Chapter 605: The Regional Administrator

While Tobias Merrow continued resolving the transportation difficulties affecting the Guild’s first regional construction project, another important matter occupied the administrative offices at Kingsford Headquarters.

The Guild needed someone capable of managing the branch once construction was completed.

For Boren and Lyana, selecting that individual was considerably more complicated than appointing an ordinary receptionist or administrative assistant.

A regional administrator would represent the Adventurer Guild in an unfamiliar territory, supervise its employees, oversee daily operations, and maintain working relationships with local authorities.

A poor appointment could undermine months of preparation.

That morning, Boren sat opposite Lyana inside his office, examining a collection of documents outlining the proposed responsibilities of regional administrators.

"We’ve already established the basic structure, but I think the qualifications need to be more specific," Boren remarked, adjusting his glasses.

"Experience in administration is important, but someone who has managed a merchant warehouse won’t necessarily understand how the Adventurer Guild operates."

Lyana nodded as she reviewed the requirements. "Then we should separate general administrative competence from knowledge of Guild procedures. An experienced administrator can learn our regulations, but they must demonstrate that they’re capable of applying them properly."

Boren considered her suggestion before adding another note.

"Financial accountability should be a major requirement," Boren continued. "Regional branches will collect registration fees, process commissions, manage expenses, and maintain departmental budgets. We can’t afford administrators who treat Guild funds as their personal property."

Lyana leaned back in her chair. "And they must understand the limits of their authority. Someone accustomed to managing a noble estate might assume they can issue whatever orders they please."

"Precisely," Boren replied. "The Guild operates under established regulations. Regional administrators will possess considerable responsibility, but that doesn’t mean they can rewrite our policies whenever they find something inconvenient."

The two continued refining the qualifications until their proposal covered financial management, personnel supervision, mission administration, recordkeeping, public relations, and cooperation with territorial authorities.

By midday, they had prepared a detailed document for Sage’s approval.

When they entered the Guildmaster’s office, Sage was examining a report concerning the first regional branch’s construction schedule.

"Guildmaster, we’ve completed our proposed qualifications for regional administrators," Boren announced, placing the document upon his desk. "We’d like your approval before beginning the selection process."

Sage set aside the construction report and examined the proposal.

The document contained several sections describing the responsibilities of a regional administrator, including supervision of branch employees, coordination between departments, maintenance of official records, and submission of regular reports to Kingsford Headquarters.

"These responsibilities look reasonable," Sage observed. "How much authority are you proposing to give them?"

Boren opened the document to a marked page. "They would have authority over ordinary daily operations, Guildmaster. That includes assigning routine administrative duties, approving expenses within established limits, and coordinating departmental schedules."

Lyana continued the explanation. "However, changes to membership qualifications, mission classifications, commercial policies, or major contractual arrangements would require authorization from Headquarters."

Sage nodded approvingly.

"Good. I don’t want regional administrators contacting Kingsford every time they need to purchase furniture or adjust employee schedules," Sage explained. "But they also shouldn’t be able to change our membership requirements simply because a local noble dislikes them."

Boren smiled faintly. "That distinction is included in the proposal, Guildmaster."

Sage turned another page.

"What about disputes with regional authorities?" Sage asked. "An administrator might face pressure from officials who believe the Guild should operate according to their personal preferences."

Lyana folded her hands. "We’ve included procedures requiring administrators to document such disputes and refer matters involving the Guild’s legal rights or institutional independence to Headquarters."

"Excellent," Sage replied. "They should cooperate with lawful local requirements, but they must never surrender authority they don’t possess the right to surrender."

After reviewing the remaining provisions, Sage approved the proposal.

"Begin the selection process," Sage instructed. "Consider experienced Guild employees first, but don’t restrict applications to our existing personnel. We need capable people, and some excellent administrators may have never worked for the Guild before."

Boren nodded. "We’ll establish a screening process, followed by written assessments and interviews."

"Make sure the assessments involve realistic situations," Sage added. "I want to know how candidates respond when a merchant disputes a commission, an employee mishandles funds, or a noble attempts to interfere with branch operations."

Lyana smiled. "We’ve already prepared several examples, Guildmaster."

With the approval secured, Boren and Lyana returned to the administrative wing and began organizing the recruitment process.

Notices were circulated among existing Guild employees, while additional announcements were prepared for qualified applicants outside the organization.

The response exceeded their initial expectations.

Within several days, applications arrived from experienced clerks, former municipal officials, merchant administrators, and individuals who had managed estates or commercial establishments.

Some were attracted by the Guild’s growing reputation, while others considered regional administration an opportunity for professional advancement.

However, the initial screening eliminated a considerable number of applicants.

Several possessed impressive recommendations but lacked meaningful experience managing employees or financial records. Others appeared interested primarily in the authority associated with the position.

One applicant even suggested that his noble connections should exempt him from the Guild’s written assessment.

Boren rejected that request immediately.

"If he wants an appointment based on his family connections, he’s applying to the wrong organization," Boren remarked as he returned the application to Lyana.

Lyana examined the accompanying recommendation letter. "His qualifications aren’t particularly impressive either. We should evaluate everyone according to the same requirements."

The following week, the first group of shortlisted candidates arrived at Kingsford Headquarters for their assessments.

The examinations were conducted in one of the administrative training rooms, where applicants received written scenarios involving financial discrepancies, personnel disputes, and problems concerning mission administration.

Boren supervised the proceedings while Lyana and two experienced clerks evaluated the completed responses.

One scenario described a wealthy merchant offering additional payment to have his commission placed ahead of other requests without following established Guild procedures.

Another involved a regional official demanding the removal of a lawful mission from the Mission Board because its requester had offended a local noble.

The final exercise required candidates to identify discrepancies in a branch’s monthly financial report.

By the end of the assessment, several applicants had distinguished themselves through careful reasoning and sound administrative judgment.

Others had performed considerably worse.

Lyana examined one particularly troubling response.

"This candidate recommends accepting the merchant’s payment and treating it as an administrative convenience fee," Lyana remarked, showing Boren the document. "He hasn’t even considered whether the payment violates our procedures."

Boren frowned. "Then he clearly doesn’t understand the position. We’re looking for administrators, not people who believe every rule has a price."

The interviews began the following morning.

Candidates were questioned about their professional experience, understanding of institutional responsibility, and willingness to operate under Headquarters supervision.

Among the applicants was a man in his early thirties named Conrad Falkenrath, a former administrative secretary who had spent several years managing financial records and personnel arrangements for a noble estate.

Unlike several other candidates, Conrad approached the interview without attempting to impress the panel through exaggerated claims.

"Mr. Falkenrath, your application indicates that you’ve supervised more than forty employees," Boren observed, examining his records. "What responsibilities did that position involve?"

Conrad sat upright before answering. "Personnel assignments, payroll verification, supply procurement, correspondence, and the preparation of monthly expenditure reports. I also coordinated inspections and maintained records of contractual obligations."

Lyana examined his assessment results. "You performed particularly well in the financial exercise. You identified every discrepancy and proposed an additional verification procedure. Why?"

Conrad considered the question briefly. "Because correcting the figures wouldn’t necessarily prevent the problem from happening again. If the discrepancies resulted from inadequate verification, the reporting procedure itself would need improvement."

Boren exchanged a glance with Lyana.

That was precisely the kind of reasoning they wanted.

The interview continued with questions concerning disputes between employees, cooperation with territorial officials, and the limits of administrative authority.

Conrad’s answers remained measured and practical.

When presented with a scenario involving a noble demanding preferential treatment for his personal commissions, he did not suggest confronting the noble unnecessarily.

Instead, he recommended explaining the applicable procedures, documenting the request, and referring any unresolved dispute to the appropriate senior authority.

Lyana nodded approvingly. "You seem comfortable working within established regulations, Mr. Falkenrath."

Conrad inclined his head. "Regulations exist to make responsibilities clear, Madam Lyana. An administrator who ignores them whenever someone influential complains will eventually find himself answering to several masters."

The answer impressed both interviewers.

By the time Conrad departed, his assessment had placed him among the strongest candidates.

However, while reviewing his employment history later that afternoon, Lyana noticed something unusual.

"Boren, take a look at this," Lyana said, sliding Conrad’s application across the desk. "His previous employer wasn’t identified during the interview beyond the estate’s administrative office."

Boren examined the employment record.

Conrad had previously served in the household administration of Count Leopold von Rabenfeld.

For several moments, neither administrator spoke.

Count Leopold had been among the most vocal opponents of the Adventurer Guild during the Royal Charter negotiations, particularly concerning its dungeon operations and growing commercial influence.

Lyana frowned as she examined the dates. "According to this record, Conrad left the Count’s service only a few months ago."

Boren studied the application carefully. "And his qualifications are among the strongest we’ve seen."

"That’s what makes this complicated," Lyana replied. "We can’t assume he’s untrustworthy simply because of his former employer. But we also can’t ignore the connection."

Boren closed the folder and placed it beside the other shortlisted applications.

"We’ll need to investigate his employment history before making any decisions," Boren concluded. "And Guildmaster Sage should be informed."

The selection process had produced several promising candidates.

But its most impressive applicant had just presented the Guild with an unexpected problem.

The man who might become its first regional administrator had previously served one of its most determined political opponents.