The Guardian

Chapter 44: Interview

Three young people looked at the large building in front of them.

One of the tallest and most luxurious buildings in Atlantis City.

Headquarters of the Apicius Company and where the best restaurant in the city of Atlantis and one of the most famous restaurants in the world were located.

Just to say that cars worth millions were entering the basement parking lot made it clear who the diners were in that place.

“I feel too nervous,” Andrés muttered, adjusting his tie.

He was wearing a black suit, and if no one knew him, they would surely think he was some successful businessman... But the truth was he had dressed that way for the interview.

Next to him were Leslie and Clémentine.

The former was wearing a jacket and long pants with a white shirt; she looked like a dedicated and hardworking office worker.

Clémentine, on the other hand, was wearing an elegant, formal white office dress.

“It’s the place that makes you nervous.” Leslie said, and with a serious tone, she explained. “My father does his business dinners on the top floor.”

Did she think those words helped?

Andrés adjusted his tie again as if he were suffocating even though the weather was nice... Even though they were outside.

“Isn’t that Nicole?” Clémentine asked suddenly, and when the others looked, they saw a young woman in a formal dress looking at the building visibly gulping.

One could tell at a glance that she was nervous...too nervous.

When Nicole saw them, Leslie motioned her over.

“Are you coming for the interview, too?” Nicole asked, feeling more relieved to see familiar people.

“Yes,” Clémentine replied softly and, noticing Nicole’s nervousness, asked to change the atmosphere. “Were you invited, or did you sign up?”

“I signed up and you guys?”

“Same...”

All three responded in unison and then looked around the building, feeling a suffocating pressure.

For students who had never had an interview or were not related to this kind of places, it was tough to adapt... That was what was happening to Nicole and Andrés.

For their part, Leslie and Clémentine were feeling better, but they were still nervous about the interview itself.

“Should we go in?” Andrés asked hesitantly.

“We’re half an hour early,” Clémentine replied with a half-smile.

Noticing Nicole looking at them, Leslie coughed and excused herself. “We only did it because our goal is to be on time and not make a terrible impression.”

Clémentine couldn’t help but smile at those words.

Actually, it was nervousness... If the meeting had been in a less conspicuous location and if the people interviewing him were Aurora or Alice, then their nerves wouldn’t have been so high, and they wouldn’t have come so early.

But neither of those things happened.

“Let’s wait for Érica, she’s coming too,” Nicole whispered.

“She’s coming?” Leslie asked in surprise, and when the trio looked at him, he muttered. “I thought she had something against Aurora.”

To her, there was a slight grudge on Érica’s part towards Aurora because of what she did in the test... And that was brought out into the ‘air’ when Aurora left the group to save other students in the last dungeon.

“No, it was just a misunderstanding,” Andrés interjected, and with a smile, he explained. “I heard she’s already apologized.”

Leslie nodded in acknowledgment.

She wasn’t interested in rumors, so she hadn’t paid attention to that fact and had only heard what had happened earlier.

The foursome didn’t have to wait too long for Érica to arrive, and as her driver parked on the sidewalk, she quickly got out.

“Oh, you guys are here, too,” Érica said with a radiant smile at having people she knew by her side.

After greeting everyone, Érica asked. “Shall we go in?”

The group looked at each other, but in the end, they all went in.

The reception area of the building was huge, as this was the headquarters of the Apicius Company, but there was also a restaurant to one side where quite a few people were present.

“The first and top floor are restaurants. The first is a normal food with no magical energy, a five ‘fork’ restaurant and the top floor is the magical restaurant, one of the most famous in the world,” Érica explained without too much nervousness.

“The other floors are company offices,” Clémentine added to the explanation.

The company’s reception was in the center, and divided in large glass windows was the restaurant with dozens of tables.

However, no smell of food or noise from the restaurant could be felt; that was because of the barriers that the rooms had.

It was a strange way to organize the company and the restaurants, as it made it seem as if it was using all the available space, but...

“I hear workers can eat here for free,” Leslie murmured, looking around the restaurant, and with a sincere tone, pointed out. “According to my dad I heard that the owner of the company loves the food...”

It sounded like one of those joke rumors that always spread, which made Nicole give a small smile.

Clémentine led the group to the entrance of the restaurant.

“Do you have a reservation?” a receptionist asked with a smile.

Several receptionists were serving those who approached the restaurant.

“Yes, we have an invitation from Liam Hafen,” Clémentine replied blandly.

Although workers could eat here for free, others needed to make a reservation, so it was normal for the receptionist to come over to ask and guide them to their designated table.

“Please follow me,” said the receptionist with a soft smile and... She headed in the opposite direction of the restaurant door.

The group’s expressions were filled with doubt, but as the receptionist stepped into a private elevator and touched the button for the top floor, faces began to change with heightened nervousness.

It was no longer just Nicole or Andrés; it was all the others.

“What’s wrong?” asked Nicole in a low voice to Clémentine, who was standing next to her.

Clémentine hesitated for a moment, but in the end, muttered. “Nothing’s wrong.”

She couldn’t say that to get into the top-floor restaurant was impossible to do with regular reservations and required invitation or important recognition.

Leslie wasn’t lying when she mentioned that her father did business on the top floor... Only that this person owned some of the biggest companies worldwide, and his guests were on equal footing.

Knowing that made it clear what status was needed to gain entry.

Listening to the soothing music, the group reached the top floor, and the door opened.

As soon as they entered, they heard another, louder type of music, and as they followed the receptionist, they noticed that in a corner of the building with its back facing the city was a pianist playing quietly.

Tables and chairs were scattered around him, while in another corner was a small bar.

A gentle aroma wafted through the surroundings whetting the appetite, while the magical energy was dense enough that it seemed to be inside a dungeon.

Although not all the group could use or assimilate the magical energy, that didn’t mean it wasn’t helpful.

Érica felt like she could cast all of her ice spells while the others felt reinvigorated.

“This way, please,” daid the secretary with a soft smile.

The building was huge, and in the center was the kitchen, bathrooms, and other necessary rooms, but all around it were different types of restaurants with various tables and different music.

Three different corners with three different atmospheres, even in one, Clémentine felt the psionic energy rising.

That energy that helped focus the mind made her feel very relaxed.

The secretary led them to a private room section that was located in one of the corners, and when they entered, they realized that the place was quite large and luxurious.

The glass window that allowed a view of the city was majestic, and the room was nothing short of memorable.

Once inside, the sounds from outside stopped.

One could tell that everything was set, as the table was for a group of six guests and was shaped in such a way as to have five standing together and the other chair farthest away from them.

“Your personal waiter will be along in a moment,” announced the receptionist and took her leave without changing her professional smile.

The still dazed group sat in the five chairs that were slightly closer together.

Without giving them time to think, someone knocked on the door, and the next moment it became translucent, revealing the waiter on the other side.

“You can come in,” Érica said in a calm voice even though the door was closed.

However, the door opened, and the waiter entered professionally, leaving the letter on the group’s table.

This kind of room was set up to see who wished to enter beforehand.

Then the waiter stayed nearby in case the group had any questions or a particular request.

Nicole was the first to read the letter and... She was heard to swallow audibly.

“One hundred... One hundred thousand dollars... For the special dish of the day.” Andrés mumbled in disbelief as he read the letter.

“Draco’s steak, it’s an exquisite delicacy. Draco’s meat was brought directly from Terra nova and this species is said to have the blood of a dragon, that’s the reason for its price,” explained the waiter with a professional smile.

The draco was a creature very similar to true dragons, only this particular creature was smaller and was wild and irrational; no matter how much intelligence it had, it was too aggressive.

However...

“This dish can help people stimulate their magical energy. As for psionics or talented individuals, it reinvigorates their body,” explained the waiter with an honest tone and with a professional smile, he added. “Sure, besides being a delicacy created by a Culinary Master, one of the best chefs in the city and perhaps the world.”

Both Nicole and Andrés didn’t know how to react.

“It’s best to wait for our host, thank you,” Clémentine said with a smile.

The waiter nodded and withdrew, but from the slightly translucent door, it was clear that he remained outside awaiting orders.

When they were alone, the group looked at each other, noting their stunned expressions.

Going to an interview was nerve-wracking; going to a famous restaurant was fine too, but going into one of the magical restaurants whose meals were worth over hundreds of thousands and was prepared by a professional culinary chef who could turn meals into body tonics was...

“This is too much pressure,” mumbled Nicole fiddling with her hands with apparent nervousness and seeing the group looking at her, she declared. “This special dish of the day, it’s the price we earned cleaning the dungeon, and it’s only the dish of the day, one of the cheapest.”

They had earned one hundred and twenty-nine thousand dollars after cleaning out the dungeon, but just one dish cost their entire profit... It was certainly something to be impressed with and at the same time feel pressured about.

“Are we interviewing for a B-Rank group?” Andrés asked, looking for affirmation from the others, and when they all nodded, he muttered. “I feel like we’re not.”

“You guys vetted the group?” Nicole asked curiously.

There was information on the groups provided by the academy, but that information was basic.

A B-ranked mercenary group based in the Zerzura city of Africa, with typical accepted missions, and their trust rate by the mercenary guild was high.

Everything was clean, and one would say it was excellent for a simple B-Rank group, but this...

Leslie, Clémentine, and Érica looked at each other in unison, but all three shook their heads.

They only found the same information as the Academy... They had underestimated the group.

No, it would be easier to say that they would never have imagined this situation.

They never thought that a B-Rank group could invite them to such a famous and expensive restaurant.

Clémentine, just like Érica’s father or Leslie, had important and influential relatives; she also knew that her father dined with influential people in this place and had even come here before.

Not only was money needed to get in, but power and influence?

As the group waited, they could all watch as someone conversed on the other side of the door and, the next moment, entered.

“Good morning,” greeted the man whose youthful and well-groomed appearance caught the group’s attention.

They were expecting a grown and older man, so he caught them off guard.

“I’m Liam Hafen, Computer Technician and Administrator for the B-Rank mercenary group. Which temporarily has no official name,” Liam announced with a professional and serious tone.

But the group noticed how he looked at the letter with profound attention.