MHGA Chapter 281 – Aura the Guillotine
"Boss!!!"
At the entrance to the Gathering Hub, Kairo Retsu was following Granny Felyne to welcome back his own silly cat, who had been escorted by other Felynes from outside the Hub…
silly cat, dressed in the blue ninja outfit from Monster Hunter Rise, sat atop a small cart with an exceptionally "clever" expression, happily waving its paw—still holding two skewers of Dango.
"Boss, Boss! I brought you tasty Dango from Kamura Village, nya!" silly cat's voice was full of cheer, only making Kairo Retsu look even more pained.
After all, Kairo Retsu had just devoured an entire cheese-sausage-scallop pizza specially made by Granny Felyne… and meanwhile, his silly cat was still eating those carb-loaded Dango from Kamura Village…
Eat Dango before hunts, eat Dango to celebrate, eat Dango at gatherings… even after defeating an unlocked monster, those Kingdom Knights would drag hunters to a banquet to eat more Dango…
"Boss!"
As soon as silly cat hopped off the cart, it leapt straight into Kairo Retsu's arms, holding the Dango skewers up high: "Boss! I missed you so much, nya! Where are we going hunting this time, nya? I can help Boss steal materials!"
"I heard Boss is a Guildmaster now, nya! Like the Guildmaster from the New World, nya! The New World Guildmaster's Felyne partner is the Meowscular Chef, nya! Boss, will I become like the Meowscular Chef someday, nya? That way I can cook delicious Palico Meals for you, nya! I'll make tons of meat dishes, Boss loves meat dishes best! You always go to the Meowscular Chef for meat, nya! But right now all I have are two skewers of Kamura Dango…"
silly cat looked down at the two skewers in its paws and held them out to Kairo Retsu: "One for Boss, one for silly cat, nya!"
"I really am the worst," Kairo Retsu said, filled with guilt. "Forget that starchy Dango, Boss is a Guildmaster now, I'll treat you to the best food around…"
"Really, Boss?! Thank you, nya!" silly cat's smile grew even brighter.
"Really, really. I'll introduce you to new companions later too. Amazing hunters from other worlds…" Kairo Retsu lifted silly cat onto his shoulder. "silly cat, your Boss is something else now. I even saved the world, you know?"
Kairo Retsu said this without batting an eye.
As for why the Winged Lion almost destroyed the world ahead of schedule… well, that's a whole other story…
"Really, Boss?! That's amazing!" silly cat cheered from his shoulder. "Where are we going now, Boss?"
"We're going to the canteen, to see Granny Felyne! We're getting you some real food!" Kairo Retsu declared boldly. "I'll also see if we can find some hunters to introduce you to! From now on, whenever I go to another world, I'll bring you with me! We'll save the world together!"
"Save the world, nya!!!" silly cat flailed its limbs in excitement from Kairo Retsu's shoulder as he carried it into the canteen.
Inside, Kairo Retsu and Granny Felyne personally fetched ingredients for silly cat, preparing a hearty meal for it in the canteen.
While Kairo Retsu was squatting in the kitchen cooking pizza for silly cat, an unexpected voice sounded from outside.
"Hmm? A Felyne I haven't seen before… Are you new to the Gathering Hub?"
"Blue-haired hunter! Looks super strong, nya! Are you Boss's partner, nya?!" silly cat called out in surprise, drawing Kairo Retsu out from behind the stove.
There sat Himmel, curiously observing the unusually styled Felyne in the blue ninja outfit: "Boss? Who's this 'Boss' you're talking about…"
"That'd be me." Kairo Retsu took over the conversation. "There's a lot to explain… but silly cat here is my old partner—my personal Felyne, you could say."
"I see…" Himmel patted silly cat's head and sighed. "Kairo Retsu, I've run into a problem…"
"?" Kairo Retsu blinked in confusion. "You? Ran into trouble?? Did the Demon King come back to life?"
"No, nothing like that. I took a shortcut and finally caught up to Frieren's group—but now I've run into a tricky situation…" Himmel thought for a moment before continuing, "Kairo Retsu, you remember Aura, right?"
"Oh! That well-known member of the Seven Sages of Destruction!" Kairo Retsu's eyes lit up. "Wait… Even though she's one of the Seven Sages, she shouldn't be a problem for you and Frieren, right?"
"Actually, I haven't been able to reunite with Frieren yet. And by the time I reached the city where she and the others are, Aura had already surrounded it…" Himmel hesitated. "If I get involved now, it might actually put Frieren at more risk."
Himmel explained further: if he engaged Aura, the only way to win would be to gamble on a swift victory before getting controlled. Otherwise, even he might fall under Aura's command and end up attacking Frieren as her puppet.
"There's a real risk… huh?" Kairo Retsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Want to go over that part of the story again?"
"Please. I want the safest option possible," Himmel nodded.
A few minutes later, the canteen's big screen was turned on, and Kairo Retsu queued up episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End starting with the appropriate arc.
According to Himmel, night had just fallen—meaning neither Aura nor the demons in the city had been dealt with. Even Stark and Fern hadn't yet eliminated the demon forces.
Soon, the screen showed the scene where Aura the Guillotine led her terrifying army of the dead to the gates of the city.
Kairo Retsu had never felt much watching this before, but now, with the real hero sitting beside him, seeing the anger rising in Himmel's expression from the countless lives lost on-screen, he truly felt the weight of what was unfolding.
Aura, in order to prevent any of her enthralled victims from resisting through sheer willpower, had executed them all—beheading them to eliminate even the faintest chance of rebellion. That was how she earned the name "Guillotine Aura."
"Truly not worth mourning," Kairo Retsu sighed. "But still, pity those who died by Aura's hand. Too bad we're limited by time… there's not much we can do to save them…"
Just as Kairo Retsu said this, a splash of aqua blue caught the corner of his eye.
Turning his head, he saw Aqua munching on a pack of dried dragon jerky while staring at the canteen's big screen.
"Eh? Those people don't look completely dead yet! Why isn't anyone casting Resurrection on them…"
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