The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 201

After returning from fortune-telling, the whole guild was in chaos.

I squeezed my way through the noisy crowd gathered in the middle of the marketplace.

Unlike the usual calm of the Freed Merchant Guild, it was clamorous, with people shouting back and forth.

Elisa, with her hand on her forehead, was sighing heavily.

As soon as I spotted the woman with black hair, I called out to her.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Judging from the situation, something definitely seemed to have happened.

Everyone was racking their brains, trying to find a solution together.

I remained on high alert, checking the tense atmosphere that felt like walking on thin ice at the Freed Guild.

Judging from the looks on their faces, it seemed even more serious than when we had our dispute with the Cement Guild.

Elisa opened her mouth with a hardened expression.

“The goods that were supposed to arrive today didn’t come in.”

“Goods?”

“Yeah, it looks like the Cement Guild stole them. Maybe it’s revenge for the last incident. Some of the merchants haven’t returned either.”

“What are we going to do then?”

Yoon Haul asked with a worried expression.

It wasn’t clear if some of the merchants were kidnapped or dead, but they were missing.

On top of that, the goods that needed to be delivered by tomorrow were not here.

Elisa, who was supposed to receive those goods, looked as if she was about to explode from frustration. Even from her pale face, it was clear that this was a severe situation.

“We have to go get them back ourselves. There’s no other way.”

“…Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Of course it’s dangerous. That’s why you kids need to stay out of it.”

Elisa glanced at Yoon Haul and Adela, who were both showing signs of concern, and then sighed, turning her gaze towards me.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on taking any novices along. The ones who got dragged away by the Cement Guild can’t even fight; taking them along would just be a pointless death.”

That felt a bit unfair.

Anyway, since I couldn’t openly use my magic, tagging along wouldn’t contribute much to our strength, so I was about to reluctantly agree when Yoon Haul, who had been hesitating, grabbed my hand.

“Can’t we come too?”

“What? You guys?”

Elisa grimaced in disgust.

Then she smirked, as if amused by their sudden boldness. It wasn’t outright mockery, but it was clear she found it absurd.

“This isn’t some kids’ game. You saw it when you came in. You could die if you’re unlucky.”

“We’ll stay hidden. We were just thinking we might be able to help in some way…”

Yoon Haul, who usually avoided anything troublesome, had said something unexpectedly assertive, prompting Adela, sensing something was amiss, to join in.

“We can fight a bit. Just give us a sword.”

“Ha… Haha… You’ve got guts, but kids, what you’re saying doesn’t sound convincing at all. If that guy over there said it, maybe I’d believe it.”

Me?

Suddenly being singled out, I scratched my head and said,

“I can hold my own in a fight.”

“Oh, so that’s why you all got beaten up and dragged away last time?”

Ah.

“You should say something that makes sense. No matter how short-handed we are, we’re not bringing you guys along. Unless you’ve got a death wish.”

I slowly turned to Yoon Haul.

There had to be some reason he suddenly brought this up.

I gave him a look that said, ‘Hurry up and explain,’ but Yoon Haul just tilted his head with an uncertain expression.

There was no clear conviction in his expression, but…

Judging by his face, he had decided it was better to go.

Better to trust Yoon Haul the prophet than the fortune teller of Odryse.

I nodded awkwardly at Elisa’s words.

“Just stay put and stick to a safe spot. Not many people are going anyway.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Obviously.”

Naturally, but…

We’re not the kind who follow orders easily.

We had no intention of listening this time either.

* * *

A face with a menacing look and spiky, unruly hair.

Although he wasn’t particularly bigger than the others, there was a subtle madness in Malte’s eyes that made it hard for anyone in the Cement Guild to mess with him easily.

But today, his eyes were shining with an unmistakable madness.

“Ha… How much is all this worth?”

Malte laughed as he swept his hands over the obsidian stacked high in a large box, enjoying the glossy black shine of the stones.

He had heard that the Freed Guild was selling obsidian at a high price.

He couldn’t stand it; it made him sick to his stomach.

“These days, it’s hard to find stuff like this. Where the hell did these bastards get it?”

For some reason, the demand for obsidian has been skyrocketing lately.

No matter how much you scoured the mining sites, there was no obsidian to be found, leaving them stomping their feet in frustration—until they decided to stab Freed Guild in the back.

“Idiots. They must be losing their minds looking for this by now, right?”

“I’m not sure who they were delivering it to, but they’ll probably trade with us too, won’t they?”

“Why wouldn’t they? But, I still don’t get what the hell people are doing with this damned stone. It feels cursed, not something you’d want to wear as a necklace.”

“Must be some nobles with unusual tastes.”

“Well, you can’t really get inside those folks’ heads.”

Malte snickered, nodding his head.

Watching from behind, one of the unnamed men ground his teeth.

“There they go again.”

The Cement Guild had kidnapped and murdered two Freed Guild merchants.

The bodies were carelessly tossed into the warehouse, and now they were busy checking the goods first, a sight that made him sick.

What was worse was that he was here, forced to fight for these people.

The Freed Guild would likely retaliate by the end of the day.

So he was sharpening an old sword as instructed by the merchants, looking down at the newly honed blade, he muttered to himself.

“Ah… should I run?”

This would be his sixth escape attempt.

Maybe when the Freed Guild attacked again, he could stab whoever was closest and flee, just like last time.

The unnamed man was seriously considering it once again.

“….”

But,

The surroundings were strangely quiet.

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, the man finally raised his head.

And what he saw was an unbelievable sight.

“Gah… Gah!”

Malte, who had been gleefully handling the obsidian earlier, was now on the ground, vomiting blood.

“What?”

He wasn’t stabbed with a sword, nor did anyone hit him.

It was an inexplicable situation that had happened in an instant.

The unnamed man stood up with eyes wide open.

Danger.

Far more dangerous than being beaten up by the Cement Guild merchants.

He cursed under his breath, clenching his teeth.

“What the hell…”

He stumbled backward, looking for a place to hide.

The crude sword in his hand was utterly useless in this situation.

The truth was, he didn’t even know how to wield a sword.

And right now, people who knew how to use swords were dying helplessly here.

“Guhhh!”

One of the merchants, recklessly charging with a sword, had his neck snapped and died instantly.

Watching the merchant convulse violently on the ground, the unnamed man instinctively covered his mouth.

This place was like a warzone where people died every day.

Though he had seen such scenes since childhood, this kind of overwhelming massacre was a first.

“What the hell are you guys?”

Thump, thump.

Unknown figures in black robes were approaching.

One of the merchants, retreating in terror and screaming, staggered and collapsed just like Malte.

The robed figure mercilessly slashed him down.

Swoosh—.

Thud.

They hadn’t noticed the unnamed man hiding at the back yet, but blood splattered right in front of his face.

“Damn it.”

The unnamed man gritted his teeth and silenced his footsteps.

The figures in black robes surrounded the Cement Guild’s warehouse grounds.

The warehouse, which had been reduced to ashes in the previous raid, no longer offered much cover.

The unnamed man slipped behind the burnt remains of goods.

From there, he covered his mouth and peered outside.

All he saw was a gruesome sight.

One of the robed figures spoke coldly.

“Leave no witnesses.”

That meant everyone present was to be killed.

The few surviving merchants couldn’t even make a sound, frozen in place.

Gwelle, trembling, mustered up some courage and spoke in a shaky voice.

“Wh-Who are you? What do you—ugh!”

Unfortunately, Gwelle couldn’t finish his sentence.

Crack.

One of the robed figures grabbed his neck and twisted it.

As if his words weren’t worth hearing, a chilling voice responded with disdain.

“This is the price you worms pay for taking our goods.”

It seemed like a response to Gwelle’s question, but the one who asked was already sprawled on the ground.

Crack.

Crack.

The gruesome sound of bones breaking echoed nearby, then silence fell.

One merchant, then another, and soon a dozen were brutally cut down.

This was terror on a different level.

The unnamed man shut his eyes tightly.

If those cold gazes turned toward this spot, his life would end here.

“Please… please…”

He prayed they would just pass by.

The unnamed man waited through what felt like an eternity.

And then it happened.

At the very front, one of the robed figures removed their black robe.

Ssshh.

As the robe fell away, a woman with black hair raised her head.

It was hard to believe that someone who had just twisted a person’s neck with one hand could have such an ordinary face.

No, it was more than just ordinary.

It was a face far too familiar to him.

The unnamed man lifted his head in disbelief.

“Sister…?”

The worst guardian who had left him to die.

His sister had come back to life.

* * *

She thought she had killed them all, but it seemed one was left.

Elisa, who turned her head at the commotion, froze in place as well.

“…”

Years had passed.

But she recognized him instantly.

It was when she had fled the Cement Guild after nearly being beaten to death.

The one family member she couldn’t take with her.

Elisa, the irresponsible guardian, now faced her brother again after all those years.

“Why… why are you here…?”

She hadn’t thought he would be alive.

No matter how tenacious, many people had died within the Cement Guild.

Her brother, who was powerless, weak, and clueless.

She never thought he could have survived.

Because of that, Elisa had lived with the guilt of having killed her brother all this time.

But now.

Why?

Why was he here, looking like this, appearing before her like this?

The unnamed man asked in a trembling voice.

“What… What are you doing here? What was… what did you just do?”

The magic Elisa had used was dark magic.

To the unnamed man, who couldn’t grasp the concept of magic, it was just a terrifying sight.

Elisa couldn’t explain it to him.

There was no time for a touching reunion, despite meeting her brother after so many years.

All she could do was look directly into his eyes.

And desperately plead.

The unnamed man had a name.

A name he couldn’t remember, but one that Elisa did.

“Eden, run.”

“W-What are you saying?”

The unnamed man asked back, unable to comprehend.

It was the moment he had longed for his entire life but had thought impossible.

A reunion with his sister.

“The person I thought was dead for years comes back alive… I… I have no one to believe in or lean on in this world. Why… why would I run away and leave you?”

The person he thought had died had come back to save him.

That’s what the unnamed man believed.

But reality was not salvation.

“You have to run. This place is dangerous.”

Elisa harshly pushed her brother away.

He had seen too much, and such a child could not be left alive.

Though she had abandoned him once, to save him, she had to abandon him again.

It was a world far too harsh for a child to survive alone.

But still, she had to save him.

Elisa, with tears streaming down her face, pushed the unnamed man away.

“Go! Run away, now!”

The other robed figures moved forward as if to object, but Elisa blocked their way.

As long as just one of them didn’t come forward, she could send him off.

Even if word got out, she would take responsibility.

This was his only chance.

So go.

The unnamed man, with a confused expression, stood up.

Even though he was oblivious, the terror in Elisa’s eyes was enough to make him act.

He turned to flee.

But

It was already too late.

“…!”

A dark shadow loomed over the two of them.

“I came to retrieve the goods, and it seems there are some uninvited guests?”

A bright voice that did not match the grim atmosphere.

A person who should never have appeared here made themselves known.

Elisa looked up with a pale face.

“T-That… th-that’s…”

A face that was impossible to read.

Always smiling, yet never truly smiling—a strange and eerie grin.

The woman in the robe tilted her head indifferently.

Then, she wordlessly raised her staff.

Elisa lunged and grabbed her arm.

“No, no! That’s my brother! My… my own brother.”

She had devoted her entire life after leaving the Cement Guild.

Elisa was quite a capable magician.

She begged, believing that they wouldn’t kill someone of her caliber just because things didn’t go as planned.

But Elisa’s judgment was wrong.

The woman didn’t kill Elisa.

She simply asked back as if she couldn’t understand.

“…And so?”

“Wh-what?”

An eerie silence swept through the open space.

The desolate grounds of the Cement Guild, where countless merchants had already been slaughtered.

The woman standing calmly on that terrifying land looked down at Elisa coldly.

Through the gaps in her robe, her gaze shone with a depth and chill darker than obsidian.

“Why does that matter?”

She smiled and reached out her hand.

“Gah!”

Thud.

With that chilling word, the unnamed man collapsed, coughing up blood.