Altaïr was about to retort, but Isis suddenly leaned in close. Startled, he reflexively leaned back, choking back the excuses he had prepared.
With her nose practically touching Altaïr's face, Isis stared at him for a few seconds before straightening up again and folding her arms. "I don't know what's going to happen, but either way, I'm staying too.
I don't know what Nymera will decide, but I doubt she'll agree to leave first. As for Lambert..."
Isis looked over at the incorrigible girl with dark circles under her eyes. She had picked up the quill pen Altaïr had put back on the shelf, ignored Clawdia, and was now teasing Sajji.
"She really should go back first."
"Me?"
With her keen musician's ears, Lambert had overheard them clearly. She pointed at herself. "Back to Metapetatto? No, I'm not going back.
Besides, I can't even afford an Airship ticket right now, and I've only just placed the order for my Kulu Armor Set. I'm not leaving."
Altaïr gestured for her to shut up and go back to teasing Sajji, then pulled Isis aside to a quiet corner.
"All right, I'll be honest with you. The situation really isn't good. Those small Flying Wyverns have been sighted in more than just one or two places.
They're everywhere in the surrounding area, almost as if they're encircling Loc Lac. Right now, it's still impossible to determine why these small Flying Wyverns are appearing..."
"What else could it be? Some kind of Elder Dragon must be on the move. When Lao-Shan Lung migrates, isn't it always accompanied by large packs of Remobra and Prey hunting alongside it?"
"Hey!" Altaïr desperately tried to cover Isis's mouth. Who just blurts that out in public?! Isis swatted his hand away. "A threat that could endanger a city the size of Loc Lac can only come from an Elder Dragon-class creature.
We read through the notes my parents left behind together. If you could figure it out, then of course I could too.
You don't actually believe that just because Loc Lac is your hometown, you have to stay and protect it while the rest of us leave early, do you?"
At this, Isis's expression turned dangerous.
Altaïr had a premonition that if he dared to say, "That's exactly what I thought," something terrifying would happen.
"Fine, I won't interfere with your decisions, but I need to make the situation clear, and I hope you'll seriously consider the risks involved.
Loc Lac normally has at least seven or eight active High Rank Hunters, but most are either out on quests or, like Senior Haifa, have been stationed in other cities by the Guild for various reasons.
Earlier, when the Guild Master gathered all the High Rank Hunters still in Loc Lac to investigate the Grimclaw Tigrex's movements, there were only four, even counting the retired Madam Marydan.
And now, there isn't a single one. The city has no upper-tier fighting strength left..."
There was one final thought he did not voice, but Isis understood it perfectly well.
If a true Elder Dragon-level threat attacked while the city lacked any upper-tier fighting strength, they, the 5★ Hunters just below the high-rank Hunters, would have to stand on the front lines.
Even if a few high-rank Hunters could rush back in time, an Elder Dragon-level creature was not something two or three of them could easily repel. Altaïr and the others would still very likely be deployed as the second line on the battlefield.
Either way, the risk was anything but ordinary.
"No need to think about it any further." Isis showed not a trace of hesitation. "I've already decided. Even if you don't plan to stay, I will.
If I ran away every time I knew there was danger, why would I have become a Hunter in the first place?"
"Sounds like you're talking about something really exciting?" Lambert's eyes sparkled as she leaned closer.
"It's none of your business!"
"Sit back down!"
Altaïr and Isis barked in unison.
With both seniors suddenly snapping at her, Lambert had no choice but to mutter under her breath as she squatted back down and continued teasing Sajji.
Altaïr took a deep breath. Seeing the resolve behind Isis's decision, he stopped trying to persuade her. "In that case... everything else is beyond our control. We need to use this time to prepare as much as possible.
We don't know what the threat is, whether it even exists, or where to start preparing... Whatever the case, get yourself into peak condition and be ready to fight at a moment's notice.
And get those Tigerstripe Zamtrios materials you brought back to the workshop and have them forged into Armor right away. I know a workshop. I'll ask them to rush the job for you.
You saw what happened earlier. Those small Flying Wyverns can breathe fire. Against just one, it hardly matters.
But if they coordinate, surround you, and catch you in a crossfire of breath attacks, that Lagiacrus Armor Set of yours will be far too dangerous with its poor fire resistance."
A smile appeared on Isis's face. "Now that's more like it. Where's this shop you mentioned? Let's go right now!"
—--
At the same time, dozens of kilometers north of Loc Lac, atop a gigantic sand dune.
Nymera slid down from Hibiki's back and gazed westward.
The sun had begun to descend, though it was still far from the horizon. The rolling dunes stretched endlessly out of sight like ocean waves, all the way to the edge of the earth.
Nymera untied her dust-proof veil, spread her arms wide, and took a deep breath of the still-scorching air, only for the windblown sand and dust to send her into a coughing fit.
Hibiki stared at her in speechless exasperation, as if asking what on earth was wrong with her.
"Cough, cough, ptoo..."
Nymera paid no mind to her Palamute's opinion. She took out a small wooden tablet, polished smooth and no longer than her palm, then produced a small ink brush and began to write on it.
[The swift wind and burning sands dance.] "Hmm." Nymera looked it over, read it once more, nodded in satisfaction, and started on the second line.
[Golden rays shine upon boundless waves of sand.] "Mm." Nymera frowned slightly, feeling that the meter was a bit off. The closing line seemed difficult to tie together.
Just as she was agonizing over it, the Cohoot Mochi landed on her shoulder and cooed softly into her ear.
"..."
Nymera listened, fell silent for a few seconds, then wrote the final line on her wooden tablet.
[Someone's slacking off here.] "...Let's leave it at that for now." Nymera tucked the small wooden tablet into her coat, her expression unreadable.
She had decided it would serve as kindling the next time she brewed tea.
Leaping back onto Hibiki's back, she patted his thick neck. "How about it, Hibiki? Still up for a run?"
"Woof!" Hibiki barked, full of vigor.
Running across scorching, loose sand was far from comfortable, but Altaïr had advised Nymera to wrap Hibiki's legs in thick cloth, which solved the problem entirely.
The vast, boundless Desert let him run to his heart's content.
"A bit farther. We'll turn back when the sun is about to set."
With a sweep of her arm, the Cohoot shot into the sky with a whoosh. The Palamute stretched out his legs and charged down the dune with a wild yowl, sprinting at full speed.
For them, flying and running were the purest joys in life.
They ran at full tilt for half an hour, covering over twenty kilometers in one go before Hibiki's pace finally slowed.
He was no slower than a small Sandship racing with the wind.
"Scree-ya–"
The Cohoot circling high overhead suddenly let out a warning shriek.
Nymera had been relaxing as if on a leisurely outing, but the easy look on her face vanished. She gently patted the side of Hibiki's neck, signaling him to slow down.
Hibiki eased his pace, closed his mouth, and stopped his wild yowling.
Bracing herself with both arms, Nymera leapt from the Palamute's back. She gave him a hand signal to "stay put," tightened the straps of her weapon, and scrambled up the sand dune ahead on all fours.
As she neared the crest, she dropped low and made her movements as light and slow as possible, inching forward until she could peer over the top and survey the area beyond.
About two to three hundred meters away, a terrifyingly large Tigrex was walking slowly between the dunes, its wingtalons folded as it stood upright on its hind legs.
Just as she was about to pull out her binoculars for a closer look, a gust of wind blew from behind her.
A few seconds later, the distant Tigrex halted, sniffed the air to either side, and abruptly whipped its head around to stare in her direction.
The instant her gaze met those scarlet draconic pupils, Nymera felt as if the air in her lungs and the blood in her heart and veins had all frozen solid in that single moment.
(Translated by yourtl.app)