Isis puffed out her cheeks and turned around, looking a little aggrieved.
She was not Hibiki. Of course she knew how to stop a charge and rein in her strength. What did they take her for...?
Before she could complain, Nymera, who had just vaulted over her, stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.
Isis instantly forgot her mild displeasure. She wrapped her arms around Nymera's waist, lifted her off the ground, and began spinning her in circles.
One turn, then two. When Isis still showed no sign of stopping, Nymera hurriedly patted her shoulder. "That's enough! That's enough! I'm getting dizzy!"
Only then did Isis set her down with a giggle.
Nymera stepped back two paces, planted her hands on her hips, and looked at the group. In the end, she could not hold back her laughter. "When I heard that Guild Master Hojo and Senior Minoto had gone to Dundorma for reinforcements, I guessed you might come. And now every one of you is here."
"Of course!" Isis replied with a grin. "After hearing there was trouble here, how could we pretend not to know?"
Altaïr watched them with a smile, then his expression grew more serious. "What's the situation now? We've only just landed, but the village and the surrounding area don't look too badly affected yet."
When the subject turned serious, Nymera's expression did too. She tilted her head. "Let's get everyone settled at my place first. I'll explain the outbreak on the way."
They picked up their luggage and followed Nymera.
"You already know something about the Frenzy Virus, right?" Seeing them nod, Nymera continued, "Then I'll get straight to the point. The outbreak was first discovered far from here, near the Infernal Springs.
"A Rakna-Kadaki had contracted the Frenzy Virus. The village Hunters rushed over at once, Hunted it, and burned the carcass.
"But it seems they were already a little too late. The Meowcenaries scouted the area and found scattered cases of other creatures infected with the Frenzy Virus nearby."
"What happened next?" Isis pressed.
"Senior Maki organized a force to purge the Monsters around the Infernal Springs. Around the same time, however, reports came in from the Flooded Forest of Monsters infected with the Frenzy Virus.
"Those two regions are far apart. There is no question this has gone beyond a localized incident caused by a few remaining infected creatures. It is the beginning of a widespread outbreak.
"There has to be a source of infection, either a Gore Magala or a Shagaru Magala."
Nymera paused. "As juveniles, Gore Magala cannot fly long distances at high altitude, and their range is limited, so one is unlikely to cause outbreaks in both the Infernal Springs and the Flooded Forest at the same time.
"Senior Maki therefore suspects that there may be an adult Shagaru Magala, or multiple Gore Magala active at once."
"Neither possibility sounds good." Isis frowned. "The area near the village is still safe, right?"
"Yes. No infections have appeared around the Shrine Ruins. The Red Stronghold separates them from the outside, leaving the Shrine Ruins and Kamura Village in a relatively enclosed environment.
"But that may not last. The Frenzy Virus can spread through the air with scale powder.
"No matter how sturdy the Red Stronghold is, it cannot stop the wind. The only way to solve this is to find the source of the infection and stamp it out in one stroke."
By then, the group had reached Nymera's home. She pulled open the bamboo gate and led everyone inside.
Kamura Village's buildings were predominantly wooden, in a style completely unlike anything elsewhere in the Old World. Visiting for the first time, Morgan could not help finding them novel.
He quickly pulled his attention away from the furnishings. "So what exactly do we need to do right now? Is there a plan?"
"Probably nothing yet. After all, you only just landed." Nymera led the group to sit around the low table in the living room. "The Meowcenaries brought back news a few days ago, and Senior Maki took Master Utsushi and Hinoa ahead to investigate.
"If we're lucky, they may track down the source directly. It would be best to resolve everything in one stroke."
After she finished speaking, Nymera stood, took the apron hanging from the coat rack, and smiled. "You must all be hungry after the journey. I'll prepare some rice balls and tea."
As Nymera headed for the kitchen, the three people left in the living room exchanged glances.
They had all sensed the veiled resentment and dissatisfaction in her tone.
It did not take much thought to guess what she resented.
She was a High Rank Hunter too, but Senior Maki's party had not considered bringing her along despite having room for another member.
From Maki's perspective, the arrangement made sense.
Nymera had only recently reached High Rank. She was not completely unqualified to participate, but pursuing a Shagaru Magala was indeed too dangerous for her, so leaving her behind was understandable.
If that had been the only issue, Nymera would not have resented it.
But from the snippets they had heard on the walk over, it was clear that Senior Maki had left Nymera out not just this time, but on every operation.
She had simply been assigned to remain in the village.
Under the current circumstances, leaving a High Rank Hunter to hold the fort in the village was reasonable. But Nymera was always the one left behind and was not even allowed through the village gates. It left her stifled, like a child being kept indoors for her own protection.
"Is the situation really that dangerous?"
Isis lowered her voice. "Unless we're unlucky enough to run straight into a Shagaru Magala that might not even exist, Nymera should at least be able to retreat safely, shouldn't she?
"Besides, Hibiki and Mochi are with her. Even if she did encounter a Shagaru Magala, it would not be easy to pin her down."
Morgan nodded in agreement.
Nymera was versatile. She could handle skirmishing, support, and assault, but reconnaissance was her specialty.
With a Palamute to ride and a Cohoot scouting overhead, her ability to stay alive was widely recognized. Back when they had been fooling around in the sand sea and ran into a Grimclaw Tigrex, she escaped completely unscathed, and she had only just been promoted to 5★ at the time.
Even without her hunting partners, Nymera had repeatedly used Machine Cannons and other heavy weapons during the Guanzorumu Repel Quest. Guanzorumu singled her out more than once, but she survived every time and even briefly assumed command of the battlefield.
By no measure was she someone who needed looking after or protection. Yet she had been forcibly confined to the village, and the resentment had been building ever since.
"To be fair, it isn't hard to understand why Senior Maki did that," Altaïr said in her defense.
"She complained to me once that, in the twenty or thirty years since her generation, Kamura Village has produced very few promising young Hunters. Nymera is practically the only standout, so a little overprotectiveness is understandable."
Isis gave him a look that practically asked, "Whose side are you on, anyway?" Altaïr hastily changed his tune.
"But things should be different now that we're here. Minoto can take Nymera's place guarding the village, and the four of us 6★ Hunters can operate as a unit. Even if we run into danger, we can cover one another and all make it back in one piece."
Morgan corrected him expressionlessly. "Just a reminder: I'm 5★."
"That doesn't matter. To borrow Senior Maki's assessment of us back then, you've already got one foot through the door. All you're missing is the Rank-Up Quest." Altaïr waved dismissively.
In Altaïr's view, Morgan was simply more cautious than most. Given a suitable target, passing the Rank-Up Quest would not be especially difficult for him.
"Morgan is preparing for promotion? You could consider taking the Rank-Up Quest right here in Kamura Village. There is never any shortage of quests here, and the review process is relatively lenient."
Although she seemed to have left only moments ago, Nymera was already back with a tray piled high with rice balls.
With them came pickled radish and miso soup.
Kneeling beside the low table, she ladled out soup for everyone as she spoke. "I know you aren't used to eating sweets as a proper meal, so how does fish for lunch sound?
"Fresh Sushifish, caught this morning. They're delicious as sashimi or lightly seared.
"We also have Raftshells from the Frost Islands. They aren't especially large, but they make wonderful soup."
Altaïr, Isis, and Morgan exchanged glances.
When Senior Maki returned, they needed to raise the matter with her immediately and ask her to take Nymera into the field.
Nymera had never been particularly hardworking or ambitious to begin with. Keep her cooped up in the village any longer, and she would turn into a housewife before long.