The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 12

That day, during the break.

“Next person. What’s your name?”

“Brody.”

“Okay, bite.”

A conversation continued that made no sense, the context and meaning completely unclear.

Smack.

“Aaah!”

I wasn’t sure if people were being selected by their names, but about ten people were knocked out by the red dragon’s headbutt.

Though everyone was reluctant, the usually creepy Han Siha, who had never acted out before, suddenly turned the classroom into a chaotic mess.

What was even more surprising was that he seemed to be selectively punishing only those who deserved it.

Those who bullied weaker students under the guise of their family’s power, or those who leached off others despite having no abilities themselves.

Han Siha sat at the back of the classroom, lazily resting his chin on his hand, giving quiet orders.

There was an inexplicable sense of authority about him.

At that moment, a particularly ostentatiously dressed student stepped forward, seemingly determined.

“Stop! I don’t know what nerve you have to bully your classmates, but I—”

“So, what’s your name?”

“Fabian Den Edwin.”

“…”

“I’m a royal. No matter how reckless you are, you wouldn’t dare touch a royal, would you?”

“Hmm.”

Han Siha scratched his head and shrugged.

“I’ve never heard of you.”

The fact that the crown prince of the Ardel Empire was already enrolled in another grade, and that Fabian’s name was never mentioned in the original story, made it clear he was a member of a lesser-known branch of the royal family.

He seemed to be using his status to drag around commoners and lesser nobles like they were his followers.

“If you acknowledge your insolence now, I’ll graciously forgive you. You’d better get on your knees and beg for forgiveness for your arrogant behavior.”

“As far as I know, there’s no class distinction within the academy.”

At least within the walls of Ardel Academy, there was no differentiation based on status.

Commoners, nobles, and royals were all evaluated on the same terms and promoted accordingly.

Unless it was an exception like a professor’s recommendation, there was hardly any room for status to interfere.

In other words, a classmate is just a classmate.

According to Ardel Academy’s rules, there’s no need to give special treatment to royals.

It was true.

But…

“Hey, commoner.”

Creek’s face turned red as he recalled the insult he had received.

“Who does that guy think he is!”

Isn’t this just complete hypocrisy?

He goes around subtly provoking people, picking on commoners, and now he’s acting all righteous.

Creek clenched his teeth and trembled.

Despite what he was saying, it was obvious he wouldn’t dare make a sound against a royal. Such cowardice was indeed fitting for the dark side of Han Siha.

Fabian Den Edwin.

Creek waited eagerly for the next words, rooting for the person he could never hope to reach, but Fabian was stammering, clearly flustered.

“Am I wrong?”

“Well… no, you’re right.”

“And it was you who ordered your lackeys to tear my textbook in half, wasn’t it?”

“How dare you address me so crudely!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“It… it is, but…”

Creek felt like he was going to explode with frustration as he watched the scene unfold.

Han Siha may talk big, but he couldn’t actually do anything.

No matter how powerful his family was, there was no way he could lay a hand on a royal. Why was he hesitating?

‘Come on, crush him!’

Finally, Fabian Den Edwin, with a look of bewilderment, blurted out.

“So, are you planning to hit me or something? You wouldn’t dare. How could you possibly think of defying me…?”

Han Siha looked up nonchalantly.

“Are you done with your excuses?”

“What, what?”

“Hey, Basilus. Bite.”

Smack!

Basilus immediately headbutted Fabian, and for good measure, started gnawing on his slick, waxed hair.

A dragon follows orders.

“Aaaargh!”

Creek stood frozen in shock, unable to close his gaping mouth.

“Oh… oh my god…”

He really bit him?

Not just anyone, but a royal?

“…”

It wasn’t just about picking on commoners.

Whatever the criteria were, it seemed like over half of the students in the classroom were marked.

If he’s willing to beat up a royal…

“Am I safe like this?”

With that kind of attitude, would Han Siha go to any lengths to sabotage him in the upcoming exam? Would he tear up his test papers as soon as they were handed out?

Trembling.

Creek shivered.

Why had someone with such guts been quietly enduring until now?

“What have I done?”

Creek recalled all the things he had done to Han Siha.

Honestly, after the rumors spread that Han Siha had been disowned by his family, Creek had treated him like trash and bullied him.

His first bet was definitely targeting him.

If Han Siha had been waiting for this day, meticulously planning to take down the person who kept picking on him…

“Shit.”

A chill ran down his spine. Han Siha wasn’t just creepy—he was downright terrifying.

“…Am I going to die?”

Creek began to regret making that bet with Han Siha.

* * *

“Are you a gangster?”

In the cafeteria.

I frowned as I bit into a roasted ogre leg.

The food was terrible, and the unexpected visitor didn’t help.

The girl with short hair sighed and pulled out the chair in front of me.

Since she had been in the same classroom, she must have witnessed the whole fiasco up close today.

Not all of the second-year students had been in that classroom, but I could already tell that rumors were spreading.

No wonder the kids in the cafeteria were avoiding me.

“Who’s calling me a gangster?”

“What you sure looked like it.”

Maybe because we had shared hardships in the dungeon, she didn’t seem to be too wary of me, but she looked puzzled, as if she couldn’t understand today’s chaos.

I gave up on the tough meat and started eating the salad instead, shaking my head.

“They tore my textbook in half first.”

“Yeah.”

“And they ripped my clothes. They started the fight too.”

“Uh-huh.”

“They threw the first punch. I didn’t start this mess for no reason, you know.”

I was just listing all the justifications for the chaos I had caused.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like one of those snitches who tattles to the teacher. I told myself to justify being fifteen again, but who said I should actually turn into a little brat?

It feels strange. I glanced up, trying to gauge the situation.

The girl with the short hair sighed and asked, “Shouldn’t you, at the very least, avoid messing with royalty?”

“That guy’s fine.”

“That guy? You mean *that person*!”

“Yeah, that guy.”

“…”

“I’m serious, he’s the one who started it.”

I decided to fully embrace being fifteen.

I furrowed my brow as I nervously shoveled more salad into my mouth.

A royal with mixed blood. He might have been raised with some level of respect, but within the walls of Ardel Academy, he holds no real power.

I had calculated that much before causing the ruckus, but the girl with the short hair still seemed worried. Given that she’s a commoner, it’s understandable.

What surprised me, though, was that the same person who had sarcastically criticized me in the dungeon was now worried about me.

If she’s treating me kindly as her savior, I appreciate it. But there’s no need to worry this much…

“Do you have any plans at all? Nobles tend to have an inflated sense of self-worth.”

She was scolding me.

It felt like an interrogation.

“Why did you ask for their names? Do you have some kind of system? Like, this one’s for beating up, and this one isn’t?”

I had nothing to say to that since she hit the nail on the head.

I scratched my head, trying to change the subject.

“Um, anyway. What’s your name?”

“Why? Planning to hit me too?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“…”

“You didn’t tell me when I asked before.”

Yesterday, I asked if I really needed to know her name.

Honestly, I felt bad. I should have asked properly back then, but I was feeling a lot more intense at the time.

Even if this is just a novel’s setting, it’s still a world. These people are individuals.

If there’s a chance we could be friends, or something close to it, it might be a good idea to start by exchanging names.

That’s all I wanted to do.

“Adela.”

Adela, huh. Oh, okay.

Adela…

Wait.

What?

“Adela?”

I dropped my spoon without even realizing it.

The girl with the short hair smiled, as if confirming my worst fear.

“Yeah, Adela Stivia.”

Adela… St… ivia…

All the stupid things I had done flashed before my eyes.

‘I want to keep my talents a secret.’

‘I don’t even know who you are.’

‘Should I?’

‘Why?’

Idiot, you really said all those things.

“Hahaha…”

Even though I had felt a strange sense of familiarity when she was asking about slimes, I dismissed it because it seemed like such a common ability.

My faulty memory, which had remembered Adela as having long hair, also contributed to the mistake.

Oh, right.

I think she did have short hair in the early parts of the story.

This was another shining moment of my stupidity, fixating only on the cover image and neglecting the small details.

“…”

Adela Stivia.

The earth mage.

The ruthless heroine who, in the future, would personally bury Han Siha alive.

One of the top three students at Ardel Academy, and the only great mage of commoner origins.

And here I was, carelessly running my mouth in front of the person who would be the one to bury me.

I’m truly amazed.

Am I asking for an early death?

“So? Now that you’ve had some time to think, do you finally realize who I am?”

Adela looked at me with wide eyes.

“Uh… You’re really famous.”

I was at a loss for words and just slumped over.

* * *

For the next three days, I avoided Adela.

I figured there wouldn’t be a problem since I’m not the type to show much interest in others.

We’re not that close anyway.

We only met by chance in the dungeon and exchanged a few words, that’s all.

I thought that if I avoided her, we’d naturally drift apart.

After all, Han Siha and Adela weren’t close to begin with.

But despite that, a certain scene kept playing in my mind—a scene that would become part of my future.

One of the most memorable scenes in the novel.

The moment when the pathetic third-rate villain, Han Siha, meets his end.

It was a moment of pure satisfaction for readers, seeing him die with a mix of desperation and regret.

Even as he begged the protagonist to spare him, there wasn’t an ounce of sympathy to be had. He was simply a character destined to die.

Reading those lines over and over, I remembered his final words.

“I only dabbled in black magic. That… that’s not a reason to die, right?”

Of all the times, he said that while begging for his life in front of Adela, who despised black magic.

“If you were in my position… you’d have done the same, right? Humans are all the same, Adela. If you were in my shoes, you would’ve learned it too. I had no other choice… What was I supposed to do?”

“Please, spare me, Adela. Can’t you just let it go this one time? I’ll never appear before you again. Please, Adela…”

That episode was meant to highlight Adela’s ruthless sense of justice.

It was the first time she ever took a human life, despite having always refrained from harming others.

I still remember her words.

“You’re not dying because of that petty reason.”

“You’re dying because you’re a wretch who must be killed.”

“Even if you were completely innocent, I’d still have to kill you.”

Or something like that.

Han Siha was undoubtedly a troll, but even so, thinking about Adela’s nature, burying him alive felt a bit extreme.

Adela moved only for revenge.

She removed black mages who stood in her way, and after Han Siha’s death, she took down his family, assisting Lee Han in relentlessly protecting Ardel.

After Han Siha’s death, Adela carried out her duty without hesitation, no matter how harsh it was.

That’s why she was such a terrifyingly righteous character.

And now…

“Han Siha!”

I’m standing in front of that very earth mage.

I had run into her while passing by the classroom, unable to avoid her this time. Adela looked at my suddenly frozen face and blinked.

“Are you… feeling sick?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I quickly lowered my head and tried to walk past her.

I instinctively knew that the less I got involved, the better.

But…

Is it because she’s the first person I’ve talked to here?

Or have I already grown somewhat attached?

“…”

I wanted to ask, why would she kill me?