第１４８７堀：現場でも書類仕事 (Part1)
Chapter 1487: Paperwork in the Field
Side: Steve
It turns out that in this world, if you just put your mind to it, things have a funny way of working out. I’m living proof of that.
What am I talking about, you ask?
"Hey, Steve. The paving project for the road to town is going to finish way ahead of schedule. Here, take the report."
Lowell-ane-san says this as she hands me a stack of papers. I take them, but I can’t help but retort.
"Wait a second, Lowell-ane-san. Usually, I’m the one who’s supposed to be handing reports up to you, aren't I?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff. I’m not exactly built for dungeon-based construction, and I’m slow at writing these things up, so this works better. It’s about putting the right person in the right place. That’s an order from the top."
She says it with such a bright smile that I can’t argue. In the hierarchy of this unit, I’m technically her subordinate. Yeah, I finally understand why Higil-san complains every single time he has to deal with her. When we were forming this unit, I went to pay my respects to him, and he handed me two whole cases of energy drinks.
But, putting that aside...
"If it’s an order from my superior, I’ll take it. Looking at the contents of this report, it seems like the road will be finished by tomorrow."
"Yeah, probably by tomorrow morning. So, I was thinking we should have a launch party in the evening. That alright with you?"
"Ah, we’ve got the budget for that, so it’s fine. Please, go ahead and use the conference hall."
It’s essential to show appreciation for the people who worked so hard. Plus, we want to keep the townspeople’s opinion of us high. I gave her the go-ahead, but Lowell-ane-san looked genuinely surprised.
"Wait? Didn't you just finish building that hall?"
Ah, I suppose she’s surprised that I’d want to use a brand-new facility so soon.
"Exactly. That’s why we’re using it—to make sure there aren't any issues."
"Wouldn't it be a problem if they made a mess?"
"I can fix it if they do. Besides, I need to observe how the maids and servers handle the flow. And the sales, too."
That’s the thing. In a normal building, you’d have to be careful about dirt and wear, but I have Dungeon Master skills. As long as the budget holds, I can reset the entire room to a pristine state in an instant. That’s why I want to let the general public in—to run a live-fire exercise for the maids and the vendors.
"I see. Seraria did tell me to give the merchants a chance, so doing a dry run like this might actually be for the best."
"Exactly. It’s better to be there to follow up and prevent any major failures."
It was a sudden decision—well, everything has been sudden lately—but we also decided to let merchants into the hall to sell their goods. I wondered why we’d take such a risk, but... that’s Lowell-ane-san’s fault. She got close to the folks on the ground and ended up agreeing to their direct requests. Whether I should praise the merchants or blame Lowell-ane-san is a bit of a toss-up, but the opportunity has been given.
Well, as the Bosses say, it’s better to have them under our watch than to have them making secret deals behind our backs. It couldn't be helped.
"Understood. I’ll let the merchants know. Are there any conditions? Like space requirements and such?"
"Ah, hold on a second."
I stand up and walk over to a folding table nearby. It’s a standard piece of equipment—the legs fold in to make it compact and portable. The Boss says it’s a traditional, tried-and-true item often used at conventions.
"They’ll be placing their goods on these tables."
"I see. So you’re limiting the amount of inventory they can bring in by using these?"
"Exactly. And from here, it depends on how many merchants show up—that’ll dictate the space."
"Right, that makes sense. How much space have you set aside?"
"If we line these tables up along the wall... looking at this map, it’s right here. About twenty spots."
I point to the map of the conference hall as I explain.
"Hmm, isn't that a bit small for the size of the venue?"
"Well, the venue is large, but I want to avoid lining the entire wall with people for security and counter-intelligence reasons."
"Ah, I see your point."
The more people we let in, the more foot traffic we have. That means increased risk. We’d have to ramp up our surveillance accordingly, which would be a nightmare. That’s why we decided twenty merchants is the absolute limit.
"Besides, just because it’s one space doesn't mean it’s only one merchant."
"If you factor in restocking and customer service, you’d need at least three people, right?"
"Depends on the merchant, but yeah. So, I’ll leave the explaining to you."
"Got it."
"Oh, and take this cloth. It’s the exact dimensions of the tabletop. We don’t want them bringing in mountains of goods."
"Ah, having the cloth makes it easy to visualize. Is there a loading area for the goods?"
"The area behind the assigned space serves as the inventory zone. There’s about three meters of space back there, so there’s plenty of room. It’s not like we’re expecting massive volume sales anyway."
"I’ll leave the details of that to the practice session."
"Sounds good. Also, Weed is providing four spots, so the town merchants get sixteen."
"Wait, Weed is participating too?"
"Ratz-ane-san said she wanted to build connections between the merchants."
"Ah, that kind of connection. Alright, I understand. I’ll pass the word along. Get the preparations ready."
"You got it."
As soon as I reply, she heads out. She’s got such drive; she’s an incredibly capable field commander. She’s not bad at paperwork, either, but still.
As I’m pondering that while processing the documents, there’s a knock at the door.
"It’s open."
I’m expecting another report from a subordinate, but the people who walk in are Kirue-ane-san and Sasari-ane-san.
"Pardon the intrusion, General Steve."
"Excuse us~"
Kirue-ane-san offers a sharp, professional greeting, while Sasari-ane-san’s voice is playful, though her movements are, as always, impeccably graceful. They’re quite talented in their own way.
But, putting that aside.
"Did something happen with the maids?"
Since these two are here, they must be talking about the maids who have come to work in this defense-facility-slash-lodging. After all, they are the heads of the Maid Guild.
"No, I am no longer the head. I serve as the director, but I have left the operation of the school to the next generation."
"That’s right~"