As they looked at what was being handed to them, Altaïr and Isis both fell silent.
Altaïr gave an awkward chuckle as he accepted the somewhat thick letter. "I'll read it later."
Isis, her expression stiff, put away the notebooks. "I'll go through these later too."
Nymera was quietly laughing to herself off to the side. She had already learned from Isis about how Isis had, intentionally or not, put Altaïr in a tough spot. From the looks of it, Altaïr, who had gone home in Isis's stead, had clearly done something similar.
"Ahem, right, there's something official I need to tell you both." Altaïr cleared his throat and naturally led his companions to sit down at a table.
Isis habitually moved to order food, but Altaïr raised a hand to stop her. "No rush, it's still a long way from mealtime.
"Here's the situation. During this trip to Dundorma, I was invited by Senior Francesca and Lady Gael to visit a training camp, where I ran into Lambert.
"She's already–"
"Hold on, who is Lambert again?" Isis interrupted Altaïr, frowning in thought. "The name rings a bell, but who was she?"
Altaïr was not surprised. For someone you'd only met once a year or two ago, it was normal not to remember the name.
"A young girl with heavy smoky-eye makeup who pursues wild, primal music."
The key points Altaïr had singled out were remarkably precise, instantly jolting Isis's memory. She exclaimed in sudden realization, "Ah! I remember now, she's that nut–"
"Talking about me?" Lambert's head poked out from the side, drawing close to Isis's ear.
"Eeek!!" Isis was so startled she straightened with a jolt, instinctively dodging to the side.
In a quiet, open environment, it was easy to notice someone approaching. But in the bustling, crowded tavern, the brain subconsciously filtered out unimportant information like that, so Isis never even noticed Lambert walking up behind her.
A subtle smile played at the corners of Lambert's lips, though it was unclear if it came from finally meeting her beloved Senior Isis again, or simply from the joy of having successfully frightened her.
She took half a step back and stood up straight. "Senior Isis, long time no see. And greetings to you, senior with the large dog."
Clawdia bared her fangs at her angrily.
Altaïr sighed helplessly, gestured for Lambert to sit down first, then proceeded to explain Lady Gael's commission, Lambert's talents and abilities, and the rest of the situation.
"...So, that's the situation in a nutshell."
By now, Isis had recovered from her earlier fright. She was a very good-natured person, and as long as Lambert didn't have an episode of crazy behavior like when they first met, she was perfectly happy to help a junior.
Nymera was sizing up the young woman, who had been fairly normal so far, with keen interest. "Would it be possible to hear your sound? I am truly quite curious."
Lambert shifted her gaze and stared at Nymera for a moment. "There isn't really any special sound, but it's not unpleasant noise either. I don't dislike it."
"A shame." Nymera let out a soft sigh, seemingly not quite satisfied with that answer.
"No, no, no." Altaïr waved his hand. "That's about the highest praise you'll ever get from her. It means you're a normal, easy-to-get-along-with person.
"For someone to strike her as 'interesting,' they've more or less got a few screws loose."
"You saying I've got a few screws loose?" Isis pointed at herself, a little indignant.
Altaïr shot her a sidelong glance. "Someone who gets a kick out of shoving herself into a Monster's mouth to fire off a Wyvern's Fire, you tell me if that counts as having a few screws loose."
Isis awkwardly averted her gaze. Lambert, meanwhile, bounced up from her seat, excitedly pumping her little fist. "That's exactly what makes it so thrilling!"
Watching the girl suddenly brimming with enthusiasm, Nymera found herself thinking that a thoroughly ordinary assessment might actually be quite nice after all.
As if trying to cover her embarrassment, Isis smacked the table hard. "Anyway! Let's dig into a feast first, my treat!
"Think of it as celebrating the three of us finally meeting up, and also celebrating Lambert officially setting out on the path of a Hunter!"
"Ah... you can count me out."
The manic, fervent look on Lambert's face faded away, and she slipped back into that earlier expression of utter disinterest. "I eat very little, and I don't really like boisterous gatherings. If I stayed, I'd only bring down everyone's mood.
"Anyway, I appreciate the kind intentions of my seniors, but I still need to go back and get my room in order, so I'll be off now."
With that, Lambert stood up and left, not giving anyone a chance to stop her.
Watching Lambert's solitary figure depart, Isis made to rise. "Was she just being polite, or is she shy? Should I go drag her back?"
Altaïr gestured with his eyes for Isis to sit down. "No need. She's not being shy; she's just not the sociable type. Forcing her to stay would only make her feel uncomfortable."
Clawdia, who had never been known for a particularly good temper, furrowed her brow. "Can someone like that really fit in with us and become a teammate, meow?"
"Hard to say." Altaïr rested both hands on the table. "When I agreed to Lady Gael's request to act as her guide, I won't deny I was partly thinking about potentially recruiting her down the line.
"But after spending these past few days with her, I get the feeling she's not the sort who finds it easy to settle into a regular team with anyone, and that includes me and Isis, even though she finds us 'interesting.'"
"If she never changes and stays like this, she's likely to end up a lone wolf in the future."
"Is there any way to... correct it?" Isis balled her hand into a fist. "Not liking to eat is just way too bizarre."
"...Let it be. Even if we could successfully correct it, it might just end up blunting her edge and making her mediocre." Altaïr shook his head.
"But since she's our junior, we should still help her however we can. Regardless of whether she becomes a regular teammate someday, there'll be plenty of chances to cooperate on Hunts."
"True." Isis set aside her dilemma. "Then let's change what we're celebrating. Here's to Nymera smoothly advancing to 5★!"
"Oh? You've already completed your promotion?" Altaïr looked at Nymera with pleasant surprise.
Nymera beamed. "Exactly. In the half-month you two were away, I haven't been slacking off, you know."
"What did you Hunt?" Altaïr pressed, curious.
Nymera had spent over three years consolidating at 4★. Her technical skill and experience fully met the requirements for advancement, so her promotion to 5★ could be called a natural, well-deserved progression.
Besides, Nymera had mentioned her promotion plan before, so a smooth advancement wasn't surprising.
"Rathalos it was," Nymera replied with a smile.
Altaïr nodded in understanding.
Nymera's choice of Rathalos as her target for the 5★ promotion exam was clearly the result of careful consideration.
First of all, back when she had been building the Rathalos Cannon, she'd joined multiple group Hunts for Rathalos, so she was undoubtedly well-versed in its habits, weaknesses, attack patterns, and the like.
The Rathian Armor she regularly wore offered excellent fire resistance, allowing her to handle the Rathalos's Fire Breath with ease.
Add to that the Khezu Syringe, the Khezu Light Bowgun she had acquired earlier, capable of Rapid Fire Thunder Ammo, plus the support of her Palamute and Cohoot.
Solo Hunting a Rathalos wasn't a guaranteed success, but she had a good seventy to eighty percent chance at least.
Of everyone on the team, Nymera had the most cautious Hunting Style. She was exactly the kind of "model student" the training camp Instructors liked best.
"Since you already have a Rathalos weapon, are you going to switch to Rathalos Armor, Nymera?" Isis raised another question.
At that, Nymera hesitated a bit. "I haven't decided yet. The Rathalos Series grants a blessing that boosts power, making it top-tier Armor for Blademasters, but it's not particularly suited for Gunners."
"No rush," Altaïr said with a smile. "The materials from the Estrellian mission have been processed by the Guild. There are quite a few Doom Estrellian materials, and the Professor is willing to turn a blind eye, so we can distribute them ourselves.
"I've checked the quantities. They should be enough to forge a full set of Armor plus one weapon, and there might even be some left over.
"I just upgraded my Armor, so I don't have a need in that department. We can take them to the smithy for appraisal and see which of you two is better suited. Whoever it fits gets the Armor made."
"Doom Estrellian?" Isis scratched her head. "I didn't participate in the Doom Estrellian Hunt. It wouldn't feel right to make equipment for me. Let Nymera have it."
"Not to worry, not to worry~" Nymera said with a beaming smile. "Let's see who it suits better. If it turns out unsuitable for a Gunner, I still have Rathalos as an option."
(Translated by yourtl.app)