"Are you... really... leaving?" Guildmarm Noya asked between sniffles, as if holding back sobs.
"We..." Altaïr barely got the word out before she cut him off.
"I know... sniff... Metapetatto and the Jungle are too small... sniff... to keep you here. You were bound to leave sooner or later and seek out broader horizons... sniff... but I never thought it would be this soon..."
"..." Noya took a deep breath and looked upward, as if trying to force back the tears threatening to spill. After a few seconds to compose herself, she managed a brittle smile.
"Stay safe out there and take care of yourselves. Whenever you feel tired, whenever you're done wandering, you can always come back. Metapetatto will always be your home."
"..." From behind the Quest Counter, the young receptionist Lillian ran over, tugging the even younger receptionist Tina along with her, and waved at them. "We'll be waiting for you to come back!"
"W-We'll be waiting for you," Tina echoed, her delivery faltering slightly. She was too young and had not been there long, so she clearly had little practice.
Altaïr's mouth twitched. A moment ago, he had been a little moved. If the two girls' acting had been any more convincing, he might almost have believed that woman's performance.
It would have been unfair to say her act was all technique and no emotion. He would put it at seventy percent technique and thirty percent emotion, no more than that.
The more tenderhearted among them were clearly more susceptible to it than he was.
"Wah!" Isis ran over and crouched down to hug the two little girls. "Once I'm done over there, I'll come back as soon as I can! While I'm away, you have to eat well, grow up strong, and become excellent Guild receptionists as soon as possible... sniff!"
Guildmarm Noya seized the moment to join the hug, and all four of them huddled together.
"All right, all right," Altaïr said with a sigh as he walked over and pulled the tearful Isis away. "It's not as if we're leaving for ten years.
We'll be back in two or three years at most. They won't have grown that much by then."
Wait, what?
Only after the words left his mouth did Altaïr realize something. Since when had they decided they would be back in two or three years? "You're on a tight schedule, aren't you?" Noya dabbed the corner of her eye with her sleeve. "Let me take care of the paperwork.
Lillian, Tina, go help them tidy up their rooms and bring down their luggage. Make sure they don't leave anything behind. It wouldn't be easy for them to come back and get it..."
Noya lightly tapped her lower back as she walked toward the counter. She looked like an old mother who, knowing her children were about to travel far, was reluctant and anxious yet still kept busy preparing everything for them.
Lillian took Tina by the hand and trotted upstairs to the Hunter Cabin on the second floor, like two obedient, considerate little sisters.
And the three of them? They felt like heartless older siblings abandoning their home and little sisters.
Altaïr watched Isis stand there, lost and uneasy.
He was suddenly glad they had not said goodbye to Guildmarm Noya and the others before finalizing their plans. After a send-off like this, Isis would have been too embarrassed to join the pioneering expedition at all.
With the "enthusiastic assistance" of Guildmarm Noya and the two young girls, Altaïr and his companions soon checked out of the Hunter Cabin and canceled their registration with the Metapetatto Guild.
In theory, they were no longer members of the Metapetatto Guild.
They had gained the freedom of traveling Hunters, but they had also forfeited the special benefits that the Metapetatto Guild reserved for its "own people."
Even so, Guildmarm Noya and the two youngsters dragged their heavy, bulging bags all the way out to see them off.
The commotion at the main gate soon drew the attention of the Hunters in the Tavern Area.
There were plenty of busybodies among the Hunters. Several immediately came running over with grins, shouldering the party's packs and announcing that they would join the farewell.
As a growing crowd of Hunters, Guild staff, and even curious passersby gathered to see them off and say goodbye, Altaïr and his companions practically fled onto the Airship, hiding their faces in embarrassment.
"Take care!" The senior members of the Vanguard Hunting Party waved and laughed.
"Next time you come back, we'll treat you to a feast! Hahaha!" A familiar older Hunter proclaimed his "oath" before anyone else could.
"And the freshest Giant Pinecloud Mushrooms!" Even Chia and Vari, who had been about to set out on a quest, had been called back by Tina.
Among the crowd, Guildmarm Noya vigorously waved her little handkerchief. "My dearest darlings! You absolutely must come back~!"
Isis leaned over the ship's railing and looked down at the lively farewell crowd below, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Waaah..."
"Their enthusiasm is almost frightening. They never stop talking," Nymera murmured under her breath.
"Want to hover a little longer?" the Airship operator asked considerately.
Altaïr looked utterly drained. "No, just take off."
—--
During the flight to Dundorma, Altaïr, Isis, and Nymera had nothing better to do, so they carefully sorted through the large pile of items they had taken out of the item box in their Hunter Cabin.
Most of it consisted of assorted materials.
There was Iron Ore, Machalite Ore, an assortment of Monster Bones and animal bones, along with excess Nerscylla, Basarios, and Rathian materials.
The materials seemed unlikely to be useful again, yet the three of them were reluctant to pack everything up and sell it straight to the Guild's recycling counter. They kept thinking some of it might eventually serve as supplementary material for a new piece of equipment.
Trying to decide what to keep gave all three of them a massive headache.
In the end, they decided to make a clean break and lighten their load.
The Merchant Guilds backing the pioneering team had ensured ample cargo capacity, but it still would not look right for a trio of 5★ Hunters to lug heaps of Iron Ore and Jaggi Hide aboard the ship.
They settled for carefully selecting only the more valuable materials, such as the hides and wing membranes of the Hyper Yian Kut-Ku.
Yian Kut-Ku were common, but Hyper Yian Kut-Ku were rarely seen in the wild.
Sajji claimed most of the wing membranes. Development of his "Yian Kut-Ku Model-3" glider had stalled halfway amid one interruption after another, so he would have to find time to complete it.
If he could make the Model-3 compact enough to carry and capable of taking off from level ground, he could scout from the air just like Lady Shalan!
Altaïr studied the several large bundles of Yian Kut-Ku leather. They were slightly darker than ordinary Yian Kut-Ku hides, yet incredibly tough.
He suddenly remembered that, at Lady Gael's suggestion, he had once planned to have several new leather coats made from those hides.
Then one thing after another came up, and the idea slipped his mind entirely.
Perhaps he should find a chance to ask Senior Francesca about it. She seemed to know quite a bit about leatherwork.
—--
Altaïr had expected the final preparations to keep them busy after they returned to Dundorma. Instead, Francesca had already arranged everything in her capacity as logistics officer.
They did not have to worry about consumables; the pioneering team would purchase them in bulk. Even mundane work like loading their equipment and materials aboard the ship was handled with a single word from Francesca.
They had only just returned to Dundorma, and nearly ten days remained before the pioneering team set out, yet Altaïr and his companions already found themselves with nothing to do.
Fortunately, it was not as though there was absolutely nothing to do.
Altaïr had temporarily moved into Isis's home, and the prospect thrilled him. Convenience and saving money had nothing to do with it. The important thing was that Master Amos lived there too!
Between the profound knowledge in the secret scrolls left by Isis's mother and the powerful sword technique he had unleashed by accident during the battle against Guanzorumu, he urgently needed someone to consult.
The moment he reached Isis's house and saw Master Amos, he barely paused after greeting him before blurting out the two questions that had troubled him for over a month.
"Master Amos! After the Spirit Helm Breaker, is it possible to follow up with an even more powerful sword technique? I managed it once by accident, but I've never been able to do it again! And could you teach me how spirit, will, and emotion affect the Spirit Gauge and how they can be applied at a deeper level?"
Amos stared at him in utter bafflement.
(Translated by yourtl.app)