Altaïr tried roasting some meat and pan-frying two small fish with butter.
The cave was filled with the unique, savory aroma of combined grease, protein, and spices. At this scent, one that did not naturally exist in the wild, the Estrellian appeared extremely curious, leaning in close to the pan to sniff around.
Altaïr wasn't surprised by this; after all, they had only managed to capture the little guy by using the scent of frying bacon to lure it out.
Isis skewered one of the fried fish with a knife and blew on it twice. Once the fish had cooled slightly, she said, "Come on, open wide!"
The Estrellian had indeed already memorized the phrase "open wide" and obediently opened its mouth.
Isis placed the butter-fried fish into its mouth; with a flick of its tongue, the Estrellian swallowed it whole.
"Is it good?" Isis asked expectantly.
"Pfft!" The Estrellian seemed unaccustomed to the taste of cooked food and spices. It snorted a puff of air from its nostrils and shook its head, backing away a couple of steps.
Isis refused to give up and tried feeding the Estrellian bits of Well-done Steak and sauteed vegetables one by one. However, the results proved that the Estrellian hatchling was merely curious about the smell and didn't actually have an appetite for cooked or seasoned food.
A smile played on Altaïr's face as he felt secretly relieved.
It was a good thing the Estrellian didn't like this stuff. Otherwise, in order to please the creature and ensure the research went smoothly, the Professor might have stripped off Altaïr's armor and forced him to serve as a chef for a few days.
Once the attempt to make the Estrellian fall in love with human cuisine was proven futile, the cooking utensils and seasonings were cleared away.
The Professor was open to all sorts of experiments with clear objectives, but that didn't mean he would allow Isis to turn the research base into a kitchen.
Still, this proved one thing: the Estrellian hatchling's trust in Isis had reached a considerably high level. Otherwise, as a highly intelligent creature, it would never have allowed someone to shove food that, at least in a Monster's eyes, was bizarre and alien into its mouth.
With Isis acting as a bridge for communication and helping to soothe the Estrellian hatchling whenever the scholars needed contact, the subsequent research began to proceed smoothly.
Having lowered its guard, the Estrellian hatchling finally began to eat normally. As a Large Monster, even a hatchling possessed a formidable appetite.
It preferred cleaned fish fillets. Deboning and skinning fresh fish every day was no easy task, and this duty ultimately fell onto Clawdia's shoulders.
Initially, Sajji thought the girl would be dissatisfied or angry, but to his surprise, Clawdia handled the work cheerfully and efficiently.
The reason was simple: if she was the one handling the food, Isis wouldn't have to exert herself for the creature personally. This enigmatic logic struck Sajji as somewhat terrifying.
Altaïr, meanwhile, found himself with nothing to do.
Clearly, he and Isis had been the ones to Capture the Estrellian together, and the Estrellian certainly feared him, but it was just pure fear. There wasn't a hint of the intimacy or dependence it showed Isis, which left Altaïr deeply perplexed.
Was it just because he wasn't the one who had personally knocked the Estrellian unconscious?
No one cared about his confusion. The efficiency-driven Professor loathed wasting resources, which naturally included human resources. Once he realized Altaïr was of no use to the research here, he decisively sent him back to Fabius's side. A 4★, whose combat power could even stretch to that of a 5★ hunter with the help of his equipment, could not be left idle for long.
—--
In the central tent of the camp, Fabius looked at Altaïr standing at attention and pondered for a moment. "What exactly should I have you do?"
Altaïr: "..."
Wasn't it because you said you were short-handed that you conscripted us in the first place?
Fabius, his long hair graying like a powerful old lion, stared at Altaïr for a while before speaking. "Regarding this incident, there are three teams currently in action.
The first is a pair of high-rank Hunters who have ventured deep into the Esther Lake region for investigation multiple times: Karin and Haifa. You seem to have some connection to them?"
Altaïr froze briefly upon hearing this, then nodded. "Miss Karin is my adoptive mother, and they were also my first teachers."
"Then should I send you to join them?"
"..." Altaïr's mouth hung open for two seconds before he said, "They are both high-rank Hunters. I think I'll pass; I'd only hold them back."
Fabius found this somewhat amusing. "Never mind. Their investigation work is mostly finished anyway. Currently, they are just escorting a team of artisans alongside the Knights, working on repairing the abnormal changes in the Esther Lake region.
A young man your age probably wouldn't want to be deployed with his mother."
Altaïr felt a slight sense of relief. He didn't dare imagine what kind of lecture he would receive from Teacher Karin if he showed up wearing the Seregios set and carrying the Seregios Long Sword.
Before they had last parted, she had warned him to let his skills mature for a while longer and to be fully prepared before attempting to challenge 5★ Monsters.
He hadn't just ignored her advice; he had effectively sprinted in the opposite direction. If she happened to check his Hunter's Notes then, whoa, there was even a Glavenus...
Altaïr quickly changed the subject. "Esther Lake is the original habitat of the Estrellian Pack, right? What happened there? Is it related to the Estrellian leaving their habitat and moving into the Jungle?"
Since Altaïr was already part of the operation, Fabius didn't hide the facts. "The water source at Esther Lake suddenly dried up. After repeated investigations, it was confirmed that the upstream water veins were severed due to some violent geological shifts.
The artisans are working hard on repairs. If all goes well, the flow will be restored in a few weeks, returning Esther Lake to its original state.
At that point, we can attempt to lead the Estrellian Pack back to their original habitat."
"If it's just a simple escort mission, the Knights should be enough. Why are Teacher Karin and the other still there?" Altaïr instinctively sensed something was wrong and followed up with concern.
"It's rare for you to be willing to think so deeply," Fabius glanced at him. "As for the specifics, given your current hunter rank, I cannot tell you.
The basic situation is that the scholars of the Elder Dragon Observation Team have judged that the geological changes which severed the water veins might have been caused unconsciously by the movements of some kind of Elder Dragon.
Events involving the Elder Dragon species must be handled with caution. Karin and Haifa are staying there less as guards and more as 'sentinels'."
"I see." Altaïr nodded in understanding.
Naturally, he was worried, but that was the duty of a high-rank Hunter. With his current strength, he still couldn't be of any help. Fabius continued in a timely manner: "The second team is composed of elite Guild Knights from the camp, including Rosso, whom you met before.
Their job is primarily patrolling to drive off small and Large Monsters approaching this area."
This area was near the city, and nearby Monsters had long since been cleared out. Coupled with the presence of the fortress-style base, Altaïr surmised that Mr. Rosso and the others likely had nothing to do but patrol every day. He wasn't particularly interested in such routine tasks.
"And the third team?" Altaïr followed up.
"The final team is led by Olivia, heading toward the Metapetatto Bay area in the western jungle. Their task is to conduct continuous tracking and investigation of other Estrellian that have entered the Jungle.
Out of the three teams, this one has the highest probability of encountering danger.
Even if you exclude the threat of the Estrellian Pack itself, the frequency of Hyper Monsters appearing in that area has reached an absolutely abnormal level."
Fabius paused here and looked up; he felt the spark of interest in the young Hunter's gaze.
"I figured you would want to go there," the old man sighed slightly. "We have the most manpower assigned to that direction, but at the same time, it's also where we are most shorthanded.
Just clearing out flocks of Hyper Yian Kut-Ku has drained too much of their energy, and the investigation progress has been quite slow.
However, for you as you are now, it counts as decent training. So, do you want to head to Metapetatto Bay?"
"I have a question. Is the danger rating for a Hyper Yian Kut-Ku 4★ or 5★?" Altaïr asked.
"4★. Although a Hyper Yian Kut-Ku is significantly stronger than a normal Yian Kut-Ku, it is still far from reaching the level of a 5★."
"Excuse me, if I go there and Hunt Hyper Yian Kut-Ku, will they count toward my 4★ quest records?" Altaïr pressed further.
"Yes."
"When can I leave?" Altaïr was already growing impatient.
Isis! Once I come back with a pile of 4★ quest records, the title of King of Jumping the Gun will be yours once again!
(Translated by yourtl.app)