Chapter 258: Delivering the Modified Smartphone
Prior to our departure, Mesaria had contacted the executives who were reachable, and we decided to teleport nearby.
“Mesaria, where are you right now? … I see, understood. I’ll be there shortly, so just wait.”
With that, I informed the other party through my smartphone that I was on my way. It filled me with joy to see that the smartphone I created was being used by others as well. It seemed to be connecting properly to the assigned number, and there didn’t appear to be any issues.
“It seems like they’re moving along the highway alone, so we can go anytime.”
“Got it. Then let’s go.”
At Mesaria’s signal, Rio opened a Dimensional Rift. After communicating once through the smartphone, I could clearly pinpoint the other party’s location, so everything seemed fine. Mesaria was visibly tense, and El, experiencing teleportation for the first time, also showed signs of nervousness. Through the opened rift, I could see the other side immediately, where a man was peering at us from a short distance away. It looked like he was in the middle of the highway, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else around.
“Please, go ahead.”
“… Yes. Excuse us.”
With serious expressions, Mesaria and El stepped through to the other side, and we followed suit. Unlike when crossing worlds, we emerged on the other side almost instantly.
“Seriously, they actually came… Ugh.”
A Beastman with long ears resembling a rabbit took a step back upon seeing us emerge behind Mesaria. “Ugh”? What’s that about? … Wait, isn’t this the guy who was stalking us before? The impression of a professional stalker stuck with me.
“It’s been a while, Ronarl.”
“… So, teleportation was real after all.”
“Why would I lie about that?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Ronarl stumbled over his words, avoiding eye contact with us as we emerged from behind Mesaria.
“Let me introduce you.”
Mesaria turned back to introduce Ronarl. He was one of the executives of the Guild, responsible for information gathering.
“And this is the new Guild Master, Lord Shu, and his wife, Lady Rio.”
At Mesaria’s introduction, Ronarl frowned slightly.
“I don’t recall becoming the Guild Master…”
To me, it felt more like I was just an investor, acting as the owner.
“Haha, after everything you’ve done, that’s quite the statement.”
El chimed in, but I chose to ignore it. There were various things I wanted to investigate and items I needed.
“Oho, ‘wife,’ you say?”
Rio seemed quite pleased with that.
“Now, let’s take the smartphone.”
“Sure.”
I began modifying the smartphone I received through Mesaria. It would take some time, so during that period, I handed over a photo of Kaede to Rio, who then explained it to Ronarl. As always, he was astonished by the realistic quality of the photo, but it wasn’t like we had drawn it ourselves.
“Oh, right, if you need money for your search, don’t hesitate to use it.”
I pulled out a bag filled with coins from my Dimensional Box and handed it to Ronarl.
“Eh?”
Ronarl finally turned his gaze toward me, taken aback by the weight of the bag.
“Is this really okay?”
Mesaria asked if it was fine, surprised by my sudden generosity.
“Of course! I have plenty.”
Rio answered in my stead, and the only reason I could give was simply, “because I have plenty.”
“Haha…”
A dry laugh escaped Ronarl as he peered into the bag’s contents.
“Alright, once you find Kaede, I’ll throw in a success bonus.”
“Seriously!?”
As I casually mentioned my second sudden idea, Ronarl reacted eagerly. Mesaria was surprised as well, but of course, I would offer a reward to you too.
“Of course, I’ll give bonuses not just for finding Kaede herself, but also for any hints or information that leads to her. With the smartphone, you can contact us immediately, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“If you narrow down the location, I’ll also send and pick up investigation personnel.”
“Exactly. So, Mesaria, please organize the information sent by each investigator.”
I placed the responsibility of overall coordination on Mesaria, who seemed to have experience in this area and looked quite capable.
“Understood.”
“Of course, you’ll receive a bonus too, so don’t worry.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
Mesaria bowed respectfully, but the expression on her face when she heard about the bonus was one of confusion.
“Oh, and don’t give a bonus to El.”
Rio quickly interjected, and El shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t seem particularly disappointed, so it was probably fine.
“Still… with this much money being spent, who exactly is this Kaede?”
“Ronarl.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Ronarl, whose eyes sparkled at the mention of rewards, suddenly muttered with a serious expression. However, his inquiry was swiftly silenced by a single word from Mesaria, and he didn’t press further. As expected of a former member of the Assassins’ Guild; they seem to have a strict policy of not asking too many questions. It was a relief for me, as I could only explain that she was the granddaughter of an acquaintance.
“Well then, good luck.”
“Leave it to me!”
Once I confirmed that I could communicate with Ivan using the modified smartphone, I handed it over to Ronarl. For now, my task with him was complete.
“Now, let’s move on to the next one.”
“Yeah, understood.”
Once again, Mesaria made a call, and Rio opened a Dimensional Rift to teleport us to the next location. It seemed that when crossing worlds wasn’t involved, the consumption of Magic Power was indeed lower. I thought that maybe I could try it myself next time. With that in mind, I stepped through the Dimensional Rift.