Morgan whispered into Altaïr's ear, "I don't think this is just a question of avoiding unnecessary risks and not hunting that Diablos. We should also be careful about putting other high-rank Hunters in touch with the Argosy Captain.
"Right now, we know far too little about that Diablos. Even the Guild hasn't launched an investigation into it yet.
"If a high-rank Hunter challenged it on our recommendation, only to be injured or killed because of incomplete intelligence or a misjudgment of its strength, we would bear some of the responsibility."
"Hmm, you have a point." Altaïr nodded thoughtfully. "Let's report it to the Guild. Until the Guild organizes an investigation and reaches a conclusion, we won't mention it to any other Hunters."
"All right."
"Huh? Is that Francesca?" Isis suddenly cried out and ran over. "Francesca, weren't you in Dundorma?"
Francesca's expression visibly stiffened. With some effort, she pulled her gaze away from Altaïr and Morgan, then rubbed her face hard. "I've been busy lately, going back and forth between the two places. I brought a group of new members over just last night.
"Anyway... um, how have you all been lately?"
Isis looked a little bewildered. How had they been lately? Hadn't they seen each other just a week ago?
Then realization dawned on her. "Oh, you mean the Hunts! They went great. I took down a Kuarusepu, and Altaïr took down a Brute Tigrex. We sent the materials to the smithy, and our new armor is being crafted as we speak. It's going to be amazing.
"Oh, right. Altaïr's hearing was damaged during the Brute Tigrex Hunt, so he's partially deaf. The physician told him to rest for a while. We thought we'd use the opportunity to return to the Mangrove Outpost and say a proper goodbye to everyone."
"Uh, deaf? So you were whispering into his ear just now because he couldn't hear you clearly?"
"Yeah. What else would it be?"
"Oh, that's all!" Francesca looked relieved, as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "So he's only deaf. Good. Deaf is good..."
Isis stared at her in confusion.
Do you have some kind of grudge against Altaïr?
By the time Altaïr and Morgan walked over, Francesca's expression had completely returned to normal.
"I still have work to do, so I can't keep you company. Quite a few newcomers have arrived at the outpost, and it's very lively. You should go take a look around.
"We're holding a welcome banquet for the new members tonight. Since you're all here, we might as well combine it with your farewell feast."
Altaïr tilted his head, looking as though he were straining to listen but could not quite make out her words.
Imagining herself standing on tiptoe and whispering into Altaïr's ear as Morgan had, Francesca shuddered. "Pass the message along to him for me. I have to get back to work!"
Watching Francesca hurry off, the three of them were a little puzzled.
Was she usually this diligent?
"There really are a lot of new faces, though," Isis remarked, looking around.
"That's only natural." Morgan glanced at the people coming and going along the docks. "The advance team's entire first wave numbered fewer than a hundred people. The second wave is said to have twice as many new members, so of course there are more unfamiliar faces."
The three of them followed the pier into the outpost.
It had not been long since they left Tidal Island, but as the members of the second wave arrived one after another, the outpost felt completely different.
It was bustling.
The Mangrove Outpost had always contained quite a few buildings, but most had been built for future use and left vacant. Now every one of those houses was occupied.
People streamed across the island's flagstone paths. The Mangrove Outpost no longer felt like a remote advance base at the edge of the frontier, but rather a thriving little town.
"Ha ha, look over there!" Isis nudged Altaïr with her elbow and tilted her chin toward the distance.
Altaïr followed her gaze and could not help chuckling.
Lambert's shoulders sagged and her back was hunched. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and her hair was a tangled mess. She looked utterly exhausted, as though she might collapse at any moment.
Behind her, seven or eight teenage boys and girls in basic Hunter armor followed close on her heels, looking around and pelting her with questions.
"Chief Student, what Monster materials is your equipment made from?"
"Chief Student, are there any interesting Monsters near the outpost?"
"Senior Lambert, is it true that this island never has a winter?"
"Senior, has that volcano ever erupted?"
Lambert, despair written all over her face, felt their eyes on her and turned around. The moment she recognized them, she looked as though she had found a lifeline. She abandoned the rookies and their endless questions and sprinted over.
She seized Isis by the shoulders. "Save... save me! They're so noisy. They sound like a nest full of chicks begging to be fed, and my head is about to explode!"
Isis's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Are those the new Hunters? I heard someone call you Chief Student. Are they your classmates from the Dundorma Training Camp?"
"Some are... and some came from elsewhere," Lambert said weakly. "They're about my age, and a few of them were my classmates. Dawn asked me to show them around and help them get familiar with the place..."
"That is supposed to be your job," Morgan observed matter-of-factly.
"Haaa..." Lambert let out a heavy sigh. She had to admit he was right.
In the year or two since graduating, she had received plenty of help from her seniors. Now that it was her turn to be the senior, she could not shirk the burden.
"Stop chattering! Save your questions and ask them all at once later!" She turned and glared at the rookies gathering curiously around them. "First, I'm taking you to the smithy. It'll be the place you visit most often.
"Inspecting and maintaining your equipment before and after every Hunt is essential. Don't forget everything your instructor drilled into you the moment you step outside!"
"Lambert's actually pretty impressive." Altaïr chuckled softly as he watched her lead the rookies away like a mother hen with her chicks.
The rebellious girl who had once refused to be disciplined seemed to have grown up after all.
The three of them strolled leisurely through the Mangrove Outpost, which they had watched grow little by little from a barren wasteland. It felt like they were taking stock of all the effort they had put in and everything they had accomplished over the past year.
In the Uruki garden, little Alfalfa had grown considerably. She still had not learned to speak, but she had already begun learning how to cultivate plants from her parents and had given them an ugly little flower wreath.
Inside the smithy, which had expanded yet again, the forge fires burned brightly day and night. Metal parts needed to expand the outpost and the docks were forged one after another, then sent to the construction sites.
The flagstone road that had once run only through the center of the outpost now spread in every direction like a spiderweb. Once it was finished, no one would have to worry about stepping into mud, even during the rainy season.
As the outpost continued to expand, there seemed to be little reason to leave the large ship stranded in the middle of the river. However, it had long since become integrated with the piers connecting the two banks and was now one of the outpost's landmarks. They might as well leave it beached where it was.
—--
The sun set, and night fell.
The outpost, once pitch-black and silent after nightfall, was now alive with activity.
A massive bonfire in the open space at the center of the outpost illuminated the night sky.
The Felyne Chefs from the canteen and Gathering Hall tavern were working at full capacity, sending out dish after dish and drink after drink.
The selection was hardly lavish: just the usual grilled fish, roast meat, stewed vegetables, stewed meat, and the like. The only drink was ordinary beer, and even that was rationed.
Everyone was delighted nonetheless, especially the newly arrived rookie Hunters, still green and full of energy; they were the loudest of all.
"Let them have their fun. I'm dying over here." A haggard Lambert approached one of the bonfires and dropped heavily to the ground.
The Hunters gathered around this fire all belonged to the advance team's first wave.
Dawn, normally serious and reserved, smiled as he watched the commotion. "We all went through that stage once."
It was clear to everyone that the veteran Hunter was in a good mood.
Word had it that his child had been admitted to the Royal Academy and might become a scholar one day. His wife had also moved here from the Old World, and the two of them planned to retire on the island.
Lambert accepted the Well-done Steak from Kagetsu and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "Was I like that too? No way, right?"
Sajji, who was gnawing on a grilled fish, gave her a sidelong glance. "Not really, meow. You were far more outrageous than any of them, meow."
Lambert tilted her head and thought about the things she had done. Then she suddenly turned to Altaïr and the others and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry!"
Years of part-time work as a guild receptionist had made looking after others second nature to Kagetsu. After handing Lambert a Well-done Steak, she passed Theo a mug of beer across the fire.
"Theo, Dawn is staying here to retire. Are you planning to retire here too?"
"Me? No, I'm not planning to retire. The alchemy workshop is about to be built, right? The Village Chief and the others haven't found an alchemist willing to move here yet, so they asked me to hold down the fort for now."
"So you're going to focus on studying Alchemy from now on and stop being a Hunter, meow?" Sajji asked.
He and Theo had always been close, so he was a little concerned.
"Who knows?" Theo shrugged with a grin. "A master alchemist or a high-rank Hunter... Which one should I choose? Ah... what a headache."
Their conversation drew Isis over. "What about you, Kagetsu? Where are you planning to go?"
"Wherever the money is, of course!" Kagetsu clenched her fists.
Morgan glanced at her. "What's the difference between working as a guild receptionist here and working as one somewhere else?"
"Ugh! Who said I was going to stay a guild receptionist? The money comes in far too slowly!" Kagetsu ground her teeth. "For my little darlings, I'm going to work hard and find a way to reach 4★!"
"3★ quests don't pay enough. Once I reach 4★, I'll be eligible to join 5★ quests too. Then I'll travel around as a mercenary. Every team needs support, and as long as they pay enough, I'll fill in for a few days!
"Lambert, why don't we do it together? Let's form a hunting party and build a reputation as support Hunters for hire. We'll call ourselves Shared Support! We'll rake in the cash together!"
"No." Lambert shook her head decisively.
Seeing everyone's attention turn toward her, she hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Actually... Chia and Vari wrote to me."
"They're planning to leave Metapetatto and go traveling. They asked if I wanted to join them."
Isis looked at her in surprise. "You're thinking of teaming up with them?"
Hadn't Lambert always been a lone wolf? Even when she traveled with them, she had described herself as merely "tagging along."
Lambert toyed with the ends of her hair and said quietly, "Those two aren't so bad. I'm thinking of giving it a try."
A certain guild receptionist wailed, "NO–!!!"