The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 227

Meanwhile, inside the barracks at Castica territory.

Han Siha rubbed his forehead and muttered in frustration.

Unbelievable. This makes no sense.

“Why… Why are there no volunteers?!”

There were no soldiers willing to come to Castica territory.

The knights wouldn’t come, and the mages ran away!

“Hey, I heard everyone’s lining up to get assigned to Arkenent! Why do we have no volunteers? Why?!”

Won, who had been silently observing Han Siha, clicked his tongue.

“Yeah. Why do you think so?”

“You got any idea?”

“…It’s because of you.”

After the war, Won was also assigned to Castica territory.

Back then, people were eager to gain favor with Castica, who had the Imperial family tightly under control, and competed to be assigned there.

However—

“You scared off every single one of those volunteers.”

Those who were initially assigned to Castica tried to kiss up to Han Taesu, but they openly disregarded Han Siha, who had just entered the battlefield.

Han Siha was not the type to take that quietly.

“They say you dragged them off and fed them to your dragon.”

“Aww, come on.”

From “Bite!” to “Eat!” now.

Han Siha waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey, I didn’t feed them. Basilus is such a gentle and kind dragon.”

“From what I’ve seen, Basilus already acquired a taste for them.”

“…Are you badmouthing my Basilus?”

Just then, right on cue, Basilus poked his head into the barracks.

“Grooo?”

Ah, what the—

“Basilus, you scared me.”

Won jumped up in his seat, clutching his chest.

No matter how often they saw it, the sheer size of the dragon was always overwhelming.

They knew dragons were big, but…

The once tiny creature that used to fit in their arms was now the size of a doorway.

“Basilus, how do you keep getting bigger every time I see you?”

“He’s still growing.”

Wriggle, wriggle.

Basilus, who had been trying to enter the barracks, looked dejected when he realized the entrance was lower than he thought.

Determined to get inside, he shoved his head through the doorway.

Wham!

“Hey, stop that.”

Wham!

The whole place was about to get wrecked.

Han Siha rushed over, frantically pushing the dragon’s head back outside.

“Stay right there….”

“Stay put, Basilus.”

Thanks to their initial defensive measures, Castica had been enjoying relatively peaceful days lately.

Compared to other regions, it was like paradise.

But to feel bored on a battlefield?

Han Siha patted Basilus’ head and clicked his tongue.

“Where’s Kloshti? Isn’t she playing with you these days?”

Having grown up, she now spent most of her time flying around the hills and rarely showed her face.

At the mention of Kloshti’s name, Basilus buried his head in the ground and mumbled.

“Kloshti….”

They bickered constantly, but she was still his only sister.

“She got a boyfriend….”

“What?”

Thunk.

Han Siha stood there, jaw dropped. He was so shocked he couldn’t even speak properly.

“With who?”

“A pterosaur from the next area over….”

Even though the “next area over” was still part of Castica territory, had she really met some random guy on the streets?

“Yeah!”

With Basilus’ innocent confirmation, Han Siha clutched the back of his neck.

“Ah… Ah….”

“Hey, calm down.”

“Do I look calm to you?”

Won, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Han Siha and Basilus, stood up and pulled the agitated Han Siha back down.

This was not the life he had raised Kloshti for—he hadn’t pampered her with organic food so she could end up with some random reptile from the streets.

“She grew up eating only the best, and now she’s fallen for some lizard rolling around on the roadside….”

Absolutely not! Never!

“Bring him here. I’m going to meet him myself.”

“Did you give birth to her? Did you?”

“Even if I’m buried in dirt, I’ll never approve of this.”

Just as Han Siha was about to stand up in staunch opposition to Kloshti’s relationship, the barracks outside suddenly erupted in commotion.

Neigh!

The cries of startled horses and the shouts of soldiers filled the air.

It seemed someone had arrived.

Amidst the noise, a high-pitched voice called out.

“Who’s in charge here?”

Han Siha frowned and turned his head.

That youthful voice sounded oddly familiar.

“Bring out Han Siha of Castica!”

Princess Rubia, having traveled recklessly by carriage, had arrived.

* * *

It wasn’t a pre-arranged meeting, nor had they seen each other in three years.

But protocol dictated that the princess be greeted immediately when she arrived.

“What is this? Where is he?”

Rubia peeked her head into the barracks, trying to spot Han Siha. There were people inside, but none of them were him.

After all the effort she’d made to track him down, this was troublesome.

She had even brought along an official letter from Emperor Marcel.

Of course, the letter only contained pleasantries, and Rubia had pestered him relentlessly until he agreed to fabricate an excuse for her visit.

Rubia, much like the former Emperor of Linia, was not known for her patience. When Han Siha didn’t appear, her face twisted in frustration.

“Ugh, hurry up and bring him out! I’m in a rush!”

Gritting her teeth, Rubia called out for Han Siha once more.

“Han Siha! Get ou—gah!”

Someone suddenly grabbed Rubia by the back of her neck, lifting her off the ground.

Flailing wildly—

Dangling in midair, Rubia whipped her head around to see who had grabbed her.

“…!”

Han Siha was staring down at her with a calm expression.

Three years had passed.

In that time, Han Siha hadn’t changed a bit from the image she had in her memories.

So, he was still…

‘So handsome….’

But no matter how much of a hopeless romantic she was, she was still royalty.

Dangling mid-air.

This was an undignified position that Rubia could not tolerate.

“This is outrageous. Put me down immediately!”

Thud—

Han Siha sighed and let go of Rubia’s neck, setting her back on the ground. He then turned to the soldier standing nearby, his tone dripping with irritation.

“How many times have I told you not to bring kids to the battlefield?”

K-Kid?

Rubia looked up at Han Siha with eyes wide in shock.

“Did you just call me a kid?”

It was the first time in her life as a princess that she had ever been insulted so rudely.

Not even when she was much younger had anyone spoken to her like this, and she blinked in disbelief.

“How dare you…!”

“You’re really loud for a brat.”

“Huh!”

“This isn’t your backyard playground, you bratty little princess.”

Then—

Whoosh—

An arrow whizzed through the air.

Han Siha caught it effortlessly with his hand in an instant.

The arrow had been aimed directly at Rubia, and as the reality sank in, her face turned ghostly white.

“Wh-What….”

“See? If you lose focus, something like this could easily pierce that empty head of yours.”

Rubia flinched and took a step back.

In truth, it was just an illusion spell meant to scare her, but Rubia, unfamiliar with such magic, fell for it completely.

“Sniff… sniff….”

She started crying in fear.

“Hey, hey, wait a minute.”

Han Siha felt a pang of guilt. It made sense that she was terrified—thinking she had just barely escaped death. Now that she was crying, he felt bad for scaring her.

‘Now I feel like a complete jerk.’

Han Siha wiped the cold sweat from his brow and tried to calm her down.

“Look, it was just a prank. It wasn’t actually dangerous.”

“It felt really dangerous….”

“That’s why I caught it.”

Han Siha cleared his throat and continued.

“So don’t worry so much.”

“Sniff… okay….”

Who’s this guy, though?

Han Siha, busy tending to Rubia, noticed an unfamiliar face standing near the barracks.

The man, pale and visibly shaken, was clutching a worn-out sword and trembling.

Rubia noticed Han Siha’s gaze and introduced him.

They weren’t particularly well-acquainted, but she had run into him at the previous encampment and brought him along.

“He’s called Zig. He was recently assigned to Castica.”

He looked like a pushover at first glance.

Han Siha eyed Zig up and down before asking.

“That’s all fine, but why are you alone?”

It’s not like the Empire had gone mad and only sent a single soldier as reinforcement!

Zig interpreted Han Siha’s question as a threat, and his trembling intensified as he bowed his head.

“The other units haven’t finished their assignments yet, so I… got dragged here alone.”

“Dragged?”

“No, no, I mean… I volunteered because I was really excited.”

The moment Han Siha glanced at him, Zig, feeling cornered, quickly added more.

“I swear.”

Han Siha sighed deeply.

I’m not that scary, you know.

Knowing any further explanations would probably be pointless, Han Siha gave up on trying to change Zig’s perception.

Still, since Zig would be stationed here for at least a few months, Han Siha couldn’t just leave him standing there.

He thought it was a good opportunity to chat and introduce himself properly.

Han Siha casually asked Zig.

“Do you like reptiles?”

“I’ve never seen one, but yes, I like them.”

Really?

Well, then…

Han Siha cheerfully opened the door to the barracks.

Basilus, who had managed to squeeze his massive body inside, was lying sprawled out comfortably.

Zig’s first encounter was with Basilus’ enormous face.

“Grooo….”

Han Siha proudly announced.

“Tada! Isn’t he cute?”

…Thud.

Zig foamed at the mouth and collapsed on the spot.

* * *

While Zig fainted, mistakenly thinking he’d be fed to the dragon…

Han Siha busily tried to wake up the foolish rookie.

Meanwhile, not far from Castica territory, on a real battlefield blanketed in dust, Adela was standing.

This place was a genuine warzone where dirt and blood mixed.

The acrid air had long become familiar.

Adela walked across the barren land with a detached expression.

With a single gesture, the ground would tremble,

and the earth would rise to swallow people whole.

She had buried countless lives.

To say she felt no guilt would be a lie.

While Han Siha fought dark mages on the frontlines of Castica, Adela dealt with ordinary soldiers.

Civilians who knew nothing but how to wield swords and spears.

Adela’s abilities were most effective against such opponents.

There was no need for bloody battles.

Whether there were dozens or hundreds, burying them was enough.

Upon witnessing her overwhelming power, enemy soldiers would collapse in despair, and those who saw her would surrender almost immediately.

She had already become one of the key contributors to the war effort.

Thanks to her, alongside Han Siha, she had earned the Emperor’s favor and had long since shed her status as a commoner.

More powerful than any knight, more skilled than most mages.

Adela was the strongest force in the Ardel Empire, receiving the recognition and treatment befitting her prowess, allowing her to live relatively comfortably even in the midst of war.

But…

None of that mattered.

Adela gripped her sword tightly as she recalled a face.

Grinding her teeth, she muttered under her breath.

“Bastard.”

It had been well over half a year.

She remembered the date vividly.

Day 193.

Adela had not seen Han Siha.