Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 262

That day, while I check the documents that Sara records in the office, the outside of the workshop becomes noisy. Then, one of the assistants working in the workshop comes to call for me.

“Um, Sub-Captain, there’s a rough-looking merchant outside demanding to see you…”

A rough-looking merchant? I can think of too many possibilities.

I have Kiriku escort me and go outside the workshop, where guards from the Sword Fangs Legion stop me at the entrance, struggling with a man.

I sigh inwardly as I greet him. “Well, well… It’s been a while.”

I lower my posture in greeting, but the other party’s anger seems to rise even more upon spotting me.

“Hey! Aren’t you the one making guardian shoes at your place? What’s going on with not shipping anything at all for the past month?!”

So it has come to this. My mood sinks.

Father Nicolo has asked us to produce a large quantity of shoes for the clergy, and by directing all production capacity towards that, the production and shipping of guardian shoes for adventurers have completely stopped for the past month.

While it is unavoidable from our side, for the inter-city merchants responsible for distribution, it is an unforgivable situation, and the pressure from customers holding subsequent orders must be significant.

In this matter, we are entirely at fault, so I lower my head and apologize.

“I’m very sorry. However, we will be able to ship starting at the end of next month. We will hold a bidding for that purpose in two weeks. Could you please wait until then?”

But, of course, the inter-town merchant isn’t satisfied. After all, he is worked up enough to come confront us. There is no way he will accept mere words. It is possible that he has borrowed funds from somewhere to rely on our business for his supplies.

“Do you think I can be satisfied with just that kind of talk?!”

The other party’s anger does not subside, and it is only after promising a reservation for the next bidding and priority for that occasion that I am finally able to send him away.

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When I return to the office, I am completely exhausted and sink into my chair.

“This is frustrating… Of course, he would be angry,” I sigh.

Sara, who has brewed tea for me, agrees lightly. “That’s true. But there’s nothing you can do, right? After all, you couldn’t refuse the priest’s order?”

“Well, yeah. That’s impossible.”

It would be unthinkable for us to refuse a request from Father Nicolo, a powerful figure under the Cardinal, given our scale. However, this is something the adventurers who love using guardian shoes and the inter-city merchants who supply them are unaware of and have nothing to do with.

In that sense, it could be said that our company is on the verge of losing their trust significantly.

Originally, I want to supply shoes to the adventurers, but instead, I am being tossed around by the production of pioneer shoes, which are supposed to be subordinate products and were initially meant as a cheaper alternative.

Markets and businesses rarely go as one wishes.

In any case, I need to think of some sort of countermeasure.