CH 10

As soon as I nodded, he turned around and disappeared somewhere. Meanwhile, Axion looked between the captain’s retreating figure and me with eyes overflowing with astonishment. “Wow… This is the first time I’ve ever seen His Excellency behave like that,” he said. 

“Well, yeah,” I shrugged. “This isn’t your ordinary case of recruitment.”

“No, not that. Well, yes, that’s strange too, but…” Axion babbled incoherently, a clear indicator of how lost he was at Mayer’s behavior. “His Excellency didn’t even say anything when you grabbed his shoulder.” 

“…Is that such a big deal?” I asked, confused. I had appeared out of nowhere and became the vice-captain, but he found that more serious?

Axion was too immersed in his thoughts to pay me any attention. “Normally, he would’ve given you a look full of disdain, or shaken off your arm… But no, he even made a joke…”

“Uh, Axion?”

“Then again, it’s extraordinary enough to have been chosen by His Excellency as a new member of the expedition. You certainly are worthy of it… The time taken to raid the dungeon got reduced by a whole two-thirds, after all,” Axion mumbled to himself, off in a world of his own. He didn’t look very sane as he went back and forth between denial and acknowledgment.

Spooked, I involuntarily stepped away from him, and the motion seemed to belatedly snap him out of his reverie. With a bright grin, he looked at me and said, “Ahh, my apologies. I was a bit confused as this isn’t something that happens so commonly.”

“…Just in case, I’d like to make it clear that I never asked His Excellency to take me in as one of the Dark Knights. He was the one who proposed it to me from the start.” As I spoke, I recalled the conversation I had with Axion back in the dungeon. He had been against having me—someone they had found alone in a dungeon—among them because I was a suspicious person. He had insisted that it would be troublesome if I clung to them later in an attempt to try and join the corps; however, Mayer had strongly insisted on bringing me with them.

In hindsight, I should’ve noticed something was off, but now it was too late to regret anything.

After that, Axion had continuously bothered me even while we were clearing the dungeon, annoying me so much I even swore ‘Saint Marianne’s Oath’—an unbreakable vow—to him. I had promised to never ask to be recruited as one of them, and I made good on my promise: the captain had been the one who invited me to the corps.

“Ahh, the oath…” he murmured a bit sheepishly. “Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry about my actions back then.” 

His change of attitude was quick… surprisingly so. With an uncomfortable nod, I replied, “Well… It was understandable. I know how support mages are looked upon.”

“But because I met you, I have realized how helpful support mages can be so thank you for expanding my narrow view of the world, Jun. Please call me Axion, I’m a ranged attacker of the Dark Knights’ First Platoon,” Axion said, extending a hand toward me for a shake of reconciliation. 

I surveyed the gesture with mixed feelings. As Mayer’s faithful right-hand man, Axion was extremely displeased when Fabian Corps made steady achievements in the first playthrough, rising to fame alongside Mayer’s name. The two expedition corps rarely met, due to both being busy closing dungeons, but there would always be a big commotion whenever they did. I could still remember how he ignored Fabian Corps for having a support mage.

In any case, aside from not having a good personality, he was fierce-tempered, too. It was why I had been expecting him to lord it over me for being a newcomer. Surprisingly enough, though, he willingly welcomed me. His abrupt change in attitude was almost freaky.

Axion held power among the Dark Knights. There was nothing to lose from being friendly with him, considering how he was the second strongest damage dealer after Mayer. I laughed lightly and accepted his handshake. “I look forward to working with you.”

“I feel ashamed for my particularly irritable behavior in the previous dungeon. You see, at the time I was taking the lead as a test from the captain, which is why when I came across an unknown factor from the very start…” He trailed off. 

No wonder. I did think it weird that Axion had been the one cracking down on me so hard when his captain hadn’t been saying much. “Was your evaluation ruined because of me?” I asked, worried.

“No. I received very good marks because of you. Thank you,” he said, his eyes curving up and expressing his gratefulness. It was puzzling to me how he acknowledged my skills much simpler than I thought he would.