Beads of sweat trickled down Chloe's forehead as she panted for breath.
She was kneeling on the floor while keeping her wand pointed at Professor Nicola, who was standing a few meters from her with a satisfied look on her face.
"Let's end our training here," Professor Nicola said. "You did well, Chloe."
The moment she heard that their training was over, a sigh escaped Chloe's lips as she lowered her hand holding the wand.
She was aching all over because their training was more demanding than it used to be.
Professor Nicola was teaching her how to effectively conserve her Magic Reserves during combat.
Most Wizards and Witches failed to do this because once they were threatened, they would instinctively use their strongest spells in order to defeat their opponent as fast as possible.
Because of this, their magic reserves would be drained at a rapid pace, especially when they were casting high-level offensive magic that could cause damage to a wide area.
Professor Nicola walked toward the panting First Year, who was still kneeling on the floor and dropped a hand towel on her head.
"Make sure to lock up properly," Professor Nicola ordered before walking toward the exit. "I'll see you again in three days. There's something that I need to handle, so I will not be in the academy for a while. But, even though I'm gone, feel free to use this room to practice."
"Thank you, Master," Chloe replied before wiping her face with the towel given to her. "Have a safe trip."
Professor Nicola gave her Disciple one last glance before leaving the room. She was very happy with how fast Chloe was progressing in her training.
The Professor was also very thankful that she had found a rough gem, whom she could polish, to take in as her Disciple.
Truth be told, she had no intention of taking in a Disciple in the past because there was no one who met her standards.
Who would have thought that after using the Grand Archmage as the target for a silencing spell practice, she would discover someone whose potential had been under the radar since the school year had started? S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
If not for the fact that something important came up, she would continue to train Chloe until the weekend, pushing her to the limit and awakening her potential that was now starting to awaken fully.
Chloe was exhausted, and if not for the stamina potion that Professor Nicola had given her before their training started, she would not even have the strength to stand.
After drinking the potion, she waited for nearly five minutes before it took effect, allowing her to regain the strength to stand.
She left the training room and made sure to lock it before dragging her tired body to Jaeger Manor.
'I want to take a shower before having an early dinner,' Chloe thought. 'After that, I'll sleep early. Tomorrow, I need to meet Koko and the others in the Great Eagle Forest to train in the afternoon…'
Chloe felt like a gladiator, who was forced to fight battle after battle.
But, even though she always found herself physically, mentally, and emotionally drained every time, she didn't feel bad about it.
In fact, she welcomed the harsh training because she could feel herself getting stronger.
She even believed that if she and Langston were to fight against each other, she would no longer be at a disadvantage.
'Still, it would take a while for me to beat Ethan,' Chloe thought with a faint smile on her tired face. 'He doesn't stop improving, so I need to hurry and catch up to him.'
Back then, she felt like a damsel in distress, forcing Ethan to stand and protect her from those who wished to bully her.
Even though he was a Dud, he didn't hesitate to face Langston, which made her very anxious at that time.
However, to her surprise, Ethan won the duel by using a Partial Resonance, which was an incredible feat among Wizards and Witches.
Chloe was very happy back then because Ethan could finally use magic, and he would be able to stay with her in Brynhildr Academy.
But, unexpected things happened.
Before she and Luna could confess their feelings to him, the one he loved was forced to enter a Nexus with Lily in order to escape the Rogue Bandits, who wished to capture them.
When he returned, he was no longer the naive and weak-willed young man whom she knew.
Ethan had grown from a boy to a man, and all of it happened while he wasn't by her side.
She didn't dislike the changes that happened to him. In fact, she loved them very much.
Chloe thought that she couldn't love Ethan more than she already did.
But, when she saw his long blue hair, his mature aura, as well as the confidence oozing out of his body, she felt her heart skip a beat.
His boyish smile had turned into a princely smile that could make the hearts of the ladies beat wildly inside their chests.
Also, his body, which had been trained in the Lands of Alastor, had also become very manly, making even those who disliked him in the past change their opinion of him.
But, his changes also brought other changes.
Lily had become his lover, and he intended to marry her.
Then, there were others like Emma and Lilian, who also made their feelings known to him.
Among these ladies, Chloe was the most ordinary.
She was the least impressive among the group of ladies who had tied their destinies with Ethan's.
Although Luna could only use her magic on the days of the full moon, that didn't change the fact that she was extremely powerful whenever she could use her magic.
Lily was a strong fighter and Witch at the same time. Her battle prowess needed no introduction.
Emma, who had introduced herself as Ethan's Promised One, was a mature beauty, hiding her true appearance from the masses, only showing it to Ethan and them.
Lilian was powerful in her own way, for she had the Legacy of the Rivers and Lakes.
As for her?
She was nobody.
When the students talked about her, they would always refer to her as "Ethan's Cousin" or "Ethan's childhood friend."
In their eyes, she was just an accessory for the young man, whose good looks and exceptional fighting prowess made him stand out from the students of the academy.
But, what made her feel truly heartbroken was when Ethan fought against Lily's brother, Conall.
During their duel, Conall targeted them as they were watching from the stands of the Coliseum.
This forced Ethan to push himself to the limit and drag the Werewolf inside his Domain, protecting them with everything he had.
It was on that day that Chloe truly understood how weak and helpless she was.
If she wasn't weak, Ethan wouldn't have to save her all the time.
So, when the Chesmire Cat, the Lords of the Forests, Lord Edmond, and Professor Nicola recognized her ability, she decided that she couldn't keep on being a damsel to be protected.
No, she wanted to be strong so that Ethan no longer needed to worry about her.
This was also the reason why she decided to distance herself from Ethan.
She wanted some time for herself without getting distracted by his current relationships.
She didn't want to feel jealous and envious of all the talented ladies who would stay by his side forever.
Chloe didn't want to remain average.
She wanted to change from an ugly caterpillar into a butterfly who could go wherever she wanted.
For that, she needed the power to protect not only herself but also the people who were important to her.
When she finally arrived at the Jaeger Manor, she found Luna talking with Lily in the Common Room of their manor.
Luna was well-loved by the Wizards and Witches of Jaeger Manor, so she was given permission to enter it anytime she wanted.
"You look terrible," Luna commented as soon as she saw her best friend.
"Tell me something that I don't already know," Chloe replied, as she allowed Luna to help her climb the stairs so that she could return to her room.
"Ethan wants to meet and talk to you," Luna said. "Can you spare him some of your time tomorrow?"
Chloe's body stiffened after hearing her best friend's words. For a brief moment, she hesitated, but after pondering for a while, she reluctantly nodded her head, which made Luna smile happily.
"Tomorrow at midnight," Chloe stated. "Tell him to meet me on the island at the center of the lake."
She didn't know why Ethan wanted to meet her, but since he took the initiative to ask Luna, she thought that it must be very important.
'Should I wear something nice tomorrow?' Chloe thought while removing her clothes to take a bath. 'I wonder what he is going to tell me…'
Chloe didn't know at that time that her meeting with Ethan would trigger a series of events, which would make the two of them realize how much they truly cared for each other.