The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 72

Hughes Stancer, the Fallen Tamer of the Fifth Year.

Once considered a promising talent, Hughes had enrolled in the Magic Department and was well-regarded until his grades began to plummet.

He barely managed to stay afloat, and his presence faded to the point where it was almost forgotten.

But now, thanks to this incident, his existence has become painfully clear.

Professor Grint’s eyes were bloodshot with anger. His usually composed demeanor was in turmoil, a rarity for someone with such a strict personality. If this situation wasn’t properly resolved, he risked being suspended.

‘A Drake in Ardel Academy? That’s absurd.’

It was an illogical situation that no professor would believe. And yet, someone had committed such an outrageous act, fully aware of the high likelihood of being caught in a school setting.

“Insane bastard.”

Are you even human?

Many students could have lost their lives. Grint couldn’t deny that he bore some responsibility. Despite this, seeing Hughes, who was standing there as if nothing was wrong, even appearing disappointed that his plan had failed, filled Grint with a murderous rage.

Professor Grint cursed harshly.

Hoo.

After taking a brief deep breath, Professor Grint returned to his usual calm demeanor, though his gaze remained intense.

However, Hughes Stancer was not the type to be easily intimidated. If he were, he wouldn’t have dared to orchestrate something so audacious.

“Do you really think I’m responsible?”

Hughes smirked under his robe, his voice laced with a twisted confidence.

“Do you believe that kid’s words?”

“What?”

“You’re persecuting a student based solely on his claims, without any evidence?”

Bang.

Unable to contain his anger, Professor Grint slammed the desk.

Does he think he can get away with this by denying everything? Does he really believe there’s no evidence?

He underestimated the professors far too much.

Hughes continued to speak brazenly.

“There’s no way he could know, right?”

“Perhaps he’s just quicker on the uptake than a fool like you.”

Fwoosh.

Professor Grint threw a document onto the desk—a plan that had been found in Hughes’ dormitory. It was a detailed outline of the scheme Hughes had attempted to execute.

Hughes’ expression twisted in frustration.

“…I shredded that.”

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re some kind of great mage before you’ve even graduated.”

“But you didn’t know, did you?”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t have found out if it weren’t for that peculiar second-year stepping in.”

Grint hesitated at Hughes’ sharp provocation.

“You couldn’t even detect such an obvious ‘concealment.’ It’s more accurate to say you didn’t even try.”

“….”

“So, do you really have the right to blame me?”

Hughes raised his head, a sardonic smile playing on his lips.

“And that second-year… you said he was a Tamer, right? I never imagined he’d take my Drake from me. What a frightening talent.”

“Unlike you, it’s a truly remarkable talent.”

“It would be amusing if that talent were used to stab you in the back. You’d probably be helpless even if he unleashed a mere hatchling, not a Drake.”

At that moment—

Slap!

Professor Grint’s hand flew across Hughes’ face, the pain leaving his cheek burning.

Hughes raised his head, glaring defiantly at the professor.

“How emotional of you. That’s so unlike you. You didn’t even bat an eye when you dealt with my father.”

Professor Grint froze.

It couldn’t be….

A certain individual came to mind.

The dark mage he had killed.

As Professor Grint silently repeated the name in his mind, he frowned deeply.

“So that’s why you did this?”

“It’s probably a more reasonable motive than a professor beating a student just because he fears suspension.”

But that didn’t change the facts.

Two students were severely injured, and one’s life was in danger. If it hadn’t been for Han Siha, the entire hunting party would have been wiped out.

Professor Grint looked down at Hughes, his gaze cold and unyielding.

The face beneath the hood seemed calm, composed, and quiet—a face that hardly seemed capable of attempting to murder fellow students in such a horrifying way.

Which only made Grint’s anger boil even more.

The image of Professor Divert Grunui, who had always smiled benevolently while stabbing others in the back, flashed through Grint’s mind.

With a chilling tone, Professor Grint spoke.

“Do you know why I despise your kind?”

“….”

“That victim mentality. You mess everything up, and yet you believe that all oppression and persecution are directed solely at you. You will be punished accordingly—not because of your family, but because of your crimes.”

“You damn….”

“You’re expelled from Ardel Academy.”

Hughes clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Professor Grint with cold, murderous eyes.

“Who do you think you are?”

“Go to the Ministry of Magic’s underground prison. You’ll rot there for a very, very long time.”

Perhaps by the time other students have graduated, gotten jobs at the Ministry, and risen to high-ranking positions—

For an unimaginably long time.

Hughes wouldn’t be able to take a single step out of the Ministry’s underground prison, a place far more notorious than most others, even compared to Ardel’s own prisons.

Hughes’ face went pale.

“When you eventually get out, you’ll never be a mage again. You might as well start a detective agency in some back alley—if you’re lucky.”

Just like his father had done.

If Hughes had simply graduated from Ardel Academy, he could have led a decent life.

But Hughes Stancer had thrown away his own fortune.

Professor Grint sneered as he continued.

“Your family name will forever be associated with criminals.”

Roar!

“You bastard!”

Hughes let out a furious roar, as if he were about to lunge at Professor Grint and strangle him.

Bang.

But it was all in vain—he was no match for Professor Grint.

With a simple gesture, Professor Grint forced Hughes to his knees and spoke again.

“And as for my punishment.”

“Guh… Guh….”

“I’ll request a suspension myself.”

Hughes looked up at Professor Grint with trembling eyelids.

Professor Grint casually brushed Hughes’ arm away.

“You’re right about one thing. This is entirely my responsibility.”

“….”

“So, you’ll have to take responsibility for your actions as well.”

Though he’ll likely never realize it.

Professor Grint shot a look of pure disdain at Hughes Stancer before turning and leaving the dormitory.

* * *

[Main Episode 3: Specimen Room’s Drake Cleared]

[Random Box Reward (D~A Rank) has been granted.]

[Would you like to receive it?]

It’s been a while since I’ve done a loot box pull.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tightly.

Please, please, please.

I don’t expect an A-rank, but at least give me something B-rank or higher, please.

Fwoosh!

A bright white light enveloped the random box, and soon, a heavy bag dropped out of thin air. I caught it with both hands as it fell.

“Huh?”

[Dimensional Bag (A-Rank)]

Recognizing the familiar name, my eyes widened in surprise.

Wow, this is way better than I expected!

“What’s with this luck?”

Before I got transported into this world, I couldn’t even win a $5 lottery prize, no matter how many tickets I bought. Maybe all of that was just building up to this moment.

This is an item that’s not only useful in battle but also incredibly handy in everyday life.

If I had tried to buy it in the market, it definitely wouldn’t have been cheap—certainly not for just a few gold coins.

It feels a bit heavier than an ordinary bag, but the leather looks sturdy and durable at a glance.

Humming happily, I slung the bag over my shoulder.

“How much weight can this thing hold?”

As an experiment, I started stuffing all my textbooks into the bag, and they were absorbed as if being sucked into a black hole. Despite the added weight, the bag didn’t feel any heavier than before.

This is going to be way more helpful in battle than I thought.

The bag’s capacity seems considerable, so I’m quite satisfied with it overall.

As I was contentedly rummaging through the bag’s interior, something fluttered out from the dimensional space.

“Huh?”

I picked up the piece of paper that had fallen to the floor.

At first, I thought it might be some kind of label that had come out of the bag, but that wasn’t it.

The paper wasn’t a label—it looked like a problem straight out of a calculus textbook.

“Was this part of the midterm exam?”

It seemed like an assignment from Professor Divert Grunui’s class.

“Oh.”

It came back to me.

It seemed that I had missed one of the assignments Professor Divert Grunui had given us in rapid succession.

Not that it matters now, since he’s not coming back, and his lectures will be taken over by another professor.

I won’t have to solve this problem anyway.

I casually stuffed the problem sheet back into the textbook.

But then.

A sudden intuition flashed through my mind.

Frowning, I pulled the sheet out again.

This type of problem looks oddly familiar.

I slowly began reading through the problem.

“…Equations.”

Bang!

It felt like getting hit in the head with a hammer.

“How did I not think of this?”

Suddenly, I recalled the cipher Dean Ernest had given me.

I had already roughly interpreted the numbers in Morse code, but I couldn’t figure out the final piece of the puzzle.

Swallowing dryly, I hastily unfolded the cipher.

Symbols I hadn’t been able to decipher were scattered throughout.

Up until that point, I had been fixated on trying to decipher the meaning of those symbols.

But that wasn’t it.

“All I had to do was solve the equations.”

This crazy math professor!

The symbols didn’t hold meaning; I just needed to calculate the numbers that belonged in the symbols.

My pen moved quickly across the paper.

“Haa….”

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but once I held the key to deciphering the code, it didn’t take long to solve it.

“Is this it?”

I held the answer in my hand, which looked like coordinates.

(205, 014)

I mulled over the significance of these coordinates several times before realizing it.

“Oh.”

I found it.

* * *

“Alright, everyone, fill out your registration forms! Keep in order! Guys, please! Are you listening?”

Clamor.

It’s been a while since the bulletin board has seen this much of a crowd, not since midterms.

Phew, there are so many people.

I pushed through the throngs of second-year students and made my way forward.

The reason Ardel Academy was in such a frenzy was simple.

“Wow, I’m already excited. Last year’s event was amazing, remember?”

“…No.”

“Oh, were you holed up in your classroom alone?”

It was time for Ardel Academy’s annual festival.

Along with the athletic events, there would be all sorts of activities, food, and entertainment. I’ve heard that the fun never stops.

Although I missed last year’s festival, it’s a universal truth that festivals are always fun.

“This is going to be awesome. I’m signing up too. What about you, Han Siha?”

Won returned from scribbling his name on the registration form, his tone brimming with excitement.

Class president Lee Han was running around frantically, collecting entries for the various events.

“Anyone else want to participate?”

It seemed like Lee Han had already signed up for multiple events. Following his lead, Solia also quietly stepped up to write down her name.

It looks like some serious competition is lining up.

Adela nudged me lightly in the side.

“What do you think would be good? Mounted hunting?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s where you ride a horse and hunt slimes. You’re good with a bow, right?”

“Oh, slime hunting?”

“I have some bad memories with slimes, but last year, the Magic Department took first place in that event.”

Oh, slimes.

I nodded absentmindedly.

Maybe thinking I wasn’t interested, Adela scratched her head and trailed off.

“Well, if not, there are other events….”

“You’re not signing up?”

Lee Han suddenly appeared and thrust a registration form at me.

Should I participate?

It was hard not to feel conflicted.

If this were just a regular festival, I’d say go and have fun, but in a dark fantasy world like this, festivals always seem to involve some kind of incident, don’t they?

I carefully examined the list of events on the registration form.

Won, seeing my hesitation, chimed in.

“Hey, you have to participate.”

“Ardel’s third ranker can’t just sit this one out.”

“What’s with ‘third ranker’? You’re probably going to climb higher with those bonus points.”

“True.”

The other students, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, joined in with excited comments.

It wasn’t unpleasant to be the center of attention.

So, I slowly nodded.

“I’ll participate too.”

An event I should join had just caught my eye.

Mounted hunting.

I confidently wrote my name under the event Adela had mentioned.

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