"We understand the situation." Altaïr nodded, his gaze moving between Isis and Nymera. "So the three of us will conduct the investigation together?"
"I'm very sorry, but Nymera won't be able to accompany you this time."
The Village Chief looked apologetic. "We don't know what the Lolo Gougarf in the Mangrove Forest will do next, so Nymera's ability to direct her Cohoot in aerial reconnaissance and surveillance is vital to the base camp. We need her to stay here and serve as our eyes. Since this is an expedition, however, the investigation party still needs a Gunner. Morgan will accompany the two of you instead."
Altaïr paused in surprise, exchanged a glance with Isis, then nodded in agreement. They had fought alongside Morgan several times by now and had developed a good measure of trust and mutual understanding, so forming a temporary team would pose no problem. Morgan had no objections either. Since Nymera could not leave, he was the only available Gunner on the expedition team's active roster. Both the Village Chief and Ms. Meow-It-All considered this investigation a high priority, and they knew it involved considerable danger. Having Morgan along would give the party far more tactical flexibility when confronting any threats.
That would leave Nymera as the only active Gunner stationed at the base camp. Although the expedition ship carried fixed weapons such as Cannons and Heavy Ballistas, without another Gunner they would struggle to make full use of those emplacements in an emergency. The Village Chief sighed. "Once the three of you leave, the base camp's defenses will be noticeably weaker. I should have recruited more people earlier."
Ms. Meow-It-All gave him a sidelong look. "That's a rather childish thing to say, meow. Hunters are in short supply everywhere, meow. You can't simply recruit excellent Hunters at a moment's notice, meow."
"True enough." The Village Chief smiled again. "I should already be grateful to have so many talented young people on the expedition team."
Altaïr suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Didn't anyone tell you? Francesca is a formidable Gunner too. She hasn't hunted much in recent years, but her early achievements were remarkable. If real trouble ever reaches the base camp, she's a powerful fighter you can rely on."
The Village Chief, Ms. Meow-It-All, and Morgan all stared at him in surprise.
"That's right!" Isis exclaimed. "Did Francesca never tell you? Years ago, she successfully hunted Monsters on Anjanath's level. She must be even stronger now!"
"That's right, meow! We may not know Francesca's Hunter rank, but we do know that her hunting partner, Pawdrick, is a 7★ Palico, meow," Sajji added from the side. Only Clawdia curled her lip dismissively.
Nymera tilted her head. As Francesca's friend, she knew that Francesca held a Hunter license and was a Gunner, but she had never seen her in action and could not judge her true strength.
She had to be quite strong, right?
Morgan, on the other hand, was thoroughly shocked.
He had always thought of Miss Stirling as a well-connected administrator with influential backing. He had never imagined that she might also be an accomplished veteran Gunner.
That meant she had drawn on her many connections to recruit everyone here.
Until then, he had been rather proud of reaching 4★ in his early twenties. As soon as he joined the expedition team, however, he found himself surrounded by people even more talented than he was, and that pride had been crushed.
Yet even when surrounded by rookies who would have been hailed as prodigies anywhere else, Miss Stirling always carried herself with relaxed ease, as though she were watching children at play.
Could she actually be the strongest Hunter on the entire expedition?
He recalled his interview. He had arrived full of pride in his brand-new Seltas Queen Gunner Set, arrogance written all over his face, while Miss Stirling had worn the same pleasant smile throughout.
At the time, he had taken it for a merchant's practiced smile. Now he wondered if she had simply been watching a child brag for her amusement.
The thought left Morgan mortified. He wished he could go back two months and blast that arrogant, ignorant version of himself to pieces with a Cannon.
"Why's your face so red, meow?" Sajji asked when he noticed Morgan's expression shifting.
Morgan collected himself and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Nothing. I just realized how ridiculous my pointless pride and complacency are.
"Compared with all of you, I'm already falling behind. I need to find a way to get stronger, and fast."
Nymera gave Morgan a conflicted look.
As a fellow Gunner, she knew better than anyone how much effort it had taken him to reach his current level.
Getting stronger quickly... At the 4★ to 5★ level, there were hardly any shortcuts left. Any that did exist required staking one's life.
She did not want to see a talented junior throw himself into danger over a pointless competitive urge.
Simply telling him, "You're already exceptional, so don't take foolish risks," would probably fall on deaf ears. Maybe she needed a different approach...
After a brief pause, Nymera asked gently, "Why not borrow strength from a partner?"
"A partner?" Morgan was not sure what she meant. Did she want him to team up with other Hunters more often?
"Mm. A partner."
Nymera reached down and scratched Hibiki under the chin as he sat beside her. Mochi, perched on her shoulder, leaned in and rubbed against her cheek.
Only then did Morgan realize that Nymera meant a hunting partner specifically.
"Reconnaissance is my specialty. It isn't something I accomplish through my strength alone; I rely on them," Nymera said with a smile.
Isis joined in. "That's right. Clawdia is my partner, Sajji is Altaïr's, and Hibiki and Mochi are Nymera's. They're all excellent hunting partners.
"They each excel in different areas and can provide a great deal of help.
"You should think about what you need and find a suitable hunting partner of your own. They can make a noticeable difference in combat, you know."
"Meow, meow~" Clawdia seized the opportunity to snuggle into Isis's arms.
Morgan fell into thought. "A hunting partner, huh..."
Many Hunters formed contracts with Felynes and took them on as hunting partners, but finding one with whom they truly got along and could work well over the long term was no easy feat.
Partners like Altaïr and Sajji, who had grown together since their rookie days, were rarer still.
Besides, what did Morgan need from a partner? Someone to help carry extra Ammo? Someone to distract a Monster while he brought his full firepower to bear? Someone to keep watch from the air?
Expecting one Palico to do all three would be asking far too much. From that perspective, Nymera's pairing of a Palamute and a Cohoot was truly enviable. After a moment's hesitation, he asked tentatively, "Nymera, if I went to Kamura Village, would I have a chance to form contracts with a Palamute and a Cohoot as hunting partners?"
Nymera was taken aback, then realized that he wanted to copy her arrangement.
"You're getting ahead of yourself, kid, meow." Before Nymera could answer, Ms. Meow-It-All cut in. "A Palamute might be possible. If you can earn one's trust, forming a contract isn't too difficult, meow.
"But you can forget about a Cohoot, meow. The Guild has already tried to make such useful aerial scouts more widely available.
"Unfortunately, Cohoots can't adapt to the Old World's environment. Brief visits are fine, but longer stays can prove fatal because they fail to acclimate, meow.
"A researcher at the Royal Academy studied the problem and spent a fortune bringing in a batch of Cohoot eggs from Kamura. The plan was to raise the Cohoots from the moment they hatched and see whether they could adapt.
"In the end, almost all of them died young, meow. Kamura then refused to provide more eggs. Cohoots are important partners to the people of Kamura Village too, so without a new supply, the project was abandoned, meow.
"Still, now that I think about it, I recall one survivor from that project, meow. I believe it's still at the Royal Academy."
Hope flickered in Morgan's eyes.
"That one is Mochi," Altaïr interjected.
The hope in Morgan's eyes died.
Altaïr glanced at him and continued, "It isn't only that Cohoots struggle to survive in the Old World. A Hunter must also begin training with a Cohoot at a young age. Otherwise, the two won't be able to communicate properly."
"I see..." Morgan could hardly hide his disappointment.
Compared with a Palamute's carrying capacity and speed, he placed even greater value on a Cohoot's high-altitude reconnaissance ability. That capability was invaluable to a Gunner.
"Anyway, keep the idea in mind for now," Altaïr said, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Finding a hunting partner comes down to fate.
"You never know when fate might come knocking."
(Translated by yourtl.app)