Episode 25: The One Who’s Mistaken Is the One at Fault
News of the Academy attack sent the world into an uproar.
The Empire was shocked that such an incident had occurred within its own borders.
Nations across the continent were anxious about the safety of the gifted individuals they had sent.
People, upon seeing the breach of the Academy, realized that even ability users were not invincible.
And the ability users themselves got a clear picture of how far those with dangerous ideologies were willing to go.
But the chaos wasn’t limited to the world outside. The Academy was no different.
Many had died, and not a few were either kidnapped or dragged away. Forming pursuit and rescue squads became a top priority.
In the midst of all this, touching stories of faculty and students who fought with all their might against the enemy began to spread.
Those who sacrificed themselves. Those who fought bravely to the end. And those who repelled the enemy and showed the potential to become exceptional ability users in the future.
“….”
There was also one person who lay on a hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, denying the genre of this world.
‘This doesn’t make sense. It really doesn’t.’
Lying in the infirmary bed, Abel shook his head again and again.
This was supposed to be a superpower story. From the very beginning up to now, he hadn’t had the slightest doubt.
People used powers. All the ability users had been gathered into one Academy. The top talents flaunted their strength here!
Even the characters fit the genre of a superpower series perfectly.
There was Caligo, a prince hiding his identity. Flam and Portus, literal rivals.
Rel Karhan, who hadn’t even appeared yet, but somehow topped the power rankings.
And finally, Seria—though not very strong—was there to support the main cast with her positive energy.
There were countless other characters who fit the mold of a superpower story.
A world where they fought with powers, reconciled with powers, and made friends through powers. That’s what this was supposed to be.
He never Imagined that powers weren’t actually the main genre tag.
That something else could take precedence. That the entire genre could be something completely different.
‘One girl surrounded by four guys. Come on, this is obviously a romance setup…’
He hadn’t been a big fan of the genre, but he’d seen a few titles—when he was bored or when there weren’t any decent superpower stories to read.
And every time, it was the same: one female lead, surrounded by at least four male characters.
The reverse of the classic harem setup, where it’s one guy and a few girls.
And now, it was happening here. Seria.
Beside her: Caligo, Flam, Portus, and just recently, that male student Rel.
On top of that, the first one to awaken was Seria.
Awakening—something only granted to the true protagonist among even the main cast.
If she was the first to awaken, then there’s no doubt: Seria is the main character.
Soon, someone would be inspired by her. Someone else would be moved. Maybe even fall for her.
Or maybe they already had. Caligo, at least, clearly wasn’t trying to hide his feelings from the start.
‘Back then, I thought Seria’s role was just to support Caligo’s powers and flip his passive nature. But that wasn’t it. She was the main character all along.’
Now, everything was starting to make sense.
Why so many prominent figures had gathered at the same time.
Why people of such talent or high status had all conveniently enrolled as freshmen.
Yes, there were seniors and juniors, but what mattered most was being classmates.
Being in the same year meant equal standing at the Academy, making it easier for each of them to stand out.
There wouldn’t be any fun if people were pressuring each other based on age or class seniority.
‘So it’s not a superpower story but a romance fantasy? I’m the only one who misread the genre…’
Muttering to himself, Abel turned his head to the side.
He desperately hoped he was wrong. Maybe it was still a superpower story, just one where the female lead happened to be at the center.
‘I’m seriously fine! I just overexerted myself a little.’
“Shut it and stay put, arsonist.”
“You passed out too, so don’t talk, water-boy.”
“Enough, both of you. What are you two doing in a hospital room?”
They were patients too. Probably even more exhausted than Seria.
Yet, there they were, three men hanging around her side, pretending like everything was normal.
Correction. Four men. One of them wasn’t part of the group but was clearly another male nearby.
‘I’m going to lose it…’
Abel rubbed his forehead.
How could this not be a romance fantasy? There’s just no denying it anymore.
“Lord Abel?! You’re awake?!”
Seria, previously surrounded by four guys, lit up and tried to rush over.
As if they’d all rehearsed it, the four men immediately stepped in to stop her from getting up.
“Seria! Stay in bed!”
“When did you get so close that you’re dropping honorifics? Typical arsonist.”
“Lady Seria. You really should rest more.”
“I agree with him.”
But Seria ignored them and stood up anyway.
“The one who was most seriously injured here is Lord Abel. Of course I should check on him first!”
“He was already treated by someone with the best healing abilities in the Academy. Just look—he’s giving us that pitiful look again.”
Pathetic. Honestly. You people look exactly like four dogs tripping over each other to get their master’s praise.
Still, Seria stood her ground and walked over to Abel’s bedside.
“Lord Abel, are you alright? You suddenly fainted—your injuries must have been worse than we thought.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t the injuries—just a bit of fatigue after the battle.”
To be precise, it was because the genre had changed that his energy drained, but that wasn’t something he could explain here.
Honestly, he was glad he had even a few injuries—he couldn’t ask for a better excuse than that.
“More importantly, there’s a new face I haven’t seen before. Who might he be?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“Forgive the late introduction. Abel Rotensilt. My name is Rel Karhan.”
“The one who ranked first in the power assessment the other day?”
“…That’s correct.”
For a split second, Rel’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
Most people, upon hearing his name, asked, “Aren’t you the Prime Minister’s son?”
But Abel had said, “The one who ranked first in the power test?”
He wasn’t seeing Rel as a politician’s son, but as a fellow ability user student at the Academy—a capable one at that.
Rel found that immensely likable.
He didn’t know Abel well yet, but already he had a good feeling about him.
‘A prince. Two heirs to great noble houses. And now even the Prime Minister’s son. What clearer proof could there be that this is a romance fantasy?’
Thanks to that, Abel was once again tasting the bitter flavor of genre disillusionment.
“Hey, Abel. I heard what happened. You fought that psycho Julien to the very end, didn’t you? That’s impressive. I didn’t think anyone could resist like that in a power-sealing zone. Kinda makes me regret not trying harder myself.”
“I didn’t see it firsthand either, but according to Lord Caligo, you were amazing. I apologize—I should’ve fought just as fiercely, but I failed to do so.”
From the way Flam and Portus spoke, Abel sensed something was off.
Was it just him, or did those words sound suspiciously like they were expressing regret… not for failing in battle, but for not looking impressive in front of Seria?
“It was a brutal and desperate fight. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
“What a shame. A warrior’s fierce battle… I wish I had witnessed it myself.”
Caligo and Rel, too.
On the surface, their words were pure and genuine praise.
The problem was—they kept glancing at Seria as they said it.
It was clear they were using compliments for Abel to score points in front of her.
‘These guys…’
Maybe they’d changed tactics after seeing that Seria seemed closer to Abel than to them.
There’s a saying in romance fantasy: The male leads have nothing in their heads but the female lead.
And from the looks of it, Abel could already see these guys’ predictable future.
“Bel!”
If the infirmary door hadn’t opened just then and Lumine hadn’t walked in, Abel might’ve said:
‘Would you kindly get these fools out of my sight?’ to Seria.
“You’re here.”
“Sorry I’m late. I came as fast as I could, but… stuff happened.”
“It’s fine. Anyone listening might think you were gone for days.”
Lumine was a third-year student—much more experienced than the first-years like Abel.
That’s probably why she stayed behind during the incident and fought off enemies.
She likely had a ton of follow-up duties and reports to handle, so it made sense that she arrived late.
“I heard you were seriously hurt.”
“Just about the same as I used to get hurt as a kid.”
“That’s what I mean—you’re seriously hurt!”
“I was fine back then, and I’m even tougher now. What’s there to worry about?”
Lumine moved as if to smack him on the back and scold him with a “Ugh! You’re impossible!”
Come to think of it, even as a child—bloodied and bruised—he used to say “I lived, didn’t I?”
Slightly unhinged, honestly.
But just as she was about to hit him, she remembered that her younger brother had been a critical patient just moments ago.
She slowly lowered her hand.
“Um, who… is that?”
Because of all that, Lumine hadn’t even noticed Seria sitting across from Abel.
“Oh my. What’s this, Bel? Already dating someone?”
“Sis, if you’re going to say weird things, maybe you should leave.”
“Kidding, kidding. Hello! I’m Lumine Rotensilt. I’m a third-year, and this big oaf here is my little brother.”
“Ah, ah! Y-You’re his sister?!”
Seria looked visibly relieved.
The four male students, on the other hand, looked visibly disappointed.
And once again, Abel let out a dry, weary laugh.