Becoming an Adventurer!

"How was the food?" Brandon asked suddenly.

"It was good. A bit unusual, but good." Isabelle replied in a steady tone.

"Hm, I'm glad to hear that. Today's delicacies were actually brought over from multiple different cultures."

Isabelle glanced at Brandon who was giving her a sad smile.

'I see,' she thought, 'So today's food was to help me prepare for the different lifestyle I might get in another country.'

She understood that her brother was simply trying to ease her pain a bit. But she still felt depressed at the prospect of having to leave her home one day for a land and husband she might not ever love.

"I know I may not be the best person to comfort you," Laura Felgrand softly spoke to her daughter, "But I do hope for you to try to find happiness in your future."

Isabelle lowered her head in silence. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she might start rejecting the good will her family is attempting to show her.

She knows that this is her duty, but there was still a firm voice in her heart telling her to reject this arrangement and abandon everything.

Only time can tell what her future will be.

----------

Back at her room, her family had already separated from Isabelle and left her alone inside.

To Isabelle's delight, Sir Damon was assigned to keep watch at her door while the other knights were sent away.

She waited patiently in her chair before hearing the familiar knock on her door.

"May I come in?" said a familiar voice.

"You may." Isabelle permitted, not even holding back her excitement and relief at seeing the door open.

She rapidly rushed towards Sir Damon after he finished closing the room from outsiders, and longingly embraced the knight in his armor with her delicate arms.

They held each other in silence for what seemed like hours before Damon gently started pulling the princess away.

Isabelle instinctively wanted to hold on longer but eventually held her hands back.

Staring at each other, Damon quietly asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I want to leave everything behind and run away with you," she unhesitatingly responded, "I feel suffocated at having to stay here and wait for my life to be sorted out by other people. Especially that snake, Minister Phelps."

Damon's expression was a mixed look of sadness, helplessness, and frustration at the current situation. He wished to be able to help her, to take her away from this castle and live a happy life together, but he knew his present predicament would never allow those dreams to be fulfilled.

"I-I should probably go outside now. Just in case somebody comes by." he slowly turned to leave.

Isabelle gently grabbed the side of his face and turned his head back towards her.

"Let's... let's just stay like this for a little longer." she pleaded in a whisper.

In the silent room, they embraced each other again. Then, as if in unison, they steadily brought their faces closer together before sealing their lips with a kiss.

----------

It took nearly two days of travelling before Leo finally saw his destination.

Victoria City, also known as the city of guilds, stood in front of the carriage behind thick, tall walls. Named for Queen Victoria after its founding, it is the city that is closest to Bavalon's capital, and is widely famous for producing many guilds of various fields.

After paying the carriage driver the rest of the fees, Leo quickly got off near the entrance and made his way into a line at one of the city's front gates. With the whole place surrounded by walls, there would be guards placed at every entry point for inspection.

Leo patiently waited through the inspection line before moving past the gate and entering into a market street.

It was currently morning, with signs of bustling activity occurring everywhere.

He glanced around for only a few minutes before focusing his attention on walking to the center of the city. There he will find the Adventurer Guild.

With each passing moment, anticipation and nervousness went through Leo's mind and body.

'I have to leave a good impression. Otherwise, I'll be kicked out before I even get the chance.'

While he was sure that he would never do something inappropriate in front of others, Leo couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario.

'They might have added new conditions for people to join. It's not like that isn't possible. Even if I get rejected, I could just try again.

'If that still doesn't work, I could always find work at another guild.

'No, stop.'

Leo shook his head slightly to get rid of the negativity. He arrived here to achieve his goals, not contemplate on failing.

Thinking of ways to console himself would only distract him from his task.

After spending several minutes walking around and asking for directions, Leo finally found his way in front of the Adventurer Guild's main building.

Compared to some other guilds he saw along the way, this one looked somewhat smaller in overall size. Thankfully, it did not lose out in terms of decorativeness and was still quite spacious on its own. The headquarters seemed to contain at least three floors.

Taking deep breaths, he pushed through the guild's double doors.

----------

As soon as Leo went in, he noticed a few puddles of what appeared to be blood near the main entrance. There was also a trail of droplets splattered closer inside.

Tip toeing around the small pool, he immediately noticed the layout of the first floor.

Facing the guild's entrance at the end of the room, there was a wide reception desk with a handful of receptionists sitting behind it. In the middle of the floor, there was a clear pathway leading to the reception table big enough for four people to walk through side-by-side. On both sides of the pathway were sets of rectangular tables and chairs with groups of different people seated around.

Moving towards the center, Leo saw the blood trail leading to one of the doors on the room's left wall. It was labeled as a medical center.

He eventually turned his attention back to the reception desk and steadily walked inside. His mind was lingering on the bleeding person and hoped that whoever they were would recover soon.

Getting closer, Leo spotted two separate stairways near both ends of the reception desk that appeared to lead upwards to the next floor.

After finally reaching the other end, a lady sitting there was already waiting for him. Unlike most of her colleagues who were relaxing in their chairs and focusing on other tasks, she had already noticed Leo entering the building and witnessed all of his recent actions.

The woman seemed to be in her mid-thirties and possessed an aura that indicated a mature temperament. She had straight brown hair that reached her shoulders and was wearing the standard uniform of the guild's staff.

After observing that Leo wasn't anyone she recognized, the lady had already prepared a set of papers for him to fill out.

Arriving in front of the lady, Leo calmed himself down and greeted her.

"Hello there," Leo said, hoping not to sound too awkward, "I am here to apply to become one of your guild's adventurers."

"Alright, you may sign these," the lady efficiently presented the papers on the desk, "These documents contain our contract, as well as information on the guild itself.

"If you have any questions please ask me."

Leo quickly browsed through and read carefully. The guild itself did not have much of a long history and he had to be cautious on what he may experience in this organization. It was best to be safe than sorry.

Finding nothing wrong with any of them, Leo then signed the papers with his signature and passed it back to the lady.

"Hmm, all in good order," the reception lady nodded, "Welcome Leo Ester to the Adventurer Guild.

"In order to determine your rank within the organization, there will be a testing phase at the second floor."

"Uh, if I may," Leo asked, slightly raising his hand, "Are there any books or papers with all the rules and activities about the guild?"

"Of course," the lady smiled professionally, "You'll get them after I quickly take these documents to the back room."

She stood up and leisurely walked through a large door behind the reception desk. It had not been there originally but immediately appeared as soon as she turned towards it.

After waiting for a minute, she quickly came back and presented the guild's badge and book.

"Here are the things you'll be needing to be an official member," she explained while indicating to the items in her hands, "I've arranged your testing to start right at noon. If you don't have a device to tell time, you can stay in the guild and I'll have someone come to inform you.

"May you have a good day." she courteously bowed after handing the stuff over.