The Academy's Counterattack
Lumine's visit wasn't just to check on his condition. She knew her little brother better than anyone. He was never the type to lie quietly. She had come to give him advance warning about the news he would soon hear.
"The damage is pretty severe. Countless people suffered major and minor injuries, and many lost their lives. The students took the heaviest hit, and even among the faculty, there were casualties."
"It wasn't just a raid by a few attackers, then."
"It seems like they were aiming to completely annihilate the academy. If we hadn't resisted desperately from inside, the casualties would have been even worse."
Lumine then stroked Abel's head.
"Bell, it's largely thanks to you. Without you, the damage would have been much greater."
"Me?"
"The professors interrogated the captured prisoners, and their leader turned out to be Jureung—the man you held onto until the end."
No wonder he seemed so strong. His ability was ridiculously overpowered. Ability Seal and Physical Enhancement. A perfect combination. For a first-named character, he was boss-level strong. It wouldn't make sense if he was just one of the rank-and-file attackers. He had to be the leader for balance.
While Abel nodded thoughtfully, Lumine turned to Seria and the three male students.
"You underclassmen worked hard too. Thanks to you, that dangerous guy couldn't join the others elsewhere, and we were able to repel the enemies faster."
"We just did what we had to, Senior."
"Next time we meet, we won't go down so easily!"
Lumine burst into laughter at the underclassmen's cute responses, then switched topics with an "Ah."
Actually, this was the main reason she'd come, but she'd almost forgotten amid all the chit-chat.
"There's going to be a big announcement soon, Bell."
"An announcement?"
"We got hit hard this time. It's basically impossible for the academy to keep operating like nothing happened."
Disruption to academy operations. At those words, Abel's expression hardened coldly.
Even if he'd misunderstood the genre, that didn't mean the power of abilities in this world had vanished. There was still so much to gain and learn here.
How would he feel hearing that the academy might suddenly close its doors?
"Is the academy going into suspension or something?"
"I don't know for sure. But it could happen. Even now, representatives from each nation are pressuring the Empire. The Empire's ability users took losses too, but they lost the ones meant to lead their future. They're shouting to shut down the academy immediately and go back to each nation handling things on their own."
Abel's face grew sterner by the moment. Academy suspension? Even talk of outright closure?
How much effort had he poured in to get here! What could be more pathetic than all that work turning to nothing?
"...Bell? Where are you going?"
"I need to ask directly to ease my mind."
"Ask? Who?"
"Who's the highest authority at the academy?"
"The principal, but... no! You're not seriously thinking of going to the principal himself?! Are you sane?!"
Has this brother of mine ever been sane?
Yeah... good point.
That's how it was. As the Rothschild siblings bantered, Seria and the boys behind her looked flustered. Was he really going? No way, right? Nah, no chance. A mere student—and a freshman who'd just enrolled. Especially right after an attack, when the academy was in total chaos. Going to demand answers from the principal? That made no sense.
"I'll be back."
But as Abel threw on his clothes and left the treatment room, everyone finally let out a collective groan of dismay. They'd had a brief but intense encounter with this guy named Abel. They realized he was exactly the type to do it.
Principal Ludwig Rich was feeling like he needed ten bodies to handle everything. When the academy was attacked, he'd fought alongside the faculty against the enemy. Though some time had passed since retreating from the front lines, he hadn't lost his senses entirely. He'd battled the audacious attackers with all his might and finally succeeded in repelling them.
He'd shed bitter tears tallying the casualties and injuries. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Who would dare attack a place teeming with ability users? Realizing it stemmed from that brief moment of complacency made for a hellish time worse than hell itself.
Yet Ludwig never forgot he was the principal. No time for grief. Mountains of tasks awaited immediately. To handle it all, he'd need at least a month of nonstop work without going home.
He had to notify the Empire and each nation of the dead and injured, prepare funerals, assess the damage for repairs, figure out exactly how this went down, and devise measures to prevent it from ever happening again.
"...You want to know about the academy's future?"
In the midst of it all, a student had rushed in out of nowhere, demanding answers on that very point.
"Student, what was your name again?"
"Abel Rothschild, sir."
"Abel Rothschild. Yes, I've heard the name."
First, for sincerely attacking seniors during the entrance ceremony. Then, for taking down a third-year without much effort. Finally, for wrecking the testing ground during power measurement.
He'd worried this might be some overconfident punk stirring up trouble. But with no further incidents after, he'd been quietly relieved.
"I hear you put on quite the impressive show this time, Abel. Standing your ground against Jureung—the mastermind behind it all—until the end."
"I just held his ankle a bit."
He'd half-expected some boasting, but Abel showed no such inclination. If anything, his face said that wasn't the point right now. He wanted info on the academy, not praise for his feats.
"If you think my performance was that great, sir, then as a reward, please tell me. Is the academy really suspending operations? Temporary closure?"
"..."
Ludwig couldn't fathom why this student was so desperate about the academy's status. Some might suspect currying favor with the elite, but he shook his head—no, that didn't fit. He'd seen plenty of people. He could generally tell motives from words and demeanor. This Abel kid was purely invested in the academy itself.
"If things go to the worst case, yes. The damage was too great, and we can't keep students here amid this unease."
"..."
"But personally, I think we shouldn't. That would just embolden those Ability Supremacy bastards who caused this mess."
What they wanted was to broadcast their existence to the world. Pressure those undecided on which side to take, and warn ability users shunning them to join up now. Looking at the victims, they all had some grudge against the Supremacists. When persuasion failed, they'd crush spirits—or take lives as a warning.
If the academy shut down now, it'd play right into their hands. If ability users retreated to national silos, isolation and closure would grow, inter-nation tensions flare. Supremacy would thrive there. Ability users sacrificing for non-ability users? They'd twist that to shake the sane ones, letting twisted ideology spread rampant.
"The academy may be small, but it's a society unto itself. Here, ability users learn they're not special or invincible. Outside, they get arrogant around normals, but here? Everyone's a powerhouse."
"I agree."
"It shares intel to deter wars between nations. True enough. But it also teaches ability users we're all human in the end. Forget that, and you become one of those Supremacists."
Ability Supremacists. Spitting the word, the principal thumped his desk, barely containing his rage. He was pretending otherwise, but it showed how furious he was over this.
"You asked about the academy's future, Abel."
"Yes, sir."
"You've earned this much: We absolutely won't back down. They attacked the academy? Now it's our turn to strike. They gained experience fighting us? Fine—we'll gain experience fighting ability users too."
At that moment, a spark flashed in Abel's eyes.
"Does that mean you're still negotiating with the Empire and the nations?"
"Revenge, of course. Intel says not all the culprits escaped the area. Even remnants are accomplices—they'll pay."
"And students join the revenge timing?"
"I said it: This is their chance to gain combat experience against ability users. They're ability users too, victims this time. They deserve their shot at payback."
This is it. Exactly. Not some ordinary school, but a hub of ability users—why take it lying down?
Abel clapped in admiration, then made his final request.
"If freshmen can join too? I'm confident I can handle it."
"Forgot? This is the Continental Academy. All ability users here—prove yourself, and anything's possible. And you've already proven it, Abel."
Wait and see. The news you want is coming.
With the principal's words, Abel replied with a crisp "Yes, sir!" and withdrew obediently.