The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 58

“What’s this?” one of the Cardbel students sneered, tilting his head with a mocking grin.

“Ardel? Oh, you’re from there? This is going to be fun.”

Ardel Academy, as its name suggested, was renowned as the most prestigious school across the entire Ardel Empire. However, that didn’t mean it was equally respected in other empires.

In the magical world, the three most influential nations were Seinen, Cardbel, and Ardel.

These three countries had been fierce rivals, constantly pushing each other to improve.

While Ardel wasn’t to be underestimated, to the prideful students of Cardbel, it was little more than a thorn in their side.

To them, Ardel was just another school to beat, nothing more.

“Haven’t seen you guys for a while. Couldn’t make it last year or the year before? Oh, right—you probably didn’t have the skills to qualify.”

“Ardel’s broke anyway.”

“Money is power, idiots.”

“Yeah, poor country.”

The Cardbel students laughed among themselves, thoroughly enjoying their jabs.

Their words were wrong, but I had no intention of correcting them.

‘I should correct them after beating them up,’ Adela thought as her expression grew cold.

One of the Cardbel students next to the big guy mimicked Lee Han’s earlier words with a mocking tone.

“Don’t cry if you get hurt! If you’re just gonna whine, you might as well leave now, kid.”

“You’re challenging us to a duel, right?”

Looking around, I noticed that Cardbel students surrounded us.

Lee Han gritted his teeth and started walking forward slowly.

“I’m in.”

Adela wasn’t one to back down either.

Crack.

The large Cardbel student cracked his knuckles, a sneer curling at his lips.

“Just remember, if you get hurt because I can’t control my magic, it’s not my fault.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t lose to the likes of you.”

The atmosphere in the makeshift dueling arena turned tense, the air practically crackling with hostility.

I had seen scenes like this before, so I hummed a tune as I stepped into the ring.

Any guilt I felt about disobeying Dean Ernest’s orders quickly vanished.

This duel was going to be fun.

If it weren’t for the fact that I had taken Solia’s spot in the research group, she would be the one standing here instead of me, but I was sure the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.

“Better brace yourself. It’s going to hurt.”

“Stop talking and start.”

I had a rough idea of how ruthless and skilled they were for their age.

I grinned, nodding slightly.

‘Do you even realize who you’ve picked a fight with?’

After all, we’re the protagonists of this world.

* * *

Evan from Cardbel sighed as he watched the increasingly noisy duel arena.

Unlike the other students from Cardbel Academy, who were all eager for a fight, he preferred more peaceful confrontations.

“Why do they do this…?”

It wasn’t even an official match with prize money on the line. He had no interest in getting involved in such reckless behavior.

Of course, he didn’t dislike watching fights either, so he made no effort to stop them.

“Ardel?”

From the way they were talking, it seemed like the opponents were second-year students from Ardel Academy.

It was unfortunate that they had ended up facing Cardbel’s most notorious third-years.

“What a shame. Of all people, they had to face those guys.”

Even though they were on the same side, Evan didn’t want to encounter them as enemies.

The Ardel students were clearly outmatched in terms of age, size, and skill.

He felt it wouldn’t be wrong to offer condolences in advance.

At that moment, Evan’s eyes were drawn to the student standing quietly at the back—Han Siha.

Unlike Lee Han and Adela, who were clenching their fists, this student was smiling, as if he found something amusing.

There was something unsettling about that smile, making Evan shudder involuntarily.

Frowning, Evan muttered under his breath.

“What’s with that guy? Is he crazy?”

From Evan’s experience, those kinds of people were the most dangerous.

There’s no cure for crazy. Laughing like that in a situation where anyone else would be nervous—it could only mean he was either extremely confident or completely insane.

The problem was that the large Cardbel student, Kael, didn’t see it that way.

Kael’s sneering voice echoed through the arena.

“Hey, you in the back. Why are you grinning like that? Here to watch the show?”

“…Me?”

Han Siha scratched his head and nodded slowly.

“I suppose you could say that. I came to watch.”

It was an easygoing attitude, born from knowing that Lee Han and Adela could handle these thugs on their own.

Han Siha tilted his head slightly as he asked, “But why? Should I join in?”

“What the hell, this guy’s nuts.”

“He’s scared, obviously.”

Ignoring their taunts, Han Siha calmly adjusted his sleeves and pulled out his staff.

He trusted that Lee Han and Adela would take care of the situation, but he also had confidence in his own abilities, even against opponents like these.

Kael glanced up and down at Han Siha before smirking.

Beside Han Siha stood a small, expensive-looking dragon. But it was just a hatchling, not remotely threatening.

“So you’re a Tamer?”

“Pfft, that thing couldn’t even guard a house.”

“Looks like a little dragon baby.”

Tamers weren’t highly regarded in Cardbel either, just as they weren’t in Ardel.

Taming powerful monsters required a lot of money, and as Tamers were generally weaker than other mages, the profession was often looked down upon.

For this reason, Tamers were often the choice of noble families whose children lacked the talent for other types of magic.

Kael, who had been eager for a fight moments before, now seemed uninterested, his excitement fading.

“You look like you’ve had an easy life. You should back out now before you get hurt.”

“Yeah, we don’t usually mess with rich kids. It’s no fun.”

“Ugh, they’re so annoyingly loud.”

Having had enough of their taunts, Han Siha casually drew his staff and began walking forward.

“Who’s coming out first?”

* * *

A heavy thud echoed as Kael, the first to step forward, was slammed to the ground, sent flying through the air before crashing down hard.

From the start, Kael had targeted Basilus, seeing the dragon hatchling as the biggest threat. He had been in the middle of casting a spell, intending to take out both Basilus and Han Siha in one go, when Han Siha’s magic attack hit him like a bolt out of the blue.

It wasn’t even a particularly advanced spell—just a simple, raw magic blast.

Han Siha’s magical power was far beyond their expectations. Though not precise, it was more than enough to hit someone standing right in front of him.

“Cough… cough.”

Evan, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t believe his eyes.

Kael hadn’t even gotten the chance to break Han Siha’s staff before he was taken down.

“Got caught off guard, huh.”

Han Siha clicked his tongue and placed his staff against Kael’s throat.

Kael, his face pale, stammered out his words, the bravado he had displayed earlier completely gone.

What a disappointment. For all the rumors about how tough they were, they were hardly worth the effort.

“Y-You’re not going to kill me, right?”

“Not with all these people watching.”

He was serious. Han Siha pulled his hand away from Kael, brushing off his grip, and turned to Adela.

“So, what do we do?”

“Let’s finish this!”

“Finish it.”

“…!”

But honestly, I’m too lazy to bother…

Han Siha glanced down at Basilus, who had been eyeing Kael with a fierce glint in his eyes.

“Hey, dragon.”

“It’s not a lizard! It’s a dragon!”

Oh, so that’s what’s been bothering you.

“Why don’t you two sort this out? Have a conversation, body-to-body.”

“What… what?”

“koo!”

Thud, thud.

For several minutes, the sound of blows landing and cries of pain filled the air.

“Hmm… are we done?”

Han Siha looked down at the thoroughly beaten Kael with a bored expression.

Kael’s uniform, once crisp and clean, was now more wrinkled and disheveled than Han Siha’s after his rough journey.

“I didn’t know Ardel had monsters like you…”

Kael gritted his teeth, panting heavily, his face sporting a fresh bruise from Basilus’ tail.

“Me?”

Han Siha frowned seriously.

Calling him a monster of Ardel… Should he take that as a compliment or pity these weaklings?

“Maybe you don’t realize it, but you should be grateful you lost to me.”

“…What?”

“Those two over there… they’re the real monsters.”

As if to prove his point, the other two Cardbel students were sent flying, crashing into the ground where the crowd had gathered.

Oh, dear.

“Spare me, please!”

“Aaaah! Stop, stop!”

“She… she swung her sword at me!”

Thud, thud.

For a while, the duel arena echoed with the screams of Cardbel Academy students.

Adela, clearly enjoying the rare opportunity to cut loose, showed no mercy.

And Lee Han, known for his unwavering sense of justice, was making sure it was thoroughly served.

It seemed the cries of agony would continue until dawn.

“Tsk.”

I told you they didn’t stand a chance.

Han Siha shook his head, sighing.

* * *

We burst into the lecture hall, panting heavily.

“Guys, we really can’t be late for this one. It’s Professor Bruce Miller from the Magic Academy.”

“Herbology?”

“Yeah.”

Bruce Miller—now that was a name I recognized.

He hadn’t played much of a role in the original story, but I’d heard his name a lot more after enrolling at the academy.

It made sense, considering he was the undisputed top expert in herbology, hailing from the herb-rich region of Montene in the south.

His lifelong immersion in magical knowledge set him apart from other professors, and there was much to learn from him.

Not to mention, he was one of the final judges for the upcoming competition.

No doubt every student would be on their best behavior, eager to soak up whatever knowledge they could.

“Huff… that was close.”

“You should’ve ridden the dragon, Han.”

“What are you talking about, Lee Han?”

“We’re not late.”

We’d barely made it in time, arriving just a minute before the lecture was set to begin.

At this point, rushing to classes had become second nature, and I knew the drill.

If you’re late, slip in quietly and head straight to the back.

No noise, no fuss.

At the front, a dignified-looking professor, dressed in a formal coat, was seated at the lectern, calmly flipping through a book.

Even from a distance, his composure was evident—a true professional.

But…

Why did he look so familiar?

“Wait.”

Oh… no way!

“Hey, Adela!”

“What…? Oh no!”

Why was that man here?

—

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