"Well, that's pretty good, but I'm still angry," Amon said. His gaze returned to the guard who was still lying on the ground.
"You mustn't kill him. Go away and party with your guild or enjoy your time with your wife," Ruby waved her hand dismissively. It was the same gesture Amon had made earlier. It was her personal revenge, and that revenge had just saved the guard's life.
Amon grinned bitterly and left without saying a word. Roxanne and Leon, who were supposed to be Amon's official representatives, followed him.
And as soon as the door slammed shut, an explosion was heard in the hall. The guard who had been lying on the ground suddenly flew through the air and crashed into a wall. The whole room erupted into chaos. The butler who had brought the scroll to Amon ran to the guard to see if he was still alive, and he was. He only had a few scratches.
"The armor must have protected him from receiving fatal injuries," the butler explained to Ruby while stroking his long white beard. But there was something else that bothered him. He detected no traces of mana, neither on the body nor any sign that a spell had been cast.
"This man is really scary. Not knowing where an attack is coming from or if one is coming at all is really not a good feeling," the butler expressed his indiscernible emotions, a mix of bad feelings flowing within him.
"You're right. It's like dying at any moment, knowing that any moment could be your last," Ruby's words reflected Amon's reality, unable to sense magic. He could see and hear her, but he couldn't feel it.
It was truly frightening in a world full of magicians. That was why Amon hated battle mages. When they were out of his sight, he couldn't know what was coming next. Because of that, every time Amon went out of the guild, he was accompanied by someone. Most likely, it would be either Roxanne, Personia, or Aiko.
-----
A young woman stood in front of a huge castle. The castle had an old Victorian look. Every stone was perfect, without a trace of weeds or anything else that didn't look nice. It resembled a king's castle. Above the large door, there was an emblem—the emblem of the guild: an angel's father and the father of a demon. The angel's father was elegant and beautiful, while the demon's father was sharp, as if it could easily tear your skin apart.
The woman standing in front of this castle was Bruna. She had previously sent an application to join the guild. She took small steps toward the door. As she neared it, the door magically opened, revealing a single room inside. Nobody was there, just a single office table made of dark wood that appeared almost black.
No one was seated at the table; it was just a small room with a bell resting on the desk. Bruna decided to ring the bell, and an elderly gentleman appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing a black suit and was writing on a piece of parchment.
Bruna was surprised when she saw that a huge mask covered his entire face, and a hat sat on his head, apparently concealing his face. Bruna somehow didn't dare to speak when she looked into the man's deep, pitch-black eyes.
The gentleman noticed her hesitation and asked in a soft voice, "What's your business?" His voice snapped Bruna out of her stupor. She stood up straight and spoke confidently, "I applied to join the guild. I'm here for the interview." Bruna had received a letter with those exact words. The man reached into one of the drawers of his desk with one hand and handed Bruna a glowing red crystal.
"Place this crystal in the notch on the left side of the door, and you'll be there. You have 5 minutes to prepare once you go through, until the interview starts." Bruna looked to her left and headed towards the door, which was strange because it hadn't been there before. When she reached the door, she inserted the crystal and slowly opened it. Before stepping through, she turned and bid farewell to the old man.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she was teleported into a huge office room. She found herself sitting alone in the room. She collected her thoughts, realizing that she had to prepare. But the five minutes felt incredibly long when she realized that her mission, no, her freedom, would depend on that one moment.
Before she even noticed, a young man was sitting in front of her. It was Amon.
"Good evening, Lady Bruna. Are you fully prepared?" Amon asked straightforwardly, wearing a professional smile.
"Yes, of course," Bruna replied dryly. Her surprise caught Amon off guard for a moment, but he continued without being bothered.
"Here, take this crystal and hold it during the entire interview. Don't worry, it's just an item to record the interview." Bruna instantly sensed that Amon was lying, but she had to play along.
"Have you ever been a member of another guild, and if so, what was its name?" Amon's question was direct. Bruna thought for a moment and then answered, "Yes, I was a member of the guild Blue Fairy. It is located in my homeland, Zephyria, on the continent Maravill." Amon remembered that she was from there based on their previous conversation.
"Was there a particular reason why you left your guild?" Amon spoke while writing something on a parchment.
"Well, that's pretty embarrassing, but I had a fight with my ex, and during that, I accidentally destroyed the guild hall," Bruna's cheeks turned a bit red as she admitted that. It was the truth; she believed that building a foundation on lies would bring her nothing, so she decided to mix a few lies with the truth.
Amon grinned and suppressed his laughter. The thought of the so-called Holy Maiden fighting her ex and destroying everything was quite amusing.
Bruna looked angry. 'Yes, I know it's funny, but quit that attitude, you fucker,' her thoughts were now full of anger. Soon, she regained her professional smile and asked, "Do you have any other questions, Sir Amon?" Her grin was now filled with anger, and the professional smile died in seconds.
"Yeah, was there a particular reason why you chose this guild?" Amon inquired.
'Shit, am I dumb? Why didn't I think of a reason? That's a common question when applying for a company.' Her thoughts were in chaos. She knew she had to provide an answer, and then something occurred to her.
"I was simply amazed when I saw the members of your guild fighting. The fights the representatives showed us were magnificent," Bruna mixed lies and truth again. It was true that she respected the twelve coats of arms, but she had never actually witnessed them fight during the event.
"Really? Which fight was your favorite?" Amon knew it was impossible for her to watch the fights of the others while having a conversation with him at the exact moment they were fighting. He was interested in her answer.
"Ah, the fight of Cedric."
'Oh, right, there was that event,' Amon remembered something and knew exactly why she mentioned Cedric's name. He thought it would be pretty interesting if they were to meet each other in the future.
"Good, that's everything. You are free to leave. The maid will explain everything to you. Simply insert this crystal into the notch in the door," he said, handing her a green crystal.