Bang!
Deep beneath the ocean, within an Ægir city, the prison gates where Laurentina was held captive were swung open, and a voice echoed inside.
"The Abyssals are on the move, and 'Silence' may arrive earlier than expected. We must be prepared!"
The underwater observation station, detecting significant Abyssal activity, allowed the Abyssals to spread freely, potentially affecting the Ægir city.
The Ægir were a race living beneath the waves, having constructed massive underwater cities, separated from the land-dwelling races for countless years.
However, as the Ægir expanded their territory further into the deep sea, they encountered a highly adaptable, group-living creature.
The Ægir named this creature "Seaborn."
When faced with a lack of food, the cells of Seaborn would cease apoptosis, autonomously change their forms, rapidly degrade their bodily tissues, and ultimately transform into a mass of muscle fibers, retaining only basic respiratory functions.
Yet, upon discovering food, Seaborn would immediately differentiate into complete limbs and evolve by analyzing the structure and form of their prey.
Eventually, this gave rise to advanced entities among the Seaborn, known as the Abyssals.
From the moment the Abyssals were discovered, war broke out between them and the Ægir.
"Silence" was a collective hunting event organized by the advanced entities among the Abyssals. Every "Silence" inflicted heavy losses upon the Ægir.
During such times, no one cared about what Laurentina had done before.
In the face of crisis, any Abyssal Hunter was essential to their forces.
After walking out of the prison, Laurentina, who had been confined for a day, showed no signs of despondency. She was only slightly disappointed that her rare vacation had been spoiled by her own actions.
She wouldn't blame Gladiia for it; if every Abyssal Hunter disregarded discipline as she did, what would be the point of having a captain?
Laurentina asked, "Where's the captain?"
"The captain is missing!" the deputy captain, who had come to open the door for her, said with an anxious expression. "The captain left the base a day ago and hasn't returned since. She mentioned she was heading to the surface."
As she spoke, the deputy captain couldn't help but give Laurentina an appraising look.
"At a time like this, I won't hide anything from you. The captain might have gone to deal with your friend from the surface."
"However, it's been quite some time, and she still hasn't returned."
"Could something have happened to her?"
"Let's not jump to conclusions," the deputy captain reassured. "The captain has always been strict with her words but gentle in her actions. At most, she'll give your friend a beating, but she wouldn't want to see our lovely Laurentina shedding tears."
"No, I just feel..." Laurentina felt that the captain might not have returned promptly, possibly because of Garde.
Although she had confidence in Gladiia, Garde was no pushover.
Three years ago, when she had fought against Garde, she had lost.
At that time, she had just joined the team and was far from being a formidable Abyssal Hunter, but she was still an Abyssal Hunter.
Yet, facing Garde, she had been immobilized and even had her bottom spanked several times.
The force with which Garde had spanked her still lingered vividly in her memory.
However, before Laurentina could finish her sentence, another Abyssal Hunter rushed in, saying, "Deputy captain, Team Three has arrived."
"Team Three? Oh no, that stoic melon-head must have heard about the captain's absence and decided to step in."
"Will he take command of our Team Two?"
"That won't happen."
The deputy captain thought for a moment and shook her head.
The Abyssal Hunters were divided into four teams, each specializing in different areas.
Team Two excelled in lightning-fast ambush and battlefield cutting.
Team Three was known for siege warfare.
"In any case, we'll know once we go out and see."
The ocean was vast, and there were countless Ægir cities scattered throughout the sea.
Even so, the number of Abyssal Hunters was still quite limited.
They served as the frontlines and scouts for the Ægir when facing the Abyssals, and they were the main force when dealing with small groups and remnants of Abyssals.
When Laurentina and the deputy captain stepped onto the training ground, they saw a group of Abyssal Hunters waiting in the distance.
Leading them was a tall Ægir male, wearing a wide-brimmed deep blue hat and a face mask, carrying an enormous sickle-like scythe.
Seeing Laurentina, or more precisely, seeing the deputy captain by Laurentina's side, the man asked, "Taserlina, where's Gladiia?"
"The captain had to leave for some urgent matters, so I'm temporarily in charge of Team Two."
"She left?"
It was only at this moment that the man finally looked at Laurentina next to the deputy captain.
"Because of her, she went to the surface?"
"How did you know..."
Hearing the man's words, the deputy captain blurted out and then quickly covered her mouth.
"Taserlina, there's no need to hide it anymore. This matter isn't much of a secret."
Beside the man, a woman from Team Three smiled.
"I'm quite eager to meet that surface dweller who has stolen our little Laurentina's heart."
Actually, the atmosphere wasn't as heavy as imagined. The relationships among Abyssal Hunters were quite good, and since it was clear that the secret couldn't be kept any longer, the deputy captain straightforwardly explained the situation.
"..."
After hearing Taserlina's explanation, the man fell silent for a moment, looking at Laurentina.
"We don't have much time left. You will bear the consequences of your mistakes, but it's up to you to find Gladiia."
Gladiia's role among the Abyssal Hunters was not limited to being the captain of one hunting team. As one of the chief designers of the Abyssal Hunters' warfare strategies, her absence would be keenly felt during group operations.
"Yes!"
Laurentina's eyes immediately lit up. She didn't consider this task a punishment at all.
"You'll go by submarine, and I'll have the logistics team prepare everything for you," the woman from Team Three said. She was the deputy captain of Team Three, responsible for managing their logistics, as their own team captain, Ulpianus, wouldn't bother with such matters.
"Skadi, you go with her."
Ulpianus called over a girl carrying a large sword who was part of Team Three.
"If Laurentina does anything against the Abyssal Hunter Code, you are responsible for executing her."
"Understood."
The girl carrying the sword nodded slightly, her gaze at Laurentina devoid of any emotion.
It was Laurentina who cheerfully greeted her.
"It's been a while, little Skadi!"
"Don't address me like that."
The girl with the sword looked unhappy.
"We're not that familiar."
"Alright, alright."
Laurentina shrugged and playfully blinked at Skadi.
Back on the training ground, Ulpianus didn't pay much attention to Laurentina, who was now attached to Skadi. He pulled his face mask up.
"Team Three, follow me. Taserlina, with Gladiia's absence, you're in charge of Team Two. Follow us."
"Yes!"
The deputy captain responded earnestly and then cast an envious glance at Laurentina, who was now leaving with Skadi.
Is she going to find a surface dweller boyfriend too?
No, never mind.
If she dared to do that, the captain would never let her off the hook.
I wonder what the captain is doing right now.
She must be having a great time out there!
In Acahualla, Gladiia, who had enjoyed a whole day of fun, had finally regained consciousness.
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