New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (4/10 chapters)

 

 

Proposal

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The next morning. I began to wake up slowly. Maybe because of the noise, it was a bit slow. Leia hadn’t come yet, so it was fine.

“…It’s getting a bit chilly.” (Elt)

The mornings were becoming quite cold. Winter was approaching. Around here, it didn’t snow much, but thick clothing was still essential.

“Suya… piyo… suya…” (Dia)

“Suu… suu…” (Stella)

Stella’s sleeping posture was not very good. Today, she was lightly hugging Marcosias like a body pillow, with her face buried in Dia’s stomach. I wondered if it was hard to breathe like that. But it seemed to be fine. Well then, it was about time to get up. Leia would probably come at a reasonable hour.

Before that, there was someone I wanted to have join the discussion with Leia. A merchant named Naru. She was from the northern part of the kingdom and was not part of the Adventurers’ Guild. Also, she was one of the longest-standing residents in Healberry village. She was also in charge of the finances and would likely oppose anything that did not benefit the village.

From a relatively unbiased position, we could hear her opinions or rather the real situation.

 

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After finishing breakfast and relaxing, Leia appeared. Naru had been waiting at my house for a while. Leia always wore her Cockatrice hat without fail. No matter the discussion, today was the last day Leia would return to Zanzas. So, this was the last chance to see Leia wearing her fluffy Cockatrice hat with the chin strap. By the way, having Naru join was no problem at all. Well, naturally. If nobody allowed her to join, it would feel more like fraud than persuasion or explanation.

Either way, if we were to create an Adventurer Guild, it would have to be announced widely. After a brief greeting, we got to the main topic. The discussion members were me, Leia, Naru, and Stella.

Leia brought a bundle of papers, explanatory materials. She wanted us to look at the detailed numbers later regarding expenses and initial costs. She was quite honest. The numbers would need review for appropriateness, though.

“What I want to emphasize more is the merit of creating a branch of the Adventurer Guild in this village.” (Leia)

“…That’s what I want to hear too. The underground passage was a joint investigation from the start, and profits were shared. If it’s dangerous, I agree to sealing it. I don’t think there are any problems…” (Elt)

“Indeed. I feel it might be fine to just cooperate with the Zanzas’ Adventurer Guild without creating a new one.” (Naru)

“Yes, I found that a bit strange. This area is also under Zanzas’ Adventurer Guild’s jurisdiction, right? We even defeated the Flower Archer. So, what’s the merit of spending money on this?” (Stella)

That’s right. Naru and Stella didn’t quite understand either. Now that I thought about it, I don’t understand either.

“True. Thanks to the villagers of Healberry, this ended quickly this time. However, will that continue forever? Investigating the underground passages may take an enormous amount of time.” (Leia)

“…Hmm.” (Elt)

An enormous amount of time, huh… Now that it’s mentioned, I haven’t really considered that element. The investigation may not be finished before I die… This reminds me of something. Near the Egyptian pyramids, new tombs are still being found little by little. No one knows how long the investigation of old tombs will take.

And of course, the same applies to the Zanzas dungeon. A thousand years have passed, and the deepest area has yet to be reached. Unexplored zones remain. Just recently, Stella cleared one, but there are still many unexplored areas and even unknown floors.

“So, you believe a proper organization is necessary.” (Elt)

“Yes. Creating a branch of the Adventurer Guild and accumulating know-how would be beneficial for personnel securing and investigation in the long term.” (Leia)

“But can’t I just create a different organization? Sorry for being mean.” (Elt)

“No, that is a natural thought. Then please take a look at this…” (Leia)

Leia handed me a sheet of paper. It was handwritten as follows…

‘The branch chief of the Adventurer Guild holds a special status and cannot be dismissed without headquarters’ resolution. Even a king of a country cannot arbitrarily detain the branch chief unless caught in the act.’

I see. This is about legal protection of the branch chief. Even in modern Japan, such privileges are powerful. Hmm, there’s more.

Among my immediate family, only my father is a branch chief of the Adventurer Guild. He holds the position at the Nagash Household’s home base guild. Traditionally, this branch chief position is inherited by the head of the Nagash Household.

I didn’t know that… But as Stella said, he is tied to local influential people. There was no talk about this at home, so he probably lets others handle the actual work. I certainly don’t think he did the kind of work Leia did.

There was more. My three other older brothers held other official positions, but none of them were branch chiefs.

This is… What was written was just a simple fact. My father is a branch chief, so it would be possible for me to become one too. Taken at face value, that makes sense. But why did she show me this paper only? The reason was clear.

The establishment of the Adventurer Guild has a strength that the other three older brothers do not have. It could be advantageous in the noble family’s promotion battles.

Of course, Leia wouldn’t say this openly, but that is the impression I get. And that is a very attractive factor for me. I don’t particularly want to compete for succession, but I want some power to prevent interference, no matter what. Indeed, this paper probably must be given directly to me.

When I looked at Leia, she was looking away with an indifferent face. At the end of that gaze were Dia, Marcosias, and Wood playing.

I couldn’t quite read her thoughts. Even if I tried to observe her carefully, the Cockatrice hat was very distracting. Come to think of it, Leia was wearing thick clothes today, all fluffy. It made her look even more like a Cockatrice…

“I also wish to maintain a long-lasting relationship with Elt-sama…” (Leia)

“…I see. Well, I roughly understand the significance. I have legal books at home, so I will reread the section about the Adventurers’ Guild. But this seems too convenient for me.” (Elt)

“If you create a branch, there are two points you should be careful about. One, the branch operates under an independent accounting system. If the finances collapse, you will be dismissed.” (Leia)

“That’s not much of a worry.” (Elt)

I still had a fair amount of money now. The prospects for resources were there too.

“Yes, if managed normally, the Adventurer Guild will not go bankrupt… so I don’t worry much about that.” (Leia)

“And the other point?” (Elt)

“Securing personnel. Each branch requires at least four people. A branch chief and a deputy branch chief.” (Leia)

“That makes sense.” (Elt)

It would be bad if the branch chief suddenly became seriously ill and the branch immediately stopped functioning. There should be a backup. That was the case on Earth as well. It was better to have a deputy.

“Next is a person responsible for adventurers’ health management, resources, and monster identification… someone with extensive medical knowledge and academic skills. A safety officer.” (Leia)

“…What kind of person exactly should that be?” (Elt)

“Analia is more than sufficient.” (Leia)

“…Is that so?” (Elt)

“She graduated from the Advanced Academy, nya. Such talent is rare even in the north, nya.” (Naru)

“Finally, a person responsible for finance, various records, and reports… a document management officer. Naru would be suitable.” (Leia)

“Nya… me?” (Naru)

“Yes, we want someone who was formerly a merchant or trained in a merchant family.” (Leia)

“So, then the deputy branch chief would be…” (Naru)

“I believe Stella-sama would be suitable due to her recognition and as a backup in emergencies.” (Leia)

“Me… I see…!” (Stella)

Hmm.

At this timing, I understood the real reason Leia proposed creating a branch to me. Our eyes met, and Leia nodded. I had been curious too. I knew the current system would become unsustainable eventually. After all, I have no direct retainers. If the population increased like this, the current method would definitely be a problem. Leia must have seen that during this subjugation stay. It was somewhat roundabout, but Leia wanted to say this.

How about solidifying the village’s organization?

She was proposing using the Adventurer Guild for that.

 

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