To borrow a Cohoot from another research group, one naturally had to notify them first.
When the teacher in charge of that group heard it was the Professor making the request, and that a Kamura Village Hunter had "volunteered to help train and raise it," they agreed quite readily.
The Professor looked at that teacher with a faint trace of pity in his eyes. He thought of how the Cohoot usually ignored its owner, then looked at the affectionate way it was now perched on Nymera's shoulder.
He suspected that even if Nymera tried to return the bird later, the Cohoot would probably just fly back to her on its own.
Oh well. He would just have Nymera provide more observational logs and data as its caretaker, or failing that, approve more funding for that group as compensation.
Having completed the final preparations for the trip, the Professor led the beaming Nymera and Isis aboard the airship bound for Metapetatto.
After a smooth day and night sailing across the inland sea, the airship landed at Metapetatto Port. Once the group disembarked, the vessel took off again, beginning its return journey.
Since this was a private excursion, there was no official airship provided for the entire duration of the trip.
The Professor didn't mind. He headed straight for the Guild Hall, his short legs moving at a frantic pace; even the tall, long-legged Isis had to take wide strides to keep up.
Unlike a certain rookie Scrivener, the experienced old scholar had a clear objective.
He decided to check with the local Guild first to understand those little brats' investigation plan and route. From there, he would decide if it was necessary to hire an airship.
As the group entered the Guild Hall and spotted Isis and Nymera, the Guild Manager behind the Quest Counter immediately threw her arms wide and ran out.
"Isis! Nymera! You're finally back! Hug me!"
Isis extended a palm and expertly held her off by the shoulder, then turned to the Professor. "This is the Guild Manager of the Metapetatto Guild. She also doubles as the guild receptionist. You can ask her whatever you need to know."
Noya only then noticed the little old man standing in front of Isis, who wasn't even as tall as her thigh. Her expression shifted instantly, and she offered a strained laugh as a greeting. "Oh, it's the Professor. What brings you here in person?"
The Professor glanced at the guild receptionist uniform she was wearing. He said nothing, yet the look made Noya feel intensely awkward.
One was a high-ranking official from the Hunter's Guild headquarters, and the other was the head of a city Guild; they had naturally crossed paths at official meetings and the like.
Being caught by the Professor while wearing a receptionist uniform and begging young girls for hugs felt like having a private hobby walked in on by a superior.
However, the Professor wasn't one to meddle in others' business. His expression remained neutral. "A few days ago, did a small investigation team enter the Jungle? The members were..."
"It's Altaïr's team!" Isis chimed in to help.
"Oh, right, I know them. The team consisting of the 9★ Palico Shalan, Altaïr, and a young scholar, right?" Noya nodded. "They even borrowed a small airship. Is something wrong?"
"I am Erik's teacher. Those fellows can be a bit unreliable, so I came to check on them myself." The Professor held out his hand to the Guild Manager. "They should have registered here before they left, yes? Give me their route map." "Let me see their itinerary and route plans."
Procedurally speaking, the Professor's request wasn't strictly within the rules, but considering his status and his role as a mentor to the team members, Noya, who was flexible with her boundaries, wasn't about to withhold the information.
She hurried behind the Quest Counter, rummaged around for a while, and soon found the documents the Professor had asked for, handing them over.
"That was about a week ago," Noya said with a look of clear recollection. "They prepared quite a lot of supplies; they had an entire cart piled high. Miss Shalan also, er..."
Noya glanced cautiously at Isis. "She also borrowed a small airship in your father's name."
Isis: "..."
That certainly sounded like something Aunt Shalan would do.
In less than half a minute, the Professor scanned through the information the investigation team had filed before their departure.
Sighing, he placed the documents back on the counter.
"Is there a problem?" Isis asked nervously, noticing the Professor's expression.
"Pick them up and look for yourself. Tell me what you think the problem is." The old scholar was in the habit of making young people use their brains to arrive at their own answers.
Isis picked up the papers and stared at them for a while, her face a mask of total confusion.
If you asked her to command a squad on a hunt, she'd have no problem. But asking her to plan an investigation or draft a travel itinerary was completely out of her depth; naturally, she couldn't see any issues.
Isis looked to Nymera for help.
Nymera, who had always either worked alone or tagged along with other teams, took the documents. Then, there were two people with faces of total confusion.
"Let me see?" Noya reached back for the papers, looking suspicious.
Unlike Isis or Nymera, Noya was a guild receptionist and a Guild Manager; she was very familiar with these kinds of itinerary filings. Given that times were volatile and the Jungle was currently dangerous, she had personally scrutinized the filings of every investigation team, including Altaïr's. Everything should have been fine.
Seeing that none of them could figure it out, the Professor gave up on expecting any deep thinking from them.
"The plan itself is fine. The schedule and supply consumption are detailed down to the day, and they even added a fifty-percent surplus of supplies on top of that. It's an incredibly safe plan; one might even say it's unnecessary in its caution.
"I don't even have to guess to know that Altaïr drafted this.
"However, the Jungle isn't the Desert. Water and food aren't hard to find here, especially when you have a Hunter along and the team size is exceptionally small. Rather than wasting weight capacity on extra food and water, it would have been better to carry more coal as fuel for the airship.
"The logic behind the supply preparation is flawed. It's typical of someone who has some experience, but whose experience isn't comprehensive. If they run into an accident, they'll be at a disadvantage."
"I see," Nymera nodded in realization, and Isis followed suit.
"Though to be honest, that part isn't a major issue. As long as they strictly follow the itinerary, the worst-case scenario is that they've hauled a lot of useless supplies and failed to maximize the efficiency of their cargo load.
"The real issue lies within the investigation plan itself. Which day, where, and investigating what? They don't have a clear idea, only a general route, and that's to head northwest.
As a preliminary survey, being a bit casual wouldn't matter much. But if you combine 'surplus supplies' with 'unclear investigation goals' and then consider those guys' personalities, what do you think will happen?"
"Uh..."
"Fine, I'll just say it plainly. Erik will be jumping at the bit to continue the investigation. As for Altaïr, normally he'd be fine; he'd cautiously choose to return.
But once something actually happens, he's the type who gets hot-headed easily.
As for Shalan, I've worked with her before. She's an exceptionally talented Palico; there's no doubt about the role she plays in combat.
But in matters outside of battle, she's quite... flighty. That further increases the probability of an accident."
"Then, then what should we do?" Isis asked, stuttering.
The Professor lost interest in continuing the suspense. "Whether they return smoothly according to plan or something happens, retracing their original path is always the safest bet.
We'll search along their planned route and use the Cohoot's flight capabilities to expand our search radius.
Noya, I'll leave a peregrine falcon with you. Whether they return on time or are long overdue, remember to send word to me."
"Understood. Do you need me to arrange an Airship to accompany you?" the Guild Manager took the initiative to ask.
The Professor thought for a moment and shook his head. "No need. There are plenty of Flying Wyverns and Bird Wyverns in the Jungle that love to attack Airships. High-altitude reconnaissance is pointless, and low-altitude reconnaissance carries immense risk.
Ground movement is better. With a Cohoot, the scouting efficiency won't be low. We'll simply follow their route and search as we go."
At this, the Professor paused. "I hope I'm just overthinking it. You two, just treat it as if you're following me on a little outing into the Jungle."
(Translated by yourtl.app)