The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 172

“It’s a disadvantageous engagement.”

Han taesu stroked his chin and spoke briefly.

His servant, bowing his head, agreed with Han taesu. From the standpoint of the Castica family, this engagement offered no real benefit.

Although the Arkenent family had a legacy that commanded respect due to its past prestige, it was still in a weakened state.

It would take a considerable amount of time just to restore the ruined territory they had lost over the past seven years.

Therefore, Han taesu muttered as if reciting to himself.

“There’s no reason we have to do this.”

“Then… Why did you decide on the engagement? Is it perhaps because of your friendship with the Count of Arkenent?”

Loyalty.

His son had put it that way.

Han taesu chuckled and shook his head.

Friendship could only influence things up to business negotiations.

No father would let personal feelings interfere with matters that involved his family and his child’s future.

With a bitter expression, Han taesu picked up a fountain pen.

He flipped through the pile of documents, thinking deeply before finally speaking.

“It seems he has feelings for that girl, Adela.”

They had agreed to bury the Katablam incident.

She was a smart and perceptive girl, so he believed she would keep her word.

However, feelings are not something that can be so easily dealt with.

The servant frowned and cautiously asked.

A genius magician of common birth.

She was a well-known name, and he was aware of her.

“Adela… you mean the student in the magic department?”

“Yes.”

Han taesu turned a page, his tone resolute.

“That girl is out of the question.”

Before the attraction between the two could escalate any further.

That emotion had to be severed.

By any means necessary.

Han taesu would put a stop to whatever was between them.

The child who survived that cursed village.

It’s not impossible that Adela, not Han Si-hyuk, might target his son’s life.

That was the one thing he could not allow.

Han taesu clenched his fist tightly, and the innocent fountain pen in his hand snapped with a sharp crack.

“C-Count?”

Although he said nothing, fierce emotion flared in Han taesu’s eyes.

“By any means… I’ll stop it.”

He had been willing to bury an entire village to prevent this.

There was no reason a disadvantageous engagement couldn’t serve the same purpose.

* * *

The hallway was bustling with students.

Adela clutched her [Magic Manufacturing] textbook to her chest, hurrying her steps.

Her lips were dry, and she was panting slightly.

“Hey, did you hear about the engagement?”

“Yeah, I heard. Seems like a loss for Castica, huh?”

“Still, it’s like a match made in their circles. Before the war, both families were pretty prominent.”

“I heard their joint business ventures are doing well these days?”

Everywhere she went, it was the same conversation.

Adela irritably covered her ears.

But it was no use; she could still hear it. Even though she didn’t want to, the words pricked her ears.

Adela bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

“If only… you’d told me a little sooner….”

Even if Solia was from a weakened family, she was still a noble.

Adela was aware that Solia had a legitimacy that someone like herself could never hope to match.

So, she knew she didn’t stand a chance, but…

She wanted to hold onto him.

She knew it was impossible, but she wanted to stop this engagement.

“If I had known sooner, it wouldn’t have felt this humiliating.”

Hearing about it from Won made Adela feel wretched.

Adela leaned against the window.

The cold breeze seeping through the cracks stung her cheeks.

Engagements aren’t usually decided on a whim, so he had plenty of time to tell her.

She couldn’t understand why Han Siha had been avoiding her for the past few days.

Why did he have to do that?

Was it because he felt bad about telling her he was getting engaged?

Or did he think there was no need to tell her at all?

Or was it something else…

A forgotten phrase buzzed in her head.

‘Castica, it’s his family.’

Adela shook her head vigorously again.

“No way.”

When she first brought up Katablam to Han Siha.

She clearly remembered the encouraging smile he had given her.

But—

When she told him she was determined to investigate the Katablam incident.

The way he, who always took her side, hesitated for a long time before saying—

‘…Good for you.’

What was that strangely bitter look in his eyes?

It was as if he knew something.

What was that guilt-ridden expression?

No.

It can’t be.

“Haha….”

Even as she tried to deny it, the thought filled her mind.

If.

If everything that hooded woman said was true.

Then…

What should she do?

“Ah.”

Thud.

Adela felt as if her heart had dropped.

How long had she been lost in thought?

She saw a shadow and looked up to see a familiar face.

“Adela?”

It was Han Siha.

* * *

They ran into each other by chance.

Han Siha swallowed nervously, staring intently at Adela.

“What are you doing there?”

Adela picked up the textbook she had dropped and gave an awkward smile.

Her eyes showed she was trying to figure out what to say, and Han Siha wasn’t much different.

After the engagement rumors had spread throughout the academy, he hadn’t gone to see Adela even once.

He should have told her, but he missed the timing.

He was afraid she would bring up what she had said back then.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain his composure if it happened a second time.

Han Siha hesitated, feeling like he needed to break the silence.

“Ah, about the engagement….”

“Han Siha.”

Adela cut off Han Siha’s attempt to explain.

“I… have something to say to you.”

Han Siha froze, afraid that she was about to bring up Katablam.

What would he say if she asked directly?

How would he react if she asked if he knew?

Could he even lie?

Especially to such a smart girl.

As his thoughts spiraled—

But Adela’s words were completely unexpected.

“I know it’s presumptuous.”

“What?”

“But I don’t want you to go through with the engagement.”

…That was the last thing he expected.

Han Siha, who had been frantically preparing excuses about Katablam, blinked in surprise.

“W-What?”

Adela’s eyelids trembled. There were so many things she wanted to say.

She wanted to ask about Katablam, learn more about his family, and stop the engagement.

But she couldn’t say everything, so she started with the most important.

“Isn’t there a way you don’t have to do it?”

Han Siha was at a loss for words.

Adela continued to speak directly as always.

“You never do things you don’t want to do.”

Her deep eyes were fixed on Han Siha.

“No matter what, you never do it. You don’t care about others’ opinions… that’s just not you.”

Adela was right.

Han Siha saw this engagement as something sudden and was determined to break it off somehow.

It was a reckless plan, but he and Solia had agreed on it.

No matter how much pressure the family applied, he wasn’t the type to be swayed by such things. He had no intention of considering others’ opinions or his family’s expectations.

But—

It was Adela’s words that shook him instead.

‘She’s going to find out eventually.’

Han Siha clenched his fist tightly.

Adela would continue to dig into the Katablam incident, and she might already be closer to the truth than he thought.

In the original story, Han Siha was nothing more than a short-lived extra. It wouldn’t be difficult for Adela to uncover everything.

And when she did, how deep would the sense of betrayal she felt be? At the very least, he didn’t want to inflict the worst kind of hurt on her.

If this was a relationship that couldn’t be maintained, maybe it was best to sever it now.

Even if they couldn’t be enemies, they could remain strangers.

That seemed like the wisest choice.

Han Siha struggled to speak, his lips barely moving.

“I don’t think it’s possible.”

“What?”

Adela’s face looked as if her world had collapsed, but Han Siha forced a casual smile.

“It’s a decision made by the adults. I’ll probably have to go through with it.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“So, I’ve decided to do it.”

There was no room for his choice.

Han Siha made sure to nail it down.

* * *

A month passed.

In that time, Adela had found traces of the Katablam incident but couldn’t discover any decisive clues.

The woman in the robe hadn’t appeared again since that day.

Her interactions with Han Siha were awkward, but she tried to act as she did before.

Everything felt twisted. There were countless things she needed to ask, but Adela couldn’t even start with the first question.

Adela stared blankly out the window.

Tomorrow was the engagement ceremony.

Once today was over, there would be no turning back.

Adela bit down hard on her lower lip.

‘It’s a decision made by adults. I’ll probably have to go through with it.’

Why did he say it so calmly?

Why was it so easy for him?

Why was something so monumental so trivial to him?

The words she wanted to shout rose up her throat, shaking her.

Suddenly.

Adela grabbed her pillow, which she had been clutching to her head, and threw it.

Once today was over, it was the end.

The pitiful moping in the moonlight, the regrets over words she couldn’t bring herself to say.

In just a few hours, none of it would matter anymore.

“If I try holding onto him one more time….”

Would he be caught?

Adela reached out into the empty air and then clenched her teeth.

“Who cares whether he’s caught or not?”

Fwoosh—

Adela jumped off the bed.

“It’s better than doing nothing.”

It wasn’t too late, but it was already the time when everyone had returned to their dorms.

Instead of staying holed up inside, Adela burst through the door.

Step, step.

She ran up the high stairs in a single breath.

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t be allowed into the boys’ dormitory, but the dorm supervisor wasn’t around tonight.

The empty hallway. Adela ran down the long, silent corridor.

“Huff… huff.”

She ran without stopping.

Ran until she arrived.

“Is this… the right place?”

It was the dorm room shared by Han Siha and Won.

Adela mumbled in a voice barely loud enough for her to hear.

“Just say what you need to say and leave.”

It didn’t matter if they slammed the door in her face.

She just had to say what she needed to.

Adela hesitated in front of the tightly closed door, then reached out her hand.

Click.

The door handle turned, and the door opened.

Adela cautiously peeked her head inside.

But—

“Huh?”

She had expected to see Won’s sulky face, but the room was empty.

“Where did they go?”

This was an unexpected scenario, and Adela looked around the room in confusion.

“Ah.”

Maybe they went to the plaza with Won.

With the engagement ceremony tomorrow, it seemed likely that they had gone shopping for clothes.

It looked like she had come at the wrong time.

Adela muttered to herself with a troubled expression.

“This is… awkward….”

Two beds placed side by side, a desk for studying.

Basilus and Kloshti’s food bowls scattered on the floor of the cramped room.

The room was neither clean nor messy, just average in its upkeep—an image that Adela took in at a glance.

Though she hadn’t meant to snoop, the room was small enough that everything was visible.

Unlike her own barren room, this one was filled with the warmth of the two occupants.

Adela slowly scanned the room and mumbled to herself.

What should I do?

“Should I wait until they get back?”

It felt a bit wrong to wait inside, and there was no telling when they’d return, making waiting awkward.

Just as Adela hesitated by the door and raised her head slightly—

“What’s that?”

A sword hanging from the ceiling caught her eye.

It didn’t have the aesthetic of a decoration, with no fancy embellishments or cubic stones embedded in it. Instead, it was engraved with an old, worn design.

A sword covered in dust, as if it had been through many long years.

Adela, who was staring at the sword, stepped into the room as if drawn in.

“….”

She recognized the design from somewhere.

It was a vague memory, but it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Adela reached out toward the sword with trembling hands.

As her fingers brushed the sword, its magic sparked. A brief flash of light erupted, and the sword’s magic flowed directly into Adela.

Simultaneously, Adela’s face turned cold.

“This… this is….”

Even if her mind didn’t remember, her body did.

The distinctive magical pattern of the old sword. Faint, but clearly retained in her mind.

Adela shook her head in disbelief.

“No… it can’t be….”

There are some things that time doesn’t let you forget.

A living hell filled with the screams of people.

The one object that Adela distinctly remembered from the heart of it all. The artifact with blue magic that buried an entire village.

Even after ten years, it was still recognizable.

A worn sword engraved with a familiar pattern.

The cursed sword that took away her people.

“Why is that… here…?”

Adela staggered back, collapsing onto the floor.