I'll Break You
“Who did this to you?”
No response.
Are you asleep?
I wanted to joke around, but I couldn't bring myself to.
A scar? A wound?
No. The despair and helplessness radiating from her crushed both my shoulders.
“Who the fuck did this?”
I asked over and over. Jenella's eyes trembled. Not a single one of her long eyelashes remained. Her heavy eyelids lifted.
Powerless purple irises.
She weakly parted her lips.
“……The Sage. He recognized me.”
With those words, blood gushed from her mouth. I hurriedly wiped her lips with a handkerchief and poured in Divine Power. In a hoarse, broken voice, she continued.
“Filthy, lowly blood daring to oppose him. A guard dog that should've stayed in the shadows, cleaning up ancient monster shit and jerking off in self-satisfaction—why'd it come crawling out?”
Her voice held no emotion.
“He recognized me. He knew everything. He never forgot.”
“That Sage bastard attacked you?”
“No…… The Sage only intervened a tiny bit.”
Subtly, like a grand archmage—no professor noticed.
“When Bulria and I clashed one-on-one, and I detected his flames and raised my barrier, he created a tiny ‘gap.’ Even the safety measures didn't trigger.”
Her body ignited just like that. Without Professor Jayyan's help as she watched the scene, Jenella might've died on the spot.
Her fur burned away, leaving indelible scars, and internal injuries that wouldn't heal easily—something etched itself into Jenella's heart.
“I only realized after getting hit.”
Defeat. That heavy word shattered her passionate spirit in an instant.
“The power he used was from an ancient monster. I couldn't even notice him wielding ancient monster strength while babbling about duty, got stupidly attacked, my mentality collapsed……”
Tears welled up in her eyes. They trickled down her ugly, scarred skin.
“I lost.”
“No.”
I grasped both her hands in mine.
“You didn't lose.”
“No. I lost.”
“It wasn't even a fair fight. That bastard cheated.”
“So what? He'll get punished, sure. Since I'll never control my body properly again, he'll pay me for life. But that's it.”
The tears in Jenella's eyes wouldn't stop.
“Wounds from ancient monster power—even a cardinal couldn't heal them. Probably need a saintess or the pope. But they won't come. Those folks have asses heavier than lead.”
At that moment, over the scars on the hands I held, over the scars etched across her body, mana—no, demonic power—writhed. A black mage? No, not that vibe.
Like how humans and other races cultivate mana, the innate ‘demonic power’ of its true master.
Such power couldn't be easily erased by holy or demonic forces.
Demonic power carved like a curse.
“……Jenella.”
“Sorry. You said you'd help, but I…… I can't do it. Revenge? I…… I'm even scared to live.”
People's stares. A body that won't move as she wills. Wounds scarring her skin. Despair filling body and mind. And her broken spirit.
‘…….’
These were fatal wounds. Surviving was a miracle. But the miracle didn't heal her heart.
“……Dad, I'm sorry. I…… I don't think I can fulfill my duty.”
Then, a familiar voice flashed through my mind.
[How intriguing. Is this fate?]
Fate.
I flinched without realizing. Fate is vague, undefined, but right now, I interpreted it my way.
Her meeting me, befriending me, confiding her secret—is that fate?
“Jenella.”
“…….”
“Remember my true identity?”
She won't die. Her fate isn't death.
No—even if it were.
I'll save her.
-My sole priest is you. Know what that means? You're saint, priest, pope all in one. But you're too weak for that.
I'm a priest. I wield a sword myself, but my essence is ‘priest.’ A priest's duty?
Healing allies so they don't get hurt.
I'll heal her.
The medics said it needed at least cardinal-level treatment. Then I can do it too.
No. I must do it.
“Jenella.”
“…….”
“My true identity. And the god I serve—who'd I say?”
“……The War God Arcana.”
“The War God has only one priest at a time. A new one only comes when the previous dies.”
I gripped one of her hands tightly with both of mine.
“So right now, I'm basically the ‘pope’ or ‘saint’ too.”
So I can do this.
Activated
<Recovery>
<Cure>
I unleashed every holy spell I knew. Divine Power drained rapidly, wrapping Jenella's body in red light.
But it wasn't enough. Recovery alone couldn't heal the scars and wounds etched into her skin.
That demonic power was like a curse. Normally, you'd destroy the caster or medium. But no time for that. I had to heal her like this.
I must succeed.
Then.
Intensified
In an instant, the blessing surged stronger.
As if someone was guiding me.
A holy spell I'd never used before surfaced in my mind.
<Resurrection>
As if engraved in my body, my hands moved on their own, and Divine Power obeyed my will perfectly.
Memories carved into the body.
This is……
‘Senior?’
All my Divine Power drained out.
Still far from enough.
-Master!!!
Ashy arrived with perfect timing alongside Eodukshini, tossing me her sword.
The moment I caught it, Divine Power refilled like connecting to a backup battery, then drained again.
The two embedded gems hummed, speeding up the supply.
“You can do it.”
Ashy, now beside me, grasped Jenella's other hand.
“In this life, you have friends to help you. You're not alone.”
Mysterious words.
“You can become a true hero.”
True hero? No time to question the vagueness.
Divine Power wavered. Jenella's mana stirred. The faint mana that had been dead still writhed inside her.
“……I can do it?”
“Of course.”
Jenella's limp eyes met Ashy's.
Ashy smiled warmly with her eyes and shouted.
“Why mope over one loss? Can't you see we're all struggling? Adria'd say, ‘You didn't know only about me?’ Come on.”
Ashy's mana flowed in. Her mana was unique. Sky blue. But its nature felt like……
“Stop brooding and get up already!”
It resembled the War God's.
………Flash!
The moment mana and Divine Power mixed, the demonic power etched into her skin was pushed out.
The expelled demonic power wailed like a banshee. It lunged at me.
But red Divine Power wrapped my body, devouring the incoming demonic power.
“Ah. Aaaah.”
From the moment the curse vanished, her skin, fur, hair, eyelashes, nails—everything regenerated.
<Recovery>
The ultra-high holy spell I'd used first resolved into Recovery.
This was enough. Jenella's body returned to normal. Eodukshini timely shoved a mirror forward.
Her whole body pristine. Hair shorter, but that sufficed.
“Ah, aaaah……”
Jenella began sobbing.
I awkwardly muttered.
“Ugh, kinda embarrassing, huh?”
“…….”
She cried for a long time.
“You're still taking the exam like that?”
Professor Jayyan stared at bobbed-hair Jenella with surprised eyes.
Jenella nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
“I saw how badly you were hurt. Glad you're healed, but it's still too soon. Rest and I'll handle your credits. It was clearly our academy's fault. I can do that mu—”
“No.”
Jenella refused firmly.
“I have to do it myself.”
Repayment. They lifted her broken self and helped her. So she had to do this much herself.
Jenella clutched her chest. Seeing Eugene wrapped in red aura to heal her, unleashing immense holy magic, striving to save her—her heart pounded with an unknown emotion.
What was it?
Gratitude? Guilt?
Didn't matter. One thing was clear.
“I'll take the exam.”
It was brief, but for the friends who saved her from despair amid medics deeming her hopeless and collapsing—to seize this second chance, for revenge.
She had to take the exam.
“Student Jenella.”
But to Professor Jayyan, it looked different.
Just a student obsessed with the exam, ignoring her health.
She patted Jenella's shoulder.
“Exams aren't everything. This one was our academy's mistake, so we'll give you full marks, top rank, and fair compensation. Don't push yourself.”
“No, it's not about that. Think of it as my personal conviction…… and promise.”
Jayyan tried persuading her repeatedly, but Jenella's resolve didn't waver. If she'd break this easily, she wouldn't have survived.
What if she gave up here?
Eugene and Ashy would understand. But Jenella herself wouldn't accept it.
“I have to take the exam.”
“……No helping it. But you must go with medics, and stop if I say so. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Back to your seat.”
Jenella strode confidently to face Bulria, heels clicking. Bulria glared with bloodshot eyes. Jenella met those eyes she'd feared yesterday and declared.
“I'll break you.”
She'd been pathetic briefly, sure. A lucky survivor looking ridiculous now.
But fine.
She'd prove otherwise. That she wasn't pathetic. That she was worth the effort Eugene and Ashy went through to save her.
“Come at me, beast.”
Thanks to borrowing ‘ancient monster’ power, he reacted to ‘beast.’ Grrr. Bulria snarled, baring sharp fangs.
“……You filthy worm. I gave you one last chance to live.”
“Bullshit. You tried to kill me without the professor stopping you. Don't dress up your shitty skills as luck.”
Jenella did as Eugene taught.
Her middle finger shot skyward.
Bulria's cheeks trembled at the straight middle finger.
“……This time, I'll kill you for real.”
“That's my line.”
Ashy watched it all, smiling inwardly.
Different from last time, crushed by power, envy, jealousy, stares.
Now, rising as a true hero.
With help from a ‘true’ apostle of god, she'd reclaim her place this time.