the topic indirectly, starting with more casual questions.

“So, No Name. How’d you end up here?”

“…Same way they did.”

The kid pointed at Adela and Yoon Haul, who had been hovering nearby, eavesdropping on the conversation.

Caught off guard, Adela and Yoon Haul quickly ducked behind a crate, trying to hide the fact that they were listening in.

“They’re really bad at hiding.”

Han Siha muttered, but fell silent as the kid continued.

“I got dragged in the same way you did. My sister did something stupid, just like you.”

“What?”

“She was all about justice and pride, never able to swallow her own ego, and she was the worst kind of protector. Couldn’t even keep her own family safe.”

“….”

“That’s why I don’t like people like you.”

Han Siha frowned slightly, listening closely to the bitterness in the kid’s words.

“No, I actually hate you.”

But it was easy to tell that wasn’t entirely true. The kid’s eyes, despite his harsh words, wavered with the weight of memories.

—

There’s usually a reason people don’t talk about their personal lives.

Adela had her reasons, and so did Han Siha.

Han Siha kept his mouth shut, listening in silence until No Name spoke up again.

“Just in case you get any ideas, if you’re planning to escape, do it right. I’ve failed five times already.”

“Five times?”

“Yeah. The first time, I ran straight into town asking for help. Turns out everyone here is in on it. Don’t bother trying that.”

“What about the other four times?”

“Two times, I got caught before I even got out. The other two times, I made it out but got caught before leaving the village. The last time was what you saw today. They’re going to be on high alert now, so wait at least a month before trying anything.”

If he really wanted to, Han Siha could wipe this place out. Ordinary merchants, without any magic abilities, were hardly a challenge.

But he knew he couldn’t help right now, and he hated that.

He hid his guilt and kept pressing for information.

“What kind of work do you do here?”

“We sell stuff.”

“Right.”

“Other than that?”

“We buy stuff. Got to have things to sell, right?”

This was finally starting to get somewhere.

Han Siha cleared his throat and asked as casually as possible.

“So, what kind of things do you guys usually deliver?”

“Huh?”

“You know what they deliver?”

The kid seemed hesitant, rubbing his chin as he considered Han Siha’s question. Then he scowled.

“Why do you care? And before you ask, no, there’s no drugs.”

Wait, what?

“Do I look like a druggie?”

“No, but I’ve seen at least five guys get messed up because of that stuff. It’s hard to stay sane in a place like this.”

“I’m not interested in drugs. I’m looking for… something with a lot of dark magic, maybe?”

“Sounds like drugs to me.”

“Okay, I know it sounds weird, but it’s not that.”

“Yeah, right. Definitely sounds like drugs.”

Han Siha sighed. This kid was really difficult.

“I don’t know, you’ve got that glazed look in your eyes.”

“Come on, I’ve got the clearest eyes you’ll ever see.”

“Got any shame left, old man?”

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

“…It’s just been a while since anyone called me a grown-up.”

Han Siha shook his head, hoisting another heavy crate.

“So, nothing weird gets delivered here, huh?”

“…Nothing you’d be interested in.”

“How about obsidian?”

“I don’t know what that is…”

“It’s like a black gemstone.”

“I told you, there’s no drugs here.”

It seemed like No Name really didn’t know anything.

So, Han Siha decided to end his questioning there.

“I’ll try my best to cut ties.”

“They all end up addicted anyway,” No Name said with a smirk, to which Han Siha responded with a wry smile before signaling to Adela behind him.

—

In the harsh delivery scene that resembled a warehouse nightmare, where there was barely time to rest without risking getting yelled at, Han Siha finally got a moment to catch his breath.

Thanks to his time at the Life Water Factory, Han Siha had become accustomed to these kinds of strenuous tasks. With renewed energy, he made his way over to Adela and Yoon Haul.

It was their break time, and fortunately, this place wasn’t the lair of dark mages—just a gang-run merchant guild. There was no one paying close attention to them.

Han Siha relayed the information he had gathered from his chat with No Name.

“They’ve been working here for five years and have never seen any black gemstones…”

“Couldn’t they be hiding it?” Adela asked.

“I doubt it,” Han Siha replied, glancing over at No Name, who was still standing nearby.

Even without some kind of lie detector ability, Han Siha could tell from his instincts that No Name wasn’t the type to lie about something like this.

“They could be dealing secretly,” Yoon Haul suggested.

“We need to consider all possibilities. If it’s something that dangerous, they wouldn’t just let anyone in the guild have access to it.”

Just because no one had seen the black gemstones didn’t mean the Cement Guild wasn’t involved in dealing with obsidian.

This was a guild that epitomized evil. They enslaved and abused children, and it wouldn’t change much to add obsidian trading to their list of crimes.

“This is the kind of place you want to dismantle as soon as you figure out their supply routes,” Han Siha said with a sharp look, surveying their surroundings.

Luckily, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Their cover identities seemed intact for now, but it was time to get more proactive.

Adela, sharing Han Siha’s determination, spoke up.

“We’re not going to find out everything just by working here.”

“If even the kid doesn’t know, it’s unlikely they’d let us outsiders see anything,” Yoon Haul added.

“Let’s check it ourselves.”

Following Adela’s suggestion, Han Siha’s eyes drifted to a tightly sealed warehouse they had been eyeing during their work. It was the warehouse where the merchants frequently came and went.

It was a large structure filled with all sorts of items, a prime suspect for holding their inventory and potentially their delivery records.

They wouldn’t find anything just standing around, so Han Siha nodded, his eyes gleaming.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

—

Creak.

Thud.

The heavy door, nearly impossible to push open with just one hand, slammed shut behind them.

This was Cement Guild territory, and no one was foolish enough to steal from the middle of their stronghold, so there were no guards posted.

Even if someone were brazen enough to try and take anything, it would be nearly impossible to carry something out without getting caught.

They managed to sneak in undetected, with Adela standing guard outside while Han Siha and Yoon Haul explored the warehouse.

So far, their plan was going smoothly.

“Where should we start?”

The warehouse was vast. Yoon Haul pulled back the covers from various items, searching for anything of interest.

They couldn’t spend too much time; if they were gone too long, someone might come looking for them.

“We need to wrap this up quickly,” Han Siha said, pointing Yoon Haul towards some nearby crates. “You search over there. I’ll look for any delivery records.”

“Got it!”

They split up, with Yoon Haul searching for obsidian while Han Siha focused on finding the delivery records.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find what they were looking for.

“Aha!”

On top of a stack of crates, Han Siha found a stack of paper charts.

He grabbed the charts and quickly skimmed through them.

“Looks like about a year’s worth of records.”

It was a lot of information, but he didn’t need to go through it all. The only thing he was interested in was whether or not obsidian was mentioned.

Things were going smoother than expected.

Or so he thought.

“Obsidian… Obsi… Obsidian…”

It wasn’t there.

Han Siha frantically flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning each line.

Nothing on this page. Or the next. Or the one after that.

“Did they deliberately leave it out?”

It didn’t make sense to him. Trading obsidian wasn’t illegal.

Sure, it had a bad reputation as a cursed gemstone, but the merchants here weren’t the type to care about rumors. If they had any sense of morality, they wouldn’t be enslaving children or exploiting outsiders as cheap labor.

“Should I take this and check it more thoroughly later?”

There was always the chance he might have missed something. He was about to stuff the records into his bag when his pocket vibrated.

It was the Smartphone.

Han Siha ducked down and answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear.

– …Adela?

– Hey, what are you doing there?

– I’m going through the delivery records. Why?

Adela’s voice sounded urgent, and Han Siha immediately tensed, pressing himself against the wall.

– Someone’s coming into the warehouse!

What?

– Hide! Quickly!

Before Adela’s panicked voice had even cut off, Han Siha crouched down, lowering his profile as much as possible.