Chapter 27: Model employee
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
「I need Roland to do me a favour.」, Iris said as I was debriefing the employees after closing.
「Oh. If it’s for a meal, I’m afraid I have to decline.」
「Oi! Don’t reject me before I even ask!」
Realising that she was in front of the other employees, she cleared her throat and rephrased:
「The position of entry test examiner is on a rotational basis between experienced employees and you, right? From now on, I’d like you to assume this role permanently.」
Considering that I usually wasn’t exceptionally busy, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
「Branch chief… is it really okay to leave it all to Roland? Every examiner has different standards — wasn’t the current system put in place to prevent them from acting on their own biases?」, inquired Morley.
Iris nodded in acknowledgment.
「I’ve gathered some data, though. Please have a look.」
The data compared the adventurers I’d passed to those passed by others.
「Wow, they’re completely different…」
「There’s nothing special about the adventurers that Argan-san endorsed, too…」
「Far from it… these are people who were failed by other branches…」
「And despite that –」
One column contained the ratio of quest acceptance to quest completion for each adventurer I’d qualified. Additionally, the average promotion rate for this group of people had also been calculated.
「That’s amazing, Roland-san! Most of your adventurers got promoted to E-rank after only a month!」, said a wide-eyed Milia as she lightly tapped the documents.
Yes, Milia, I can see that… after all, I have a copy too.
Iris spoke again, making the employees quieten down.
「It’s clear as day. All the adventurers tested by Roland have far exceeded expectations.」
「I, uh, remember one of Roland’s examinees… he’s already C-rank, isn’t he?」, recalled Milia.
「Huh, hasn’t Roland only been doing this for two months?」
「One of Roland’s first…? C-rank in two-months!? Holy cow…」
「That’s exceptional!」
I also recalled my first hopeful candidate. Milia brought out the adventurers’ directory, which included examination records.
「Please give me a moment… oh, it’s this person, look!」
The other employees peered at the records.
「Magic assessment… E-minus. A completely lost cause, no?」
「Eh, hold up, his practical assessment was E too…」
「But you need at least a C in both to pass…?」
「I’d have failed him!」
「Not only you, anyone would’ve done the same!」
I had not intended to judge him harshly at all. He had taken the test elsewhere too — those results were comparable to ours.
「This guy is the fastest to achieve C-rank of all time!?」, exclaimed the employees.
While guidelines do exist, the examiner has the final say. Personally, I do not only look at the candidate’s abilities, but also as a person.
A hardworking, obedient and honest workhorse of a young man, he was extremely surprised when I decided to pass him. Seeing his positive attitude, I had reviewed his practical assessment with him and discussed his strengths and weaknesses.
Those who are acutely self-aware of their shortcomings are hard to come by. Letting him know this, I also guided him to work on his weaknesses and to improve on his strengths.
After that, I taught him the important points to note when going on a solo quest to subjugate belligerents. He also learnt his role in a team fight when partied with others.
He had been visibly moved.
「It’s the first time any employee has said something like that to me…」, he gushed.
「Employee-san, look at this! Thank you for passing me — I will not disappoint you!」
I could see that he was trying his best to make me proud of him. Clearly, he’d been treated differently at other guilds — probably advised to give up or something.
To be a successful adventurer, one has to be highly motivated. It’s not like a guild employee can force a quest onto an unmotivated person. Needless to say, without the desire to improve, one will never become stronger. A guild employee can’t enforce this either. Therefore, I saw it as my duty to ignite the passion and drive in aspiring adventurers.
「Hey, are you doing anything special in your examinations?」, inquired Iris.
I explained my methodology to her.
「No, there’s nothing special, really.」, I added.
The other employees were dumbstruck.
「He’s really been doing that all this time…?」
「Hmm, there’s no way I could’ve offered such precise advice.」
「I’ve always thought that Roland was different from the rest! From the very beginning!」, chimed in Milia.
「Seeing how sincere you are, the adventurers you passed are also more willing to work hard because of you.」, agreed Iris, nodding.
「Well, I can’t say I did anything — it’s their own hard work, after all.」
「To say that it’s not a big deal… he’s really humble, isn’t he?」
「Eh, not so much — I’d say he really thinks that way.」
「I mean, he did do a lot… he just doesn’t want to brag, eh?」
「Wow, he really feels like a pro!」
Listening to their discussion, Iris smiled.
「So, how about it? For you to become the chief presiding examiner?」
「If it’s fine with you. I think it’s good that the other employees don’t have to take on examiner duties — it will make the workplace more efficient.」
Applause erupted from the crowd, which I found kind of embarrassing. This feeling was also kind of foreign to me — probably due to the fact that I was rarely ever praised for my actions.
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)