Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 392:

If I had to ask an experienced person about every single task, the workload would be overwhelming.

I do know a few shortcuts, but I’m not ready to share those just yet—so I stay quiet.

That’s when the priest, Claudio, speaks up. “Even so, asking about every job sounds like a lot.”

“It’s only tough in the beginning. It gets easier.”

I offer him a hint, and Claudio bites.

“Why’s that?”

“Because it creates a standard.”

“A standard?”

“For some of the work, you estimate it yourself, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you confirm with someone experienced whether your estimate is appropriate, and revise it accordingly.”

“Right. I think asking an experienced person really helps improve the accuracy.”

“Then, you actually try doing the task.”

“As the project moves forward, yes.”

“Then you compare the estimate to the actual result.”

“Yes, that’s the idea.”

But does that mean the actual result should automatically become the standard? Not necessarily.

In reality, unexpected issues always come up during a job.

“Things can go wrong—materials might not arrive, rain might cause delays, or the person in charge might not be available…”

“That’s true.”

“But even with those discrepancies, repeating the same task a few times helps even things out.”

“I think that’s probably true.”

“And that’s how we establish a concept of standardized work. In other words, by doing a specific kind of task multiple times, we can calculate the average workload in numbers based on the actual results.”

As our estimates become more accurate, we can begin calculating the workload before a project even starts.

That’s why I’m saying it’s important to gather and record data from each case.

Claudio catches on immediately and confirms: “I get it. You want me to keep a record, right?”

“Exactly. Developing this territory isn’t the end goal. We need to build systems that can be applied across other territories as well. A big project is just a collection of small tasks. So, if we document each small task thoroughly, we’ll be able to adapt those methods to regions with different conditions. That’s why we need to record everything. I’m counting on you.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best.” Claudio nods, then pauses before asking a slightly awkward question. “This might be unnecessary to ask, but… even so, weren’t you planning to keep this method to yourself, My Lord? It’s an impressive skill. As a priest, I studied law and taxation, but I never learned this blend of theory and practice that we’re learning now. You would make an excellent church official. Gaining the clergy’s respect would be easy. If you entered politics, you could even become Father Nicolo’s successor. So why did you choose to work as an adventurer—a job so far beneath your talents? I honestly don’t understand.”

Father Nicolo once asked me something similar:

“Why do you want to help adventurers?”

From a priest’s perspective, adventuring probably seems like a lowly, meaningless profession.

“They’re farmers. If the farmland were properly managed, they’d be able to till the soil and live quietly in the countryside. You just don’t want to see young people dying for nothing, do you?”

It seemed that, from a priest’s point of view, it was easy to understand the logic: that peasants were meant to be protected—and budding adventurers were, in essence, just displaced farmers.

“I see,” Claudio murmured, finally backing down.