With the Chameleos back in the depths of the jungle, Altaïr and Isis's first assignment since reaching High Rank could be considered a complete success.
During the quest, both of them gained a clear sense of the gap between themselves and veteran High Rank Hunters.
That gap was not limited to combat ability; it was even more pronounced in areas such as experience, judgment, and handling unexpected incidents.
They could certainly be called "excellent Hunters" now, but they still had a long way to go before they became truly "top-tier Hunters."
The three returned to Grom-Baum aboard an Airship arranged by the Guild. The journey covered several hundred kilometers but took only a day by air, sparing them the hardship of the return trip.
Half a month after the emergency lockdown, Grom-Baum had returned to its usual peace.
Guild Master Ota personally finalized and registered their quest, and each of their Hunter's Notes gained a new record for a 7★ quest.
For Nadia, this was merely an insignificant page in her quest record. She had completed so many difficult quests that a single notebook could not hold them all.
For Altaïr and Isis, however, having only recently reached 6★, the experience carried real weight.
According to Nadia, the Guild probably would not assign them any new quests for a while.
They were free to spend that time however they wished. They could train, accept quests that interested them, or simply relax and take a vacation; the Guild would not interfere.
In fact, quite a few High Rank Hunters entered a state of semi-retirement early, declining quests unless their help was needed and spending their days training apprentices or serving as instructors at training camps.
When an emergency arose somewhere and the Guild needed their help, however, they had to be ready to deploy immediately.
That was the obligation of a High Rank Hunter.
Once the quest paperwork was complete, the three planned to hold a small celebration at the Gathering Hall tavern.
Tala was invited as well. The girl had been a tremendous help in tracking down the Chameleos so smoothly, so the meal would also serve as a token of thanks.
Of course, Nadia's true reason for inviting her was not as simple as sharing a celebratory meal.
Seated at the same table as three High Rank Hunters, Tala seemed a little uneasy.
She glanced around and quietly asked, "Is Mr. Kral not here?"
She had met Kral only once before, so she naturally did not know him very well. She asked simply because having another "ordinary person" present would ease some of the pressure of sitting with several High Rank Hunters.
Even though all three senior Hunters were perfectly kind, she still felt as though she had accidentally wandered into a gathering of important people...
"Kral obtained some valuable samples and returned to the Royal Academy early to organize his research, so this meal is just for you," Nadia said with a bright smile, resting her chin on one hand.
"Oh, I see..."
Tala grew even more nervous under Nadia's smiling gaze. She could not shake the feeling that the other woman's eyes held a subtle, probing scrutiny.
Seeing how uncomfortable Tala looked, Isis was about to say something when Altaïr nudged her leg with his knee and gave her a look warning her not to speak.
Isis could only lower her head and resume studying the menu.
After a brief silence, Nadia finally smiled at Tala and asked, "How would you like to become my disciple?"
Tala stared blankly for several seconds before the meaning of those words finally sank in.
"Wha–?!"
Nadia planned to remain in Grom-Baum for a while to teach her newly accepted disciple.
According to her, if she returned to Dundorma too soon, His Immenseness would quickly send her off on one errand after another. She was better off staying here and taking it easy for a while.
She intended to teach Tala the fundamentals first, then let the girl develop on her own for a while. Whenever she had time between assignments, she would return to Grom-Baum to continue passing on her skills.
This was how most High Rank Hunters taught their disciples. Cases like Julius, who had kept his disciple constantly at his side, were exceedingly rare.
After all, not every young person could grow strong enough to fight beside a High Rank Hunter in just a few short years.
Altaïr and Isis did not leave immediately either. They planned to rest in Grom-Baum for a few days.
Truth be told, the day spent tracking and fighting the Chameleos had not been particularly exhausting. The half month they subsequently spent driving it back, however, had thoroughly worn them out.
They needed a couple of days to recover properly.
—--
On the morning after their return to Grom-Baum, Altaïr finished his daily training and headed to the tavern area. Isis was already eating.
She had gotten up earlier than he had, trained longer, and was eating more.
Damn it, did she really have to be this disciplined even while they were resting?
Altaïr silently resolved to get up earlier himself the next morning.
"I already ordered for you." Isis forced down her mouthful of ham and egg, raised her fork, and pointed to another plate on the table.
Altaïr thanked her and sat beside her. Just as he was about to pick up his utensils and enjoy his own breakfast, he saw Tala jogging toward them.
"Senior Altaïr! Senior Isis! Good morning!" The girl was brimming with energy.
Altaïr and Isis smiled and returned her greeting.
"Master asked me to give these to you!" She produced two slips of paper that looked like tickets and placed them in front of the pair.
"What are these?"
"Tickets for a stage play!" Tala announced with a lively smile before scurrying off.
Altaïr looked after her. In the distance, Nadia was beaming at them and silently mouthing something.
Her lips seemed to form the word "date."
"Mm..."
After bowing his head in thanks, Altaïr looked back at the tickets on the table.
If Loc Lac, at the heart of the sand sea, was the "Trade Capital" linking the entire southern reaches of the continent, then Grom-Baum, built within the Telos Jungle, was the Old World's "Art Capital."
Besides being famed for its insects and Gunners, this city intertwined with nature was also a cradle for musicians, painters, poets, and playwrights.
Art exhibitions, orchestral performances, and stage plays were held in an endless stream, sometimes even by the roadside.
He and Isis did not usually pay much attention to such things, but since Nadia had gone so far as to buy the tickets for them, it would be rude not to attend.
They had nothing else to do anyway. As Nadia had suggested, they might as well treat it as a date.
Come to think of it, they had made their relationship official almost two months ago, but he and Isis had yet to go on a "date" in the usual sense of the word.
Cracking open a Monster's skull together or chasing an Elder Dragon for hundreds of kilometers through a tranquil jungle did not count.
"Want to go see it?" Altaïr asked, raising his eyes to Isis.
He found her staring intently at the two tickets on the table, lost in thought.
Huh. Could she actually be really into this kind of thing and just never have had the chance? Come to think of it, she did have a surprisingly girlish side sometimes.
"Are you really into this kind of thing?" Altaïr asked directly.
If Isis truly liked stage plays, he would not mind accompanying her to more of them between Hunts.
"Ah, no. It's just this play... I'm a little curious about it."
Isis set down her utensils, picked up one of the tickets, and examined it closely. "'Mountain God'... I remember Francesca once sending home a picture book based on this story.
"But Amos always hid it away and wouldn't let me read it. Eventually, I forgot all about it... So let's go see it!"
Isis's face clearly said, "I'm curious!"
Altaïr leaned his head back slightly.
What did she mean, Master Amos wouldn't let her read it? It couldn't be some kind of show unsuitable for children, could it?
* * *
Resident Evil: A New Hope is another story you can read here on Webnovel. Thank you for reading.