Located on the second floor of the guild hall of the Figliad branch. Where could be found a massive corridor with wooden walls, floor, and seven doors containing the rooms of the guild hall's employees as well as the guild's main office located right next to the wooden staircase.
The office had a large room with four long white sofas encircling the center of the room. Just ahead was a smooth, brown office desk with piles of white papers lying above, as well as a cup of half-emptied coffee that still had smoke coming out of it and a picture frame with a picture of a blonde-haired man with a big smile on his face while carrying on his arms the ten-year-old Seilyn Irhan, the man's daughter, who had been separated from him for a while but was reunited three years ago.
Seven gold medals and eight pictures of the same man and Seilyn hung on the wall, each with slight differences in their appearance due to the time difference between the pictures taken, and finally, on the seventh and eighth pictures, Seilyn was no longer with him, due to Seilyn being assigned to another branch of the guild.
Behind the wooden office desk was a massive window with a white curtain dancing in the gentle sway of the wind, and standing in front of it was the guild master of the Figliad branch at the time, Guild Master Rudwick Irhan. Rudwick had worked for the Adventurers' Guild for decades, previously serving as a registrar and secretary for numerous guilds before being promoted to guild master when the former guild master of Figliad decided to retire four years ago.
Despite his inexperience as a guild master, his leadership earned the respect of the adventurers and even the association itself, as evidenced by the medals he had received over the years. The guild, as well as the lord of Figliad, Desmond Figliad, had faith in Rudwick. To the point where the Adventurers' Guild's higher-ups granted his request to move his daughter under his supervision, which was usually difficult to get approved by the Adventurers' Guild's higher-ups.
As the wind blew, his once-blonde hair, which had turned white due to his age, flew slightly, revealing his wrinkled but gentle face. He had pale white skin that was hidden by the white long sleeve and brown robe he was wearing, paired with brown slacks and black shoes, and despite his gentle appearance, he exuded an aura that demanded respect from anyone who looked at him. Seilyn took after his dark blue eyes, which were watching the scenery of the giant white fountain outside, as well as the people who were watching the flow of water from above.
Rudwick believed that he had almost everything he desired in this life, with only grandchildren remaining to be fulfilled.
His peaceful trance was broken when he heard two knocks on the door. Rudwick cleared his throat and walked toward the sofas encircled in the center of the room. "Come in," he said, his voice smooth and authoritative.
Seilyn emerged from the door, holding a piece of paper in her hand. As she walked in, she was followed by an unfamiliar figure, a young man with a condescending resting expression on his face that he had no control over, which he quickly brushed off by changing it to a softer expression when he saw Rudwick looking at him.
"Guild Master Rudwick, Gideon here was the one I mentioned to you last night," Seilyn said as she approached Rudwick and handed him a piece of paper containing Gideon's information from the initial interview they conducted downstairs.
Gideon, on the other hand, bowed. "Good day, Guild Master."
Rudwick nodded in response to Gideon's greeting and accepted the paper Seilyn was holding out to him. He took out his circular reading glasses from his robe pocket and read what was written on the paper. "A traveler, I see, and I'm guessing you won't stay long in our humble town."
Gideon gave a nod. "Yes, I intend to stay for a short time to gain experience and possibly train."
Rudwick paused for a moment while reading the paper, and then shifted his gaze to Seilyn. "You can leave us now, Seilyn," he said, motioning to the sofa in front of Gideon. "Mister Gideon Brangwen, please take a seat."
As Seilyn walked out of the room, Gideon was left inside, looking down with his shivering hands on his knees. Rudwick simply smiled when he saw it.
"Don't worry, Gideon, this interview isn't that hard, and it's not a test," Rudwick said. "I'll just ask you a few questions; I don't want this to take any longer than necessary, so here's your first question," Rudwick said, pausing for a second before snapping his fingers. "What do you consider to be adventuring?"
Gideon raised his head and darted to Rudwick, his eyes enlarged. He didn't say anything, but that look told Rudwick everything he needed to know.
"You didn't expect to hear such a simple question, did you?" Rudwick asked, a smile on his face. "Sometimes, the simplest questions are the ones that are the most difficult to answer properly, so let me hear it from you, from the perspective of a traveler from another nation, from another culture, from somewhere other than the kingdom of Meirhan."
Gideon slowly nodded. "To be honest, I was expecting you to delve into my past," he replied before placing his hand on his chin. "Adventuring, what I can say is that, at first glance, adventuring is all about becoming powerful and slaying monsters while receiving tons of rewards for doing so. Anyone would get that impression from the surface because it can be true in many ways, and even I fully agree with it," he said, tilting his head sideways.
"However, based on the knowledge I have from the nation I came from, as well as RPG games I've played— adventuring is not actually all about those things. Quests were given to you by the people, not because they want you to fight monsters, no— I mean, what kind of insane-psychopathic person would do that?" he swallowed and cleared his throat. "Those quests were given because those people can't do those tasks themselves for various reasons, which is why adventurers exist, to do those difficult tasks for them. Adventurers are about serving people and helping them by doing the hard work on their behalf, and growing as a person while doing it... I believe."
Rudwick scribbled something on the piece of paper he was holding. "Do you think so, Gideon?"
Gideon shrugged. "That is what I believe—very idealistic, I know."
Rudwick raised his head again, this time with a smile, staring at Gideon. "Is it idealistic? Yes, very idealistic."
"Uh..." Gideon raised his brows. "Was my answer good enough?"
Rudwick looked down at the paper he was holding before returning his gaze to Gideon. "Was your response adequate? Let's see. You'll know later, once Seilyn explains everything." He stood up and turned his back to Gideon, who was already shivering from nervousness. After a while, he turned to face Gideon with a strict expression on his face. "And now, Gideon, for your next question."
Gideon, who was looking down, raised his shoulder and head. "Yes, Guild Master."
Rudwick placed the piece of paper he was holding on the wooden desk. And he leaned forward slightly, his hands on the backrest of the sofa. "What makes you want to be an adventurer?"
As Gideon received his question, his gaze was drawn to Rudwick's, and he exhaled slowly before answering truthfully. "I want to grow and become stronger in order to achieve my goal; I am fully aware that I am currently very weak, and that achieving what I want to achieve is still impossible; I believe that adventuring is the right thing for me to do in order to train myself, and to help people along the way by doing things they can't— and also, money doesn't grow on trees, I need something to spend to survive— I'd be lying if I said I didn't— I am fully aware that it just contradicts what I said earlier— uhm— forgive me, I have a tendency to over-explain things at times."
Rudwick shook his head to keep a smile from forming on his face. "A traveler with a purpose," Rudwick said, crossing his arms. "I see; then, what goal are we discussing? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
Gideon replied without hesitation. "I want to go home."
For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was the gentle wind swaying the white curtain of the window. Both of their eyes were pointing at each other, trying to figure out what the other was thinking at the time. However, none of them received an answer, so they continued to wonder and would continue to wonder.
Rudwick approached Gideon and extended his hand. "Brangwen Gideon, welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."
Gideon instinctively grabbed the hand that was being extended to him, but his eyes were filled with questions. "Wait, is that it? Just two questions?"
"Yes, only two questions; the guild simply wants to know your point of view," Rudwick said as he retracted his hand. "Now, in order for you to be an official adventurer, you must return to Seilyn and register yourself using the Guild Recorder; additionally, once you use it, we will know your magical abilities, and after that, Seilyn will explain how the guild works, and then we can test your physical abilities on the guild's training yard later."
Gideon rose to his feet. "You hired me first before testing my skills, which I appreciate, but should it be the other way around?"
"You are quite the curious one," Rudwick said, his face expressionless.
Gideon lowered his gaze.
"Yes, it should be the other way around in a normal situation. Although it is true that these are significant, the Adventurers' Guild believes that physical and magical abilities are not the only things that matter. Even if you started your adventurer career without either or both of these qualities, there are more ways to be a versatile adventurer. What we need is desire, and if you have it, we'll know whether you quit after a few days or not."
Gideon chuckled as he exited the room. "I hope that doesn't happen."
Only Rudwick remained, walking toward the window with a smile on his face. As he gazed out the window, both of his hands were attached to his back. "Idealistic... that's exactly what people told the two Adventurers' Guild founders back then..." His gentle smile widened. "Why wait for a hero who may or may not come to your rescue when you could raise an army of heroes all over the world?" Rudwick asked, reciting the Adventurers' Guild's motto.
The wind entering the room caused the paper on the table where Gideon's information was written to move slowly, revealing what Rudwick had written just a moment ago. It said "Passed."