18.) She Who I Wish to Protect

After Lily made this bold declaration, the following days consisted of Dawn building up her strength and stamina, running laps outside around the field, and performing various exercises such as push-ups, squats, and lifting weights.

Afterward, despite how dead tired Dawn would feel, their training would only end after a spar between the two ladies—the results ending in Lily's favor.

Dawn wasn't the only one put through training. One day the young mage, Daniel, called Kris outside. The two stood across from each other in the empty field. Neither Kris nor the young mage looked happy to be standing here.

'So this pipsqueak is supposed to be training me? The kid barely looks like he can withstand a punch!'

Kris may have a cute face, but growing up without a father, and a mother who was rarely home, he had to learn how to survive and fight whenever the other kids looked down on him and tried to bully him.

'I can't believe Lily forced me to train this pompous-looking pretty boy! He's got nothing but his looks going for him,' Daniel grumbled and recalled Lily's pretty smile that lit up the room when she found him in the library and asked for this favor. Daniel, by all rights, wanted to reject it, finding the idea a waste of his time, but Lily's smile had a special effect on him.

'It's not like I have feelings for Lily or anything! Besides, Lily clearly sees me as a younger brother despite the fact that she is only three years older than me!'

Daniel ignored that slight ache in his chest, but the jealousy in his eyes burned bright when he remembered Lily's infatuated look when she first spoke highly of the men in Dawn's group.

Kris could sense Daniel's burning gaze and curiously raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! Are we going to do this or what?" asked Kris. "And what are you doing here?!" Kris pointed at Rin, who sat innocently on the ground eating a bag of chips that without a doubt one of the girls at the base handed to him after falling for his beautiful face.

Between Kris and Rin attractive looks, it seemed Rin was the more popular and approachable. At least once a day, the girls at the base would walk up to him and hand him random snacks with blushing cheeks and love-struck eyes.

After the hell they had to endure with the world in its current state, Rin's appearance was a breath of fresh air that reawakened bits of their former selves, reminding them of the time when they would get obsessed and fawned over hot celebrities and idols.

"Mistress has ordered me to leave her side so she can concentrate on her training." A depressed gray cloud hung over a chibified Rin's, deeply missing his mistress, who he had only been away from for a couple of hours.

Such a look perturbed Kris, remembering what Dawn had said about ice-elves and their devotion to their benefactor. A fact that rang a little too true and borderline creepy.

Watching Rin always standing a centimeter's length away from Dawn's side, following her like a loyal puppy everywhere she went, including the bathroom, which she declined but Rin insisted on following her.

'So translation: you were being a bother, and she needed peace of mind while she trained.' Kris understood Dawn's intentions.

"Okay, but why isn't he taking part in this little training session?" Kris asked and jerked his thumb at the ice-elf.

"All of his scores are acceptable. If anything, yours were the weakest of the three," Daniel plainly stated.

"What!? Just who are you calling weak!?" Kris's pupils flared with anger.

"You heard me loud and clear," said Daniel, onyx orbs glowing white before quickly turning back to their natural color. "The mass of mana inside of you is large but very unstable," The young mage revealed.

"So just like Dawn, you have a special kind of cheat-ability that allows you to see one's mana levels." Kris's detection skills earned a chuckle from Daniel.

"Glad to see you're not dumb. Otherwise, I really would have to ponder how on earth you made it this far." The insult from the young mage managed to get under Kris's skin.

"Why, you little brat." Beneath Kris's feet, a black ominous spell circle appeared. Five black skeletons wielding spears and swords arose from it. With a zombie-like groan, the group charged at Daniel, who kept his cool despite the shock he felt inside to find out Kris was a necromancer.

'So his banker is one who controls the undead, huh?' An ancient book adorned in gold details appeared in Daniel's hands and flipped itself open. A page lit with ancient text glowed yellow.

"Shining Arrows of Light!" recited the young mage. Mana in the form of arrows besieged the group of skeleton monsters. Just as quickly as the battle began, it ended.

"What the?! How did you defeat my skeletons so quickly?" Kris stared in disbelief at what he just witnessed.

"I'm the one who should be shocked! You have an amazing ability, but clearly, you are not using it right!" mocked Daniel, enjoying the flush of rage that filled Kris's eyes.

"Tch, and what do you know about skill, shrimp? You probably got this far by riding on the coattails of your teammates!" Kris made the wrong move when he dished out this insult. One second he was standing on his feet. The next second, breath left his lungs as he was knocked a yard away by a cannon burst of water.

"What do you know about hard work, huh?! I busted my ass to get this far while you only got lucky! Do you know how many times I thought I was going to die, but I didn't! Why? Because... Because I wanted to be of use to her! I wanted to be able to protect Lily!" Daniel trembled with rage. A pink flush crept across his cheeks.

"Do you have someone you wish to protect and be useful to? 'Cause if you did, you wouldn't be this weak!"

Daniel's words burned Kris with humiliation. He remembered the day Dawn first stumbled upon him, how she saved him from death and then saved his life for a second time during their battle against the Flame Griffin. Both times Kris cursed his feelings of helplessness.

But he was unable to do anything as he watched Dawn risk her life. "Do I have someone I wish to protect? Once upon a time, I would scoff at such words, but now..." Holding his injured abdomen that screamed in pain, Kris picked himself off the ground.

"She rushes into battle. Comes up with these crazy ideas and vainly tries to show off. The type who believes in treating others as to how they have treated her and is a big crybaby no matter how hard she tries to hide it." Thinking fondly of Dawn, who appeared in his life when death was knocking on his door, flooded Kris with warmth as he smiled and looked at Daniel.

"I know exactly how you feel 'cause I too have someone I wish to protect and not become a burden to."