Western Jungle, Metapetatto Bay camp.
Having just concluded a Hunt and returned to camp, the Hunters were unbuckling their gear and preparing to rest when a peregrine falcon glided over the camp through the deepening twilight, letting out a series of sharp cries.
Olivia looked up and gave a sharp whistle; receiving the signal, the peregrine falcon immediately banked and landed on her arm.
She removed the metal tube tied to its leg, extracted the letter within, and scanned it. Her expression instantly turned grim. "The situation has changed. We must further intensify the culling of the Yian Kut-Ku flocks.
"Everyone, it's going to be tough, but don't take off your Armor yet. Eat quickly, perform basic maintenance; we're heading out for one more Hunt today."
The Hunters exchanged glances and stopped joking around. They began replenishing Ammo and medicines and sharpening their weapons, preparing for their third Hunt of the day.
Minagarde Town, Hunter Guild Hall.
Nymera was taking small bites of the set meal on the table before her.
She missed Isis a little.
When she was with Isis and the others, they could order many different dishes; she could sample a bit of everything to taste various styles, and then Isis would handle finishing it all.
But when she was alone, a single Fighter Set Meal was already the limit of her stomach's capacity. She didn't like to waste food, and after over a week of this, she was getting a bit tired of the menu.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Nymera from Kamura Village?" a gentle female voice asked from beside her.
Nymera set down her utensils and turned around, surprised to find a gentle-looking woman in her forties standing there.
She had seen this woman at the Quest Counter two days ago and heard from the guild receptionists that she was the Guildmarm of the Minagarde Guild. Nymera quickly stood up.
"I am indeed Nymera. Does Guildmarm Tiki have instructions for me?"
"No need to be so formal, though there is indeed an urgent matter." Lady Tiki waved a small slip of paper in her hand. "An urgent letter arrived for you, bearing Lord Fabius's seal.
"It is requested that you take your Palamute and Cohoot and rush to Metapetatto Bay as quickly as possible to support the operation. Our Minagarde Guild Hall will provide you with high-speed transport and all necessary assistance."
Nymera was a bit stunned, not quite understanding what was happening, but if the Guildmarm had come personally to deliver the message, it was clearly important.
"I ordered a set of Palamute armor from the nearby smithy, and today is the day to collect it. May I pick up the armor before departing?"
"Of course. By the way, you don't get seasick, do you?" Guildmarm Tiki nodded slightly, then suddenly added the question.
"I do not."
"Excellent." Guildmarm Tiki nodded with a smile. "Minagarde is a port city, and it is currently the season where the monsoons and ocean currents are peaking.
"The fastest way from here to Metapetatto Bay isn't by Airship. We have an experimental powered sailing ship; by catching the wind and the currents, it's even faster than an Airship.
"It just might be a little bit bumpy..."
At the research base in the mountain forests on the outskirts of Metapetatto City, a large cargo airship slowly descended.
"While my suggestion was to be a bit more proactive, isn't this approach of yours a bit too aggressive?" Looking at Fabius fully geared for battle, the Professor said with a hint of helplessness, "You're planning to head onto the front lines yourself?"
Clad in brass-colored heavy Armor, Fabius's expression remained unchanged. "Coordinating High Rank Hunters for support is no easy task. Between sending the letters and the travel time involved, it would take four to five days at the earliest for reinforcements to arrive.
"I won't wait. We move ahead. If the situation proves impossible for us to resolve, we'll hand it over to the High Rank Hunters once they reach us."
The Professor pulled his gaze away from the bustling smiths, who were dismantling the siege weapons from the fortress fortifications one by one and loading them onto the large Airship that had just touched down.
He adjusted his glasses. "Do I really need to remind you? You're no longer the 'Ace Lancer' from twenty years ago who could steadily block even the breath attack of an Elder Dragon species."
"I'm doing well enough," Fabius chuckled softly, glancing back at the brass-colored Lance strapped to his back. "This 'Lost Babel' might feel a bit heavier nowadays, but it's not as if I can't carry it."
Isis, standing behind the old man, nodded vigorously.
Out of curiosity, she had tried to lift that Lance earlier, only to find that the simple-looking Lost Babel was actually heavier than her own Glavenus Gunlance, considerably so.
Even in her prime, she found it somewhat strenuous to use, yet Fabius handled it as if it weighed nothing at all.
This old man claimed his physical condition had declined, but his strength was still superior to hers, not to mention those top-tier defensive techniques that even Instructor Altman admitted were beyond his own.
Without a doubt, he remained one of the finest Lance users in the world.
After watching the two Machine Cannons being hoisted onto the Airship's deck, Fabius gave orders to Rosso, who was standing nearby:
"Notify the Guild Knights and Defense Corps in the camp to prepare for combat. Have the ordinary guards stay behind to hold the camp; they aren't suited for a fight against a Large Monster."
"Understood." Rosso bowed his head and left quickly.
The Professor looked at Fabius in shock. "You intend to have the Defense Corps join the battle?!"
Unlike the Guild Knights, who held public office, were directly dispatched by the Guild, and were essentially Hunters in all but name, the Defense Corps was more akin to a military unit. They used standardized Defender Sets and Defender Lances, and their combat style focused on forming battle arrays for collective advancement.
This highly regimented style was almost entirely incompatible with the way Hunters operated. He couldn't understand why Fabius would include the Defense Corps in the combat rotation.
"Yes. Those boys will have their use." Fabius didn't argue further.
As the former leader of the Defense Corps, no one knew better than him how to command these heavy knights to maximize their combat effectiveness.
Erik came jogging over to the Professor's side and whispered, "The preparations for the Princess... I mean, the Estrellian, are complete.
"They sent me to ask for your instructions. Should we inject it with a tranquilizer to fully sedate it for transport as we did during the Capture, or..."
Erik glanced at Isis before continuing, "Or should we let Isis lead it directly onto the deck?"
Both the Professor and Fabius turned their gaze toward Isis.
That Estrellian hatchling was perhaps the absolute core of this entire operation; it might be the only thing capable of drawing the Estrellian pack out from their hiding place deep within the Jungle.
Though the idea of returning a stray hatchling to its pack only to immediately slay their leader felt a bit complicated...
One could only pray that the other Estrellians wouldn't react too violently and would be willing to return quietly to their original habitat once they lost their leader.
"Are you certain you can keep that hatchling from acting out on the deck?" the Professor asked Isis once more.
While the large Airship grounded at the camp was bigger and sturdier than the previous cargo airship, it still wouldn't hold up if a Large Monster started running wild.
"I'm certain." Isis looked hesitant, though not because of any doubt concerning the Estrellian.
"If, and I mean if, after we Hunt the Estrellian leader responsible for the chaos, the others rise up in resistance...
"Can we... not hurt the little one?"
The Professor was silent for a long moment before speaking. "If you can completely suppress it and make it stop resisting, then... yes."
"Sigh..." As if realizing he was being a bit too optimistic, the Professor let out a long sigh. "There is still much we don't know about the current state of the Estrellian pack.
"For instance, does this so-called 'Estrellian leader' truly exist?
"Or is it possible that the naturally gentle Estrellians are being threatened and coerced by a 'berserk individual'?
"All these questions can only be answered once we actually make contact."
(Translated by yourtl.app)