The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 139

“Theoretically, I can’t tame anymore”.

Honestly, I’m already overcapacity compared to most tamers. Officially, it’s just Basilus and Kloshti, but…

Well, it feels a bit awkward to admit, but…

Even though I’m known as a “pet rock tamer,” I’ve also got Ssakki and I’m currently taming Dongle too.

A top-tier tamer can only tame up to three creatures.

Unless I give up on either Basilus or Kloshti, I shouldn’t be able to tame anything else.

But it turns out, there’s an exception.

Pitter-patter.

The little gray kitten was cheerfully following me.

“How long are you going to keep following me?”

Pitter-patter.

It was both cautious and cheerful, which reminded me of one person.

That one person who followed me around with the same kind of look back on the first floor of the magic department.

‘I’m just going to the bathroom for a second.’

‘Why are you following me there? Are you nuts?’

‘No way! I’ll wait right outside!’

‘That’s even weirder!’

Yoon Haul.

“Meowww—”

The gray kitten really did resemble Yoon Haul.

The only difference was that the kitten was smaller and had a worse temper.

Anyway, it was clear that this feisty little kitten had chosen me, so I had no choice but to take it back to the dorm with me.

Behind me, I could hear Betty talking to Adela.

“It’s amazing. I guess it’s because he’s a tamer, but that kitten seems to really like Siha.”

“Yeah, it does.”

I’ve always had a tendency to attract and manage all sorts of pet monsters, and now that I’ve added a kitten to the mix, it’s understandable why they’d think that.

I stopped and looked down at the kitten.

Pitter-patter.

The little creature, which had been following me, tilted its head up at me when I stopped.

I’ve never seen a stray cat that’s this obedient.

Adela asked me a question.

“What about a name? Are you going to give it one?”

“Hmm.”

I said that, but a name had already popped into my head the moment I first saw it.

The gray kitten perked its ears up.

I smiled down at the little thing.

“Joy.”

It means “life” in Greek.

* * *

“At Ardel Academy’s Dormitory”.

Han Siha eventually brought Joy into the dorm.

He had considered leaving it at Han Si-hyuk’s office, but that would have caused an unnecessary commotion, so he brought it here instead.

“Is this a petting zoo?”

“Should I take it out?”

“Forget it. It’s cute.”

Won frowned, but since the kitten wasn’t noisy or causing trouble, he quickly lost interest.

The ones who were more intrigued were Basilus and Kloshti.

They were absolutely fascinated by this furry creature.

“Boo…”

As soon as Basilus poked Joy with his paw, the kitten sprang up and started hissing.

“Are they playing?”

“I don’t think they’re fighting, but it looks like the kitten isn’t enjoying it.”

“Beep! Beep!”

Kloshti, trying to be kind, offered some of its ice cream to the kitten, but Han Siha quickly snatched it away.

“Oh, no way.”

Basilus and Kloshti could eat almost anything without getting sick, but a young kitten was a different story.

Han Siha fed the kitten some warm milk, knowing it must have been starving after being stuck in the sewer.

Hop.

Joy hopped onto Han Siha’s bed and began eating, its little mouth moving rapidly.

If it had gone unfed for even a few more days, it might have died.

“Feeling better now?”

Munch munch.

Joy blinked its black eyes as if it understood Han Siha’s words.

Han Siha smiled and gently petted Joy.

Unlike how he usually handled the rambunctious Basilus and Kloshti, Han Siha’s touch was careful and delicate.

Seeing this unfamiliar side of him, Won couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Are you planning to keep that little thing?”

In the Ardel Empire, and indeed in this world, the concept of a pet doesn’t really exist.

People might keep a werewolf as a bodyguard, but no one drags around a kitten that’s completely useless in a fight.

There are some nobles who keep animals like these in their homes, but they’re just luxury items.

Han Siha understood the meaning behind Won’s question, so he shook his head.

“No.”

A tamer has no need for a cat.

It couldn’t be taken into battle, and it was nothing more than a burden.

So, it was useless… but precious.

Han Siha frowned and stopped petting Joy.

“What is this?”

He felt a strange sensation.

He had brought the sick kitten back to the dorm because it needed him.

He fed it because it was hungry.

He petted it because it was soft.

It wasn’t anything special.

“Suddenly, I’m reminded of something.”

It wasn’t Han Siha from Smart Academy.

He felt like he was back to being his original self.

Han Siha stared at the kitten for a long time.

“….”

And then, he acknowledged it.

“This isn’t so bad.”

Even though he was fighting to survive and save the world, he thought that maybe things had been better when he knew nothing.

“Hmm.”

But there was no denying that there was still much work to be done.

Han Siha chuckled bitterly.

“I guess I should get going.”

“Meow…?”

“Wait for me.”

There was his field assistant work and tasks in Professor Ernst’s lab to take care of.

Han Siha hurriedly put on his coat and threw out a casual remark.

“I’ll be back soon!”

Bang.

In his haste to shut the door and leave, Han Siha didn’t notice the faint blue glow that briefly emanated from Joy in response.

* * *

A tamer and a kitten don’t really go together.

As someone who frequently dives into dangerous situations, Han Siha knew he couldn’t take responsibility for the kitten.

If you can’t take responsibility for an animal, you shouldn’t keep it.

That’s why Han Siha took Joy to Yoon Haul.

“You said you wanted to see it.”

“Huh.”

Yoon Haul had said it was her first time seeing a cat.

Even in the Ardel Empire, cats aren’t commonly kept, so Yoon Haul was excited, stomping her feet to warm her frozen hands.

“Where did you find it?”

Yoon Haul squatted down, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“In a sewer behind Ardel.”

“So cute…”

Yoon Haul beamed as she looked at Joy, her eyes reflecting the kitten’s gentle gaze.

“Can I pet it?”

Though hesitant at first, Yoon Haul slowly extended her hand.

Just like with Han Siha, Joy had no reservations and immediately nestled into Yoon Haul’s hand.

Slither.

The little kitten, which had been shivering in the cold, found warmth in Yoon Haul’s embrace and burrowed into her arms.

“It seems to like me.”

“Looks that way.”

Han Siha met Yoon Haul’s gaze directly and spoke.

“It suits you.”

Yoon Haul swallowed nervously at Han Siha’s words.

Though this was her first time seeing a kitten, she felt an immediate connection.

Knowing that Han Siha didn’t have the time to care for the kitten, Yoon Haul asked cautiously.

“Can I… keep it?”

Han Siha had brought Joy here for that very reason.

He smiled and nodded in response.

There was no reason to refuse if both Yoon Haul and Joy were happy with the arrangement. Plus, Yoon Haul would likely be a better caretaker than he could be.

Yoon Haul let out an excited squeal when Han Siha agreed.

“Yay! Come here, little one.”

“Her name is Joy.”

“Joy? That’s adorable.”

*Pounce!*

As Yoon Haul raised her hand, Joy pounced as if spotting prey. Laughing brightly, Yoon Haul scooped Joy back into her arms.

“She’s so soft and cute.”

“Well, I gave her a bath. You should’ve seen how scruffy she looked before.”

“Even if she was scruffy, she would still have been cute!”

A cheerful prophet and an equally cheerful kitten.

Han Siha thought the pairing suited them well.

He plopped down on a bench and asked.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Though the kitten was a topic of conversation, Han Siha knew Yoon Haul had another reason for wanting to meet him.

Finally snapping out of her trance, Yoon Haul lifted her head.

“Oh, right.”

Yoon Haul, who spent most of her days buried in the library, was known for teaching herself far more than she learned in classes.

She was always delving into the library’s vast collection, studying everything from the history of Ardel to basic magical theory, as well as myths and rituals.

Ardel Academy’s library was filled with advanced resources, and it was thanks to these that Yoon Haul had acquired knowledge in so many different fields.

Recently, she had discovered something unusual tucked away in a corner.

“This is it.”

She handed Han Siha a new-looking book with a dark blue hard cover.

Han Siha took the book from Yoon Haul.

“It doesn’t even have a title.”

The book was indeed strange, with no title written on it.

Judging by the publication date on the first page, it seemed quite old, yet it appeared to have been ignored, gathering dust in a corner of the library.

Lowering her voice, Yoon Haul explained.

“It contains information about the cubes.”

“What?”

“I found it while rummaging through some old books. Look here.”

While talking about cubes wasn’t exactly taboo, it was a subject few people knew about, simply because it had never attracted much attention.

The idea that a historical text would contain references to cubes wasn’t all that surprising.

“It talks about artifacts called cubes and how users can tap into the power within them.”

“Hold on.”

But the book went into an unusual level of detail.

“The Cube of the Void”.

A yellow cube that grants the ability to create space.

“The Cube of the Sun and Moon”.

A red cube that allows the user to manipulate time.

“The Cube of the Senses”.

A cube that can enhance a person’s senses beyond human limits.

Yoon Haul read the descriptions one by one.

“The Cube of Emotions. It allows the user to gain immense magical power in exchange for losing their emotions.”

“….”

“Now I see why you said cubes are dangerous. Each one comes with a heavy price.”

Yoon Haul’s eyes focused on the final cube, which emitted a green light.

“The Cube of Life. It’s said to resurrect the dead in exchange for the user’s own life…”

“….”

“Who would be willing to sacrifice themselves to bring someone else back?”

“Close it.”

“What?”

“I said, close it.”

Han Siha slammed the book shut and snatched it from Yoon Haul’s hands.

“Hey, wait a second!”

It was a good thing he had cast a Silence spell beforehand.

Han Siha, his expression hardened, stuffed the book into his subspace bag.

Yoon Haul reached out towards the air, her eyes wide in shock.

“But I borrowed that from the library! I can’t have it overdue!”

“Go tell them you accidentally ate it.”

“What?”

“Say you swallowed it whole. Or that you used it as a coaster and burned it by accident.”

The information in this book was far too dangerous.

“Why is… this even here….”

Not even the dark mages knew about this.

The fact that this book had yet to fall into their hands was nothing short of a miracle.

Han Siha couldn’t understand why such a book, which hadn’t even appeared in the original story, was sitting in the middle of Ardel’s library.

Seeing Han Siha’s reaction, Yoon Haul’s face turned serious.

“Is this information something we’re not supposed to know?”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Oh….”

Even Yoon Haul, who was safeguarding a cube, was hearing this information for the first time.

“This might be the first time anyone’s heard of it.”

The people who were after the cubes couldn’t be allowed to get hold of this information.

Yoon Haul understood what Han Siha was saying.

This wasn’t something that should be easily accessible.

Han Siha’s thoughts drifted to the book’s author.

“Can you see anything?”

“See anything?”

“Like who wrote it. Can you tell?”

Yoon Haul was a remarkable prophet.

But she wasn’t a god, so she couldn’t know everything.

It was a shot in the dark, but he had to ask.

Unfortunately…

“I can’t.”

Yoon Haul shook her head.

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