Chapter 56

Hartis approached with a smile.

"I have received the report. It seems you've had quite a successful day. Well done."

He tilted his head, perhaps misunderstanding my gaze at the paper and the frown on my face.

"Is it the paper? The mass production system has been in place for quite some time now, and they are being gradually replaced. The request forms are on parchment for the spells, and even on-site, parchment is still used in some cases."

His response was off the mark.

"No, I have a question about the goblins."

I said with a slight smile. If he's doing this on purpose, this guy is quite a fox. Ah, a scout. This kind of talk is also part of the job.

"Indeed... I see."

He continued with a somewhat solemn expression.

"Let me get straight to the point. The possibility of a command individual emerging is high."

He handed over the documents. The content showed the recent trend in the number of goblins slain. The numbers had gradually increased about 10 days ago and sharply increased 2 to 3 days ago. The last document summarized the number of goblins slain over the past three years. The numbers varied slightly each year, but the month of winter had an abnormally high number. The final document summarized the months and years when the goblin problem was considered resolved over the past 30 years. Most were concentrated in the same month, but two cases were much earlier, about a month later.

"Most likely, it will be around the end of the year. Every year, goblins attack this village in an organized manner."

According to the information, they come to plunder and seek women, and a significant number attack each year. The command individual organizes them, though not all goblins follow. They merge smaller groups to form a larger, organized force.

I wondered why they sought women, but I remembered Varda's words. The same genes... Can they have children?

Incidentally, this village has a long history. It is located at a key transportation point and has good access to the forest, which is why it has developed.

If that's the case, it's strange. Normally, they would prepare for an annual event. There isn't even a fence around the village.

"Every year, how do you respond? There doesn't seem to be a fence."

"The national policy is to send the viscount's knights before the goblins appear. About 100 knights are sent."

100 people. Not all of them are combatants.

"Regarding the fence, since the knights are sent, there is no budget for it. Even if there were a fence, the knights would still be sent."

Budget, budget, budget. This word always follows you when you enter society. It's actually very important. Essentially, the budget is the money prepared in anticipation of events that are expected to occur.

In most cases, it is divided into three parts: revenue, cost, and expenses. In detail:

- Revenue budget: The amount of money expected to be earned.

- Cost budget: The amount of money expected to be spent on materials to produce goods.

- Expense budget: The amount of money expected to be spent on salaries and other costs, excluding the cost budget.

Organizations prepare budgets to predict income and expenses for the future.

However, this system is weak when exceptions occur. It's really weak.

Basically, only the predicted amount of money is prepared, so if something unexpected happens, there is no money. Most organizations prepare contingency funds for such cases, but sometimes even that is not enough. In such cases, they have to create money by borrowing, which is generally known as a supplementary budget.

In this case, the fact that a supplementary budget is small is a sign of competence. While natural disasters are unpredictable, other cases are the result of miscalculations. As humans, we can make mistakes, but we can also gather information, make judgments, and predict the future accurately, which is a sign of competence.

The reason the budget cannot be prepared this time is simple. Whether there is a fence or not, the knights must be sent to deal with the goblins. So, a fence is not necessary.

"What about the response if the goblins appear early?"

"The Adventurers' Guild has a reserve fund. We use this to defend with adventurers until the knights are organized and dispatched. The country will cover the costs later."

"How many goblins attack each year? Can the adventurers handle it?"

"The numbers vary each year, but it's around 300 to 400. There have been casualties, but we have managed to handle it."

Hartis showed signs of distress.

This is a mistake by the country, or rather, by the king who approved it. If they are underestimating the lives of adventurers, that's a different story.

The top job of the country's leaders is to predict the future 50 or 100 years ahead and set policies. They should not be doing anything else. They must collect data, understand it, study it, and continuously predict a bright future for the country. While there are political ties, the essence is to predict the future.

Incidentally, the predictions of the country's leaders are likely to be correct. You might think they are just doing their job, but the analysis of the bureaucracy is added to it. It is the result of the analysis by many excellent people, so the accuracy is high.

What the top leaders say is considered a fact unless they are trying to deceive the people. In their minds, future events are recognized as facts and policies are set accordingly. Even if it is inconvenient for the people, what will happen will happen. That's politics.

"When do you expect the command individual and the group to arrive?"

"Based on past data, it won't be tomorrow or the day after. However, it will happen in the near future."

Both of us were speaking in increasingly lower voices.

"How many adventurers will be mobilized when the event occurs?"

"Adventurers of 8th rank and above will be designated. We don't have the resources to include 9th rank and above."

"What about the response before the event occurs?"

"We will increase the reward for goblin slaying by 50%. From here on, the conversation will become more confidential. I trust you with the information so far. We will announce that the number of goblins is higher than expected."

"Is there a gag order?"

"The Adventurers' Guild does not have the authority. The gag order is a right of the country. At least, the viscount has been informed, so it will be soon. The staff are not yet aware."

At this point, I realized I had stepped into a trap. This is bad. I shouldn't have realized this. Now, I can't escape.

"You are the only one who has realized this at this stage. Some of the staff who appraise items may be starting to feel something is off. Please, cooperate."

See? Curiosity killed the cat.

"What if I run?"

"I'm very sorry, but after the gag order is issued, the information will be reported to all guilds as a known subject."

I can't afford to make the guild my enemy. There's no place to run. I was so careful not to give any commitments at work. I can't pretend I don't know... I lack the knowledge to handle this situation.

"By the way, are the previous documents stored in the upper archive room?"

"No. The country has imposed viewing restrictions. They are stored in the guild's archive room."

This means the country wants to keep the content hidden. They prioritize the existence of the village over the current residents. In other words, even if all the villagers are killed, they can just gather new ones.

"How much support will we receive?"

"We will provide interest-free loans for the necessary equipment until this issue is resolved. We will also issue certificates as needed."

The guild is serious. Liz and Fia's faces came to mind.

"There are two people who don't know about this yet. Is it possible to let only those two escape?"

"It's difficult to acknowledge something not discussed within the party, but I trust you. It's fine for this matter."

"Are you telling me to persuade them without telling them?"

"Yes."

I really had a headache. You want me to tell those two to run without telling them? How am I supposed to persuade them?