The sharp bow sliced through the waves, and the ship's hull, lifted high by the swell, slammed heavily back onto the surface, kicking up massive plumes of spray.
Before the vessel could even stabilize, the powerful hull lunged forward again under the combined thrust of its sails and steam turbine-driven propeller, charging into a fresh set of crests.
Nymera, her face a shade of pale green, gripped the gunwale with both hands. It was the only way to keep herself from being tossed overboard by the seesawing motion of the deck.
A dangerous thought flickered through her mind. Perhaps letting go and allowing herself to be flung into the sea would be better?
At this point, even swimming in the ocean seemed preferable to enduring the torment aboard this "slightly bumpy" experimental powered sailing ship.
"I see the coastline! We'll be there in just a few minutes!" The Captain, who was manning the helm, wiped sea spray from his face and laughed heartily as he fired an SOS Flare into the sky.
Nymera struggled to lift her head and look toward the direction the bow was pointing.
The moment she saw that dark green coastline, she wanted to laugh out loud as well, but a wave crashing over the deck forced the sound right back down her throat.
"Blegh–"
Nymera propped herself up with both hands, dry-heaving on the sandy beach.
The only reason she wasn't actually vomiting was that she had already emptied her stomach completely while on the ship.
Even Hibiki the Palamute, despite his exaggeratedly robust physical constitution, was lying on his side with his tongue hanging out, looking half-dead.
Only Mochi the Cohoot remained full of energy, circling in the air above the human and dog.
Since she could fly, she hadn't needed to stay on the deck and was naturally spared the miseries of seasickness.
"...Are you alright?" Altaïr asked, his expression complicated as he arrived at the shore to greet them after seeing the SOS Flare.
Nymera had arrived a day earlier than planned, which was certainly a good thing, but he truly hadn't expected her to come by sea instead of by Airship.
"Now that you two have linked up, I'll be off then!" The dark-skinned Captain waved at Altaïr. "Seasickness isn't a disease; a bit of rest and she'll be fine. Don't worry too much."
"Thank you for your trouble," Altaïr said, bowing slightly to the Captain to express his gratitude.
Nymera tried to stand up to say her thanks as well, but was immediately hit by another bout of dry-heaving.
"No need for formalities. Oh, right, drinking a Potion helps relieve nausea," the Captain said, rubbing his nose. "Provided you don't throw it back up, of course."
With that, the Captain waved, pushed the landing dinghy back into the water, and rowed back to the experimental powered sailing ship anchored in the bay, shouting for his sailors to set sail.
Altaïr took out a bottle of Potion and handed it to Nymera. "Try a sip?"
"Let me... ugh... just wait a moment..."
"Let me do it!" Kagetsu, who had come along with Altaïr, snatched the Potion and downed it herself.
For a moment, Nymera's nausea actually stalled as she glared suspiciously at this strange person who looked like a guild receptionist, wondering if she had a screw loose.
The next second, however, a pale green mist containing strange energy fluctuations surged from Kagetsu's body. As the mist drifted over them, not only Nymera but even Hibiki, who was sprawled out on the sand, felt significantly better in an instant.
"What is this?"
"A Wide-Range blessing," Altaïr explained briefly. "Come, perfect timing for an introduction. This is Nymera, an excellent Gunner from Kamura Village, along with her hunting partners, Hibiki and Mochi.
"And this is Kagetsu, a Support-type Insect Glaive user. She specializes in Wide-Range support and Kinsect firing."
Only then did Nymera realize that Kagetsu had "snatched" the Potion Altaïr offered her specifically to relieve their symptoms.
As her churning insides finally settled, she hurried to stand up straight and give her thanks.
"Thank you so much..."
"Alright, let's skip the pleasantries for now and head back to camp." Altaïr tilted his head toward Nymera. "The Felynes discovered a small flock of Yian Kut-Ku, only four of them. Olivia and the others are taking turns dealing with them; they should be back before long.
"She's been waiting for you for a while."
"A small flock? Only four?" Nymera was stunned.
Was Yian Kut-Ku the kind of Small Monster that was supposed to be hunted in packs?
"Well, I wasn't used to it either when we first arrived a few days ago, but lately we've been having to hunt more than ten Yian Kut-Ku almost every day.
"It feels like hunting Prey or some other Small Monster. You'll get used to it in a couple of days.
"By the way, did you find a smith in Minegarde who could forge Armor for Hibiki?"
"I did." Nymera rubbed Hibiki's head. "I had a set of armor made using leftover Rathalos materials. He loves it so much he's practically afraid to wear it."
"That's good. For the upcoming operation, you three are the core."
"Huh?" Nymera asked in surprise.
The letter delivered to her through the Minegarde Guild Hall hadn't explained things in detail; it only mentioned that she must bring her Palamute and Cohoot to a specific location.
How had she suddenly become the core of the operation?
As they talked, the three arrived at the camp. Altaïr introduced Ms. Sheila to Nymera, and the latter soon gained a general understanding of the situation, realizing why Olivia had been in such a hurry to call her over.
"Is it possible to track that group of Estrellian by using Paintballs to mark Star Butterflies, similar to how we captured the Estrellian hatchling before?
"Since multiple Estrellian have gathered, there should be even more Star Butterflies in the nearby mountain forests."
Hearing Nymera's question, Altaïr, who was leaning against a large crate by the campfire, said helplessly, "I don't know if that group of Estrellian has grown wary, or if the one we caught before was just too young and stupid.
"Unlike back then, when Star Butterflies were flying all over the woods and even Gajalaka could catch a few, we haven't found a single trace of any Star Butterflies in the forests around here.
"It's obvious that group of Estrellian is restricting the movement of the Star Butterflies to reduce the risk of exposing their own location."
"Then how are we supposed to search?" Nymera was at a loss.
A normal Large Monster would be fine; if the Cohoot flew a few extra circles in the sky, it would eventually find it.
But the highly intelligent Estrellian would not be so easy to locate. Even that dim-witted hatchling knew enough to hide in a closed-off cave, let alone more mature individuals.
"Ms. Sheila has a plan." Altaïr looked toward the scholar.
"It's just a desperate measure, nothing more," Ms. Sheila sighed softly, looking at Nymera. "Ms. Nymera, would you be able to direct your Cohoot to conduct a wider range of reconnaissance in the nearby mountain forests?"
"How wide a range?"
"An area with a diameter of roughly twenty to thirty kilometers."
Nymera thought for a moment. "It would be difficult for a Cohoot to memorize information over such a vast area all at once. However, I can ride Hibiki through the Jungle, while Mochi circles high above us. She can report back at regular intervals and I will organize that information onto the map."
"If that is possible, it would be for the best, though it will be hard work for you, Ms. Nymera." Ms. Sheila nodded and pulled out a map.
"Ms. Nymera, please look at this. All the locations where Yian Kut-Ku have been spotted are marked here. At this point, it is fairly certain that the Yian Kut-Ku are active within a relatively fixed, large area. Because of their movement speed and limited perspective, Hunters can easily miss their mark, but a Cohoot in the sky will not. You can ride your Palamute along the edge of this general area to help us more accurately calibrate the boundaries of where the Yian Kut-Ku are active."
Nymera nodded, looking somewhat puzzled. "I can do that, but what is the purpose?"
"There is a very high probability that the final boundary we define will be a circle." Sheila traced a large circle on the map with her finger.
"Schools of fish in the sea cluster together, birds in the sky circle in rings, and beasts in the forest will unconsciously patrol their territory in a radius centered around their nest. This is an instinct shared by most living creatures. More importantly, whether it be energy fluctuations, specific scents, or chemical markers like pheromones, they all tend to diffuse outward in a circular pattern. The dense vegetation of the Jungle should also minimize interfering factors like the wind."
"Exactly! The area covered by Wide-Range is a perfect circle!" Kagetsu nodded vigorously from the side.
"Since those Yian Kut-Ku were drawn here by the Estrellian, then the Estrellian's hiding place is very likely located at the center of the Yian Kut-Ku's activity range."
Sheila tapped her finger on the map.
"This may not help us pinpoint the exact location immediately, but it will at least help us narrow down the search area. We can then screen that smaller area for locations suitable for a Large Monster to hide, and then organize Hunters to approach and investigate from the ground. If they don't want to be pinned down in their nest, we will force them out."
PS: A reader suggested that Wide-Range can be understood as a potion diffusing like a mist, which feels more reasonable than pure energy fluctuations. Adopted! As for where the medicinal mist comes from, let's just say it's sprayed out of the pores after drinking it, a human humidifier! You tell me if you're taking that buff or not.
This is how we complete the circle!
(End of Chapter)
(Translated by yourtl.app)