The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 11

Basilus’s appearance was enough to capture everyone’s attention. Some had already screamed in surprise.

No matter how high-born they were, none of them were used to seeing a dragon.

Shocked reactions erupted.

“A dragon?”

“Is that a real dragon?”

“Kyahhh!”

Even though it looked like a cute salamander, was there really a need for such a fuss?

Basilus was also surprised.

“Groo…”

Basilus blinked his eyes, his tail drooping as if he was disheartened.

The kids who had been shouting eventually managed to calm down. Perhaps it was because the dragon, which they had expected to breathe fire, was unexpectedly quiet.

“Kind of cute.”

“Yeah, a bit.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

When someone from the back spoke, everyone seemed to agree.

“Grooo…”

Honestly, our little reptile is cute.

Hey, who made him feel down?

When Basilus whimpered and crawled behind my legs, Creek, who had been dazed, finally snapped out of it, frowning as he looked up.

“Hey, is that really a dragon?”

“It couldn’t be fake, could it?”

My firm response caused Creek’s expression to turn cold.

From his perspective as a commoner, a dragon was nothing more than a creature of imagination, something he had never seen in real life. After all, not only were they difficult to obtain, but they also cost an astronomical amount.

“That seems like a red dragon.”

“Where did you get that? Are you crazy?”

“Hey, didn’t you get kicked out of your family? Where did you, an ordinary student, get a dragon!”

I knew exactly what would trigger Creek’s inferiority complex.

That resentment when someone he considered inferior used money and power to overshadow him.

Just showing up with a dragon was enough to get Creek worked up.

He responded in a mocking tone.

“Seems like you’ve got plenty of money to burn.”

“Yeah.”

“Hah… Do you really think you can tame a dragon just by throwing money at it?”

He seemed to be trying to find a flaw, but it just made me want to laugh.

Among dragons, red dragons are known to be particularly violent.

Even a hatchling wouldn’t just sit there so calmly. But Basilus was burying his face into my leg.

“Isn’t this proof that it’s been tamed?”

Such behavior wouldn’t make sense if it hadn’t been tamed.

Realizing the flaw in his own words, Creek’s face turned bright red.

“Hah! I don’t know what tricks you used to tame it, but… but bringing a dragon to the taming test is unfair! Is that what you’re calling your skill?”

Transparent anger.

That expression reminded me so much of Han Siha from the original story that I couldn’t help but smile. I glanced down at Basilus and shrugged nonchalantly.

“Who knows.”

If you’re asking whether it’s just because of the equipment, you wouldn’t be wrong.

“Skillfully using equipment is a skill too.”

Ah.

“But I guess you don’t have that skill.”

No money, no backing, no techniques, just an ordinary extra.

There was a reason he was portrayed as a petty villain.

Less talent than Han Siha, and an even bigger inferiority complex. He had nothing going for him, so provoking him was easy.

“Y-You… are you out of your mind?”

“You little brat, I’ll beat you in the semester’s opening exam, even without any of that stuff. Skill? Do you think you have what it takes to stand up to me…!”

Creek’s face turned crimson as he pointed a trembling finger at me.

The return on this investment is crazy.

A slight provocation got a double reaction. I calmly looked up at the panting, flushed Creek.

Is there anyone in this classroom with a main character level presence?

Even if there was, no one would step forward. After all, this was clearly a scene where the gloomy Han Siha was getting picked on unilaterally.

I intended to live quietly and cautiously.

But that didn’t mean I was going to live meekly, taking hits from all sides.

“Hey, commoner.”

Crazy return on investment.

Just two words were enough to make Creek lose his temper.

“W-What! What did you just say…?”

I propped my chin with a cold smile that Han Siha would have shown.

“If you’re so upset, why don’t you challenge me?”

The semester opening exam scores.

We’ll see who wins then.

* * *

“If you beat me, I’ll bark like a dog, you bastard!”

The next day, thanks to Creek’s words, the bet was set.

If he lost, he’d have to bark like a dog. It didn’t matter to me since I wasn’t going to lose.

In every aspect, the situation was overwhelmingly in his favor. As someone who hadn’t even experienced being a first-year at Ardel Academy, I should have been cautious.

But still.

This baseless confidence.

“I feel like I’m going to win.”

I muttered quietly and shrugged.

Just like in my previous life. I’d become adept at cleaning up the mess after causing a ruckus.

Mad Dog of the Interns. That was my nickname.

Even as an undergraduate, I was just an ordinary person who drank heavily and attended classes, but after graduation, seeing the worst of it all, my personality changed.

When faced with injustice, I would recklessly charge in. It was a cycle of facing things that couldn’t be ignored.

Even so, I was always at the top of my class, and I had never been beaten academically.

People hate it even more when an annoying person is also successful.

It was true then, and it’s true now.

Thud.

I frowned as I saw clothes fall out of my locker. Someone had messed with them, turning them into tattered rags.

“Did I start this bet for nothing?”

Kids and adults alike, their tactics never change.

From that moment until lunchtime, there was no end to the kids picking fights with me.

They were probably part of Creek’s group.

“Hey, Han Siha. I heard you made a bet with Creek?”

“You’ll be lucky if you even pass. How do you think you can beat Creek in a test?”

“Can we look forward to hearing you bark?”

“Hey, hey!”

Their provocations were childish, matching their age.

I was puzzled.

In the original story, even though they disliked me, they usually avoided me because they found me creepy. This was a complete 180 from that portrayal. I was curious why they were suddenly following me around, but I figured it out late.

I’m not creepy anymore.

Half-insane people are intimidating, but when you seem normal, you become an easy target. The realization made me laugh.

“…This is so pathetically childish.”

On top of that, girls who would have previously cringed and left the area were now sneakily glancing in my direction. These guys knew it too.

“Hey, Han Siha. If you’re so upset, why don’t you take me on too?”

So, a bit of inferiority complex must have crept in.

To be honest, there was a part of me that wanted to just go for it and hit them hard.

But I held back. Hold it in, Han Siha.

No matter how much of a bulldozer I used to be, I can’t seriously fight a bunch of fifteen-year-olds, right?

Even if my mental age is stuck at a kid’s level, I’m still an adult, so I don’t need to respond to such petty provocations.

“Hey, why are you ignoring us?”

Poke, poke.

“…What are you looking at?”

“Hey, hey. What if he curses you or something?”

“What the hell? He looks like a total loser.”

Poke, poke, poke.

I was planning to hold it in.

But the constant poking… It’s really getting on my nerves.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

When I discovered that the expensive textbooks I bought were ripped in half, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

I’m fifteen too.

At least, on the outside.

Wait, isn’t that right?

“Hmm.”

I justified it to myself.

From now on, I’m fifteen. At least on the surface, I certainly am.

So, there’s no need to sit quietly like a saint, seeking peace through meditation.

“Hey.”

“What’s your name?”

My unexpected question made the kid in front of me freeze.

“What?”

“Just tell me your name.”

“Edward. But why the hell are you suddenly asking for my name…?”

“That’s good enough.”

I asked just in case, and as I thought, it wasn’t a name I recognized.

If it had been a character from the story, I would’ve planned to keep a low profile, but that didn’t seem necessary.

I’m not that significant of a character, just a third-rate villain.

There was no way these nobodies messing with me were important figures.

Those busy protecting the peace of the world and the school wouldn’t care about someone like me.

The kids lined up in front of me had even less presence than Creek.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s good enough’?”

I just shrugged in response.

To be honest, they brought this on themselves.

I was planning to just send them off nicely.

If someone shows mercy, you should’ve accepted it and stopped there.

But they kept scratching at my nerves with their childish antics, so now I’m pissed.

“I asked you what you meant by ‘that’s good enough.'”

I smirked and opened my mouth.

“Back in school, no one dared mess with me.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because I was the best.”

Edward’s face twisted at my blunt and confident words. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

With brute strength?

No. I wasn’t good at fighting.

From the start, all I had was a sharp mind.

Once you leave the academy’s walls, you might see all kinds of crap, but inside, there are still rules that work.

Skill proves everything.

Just like how no one dares touch Adela, who’s also from a commoner background.

So.

“You idiots.”

“If you’re dumb, at least learn to pick up on the vibes.”

I rolled up my sleeves and said something you might expect from a troublemaker who’s been forcibly transferred.

“Ah, I was really planning to live quietly.”

But the world is really not on my side.

“Basilus.”

In that brief moment, my eyes met Basilus’s.

He seemed to have been waiting, his intelligent eyes shining as I quietly gave the order.

“Bite.”

“Oh… Ohhh!”

A shrill scream immediately rang out.