Chapter 9: Utterly Ruined
Jessica's body was done.
Not in a haha, that was exhausting kind of way.
Not in a wow, my legs feel like jelly kind of way.
No.
This was the kind of absolute ruin where every single muscle screamed in betrayal, where standing felt like a crime against nature, and where even breathing felt like dragging herself over hot coals.
She genuinely wasn't sure how she had managed to stay upright this long.
And now?
She needed help.
Which was why she had turned to her dearest, doting, tsundere brother and shamelessly asked:
"Brother... can you carry me?" she said, coquettishly, batting her lashes.
Tobias scoffed. "Really? Five seconds in a fight and now you need to be carried? Disgraceful."
Jessica rolled her eyes.
Tobias exhaled sharply.
Without another word, he scooped her up.
She blinked. "Oh? So you do care."
He clicked his tongue, already carrying her toward the infirmary.
"Shut up, Jess."
—
The journey to the infirmary was... humbling.
Tobias didn't even complain all that much.
He just scooped her up, his only complaints being a mumble about how much of a "stupid disgrace of a sister" she was, and marched forward while she went boneless in his arms.
The murmurs followed them all the way there.
Whispers. Stares. Judgment.
After all, just moments ago, Jessica had somehow managed to outpace an instructor for five absurd seconds—and now she couldn't even walk.
It made zero sense.
By the time they reached the infirmary, she was mentally preparing herself for a lecture.
She was not prepared for the sheer horror on the healer's face.
—
The healer's reaction was instant.
Her near-death experience before losing her memories.
The dire wolves.
The fight just now.
The healer was absolutely appalled as she checked Jessica's condition.
Apparently, it wasn't just soreness.
She had pushed her body so far past its limits that she should have been collapsed hours ago.
"Forget fighting," the healer scolded. "How are you even awake?"
...Good question.
She cast several spells to relieve the muscle strain—enough to make moving possible, but not enough to let Jessica get up and cause more trouble.
Then came the scolding.
Then the second scolding, this time directed at Tobias.
Then the third scolding, back at Jessica.
Then a lecture on proper recovery.
And by the time the healer finally left—
Tobias sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and said:
"If you insist on fighting like a degenerate idiot and disgracing the Moran name..."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Then I'll personally make sure you have the endurance to keep up this stupid act."
And then—
He actually started massaging her muscles.
—
To be honest?
Jessica didn't care why he was doing it.
Maybe he was just frustrated.
Maybe he was reluctantly supportive.
Maybe he had just accepted that she was a lost cause.
Didn't matter.
She won this round.
And as he worked through the knots of agony in her legs and shoulders, she couldn't help but think—
This is the best thing that's happened to me all day.