Altaïr's gaze fell upon the young woman.
She wore the lightweight clothing common among field scholars, with a massive satchel hanging at her hip. Her thick, brownish-black hair was wrapped simply in a headscarf, giving her a quite capable appearance.
Her skin tone wasn't the fair complexion common among northerners, but rather a light brown with a hint of red, the shade people often call "Honey-colored."
Her thick, black eyebrows that drooped at the ends and her slightly misty eyes left a deep impression. Combined with those narrow-rimmed glasses, she gave off a gentle, intellectual first impression.
The girl's image and temperament reminded Altaïr of the Guildmarm of the Valhabar Guild, Ms. Sophia.
When that lady was younger, she perhaps looked much like the person before him.
Noticing Altaïr's gaze, the young woman gave him a polite smile and a nod. Altaïr returned the gesture with a slight tilt of his chin before withdrawing his eyes.
The four of them sat in a circle around the campfire.
Sheila smiled apologetically. "Sorry for interrupting your conversation just now. It might be a vocational hazard from being a teacher; whenever I hear something, I habitually want to chime in."
"Not at all. We are more than grateful for your corrections," Altaïr replied. He had always respected the knowledgeable.
As someone sent by the Guild to provide academic support to Hunters, Sheila undoubtedly fell into that category.
"So, what specifically did you mean by 'clustering'?" Altaïr asked curiously.
Sheila looked slightly surprised.
She had chimed in while passing by partly because of the "aftereffects" of being a teacher, as she said, and partly because she saw a new face and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce herself.
She had assumed this young Hunter would be like the others and dismissively skip over such an unimportant detail, but she hadn't expected him to ask specifically about it.
Since he didn't find her long-winded, she certainly didn't mind teaching. "Social groups refer to creatures like Congalala or Prey, which have clear social structures, hunt collectively, and maintain communal territories. Additionally, ants and honeybees are considered social; their sociality is even higher.
Estrellians do not belong to that category. Estrellians usually act alone; they only gather together temporarily when drawn by certain factors.
For example, cicada-snakes entering their breeding season are somewhat similar to this situation."
"I see. So you're saying the group of Estrellians appearing in the Jungle gathered there because they were attracted by some cause?"
"That should be correct," Sheila nodded. "The purpose of this operation is also to find that cause and, if possible, resolve it. Then we can attempt to lead the Estrellians back to their original habitat."
Brandley wore a troubled expression. "But progress is currently slow. The Estrellians are consciously attracting Yian Kut-Ku and causing them to enter a Hyper state."
"How can we be sure this is a 'conscious' act?" Altaïr pressed further.
"I know about that Estrellian hatchling you mentioned." Sheila snapped a twig and tossed it into the campfire. "The Monsters attracted by that Estrellian were of different species, right?" "But in these surrounding forests, an incredible number of Yian Kut-Ku have gathered, and only Yian Kut-Ku. What's more, over thirty percent of those individuals have undergone the change into a Hyper state.
"We don't understand how the Estrellians are doing it, but this is undoubtedly target-specific attraction aimed at Yian Kut-Ku. It's not like that hatchling, which was just blindly radiating an aura of attraction."
Brandley added from the side, "And every time we find a trace of the Estrellian pack and try to follow the trail, we get ambushed by a flock of Yian Kut-Ku.
"Once or twice could be coincidence, but five, six, seven, eight times... that's not something coincidence can explain."
Altaïr nodded in understanding. Hearing this, he finally realized why the Guild had demanded the Vanguard Hunting Party keep their previous operations a secret.
If it were just a single Estrellian causing a few Hyper Monsters to appear in the Jungle, the Guild would take it seriously, of course, but it wouldn't cause a panic.
However, if it was a pack of Estrellians commanding organized hordes of Hyper Monsters, that was an incident on a completely different level.
One could predict that the very day such information spread, rumors would fly that a massive swarm of Hyper Monsters, led by Estrellians, was about to attack the city.
The common folk wouldn't understand, nor would they seek to verify that the incident was taking place in the southwest of the Jungle, while Metapetatto was in the northeast, separated by the entire expanse of the forest.
For a city that had been destroyed by Monsters only a decade ago and had struggled to rebuild, such rumors could easily break the people's spirit and trigger unpredictable riots.
"I have a general grasp of the situation now. So, what is the current status here? How are we supposed to move?"
In response to Altaïr's question, Brandley replied: "The plan of action Olivia laid out is this: first, we focus on subjugating the Yian Kut-Ku flocks while slowly gathering clues regarding the Estrellian pack.
"Once the Monster population has been culled to an acceptable range, we'll organize a high-speed tracking sortie. If we encounter Yian Kut-Ku interceptions along the way, we'll split our forces to cover the core team's breakthrough, masking them so they can find the Estrellians, ascertain the pack's numbers, confirm their status, and tag them with Paintballs to facilitate future operations.
"That's the extent of the current plan."
"I see." Altaïr nodded.
The plan wasn't exactly sophisticated, nor did it include various contingencies; in many ways, it relied heavily on the field judgment of those executing it.
But for Hunters like them, a plan of this level was more than enough.
If it were the kind of plan that dictated exactly what to do at every precise moment, they would actually find it difficult to adapt. After all, Hunters were not an army.
The campfire crackled as the two Hunters discussed the tactical plan, sharing the map and intelligence by the flickering firelight.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled girl, Alma, was tirelessly taking notes.
"When necessary, reduce Monster numbers first to clear obstacles for subsequent investigation."
Just then, movement came from outside the camp. Brandley stood up and squinted into the distance. "Olivia-sis is back. It's getting dark; the others should be returning to camp one after another, too."
Olivia strode over, the blood of Monsters still staining the Hammer on her back.
Seeing Altaïr standing by the campfire, Olivia paused for a startled moment before a smile spread across her face. "Did Lord Fabius send you over as well?" "Yeah, Lord Fabius said things were shorthanded over here, so he sent us to provide support." Altaïr smiled, patting Sajji on the head.
"That's wonderful!" Olivia wasn't just happy; she seemed almost excited, as if a savior had arrived.
"Nymera came too, right? With her Palamute and Cohoot, we'll be able to avoid any approaching Yian Kut-Ku in advance, and our efficiency in searching for tracks will skyrocket!"
Altaïr's smile stiffened slightly. He gave a dry laugh and said, "Nymera... she had some business in Minagarde, so she didn't come this time.
Isis isn't here either; she's at the camp outside Metapetatto City assisting the Professor with his research. It's just me and Sajji."
"Ah..."
The straightforward Olivia couldn't hide the disappointment on her face, though she immediately realized how rude she was being to Altaïr. She offered an awkward smile. "In any case, thank you for coming to support us. To improve the efficiency of the Monster culling, we really do need... well, we need combat power."
Altaïr: "..."
He got the distinct feeling she was trying very hard to say the polite thing.
But then again, in these kinds of breakthrough and search operations, Nymera really did play an irreplaceable, pivotal role.
"Olivia, Nymera can't be the only Kamura Hunter active in the Old World. Is it possible to contact any other Kamura Hunters?" Altaïr asked tentatively.
"It's not that easy." Olivia shook her head. "We might be able to find a Kamura Hunter, but a Cohoot that can adapt to the Old World's climate is hard to come by.
Compared to the Palamutes that are the hallmark of those Kamura Hunters, her Cohoot is actually the key."
Altaïr hummed in thought. Nymera had been gone for over a week now, and he didn't know if she had found a smith who could forge Palamute armor for Hibiki.
The situation here was quite urgent; would it be better to ask her to come help?
Given Nymera's personality, she would certainly be happy to help. The problem was how to contact her quickly.
After sharing his thoughts with Olivia, she spoke up immediately. "Minagarde, was it? We can send an urgent letter to the Guild Hall there via peregrine falcon; we should be able to reach her.
I'll also write to Lord Fabius to coordinate the matter from his end.
As for the Palamute armor you mentioned, if she hasn't found a suitable smith in Minagarde, the Guild can help her get in touch with one. None of that will be a problem."
As long as she brings the bird and the dog!
Watching Olivia grow excited once again, Altaïr helplessly began to write the letter.
(Translated by yourtl.app)