Altaïr and Isis arrived together at Dundorma's Gathering Hall.
Evening was drawing near, and the People's Tavern was gradually coming to life.
Hunters gathered around the tables, boasting about their respective Hunts and swapping strange tales they had heard from who knew where.
"I heard from a Guild staffer that a few Hunters were promoted to High Rank today. They're really young!"
"How young? In their thirties?"
"I'm not sure. Around that age, I suppose."
The very Hunters being discussed walked past the tables without breaking stride. Neither Altaïr nor Isis was the type to show off or draw attention, so they naturally did not stop to announce, "I'm one of the Hunters who reached High Rank!" or "And I'm only just over twenty!"
The two made their way to the counter, where Isis took out her Hunter's Notes and handed them to the receptionist behind it.
"Could you please check whether there are any quests to Hunt a Kuarusepu?"
The receptionist, who looked even younger than they were, stared at the six stars on the cover for a good two or three seconds before stammering, "H-High Rank Hunters! Please wait a moment. I'll go fetch a senior receptionist!"
With that, she hurried off.
Isis and Altaïr exchanged a glance.
Only now did their promotion to High Rank begin to feel real.
High Rank Hunters made up only a small proportion of the Hunter population. Since they often dealt with confidential quests, they were generally received by experienced receptionists or designated Guild supervisors.
Unless they had a particular reason to take low-star quests, it was somewhat improper for them to walk up to an ordinary counter and ask about High Rank Monsters as they had just done.
The young receptionist returned not with an experienced senior, but with the Guild Manager they had met in the Elder Hall that morning.
When he saw who they were, the Guild Manager sighed. "I heard that two very young High Rank Hunters had come to the counter asking about quests, and I suspected it was you. You want to finish upgrading your equipment as soon as possible, correct? I am sorry. This sudden promotion has caused you trouble."
"Please, think nothing of it."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Altaïr explained why they had come.
"A Kuarusepu, is it? I see." The Guild Manager glanced at Isis and nodded. "That is indeed a good choice. Let me see what quests we have for one."
The Guild Manager leafed through the large ledger he had brought with him.
Two minutes later, he shook his head. "My apologies. None of the quests currently registered at Dundorma's Gathering Hall involve Hunting a Kuarusepu. The Guild has already inconvenienced you with this promotion, so I will see what I can arrange with our branches in other regions. There is no need to rush. If you truly cannot complete the Hunt and upgrade your equipment in time, I will do everything within my authority to delay your quest assignments as long as possible."
Altaïr and Isis both breathed a sigh of relief.
"In that case, may we come back and speak with you later?" Altaïr asked. "We need to discuss the situation with our companions as well."
"Of course."
With his permission, the two left the counter for the time being.
Just as they were deciding how best to contact Nymera, whether to wait at the Gathering Hall or try their luck at the Princess's residence, they saw her leading Hibiki through the entrance. The Palamute's back rose nearly as high as a person, making him impossible to miss.
Isis waved vigorously and hurried over.
Nymera's troubled expression softened into a smile when she saw them, though Altaïr, following behind Isis, noticed that it looked slightly forced.
He sighed to himself. The day had finally come.
"Nymera!" Isis called as she reached her. "Gael and the others told me that High Rank Hunters–"
"Isis." Altaïr cut her off. "Let's find somewhere quieter before we discuss this."
Isis paused, then realized the subject might be confidential and awkwardly fell silent.
Altaïr asked a receptionist to book them a small private room on the second floor of the People's Tavern, then ordered a few drinks and snacks.
—--
The room's closed door shut out the clamor of the main hall, leaving them in an uneasy silence.
By then, Isis had also realized something was wrong. Lowering her voice, she asked cautiously, "Nymera, is something wrong?"
Nymera smiled and shook her head. "It is nothing. What were you saying about High Rank Hunters?"
They stared.
Now Altaïr and Isis were not the only ones. Even Sajji propped himself against the edge of the table, peering over it with both eyes fixed on Nymera.
"Wh-what is it?"
"There is definitely something wrong, meow." Sajji's ears twitched. "Even the way you speak has changed, meow."
"..." Nymera fell silent.
A moment later, she sighed. "It is a personal matter. Isis, you go first. Yours sounds more important."
"No," Isis said, shaking her head. "My instincts tell me that what you have to say is more important, Nymera."
Nymera looked at the two seated across the table. They had probably guessed something, especially Altaïr. Back in Kamura Village, he had already sounded her out on the matter in a roundabout way.
Altaïr met her eyes and asked calmly, "You're leaving, aren't you?"
Nymera opened her mouth as though she did not know where to begin. Even her expression grew stiff.
To everyone's surprise, Isis was the one who broke the tense silence.
"I see." She scratched her head and glanced at Altaïr beside her. "Nymera said when she first joined the team that she would return to her hometown after reaching High Rank. And didn't His Immenseness and the Guild Manager also say that Kamura Village is short on people right now? Besides, Yomogi and the others–"
Altaïr barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes at her.
Seriously? Why are you acting as though you need to explain Nymera's situation to me? I figured it out long before you did!
Altaïr reached over and pinched Isis's rambling mouth shut, then looked at Nymera. "I could tell. Kamura Village is the only place where you truly let yourself relax.
"The version of you in Kamura Village and the one traveling through the Old World seem like two completely different people.
"Yomogi and Master Iori often call you lazy and say you take things at your own pace. No one in the Old World ever described you that way.
"You had already been thinking about going back before we left for Tidal Island, hadn't you?
"When we returned to Kamura Village last month, you wanted nothing more than to stay there. It was only because of us that you boarded the airship bound for the Old World again."
Isis pulled Altaïr's hand away from her mouth, picked up her glass, and said, "Nymera, don't spend every day lying around at home, stuffing yourself with Bunny Dango, and neglecting your training. Next time we meet, you'd better not be as round as Hibiki!"
"Woof?" Hibiki, sprawled nearby, tilted his head toward her.
"I..."
Nymera opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Altaïr picked up his glass as well.
"There is something else I should tell you. Isis and I are together now. I confessed right after you and Morgan left, and she said yes."
"Huh?" Nymera stared blankly at him.
She felt both happy and utterly exasperated.
Is this really the time to bring that up? Then again, I would be even more annoyed if he had kept it from me... But still!
"Think of it as you clearing the way for us to have some time alone." Altaïr smiled and raised his glass toward Nymera. "Aren't you going to celebrate with us?"
The melancholy and guilt on Nymera's face finally cracked. As the two moved to clink glasses with her, she did not pick up her drink. Instead, she sat up straighter.
"Wait. Put the celebration on hold. I never said I was quitting the team, did I?"
"Huh?!" Isis blinked.
Nymera straightened her back and composed herself. "The situation is similar, though. I do need to leave the team temporarily and return to Kamura Village for a while."
To keep them from interrupting again and sending the conversation off course, she spoke faster. "From the outside, it might look as though I reached 6★ alongside both of you.
"But I know that I have already fallen behind you in skill, and the gap will only keep growing.
"I do not have your talent or ability to forge an entirely new path. If I do not want to fall too far behind, I will have to draw on the strength of those who came before us.
"To master the Secret Arts I was not qualified to learn before, I need to return home and train for a while."
Isis stared wide-eyed at Altaïr. He looked rather awkward himself.
If only he had not jumped to conclusions and spoken too soon, the conversation would never have gone so far astray.
After a brief pause, Nymera continued with a smile. "My original plan really was to return to Kamura Village after reaching High Rank. After all, I became a Hunter to protect my homeland.
"As someone from Kamura, that is my duty. Personally... with Maki and the others there, the village's laid-back atmosphere is also perfect for slacking off."
For a moment, Altaïr and Isis were both speechless.
They could still picture how lazy Nymera was whenever she was at home.
"But what His Immenseness said today changed my mind." Nymera's expression turned serious, even somber.
"Kamura Village might not need me right now, but things could be different in ten or twenty years.
"If I settle back in Kamura Village now and spend every day idling and eating Bunny Dango, I will probably still be 6★ ten years from now. I might even have grown weaker.
"Could someone like that really become one of the pillars supporting Kamura Village's future?"
Altaïr was surprised.
He had noticed the change in Nymera's mood that morning, but he had assumed His Immenseness's words would push her to leave the team and return home.
He had never imagined the opposite. That speech had made her abandon her original plan to return home.
"I am lazy by nature. Left to my own devices, I would surely waste my life in mediocrity."
Nymera rose from her seat, then knelt on the chair instead, as though only such a formal posture could convey her sincerity.
She placed both hands on her thighs and bowed low. "From now on, I humbly ask that you two drag me along and keep me moving forward."