ALL NOVEL Chapter 81 Part 2: Meanwhile, at the team house
“Did just the two of you manage to handle this much work?”
Sena, who had recently joined the Brigade of the Dawn as an administrative staff member, couldn’t help but twitch her cheek as she looked at the massive pile of paperwork stacked on the desk.
In the village where Sena lived, wooden tablets were commonly used, so the bulk of the documents was often substantial. However, in the capital, where the paper industry was more developed, even commoners frequently used paper for correspondence.
That’s why, in this team, all paperwork was done on paper as well. But the pile of documents on the desk was about as high as the wooden tablets she used back home. While the height was the same, the volume of paper made the workload more than double, turning it into an overwhelming task.
“This is what’s left for this month. The major tasks are done, so starting next month, it’ll be less. No need to worry.”
“This is what’s left…?”
Sena couldn’t even imagine how much there must have been at the beginning of the month.
No, it was more accurate to say she was terrified to even try imagining it. Sena’s family were artisans, her father a blacksmith.
The women, like Sena, helped around the house, while the men became apprentices, training to be future blacksmiths.
Her father, or rather, craftsmen by nature, often resorted to violence. If you made a mistake, it wasn’t just a scolding; you’d literally be struck by a fist hardened from years of forging metal.
While Sena, as a woman, never experienced that herself, if she made a mistake, her father’s furious voice could still make her body shrink involuntarily. In some cases, punishment could even include missing meals.
That’s why Sena left home and came to the capital. Even though the conditions offered to her were a little lower, she chose the Brigade of the Dawn, which was an all-women workplace.
She had no regrets about her decision, but for just a brief moment, she found herself slightly regretting joining the Brigade.
“Almost all of these documents are handled by Allen. I wouldn’t be able to do it alone either, but Allen comes in occasionally and finishes everything in a single day. And without a single mistake.”
“In a day…?”
Impossible, Sena thought as she looked at the overwhelming pile of documents on the desk. But Allen was the only man allowed to join this all-female team, so he must have exceptional abilities, Sena mused.
If she were to do it herself, it would definitely take more than a day—maybe even a week. Considering that Aina was often busy meeting with other trade companies, collaborating with someone to process the documents also seemed challenging.
How does he manage it? Sena wondered and asked Aina directly. But even Aina didn’t know the answer.
“They’re not classified documents or anything, so it’s fine, but it seems like he takes them home and does the work there. Maybe he has some special magic tools?”
“Magic tools?”
Could there actually be any magic tools specifically for office work?
There were ancient tools like the Raja board, but that only handled simple addition and subtraction. Looking at the documents Allen processed, some involved complex calculations related to taxes and guild transactions—things that couldn’t be done with just a Raja board.
For a small adventurer team to handle this much paperwork internally was almost unheard of. From Sena’s perspective, tasks like these were normally entrusted to a company contracted by the team.
Smaller adventurer teams or individuals often left everything to the guild. It was harsh to say, but adventurers weren’t typically educated enough to handle complicated tax-related paperwork. That’s why they usually relied on merchants or guilds for such tasks.
Of course, the commission fees for those services were quite steep.
Some trade companies even specialized in this kind of clerical work. When Sena was looking for a job, several of those companies had tried to recruit her.
“…Incredible, not a single mistake.”
Sena casually flipped through one of the already processed documents. The tables were so neatly organized that she could immediately understand the content. There were almost no spelling or typographical errors, and to Sena’s eyes, the paperwork was perfect.
As she skimmed through several more documents, she did notice a few spots where the wording seemed odd. Those sections were stamped with corrections, but even so, for this sheer volume of work, the error rate was astoundingly low.
“At first, I also wondered why they’d bring in a man at this point. But after seeing the amount of work he handles and how he performed at yesterday’s welcome party, I have to admit it—it makes sense.”
“…I agree.”
Recalling Aina’s words, Sena remembered the amazing welcome party from the previous day.
Held at one of the capital’s top restaurants, every dish served was astonishing to Sena, who had come from the countryside. At first, she was too nervous to eat much, but after getting used to the atmosphere and thanks to the alcohol she wasn’t accustomed to, she finally started eating. Every dish was one of the best she’d ever tasted in her life.
Among all the wonderful food, the dish made by Allen—the only man in the team and supposedly a merchant—stood out.
For Sena, the dessert served at the end of the party was what stole the show, more so than the meat dishes. Even her normally kind senior colleagues turned into something like fierce demons, competing for ownership of the remaining sweets. Their intensity was such that even the Brigade leader, Saioji, couldn’t stop them.
While Sena was spared from the struggle as a newcomer, she thought that if she had more confidence, she might have joined the fray. The fact that she—who usually disliked conflict—felt that way, showed just how dangerously alluring that dessert had been.
To Sena, Allen was an intriguing figure—he stood out as the only man in this all-female team. Outside, the Brigade of the Dawn was known as an all-women team, so many didn’t even know he existed. But within the team, he seemed to be a prominent figure.
At the very least, there was no tension between him and the other members. In fact, he seemed to be on friendly terms with some of them.
Although Sena had never spoken to him directly, his demeanor didn’t give off the rough, violent vibe of her father, nor did he seem to possess the superficial charm often found in city men.
However, even Aina, their superior, didn’t seem to know much about Allen. She also had no idea where the wagyu beef or the sweets from the welcome party came from.
Apparently, the only one who knew the full story was Saioji, the leader of the Brigade.
Because of that, Aina trusted Allen through Saioji’s trust, even without knowing the full details.
Unlike Aina, Sena didn’t yet trust Saioji. Although she could tell Saioji was an impressive person, she didn’t know enough about her as a person to rely on her judgment when it came to Allen.
She didn’t think Allen was a bad person, but there was something mysterious about him that made her feel a little uneasy.