While Isis made preparations for the Hunt based on the intelligence they had organized, good news finally arrived from the Gathering Hall.
In the mountain region northeast of the East Trad Wetlands stood a mine that produced Machalite Ore, Bealite Ore, and various crystalline minerals.
Several months earlier, a "long-bodied Monster" had attacked the mine, forcing it to cease operations.
Guild investigators examined the tracks around the mine and interviewed witnesses. They concluded that the Monster had attacked the site and claimed it as a nest, and was most likely an adult Kuarusepu.
The mine itself was small, and after years of excavation, neither the quantity nor the quality of its ore was especially high. Then there was the danger posed by the Kuarusepu, along with the difficulty and expense of filing an urgent request for the Guild to dispatch a High Rank Hunter.
The Merchant Guild that owned the mine therefore decided to shut it down temporarily.
According to scholars, Kuarusepu migrate frequently and rarely remain in one region for long. Rather than commit resources to a costly confrontation, the Merchant Guild chose to focus on its other mines and wait for the Monster to leave.
The matter was shelved for the time being.
In fact, this was the most common way humans dealt with powerful Monsters.
Hunters, especially those of higher rank, were limited in number. The Guild's highest priority was dealing with Monsters that posed a major threat to human settlements, such as those attacking cities.
Next came Monsters that threatened trade routes and relay stations, disrupted human activity, or caused major economic losses.
Only after those came Monsters like this one, which had caused limited damage and were unlikely to create a wider crisis.
As for Monsters that remained far from human activity and posed no threat to people's livelihoods, the Guild generally preferred to leave them alone.
However, since a High Rank Hunter had volunteered to Hunt the Kuarusepu, the Guild had no objection to contacting the Merchant Guild on the Hunter's behalf. The commission paperwork was soon delivered to Dundorma.
—--
Meanwhile, the Royal Academy had completed its preparations as well.
To transport the Kuarusepu's corpse back intact, Sheila had applied to the Education Committee for the Academy's newly completed large Airship to be dispatched in support.
Only a handful of Airships on this scale, true flying ships, existed across the entire Old World. The Knowledge Seeker's performance specifications and hardware were reportedly modeled after the Wycademy's Soaratorium.
The Education Committee planned to turn the large Airship into the Academy's own "Soaratorium aerial research lab." It was one of the Royal Academy's current flagship projects.
—--
At the large dockyard on the outskirts of Dundorma.
Standing before the brand-new aerial behemoth, Isis stammered, "I-isn't this a bit much?"
She had only meant to look up some information at the Academy. How had the whole affair grown so large?
"Don't be nervous. The timing simply worked out."
Sheila came to stand beside her. "The Knowledge Seeker has just completed its trial flight. The Education Committee wanted an opportunity to put it through its paces on a real mission.
"Kuarusepu are rare, and no complete specimen has ever been obtained for a full dissection. The Committee is very interested in the prospect.
"Kuarusepu are enormous and incredibly heavy, making one an ideal subject for pushing the Knowledge Seeker's performance to its limits.
"Furthermore, Kuarusepu cannot fly, so one poses no threat to the Airship's safety. That makes it the perfect test subject."
Sheila turned to Isis. "...Miss Isis, this may seem rather abrupt, but we have two additional objectives we'd like you to take on.
"If the opportunity presents itself and you can complete them, we'll provide additional compensation."
"You want me to Capture a Kuarusepu?" Isis asked, tilting her head.
"Exactly. That's the first objective," Sheila replied with a smile.
She and Isis had become fairly familiar over the past few days, and a playful note entered her voice. "Miss Isis, why don't you try to guess the second?"
Isis thought for a moment. "If the Knowledge Seeker were only responsible for handling and transporting the target after the Hunt, there'd be no reason to care whether Kuarusepu can fly or threaten the Airship.
"That means the Airship will be circling overhead while I'm Hunting, perhaps even at low altitude.
"You want to test some equipment?"
This time, Sheila was genuinely surprised. "Miss Isis, I must say, for a rising star who reached High Rank at such a young age, your mind works much faster than that of most Hunters I know."
"Heheh!" Isis chuckled and rubbed her head sheepishly.
Do you have any idea what I've been through these past few days? My brain is terrifyingly sharp right now!
"There's no need to discuss the Capture in detail. From a researcher's perspective, capturing a live specimen would naturally be better than bringing back a corpse.
"As for testing the equipment... Have you heard of the rocket delivery system?"
"No." Isis shook her head decisively. "I've only heard of rockets."
"...They're similar, but not quite the same," Sheila explained patiently. "It was an experimental technology briefly tested during the early stages of the Wycademy's Soaratorium project.
"Put simply, specially designed rockets would deliver ammunition and other supplies from the air directly onto the battlefield, allowing Hunters to resupply quickly. (This system really exists.)
"I hear they were also used to deliver weapons, allowing Hunters to switch equipment to suit different combat situations."
Isis blinked. "That sounds convenient. Why was it tested only briefly instead of being developed further?"
Sheila seemed thoroughly familiar with the technology. "There were several reasons. First, its delivery accuracy was poor.
"Support Rockets aren't attack rockets. To prevent the supplies from being damaged, they follow complex deceleration trajectories. As a result, a Support Rocket can land anywhere from a few dozen to more than a hundred meters from its intended target.
"Of course, I believe that problem could be solved through further development.
"The main reason the technology was shelved was simply that it wasn't necessary.
"When Hunters run out of supplies, they can return to camp to resupply. Delivering supplies by Support Rocket saves them the round trip, but dispatching an Airship to coordinate with a Hunter in battle is staggeringly expensive.
"Once the Handler system was introduced, the Guild realized that having Handlers carry additional supplies achieved much the same result, so the technology naturally fell out of favor."
"I see..."
"There was also an incident in which the Soaratorium launched a Support Rocket during a mission to deliver a replacement Bowgun after receiving a signal from a Gunner.
"The rocket malfunctioned during its descent, and the Bowgun was blown to pieces in midair. The technology was sealed away after that."
So that's the real reason!
"That's absolutely criminal!" Isis could not bear to imagine her own weapon exploding like a firework in the sky.
Then her expression changed. She took half a step back, eyeing Sheila warily. "What are you planning? If this is only about testing supply deliveries, you wouldn't need to discuss it with me, would you?
"You're not thinking of launching my equipment, are you?"
Sheila looked utterly sincere. "Please rest assured. The new Support Rockets have undergone countless tests. They definitely won't explode in midair this time!
"We've completely redesigned the propellant to eliminate the possibility of an explosion, and we've added parachutes. If anything does malfunction, the parachute will deliver the equipment safely to the ground."
"Even if everything you've said is true, why would I agree?" With her newly sharpened mind firing on all cylinders, Isis was not so easily fooled. "I only have one primary weapon, and I always carry it with me. There's no way I'm letting you launch it around for fun."
"Not your weapon, of course." Sheila's expression turned serious. "What we're interested in is your Armor."
"My Armor is off-limits too!" Isis nearly jumped.
"Miss Isis, please hear me out," Sheila said earnestly. "We don't take pointless risks. We're making this proposal because we believe it suits your actual needs.
"According to the information you provided, you have two primary Armor sets. Your Zamtrios Z Armor Set has excellent Fire Resistance but poor Thunder Resistance, while your Lagiacrus Armor Set is the exact opposite. Is that correct?"
"That's true. So?"
"Kuarusepu can wield both lightning and extreme heat. In clear weather, they absorb sunlight and release intense heat. In rainy weather, they absorb lightning and discharge electrical energy.
"As far as I know, the weather in the mountain region where the target is located changes very frequently. Whichever Armor set you wear, you'll be taking a serious risk."
"Hmm..."
That was true. She had even discussed the problem with Altaïr. He had suggested choosing one Armor set, then using Decorations and Specialized Tools to compensate for its elemental weaknesses as much as possible.
The Academy scholars, however, seemed to have proposed a more direct solution.
Could she trust their technical expertise?