Chapter 18: Pet and Play
PH1RE'S P.O.V
Mana slowly seeped into the orb I placed my hand on, lighting it up. The mist within the orb slowly shifted and took the form of an "E."
"Well done, Loid," said Gwyn with a light clap.
"Congratulations on reaching Class E. Feel free to enjoy the rest of your morning," Lydia added, her tone calm but approving.
"Huh? Why!?" I asked in surprise.
"It's better to relax your mana since it's in flux due to ranking up," she explained. "It also serves as my reward to you."
"Thank you!" I replied, a bit too eagerly.
"Great, so what are we gonna do with our free time, Loid?" said Maya enthusiastically, clearly ready to take advantage of the rare break.
"We?" Lydia interjected, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's a reward, right?" Maya responded, her excitement suddenly shifting to uncertainty.
"When were you under the impression you were free today? As a matter of fact, I should probably increase the stress of your training so you can catch up," Lydia added, already walking away.
"Come along!" she beckoned, her voice firm as ever.
"HELP ME!" Maya mouthed to me as she followed Lydia with reluctant steps.
Gwyn giggled at Maya's antics, while I made a silent prayer for her in my mind.
Every morning before our weekly spar against Lydia, we would head to Gwyn's room to use the ranking orb to check our mana quality. I wasn't surprised that I'd reached Class E mana first, though I wasn't confident that would translate to beating Maya in a fight. My situation felt like having a slightly better gun but not enough bullets. Still, I was making progress, and that's all that mattered.
I sat down in a nearby chair, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. In just five months, Maya and I had been thoroughly traumatized by Lydia's brutal training regimen.
"So, any plans for the morning?" Gwyn asked, noticing my exhaustion but not letting it kill her cheery mood.
"No, not really. What about you?" I asked, observing her as she prepared to leave the room.
"Oh! That's right. You haven't met Leo yet," she remarked, as if she'd just remembered something important.
"Who?" I asked, intrigued.
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And that's how I ended up outside, lugging a huge slab of meat from the storehouse with no idea what it was for. The meat, nearly frozen, started to thaw in the midday heat, and the resulting moisture was soaking through my clothes. I stared blankly at the situation.
"Are you just using me for muscle?" I asked, deadpan.
"You wouldn't want a girl doing manual labor herself, would you?" Gwyn asked, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.
One thing that had become painfully clear in the five months I'd been living here was that Gwyn was a genius, the kind of outlier that would stand out even in the modern world I came from. As a mere mortal, it was entirely likely that her asking me if I had plans today was just a way to con me into carrying this giant slab of meat.
"LEO!" Gwyn shouted, her voice carrying through the trees. A low rumble echoed from the forest's edge, growing louder by the second.
Unlike the orphanage, where the forest was an undeveloped part of the area that eventually led to civilization, the guild was surrounded by a vast, untamed woodland. It felt more wild, less controlled, and more alive. The rumbling grew louder until a huge figure burst through the trees, landing gracefully at Gwyn's feet.
The creature's red mane was thick, clearly still growing, while crimson streaks ran down its face and body. Its tail swayed back and forth excitedly like a house cat. The massive beast stood taller than Gwyn herself, but its eyes glowed with a calm intelligence.
"Fire Lion," I muttered under my breath, taking a cautious step back.
"Good boy, Leo! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," Gwyn said, her voice soft as she scratched under the lion's chin. Leo purred in appreciation, his deep rumble vibrating the ground beneath my feet.
"Hey, Loid!" Gwyn's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"You might want to toss him the meat before he eats you instead," she said, grinning.
"Right!" I quickly threw the slab of meat onto the ground in front of Leo.
The slab of meat hit the ground with a dull thud, and in an instant, the Fire Lion—Leo—pounced on it.
"He's... really something," I muttered, trying to keep my distance from the beast.
"He's our pride and joy," Gwyn said proudly, scratching behind Leo's ear as he devoured the slab of meat. "My dad and I raised him."
"Raised him? From what? A cub?" I asked, still eyeing Leo warily.
"Yep!" Gwyn beamed, wiping her hands on her pants after finishing the petting session. "He was abandoned when he was just a baby. We found him on one of our trips. Took a lot of work, but now he's part of the family."
"I see... A giant, fire-breathing lion as a pet. Totally normal."
Gwyn giggled. "Oh, come on. He's not that bad once you get to know him. Besides, he's really well-trained. Aren't you, Leo?"
Leo, now done with his meal, let out a low purr and nuzzled into Gwyn's hand. The affection between them was almost sweet, but I couldn't help but feel on edge.
"Can he—uh—actually breathe fire?" I asked.
"Of course!" Gwyn responded, her voice filled with pride. "He's not just for show. His fire abilities are still developing, but once he's full-grown, he'll be able to conjure flames hotter than anything you've seen."
"Great...," I muttered under my breath. "A walking fire hazard."
Gwyn must have heard me because she burst into laughter. "Look whose talking. Don't worry, Leo's only dangerous to people who mean harm. You have nothing to fear. Here, try petting him!"
"Uh, no thanks. I'm good from here," I replied quickly, backing away a few steps.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," she teased, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward Leo before I could protest.
Before I knew it, I was standing next to the giant Fire Lion, whose golden eyes were now focused intently on me. He sniffed the air, then lowered his head, as if waiting for my touch. I was still pretty intimidated by it's size, but the fact that it was acting more like a house cat and less like a wild beast was comforting.
"Just a quick pat," I told myself, gingerly reaching out to touch Leo's mane. The moment my hand made contact, I was hit with a wave of warmth—not the unpleasant, searing kind you'd expect from a creature with fire powers, but more like the comforting warmth of a campfire on a cold night.
"He likes me," I remarked with a surprised smile.
"Don't get too cocky. He likes pretty much anyone who feeds him," Gwyn said, grinning. "He's cool with people but hates other animals for some reason."
"Wait, if he's cool with people but not animals, why keep him out in the wild most of the time?" I asked, still stroking Leo's mane.
"Because he's technically our most effective employee," she said with a smile. "We get contracts to keep the population of magical creatures in the forest under control, and Leo handles most of that for us."
"Wait, so Leo makes more money than everyone?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Almost everyone," Gwyn corrected, lifting her chin proudly. "I still make more."
I laughed. "That's one thin leash you're keeping him on."
She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, we feed him every week just to remind him we exist. If we didn't, he might wander off and forget all about us."
"That's... not exactly reassuring." I glanced at Leo, who now seemed more interested in napping than devouring any magical creatures.
"You know, I've heard of guilds having mascots for their insignias, but I figured it would be, I don't know... a red raven?" I said, still petting the oversized lion.
Maya, who had been watching from a few steps away, tilted her head. "There's no such thing as a red raven."
"Yeah, I know," I said, scratching my head. "But why name the guild after something that doesn't exist?"
"Guess you'll have to ask my dad about that one,"
"So," Gwyn said after a while. "Since we have some time, how about a little fun?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Fun?"
"Yeah, let's play a game!" she said, her eyes lighting up with mischief.
"What kind of game?" I asked warily, knowing that "fun" with Gwyn could mean anything from harmless entertainment to something completely out of control.
She grinned. "A race. Me and Leo versus you."
"A race?" I repeated, staring at Leo, who was now fully focused on me. "You're kidding, right? There's no way I can outrun him."
"Of course you can! Just use Plus Step," she said, as if it were the simplest solution in the world.
"But I haven't even mastered it yet," I protested.
"That's the point! You'll get better at it through practice. Come on, where's your sense of a challenge?"
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped. Maybe this was the push I needed to improve my control over Plus Step. And it's not like I had any other plans for the day. I sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll do it."
"Awesome!" Gwyn clapped her hands, her excitement contagious. "Let's head to the field, and we'll see how you stack up against Leo."
As we made our way toward the open training field, I mentally prepared myself for what I was sure would be a humiliating defeat. Leo trotted ahead, his tail swishing back and forth, clearly excited by the prospect of a race.
We reached the field, and I took a deep breath. "Alright, how's this going to work?"
"We'll start at the same point and race to that tree over there," Gwyn explained, pointing to a distant oak at the edge of the clearing. "You use Plus Step, and Leo will... well, be Leo."
I nodded, stretching my legs as I tried to focus on gathering mana to my feet.
"Ready?" Gwyn called out, mounting Leo's back.
"Not really," I muttered.
"Go!"
In a blur, Leo shot forward, his powerful legs propelling him across the field with incredible speed. I quickly activated Plus Step, feeling the rush of mana surge through my legs, and took off after them. I tried my best to keep up, the world around me seemed to blur for a second. My legs felt light as the mana surged, propelling me forward in a burst of speed.
But just as quickly as I shot off, the mana flow slipped slightly, causing me to wobble. I tried to regain my balance, but by the time I steadied myself, Leo and Gwyn were already halfway to the tree—a streak of red and brown against the green field.
"Focus!" I muttered to myself, gritting my teeth. I could feel the mana pooling in my legs again, and this time, I controlled it more carefully. Pushing forward with another Plus Step, I felt the exhilarating rush as the ground beneath me blurred.
For a moment, I thought I was catching up. Then, Leo gave a mighty leap, clearing an incredible distance in one bound. He landed with a grace that belied his massive size. Gwyn whooped in triumph, her voice carried on the wind as they crossed the finish line with ease.
My disappointment caused me to lose focus, and I hit the ground harder than expected. My foot struck awkwardly, sending me careening off balance. I veered to the left and tumbled headfirst into the grass, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
Groaning, I lay there with my face buried in the dirt as Gwyn's giggles reached my ears.
"That... was... impossible," I gasped, hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.
Gwyn dismounted from Leo, grinning from ear to ear. "Not bad for your first real attempt with Plus Step! You were actually keeping up for a second."
"A second," I repeated, still wheezing.
Leo padded over, nudging my arm with his massive head as if to congratulate me on a race well-run. I gave him a half-hearted pat, though I couldn't help but feel a little deflated.
"You did well," Gwyn said, offering a genuine smile. "Better than most people would've done on their first try."
I looked at her skeptically. "Most people don't have to race a literal fire-breathing lion."
She laughed. "Fair point."
"Honestly, Leo is probably more useful than me. He's faster and most likely better with fire too," I grumbled, glancing at the large lion still affectionately nudging me.
"Leo is more useful than most of the guild members," she remarked with a playful smirk. "It's not a good idea to compare yourself to him."
"I'll take your word for it," I said, forcing a smile.
"Let's head back to the guild. I've got work to do!" she declared, turning to lead the way.
I silently followed, Leo trotted alongside us, his red mane swaying in the wind. For all his fearsome appearance, he really was more of a big, fiery kitten than a dangerous beast—at least to those he trusted. Although I would have to see him hunt first before believing otherwise.
Still, the race had been eye-opening.
And so, as we reached the edge of the forest and the Leo walked away from us back into the forest I gave a wave deciding to set him as my current goal.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone