After resting at their lodgings for about two hours, as dinner time approached, the Elder arranged for someone to bring them their evening meal.
Since the Professor had given prior notice, the Elder hadn't prepared any elaborate or luxurious feast, but the food was substantial.
There were large grilled meat steaks, a thick stew made from plant roots and meatballs, flatbread baked on a rock plate, and side dishes like onions, cheese, and pickles. Each portion was generously sized, clearly taking into account that two of their group were hunters.
The Professor, being elderly, ate very little, just a small bowl of stew and less than half a piece of flatbread made up his entire dinner.
Erik, as a growing teenager, naturally ate more than the Professor, but only slightly so. His slender, almost girlish figure made it clear he wasn't a big eater.
Altaïr, however, ate quite a bit. With a fight ahead, building up energy was essential. He consumed about a third of the food brought to them, while the rest all went into Isis's stomach.
Compared to the two of them, what the Professor and Erik ate barely amounted to a few mouthfuls, hardly even a fraction.
Once they had eaten their fill, the sky gradually darkened.
Altaïr and Isis exchanged glances, then stood up together from the dining table.
"We'll try to see if we can bring back a few intact ones first," Altaïr said. "There are Vespoids wandering around the town, so we probably won't have to go far."
"Hmm," the Professor responded, using his portable microscope to examine the water samples he had collected earlier in the cave. "Vespoid activity decreases slightly at night, making it easier to move around."
"I want to go too!" Erik exclaimed, dropping the rock samples he had been sorting and grabbing the insect net beside him. He practically leaped to his feet.
The Professor paused his work for a couple of seconds before saying to his student, "Be careful, and don't interfere with the hunters' actions."
"Got it!" Erik hoisted the insect net over his shoulder and cheerfully positioned himself behind Altaïr.
For a moment, Altaïr's expression grew distant.
He remembered how, as a child, he too had carried an insect net, shouting and chasing after his older siblings, clamoring to join them in hunting Carpenterbugs.
Sensing the shift in Altaïr's mood, Isis looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Altaïr replied, quickly regaining his composure. He then turned to Erik and said, "Don't stray too far from us. If you spot any Vespoids, don't charge in recklessly, alert us immediately."
"Leave it to me!" Erik waved the massive insect net, which was nearly a meter in diameter, looking full of confidence.
The three of them left the lodgings together, while the Professor shook his head gently and returned to his work.
—--
After nightfall, the temperature in the desert would drop sharply, especially in low-lying areas, where it could even fall below freezing.
Sun Worship Town, situated on the mountainside of the bedrock, experienced slightly milder temperature changes. Though it still felt chilly, it wasn't unbearable.
The streets of the town were completely empty.
Due to the cold temperatures after dark, few people were willing to venture outside. Moreover, with the recent Vespoid infestation, the townsfolk had returned to their homes early, shutting their doors and windows tightly to avoid any danger. Apart from a faint rustle of wind, there was complete silence around them. Such tranquility was ideal for tracking Vespoids, prey whose movements typically produced noticeable sounds.
After walking less than a few dozen meters, Altaïr, who was leading the way, suddenly clenched his fist and raised a "halt" signal. Erik, following closely behind, nearly collided with him.
Ignoring the impulsive young scholar, Altaïr pressed his palms together and gestured toward a specific direction.
On the wall of a residence barely ten meters away, a dark mass was clinging motionless. Under the faint glow of the newly risen moon, it was just discernible as a stationary Vespoid.
Erik's face lit up with excitement as he prepared to charge forward, but Isis grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back. Tossing Erik behind her, she took a few steps forward and readied her Gunlance, preparing to fire.
Altaïr quickly pressed her hand down.
"Using a Gunlance in a town... are you planning to blast both the Vespoid and the civilian's house into the sky?"
Realizing her mistake, Isis gave an awkward chuckle and moved her finger away from the trigger. She waved the Gunlance in her hand, indicating, "I can just smash it."
Altaïr pressed her hand down again. With her strength, a single downward swing would likely cause as much damage as firing the weapon.
Sheepishly, Isis withdrew her weapon and turned her gaze to Altaïr's Long Sword.
But Altaïr shook his head. Logically, the safest approach would be to hand the Long Sword to Isis and let her slice off the Vespoid's wings.
But I can't rely on her like that every time... otherwise, I'll end up becoming nothing more than her sword-bearer.
Snatching the oversized insect net from Erik's hands, he shoved it into Isis's grasp. Then, moving silently, Altaïr crept toward the motionless Vespoid on the wall.
Ten meters, five meters, three meters...
The target was within striking range, but he was unsure how to proceed.
The Vespoid's wings were folded tightly against its body, making them difficult to slice. A single Overhead Slash would likely cleave the creature in half.
Better to use a Thrust, then. Though it might damage the corpse somewhat, he lacked Isis's precision with the blade, no point trying anything fancy.
Decision made, Altaïr drew his sword.
Whether it sensed the hunter's "killing intent" or was startled by the metallic ring of the blade leaving its sheath, the Vespoid suddenly spread its wings, ready to take flight.
Altaïr didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, thrusting his Long Sword in one fluid motion.
Thwip–
With a soft sound of pierced flesh, the tip of Iron Gospel pierced the Vespoid's abdomen and, without losing momentum, embedded itself into the wall, pinning the creature firmly in place.
Screech! A sharp cry echoed as the Vespoid fluttered its wings a few times before falling still.
Altaïr let out a soft sigh of relief. He was fairly satisfied with that thrust, the body remained largely intact, which shouldn't interfere with the Professor's dissection.
Applying a bit more force, he pulled backward, withdrawing the Long Sword along with the impaled Vespoid from the wall.
Staring at the palm-length gouge left in the wall, Altaïr felt a twinge of embarrassment. As he debated whether to knock on the door and explain the situation, the window on the wall slid open from the inside.
The homeowner leaned out to look. The result was seeing a fully armed hunter holding a blade that would seem terrifyingly large to ordinary people, with a meter-long Vespoid still twitching on its tip, and that hunter was giving him a "ferocious grin."
She slammed the window shut with a "bang!", cutting off Altaïr's apology that was just about to be spoken.
Forget it.
Altaïr helplessly bent down, grabbed a handful of sand from the base of the wall, and casually smeared it over the sword mark on the wall, at least filling it in somewhat.
"Here it comes! Get ready!"
"Alright!"
Isis and Erik's voices came from behind.
Altaïr instinctively turned around to find that the insect net had somehow returned to Erik's hands, while Isis was holding up a shield with both hands, like wielding a giant mosquito swatter.
Another Vespoid buzzed around in front of them. The moment it flashed past about three meters in front of Isis, she bit her tongue, took a big step forward, and swung down the large shield in her hands.
With a "whoosh" of cutting through air, the steel-made large shield unsurprisingly smacked down the Vespoid.
Erik cheered and ran up excitedly with the insect net, ready to capture this Vespoid alive.
Only when he got close did he discover that the Vespoid had already become a greenish paste stuck to the shield surface.
"Yuck! Couldn't you use less force!" Erik complained dissatisfiedly. "It's completely smashed to pulp!"
Isis looked somewhat wronged, "If I used less force, I wouldn't be able to swing this shield properly."
Altaïr watched this and felt like facepalming, "What are you two even doing?"