The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 74

Adela’s eyes met mine.

Her gaze still sparkled as if chasing the afterimage of flames.

From the pure tone of her voice, I could tell there was no malice.

I asked, trying to sound composed.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I need to find out.”

It seemed Adela still didn’t know.

The target of her relentless pursuit for revenge, the one who had driven her so far.

I was just as clueless about the nature of the connection or the reason for the need to kill.

“I don’t know how strong they are, what kind of person they are, or even how they live. I know nothing.”

I nodded instead of replying.

It would have been nice if there were another burst of fireworks at a time like this.

I looked down at the burnt-out end of the stick, hoping it wasn’t the end of our relationship. Then, I turned back to Adela.

“What do you want to do?”

I forced a smile and shoved my hands into my pockets.

The once warm night air now felt chilly against my nose.

Adela smiled and answered my question.

“I’ll definitely find them.”

“And when I do, I’ll kill them.”

It was just those two sentences.

But somehow, I had the feeling it might be me.

And I didn’t know why.

“That’s a bit scary… Can I really do it?”

A part of me felt slightly cold.

Not wanting to show it, I smiled as I replied.

“You’ll do fine. No matter what it is.”

—

The next day.

It was the second day of the festival, and the sports events continued without a break.

The heat was subtly oppressive, bearing down on the crown of our heads.

Han Siha was sitting in the shade, watching Lee Han’s flying relay race.

Sitting still and watching was good for clearing one’s thoughts.

‘Adela…’

He still hadn’t found any clues as to why she wanted to kill him.

If even she couldn’t find any clues, there was no way he could.

Han Siha gave up on thinking about it and focused on the race again.

The students, fired up by the relay, were cheering loudly.

“Whoaaaa!”

“Lee Han! Lee Han! Lee Han!”

Lee Han was in the lead, literally flying. It seemed unlikely anyone could catch up to him.

He effortlessly cleared a steep obstacle, turned his head, and waved.

He had managed to turn the tide of a race that had been slipping away.

“Go, Magic Department! Win!”

“Win! Win! Win!”

There’s a reason the relay is called the highlight of any sports event.

Even if it’s a relay on broomsticks, a relay is still a relay.

Adela, who had quietly approached, exclaimed as she watched Lee Han racing ahead.

“Wow, the atmosphere is incredible.”

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. Lee Han is really good.”

“Yeah. He’s doing it all by himself.”

Han Siha chuckled and agreed with Adela.

Then he refocused on the relay.

Adela glanced at his profile.

‘There’s someone I need to kill.’

Adela suddenly remembered the pointless things she had rambled on about yesterday and blushed deeply.

‘What on earth was I thinking, saying all that?’

She quickly turned her head and picked up a random twig.

Han Siha, not understanding what was going on, rolled his eyes and tried to gauge her mood.

Just then, a stranger’s face appeared between the two.

“As expected, you can’t beat the Magic Department in a relay.”

“Huh? Burke?”

Adela sat up straight in surprise, recognizing the familiar name, and Han Siha’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Burke, the vice president of the Necromancy Department’s second year.

He had a gentle face that didn’t seem to fit the Necromancy Department.

Not every student in the Necromancy Department was as obsessed with forbidden dark magic as Seymour Parker, and with his easy going personality, Burke got along well with students from the Magic Department.

With his dog-like smile, Burke spoke.

“It’s been a while, Han Siha.”

He casually patted Han Siha on the shoulder.

They hadn’t been particularly close during their first year.

Or rather, to put it more accurately, Han Siha hadn’t been close with anyone.

“….”

Han Siha turned away with a hardened expression, clearly not pleased.

Burke awkwardly laughed and lowered the hand he had placed on Han Siha’s shoulder.

Adela, who had been quietly watching, laughed awkwardly.

“Maybe he’s just tired today. He has to prepare for the next event.”

‘He’s not usually like this.’

If it were the old Han Siha, maybe. But the current Han Siha wasn’t the type to push people away like that.

Adela looked at Han Siha with a puzzled expression and then turned back to Burke.

“Are you competing today too?”

“Hey, Burke! Long time no see!”

Someone else joined the conversation.

It was Natalie.

Burke was on friendly terms with both Natalie and Adela.

Most of his close friends were also in the Magic Department.

Burke smiled gently as he spoke.

“I’m participating this time. In the horseback hunting event.”

“Oh! Isn’t that the one Adela is in?”

“So, you’ll be competing against each other. Ah, Han Siha too?”

“Huh?”

Han Siha, who seemed lost in thought, finally snapped back to reality.

He gave a half-hearted nod as if he understood.

“We’ll see each other.”

His voice still carried a strange coldness.

Adela awkwardly laughed as she watched Han Siha, thinking back to the nonsense she had spouted while watching the fireworks last night.

‘Maybe I said too much.’

Adela couldn’t help but gauge Han Siha’s reaction.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Adela extended her hand to Burke.

“See you at the match later, then.”

“Yeah, let’s do our best!”

Smack.

Burke exchanged high-fives with Natalie and Adela, then stepped back with a friendly smile.

“Kyaaaah!”

In the meantime, Lee Han, who had finished first, raised his hands triumphantly.

“Lee Han! Lee Han! Lee Han!”

“Hey, what are you doing? Get out there!”

Amidst the chaos, Han Siha alone muttered with a cold, distant look on his face.

“Burke from the Necromancy Department….”

Just a moment ago, his mind had been clouded with thoughts of Adela.

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

Crumpling the paper in his pocket, Han Siha bit his lower lip.

“It can’t just be a coincidence.”

—

“We’ll now proceed with the horseback hunting event! Will the first participants please come forward?”

Adela and Han Siha from the second year, Betten from the third year, and Serin from the fourth year—four representatives from the Magic Department, excluding the graduates, stepped forward.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

“Han Siha! Han Siha! Han Siha!”

The name that was most frequently called was, of course, Han Siha.

‘Unexpected.’

After the recent Drake subjugation, many students’ expectations were directed at him.

Han Siha let out a small, surprised chuckle.

“Necromancy Department! Win, Necromancy Department!”

The cheers from the Necromancy Department were also quite intense.

Although the Theology and Natural Science Departments were participating in this event too…

“It looks like we’re going to get third place. The stars are saying so.”

“Are you sure?”

“Weren’t you wrong last time, you blockhead?”

The Theology Department was busy checking their fortunes with astrology instead of cheering.

Meanwhile, the Natural Science Department was already in the shade, opening their books.

While other events also lacked their interest, hunting seemed to be particularly outside the concerns of these two departments.

As a result, the competition had become a fierce battle between the Magic and Necromancy Departments.

The revival of the Magic-Necromancy rivalry.

The spectators were on fire.

“Wooooah!”

Han Siha raised his right hand, acknowledging their cheers.

True to his attention-seeking nature, he wanted to give more fan service, but not today.

His expression remained unusually stiff.

Burke from the Necromancy Department.

He had heard that name before.

‘Why Burke, of all people…’

Competing in the same event as him was dangerous.

Han Siha glanced back at his prepared horse, trying hard to maintain a calm demeanor.

From a distance, Burke waved cheerfully.

“Friendly competition, right?”

“I told you, I’ll definitely win.”

“That’s harsh. Go easy on me.”

Adela and Burke exchanged playful banter, smiling as they shared their ambitions.

‘Friendly competition, huh. What a joke.’

Han Siha mounted his horse with a bitter expression.

Before the match, Adela had repeatedly drilled the rules of horseback hunting into his head.

Once the whistle blew, they had to take down slimes while riding. Orange slimes were worth 5 points, yellow ones 3 points, and red ones 1 point.

The red slimes were relatively larger, and the smaller the slime, the higher the points.

Han Siha quickly scanned the field and grabbed his bow.

“Get ready.”

Boom, boom, boom.

The sound of drums reverberated through the arena.

After glancing around the spectators one last time, Han Siha took his stance.

Then.

Whistle!

The four players surged forward simultaneously.

—

“Han Siha! Han Siha! Han Siha!”

The cheers rang in his ears.

Han Siha leaned forward and tightly gripped the reins.

Although he hadn’t expected to be proficient at horseback riding, the reins, which he hadn’t held since the group assignment, now felt fairly familiar.

“Magic Department! Magic Department! Magic Department!”

“Invincible Necromancy! Yeah! Sweep them away!”

“Kyaaaah!”

Spotting the first slime, Han Siha steered his horse towards it.

So, I just need to pop that thing?

The first trap consisted of a group of orange slimes clustered together.

Han Siha leaped over a small puddle and formed a magical arrow, then fired.

Whoosh!

The arrow arced through the air and struck the small slime dead-on.

“Magic Department, 5 points!”

“No way.”

“He’s already hit one?”

Even with a fixed target, hitting something from a moving horse wasn’t easy, and hitting the ever-bouncing slimes made it even harder.

With only seven arrows left, he became more cautious.

Taking aim for the second shot.

He swiftly navigated through a narrow path and fired the bow without hesitation.

Whoosh!

“Magic Department, 3 points!”

“Unbelievable speed! He’s pulling ahead!”

“Necromancy Department, 3 points!”

Then, the third shot.

Han Siha briefly glanced behind him to check Burke’s position.

While the game was ongoing, Han Siha wasn’t focusing on the competition itself.

Winning or losing this Magic-Necromancy rivalry wasn’t what mattered.

He was focused on Burke’s movements and the placement of the traps.

Determined not to miss even the smallest detail, Han Siha kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings.

‘This distance should be enough.’

Burke was rapidly closing in behind him.

Han Siha was convinced.

Something was definitely going to happen here.

Biting his lip, he suddenly changed his horse’s direction.

Instead of jumping over the third trap, Han Siha veered off course.

And in that instant.

“Argh!”

With a scream, Burke was thrown from his horse.

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