tl note: I forgot to post yesterday because I was so focused on improving my website! I'm dropping 10 chapters today, 5 now and 5 in an hour.
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Surrounded by the Hunters, the exhausted Lagiacrus finally collapsed on the shore.
With the three Blademasters all injured to varying degrees, Nymera volunteered to handle the signal. She left the nearly sealed-off cave through the underwater passage, returned to the small canyon, and launched the SOS Flare.
After a long wait of nearly two hours, the luxurious Airship carrying the Princess touched down steadily in the mountain valley.
Supported by the Head Maid, the Princess descended the boarding ramp with her chin held high.
The smell of blood and gunpowder still hung in the canyon, making the accompanying guards rather tense.
As for Her Highness the Princess herself, she didn't seem frightened at all. Rubbing Hibiki's large, fuzzy head, she asked casually, "Where's the Lagiacrus I ordered? Did it get away?"
That attitude, as if she'd walked into a fish market to ask about the day's catch, made Nymera's eye twitch. Still, she kept her temper and replied, "The Lagiacrus dived through that pool over there, entered an underground river, and fled into a cavern inside the mountain.
"The Hunt has been completed successfully. However, we can't transport the carcass out. Your Highness could wait a little while, and we will bring out the soft roe later."
The Princess blinked. "An underground river? A cavern? That sounds interesting. How do you get down there? Through that pool? I shall go see for myself!"
As she said this, the Princess started forward. The Head Maid went pale beside her and hurriedly held her back.
Nymera hastily said, "Your Highness, reaching that cavern means diving hundreds of meters through completely dark, airless water. The currents are chaotic too; it's far too dangerous!"
The Head Maid quickly chimed in as well. "Nymera is right! Your Highness need only wait here!"
"But won't the soft roe's quality suffer if it soaks in water the whole way here?" The Princess frowned. "I traveled a thousand leagues to the South Sea precisely so I could eat the freshest, highest-quality soft roe!
"Even if it means taking a little risk, it would be worth it."
Hearing the Princess speak like that, someone unfamiliar with her might mistake her for a genuine gourmand.
Only the Head Maid, who had grown up beside her and knew her best, understood that Her Highness did not care about that so-called soft roe at all. She was simply looking for an excuse to do something "interesting."
Traversing an underground river, visiting a mountain cavern no one had ever reached before; just the sound of it was exciting!
The Head Maid and the others pleaded in vain. In her heart, Nymera thought with a touch of malice that maybe they should just let the Princess dive in. Once she saw for herself that pitch-black, suffocating underground river, stifling just to look at, she would surely calm down.
Then Altaïr and the others surfaced one after another, climbing out of the pool.
Choice pieces of Lagiacrus hide, scales, claws, fangs, horns, and all manner of other materials had been bundled into a huge pack with rope, which Isis and Altaïr dragged ashore together.
Jara, meanwhile, was carefully cradling a netted pouch containing a large mass of snow-white, soft substance that quivered like tofu.
There was no doubt about it. This was the main objective of their expedition, or at least the nominal main objective: Lagiacrus soft roe.
Seeing the Hunters return with this item, the Head Maid was overjoyed and hastily instructed the Airship's chef to take it away and cook it.
The Princess, having lost any excuse to stir up trouble, could only be dragged back into the cabin by the Head Maid in a huff.
Nymera walked over and asked with a smile, "Soft roe can be eaten raw. You must have tasted it already, right? How was it?"
The three humans and two Felynes exchanged glances.
Jara smacked his lips, pondering how to evaluate this rare ingredient from multiple angles, such as texture, aroma, and depth of flavor.
Beside him, Isis muttered under her breath, "It's slimy and reeks of fish. It's not even as good as the bacon Altaïr fries."
That single sentence choked back all the carefully organized critiques Jara had prepared in his mind.
Hearing that evaluation and unsure whether he should feel happy or sad, Altaïr wore a complicated expression as he reached up and tugged at the enormous bundle of Lagiacrus materials strapped to his back.
"At least we've got what we need for some new armor."
"Speaking of which, isn't Lagiacrus tail a famous delicacy? Tail meat like that can't possibly go wrong if you stew it, right?" Isis glanced at the large section of Lagiacrus tail she was carrying behind her, renewed anticipation gleaming in her eyes.
"No." Altaïr pulled out the memo recording the list of armor materials the Wyverian smith had requested from them and glanced at it. "The waist piece requires a Lagiacrus tail. You can't eat it."
"Ngh..."
As it turned out, rare ingredients also needed the right cooking method to become delicacies; eating them raw was not for everyone.
The Princess's professional Felyne Chef aboard the Airship cut the large block of Lagiacrus soft roe into small pieces, soaked them in a special sauce, and, once the flavor had fully permeated the ingredient, briefly seared them over charcoal.
The delicate, savory taste was truly unforgettable, making up for the last bit of regret from their South Sea journey.
Having tasted the legendary Lagiacrus soft roe, Her Highness the Princess's vacation had also reached its final stop.
Reluctant as she was, she had no choice but to begin the return trip.
Perhaps out of consideration for her juniors, or perhaps because she thought delaying her return to the palace by even one more day was worth it, Her Highness the Princess thoughtfully saw the group all the way back to Val Habar, sparing them the trouble of making the return journey themselves.
After bidding farewell to Her Highness the Princess and Head Maid Lina, whom they had grown familiar with over the past few days, Altaïr's party disembarked from the Airship with Her Highness the Princess's signed receipt and went straight to the Guild Hall.
The reward settlement process went incredibly smoothly. Hannah, the guild receptionist with voluminous platinum-blonde waves, stamped each of their Hunter's Notes with a "Quest Complete" seal.
Handing the four copies of Hunter's Notes back, Hannah, who loved dyeing her hair but loved teasing and pranking people even more, glanced behind the group and suddenly said with a grin, "You two have already completed more 5★ quests than 4★ quests.
"Keep working hard, and once you become 5★ Hunters, you can start thinking about ranking straight up to 6★!"
"Not that far, not that far," Altaïr said, waving his hand with a dry laugh, but before he could put away his Hunter's Notes, a chilling voice came from behind him.
"You two, let me see your Hunter's Notes."
"...!" Altaïr and Isis turned around stiffly.
At some point, Guildmarm Sophia, who had been passing by and drawn over by Hannah's voice, was staring at them, the glare on her glasses making her expression unreadable.
Suffice it to say, it wasn't a happy one.
"So, we'll be... heading off first?" Jara asked tentatively from the side.
Guildmarm Sophia glanced at the two 5★ Hunters, whose foreheads were beaded with sweat, and gave an almost imperceptible tilt of her head.
Granted permission, Jara and Nymera acted as if they had received a royal pardon and promptly beat a hasty retreat.
Guildmarm Sophia adjusted her glasses lightly. She seemed about to say something, but noticing that the Guild Hall was rather crowded, she refrained from making a scene in public and instead said coldly, "Come to my office."
Flipping through their Hunter's Notes as she walked ahead, Guildmarm Sophia was followed by a crestfallen Isis and an equally rueful Altaïr.
They made their way to the office. Once the door was shut, Sophia swung the two copies of Hunter's Notes like bricks, delivering two solid "whacks" to the tops of their heads.
"A bad habit you've had since 2-3★ quests, and you still haven't corrected it at 4★. Instead, you've just kept pushing it further, hm? Can't you honestly complete a few 4★ Monster Hunts and wait for a proper promotion to 5★ before touching those 5★ quests? Once in a while would be one thing, but what's the meaning of completing more 5★ quests than 4★ quests?
"Even if you haven't directly crossed the Guild's red line and are always testing the limits of what's 'tacitly permitted by the Guild,' do you really think the Guild can keep turning a blind eye after you've gone this far?!"
After ducking his head and enduring the scolding, Altaïr finally realized things were different here. Not every Guildmaster was like that one who also moonlighted as a guild receptionist, the kind who could turn one blind eye, then simply close the other too.
Looking at the two of them, heads lowered and pretending to be startled Gargwa, Sophia drew a deep breath and barely managed to calm herself.
"You two," the Guildmarm said, her lenses glinting coldly, "do you still want to rank up to 5★?"
Isis and Altaïr naturally nodded at lightning speed.
Sophia pointed at the door and barked angrily, "Then get out there and take on more 4★ quests. Quickly!"
"Ah, yes!" The two hurriedly straightened in acknowledgment, then scurried out of the Guildmarm's office.
"Aunt Sophia was so scary today..."
"That's because she's a normal Guildmaster." Altaïr rubbed his stiff face. "Though, come to think of it, this conversation feels kind of familiar."
(Translated by yourtl.app)