Chapter 260: The Guild’s Submaster
As expected of the Adventurer’s Guild in the labyrinth city, its scale was impressive. There were counters arranged in two rows, and it seemed that there were additional counters on the upper floor where C Rank adventurers and above came and went.
But what stood out the most was the buyback counter. The various materials obtained from the Dungeon must be extensive. I wasn’t sure about the scale, but I had a slight interest in the Dungeon. Speaking of which, items that resembled smartphones, which had no apparent use for the people of this world, occasionally emerged from the Dungeons.
“I’m heading to the second floor.”
With that announcement, Mesaria-san ascended the stairs without hesitation. The counter on the second floor was quite spacious. Unlike the first floor, I could see robust adventurers conversing with the staff.
“Dorothy.”
As Mesaria-san scanned the area, she called out to one of the staff members. A female staff member, who had been busy with paperwork in the corner of the counter, turned to face us, her expression shifting to one of curiosity.
“Oh, if it isn’t Mesaria. What brings you all the way here?”
She had sharp eyes that, combined with her light blue hair, gave her a cold impression. Her slender physique seemed out of place in the bustling Adventurer’s Guild filled with strong adventurers.
“I have a few things to discuss, but I also brought a new job.”
“Oh?”
At Mesaria-san’s words, Dorothy’s sharp gaze narrowed even further. It was not wise to mention smartphones in a public place filled with other adventurers.
“It’s rare for you to bring a job directly. Well, that’s fine. Please tell me the details.”
Quickly tidying up her paperwork, Dorothy walked deeper into the counter.
“Then let’s go.”
Mesaria-san turned back to us and followed Dorothy into the back of the counter. We followed suit and soon arrived at a room that resembled a conference room.
“Oh, you’re not alone… Elvirinos Jewels!?”
Dorothy exclaimed, her eyes widening as she noticed El entering after us. When she turned to look at El, he shrugged, as if to say he had no idea what was going on.
“I’m just an escort, so feel free to ignore me.”
He said this while standing at attention behind the seats we were about to take. Despite the empty chairs available, El chose not to sit, and Dorothy stared at him with an expression that suggested she found him unsettling.
“Nice to meet you. This is Shuu, who brought the job, and this is Rio.”
After introducing ourselves with a slight bow, Dorothy returned the introduction. It seemed she was the Submaster of this Adventurer’s Guild. I couldn’t quite grasp how someone like her was involved with us.
“Wait… what do you mean by bringing a client to a place like this?”
“Since she is also our Master, there’s no problem at all.”
“…Huh?”
“This is the job description.”
Without waiting for Dorothy to recover from her shock, Mesaria-san pulled out a stack of photographs of Kaede-san from her bag.
“I need you to find the girl in these pictures.”
“…What?”
Now Dorothy was frozen, staring at the photographs of Kaede-san. It was a familiar reaction, but I knew that if we continued without giving her time to process, she wouldn’t understand, so I waited a moment. Tentatively, she reached for the photos, examining them closely, turning them over to check the back, and then looking back at Mesaria-san and us with a face full of astonishment.
“What is this… such a detailed illustration…?”
“I told you it’s a job, didn’t I? If you want to stay alive, don’t inquire about the source.”
As expected from someone who lived in the underworld, saying this would prevent further probing, which saved us from a tedious explanation. While showing her other photos, we conveyed the information about the person we needed to find.
“I want you to prioritize this job, but how many people can you mobilize right now?”
“Given what you see, I can’t say for sure, but I’ll need to check with the other two guilds.”
“…Given what I see?”
“Exactly. This is an Adventurer’s Guild, so whether or not we take on a request depends on the adventurers themselves.”
“Hmm? Does that mean the usual adventurers?”
I thought that if they were from a subordinate organization, they might take on the job, but it seemed more complicated than that.
“This is an Adventurer’s Guild, so we can’t do more than that. Only a few of us are embedded here.”
From what I gathered, not the entire Adventurer’s Guild was a subordinate organization. It seemed that a few individuals were infiltrated, passing along various bits of information. Therefore, we could only request a search for a person as a legitimate job through the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Then I’ll just put out a request for any information you might have.”
“…You’re not going to submit it as a search request?”
“With zero leads and no idea where she might be, that seems like the best approach.”
When I replied that way to Dorothy, she nodded in agreement.
“I see… Then I’ll submit the request in that direction.”
“Thank you.”
After providing each photograph one by one, we finally transitioned to the topic of the smartphone.
“Why didn’t you respond when I contacted you with that magic tool? You’re not hiding it away, are you?”
“Huh?”
“If I call you, it should ring, right?”
Dorothy looked perplexed at Mesaria-san’s words.
“If you don’t carry it around regularly, you won’t be able to reach me quickly.”
“Huh!? There’s no way I can just carry around such an amazing magic tool!”
I see. That makes sense. But still, the smartphone needs to be carried at all times. Would that mean that those around me would realize I had a magic tool that could contact someone instantly? Hmm. I might need to reconsider how to use it…
“…In any case, I want you to be ready to respond immediately when I contact you. Also, could you bring that magic tool for modifications?”
“M-modifications!?”
Dorothy raised her voice in shock, turning to Mesaria-san with a fierce expression.
“I’ve been quietly listening, but who is this child!? I can’t believe you’re the Master, and now you want to modify that magic tool!?”
As she shouted, Dorothy finally snapped, but she had been listening attentively until then. It seemed that while the executives at the guild headquarters were reasonable, things were different outside of that circle.