Chapter 106: An Offer

The instructor gave them another break.

Leon got his water this time and watched two students on the next mat struggle to get hold of each other. They had stayed on their feet longer than both of his rounds combined.

He looked over to the far side where Raul and Dustin were somehow paired together, he suspected they switched their partners. They were really going at it, but it was hard to tell if they were really fighting or roleplaying as power rangers.

He and Mira fought several more times.

Mira allowed him to start on top during one round, and Leon thought his weight might give him some advantage, but boy was he wrong. The moment he leaned forward, she planted one foot against his hip and tipped him over.

Leon spent the rest of the round trying to get her off his chest before tapping when she folded his arm behind him.

By the final round, he was watching her legs more than he was looking for a chance to punch. He saw the takedown coming that time, but he still couldn’t stop it... he wasn’t watching her hands.

"Just how long have you been doing this?" Leon said after the instructor called time. "I thought I’d at least manage to stay on my feet for one round."

He removed his gloves and placed them beside his bottle.

"Since before I awakened," Mira said as she sat near the edge of the mat. "I started with judo. Most of what I did once we were on the ground was jiu-jitsu."

"Oh wow, that’s actually impressive. Hey, what did I do wrong when you let me start on top? I thought I’d be harder to move from there."

"Well you put too much weight on your hands when you leaned forward. Once I moved your knee, you couldn’t get it back under you in time." Mira glanced towards his elbow. "You were quick to tap, though. I guess you don’t have that pride? Most guys refuse until they feel real damage." She said.

"Well, it’s called not liking unnecessary pain and suffering." Leon answered, making her laugh lightly as she found it funny.

"That’s good, though. We wouldn’t have got through as many rounds if you’d tried to hold out every time."

"I knew when I was caught. Waiting until it hurt wouldn’t have got me out."

Mira nodded and went to collect her bag.

Leon remained on the mat as he kept thinking about everything that just happened. With most of his weight resting on them, he could barely move his knee without leaning even farther to one side.

He had practically done half the work for her.

’I could ask her to teach me some of that.’

There were several things he wanted to see again, but they had only just met, and it looked like she had already left.

Since she was a student, there was no problem, Leon picked up his things and left it for another day.

They were probably the first to finish in the whole class.

...

After classes, Leon went to the administration building for a meeting Joseph had arranged.

The academy had confirmed the request and provided a room away from the student corridors. Leon agreed to attend since the message told him little beyond the guild’s name.

The guild in question was "Crimson Iron", one of the larger accredited guilds abroad. Even in Varen, its name came up whenever it participated in a major Gate operation.

The man waiting inside introduced himself as a recruitment representative and placed his credentials on the desk before Leon sat down.

"We’ve seen the recordings, Mr Carter. Your summons were working across several streets at once. The stronger Summoners still had to deal with the worst of the monsters, but we’re interested in what you might be able to do in a few years."

"What does the guild have in mind?" Leon asked.

"We’d like to offer you a paid position after graduation. You’d move to our headquarters and work exclusively for Crimson Iron for four years. You’d have access to our instructors and training grounds, as well as a yearly allocation of cores. The guild would cover your housing and moving expenses. We can also pay you an advance when you sign. Of course, these are all standard things every priority Summoner enjoys. You can still make extra demands that will be met to the best of our ability."

"I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline." Leon answered immediately without even thinking for more than 5 seconds. It was almost as though he had premeditated the response.

The man had been about to open a folder. His hand remained on it.

"Hahaha, don’t be too hasty, Mr. Carter. Would you hear the amount we’re prepared to offer first?"

"It isn’t the amount. I just don’t intend to move abroad."

There wasn’t much else for Leon to consider.

His family already had the money and influence to help him get resources, if he ever needed resources, because so far he doesn’t, while the academy had begun providing him with personal training, which if he wished, his family could still arrange. When he eventually needed work, he doubted leaving the country would be any different from working in the country. As for living a lavish life, if he wished for that, he could do so everyday of his life and possibly not fear running out of money for a very long time living on his family alone, not even considering his own personal future wealth.

"Are you considering government service here in Varen?" the representative asked.

"I haven’t decided what I’ll do after graduation."

"Then I’d ask you to consider how much say you want in the work you do. Our Summoners can propose operations of their own and choose where to specialise. You may have more freedom to do that with us than you would in government service."

"If I wanted to pursue one operation and the guild needed me elsewhere, could I turn down the assignment?"

"We’d discuss it with you first whenever possible. The contract does give Crimson Iron the right to require you to take certain assignments. I can show you how that works, if you’d like."

"I understand. Thank you for explaining."

It was fair enough. Anyone paying him for four years would expect something in return. He would still be working for someone else, and if he ever decided that was worth doing, he could do it without leaving the country.

"My answer is still the same," Leon said as he stood. "Please don’t arrange another meeting about the offer."

"Of course, Mr Carter. Thank you for meeting with me," the man replied as he closed the folder.

Leon thanked him for his time and left.

’Kids from big families sure are different, aren’t they?’ he wondered and compared himself at that age, he would die for such an opportunity.