Chapter 261: Exchange of Tasks
“Wow, it’s quite shocking that my masters don’t believe me,” Dorothy said, listing all the reasons we might seem suspicious. As I pondered how to convince her, El, who had been silently standing behind us, finally spoke up.
“Masters…?”
Dorothy, suddenly interrupting, turned her gaze behind us, and we all followed suit.
“What do you mean by ‘masters’ all of a sudden?”
“Yeah, it’s a bit creepy, don’t you think?”
“…I just came out to talk about how I’m Rio’s slave, and you’re being so harsh,” Dorothy replied, her tone a mix of annoyance and disbelief.
While I sensed that Dorothy might have something to say, the awkwardness of being referred to in such an unfamiliar way overshadowed everything else.
“Are you saying that the Elvirinos is a slave…?”
I felt like I had interrupted the conversation, but it seemed Dorothy understood something, which was a relief. Still, what did she mean by “that”? Did something happen twenty years ago when I was under the care of the Assassins’ Guild?
“Lord Shu, if you could show me your Adventurer’s Certificate…”
“Ah, right,” I replied, recalling where we were. Since we were at the Adventurer’s Guild, our Adventurer’s Certificates should hold some weight. I pulled out the Mithril Plate, which signified my S Rank, and placed it on the table. I could hear a collective gasp.
“W-Wait, both of you…”
Now that I thought about it, El might be somewhat famous herself, considering her status was equivalent to S Rank. I hadn’t checked her skills since they became visible, so perhaps I should do that later.
“The previous Guild Master couldn’t handle them at all, so please be careful.”
“I received an urgent message from the gatekeeper… so it was about you two…”
“That’s why we need you to bring the Magic Tools for modification.”
“I’ll get them right away!”
After showing my Adventurer’s Certificate, the effect was immediate. The guild member jumped up in a hurry and dashed out of the room, returning shortly after. “Here you go,” she said, presenting her smartphone, but she remained standing rigidly instead of sitting down.
Not wanting to deal with her formality, I accepted the smartphone and began the modifications. I had done this many times before, so I was quite adept at it. A few minutes later, I handed it back to Dorothy.
“This should connect with all the modified smartphones.”
“Wait, all of them…?”
“So if anything happens, please contact me immediately.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
“Also, please coordinate with the other guilds.”
“Ah, just a moment, please!”
As I stood up, thinking the conversation was over, Dorothy called me back. I gestured for her to continue, and she hesitantly opened her mouth.
“I understand that finding Kaede-san is our top priority. However, we also have another urgent task that requires our attention…”
From what I gathered, there had been reports of a Newcomer Hunt occurring in the dungeon recently. Young adventurers, inexperienced and unfamiliar with the dangers, were being ambushed and robbed of their equipment. Some of these incidents had even resulted in casualties among those who had just started their adventuring careers, leading to an ongoing search for the culprits.
“And it seems the perpetrators have left traces that indicate they belong to the Thieves’ Guild…”
“Oh? So you have no leads on the Thieves’ Guild?”
“Correct. While they’ve tried to cover their tracks, it appears rather obvious to us. Besides, the Thieves’ Guild has no real benefit in targeting newcomers.”
It seemed that the Thieves’ Guild had attempted some decoy operations, but they hadn’t been successful in luring anyone in. Indeed, I couldn’t imagine that stripping a fledgling adventurer of their gear would yield much profit. Given the strict rules of the guild, it was hard to believe that members would target inexperienced adventurers who were struggling to make ends meet.
“I see…”
As I pondered this, I heard a soft chuckle from beside me. It was Rio.
“You look like you want to go to the dungeon.”
Caught off guard by my hidden desire being exposed, I momentarily lost my words. But it wasn’t something I wanted to hide; I genuinely wanted to go.
“I’m curious about what it’s like there.”
Still, I felt a bit embarrassed and scratched my cheek, avoiding eye contact.
“Isn’t that fine? Besides, with our looks, we might pass for newcomers.”
“…That’s the one thing I find quite unfortunate.”
“…What a terrifying newcomer you are.”
As we reflected on this, a quiet voice from behind muttered something, but I chose to ignore it and turned my attention back to Dorothy.
“Anyway, we’ll take on that task. Please lend us your strength in the search for Kaede-san.”
“Um, are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. It’ll be after I finish modifying the Magic Tools sent to other locations, so it’ll be tomorrow or the day after.”
“Wait, what?”
“Well, that’s settled then.”
“Oh, right! Here’s the funding for the search for Kaede-san.”
Leaving a bewildered Dorothy behind, I placed a jingling leather pouch on the table. I had already learned from Mesaria-san about the guild’s scale, so I provided an appropriate amount.
“If you find any hints that lead to Kaede-san, there will be a bonus, so do your best!”
With that, I stood up decisively and opened a Dimensional Rift from the Adventurer’s Guild conference room to Fairy Valley, making my swift exit.