Marksman and Tank

The cafe looked quite comfortable, dark oak tables and chairs with warm lighting with bookshelves as decoration.

There was a marble countertop for ordering and the scent of coffee filled the room adding to the atmosphere.

"We can sit here." Marcus said pointing at a table.

He had brown hair with brown eyes and was a bit shorter in stature, with a pale skin tone and sharp jawline, he had a composed expression.

"This place sure looks expensive." Grant said jokingly with slight worry on his face.

Grant towered over everyone standing at 205 cm in height and with a wide and muscular frame, he had flaming red hair with a stubble on his chin and tanned skin.

"You don't have to pay for anything." Marcus spoke evenly.

"Alright!"

Grant celebrated as he went towards the counter to order something and the rest followed close behind.

I had no idea what I was doing here, I was still disappointed in myself for giving in so easily but as the rest of them finished ordering, Marcus turned to me and asked.

"You're not going to get anything?"

"No." I replied.

"Really? Don't feel bad for Marcus, he's got plenty of money after all he is the heir of the R-" Grant tried to say but Marcus elbowed him in the stomach.

"Ow!" Grant said but it didn't seem like he was hurt as he just laughed it off.

They continued bickering as we sat around a table but soon, they calmed down as the two looked towards me.

"I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Marcus and this muscle monster is Grant."

"Ha! Keep talking rich boy and I'll buy even more food." Grant taunted.

"Do you have no shame?" Marcus said with a sigh.

"Not really." Grant shrugged.

Before they could bicker anymore Clair interrupted.

"Where have you been for the past three days Ajax? Were you preparing for your move to the academy?"

"No. I won't be attending the academy."

"What? Aren't you an awakened?" Clair raised her voice, as the other two also listened in.

"I am but I wasn't allowed in the academy." I replied.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense, don't all new awakened get admitted into one of the academies?"

At this point Emma intervened by telling Clair.

"The circumstances with Ajax are complicated, if he doesn't want to share now, we shouldn't push."

I suppose Adam would have told her the basic gist as to why I wasn't let in, after all he was quite angry about it and used Kane family resources to help me.

"Alright... but wait then what's that case for and what have you been doing in the city for the past few days?" Clair questioned.

I gave them a summary of the past few days, cutting out the part about the Combat Manual.

*Emma POV*

"A mercenary! Why?"

Ajax seemed a bit uncomfortable at Clair's concerned expression as his multicolored eyes stared at the floor.

"It makes sense in a way; the hero association wouldn't take him if he's not from the academy." Marcus said with a thoughtful expression.

He wasn't wrong but Clair still seemed upset.

"Still! He went into a danger zone alone!" She spoke.

I believed that Ajax was actually underselling the danger he put himself in as he didn't talk about how much money he got or what monsters he killed.

It made me wonder how strong he really was or how strong he could be.

"It's pretty admirable if you ask me." Grant said attempting to pat Ajax which Ajax avoided.

"Just be safe, okay? You should take a break from training and going to danger zones for some time, you could watch the opening ceremony tomorrow." Clair said to him.

"I'll try." Ajax said in his monotone voice.

I had a feeling that he wouldn't be there.

"Could I see the weapon?" Marcus said suddenly pointing at the case.

I was curious about that too; I knew he fought with a knife, but it wasn't uncommon to have two weapons.

Ajax seemed hesitant due to the staff, but Marcus assured him that they wouldn't mind, so Ajax handed him the case warily.

Marcus opened the case to reveal a sleek black recurve bow with a golden R imprinted on it along with a quiver full of arrows.

Clair and Grant also looked at the weapon before Grant whistled in admiration and said to Marcus.

"Looks like you have some competition rich boy."

"Not exactly." He said closing the box and returning it to Ajax.

That was true, Marcus was also training to be a marksman, but he didn't use a bow and arrow but the more popular alternative of mana guns, dual pistols to be exact.

"Marksmen like you and me are pretty desired in parties, I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding work." He said to Ajax with a smile.

'Desired? Bullshit, they're feared.'

Marksmen could heavily dictate the flow of battle, raining death from afar and most warriors and even mages are helpless against a competent marksman who is far away.

So how do you counter an enemy marksman? By having one in your party.

Returning the case as our food arrived, Marcus frowned before saying.

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you had this weapon?"

"Three days." Ajax replied.

"Hm, Clair's right, you should lay off the training." He spoke.

I was surprised by this and said "What? Don't you want him to grow stronger so you can hire him later on?"

Marcus took a sip from his tea before replying.

"First of all, rude. Second of all, the weapon already has signs of use like imprints and even blood stains, which means he's been using it nonstop; he may grow stronger but training all day isn't good for you mentally."

He sounded like my father when I would train for too long, but I agreed, growing stronger was good but not at the cost of one's happiness.

Ajax had his same impassive expression, but knowing his personality so far, it was pretty likely that he would go that far.

However, his expression changed as his eyes widened momentarily in surprise when Marcus handed him a cup of coffee and some apple pie.

"I didn't order this." He said a bit flustered.

"I know. Either eat it or leave it." Marcus said slyly.

Ajax hesitated for a moment, staring at the plates before eventually giving in and sliding the plate towards himself.

"Thank you." He said in a shy manner lowering his head to cover his face.

Marcus had a satisfied smile on his face, he could somehow always guess what to do in order to win favor from people.

'Wait.'

Was he already trying to get on Ajax's good side so that he could work with him later on? After all the aura that Ajax gave off was that of a promising warrior and even my brother thought so.

'Fuck! That sly bastard!'

While I was trying to compare my strength to his like an idiot, Marcus was already working to secure a future cooperator with his family's guild, just like he had with Grant.

Almost as if he noticed my gaze Marcus turned to me while drinking his tea and smiled mockingly.