The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 216

The atmosphere turned deathly quiet.

Han Siha adjusted his posture, trying to gauge the room.

‘So, it’s not a promotion, huh.’

Being summoned by the Emperor himself, he had expected some grand reward after screwing over a major enemy.

“…You seem more ambitious than you look.”

At the Emperor’s remark, Han Taesu, seated across the room, shut his eyes tightly.

The Emperor, visibly flustered, cleared his throat before his expression darkened.

“Well, if you answer my question well, you might just get that promotion.”

“What is the question?”

“It concerns the handling of the recent riot.”

This incident could not be ignored by the royal family, and a decision had to be made about the fate of the Kangryung students.

Han Siha considered the Emperor’s words, tilting his head.

“The disbandment has already been decided, hasn’t it?”

As far as he knew, Kangryung was already on the path to being disbanded due to this incident.

And with so few students left, it made sense.

But the Emperor’s voice turned cold.

“Not disbandment, punishment. Those who dared cause such chaos on my land deserve nothing less than execution.”

Han Siha fell into a brief moment of thought.

The Emperor wasn’t wrong.

However, the remaining Kangryung students were likely uninvolved in the incident.

Those who had lost their sanity and rampaged were dealt with by Han Taesu.

Han Siha frowned slightly and replied.

“Most of the involved students are already dead.”

“No. We must take this opportunity to completely eradicate the root.”

The Emperor’s gaze shifted to Fabian, and the intimidating look made Fabian shrink back.

In the tense atmosphere, Han Siha waited for the Emperor to continue.

“I plan to exile all of Kangryung from the Empire. Sparing their lives is already an act of great mercy.”

“Exile all of them…?”

Han Siha’s eyebrows twitched.

“But I don’t want any backlash.”

As he spoke, the Emperor turned his attention back to Fabian.

“It would be troublesome if people claimed I made an exception for a particular student just because he’s royalty.”

Fabian blinked, looking up at the Emperor.

The unsettling tone left Han Siha just as tense.

That guy hadn’t even been in Building C when the riot occurred.

But to banish him from the Empire?

Fabian’s face went pale as he finally grasped the Emperor’s words.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

He was just a kid.

Banishing him not just to another place, but outside the Empire altogether—how was he supposed to survive?

Han Siha frowned at the Emperor’s excessively harsh decision.

Fabian, the subject of the decision, was even more distraught.

“I-I cannot live… outside of Ardel. Please, have mercy and allow me to stay.”

“….”

“I’ll quit the academy if you command it. I’ll live quietly as if I’m not here… but please, don’t banish me.”

“I never said I would exile you.”

The Emperor’s cold eyes bore into Fabian.

“What?”

“If one is royalty, they must be judged by the harshest standards.”

Fabian stammered in confusion, and the Emperor spoke, his voice unwavering.

“I intend to make an example of him through execution.”

With those words, a heavy silence fell over the audience chamber.

* * *

What did I just hear?

At first, I doubted my ears, and then I doubted the entire situation.

Fabian, sitting beside me, had also completely lost his composure.

His face was frozen in shock, and his trembling lips couldn’t form a single word.

Han Siha frowned and let out a small sigh.

He knew the Emperor wasn’t exactly sane, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

Is he completely out of his mind?

Seriously, has he gone senile?

The Emperor’s next words were even more outrageous.

“Do you have any objections?”

“….”

Fabian flinched, terrified.

He was essentially asking if he had any objections to having his head chopped off. What kind of answer did he expect?

This was disgusting.

The sheer absurdity of it made it impossible to stay seated quietly.

The idea of sacrificing this kid, whom they knew was innocent, as a political pawn—it was indescribably revolting.

It had been the same with Katablam, and the recent riot was no different.

Though many had died due to the black magicians’ schemes, it was hard to believe they were the only ones at fault.

It was so repulsive that a bitter laugh escaped Han Siha’s lips.

“This is ridiculous.”

“…What did you say?”

“This is fucking ridiculous.”

You have to be somewhat reasonable if you want people to watch quietly, don’t you?

“With this level of insanity, it’s a miracle the Empire hasn’t already collapsed.”

“Have you… finally lost your mind?”

“The only thing that’s lost its mind is this Empire.”

Fabian isn’t even real royalty.

And now, after everything, they’re just throwing him away?

The fact was so disgusting that the words wouldn’t come easily.

“He’s not a royal. You don’t need him anymore. So now you’re just tossing him aside?”

Dragging an innocent kid here and telling him to his face that he’ll be executed as an example?

Claiming it’s for the good of the Empire?

“If the Empire has been sustaining itself with bullshit like that, it should’ve fallen ages ago.”

“Han Siha. Stop.”

Han Taesu tried to intervene, but my anger didn’t subside easily.

“Am I wrong? No, it’s all true. Your Majesty knows this as well. Using him, getting rid of the remaining Kangryung students—it’s all your plan, isn’t it?”

In the end, I said everything I wanted to.

Even words I thought were a bit reckless spilled out.

The Emperor sat without moving.

She didn’t respond to my heated outburst, just looked at me with cold eyes.

The chilling gaze sent a shiver down my spine, finally bringing some clarity back to my mind.

Hmm.

Uh.

Maybe I went too far?

“…”

No.

It’s all true anyway.

I have the Cube that the black magicians covet and I’m the heir to Castica; she wouldn’t behead me over a slip of the tongue.

Besides, Han Taesu, who is fiercely devoted to his son, will undoubtedly back me up.

As I expected, the Emperor didn’t stand up and order my immediate execution. Instead, she frowned and looked over at Han Taesu.

“I never thought I’d hear such things in my life.”

“…My apologies, Your Majesty.”

I suppose it’s fine if she’s not immediately demanding my imprisonment?

“I’ll leave your son’s fate in your hands.”

She turned to Han Taesu with a composed expression, continuing.

“What do you think I should do with him?”

Han Taesu turned his head awkwardly at the Emperor’s question and stared straight at me.

Of course, Han Taesu would undoubtedly defend his child.

Sure, I might have made a colossal blunder with my words, but my backer was a national hero who helped found the Empire.

I trust you, Father.

“The remarks just now were outright rebellion, punishable by death without question….”

“…?”

“However, considering his young age and the fact that he is my son, I ask for leniency, just this once…”

Yes, exactly. Han Taesu began to speak as if answering my faith.

“Put him in prison.”

Excuse me?

What did he just say?

Wait, hold on a second!

“Did you hear that? Take him away.”

Dad?

* * *

Thus, my previously peaceful academy life quickly turned into a rather “peaceful” prison life…

News of my predicament spread by that afternoon.

Ardel Academy, already tense with the dissolution of Kangryung, was soon buzzing with rumors about Han Siha.

“Did you hear? Han Siha’s been thrown into the royal prison?”

“…What? For what?”

“They say he was disrespectful to the Emperor… I don’t know the exact details, but apparently, he’s been imprisoned.”

“So, does that mean… treason?”

“T-Treason…?!”

Whispers filled the academy halls.

Adela, who only heard about it much later, shot up from her seat, her face drained of all color.

“What did you just say?”

She hadn’t heard a word about this. He wasn’t answering any messages either.

She’d even helped him pick out his outfit to meet the Emperor yesterday, but Han Siha hadn’t been seen since.

“Is that really true?”

Adela desperately grabbed one of the students who was spreading the rumors.

The startled student nodded hesitantly.

“Y-Yeah. They say he’s in the royal underground prison right now.”

“Yeah, and for treason, no less.”

Sure, he’s a bit reckless, speaks freely, and has anger management issues.

“What… what? Treason?”

But treason? That’s not a word that should be associated with him.

“There’s no way. No way he’d do that. He’s so loyal to the Empire.

Are you sure? Did he really get dragged to the royal prison?”

Adela repeatedly asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

But since none of the students knew the exact details, she only received vague and cold responses.

“I don’t know anything else. You should just go check for yourself. Though, it’s the royal underground prison, so I don’t know if you’ll even be allowed… Adela? Adela! Hey, where are you going?!”

As soon as the student finished speaking, Adela bolted.

Afternoon classes were still ongoing, but she didn’t care in the slightest.

“No….”

Adela ran down the stairs, her mind completely scattered.

The royal palace is off-limits to commoners.

Still, only one thought consumed Adela’s mind.

She had to find Han Siha.

No matter what it took, she had to find him.

“I need to go see him myself.”

He was the one who had saved her multiple times.

Despite knowing the dangers, he had jumped in without hesitation for her.

It’s not like it’s the heart of enemy territory; it’s just the royal palace.

She couldn’t let him be alone.

Just standing before the Emperor was terrifying enough, but being dragged to the royal underground prison?

How scared must he be?

How frightened?

Adela couldn’t even begin to fathom those feelings.

“I’ll be by your side. I won’t let you be alone.”

Tears kept streaming down her face as she rushed out of the academy.

She used her meager savings to hire a carriage. Her destination was already clear.

Sniffling, Adela choked out her words.

“Just wait a little longer, Han Siha.”

* * *

At the same time.

“Is this the right circuit?”

Han Siha sat on a surprisingly comfortable bed in what was supposedly the royal underground prison, working on deciphering the Cube’s magic circuit calculations.

He couldn’t set foot outside, so it was a prison, but the lavish accommodations made it feel more like a hotel room.

With a plush bed that resembled one in a high-end hotel and gourmet meals served three times a day, the facilities were better than those at Ardel Academy.

Han Siha grumbled as he continued his work.

“Sigh, this is such a headache.”

“If you don’t want to lose your head, solve it.”

Beside him, Linia the Emperor watched with a slightly annoyed expression, making it even harder for Han Siha to concentrate on the calculations.

“I despise people who are all talk but lack the skills. If you don’t want to shorten your lifespan, you’d better solve that problem.”

“I’d like to live a long life, thank you.”

“Your tone is arrogant.”

“I’ll live long, Your Majesty.”

Given Linia’s notorious temper, she could have easily killed him on the spot, but Cube experts who could weaken its power were rare, so she kept him close for his abilities.

For Han Siha, it was a stroke of luck.

‘Her personality is awful, but at least she’s logical.’

What was even more baffling was that mentioning Fabian had been a deliberate ploy to provoke him…

‘So she never intended to kill him in the first place?’

Han Siha thought back to poor Fabian and muttered.

“You know, that kid changed his underwear five times.”

“What?”

“If someone said they’d chop your head off, wouldn’t you be terrified?”

“…You truly have no filter in front of the Emperor.”

“Oh, right. Your Majesty, I’m almost done.”

Han Siha diverted the conversation, showing the formula he had developed based on Natalie’s calculation methods.

Completely unaware that Adela was on her way, he casually munched on a perfectly peeled apple.