Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 34

EP.34 The Rosary

A church near the Academy.

Lea stood up, her white cross stained with red blood. She used the most powerful healing magic available to mend her body, which was wracked with intense pain and covered in wounds.

Normally, such severe injuries would require the attention of several priests for proper recovery. However, by drawing upon the immense divine power within the church, she was able to heal herself alone. As long as she avoided exerting herself for two or three days, she would fully recover.

‘But…’

Now that she confirmed the return of the hero she had longed for, she couldn’t simply lie down and do nothing. Dragging her blood-soaked body, she forced herself to walk out the door. Every step sent waves of intense pain through her but knowing that the hero was alive turned all her suffering into joy. By the time she reached the exit, her twisted expression had transformed into one of pure happiness.

‘The hero is alive.’

She never imagined she would get to say those words herself. The pain he inflicted on her served as proof of his existence, and she smiled widely at the realization. After taking a moment to calm herself with deep breaths, she straightened up.

‘The hero may be bewitched by that saintess now, but soon he will realize.’

But he would soon realize who his true ally was and who could be of more help to him.

‘So… I need to deal with that saintess first.’

Only then could Lea ensure that his focus wouldn’t be diverted elsewhere and would be solely on her. She wanted to deal with it immediately, but there was one problem.

‘The hero’s persistent grudge against me is becoming tiresome.’

She admitted she had been harsh in the past, but given the stressful circumstances, she wanted him to understand that her actions were inevitable. She wished she could persuade him until he accepted it, but with the saintess constantly by his side, she knew it wouldn’t work.

She needed to take a different approach.

‘By redirecting his anger towards me onto the saintess…’

If she could channel his hatred towards the saintess and then kill her together with the hero, everything would go as she desired. Using the rosary…

“……?”

The rosary that should have been hanging around her neck…

What?

Lea’s mind went blank when she couldn’t find the rosary that was supposed to be there. Losing the church’s sacred relic, which she could never afford to forget, was unthinkable. Desperately searching every inch of her body, she couldn’t find the rosary anywhere.

“……”

She touched her neck in disbelief, her hands flailing aimlessly. No matter how much she searched, the fact that it was gone didn’t change. Only the drying blood stuck to her fingertips.

It felt like a sword was pressed against her throat, making it hard to breathe. Unable to bear the sensation, she gagged until the sound of a priest’s scream nearby brought her back to her senses.

“B-Bishop!”

It seemed that the priest had seen her covered in blood. Hearing the scream, Lea felt a strange calmness settle over her. She tried to gesture that she was okay, but the priest, unable to accept it, frantically cast healing spells and clung to her side.

As Lea watched, she noticed the priest had left a trail of items where they first discovered her. This led her to the simple realization she had been too flustered to remember.

‘The rosary must be in the infirmary.’

It was an obvious fact, but her panic had clouded her judgment. Now, with a sense of relief that she had identified the rosary’s location, she knew she needed to retrieve it.

The realization that everything she had planned could be jeopardized if the rosary was lost or if rumours about its disappearance spread made her determination clear.

‘I must get it back.’

Determined, she decided to go after it immediately and spoke to the nearby priest.

“…Excuse me, could you do me a favour?”

“Y-Yes?”

Seeing the priest’s startled expression, Lea whispered a request she knew could not be refused. The priest’s face turned pale, and his eyes widened as he listened.

“Since it’s a request from the bishop, you must comply.”

At those words, the priest stopped his healing and could only nod in agreement.

***

Jeong-hyeon looked at the rosary he had picked up and chuckled. How desperate must Lea have been to leave behind such a sacred relic of the church?

‘Sweet.’

Not only did beating her feel good, but finding this treasure was the cherry on top. It was almost too sweet to bear.

Humming a tune, Jeong-hyeon looked at the rosary. Lucia, who had been standing nearby, glanced at him with bright eyes and asked.

“Jeong-hyeon…! What’s that?”

Jeong-hyeon showed her the rosary, and as soon as Lucia saw it, she looked at him with a mixture of surprise and concern.

“…Is that the rosary that Bishop Lea carries around?”

“Probably.”

Lucia stared at it with a blank expression before turning serious and spoke.

“…If we use this, we might be able to finish what we started with Lea.”

Finish what they started? It was hard to believe such words were coming from a saintess. But since he was the one who had influenced her to speak this way, Jeong-hyeon couldn’t say anything.

‘… This is why adults say you should choose your friends wisely.’

Even though it was a bit ironic for Jeong-hyeon to say so, he had to admit there was truth to the advice.

‘Anyway.’

It was true that using the rosary could deliver a solid blow to Lea. Jeong-hyeon pondered how best to use it against her. Then Lucia, who had been watching him, spoke up again.

“…There’s a serious problem.”

Her extremely serious expression made Jeong-hyeon tense. He nodded calmly, wondering what the issue could be. Lucia pointed to the bloodstains scattered around the room and continued.

“We need to clean this up before the nurse arrives.”

For something she said so seriously, it was quite trivial. Feeling a bit deflated, Jeong-hyeon asked.

“…That’s it?”

“Yes. Isn’t it terrifying?”

Whether she was genuinely worried about that or not, Lucia didn’t add anything further. Jeong-hyeon glanced around and sighed lightly.

“Don’t worry. I have a solution.”

“A solution?”

Instead of answering, Jeong-hyeon nodded and fell into thought.

‘Cleaning is faster with more people, especially if they’re mages.’

Deciding to put his unused, well, friends to work, Jeong-hyeon spoke up to Lucia.

“Go to the Magic Department and bring Hena and Mizuya. One’s a fire mage, and the other’s a water mage.”

Upon hearing the request to fetch his friends, who had joined during the dungeon rampage, Lucia responded with admiration.

“That certainly would be faster.”

And she immediately left the infirmary.

Jeong-hyeon, observing Lucia’s reaction, let out a light sigh mixed with self-reflection.

***

After finishing the cleanup, Jeong-hyeon returned to his dorm and checked the information about the rosary.

*-*

[Rosary of Amplification] (Unique)

Description: A symbol and token of the church. Merely possessing it amplifies divine power and bestows various blessings. When infused with divine power, it allows the use of powerful divine skills.

*-*

It was a unique-grade rosary. Jeong-hyeon paused in thought. The rosary’s performance was so exceptional that it seemed wasteful to use it merely as a bargaining chip.

‘I’d like to wear it myself, but…’

The problem was that wearing it could lead to an all-out war with the church, making it quite risky to carry around. Stuck in this dilemma, he was pondering when someone knocked on his door.

“Can I come in?”

It was Miria’s voice. Jeong-hyeon hesitated, debating whether to let her in. Before he could decide, Miria entered his room somewhat shamelessly and waved at him.

“I’m here.”

“……”

One might think they were close friends from the way she acted. Jeong-hyeon wondered if this was the same person who had threatened his life. Miria then noticed the rosary in his hand and asked.

“What’s that?”

Jeong-hyeon thought for a moment and decided to be honest, realizing that the contract he had with Miria meant she couldn’t betray him.

“It’s the rosary that Bishop Lea had.”

Miria’s face froze at those words, and she blinked in surprise. It seemed she couldn’t have imagined he would possess such an item.

“Why? How… no, how did you get that?”

After a moment of contemplation, Jeong-hyeon answered honestly.

“I punched Lea and picked it up.”

At the mention of the punch, Miria held her head, closing her eyes as if dizzy. Then she spoke in a complex tone.

“That… punch? Is it the punch I’m thinking of?”

“Yes.”

“…Well, that’s impressive in many ways.”

Jeong-hyeon watched as Miria’s expression shifted to one of growing despair. Curious, he decided to ask about the issue he was facing.

“Do you happen to know a way to use this rosary without the church finding out?”

Contrary to his expectation that she wouldn’t have an answer, Miria surprisingly told him there was a way.

“Yes. It’s difficult, but there is one method.”