"Grandpa Campbell!" Isis cheered as she ran forward and bent down to embrace the old man, who was using an umbrella as a walking stick.
Altaïr hesitated, unsure whether to follow and greet them alongside Isis or stay where he was and give them time to reunite.
Pawdrick leaned close to Altaïr's ear and whispered so only he could hear, "No rush, meow. Don't interrupt them. Isis will introduce you when she turns around, meow."
Altaïr gave the Felyne perched on his shoulder a subtle glance.
Pawdrick blinked at him. "Don't worry, I'm on your side, meow. You and Isis had better get along, meow.
"And make sure your Felyne partner gets along with my little sister too, meow. He has the potential to keep that brute in line, meow."
Altaïr: "..."
This guy really doesn't hide his true intentions at all.
"Let me give you the rundown first. That old man is Master Campbell, known as The Master, meow. He used to be a 9★ Hunter. After retiring due to injury, he became head of the Guild's development division, meow.
"The Dragonator and the Slinger on your arm were both invented by him, meow. He's now one of the Guild's senior executives.
"More importantly, he's the master who trained Isis's father, meow. His work keeps him from spending as much time with Isis as Master Amos does, but emotionally, there's almost no difference.
"You can basically think of Campbell and Amos as her paternal and maternal grandfathers, respectively, meow."
Altaïr understood and committed the information to memory.
"As for those two over there, the man is Ace Commander Julius, a senior disciple who trained under the same master as Isis's father, meow. Doesn't he look like someone you wouldn't want to cross? He is, meow...
"He's the leader of the Guild Knights. Don't break any rules in front of him, meow. He really will have you locked up."
Altaïr decided to keep his Hunter's Notes well hidden. They were full of things that did not exactly comply with Guild regulations...
"The woman is 'God's Eye' Nadia, Julius's partner and old flame. She's fairly easy to talk to, meow."
Altaïr's gaze had rested on the woman for less than half a second when she looked back and gave him a friendly smile.
Pawdrick lowered his voice even further. "Don't stare at her, meow. That woman's senses are frighteningly sharp. That's how she earned the name 'God's Eye,' meow."
By the time Pawdrick finished his quiet explanation, Isis was nearly done with her reunion.
She happily began introducing everyone to Altaïr. "This is Grandpa Campbell, this is Uncle Julius, and this is Aunt Nadia!"
Her introduction was so concise that it skipped practically everything. Altaïr felt relieved. Without Pawdrick's explanation, he would have been completely lost.
Campbell chuckled warmly. "Little Isis, cough... come on, introduce this young man to us."
"This is Altaïr. He's a Long Sword... I suppose he counts as a Long Sword user, right? He's my hunting partner!" Isis was clearly a little shy, but she still added, "And he's my boyfriend."
Hearing her introduce him in a way so different from usual made Altaïr's heart thump hard twice.
At the same time, he felt several gazes settle on him, some stern, some appraising, and some curious...
He quickly introduced himself. "It's an honor to meet you all. I'm Altaïr, from Loc Lac."
"I know who you are," said the stern, silver-haired middle-aged man. "The Arbiter Estrellian annihilation operation, the Guanzorumu repel operation, the Teppeki Shen Gaoren interception, and the Espinas you hunted not long ago.
"You have more experience than some 6★ Hunters who were promoted years ago, and you completed several hunts above your rank even before that."
A brief silence followed.
Altaïr was momentarily taken aback.
His first thought was that the man had specifically investigated him.
On second thought, since Julius was the leader of the Guild Knights, it was perfectly normal for him to have reviewed Altaïr's file before his promotion to High Rank.
According to Pawdrick, Julius was stern and utterly impartial. Was he about to have Altaïr arrested?
Nadia elbowed Julius in the ribs and said with a laugh, "Don't misunderstand. He doesn't mean anything by it.
"Julius actually admires you quite a bit. He told us that you're quick-witted. Your actions may look reckless, but you always stay right on the edge of the red line without ever truly crossing it."
Julius's tone remained calm and flat. "My exact words were, 'Fortunately, he's never truly crossed the red line.'"
As he spoke, he gave Francesca, who was hiding behind Isis, a pointed look.
Then Nadia elbowed him again.
Campbell also shot him a look, signaling him to be quiet. Coughing softly, he sat down on the sofa and beckoned Altaïr over.
Altaïr approached the old man with some trepidation.
Although Campbell had been smiling warmly the entire time, the pressure he exuded was somehow greater than Master Amos's, or even that of the obviously unapproachable Mr. Julius.
"Don't be nervous. It's clear that Isis really likes you, cough, cough... As her elders, we naturally have no reason to object."
The old man gestured for Altaïr to sit beside him. "Amos told me that you two have been together since you were rookies?"
Altaïr only dared perch on the very edge of the sofa cushion. "Mm... When we first met, we were both seventeen. I was a 2★ Hunter, and Isis was a 3★ Hunter."
"Would you mind telling an old man like me the story of how you two got together?" Campbell asked with a smile.
"Cough, cough... That tiny baby we once held is all grown up and has a boyfriend now. I have to admit, I'm quite curious."
The old man made no attempt to hide his desire to learn more, and Altaïr naturally understood his intention.
To be honest, he did not think there was anything to hide about his time with Isis, so he gave them a general account, guided by Campbell's questions.
He began with their chance encounter, how they came to know each other and became partners, then how they pushed and competed with one another while constantly finding opportunities for the other to improve, all the way to the present...
When Campbell learned that they had officially confirmed their relationship only a little over an hour ago, with Pawdrick constantly chiming in with details about the confession, he could not help laughing.
The others now regarded Altaïr with noticeably greater approval and goodwill.
Altaïr suddenly realized that Campbell's questions were not merely a test. They were also an opportunity for him to show everyone the person behind his Guild records.
He must have passed.
Isis was no longer as shy as she had been at the start. Grinning, she wrapped her arms around Campbell's neck from behind his chair, a pleading note in her voice. "Grandpa Campbell, are you free this afternoon? Could you give us a few pointers?"
A trace of helplessness crossed Campbell's face. "Out of your shell already, are you? You're a Gunlance user, so you have no reason to ask me for pointers. Do you want me to teach Altaïr?"
"Not exactly, hehe! Father says you can use any weapon!"
"That's an exaggeration. Knowing how to use a weapon and using it well are two different things." Campbell gave Altaïr a meaningful look.
"I have a meeting soon, so I can't stay long. I'll just offer a little advice."
Altaïr suppressed the urge to pull out his notebook and listened intently.
"Amos told me a few things about you several years ago. He said you possess exceptional coordination and can blend techniques from different weapons, correct?"
"Yes." Altaïr nodded.
"Your current approach is the right one, cough, cough... Choose one weapon as your core and use techniques from other weapons to enhance it. That will allow you to develop greater mastery.
"After all, your time and energy are limited, cough... Spreading yourself across too many disciplines will do you no good.
"And don't devote endless amounts of time to combining techniques, cough, cough, cough... You're only in your early twenties and still in a period of rapid growth. Dividing your focus now could actually slow your progress.
"You can devote more time to combining and creating techniques once your growth slows or you encounter a bottleneck, cough, cough, cough..."
Having said all that in one breath, Campbell was clearly winded. "Lastly, never neglect your physical conditioning, cough, cough, cough... It's the foundation of everything. Both of you must remember that."
"Yes! Thank you for the guidance." Altaïr nodded solemnly, showing that he had taken the advice to heart.
Campbell smiled and patted his shoulder, then rose with the support of his umbrella. "It's about time, cough, cough... Let's go."
Altaïr quickly stood to support him, while Julius and Nadia hurried over to steady him.
"You young people, keep working hard, cough, cough, cough, cough..." With those final words, Campbell slowly walked away, still coughing, supported by Julius and the others.
After seeing them off, Amos returned to the living room with a serious expression. "Master Campbell's words are important. You must both take them to heart."
Altaïr and Isis nodded in unison.
"It feels like only yesterday, and now you've both advanced to High Rank." Amos looked at them with pride and a hint of nostalgia.
Finally, his gaze settled on Altaïr.
"Grab a wooden sword and come with me to the Training Area. Let me see how much you've grown."
Altaïr: "..."