Episode 31: Got Hit, So I’ll Hit Back
What is romance fantasy? It is a heart-wrenching struggle for love.
In some cases, the number of men and women might match. In those cases, each character gets their own love story.
But as the harem genre exists, the reverse also exists. A large part of romance fantasy begins as a reverse harem. Just as male fantasy involves one guy being chased by multiple women, female fantasy involves one woman being desperately pursued by multiple extraordinary men.
To make that happen, the plot tosses aside logic and coherence without hesitation.
The male leads fall for the heroine unconditionally. Their backgrounds and upbringings all crumble before her charm.
No matter how noble their origins or how great their talents, those are simply tools used to win her love.
And it doesn’t end there. After the initial meeting, various incidents force the characters to keep interacting.
It’s not just about attending lectures together, eating together, or studying together.
They face danger together. And in that process, they come to know each other more—deeper, more intimately.
‘Usually, these dangerous incidents are just explained away by a sudden attack on the academy.’
This time, it began as expected: the academy was suddenly attacked.
The “Four” gathered around Seria and fought together, showing off their respective strengths.
Normally, one of the male leads would awaken to a new power at this point, but strangely enough, it was Seria who leveled up instead. Still, it was flowing along the classic route.
From there, the next event should’ve been a counterattack involving all five of them united.
At this point, someone else would awaken, and the others, inspired by that, would also grow. That’s the typical flow of things.
‘But then… why is Seria here?’
Abel looked at Seria, who was making a final check of her powers before departure, and couldn’t help but wonder—was I wrong about this being a romance fantasy all along?
There was Caligo, who’d shown interest in her from the start. Flam and Portus, who joined in a bit later, also began openly expressing romantic feelings.
Even Rel, who joined last and had the weakest presence, kept his conduct in check and refrained from the kind of negative behaviors the others displayed.
Seria was supposed to be in the middle of all this. That’s the only way their stories would progress.
Abel had even pulled away, trying to stay out of their way just in case he became an obstacle.
And yet, the result he got wasn’t the textbook romance fantasy lineup, but the opposite of it.
“Abel.”
Unable to accept the situation, Caligo, who had been standing some distance away, called him over.
“Can’t you persuade Lady Seria?”
“You think I haven’t tried? I told her she’d be more comfortable and learn more if she went with your group. I even said there’d be benefits for her family and house back in her home country.”
“And even after that… she still chose you over us?”
Abel’s face twisted uncontrollably for a moment.
She chose me over you guys? Please don’t say it like that. That phrasing makes it sound like I’ve somehow become the protagonist of this ridiculous romance fantasy. You’re the protagonists—I’m just an extra! I just want to do my part well, find success in some other subplot, and get a few mentions from time to time!
Whether he understood Abel’s internal screaming or not, Caligo clutched his head in agony.
“In moments like this, I deeply regret being born in the Empire. If only I were from the Kingdom of Ascal, I could’ve been by Lady Seria’s side from the beginning!”
“….”
What made it worse was that he clearly meant it. And honestly, the other three probably thought the same thing.
Caligo’s tearful pleas didn’t end there. He said he’d always be waiting—no matter what—and that he was only hoping for the day Seria would return to him.
Even more telling was how he used “I” instead of “we”. That was pretty impressive in itself.
The battle between men over one woman can be utterly pitiful. Watching these pride-swallowing, desperate males duke it out was almost tear-inducing in its own way.
For now, Abel tried to calm Caligo by pointing out that the two squads were stationed fairly close together.
If the enemy forces were strong, it was only natural for the squads to join forces, so he hinted at that possibility and asked him—indirectly—to just wait patiently.
“Hmph.”
Caligo still didn’t seem convinced. That was understandable—after all, Seria had explicitly said she wanted to team up with Abel. It would be more strange not to see Abel as a rival.
But what choice did he have? Abel was the one in the desperate position here.
In the end, Caligo returned to his place after saying, “I’ll leave her in your care.” Of course, he didn’t forget to tell Seria to be careful either.
Abel thought that was the end of it—but as soon as Caligo left, Flam showed up.
“Abel.”
“Oh, come on. We’re about to leave. What now? Is Portus going to show up next?”
“Huh? Yeah. He was planning to.”
“….”
Only after being practically threatened—told that if one more person showed up, Seria would personally grab onto Abel and never let go—was Abel finally able to leave the academy.
He couldn’t help but wonder: Is romance fantasy cursed? Or am I just a fool for misunderstanding what genre I’m even in?
***
A surprise assault was launched on the Academy. They fought under the worst possible disadvantage.
But that didn’t mean the enemy always had the upper hand either.
“According to intelligence from the Empire, a portion of the enemy forces has been discovered in villages on the outskirts of the capital. It appears they sustained injuries during the previous battle at the Academy, but do not let your guard down. Students, remember—they still have far more real-world experience than you do.”
The Academy hosts numerous healers.
Most of them come from foreign nations, and over half are sons and daughters of prominent noble families.
If any of them were to suffer serious injury—or worse, die—it would be difficult to dismiss as just an unfortunate accident.
To prevent such incidents, elite healers were concentrated at the Academy.
This was a critical factor in saving many students’ lives during the attack on the Academy.
Conversely, because the enemy focused only on assembling assault squads, they failed to account for healing support—and so, after sustaining injuries, they had no choice but to retreat.
“…So, according to the Headmaster, the enemy forces stationed in the outskirts appear to be those who are recovering from their injuries, along with a few who stayed behind to protect them. It won’t be an easy battle, but compared to what we faced at the Academy, we stand a decent chance.”
Of course, neither the Academy nor the Empire—or any other nation—would assign precious talents to a battle they were sure to lose.
The odds of victory were high. The enemy was weakened, and the allied forces had easier access to reinforcements. Gaining real combat experience under these conditions would be extremely valuable for the future.
“Lord Abel, I’m… a little nervous. That’s normal, right?”
“Of course. You should be nervous.”
“Haa… Haa…”
Seria was clearly more tense than necessary. Her breathing was shaky and uneven.
She must’ve been reminded of the sudden attack on the Academy.
There had been wounded everywhere—and some who never opened their eyes again. For Seria, who had grown up in a peaceful, quiet little territory with no experience of battle, it must have been a nightmare she never wanted to relive.
“Maybe… maybe you shouldn’t have volunteered for this?”
Abel casually floated the idea, but Seria shook her head vigorously in response, as if to say absolutely not.
No matter what, she believed this was a necessary step—something she had to face.
“She’s lying.”
“It’s a lie.”
Irshu and Tarshu didn’t accept Seria’s reasoning at all.
Still standing behind Abel, they kept their voices low—just enough for only him to hear—as they focused on watching Seria carefully, clearly distrustful of her.
This is a problem. They were on the same team now, and both of them were essential long-range support. If they were going to act like this, what was he supposed to do on the front lines?
It was frustrating, but Abel found it hard to say anything outright. This was the first time he’d ever been surrounded by this many women.
In other words, he was really no different from the usual “four guys hovering around Seria” setup.
“…Our assigned area is the northern village on the outskirts of the capital. Not many people live there, but lately there’s been a notable increase in the consumption of supplies—most of it related to treating injuries.”
“Wounded. Blood.”
“Someone’s hurt. Enemies.”
“The ladies are right. That suggests there are at least a few supremacist bastards hiding in this village. Our squad will be monitoring the eastern sector, and if we confirm enemy presence, we’ll move in.”
Meanwhile, Seria furrowed her brows as she looked at the map, concern clear on her face.
“Lord Abel… if it’s a village, then there must be people living there, right?”
“…That’s very likely.”
“Then we can’t attack! What if civilians get caught in the crossfire?!”
Her concern was valid. The residents were Imperial citizens.
If someone like Abel, or Seria herself—both from the Kingdom of Ascal—ended up hurting them, it could escalate quickly.
“No need to worry, Lady Seria.”
But Abel just smiled and reassured her.
“Do you really think the Academy would send us out without taking that into consideration?”
“What do you mean…?”
“You should’ve learned it in class by now. Abilities in this world are more diverse than you can possibly imagine.”
Enhancing the body. Using weapons as naturally as one’s own limbs. Controlling the elements at will.
And beyond that, a vast array of other powers existed in this world. It was no wonder Abel had mistaken what genre he was in.