The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 199

Bzzz—

Bzzz—

Startled, Yoon Haul strolled around the back of the Freed Guild’s yard, holding two metal rods in his hands.

To an outsider, he might seem like he was performing some strange ritual or losing his mind, but this was his unique method of detecting mana.

“It feels like there’s some magic… maybe?”

According to Han Siha, it was more likely that the Cement Guild was dealing in obsidian shipments, but he couldn’t just sit around doing nothing in this seemingly peaceful place.

So, he wandered around with the rods all day, but so far, he had found nothing of note.

That was when someone placed a hand on Yoon Haul’s shoulder.

Startled, Yoon Haul flinched and looked up.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Elisa, with her long black hair rarely seen in the Ardel Empire, flashed a bright smile.

She exuded an air that felt strangely familiar to Yoon Haul. He returned an awkward smile and averted his gaze.

“What are you doing?”

Elisa curiously tilted her head, eyeing the rods Yoon Haul was holding.

“Checking the feng shui.”

“Ah, feng shui. They say people in the countryside care about that stuff. You grew up in a place like that?”

“If there’s a water vein, I can’t sleep well.”

“Ah, I see.”

Elisa readily believed his explanation, which wasn’t surprising since the rods were indeed used to locate water veins.

Yoon Haul didn’t particularly like people who were similar to him, and Elisa, with her mysterious aura and black hair, fell into that category. However, he didn’t think she was a bad person.

She had rescued children who were unjustly caught by the Cement Guild and helped Han Siha and his friends during a precarious situation.

She had also been attentive, making sure they were adapting well in this peaceful place.

They had been staying at the Freed Guild for two days now.

Though they were still unfamiliar with much of it, it was undoubtedly a better place to live than the Cement Guild.

Of course, what they were really after wasn’t a nice place to stay but a guild that might have shipped obsidian.

They hadn’t found any leads yet, which was naturally frustrating.

However, not wanting to reveal their impatience or seem suspicious, Yoon Haul put on a performance that didn’t quite suit him.

“The pay here is pretty good.”

“They take care of the kids well, too.”

“That’s not always the case, right?”

“Yeah, there are too many places that don’t. It’s really not supposed to be that way.”

Yoon Haul recalled the stories he had heard from Han Siha about Natalie’s life-draining factory.

Elisa’s point had merit.

If even the higher-ups of the Magic Department were getting swindled, it wasn’t hard to imagine how bad it must be for ordinary kids.

“You’re right.”

Yoon Haul nodded, agreeing with Elisa.

For someone as straightforward as Elisa, just listening to her seemed enough to earn her favor.

Perhaps due to her bold personality, she spoke and asked questions without any hesitation.

Like now.

“What about that guy you came with?”

“Han Suha?”

Currently going by the alias Han Suha, Yoon Haul was caught off guard when Elisa brought him up out of the blue.

“Yeah, what’s your relationship with that handsome guy?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I thought you might be siblings, but you seem too close for that. And there’s quite an age gap to be just friends. Is he just someone you know from your village?”

“Huh?”

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Yoon Haul hesitated.

They had adopted the cover story of being young folks from a rural village looking for work.

So, he should’ve just answered accordingly, but…

‘What kind of relationship is this, really?’

He found it surprisingly hard to describe this ambiguous connection.

Elisa’s curious eyes bore into him, waiting for an answer.

“Uh, um…”

He knew stammering would only arouse suspicion.

He thought about it but…

“Uh, um… well, the thing is…”

In his mind, only one phrase accurately described this vague, undefined relationship.

Clenching his eyes shut in embarrassment, Yoon Haul blurted out,

“I—I like him!”

—

It had been two days since they settled into the Freed Guild.

Han Siha had been helping out where he could while keeping an eye out for any unusual activities and reporting them back to Lee Han.

Lee Han, in turn, kept them informed of anything noteworthy in the town. But so far, nothing significant has come up.

The only thing they learned was that all the goods were delivered every Friday and then transported from the Odryse Mountains to other regions.

While they hadn’t found a proper list of deliveries, the Freed Guild merchants were generally approachable and willing to answer their questions.

It was a level of kindness that was nonexistent in the Cement Guild.

However, they couldn’t afford to stay and enjoy this hospitality for long. If they failed to uncover any useful information by this Friday, they would have to pull back.

Han Siha continued working silently, reflecting on this when suddenly, he found himself dragged somewhere.

“Where are we?”

Han Siha looked at Yoon Haul, who wore an uneasy expression.

They were standing in front of a peculiar shop that exuded an unsettling aura.

The walls were plastered with strange papers resembling talismans.

Elisa, who had been sticking closely to Yoon Haul lately, smiled brightly.

“Hey, you should take a break sometimes, you know! I brought you here because there’s a really famous fortune teller inside.”

“…A fortune teller?”

Ah, that’s why Yoon Haul’s face looks like it’s falling apart.

Touting some so-called famous fortune teller in front of a kid who would become the Empire’s greatest prophet in the future?

Honestly, he’d rather ask Yoon Haul himself than consult a place that looks as shady as this.

Yoon Haul seemed to be thinking the same thing, but unable to refuse Elisa’s persistent insistence, he had been dragged here. His twisted, awkward smile said it all.

“…Are we really going in?”

Adela scratched her head, looking equally reluctant.

Elisa, noticing their hesitation, shrugged her shoulders and spoke.

“What’s the hold-up? Haven’t you kids learned anything yet?”

“Huh?”

“When you’re given a chance to slack off legally, you say, ‘Thank you very much,’ and take it! I even got permission for this; there are no deliveries this afternoon, so you’ve got the green light to relax.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“And they say this place is really good at reading love fortunes. Seriously, especially for you.”

“Uh… what?”

Elisa winked playfully at Yoon Haul.

What was that look just now?

“Hmm?”

“Oh!”

Yoon Haul suddenly seemed to have some sort of realization, pulling me along.

What’s going on?

“Let’s go see.”

Why are you suddenly so eager?

“It seems like it’ll be fun.”

Wait, hold on.

Who’s ever heard of a prophet going to get their fortune read?

“This place feels oddly trustworthy.”

You saying that makes me believe it too!

“Really? Are you seriously going in?”

“Yeah! Especially you, come on!”

And so, I found myself dragged into the fortune-teller’s shop by a prophet.

* * *

To start with the conclusion, I’m the type who believes in superstitions.

I also believe in ghosts.

Why?

Because I’ve experienced death.

I mean, if I’ve been isekai’d, there’s no reason not to believe in superstitions.

So, when I hear this kind of stuff, even if I pretend not to care, it really sticks with me.

If they say something bad, it’s incredibly unsettling.

Sure, this place looks like a total scam, but what if… they’re right?

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have set foot in a fortune-teller’s shop like this. But, being pushed by Yoon Haul, I had no choice but to enter.

As soon as I stepped over the threshold—

“Hey, hold on.”

An old woman with an unsettling aura called out to me.

Her hair was streaked with gray, and her piercing eyes looked as if they could see right through a person.

Scam artist or not, the atmosphere she gave off was authentic.

Swallowing nervously, I responded.

“Me?”

“One at a time. You come in first.”

I’d never been to a place like this before, but the vibe was quite different from the fortune-teller’s shops I knew.

Besides the flickering candles, it was incredibly quiet, almost like a church.

The setting felt strangely sacred, making me want to behave solemnly.

The old woman tapped her hand on the table and asked me directly.

“So, what are you here to find out?”

“My love fortune!”

Yoon Haul jumped in and answered for me.

Adela pulled at Yoon Haul, frowning.

Then, the old woman sighed deeply and opened her mouth.

“I heard from that lady that three people were coming, but there are four here. Ah, maybe one of them isn’t human.”

“…!”

Yoon Haul, who had been squirming under Adela’s grip, suddenly held his breath.

This was because the invisible Basilus was with us in this room.

“Ku….”

Basilus let out a distressed cry, carried by the wind.

Luckily, Elisa didn’t seem to hear it.

“Well, I’ll be leaving now!”

Seeing how serious everyone’s faces had turned, Elisa smiled, patted Yoon Haul’s head, and left the room.

With Elisa gone, only the three of us remained, and we swallowed nervously, turning our attention to the old woman.

Despite her startling statement, she appeared remarkably calm.

“It’s not the important thing here. I’ve been paid, so I’ll answer whatever you want. What was the question again?”

“Ah, yes.”

Adela gulped and whispered in my ear.

“Who is this woman?”

“I think she’s the real deal…”

“Feels like we should be laying down a mat for her.”

“She’s already got one laid down…”

Whispering to each other, the old woman grew irritated and flung her fan.

“Hey, what’s the question?”

“Ask about your love fortune. Marriage stuff, too. I checked it once before; just doing a cross-check.”

Wait, when did you check my marriage fortune?

Why didn’t you tell me?

“A cross-check…”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, but since she seemed fairly skilled, I decided to ask.

“Yeah, I’m curious about my love fortune.”

Here I was, looking for dark mages in the Odryse Mountains, and now I’m getting my fortune read.

Does this even make sense?

But as the old woman began laying out paper-like objects, I found myself feeling unexpectedly tense.

“Uh, aren’t you going to ask my name?”

“You’re just going to lie about it anyway.”

“….”

Holy crap, she’s good!

What the heck, this is scary.

“Did… did you figure it out?”

I suddenly understood why people get sucked in and end up throwing money at these places.

She was giving off an incredibly authentic vibe.

Sitting up straight, I waited for the result.

Tap.

Tap.

The old woman tossed a few dice onto the table and then raised her bleary eyes.

“It’s done.”

Clinging tightly to my sleeve was Yoon Haul, who was clearly more anxious than I was.

I didn’t know why he was more nervous than me.

I took a sip of the tea in front of me to moisten my parched throat, trying to maintain my composure as I spoke.

“How did it turn out…?”

“It’s tangled and complicated.”

“Sorry?”

“Want me to summarize it?”

“Yes… yes, please!”

This felt like something worth listening to, something that had to be taken seriously.

I nodded vigorously and waited for the old woman’s words.

And then—

I had no idea her prophecy would turn out like this.

“You don’t have any marriage luck… but you have a lot of children’s luck.”

No marriage luck, but a lot of children’s luck…

Well, that makes sense.

Wait, what?

Hold on.

I need some time to explain this.

“…Is that true?”

“You scumbag.”

Adela and Yoon Haul both took a step back, their expressions filled with disgust.