Once we had successfully completed the registration for our quest, we began walking through the city, listening to Hapty-san’s instructions as we moved.
"By the way, it should go without saying, but monster habitats are usually located far from human settlements. It’s difficult to restock supplies once we’re on the move, so you need to be thoroughly prepared. Most importantly, make sure you carry plenty of water. Well, since you all seem to have Magic Boxes, just make sure you’ve packed enough inside them."
"I see... By the way, where are we headed now? Are we going to a Transfer Shop?" Aoi-chan asked, nodding at Hapty-san’s advice. A Transfer Shop was, as the name implied, a business that sold teleportation services.
Generally speaking, teleportation magic tools were rare, and even those who owned them could only register a limited number of locations. The one Kuro had made for me was completely outside the norm; in reality, even the most cutting-edge teleportation tools could only store a maximum of ten locations and had a cooldown time of about an hour between uses.
On top of that, they were among the most expensive magical items in existence. Hardly any individuals owned them; usually, they were only possessed by large-scale commercial unions, high-ranking merchants, or the nobility. For those in business, teleportation magic was incredibly valuable—well worth the high price—but it wasn't something just anyone could buy.
If someone couldn't afford a tool, did they have to give up on teleportation and travel by carriage? Not necessarily. The demand for teleportation was massive, so naturally, businesses appeared to fill that need. Those were the Transfer Shops.
Even so, the cost was astronomically higher than taking a carriage or a Wyvern Service. Furthermore, they could only send people to famous tourist spots or major cities, making them somewhat inflexible. Despite these drawbacks, they remained in high demand because they were still far more affordable than buying a personal teleportation tool.
There was a Transfer Shop in the Sinfonia Royal Capital as well, which offered travel to several domestic cities and the capitals of the Arclesia Empire and the Hydra Kingdom. As Aoi-chan and Hina-chan continued their lives as adventurers, they would likely have many chances to use them.
"Hmm? We’re heading back to Kaito’s house," Hapty-san replied.
"Eh? My house? Why?"
"I heard it from the Phantasm King... You have it, right?"
"Have what?"
"That outrageous treasure that can teleport anywhere as long as you register the World Coordinates—with no cooldown and no limit on the number of people. Let’s use that. Transfer Shops are expensive, and we’d still have to travel from whichever city we landed in to get to our destination."
...Come to think of it, I did have a gate with that kind of absurd performance in my room. While I couldn't add new locations myself because registering World Coordinates was difficult, it was a masterpiece created by the God of the World. It had no limits on distance or the number of saved spots, and it could even bypass anti-teleportation barriers.
In the future, when Aoi-chan and Hina-chan needed to go on long-distance trips, I could just ask Alice to register the major cities for them so they could use it. It would certainly be more convenient than going to a Transfer Shop. Personally, the only time I really needed that gate was when I went to the Sanctuary; for everything else, the teleportation tool I currently carried was enough. It sounded like a great idea.
"I see... That makes sense. However, even if this time is fine, it might be better if the two of them eventually had their own teleportation magic tools for when they go on requests by themselves."
"...No, Kaito, teleportation tools are incredibly expensive. I mean, I know you could afford them, but if you just gave them away like that, it would only make those two feel overwhelmed and indebted."
Mmm, that was true. They were probably too expensive to just hand over as a gift... Even if the money wasn't an issue for me, if I were in their position, I’d feel too guilty to accept something like that. I wondered if there was another way...
(That won't be a problem. I’ve 'just now remodeled' the gate so that if someone uses it to teleport out, they can return to the entrance of Kaito-san’s mansion simply by wishing for it.)
Wait, what? That was incredible... It was the perfect feature. That way, both of them could return without any issues, and since the return point was the mansion's front entrance rather than my private room, their privacy—and mine—would be respected.
Shiro-san is amazing. She was so thoughtful and her work was so fast... She really was dependable. I was truly grateful for her constant support.
(Fufu. After all, I am a dependable and attentive lover. You are more than welcome to praise me more.)
I’d been relying on her so much lately, and she really had been a huge help. I definitely wanted to do something to thank her properly next time.
After deeply thanking Shiro-san in my heart, I turned to Hapty-san and the others and explained that returning wouldn't be an issue because Shiro-san had made some adjustments.
"...Hey, Aoi? Hina? I don’t understand what Kaito is saying... I mean, I hear the words, but my brain can't keep up with the logic. Is it just me? Or is the world itself broken? Also, is it just my imagination, or is there a massive word in the sky spelling out 'SMUG' in giant letters?"
"Hapty-san, please just give up," Aoi replied. "Kaito-senpai is always like this. As Lilia-san often says, you won't make it unless you adopt the mindset that it can't be helped because it's Kaito-san."
"Well, he is Kaito-senpai, after all..." Hina added. "Also, I can see the word in the sky too, so I don't think it's your imagination."
Serious-senpai: "I get that the gate became a total cheat item... but honestly, if he asked Alice, wouldn't she just give them a ride?"
???: "Actually, Shallow Vernal-sama would probably listen if he asked her too. I suppose this saves him the trouble of asking every time, though... Then again, while teleportation magic is supposed to be rare, there are so many people around Kaito-san who can use it that those who can't are actually the minority..."