"You mean creatures like the ghosts and ghouls from horror stories?"
"Bones that move on their own?"
Gordon and Isis exchanged a glance, then looked up.
When Altaïr and Hayata relayed the information they had gotten from Guildmarm Sophia, the father and daughter showed no trace of fear or concern. Their eyes held only surprise and curiosity.
Gordon even looked faintly amused. He folded his arms and bared his gleaming white teeth in a grin. "Interesting. After all these years roaming far and wide, what kind of Monster haven't I seen? What are these 'ghosts' supposed to be?"
He was not usually this cocky or arrogant, but in front of the kids, he figured he could show off a little.
To be fair, there were not many Monsters in this world that could afford to challenge him.
"Blast it to pieces!" Isis chimed in loudly.
She was fearless to begin with, and with both her parents along this time, she had even less reason to worry. "Afraid"? What was that?
"I knew you'd say that..." Hayata looked at the father and daughter with mild reproach, then placed a quest form on the table.
Gordon picked it up and skimmed it. "What's this? 'The End of the Ancient City Labyrinth'? A 7★ investigation quest?"
"Sophia gave it to me. She figured a few scary stories wouldn't be enough to deter you, so she said that if we're determined to go, we might as well complete this quest along the way."
Gordon studied the ink and the color of the paper more closely. He quickly determined that the form was not recent; it had probably been issued at least a few years ago.
From the form alone, he already had a rough idea of the Guild's attitude toward that ancient city, or more precisely, toward the "ghost" lurking within it.
Maintain vigilance and surveillance, but do not initiate hostilities.
There were no human settlements near the ancient city ruins, and the archaeological value of the labyrinth beneath them was not high enough for the Guild to consider sending High Rank Hunters to risk their lives.
The Guild had therefore designated the area as restricted and left it alone.
This was the Guild's usual approach to powerful creatures that had not yet threatened human society.
The earlier case involving Diablon, the "Demon King," had been handled much the same way.
Of course, if a sufficiently powerful High Rank Hunter happened to have time on their hands and volunteered to deal with it, the Guild would gladly issue a permit, allowing the Hunter to eliminate a potential threat.
"Did you confirm the details with Sophia? If we do encounter something, how far are we authorized to go?" Gordon set down the quest form and looked up at Hayata.
Hayata sat back down at the table. "Sophia said to use our own judgment. If we deem it a threat, we're permitted to Hunt it."
"The only condition is that if we decide to act, we finish the job. We can't leave it half-dead and let it escape, only for it to cause trouble for the local Guild later."
Gordon made an "understood" gesture, clearly accustomed to such matters.
Beside him, Altaïr wore an odd expression. When he had learned that something sinister lurked beneath the ancient city of Gielu, the question on his mind had been Should we go?
But to those two, the question had become whether they should let the creature live.
So this was how a 9★ Hunter handled an "investigation quest"? Kill whatever it was first, then let everyone else investigate it at their leisure afterward?
Wait, were they not supposed to be sightseeing? Wasn't this a strange way to spend a vacation?
In the end, however, he voiced no objection.
Even Hayata, whose thinking was the closest to normal among them, acted as though this were only natural. If he stood up now and said, "It's too dangerous. Why don't we find somewhere else to visit? How about fishing at an oasis or digging up cacti?" he would only sound like a cowardly killjoy.
Still, caution prompted him to raise one concern. "Mr. Gordon, Ms. Hayata, according to Ms. Sophia's assessment, the Ghost Dragon lurking in the underground labyrinth of the ancient city is very likely an Elder Dragon-level creature.
"Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait until your equipment has been fully repaired before setting out?"
"That's good thinking!" Gordon wholeheartedly approved of Altaïr's reminder and clapped him on the shoulder with satisfaction.
"Whether you're hunting an Elder Dragon or a Bullfango, checking the condition of your equipment is absolutely crucial. Never be careless."
Afterward, he did not forget to glare at Isis, who was grinning foolishly. "Did you hear that? I was waiting for one of you to ask that question, but only Altaïr remembered. Why didn't you?"
Isis: "..."
Having seized the opportunity to lecture his daughter to his heart's content, Gordon folded his arms and said with a smile, "The weapon I sent for repairs was a Dragon Element Great Sword, but I brought another Great Sword built for raw damage. It is more than enough for the present situation.
"The armguards on Hayata's usual armor have suffered minor damage, but she also brought a spare set, so there's no need to worry about our equipment."
Hayata added with a smile, "We are often called upon to rush somewhere and handle an emergency at a moment's notice. Making sure we are always ready for battle has become a habit."
"I see." Altaïr nodded, his respect for them deepening further.
Always ready to deploy at a moment's notice. They truly were the finest "firefighters."
"Isis, tell me, what else should we prepare besides our equipment?" Gordon suddenly changed the subject and looked at Isis.
Faced with this unexpected test, Isis rolled her eyes. "Gather intelligence, prepare items suited to the target, scout the terrain, devise tactics, backup plans, evacuation routes, and so on."
"Not bad." Gordon was slightly disappointed that he could not find another excuse to scold her, but he was nevertheless quite satisfied with her answer.
His expression grew serious as he looked at Altaïr. "You're more or less a local, so intelligence gathering is your responsibility."
"Understood." Altaïr accepted the assignment with a nod.
Gordon immediately turned to Isis. "You'll prepare the items. Remember to bring Antidotes and the like. When dealing with an unknown Monster, supplies like those are far more important than traps or Flash Pods."
"I knooow..."
Isis drawled out her reply. Having grown up without much time with her parents, she was discovering for the first time that being lectured by her father could be pretty annoying.
"Wait. We're handling all the intelligence gathering and item preparation, so what will you be doing?"
"We'll arrange the transportation," Gordon said with a grin. "We leave tomorrow evening. A single day is rather tight for all these preparations, so treat this as a little test for the two of you."
"Weren't we supposed to be having fun? How did this turn into a test?!"
"The two aren't mutually exclusive. Think of it as a chance to show us everything you've learned over the past few years." Gordon beamed at his pouting daughter.
He thoroughly enjoyed teasing her this way. It reminded him of when she was still in swaddling clothes, when he would poke her cheek to disturb her sleep and then admire the sight of her wailing at the top of her lungs.
Her father's gaze mixed teasing with scrutiny, and just as expected, it ignited Isis's competitive spirit. She pushed herself up from the table. "Then we'll show you what we can do!"
Altaïr also stood and bowed slightly. "We'll do our best."
Watching the two young people walk away, Hayata smacked her husband on the shoulder in complaint. "What have you done to a perfectly good family outing?"
Gordon was unconcerned. "We're a family of Hunters. What else would we do for fun but Hunt?"
* * *
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