Seeing that Alva wanted to press Altaïr with more questions about his genealogy, Hayata raised a hand and cut off the deeply intrusive line of inquiry.
"How much he resembles Maki can wait. What about the microorganisms his body absorbed? Will they affect his health?"
"I can't say for certain, but they haven't so far." Alva spread his hands. "Unlike the highly invasive Frenzy Virus, those microorganisms appear stable, or perhaps already inactive. In the best-case scenario, his body will absorb them within a few days. In the worst case... well, I don't know either. I suggest coming back several times over the next two months. If anything changes, we'll be able to devise a countermeasure immediately."
"All right. I'll bring him to see you every day!" Isis agreed on Altaïr's behalf before he could speak.
"...Every day won't be necessary. Once every three to five days, or once a week, will be enough."
"Then every three..."
"..."
"Then once a week it is." Altaïr hurriedly cut in. "If anything actually feels wrong or uncomfortable, I'll come straight to you."
"That will do. Keep your spirits up. The human body is a remarkable thing, and most illnesses can be overcome through its own healing. Look at Maki. She never worries about any of this. You could remove enough strange things from her body to make a whole pot of meat stew, and she's still as lively as ever."
"..."
Isis knew Alva was trying to ease his patient's anxiety, but she still could not help puffing out her cheeks and glaring at him.
Altaïr, meanwhile, was thinking about something else. During the recent Hunt against the Ghost Dragon, he had noticed that it barely bled at all. Even the little blood that escaped flowed back into its body on its own... though he was not sure it could still be called blood. In any case, that strange ability to heal itself was truly enviable.
—--
The mysterious Elder Dragon's death brought the incident at the ancient city of Gilgamesh to a close. Once the Ruins and underground labyrinth had been declared safe, archaeological work in the ancient city resumed. During the excavations that followed, scholars discovered records of the mysterious Elder Dragon: Myo Galuna, meaning the Star-Devouring Dragon. According to the inscriptions, murals, and Ancient Scrolls, the fall of Gilgamesh also appeared to be closely tied to this creature. Although the Hunters had slain what seemed to be the only surviving specimen, the Guild still bestowed a majestic title upon it: the Radiant Dragon.
Gordon and Hayata remained aboard the Knowledge Seeker for two more days, spending some quality time with Isis. Vacations were always short, however. Once their equipment had been repaired, an urgent letter arrived from the Guild, and they reluctantly boarded a high-speed Airship bound for Mezeporta. Altaïr and Isis stayed aboard the Knowledge Seeker, waiting for both the completion of Isis's new weapon and the findings from the Radiant Dragon's corpse. The better part of half a month passed this way.
The scholars' research on the Radiant Dragon's corpse entered its final stage. Judging by the fragments of information they let slip, whether intentionally or otherwise, they had made some truly astonishing discoveries.
The microorganisms seemed able to transform freely. A considerable portion of the Radiant Dragon's body consisted of those microorganisms gathered together in altered forms.
They were like stem cells, seemingly tiny and unremarkable, yet the very building blocks of life.
This also explained why the Radiant Dragon, despite emerging from within the Ghost Dragon, had a physique and mass far exceeding the "stars" the latter had devoured. The microorganisms had made up the difference.
For the academic world, this was undoubtedly a groundbreaking discovery. For Isis, it brought nothing but worry.
Once she understood the general concept of stem cells, she began to fear that a miniature Radiant Dragon might one day crawl out of Altaïr's body.
Her only consolation was that she had dragged him in for several examinations over the past few days, and the conclusion had always been the same.
The microorganisms inside Altaïr remained completely inert, showing no sign of growth, reproduction, or change.
If they stayed that way, there would be little reason to worry.
Just as Alva had reassured them, the human body was a remarkable thing. Perhaps before long, those dormant microorganisms would simply become nutrients, merge into Altaïr's flesh and blood, and become part of his body.
—--
On the tenth day after the Radiant Dragon Hunt, they received a Carrier Pigeon from Val Habar.
The letter came from the Wyverian artisan and informed them that Isis's new weapon had been completed.
Besides collecting the new equipment, they also needed to pick up Clawdia and Sajji, who had remained in Val Habar, along with Morgan, who was returning from a visit to his hometown. Once the research here was fully concluded, they would all return to Dundorma aboard the Knowledge Seeker.
Francesca, practically itching from boredom, began ordering them around. She had Altaïr write a request form, then personally approved it in her capacity as supply officer, successfully abusing her authority to borrow the small Airship docked aboard the Knowledge Seeker.
—--
What followed was ten hours of hair-raising terror.
The small Airship barreled through the clear night sky above the Great Desert at a speed far beyond its standard cruising velocity, jolting and bucking the entire way. It finally reached Val Habar just before dawn the next morning. All in all, the journey could be described as... a nerve-racking near miss.
When they disembarked, even Isis, the bravest among them, was deathly pale.
"I almost thought I'd never see the morning sun," she said, her voice still trembling.
Francesca shot her an annoyed look. "Was it really that bad? Sandships are one thing, but I have plenty of experience flying Airships."
"Indeed, meow." Off to the side, Pawdrick licked his claws. "She has plenty of experience with emergency landings, meow. At least you didn't have to worry about plummeting to your deaths, meow."
"Shut it!" After glaring daggers at her perpetually undermining partner, Francesca turned back to Isis and Altaïr. "I'll go pick up Clawdia and the others. You two go and collect the new weapon.
"Then we'll greet Guildmarm Sophia together before we leave. The Knowledge Seeker will probably begin its return voyage the day after tomorrow, so we don't have much time to linger here."
"The day after tomorrow?" Altaïr murmured. "We still have enough time. How about renting a Sandship back to the Knowledge Seeker? I'll steer."
"I think that works," Isis said, nodding quickly.
"I think it doesn't!" Francesca's brows shot up. "Damn it, I was kind enough to fly you here, and you're still spouting nonsense! Stop wasting time and get going!"
—--
Under Francesca's ferocious urging, Altaïr and Isis arrived at the Wyverian artisan's workshop.
The taciturn Master Craftsman greeted them with a silent nod, then led the pair into the workshop's back room.
He pulled away a dust cover, revealing a dark-red Gunlance.
Its shield was exceptionally thick and heavy. It looked less like a Large Shield than a Hammer with its handle removed and its head flattened slightly.
Sharp bone spikes and protrusions covered the shield's face and edges. Even without using it for defense, a full swing into a Monster's head would make it a formidable heavy weapon.
The Gunlance itself was even more exaggerated.
Most Gunlances had a blade along only one side, but this one was symmetrical, as though someone had fitted a gun barrel down the center of an oversized Great Sword.
Clearly, it was not a pure shelling Gunlance that could be classified as a "light weapon."
Given the blade's outsized dimensions, Altaïr suspected that even he would struggle to wield the thing two-handed like a Great Sword.
The Wyverian artisan's introduction was concise and forceful. "Diablos Cannon, the pinnacle of raw-damage Gunlances. Top-tier destructive power, durability, and Sharpness. It has White Sharpness, with Handicraft required to reach Purple; few Gunlances have natural Purple Sharpness.
"Wide shelling. It can load five Wide shells at once. I could push its magazine capacity as high as seven, but I chose not to, as that would compromise the Dragon Blast modification.
"Aside from its excessive weight, which makes it difficult for the average Hunter to control and slightly reduces attack precision, giving it negative Affinity, it has no flaws."
Watching Isis pounce on her new weapon with a cheer, the perpetually stern Wyverian artisan allowed a faint smile to touch his face.
"Considering where the materials came from, I would rather call it the Demon King Tyrant."