Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 193

Is there a way to reform distribution without getting too involved? I wonder if I can leverage the reform of the Adventurer’s Guild, similar to how I use a report to navigate the bureaucratic hierarchy.

As I sit with my eyes closed and arms folded in deep thought, Gooljin gets carried away and blurts out, “So, what are we going to do with these guys? Should we bury them?”

It’s true that making an example of these perpetrators could have a certain deterrent effect. It’s a form of governance through control, force, and fear. I don’t deny that this can be one way to unite a group. Away from the city, they can only rely on their own military force and unity, especially since there’s no telling when monsters might attack. However, they are often underestimated because they lack the coercive power to maintain discipline and morale in a caravan.

But it’s not for me.

Even if the company has guards, we can’t maintain a constant military force to intimidate the enemy; we’re not a mercenary group.

We need to think of another way.

However, before that, there’s something I need to do.

“Sara, could you please step out for a bit?”

Depending on the circumstances, we might see blood, and I don’t want her to witness that if possible.

Sara opens her mouth to protest but then obediently leaves for another room.

I turn to Jilboa and ask, “Jilboa, what’s the proper protocol in a situation like this?”

“Well, these people aren’t on the town’s birth register, so they can’t be tried under town law. If we follow mercenary custom, we’d behead them if they can’t pay the ransom. If we adhere to the adventurer code, we’d strip them of their equipment and behead them as well. Following the intercity merchant code, we’d strip them and toss them into the mountains.”

“Throwing into the mountains” refers to the punishment that involves tying a person up and leaving them in an area where monsters and wild animals roam. In short, it amounts to a death sentence using the power of nature.

The bound men tremble as they hear Jilboa’s response, counting off the other punishments on his fingers. Some of them turn pale and appear on the verge of fainting.

Jilboa is quite a ruthless person. I decided to ask him, “So, what’s the standard punishment for a traitor who reveals a secret?”

“According to the rules of inter-city traders, you impose a fine and then expel them from trading. If they can’t pay the fine, you seize their assets. If there are no assets to take, you rip out their tongue and send them to the mines,” Jilboa replies, also counting off on his fingers.

When a man with a handsome face like Jilboa explains these punishments with a faint smile and unwavering tone, it’s both terrifying and powerful. Gooljin is scary because you never know what he’ll do when he’s angry, but Jilboa is frightening because he seems capable of committing any cruel act with a smile on his face.

It seems Gooljin has shrunk back entirely from Jilboa’s quiet intensity.

“Hey, stop joking. Hey, hey, it’s Garon and these guys who are in the wrong, right?”

Jilboa doesn’t show any sympathy for Gooljin’s side of the story; he simply states, “But you were the one who leaked the secret.”

I feel a bit sorry for Gooljin, but I think it might be better to keep watching for a little while longer.