A message arrived from the home country regarding the Hub Lass. They said the delivery date was approaching, so I decided to return. Since I planned to hunt Fatalis at Castle Schrade anyway, being in the home country posed no problem. The Serious Handler decided to come along to see her family for the first time in a long while.
Upon arriving home, I found the Hub Lass lying in bed with a large, round belly. When she saw me, she shed tears of joy. If I had known she missed me this much, I would have visited more often; it seems I was too focused on my own work.
"I missed you. You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"
"I'm always healthy. Any discomfort?"
"I'm fine."
I spent my days looking after the Hub Lass while sharing stories of what had happened during my time away. I also hired several local women who were out of work to prepare for the birth and help with housework. I didn't forget to write a report on the events in the New World. Since this was my final report, I delivered it directly to the King.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"It has been a while. I have been receiving your reports well."
"This is the final report. Now that the New World has stabilized, I intend to step down from my post as Inspector."
"Is that so? Very well. I shall grant you an ample reward in recognition of your contributions."
"Thank you."
The King asked me while reading the report I handed over.
"By the way, what do you plan to do from now on?"
"We aren't married yet, but my girlfriend is about to give birth. I plan to rest at home for a while and take care of her."
"Oh~ I see. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Just then, a man who appeared to be a high-ranking official arrived and reported to the King.
"A massive forest fire has reportedly broken out near Castle Schrade."
"Any damage to the nearby villages?"
"Since it is some distance from Castle Schrade, there is no damage to villages yet."
"I see. Inform the surrounding villages to share information about the forest fire and instruct them to prepare evacuation sites in case it spreads further."
"Understood."
Listening to the gist of the conversation, it seemed Fatalis had finally appeared at Castle Schrade. Since there was no one else capable of hunting it anyway, I decided to just wait. I figured they would come looking for me when trouble truly began.
"I shall take my leave then."
"Understood. You have worked hard."
I left the palace and returned home.
I spent several days cooking delicious food for the Hub Lass when, just as I expected, someone from the palace arrived. I prepared immediately and went to the palace.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The King looked at me and cut straight to the point. It was a testament to how serious the situation was.
"Do you happen to know about the Black Dragon?"
"I do. There are stories that it was the culprit behind the destruction of the Schrade Kingdom."
"Then this will be quick. Judging by recent phenomena, several kingdoms are of the opinion that the Black Dragon, 'Fatalis,' has reappeared at Castle Schrade. Our kingdom's investigation reached the same conclusion."
"I see."
The King stared at me and said,
"You don't seem surprised at all."
"Wow~ I am so shocked."
When I gave an exaggeratedly fake reaction, the King frowned.
"You call that acting? My goodness... regardless, please subjugate Fatalis. I will provide you with maximum support."
"Fine. I don't need anything else; just call in my partner, the Serious Handler, and take good care of my pregnant girlfriend at my mansion. That's all the support I need."
"Is that really enough?"
"Yes. Having more people will only increase the casualties."
"I see. Very well."
The King signaled to someone nearby, who left and returned with the Serious Handler. However, she appeared dressed in a fine gown and wearing makeup.
"The one you call the Serious Handler is my daughter. She is the second princess of this country."
I was quite surprised. There had been rumors that she might be a princess, but for that rumor to be true...
"Wow~ This time, I'm truly surprised."
"I was vehemently opposed when she said she would join the Research Commission, but she wouldn't budge."
"I see."
"I was so anxious hearing that many people died in the New World's Hoarfrost Reach... anyway, I cannot send a princess to such a dangerous place."
At the King's words, the Serious Handler persuaded him.
"Father! We have been partners for a long time. If I don't help the Red Star, it will be difficult to take down Fatalis."
"You are a princess. So..."
The Serious Handler interrupted the King and continued.
"If we can't subjugate Fatalis this time, we will follow in the footsteps of the Schrade Kingdom and be destroyed. What use is a princess then? Please, grant your permission."
"Whew... this is maddening... who on earth do you take after..."
"You, Father."
"Cough! Ahem..."
Persuaded by her, the King finally allowed her to go along for this subjugation. We decided to leave after resting for a day. Thinking this news would be bad for an expectant mother, I decided to keep it a secret from her, telling her only that I was leaving on business. The King agreed to support her with a personal physician.
The next day, the Serious Handler, my Palico, and I moved to a village near Castle Schrade by carriage. Worried that driving the carriage too close to the castle might lead to an ambush, we switched to flying on wyverns from there.
Thus, we arrived at Castle Schrade, set up a temporary shelter in a high outer watchtower, and mapped out the castle's layout.
"Looking at the map, there's a Dragonator at the back, but looking at it in person, the entrance is blocked to stop Fatalis, so we won't be able to use it."
"I wasn't counting on it anyway."
"But if we could use the Dragonator, it would be much easier. It's a shame."
Presumably, if this followed the original story, the structures blocking the entrance would be cleared by a single blast of Fatalis's breath, allowing the use of the Dragonator. However, unlike the original, this was reality, so there was no telling what variables might exist. Just like with Safi'jiiva, even the Dragonator might melt in a single breath. So, I tried not to expect much from the start. And fundamentally, my Great Sword was stronger than a Dragonator.
After finishing our scouting, we waited in our temporary tent, eating meals cooked over a fire until Fatalis appeared. As expected, the food cooked by the Serious Handler was delicious.
After finishing the meal and waiting a short while, the ground suddenly shook.
Rumbleeeee!
We hurriedly looked down at the castle. We saw a single black Elder Dragon walking toward the entrance of Castle Schrade.
"Is that Elder Dragon the Black Dragon Fatalis? It seems a bit smaller than I thought."
The Serious Handler seemed to say that because she had experience hunting massive beasts like Kulve Taroth, Safi'jiiva, and Xeno'jiiva with me, but I felt differently. It was slightly larger than in the original game. But that was all. It was certainly smaller than dragons that appear in other creative works.
'It looks cool, but the size is a bit of a letdown.'
I picked up my Great Sword and prepared for battle.
"Be careful."
"Got it."
To begin the final battle of the Monster Hunter world, I flew toward the entrance of Castle Schrade where Fatalis was, riding a wyvern along with my Palico. However, unlike in the original story, Fatalis didn't wait around. It immediately opened its mouth and fired a fireball.
Flash!
I hurriedly jumped off the wyvern and landed on the outer edge of the entrance. I was annoyed by Fatalis's behavior. Usually, the rule among the strong is not to attack during transformation, entrance, or introductions.
"This guy! He's crossing the line! Attacking before I even finish my entrance."
"Meow meow! (What are you talking about? You were planning to ambush him by jumping off the wyvern too!)"
"Ahem! Be quiet!"
"Meow. (This is absurd.)"
While we were bickering, Fatalis glared at us and immediately began to unleash a powerful breath.
"Whoa!"
I quickly scooped up my Palico and dodged the breath by jumping toward Fatalis. There was a reason for dodging this way. This guy's breath boasted an incredible range, and most of the direction it fired in was covered in flames powerful enough to melt stone. It truly looked like a classic Western dragon's breath, but the power was on another level.
"You won't make it. Look for an opening and head back to the watchtower. It looks like it'll be hard even to hide in the ground."
"Meow! (Got it!)"
Given the power of the breath, which was stronger than I anticipated, I decided to evacuate my Palico. It seemed likely it would be roasted even if it hid underground.
I moved quickly, getting under Fatalis's guard, and swung my Great Sword upward, slashing its chest.
Slash!
Fatalis let out a screech at my strike and faltered for a moment before slamming down with its front paw.
Thud!
I immediately dodged to the side and landed a slash on its front paw as well.
Slice!
"Screeeech!!"
Landing a powerful counter, Fatalis's arm was cut deeply, dangling on the verge of falling off. Realizing it was in trouble, it suddenly flapped its wings, took to the air, flew high up, and began to spray a massive breath again. I hurriedly ducked behind a steel structure, just like in the original game.
Fwooooosh!!
Indeed, its breath was uniquely powerful. Despite the steel structure's considerable thickness, it turned glowing red and began to melt instantly. Left with no choice, I blocked the heat with my Great Sword. Fortunately, my Palico seemed to have already escaped.
"This is quite different from the original game."
I thought it might land after finishing the breath attack, but perhaps knowing it was dangerous to fight me on the ground, it continued to circle the sky and pepper my location with breath attacks. Having lived long and being experienced, this Fatalis made the most rational choice.
"You little...!"
I could fly too, but there were eyes watching, and somehow I felt it would hurt my pride. So, I waited until it approached to fire its breath, then timed a jump and used my Clutch Claw to latch onto Fatalis's thigh. Fatalis tried to shake me off by frantically thrashing its leg, but it was no use against my overwhelming strength.
While clinging on, I used my hunting dagger to repeatedly stab its thigh.
Stab-stab-stab-stab!
Fatalis suddenly began a steep dive toward the ground. It likely intended to crush me. I timed it perfectly and jumped off just before it hit the floor.
Boom!!
Then, I used the Clutch Claw again, this time attaching myself to its back.
"I'll make it so you can't fly ever again!"
This time, instead of the dagger, I used my Great Sword to slice right through its wing.
Schwing!
"Screeeeaaaagh!!"
With one wing severed, Fatalis shrieked and began rolling across the ground. I had no choice but to drop off its back. Seeing that I had fallen, Fatalis immediately turned its head and began to spray powerful breath around its perimeter, as if to keep me from approaching.
I stepped back out of the range of the breath.
The wounded Fatalis stood wobbling despite the immense pain and glared straight at me. It didn't seem to have any intention of fleeing.
"Grrrrrr!"
It fought mean, but its pride was on another level compared to Shara Ishvalda, who had tried to flee immediately when things turned disadvantageous.
"You're kind of cool, buddy."
Fatalis roared while spreading its remaining wing. It seemed to be hardening its resolve.
"SKREEEEEEEEEE!"
It then charged toward me with its maw wide open. While dodging and countering was ideal, I decided to meet it head-on. Compressing mana into my dual Great Swords and holding them together with both hands, I swung down at the charging Fatalis.
Slaaaaash!!!
Fatalis, while in mid-charge, had its head split in two and died instantly.
Ding!
[You have acquired the abilities: (SS) Dragon Breath, (SS) Fire Resistance.]
[(SS) Dragon Breath]
You can exhale a powerful fire breath.
In the lore of Monster Hunter, monsters were supposed to breathe fire through organs, not magical abilities. But it seems this guy had it as an ability too. That's likely why he could spew such powerful breath.
'This is a perfect ability for roleplaying.'
After acquiring the ability, I was looking over the corpse of Fatalis when the Serious Handler and my Palico arrived on a wyvern.
"Amazing! You really hunted the legendary Black Dragon."
"Meow meow! (That's my partner for you!)"
We first carved Fatalis and then informed the kingdom from a nearby village. Many knights and scholars soon arrived to begin investigating the carcass. We left them in charge of Castle Schrade and returned to the palace.
"Truly magnificent! To have hunted a legend... you yourself are a legend now."
"Well... I am the strongest, after all."
"I-I see. At any rate, you are a paragon for all hunters, so I plan to erect a statue in your honor at the Gathering Hub. Also, I will grant you a fief, so please manage it well. Finally, I have one request... please, take my daughter with you as well."
The King told me to take the Serious Handler. This was a request for me to marry her.
"Pardon? But I already have a pregnant girlfriend..."
"Don't worry about that. It is only natural for a man of your caliber to have multiple wives."
Since the King put it that way, I didn't object further. I returned home, cared for the Hub Lass, and assisted in her delivery. It was a daughter, and she was incredibly cute.
After the birth was over, I explained the situation with Fatalis to the Hub Lass and told her about the Serious Handler.
"I see. It can't be helped, then. It is a royal command."
She seemed slightly displeased, but since she already knew the Serious Handler, she decided to accept it.
Once the Hub Lass's body had recovered, I held a wedding ceremony for both of them, then moved to my granted fief to manage it and raise my daughter. The Serious Handler took care of her as if she were her own child. My Palico also took several female cats for himself, and we renovated a section of the mansion for them to live together.
'This little guy is living the high life thanks to me.'
I managed the fief and, by royal decree, was training novice hunters.
I spent five more years like that. Honestly, I considered viewing the ending, but my daughter was so cute that I couldn't bring myself to do it. In the meantime, I had a son with the Serious Handler, and through training novice hunters, my [(SS) Master] skill rose by one rank to SSS.
[(SSS) Master]
The subject you teach learns and attains enlightenment faster, and you can pass down a weakened version of one of your abilities. (Cooldown: 1 year)
As expected, as the [Master] ability rank rose, the cooldown for the transfer decreased.
After looking after my daughter and son, I decided to end my leisure life.
"I should visit this world every once in a while."
[Ending Monster Hunter World sessions.]
[Calculating rewards.]
[Gathering Hub Quest Lass: Bond Level 8]
[Serious Handler: Bond Level 8]
[Palico (Alma): Bond Level 7]
[King: Bond Level 6]
...
...
[You have received 30,921 points as progress rewards for Monster Hunter World.]
The reward was better than I thought. It was likely because I played through Iceborne as well.
"I got some new abilities, and it was an entertaining world."
[The story cannot progress further. Would you like to view the ending?]
"No."
Because of my cute daughter and son, I decided not to view the ending and left it as is.
However, as soon as I returned to reality, it was noisy outside my house.
"What's going on?"
To my question, the artificial intelligence Minerva answered.
[The androids are currently demonstrating.]
"What?!"