Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 405

I was writing in my office in the back when Sara opened the door and came in.

Lately, due to territory development plans, she’s been out from morning until night, so it’s been a while since we’ve spoken during daylight hours.

“Kenji, did those craftsmen come back?”

“Oh, Sara. I just needed some time to organize my thoughts. How’s the investigation coming along?”

“Hmm, it’s going well, but there’s a lot I’m not used to, so it’s a bit tough. But it’s really fun!”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

As we talked, Sara sat down in her office chair. I turned my chair toward her—when she looks like that, it usually means she has something serious to discuss.

“So, what are you thinking? Why didn’t you hire them?”

“Well…”

As I expected, she was wondering why I hadn’t hired any of the craftsmen. It was obvious from the state of the workshop that we were short-staffed.

After thinking for a moment, I began explaining our recruitment strategy by comparing it to the growth stages of an adventurer party.

“Let’s compare a company to an adventurer party.”

“Okay.”

“At first, it was just you and me. We had no reputation or achievements, so even finding people willing to join us was hard. Then, as we completed more difficult requests, our reputation grew. Now, people who once ignored us are asking to join. That’s where we are now. Make sense?”

“Yes, I get it.”

“The problem is, adventurer parties have different personalities and specialties. Some focus on hunting large monsters, others act like mercenaries dealing with humans, and some specialize in exploring ruins or caves. If someone doesn’t align with that direction, it won’t be good for either side. Those who’ve been with the party since the beginning grow with it and fit naturally—but the issue is whether new members can adapt to the party’s philosophy.”

“If you’re an adventurer, you can always try starting your own party.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t work for craftsmen. Leaving a workshop takes serious resolve, and once you’ve accepted them, you can’t just throw them out if it doesn’t work out. The shoemaking world is small. If you get a reputation for treating craftsmen poorly, no one will want to work for you again.”

“You’re right. That would be bad.”

I took a sip of tea from the cup on my desk. The mini stove I’d recently installed was working great—thanks to it, I could always have hot drinks.

I paused to soothe my throat, then continued.

“What’s bothering me is that I wonder if those craftsmen misunderstood our company’s vision.”

“Misunderstood how?”

“They saw our high-end products—the Guardian Shoes and the Cardinal’s Shoes—and assumed this was a place to learn how to make luxury goods. But we’re aiming to mass-produce affordable shoes for the general public. If our long-term goals don’t align, it’ll be disappointing for both sides.”

“That’s true. So you’re hesitating to hire them.”

“Exactly.”

“But aren’t the craftsmen’s wives and kids helping out already? Doesn’t that count as hiring?”

“There’s a big difference between hiring assistants and hiring skilled craftsmen. Like it or not, bringing on a grown man with skills is a bigger commitment. A skilled craftsman has pride and expectations.”

At that, I noticed Sara smiling at me.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just thought you have a good grasp of people.”

“Well, I’m a complicated guy myself, after all.”

“But you need those craftsmen if you want to grow, right?”

“Not necessarily. What we need more than craftsmen… is more Saras. If I had more Saras, we could expand this business many times over.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because I can trust you to run the shoe business. If we had more like you, we could grow quickly—but people like you don’t exactly walk in asking to be hired. In the end, collaboration and production management are more vital to our shoemaking than one or two highly skilled craftsmen. That’s probably not what they imagined. I’m not sure they’d accept that.”

“I see… then maybe it’s best to just let them go.”

“Yeah, maybe. Still, it feels like a waste. We really do need more hands right now.”

There was a real conflict: in the long-term, hiring them might be a mistake. But short-term, we needed the manpower.

It was a dilemma—how do we balance short-term needs with long-term strategy?