"Honestly, spending so much time with you has turned the innocent, adorable Isis violent," Francesca grumbled as she blew on her reddened palm.
Unfortunately, no one took her side. Even Nymera, who had known her the longest, wore an expression that practically said, "You deserved it."
No one liked a terrible nickname, and anyone in that position would have felt the same. If Francesca had spread a moniker like "Slacker" or "Cross-Dresser" about the others, they would have blown up at her too.
Fortunately, the main courses began arriving at the table just then, and Francesca sullenly steered the conversation toward the food.
Although Guildmarm Noya had said she was treating them, Isis and the others did not go out of their way to order any expensive delicacies.
The "Ruby Basarios" dish they had inadvertently created back then was still on the menu at a prohibitive price, but they preferred hearty portions of grilled meat and seafood, along with the local specialty, matsutake mushrooms sauteed in butter.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group bid farewell to Guildmarm Noya and headed for the Knowledge Seeker, moored at the port.
For the time being, they would use the Knowledge Seeker as their primary base of operations.
The Professor had mentioned that the investigation over the next few days would focus on reviewing documents and gathering rumors, and that their services as Hunters would not be needed just yet.
Still, given the possibility of an unexpected incident, it was better to finish their preparations and be ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
—--
The Knowledge Seeker was docked at a pier far from the commercial port where merchant and fishing ships gathered. The secluded location spared the astonishingly large new-model Airship a great deal of unwanted attention.
After Altaïr and the others boarded, they encountered many familiar faces, along with quite a few new ones.
Compared with a few months earlier, some of the facilities aboard the Knowledge Seeker seemed to have changed as well.
"The Knowledge Seeker is constantly evolving," Francesca explained as she led them through the ship. "That goes for both its software and its hardware. See that pair of propulsion units near the stern? Those are the latest ducted fans, the Royal Academy's newest achievement. They were installed shortly before we set sail this time. Their output is not as impressive as that of Harth's rocket engines, but their stability makes them suitable for high-speed cruising. Those two propulsion units alone have increased the Knowledge Seeker's maximum speed by nearly five percent."
"Wow, that's amazing," Isis said without much conviction.
As a Hunter through and through, she did not find a speed increase of less than five percent particularly impressive.
Wasn't that just the equivalent of putting in a tiny bit more effort?
Sajji, however, had already dashed away with a whoosh and squeezed his entire Felyne body into one of the strange-looking propulsion units. His fervent expression suggested that he intended to spend the whole night inside.
Altaïr did not rush him, and Francesca arranged rooms for the group.
With more crew aboard, the old privilege of single rooms was gone. Apart from the Captain's quarters, even the best rooms were now doubles.
Altaïr and Morgan became roommates once again, as did Isis and Nymera.
Sharing rooms and living aboard the ship suddenly made it feel as though they were back with the Tidal Island advance team.
After briefly sorting through the luggage sent ahead, the group returned to the deck. Francesca brought the two High Rank Hunters over to meet them. The Guild had dispatched the pair ahead of the group, and they had just returned to the city after completing a round of investigation.
They knew one of them.
"Senior Olivia, it's been a while." Altaïr grinned as he greeted the resolute, cheerful Hammer user.
Isis was even more delighted. She stepped forward and hugged Olivia tightly.
"It's been too long. I didn't expect the Guild to send you as support." Olivia gave Isis two firm pats on the back. "Now we have enough people and enough combat strength for the investigation."
After the brief reunion, Olivia took half a step back and introduced the other High Rank Hunter.
"This is Mr. Dylan."
He was a man of moderate stature who looked to be in his forties. Around 180 centimeters tall, he had a sturdy frame without being overly broad.
In ordinary clothes, he would have been the sort of person no one noticed in a crowd.
Provided, of course, that he kept his face hidden.
A scar left by a Monster's claw ran diagonally across his entire face. The blow had nearly severed the prominent bridge of his nose, and the lower end of the scar reached all the way to the side of his neck, making his otherwise ordinary features look exceptionally fierce.
Altaïr did not let his gaze linger on the scar. Whether Dylan minded or not, staring would have been far too rude.
He had heard of the man's epithet, Dylan the Lacerator, a 7★ Charge Blade user from Melchita.
The title came not from his appearance, but from his fighting style.
He specialized in using the Charge Blade's Condensed Spinning Slash, also known as Savage Axe, to inflict a relentless series of lacerations. Unlike clean cuts from a blade, those wounds were exceptionally difficult to heal. Every Monster he hunted ended up covered in countless crisscrossing gashes and bled to death.
That was how he had earned the name "the Lacerator."
Some unsavory rumors had therefore grown around the Hunter. According to some, his disfigurement had twisted his temperament and led him to take pleasure in torturing his prey.
Altaïr scoffed at such nonsense.
In his view, creating numerous wounds that refused to heal and forcing a Monster to bleed until it collapsed was an excellent tactic in its own right.
As for torture... what Monster hacked to death by a Hunter ever looked good afterward?
Since the Guild had never punished Dylan, there was nothing wrong with his conduct.
"Hello, Senior Dylan. I'm Altaïr, a 6★ Hunter." Altaïr offered his hand to the fierce-looking Charge Blade user.
Isis and the other two briefly introduced themselves as well.
Some Hunters might judge people by their appearance, but no one in Altaïr's group was that shallow.
"Hello, everyone." Dylan forced one half of his face into a ferocious smile, while the other half remained stiff.
The massive scar had severed his facial muscles, making his expressions difficult to control.
Although the smile might have frightened a child to tears, Altaïr sensed that Dylan had a calm disposition, without a trace of instability or madness.
Indeed... rumors could rarely be trusted!
Having just been the subject of a wave of rumors himself, Altaïr found it easy to empathize with the man.
Dylan was perceptive enough to sense Altaïr's recognition and goodwill.
Although he did not understand where that recognition came from, Dylan was accustomed to receiving strange looks from others, and such kindness made him think more favorably of the young man before him.
That broke the ice, and the group began to talk.
Dylan and Olivia shared what they had learned during the preliminary investigation. Dylan also explained why Guild headquarters had assigned him there.
His hometown, Melchita City, lay on the northern coast of the Metape region, and its natural environment closely resembled that of Metapetatto Bay. Having grown up there, he was an expert in coastal Jungle and shallow-water combat.
Just as Altaïr excelled at tracking in the desert, Dylan's presence greatly reduced the chance that they would miss any critical clues.
After recording the scant information they had, Altaïr put away his notebook. "By the way, did Senior Serl and the others take part in the first round of investigations? I haven't seen them around."
"Yes. Serl was concerned about a reef area in the southern part of Metapetatto Bay, so he took a team there to investigate. According to the plan, he should have returned to Metapetatto today."
Francesca glanced at the sky as she spoke. "Something may have held them up, but there is no need to worry too much.
"They left aboard a high-speed Airship equipped with a Heavy Ballista. They can make sure there is no danger from the air before landing, so they should be perfectly safe."
A brief silence fell over the group.
Francesca slapped a hand over her face. "Damn it. Why does saying that make me feel as though I've just tempted fate?"