Serl had been chased back into the cabin by Francesca to rest, but she remained on deck.
"Serl must have been so bored lying in bed that he came up on deck for some fresh air. Francesca, if you keep him company, I'm sure he'll lie back down without a fuss," Altaïr said, half serious and half teasing.
Francesca rolled her eyes. "Is he a three-year-old? Does he need someone to keep him company while he's bedridden? If anyone should go, it ought to be Brandley and Buck. Those badly wounded men can trade recovery tips while they're at it.
"He's far too old to keep making everyone worry. Thank goodness the others had the sense to realize little Balina's Hunter rank was too low and left her out of this quest. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened..."
"Isn't Balina 3★ now, meow?" Sajji poked his head out from behind Altaïr's shoulder. "That doesn't seem particularly low, meow. You're only 2★ too, meow."
"..." Francesca fell silent for a moment.
Seeming to realize that his words had come out wrong, Sajji hurriedly added, "What I mean is, even though your Hunter rank is low, you know how to do all kinds of things, meow!
"Being a 2★ Hunter is just an extra title. It's nothing to be ashamed of, meow! You don't fight on the front lines anyway, and logistics personnel can make an enormous difference too, meow!
"Balina's Hunter rank is higher than yours, but..."
Altaïr pinched Sajji's mouth shut and gave the dark-faced Francesca a sheepish grin. "Ahem, so, uh, Francesca, which direction are we heading now?"
Gritting her teeth, Francesca raised a hand and mimed knocking Sajji on the skull before snorting. "We're roughly following the coastline south."
Francesca tilted her head toward the east, where the continent's coastline was faintly visible.
Altaïr pictured the map in his mind. "So we're currently sailing through the coastal waters west of the Great Desert?"
"We haven't made it that far yet, but that's roughly our route. I'd say we're currently west of the Ancestral Steppe.
"The Professor suspects Nakarkos intends to swim all the way to the South Sea. Resources are abundant there. Even without Hunting Sea Beasts, fish alone would be enough to satisfy Nakarkos's enormous appetite."
"So it's heading to the South Sea..." Altaïr murmured thoughtfully.
That was probably good news. The coast between the Ancestral Steppe and the Great Desert was relatively barren, unlike Metapetatto Bay, with its many coastal fishing villages.
The South Sea had plenty of coastal fishing villages and towns as well, but food was also abundant in its waters, so Nakarkos was unlikely to come ashore and attack a settlement.
The only drawback was that the expedition had to keep following it like this.
Unless Nakarkos came ashore somewhere, launching a Hunt would be extremely difficult, and the Hunters would have no chance to resolve the threat in a single decisive operation.
"There's nothing we can do about it." Francesca shrugged. "Earlier, I even suggested using some kind of bait to lure Nakarkos ashore, but the Professor rejected the idea.
"The Professor believes Nakarkos remains gravely wounded and will act with extreme caution.
"If it notices us and dives straight into the deep sea, we'll truly lose its trail. For now, all we can do is follow at a distance."
Altaïr frowned slightly at her words.
To be honest, he disliked such a passive plan, but no better option was available.
The creature beneath the waves was a genuine scourge. The Hunter's Guild headquarters had issued an explicit subjugation order, so the entire expedition could only remain patient and keep following it.
Francesca glanced at Altaïr. Having spent time as a Hunter herself, she could easily guess what was going through his mind.
"If it really does swim all the way to the South Sea, the local Guild will probably take over this quest. Port Tanzia has no shortage of Dragonships or Hunters skilled in aquatic combat, especially Sea People Hunters. Even if Nakarkos stubbornly refuses to come ashore, someone there will be capable of finishing it off."
Her words reminded Altaïr of Az and the other Sea People Hunters they had met years ago when they traveled to the South Sea to Hunt a Lagiacrus.
If that group took over, dealing with a severely wounded Nakarkos should not be too difficult.
"Let's hope nothing unexpected happens..."
As it turned out, when Elder Dragons were involved, plans rarely kept pace with changing circumstances.
—--
On the third day of the Knowledge Seeker's pursuit, the ship entered the warm waters of the South Sea. In no more than another day, the expedition would reach Port Tanzia, the largest port city in the southern Old World.
Once the expedition joined forces with Port Tanzia's Hunters, masters of maritime combat, there would surely be a way to deal with the giant squid.
Yet the world rarely bent to anyone's wishes...
—--
Night fell, and darkness once again shrouded the vast sea.
Over the past few days, Nakarkos's wounds had not fully healed, but nearly all of them had stopped bleeding. The fluorescent trails of blood that had once marked its passage across the surface were now too faint to track.
Fortunately, Nymera's buoyed One-shot Binder remained firmly embedded in Nakarkos.
The Professor had assigned crew members to watch the buoy in shifts around the clock, ensuring that the expedition would not lose the Monster's trail.
It was dinner time. Most of the crew, including the Hunters, were eating in the mess hall. Aside from a few people on duty, hardly anyone remained on deck, and silence reigned.
On the observation platform beside the Airship's air sac, Sajji yawned as he watched the buoy, but his gaze never strayed from the unremarkable float.
Because Felynes had far better night vision than humans, they generally handled night duty.
"Meow."
A furry head appeared over the edge of the observation platform as Clawdia climbed the rope ladder.
She removed the small bamboo basket strapped to her back, set it in front of Sajji, and said, "Stewed fish and sausage from the dining table, meow. And some catnip to keep you alert, meow."
Sajji fell silent for a few seconds.
If Clawdia had brought only a sausage or a piece of dried fish, the meal might have been her own idea.
The basket also contained piping-hot stewed fish and bread, however, which was probably Isis's doing, meow. As for the catnip to keep him alert... that was likely Pawdrick's idea, meow.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat, meow," Clawdia urged, folding her arms.
She was impatient by nature. If Francesca had not specifically told Clawdia to bring Sajji's dishes back, since leaving clutter on the observation platform would invite criticism, she would have dropped off the basket and left long ago.
Clawdia still had training exercises to finish before bed, meow.
Sajji scratched his ears, picked up the bowl of stewed fish, and prepared to eat while continuing to monitor the buoy.
"I'll keep watch for you. Just eat, meow." In one swift motion, Clawdia snatched the binoculars from Sajji's paws and began scanning the sea.
With quiet delight, Sajji sat down cross-legged, lifted the bowl, and sipped the stewed fish broth.
"Huh, meow? I think the buoy's gone, meow."
"Pfft, meow!" Sajji sprayed out the fish soup in his mouth.
He hastily set the bowl aside, sprang to his feet, snatched the binoculars back from Clawdia's paws, and stared at the spot where the buoy had been floating only ten seconds earlier.
It really had disappeared, meow!
Sajji swept his gaze nervously from side to side for several seconds. Once he confirmed that the buoy was indeed gone, he yanked the alarm bell's cord.
"Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!"
The piercing chime echoed across the Knowledge Seeker's quiet deck. Moments later, the Hunters who had gathered in the mess hall to enjoy dinner burst out of the cabin.
"The buoy has disappeared, meow! The target has submerged, meow!" Sajji shouted from the observation platform.
The Professor, who had rushed out right behind the Hunters, reached the bow railing in a few quick strides.
Across the surrounding sea, countless pinpricks of light, as tiny as fireflies and as numerous as stars, began rising from the ocean's dark depths.
* * *
YourTL.app was used for this chapter and can also translate novels for readers when no English release is available.