Chapter 611: An Administrator Under Investigation

The financial discrepancies discovered in Westhaven’s Regional Headquarters had quickly attracted the attention of the Adventurer Guild’s senior administration.

Although the missing entries represented a relatively small amount of money compared to the Guild’s overall revenue, Irene understood that financial irregularities could not be judged solely by their monetary value.

If the newly established regional administration was already producing inconsistent records, the problem needed to be identified before similar mistakes spread throughout Westmark.

That morning, Irene arrived at Boren’s office carrying copies of the suspicious financial declarations and their corresponding mission records.

"Boren, I’ve finished comparing the documents submitted by Westhaven," Irene announced, placing the reports upon his desk. "Seven completed commissions have no corresponding payment entries in the financial declarations."

Boren examined the records carefully. "Seven? Are you certain the payments weren’t recorded under a different reporting period?"

"I checked the previous submissions and the supporting documents," Irene replied, taking a seat. "Three entries appear to involve delayed processing, but the remaining four have no satisfactory explanation."

Boren frowned as he studied the figures.

"Have you contacted Conrad?" Boren asked.

"Not yet," Irene answered. "I wanted us to establish a formal review before requesting explanations. If this is simply an administrative mistake, we should correct it. But if someone has deliberately altered the records, we need to preserve the evidence."

Boren nodded in agreement.

"Then we’ll begin with a preliminary investigation," Boren decided. "I’ll notify Conrad that his department’s records are being reviewed, and we’ll request copies of the original commission documents, payment receipts, and internal registers."

Irene opened her notebook. "We should also examine who prepared the reports and who authorized their submission."

"Agreed," Boren replied. "And until we understand what happened, nobody should be accused of misconduct."

Later that morning, the two administrators presented their findings to Sage.

The Guildmaster listened without interruption as Irene explained the discrepancies and Boren outlined the proposed investigation.

"How serious is the financial difference?" Sage asked after examining the documents.

"Not particularly large, Guildmaster," Irene admitted. "However, the inconsistency concerns me more than the amount. We need to know whether these records were prepared incorrectly or deliberately altered."

Sage nodded thoughtfully.

"Then investigate it properly," Sage instructed. "I don’t want anyone punished because of an assumption, but I also don’t want problems concealed simply because this is our first newly established Regional Headquarters."

Boren inclined his head. "Understood, Guildmaster. We’ll examine the records and give everyone involved an opportunity to explain their actions."

"Good," Sage replied. "If our own employees make mistakes, we correct them. If someone violates the regulations, we apply the appropriate disciplinary procedures. The Guild can’t demand accountability from others while refusing to hold itself to the same standards."

With Sage’s authorization secured, Irene and Boren departed for Westhaven the following morning.

The journey took several days, during which they reviewed the Guild’s financial procedures and prepared questions for the regional administration.

Upon arriving, they found the Regional Headquarters operating normally.

Warriors continued registering at the reception counters, merchants submitted commissions, and Adventurers gathered around the Mission Boards examining available work.

Conrad Falkenrath welcomed them inside his office.

"Mr. Boren, Madam Irene, welcome to Westhaven," Conrad greeted them respectfully. "I received your notice concerning the financial review. I’ve instructed the relevant departments to preserve their records."

Boren took a seat opposite him. "Thank you, Conrad. We’re here to determine why several completed commissions don’t match the financial declarations submitted to Kingsford."

Conrad’s expression remained serious. "I understand. I’ve already examined the figures myself, but I haven’t identified the cause of every discrepancy."

Irene opened the first report.

"Let’s begin with your reporting procedures," Irene suggested. "Who prepares the monthly financial declarations?"

"Our financial clerks compile the payment records, and the department supervisor reviews them before they’re forwarded to my office," Conrad explained. "I examine the summary and authorize its submission."

Boren studied him carefully. "Do you personally compare the financial declarations against the completed mission records?"

Conrad hesitated.

"Not individually," Conrad admitted. "I review the departmental summaries and investigate anything that appears unusual."

Irene exchanged a glance with Boren.

There was the first weakness.

The regional administrator had been approving reports without independently verifying whether the figures matched records maintained by another department.

"That procedure needs improvement," Irene remarked. "A financial summary can appear perfectly reasonable while omitting transactions that should have been recorded."

Conrad nodded. "I agree, Madam Irene. I’ll cooperate fully with whatever corrective measures are necessary."

The investigation began that afternoon.

Irene examined the financial ledgers while Boren interviewed employees responsible for preparing and reviewing the reports.

The first three discrepancies were resolved relatively quickly.

Payments had been received near the end of the reporting period but entered into the financial ledger several days later. The transactions had not been stolen or concealed; they had simply been recorded under the wrong dates.

Nevertheless, the mistakes revealed inadequate coordination between the mission and finance departments.

The remaining four entries proved more troubling.

Their corresponding commissions had been completed, and payment receipts existed, but the amounts had been excluded from the financial declarations sent to Kingsford.

Irene summoned the clerk responsible for compiling those records.

"These four payments appear in the original receipt register," Irene explained, indicating the relevant entries. "Why weren’t they included in the financial declaration?"

The young clerk looked visibly nervous.

"Madam Irene, I was instructed to leave those entries out of the summary until they could be reviewed," the clerk answered.

Irene’s expression sharpened. "Who gave you that instruction?"

"The financial supervisor, Madam Irene," the clerk replied. "He said there were questions concerning the classification of those payments."

Boren leaned forward.

"Did you receive that instruction in writing?" Boren asked.

The clerk shook his head. "No, sir. He told me directly."

Irene made a note.

"Thank you. We’ll need to speak with your supervisor," Irene replied. "For now, continue your ordinary duties and don’t alter any of the records under review."

The supervisor was summoned shortly afterward.

A middle-aged employee with several years of accounting experience, he appeared uncomfortable when confronted with the missing entries.

"Madam Irene, I believed those payments required additional verification," the supervisor explained. "The commissions involved merchants whose payment arrangements were being reviewed."

Irene examined the receipts.

"Additional verification doesn’t justify removing completed transactions from an official declaration," Irene replied firmly. "If a payment is disputed, it should be recorded and marked accordingly."

The supervisor lowered his gaze. "I understand."

Boren folded his hands.

"Why didn’t you inform Conrad that these entries had been excluded?" Boren asked.

"I intended to resolve the matter before the next report," the supervisor admitted. "I didn’t think the amounts were significant enough to cause concern."

Boren frowned.

"That decision wasn’t yours to make," Boren replied. "The Guild’s reporting procedures exist precisely to prevent individuals from deciding which transactions deserve to be disclosed."

The investigation continued into the evening.

After reviewing the documents, Irene determined that the supervisor had deliberately withheld four entries from the financial declaration, although the payments themselves remained accounted for in the branch’s records.

There was no evidence that money had been stolen.

However, the supervisor had knowingly submitted incomplete financial information.

The following morning, Boren convened a meeting with Conrad and Irene.

"We’ve identified two separate problems," Boren explained. "First, the branch’s reporting procedures are insufficiently coordinated. Second, the financial supervisor deliberately excluded transactions without proper authorization."

Conrad looked troubled. "Then I bear responsibility for failing to identify the problem before approving the report."

"As regional administrator, you’re responsible for ensuring adequate oversight," Irene replied. "However, that doesn’t mean you’re personally responsible for every employee’s misconduct. We need to distinguish inadequate supervision from deliberate falsification."

Boren nodded.

"The supervisor will receive formal disciplinary action for knowingly submitting incomplete records," Boren stated. "He’ll be removed from responsibility for approving financial declarations pending further review. The clerk who followed his instructions will receive additional training, provided the evidence confirms he acted without knowledge of the violation."

Conrad accepted the decision.

"And my own responsibilities?" Conrad asked.

"You’ll receive a formal administrative warning concerning the weaknesses in your oversight procedures," Boren answered. "You’ll also be required to implement the revised verification system and submit additional reports during the next several reporting periods."

Conrad inclined his head. "Understood, Mr. Boren. I’ll ensure the necessary changes are implemented."

The corrective measures were introduced immediately.

Financial declarations would now require reconciliation against completed mission records before submission. Any disputed transaction had to remain visible in the accounts, accompanied by a written explanation.

Conrad also established a secondary review procedure, ensuring that financial supervisors could not independently remove entries without documented authorization.

By the end of the week, the investigation appeared close to completion.

However, while examining the supervisor’s correspondence, Irene discovered an unusual document.

It was a letter from a commercial representative who had contacted the branch shortly before the disputed financial report was prepared.

The letter suggested that certain payments connected to merchant commissions should be temporarily excluded from the Guild’s official declarations until a separate commercial arrangement could be finalized.

More concerning was a handwritten note attached to the correspondence.

The note promised favorable business opportunities if the financial adjustments were handled discreetly.

Irene immediately brought the document to Boren.

"Boren, I think we’ve found something that changes the nature of this investigation," Irene remarked, placing the letter before him.

Boren read the contents carefully.

"Someone outside the Guild was asking our financial department to alter its reporting?" Boren asked, his expression darkening.

Irene nodded. "And they were offering commercial benefits in return."

Boren examined the signature at the bottom of the letter.

The name belonged to a merchant representative whose company had recently begun operating along Westhaven’s commercial routes.

"Then this may not have been an ordinary case of administrative misconduct," Boren concluded. "Someone may have deliberately attempted to influence our financial reporting."

Irene looked toward the sealed documents spread across the desk.

"Which means we need to discover who sent this representative," Irene replied.

The investigation had begun with seven inconsistent entries.

Now, it had uncovered evidence that someone outside the Adventurer Guild was attempting to interfere with the financial integrity of its newest Regional Headquarters.