"So, can you give us the specifics? Where is this ritual journey taking us, and what is the plan?"
Altaïr looked at the two Divas as he asked.
Something about this quest had felt wrong from the very beginning.
For a normal quest, even an escort mission with no Hunt as its objective, the Hunter would be told the general plan and route before setting out.
A Hunter should at least know the departure point and destination, right?
This time, however, the Professor had assigned him the quest on the Guild's behalf without providing any information beyond when and where to board the ship. Altaïr did not even know who the client was.
Strangest of all, even after he boarded, the Guild Knights themselves did not know the true destination.
All they knew was that they had to pick up the Hunter at Port Tanzia, collect the two Divas in Mezeporta, and then work with the Hunter to protect them.
This was clearly not information omitted through some clerical mistake. Most of the details had been deliberately concealed for a reason.
If the two Divas had responded with, "We don't know either," Altaïr would have seriously considered withdrawing from the quest on the spot.
Fortunately, the situation was not quite that absurd.
The two Divas exchanged a glance. At last, the Young Diva spoke. "We must reach the Tower deep within the Fonron Great Forest before the night of the full moon.
"When the full moon rises, the two of us will offer our song from the top of the Tower and bring peaceful slumber to the 'King.'
"This is a quest that must be completed."
"The night of the full moon? The Tower in the Fonron Great Forest? The 'King'?" Altaïr frowned.
They had given him the three essential details: the time, the place, and the central figure. So why did the whole thing sound more mystical with every word?
Nestled in the Young Diva's arms, Shalan gradually lost her carefree expression and grew solemn.
"Who told you to do this, meow?" Shalan did not even bother sweetening her voice anymore. "Apart from you two, who else knows about this, meow?"
This time, the reticent Wyverian Diva answered.
She glanced at Shalan with a faint, enigmatic smile. "You seem to know... quite a lot."
Shalan jumped out of the Young Diva's arms. "Don't try to brush me off, meow. I've personally taken down more than one of those entities known as 'Forbidden,' meow.
"This so-called 'King' is merely a particularly strong one among them, meow.
"Spit it out, meow. What is this quest really about, meow?"
Under Shalan's relentless questioning, the Wyverian Diva maintained the same ethereal, riddle-like tone. "This is an invitation... from the Young Girl in White.
"Rest assured, 'those beings' mean no harm. Otherwise, would the Guild have assigned only one young Hunter to this mission?"
Shalan bared her fangs in anger. "So it is those fellows, meow! How can you guarantee those beings mean no harm, meow?"
The Wyverian Diva's eyes drifted half closed. "Those beings may be arrogant, ferocious, or full of twisted mischief, but they do not lie."
"..."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Shalan calmed down somewhat. "That's true, meow. But it's still too dangerous, meow.
"Why didn't the Guild warn us in advance, meow? If we had gathered enough people, we could have escaped unharmed even if those fellows tried something nasty, meow."
A smile lingered at the corner of the Wyverian Diva's lips. "The 'Hero' and the 'White Wind' truly are powerful enough to make those beings wary.
"But if the 'Hero' and the 'White Wind' traveled with us, we would no longer be bringing lullabies. We would be delivering warnings and threats.
"If song alone cannot soothe the 'King's' agitation, there will still be time to consider other methods."
Everyone, including Altaïr and the Young Diva, was utterly baffled. Shalan, meanwhile, fell silent once more.
After a moment, she turned toward Altaïr. "I don't know why the Guild chose you for this quest, meow. Maybe it's because you're strong enough to deal with unexpected trouble and protect both Divas, but not so powerful that those beings will grow wary, meow.
"In any case, no matter what strange things you encounter, stay calm, meow. Avoid a conflict whenever possible, meow."
Altaïr collected himself and nodded earnestly. "I'll remember that, Lady Shalan."
"There's still about a week until the night of the full moon, meow. The Airship journey from here to the Tower will take only three or four days, so we have plenty of time, meow.
"But we should leave early just in case, meow. The 'King' won't care about your excuses. If the expected lullaby isn't heard on the night of the full moon, who knows what might happen, meow."
With that, Shalan ambled back into the cabin.
Bud looked toward the Wyverian Diva. As the Guild's designated leader for this operation, his orders were clear. He was to cooperate with the Divas.
Of the two, the Wyverian Diva was unmistakably in charge. In every practical sense, she was the true leader of this mission.
"Then let us depart as soon as possible, in accordance with Lady Shalan's wishes." The Wyverian Diva lowered her eyelids. Her lashes were much denser and longer than those of an ordinary person, making her appear to have closed her eyes entirely.
"Arriving at our destination early will also allow us to make proper preparations."
With that, she too entered the cabin, supported by her close attendant.
Bud hurried away to direct the crew's departure preparations. Only Altaïr, Sajji, the Young Diva, and the Felyne named Totori remained on deck.
The Young Diva gave a slight bow and prepared to leave as well, but Altaïr called out to her first.
"Miss Diva, do you know anything about the 'Young Girl in White' and those 'people' Lady Shalan and the others just mentioned?
"As your guard on this journey, I need to understand the threats we might face."
The Young Diva furrowed her brow slightly. After a moment's silence, she replied with a hint of apology. "I actually know very little about those so-called 'people.' All I know is that they are ancient beings found in legends.
"As for the 'Young Girl in White'... that happened nearly two weeks ago.
"That night, while I was meditating on the stone platform in the lake as usual, the strange young girl suddenly appeared before me.
"She told me that she wanted me to sing at the Tower on the night of the full moon."
The Felyne named Totori added, "That person was so strange, meow. We didn't see any boats arrive, and we have no idea how she reached the stone platform in the middle of the lake, meow."
"What did she look like, meow?" Sajji asked curiously.
"That's the strangest part." The Young Diva looked troubled. "Totori and I both saw that young girl.
"But all she left in our minds was the concept of the 'Young Girl in White.' Her features, her hair color, the style of her clothes, everything else is vague.
"I remember her hair being silver, but Totori says it was gold. None of our memories match, yet we both clearly remember meeting that young girl and hearing what she said."
Altaïr and Sajji exchanged glances, both feeling a shiver run down their spines.
The Young Diva sighed softly. "Totori and I never mentioned it to anyone. We simply treated it as a waking dream.
"But a few days later, Lady Diva suddenly came to Mezeporta and sought us out."
Hearing one Diva refer to another as "Lady Diva" felt a little strange, but Altaïr could hear the reverence in her voice.
She clearly admired the Wyverian Diva.
"Lady Diva told me it was an invitation from the Young Girl in White. She also said the Guild would soon arrange an Airship to escort us to the Tower."
She paused, then let out another soft sigh. "That is all I know."
"Thank you very much." Although his questions had only multiplied, Altaïr sincerely thanked the Young Diva.
After exchanging information, neither side was in the mood for further small talk. They said their farewells and went their separate ways.
"Boss, I've got a strange feeling about this, meow..." Sajji looked distinctly uneasy.
"Yeah." Lost in thought, Altaïr muttered to himself, "That Wyverian Diva clearly knows more. If I'm not mistaken, she has already visited the Tower to sing more than once.
"Is it some kind of periodic ritual? Or maybe... a reservation system? This is probably more complicated than we thought..."
* * *
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