The Princess knew exactly where she could summon reinforcements fastest.
After escaping from the Deserted Island, she didn't head for Moga Village. Instead, she urged Hibiki onward and swam straight toward another stretch of sea, one just as close to the Deserted Island, where young Hunters trained for underwater combat.
Upon learning that Isis and the others had been attacked by a Mizutsune, Altaïr and his group naturally rushed to the scene at top speed.
But just as they landed on the island, before they could even run toward the forest the Princess had described, they spotted the heavily wounded Mizutsune from afar, swimming rapidly across the beach before diving headfirst into the sea.
Isis and Nymera burst out of the tree line right behind it, trying to intercept it, but their all-out sprint was no match for the Mizutsune's swimming speed. They could only watch helplessly as the creature vanished into the ocean.
Altaïr quickly ran over to regroup with them. "Are you two all right?"
"We're fine!" Isis answered curtly, then turned urgently to Az and Ursula, who had arrived with Altaïr. "We blinded one of that Mizutsune's eyes. It probably has a grudge now, and that makes it dangerous. Is there any way to catch up with it?"
Az glanced toward the stretch of beach where the Mizutsune had plunged into the sea. "Hard to say. If it doesn't show itself willingly, even we can't pinpoint a Leviathan's location in the open ocean."
"A Mizutsune, for real." Beside him, Ursula wore a peculiar expression. "We've come to this part of the South Sea plenty of times, but this is the first time I've ever seen a Mizutsune here.
"Aren't they mainly found on the Western Continent?"
Az grunted in affirmation. "Mizutsune usually favor lands threaded with dense networks of streams and rivers, like the Misty Peaks, but they are Leviathans after all. It isn't too strange for one to cross the sea for one reason or another.
"There have been sightings of Mizutsune around the Deserted Island before. Just very few. You two have a special kind of luck."
"I've heard from the veteran Hunters in the village that Mizutsune aren't especially aggressive. They mainly feed on fish and rarely attack humans on their own," Nymera said with a frown.
Isis picked up the thread. "But this Mizutsune was different. It ambushed us, and from the very start it was trying to kill us.
"Later, we found old wounds on its body. It probably came here after losing a territorial fight with another Monster.
"We need to warn the villagers to be careful. There may be more attacks."
"Don't worry, I'll let everyone know." Az grinned. "Moga Village these days isn't like it was back then. If that thing dares show its face around here, it'll get a taste of trouble."
Moga Village was no ordinary fishing village. Was modern Moga Village famous across the Old World because of its delicious South Sea catches?
Of course not. Moga Village's true "specialty" was its Sea People Hunters. Ever since Az had made a name for himself, more and more Sea People youths had chosen to become Hunters. Their natural physical gifts made them natural-born underwater Hunters.
From Minegarde to Geo Wandreo, Sea People Hunters could be seen in nearly every harbor city across the Old World.
If that Mizutsune had fled far away, fine. But if it dared attack the village or the fishermen, it would be no different from throwing itself into a fishing net.
With that thought, Isis and the others finally relaxed.
"Honestly, I thought the Deserted Island held no danger. I figured I'd take Her Highness the Princess on a little sightseeing tour around it, and then we ran into a big one." Isis grumbled as the tension left her body.
Altaïr looked her up and down. "What's all this on you? Some kind of camouflage?"
Isis glanced down and only then noticed the fallen leaves and dirt still clinging to her from dealing with the slippery fluid, stuck even more firmly now that the fluid was gradually drying.
She picked at it with her fingers. The dried, brittle leaves crumbled, but most of them stayed stubbornly stuck to her armor.
"Gahhh! So annoying!" Isis clawed frantically at her whole body.
Seeing her in this state, Altaïr was somewhat surprised. What had she just been through? She seemed unusually agitated.
"All right, stop picking at it. Mizutsune fluid is neither poisonous nor smelly. A dip in water will wash it right off." Ursula offered some amused comfort, then turned to Az and said, "Get a few people to sweep the Deserted Island again.
"If Isis and the others hadn't stumbled upon it, the village wouldn't even know a Mizutsune had come to the Deserted Island. It's too close to the village, and children come here to pick wild fruit. Far too dangerous."
Az sighed at this. "Making a fuss over nothing. Back in the day, the Deserted Island was crawling with Monsters; even a Deviljho showed up once, and the village folk still lived their lives just fine. Sending people up here just to search for Monsters... that's going way overboard."
Ursula shrugged. "You brought this on yourself. Name one Hunter from your village who didn't grow up on those stories: how you fought a Lagiacrus in bloody battle, went toe-to-toe with a Deviljho, faced down the deep-sea god alone, and drove it off.
"If they heard a Large Monster had appeared on the Deserted Island, every last one of them would probably race back to deal with it. After all these years of Hunting, they've been waiting for a day like this."
Az found himself at a loss for words, while Altaïr, standing off to the side, felt an urge to rub his nose.
So this was a village whose "specialty" was Hunters? Aside from Mr. Az, he didn't really know any other Moga Hunters. Oh, in a certain sense, Clawdia might count? Imagining dozens of Clawdias in human form was a bit terrifying. Wait. Altaïr suddenly realized there was an extremely serious issue they had overlooked.
"Mr. Az, if the Monsters on the Deserted Island have been cleared out over and over, can we still find a Lagiacrus in this area?"
Az looked amused. "Only thinking of that now? I figured you lot had already done your research and locked onto your target."
Hearing Az say this, the others grew tense as well.
The quest form for this assignment had been obtained by Her Highness the Princess using her status. It wasn't the kind with clear information and a specific lead, such as a certain Monster causing trouble in a certain place and needing a Hunter to resolve it promptly.
The hunting grounds marked on the quest form were the "South Sea Deserted Island," yet on this very Deserted Island beneath their feet, Large Monsters seemed to have gone extinct.
Don't tell me we came all this way for nothing?
Seeing the expressions shifting on the young people's faces, Az finally burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Relax, the young folk in the village only care about the village's safety. They're not mindless butchers.
"You can think of it this way: the village, this Deserted Island, and the nearby waters have been marked by us as human territory. Aside from outsiders like that Mizutsune, Large Monsters rarely wander into this area.
"It's the same reason Monsters don't recklessly barge into the territory of other powerful Monsters.
"But if you go a little farther out, there are still plenty of Large Monsters like Lagiacrus.
"The South Sea has more than just this one Deserted Island. To name a couple that are relatively close, there's a large island about twenty-odd kilometers to the west, and farther to the southeast there's a chain of atolls.
"They're all fine hunting grounds. You'll definitely find your target there."
Hearing this, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Altaïr also realized the biggest problem they faced in this Hunt: their mindset.
The beautiful scenery of the South Sea, the goal of tasting Lagiacrus soft roe, Her Highness the Princess's sponsorship, and that luxurious Airship. All of it had subconsciously turned this Hunt into a vacation in their minds.
That was not the right state of mind at all.
He made a gesture, calling his companions together. "In a bit, I'll go speak with Her Highness the Princess and explain the situation. Three days from now, the special training with old Jara and me will also be finished, and by then we need to focus our full attention on the Hunt.
"There's still plenty to do, like asking the villagers and the village Hunters about the two hunting grounds Mr. Az just mentioned. The map is key.
"If we can spare the time, it'd be best to scout the locations in advance, lock down the hunting target and the battlefield site, and devise tactical plans."
"All right, we know all that." Isis raised a thumb. "You and old Jara just focus on the special training. Leave the intel gathering and advance scouting to us!"
Nymera also smiled faintly. "I shall speak with Her Highness. Despite how she may appear, she is actually a remarkably reasonable person."
(Translated by yourtl.app)