Chương 47: Chapter 23 : Telling the Truth

The next day, Emma met Aldric at a café. This time, she had prepared several sheets of paper covered with interview questions. Her laptop sat closed in front of her, and a pen rested on top of her notebook. Aldric took the seat across from her. He had already realized that a second interview required far more preparation than the first. His initial failure had revealed the existence of invisible rules, and he intended to learn them. Emma slid one of the sheets toward him.

"Today, we're going to practice."

"Like preparing for a negotiation?"

"Something like that." She picked up her pen.

"I'm going to ask you the most common interview questions. You answer them, and I'll tell you what needs to be fixed."

"Very well." Emma looked down at her notes.

"Why do you want to work for our company?"

"I wish to put my endurance and organizational skills at the service of your company."

"Perfect."

"Why should we hire you?"

"Because I'm stronger than the other candidates."

"You don't say that."

"But it's probably true."

"That's not the issue."

"Then what is?"

"You need to explain what you can bring to the company without putting everyone else down."

"I can carry heavier loads, work longer hours, and withstand more injuries."

"Let's leave out the part about injuries."

"But that's useful in a warehouse."

"Say that you're reliable, punctual, hardworking, and that you learn quickly."

"Tell me about yourself."

"My name is Aldric de Valdor. I was born in the Kingdom of Asteria. I was trained by the Order of Light before being appointed a Royal Knight after the Battle of Valdorne. I took part in—" Emma raised a hand.

"Stop."

"Too long?"

"Way too long."

"I hadn't even reached my teenage years."

"When someone asks you to tell them about yourself, they don't want to hear your entire life story."

"Another question that doesn't actually mean what it appears to ask. What should I say instead?"

"You give your name, your relevant experience, your strengths, and what you're looking for."

"My name is Aldric de Valdor. I have extensive experience working in teams, managing logistics, and handling high-pressure situations. I'm reliable, punctual, and looking for a stable job."

"Very good." Emma continued the practice session for more than an hour. She repeated certain questions until Aldric gave an acceptable answer. Whenever he talked too much about his former world, she corrected him. Whenever he answered with unnecessary detail, she simplified it. Whenever he used an overly unusual word, she suggested a more modern alternative. Little by little, Aldric learned how to turn his experiences into strengths that people could understand.

△ SKILL PROGRESS △ Professional Communication Progress 12% Emma checked the time on her phone.

"We should get going." The second interview was at a small delivery company in eastern Paris. The job involved preparing orders, moving packages, and checking inventory. Emma had decided it was well suited to Aldric's abilities. The work mainly required endurance, discipline, and good physical condition. Three qualities he already possessed. They took the metro, then a bus that dropped them off near a commercial district.

Glass doors opened into a bright reception area where several employees walked by carrying boxes or tablets. Behind the front desk, a woman looked up as they approached.

"Hello. Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes," Emma replied.

"We have an interview with Mr. Delmas." The receptionist glanced at her screen.

"Aldric de Valdor?" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"Yes."

"Please have a seat. He'll come get you shortly." They sat down on a row of chairs near the entrance. Aldric watched the employees moving through the hallways. Every one of them wore an ID badge around their neck. Some pushed carts stacked with packages, while others checked lists on their phones. The organization vaguely reminded him of a military camp, except no one carried weapons, and orders were delivered through screens instead. Emma leaned toward him.

"Do you remember what we practiced?"

"Yes."

"No dragons."

"Understood."

"No Demon King."

"Understood."

"No war." Aldric hesitated.

"Even if the question is about my experience?"

"Especially if it's about your experience." He nodded. A few minutes later, a man in his forties appeared in the hallway. He wore a light-colored shirt and rectangular glasses.

"Mr. de Valdor?" Aldric stood up.

"Good afternoon." They shook hands.

"I'm Laurent Delmas, the site manager. Please follow me." Emma accompanied them to a small office at the end of the hallway. A window overlooked the warehouse, where several employees moved between the shelves. Laurent invited Aldric to sit down before glancing at the résumé in front of him.

"Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for seeing me." Emma took the seat beside him. Laurent skimmed through the document.

"You have quite an unusual background."

"Most of your experience is in management and logistics. Yet you're applying for a position as an order picker."

"I wish to put my endurance and organizational skills at the service of your company." Relief washed over Emma. The answer was perfect. Laurent nodded and jotted down a few notes.

"Have you ever worked in a fast-paced environment?"

"Yes."

"Could you give me an example?" Aldric remembered Emma's instructions. He could have mentioned the evacuation of Lorian, the defense of the Northern Gates, or supplying fifty thousand soldiers in the middle of winter, but she had specifically told him to avoid anything related to war. After a brief moment of thought, he chose a much more neutral way to phrase it.

"I've taken part in several situations where organization and speed were essential."

"What kind of situations?"

"Complex logistics operations."

"What exactly were you responsible for?"

"Resources, teams, and very tight deadlines."

"I see."

"Do you enjoy physical work?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any back problems or physical limitations?"

"No."

"Can you regularly lift twenty kilograms without any difficulty?"

"Yes."

"Excellent." Laurent made a few more notes.

"The job also requires you to stay on your feet for several hours."

"That won't be a problem."

"The shifts can start very early."

"I wake before dawn."

"Are you available to start immediately?"

"Yes."

"Very good. I have a few more general questions." Laurent folded his hands on the desk.

"What would you say is your biggest weakness?" They hadn't covered that question during their practice. Aldric gave it serious thought. He didn't want to give a dishonest answer. Several flaws came to mind. He could be too stubborn. He sometimes found it difficult to abandon a mission, even when the chances of success had become almost nonexistent. His companions had often criticized him for carrying every burden on his own. But none of those weaknesses seemed particularly relevant to the position.

So he chose the most honest answer.

"I know absolutely nothing about your world." Laurent blinked several times before a smile spread across his face.

"That's certainly an original way of saying you lack experience. Do you learn quickly?"

"Yes."

"That's what matters." Perhaps that answer hadn't been as disastrous as Emma had feared. Laurent glanced at his next question before continuing in an even tone.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" Aldric took a moment to think. Five years was an immense span of time. In his world, he had rarely planned more than a few months ahead. Any battle could be his last, any journey could end in an ambush, and even after the Demon King had fallen, he had never had the chance to imagine what would come next. So he answered with complete honesty.

"If the gods allow it, still alive."

"I see..."

"And hopefully more familiar with the customs of your society." Laurent glanced at Emma. She gave him a somewhat strained smile.

"He has quite a sense of humor," she said. Aldric turned to look at her.

"I wasn't joking." Laurent cleared his throat.

"Right." The manager asked a few more questions about working hours, transportation, and Aldric's availability. When he finally closed the folder, Emma realized they had most likely just missed another opportunity.

"Thank you for coming," Laurent said. Aldric stood.

"Thank you for your time."

"We'll be finishing our interviews this week. You'll hear back from us soon." Aldric inclined his head. They left the office, crossed the reception area, and stepped outside. The air was cool. Cars passed along the road while a few employees smoked near the entrance. Emma walked for several minutes without saying a word. Aldric, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought about the interview. When they reached the bus stop, he finally broke the silence.

"I made a mistake."

"Which one?"

"I should have prepared for the last two questions."

"That wasn't the only problem."

"Were my answers incorrect?"

"They were honest."

"Then they were correct." Emma sat down on the bench.

"Not in a job interview."

"But you told me not to lie."

"The problem is that an interviewer doesn't actually want to hear about your flaws. They want to see whether you can talk about a weakness without giving them a reason not to hire you."

"So he asks me about my greatest weakness, but does not actually wish to know my greatest weakness. Another invisible rule. What should I have said?"

"Something true, but not too serious. That you're sometimes too hard on yourself."

"But those aren't my greatest weaknesses. Then my answer would have been inaccurate."

"Not necessarily. It would simply have been carefully chosen."

"And what about the question regarding the next five years?" he asked.

"He wanted to know whether you planned to stay with the company."

"He could have asked that directly." The bus arrived. They climbed aboard and took seats by the window. Emma checked her phone several times during the ride but received no messages. Aldric watched the city drift by. Buildings, street signs, and pedestrians passed beyond the glass. △ QUEST UPDATE △ Obtain Employment Interviews Completed: 2 Successful Interviews: 0 Before defeating the Demon King, he had lost battles, abandoned fortresses, and watched carefully laid plans collapse within minutes.

Every defeat had exposed a weakness. Every mistake had taught him how to avoid the next one. Emma finally put her phone away.

"I'm sorry. I should have prepared you for those questions."

"You couldn't have predicted all of them."

"I still should have thought of them."

"You've already taught me a great deal." △ HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERED △ Modern Interview Etiquette Progress 18%"Next time, we'll prepare more answers." She smiled.

"Yes."

"Without lying."

"We'll do our best." Aldric turned his attention back to the window. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower rose above the buildings, dark beneath the gray sky.