Chapter 324

About the Adventurer Training Institution
Three days later, after receiving their Ogre Spider Silk underarmor and making the payment, the adventurers hurried back to Galette County.
Since all four of their parties had been here, any issues that arose there would have been difficult to address immediately.
A bird courier carrying only a letter would reach in a day, but a courier carrying passengers would take two days.

With that, my work was done.
Now, it was up to Young lady Conniette and the people of Galette County.
I couldn’t help with anything beyond armor, after all.

Just as I was thinking that, I received a summons from Marquis Vardmoi.
Apparently, there was a project he wanted me to participate in.
I just hoped it wasn’t anything too troublesome.

"… An adventurer training institution?"

"That’s right. Prince Sharon wants to establish a school-like institution where White-ranked adventurers can learn how to work and the basics of monster hunting."

"Prince Sharon again…?"

He sure had a knack for bringing up troublesome ideas.
More importantly, I wondered if His Majesty was even aware of this.
When I asked, it turned out that he was.

"His Majesty MacFarlane is aware of this proposal and has granted approval. This isn’t just another one of Prince Sharon’s reckless actions."

"Well, even if you say it’s not reckless, it’s still pretty reckless, isn’t it?"

"Perhaps, but for regions with high adventurer mortality rates, this could be a much-needed initiative. Some of the nobles will likely support it."

Hmm, that sounded like it would split the nobles into factions—those who supported it and those who opposed it.
The country had only just been established in the spring. Was it really wise to be making such drastic moves already?

When I asked the Marquis Vardmoi about this, his answer was a firm no.

"Of course not. If the country’s leadership is divided, it will give the remaining factions from the old kingdom an opening to interfere. It’s not a particularly smart policy."

"But the regions that need it do need some kind of intervention, right?"

"Exactly. Vardmoi territory has a relatively low mortality rate among novice adventurers, but Galette County, for example, has a very high rate. If too many new adventurers die, fewer people will come. If people stop coming, work becomes scarce. That leads to an economic downward spiral."

I only understood about half of that, but I did get the gist:
If adventurers didn’t come, money wouldn’t either.
That would be a problem for Young lady Conniette.

"This proposal was approved as a measure to revitalize such regions. Even the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters has agreed to it. However, a portion of the operating costs must be covered by the local nobles."

Hmm, in that case, wouldn’t that mean Galette County wouldn’t be able to build such a facility?
The Galette family certainly wasn’t wealthy enough to afford it.

… Wait, then why was I called here for this?

"Lily, would you consider becoming Galette County’s exclusive merchant and lending them the necessary funds? I’ll personally guarantee the collateral."

Ah, so they wanted me to lend them money.
Now, what should I do?
If it were the Marquis Vardmoi himself asking for a loan, I’d refuse immediately.
But if it was for Young lady Conniette…

What do you think about this chapter?