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Last Embryo Volume 1 Chapter 9 Part 3

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Editor: Weasalopes

Taking the glass of water Queen placed before him and gulping it down in one go, Homura began to sort every question he wanted to ask her in his mind.

「Alright, next question then, about the Gods and deities inhabiting Little Garden: would it be fine for us to think about them in the same categories as the Gods from our world?」

「Yes, they are not much different from the ones you know and worship in your world, to the point where it can be said that they are basically one and the same. I believe you have met some of them already, didn’t you?」

「I believe I did, and that brings us to my next question: about the relationship between our world and Little Garden. Can they interact and affect one another?」

That one was also weighting down on his mind almost since the beginning of his stay here. Even though this whole Little Garden place was supposed to be a whole different world governed by some pretty bizarre rules and laws, it would seem that the mythologies in Little Garden were not only the same as the ones back in their world, but they were also taken to the extreme and meshed up together like various ingredients of a hot pot without paying heed to whether or not they were all going well with one another or were the worst match possible.

『Moon Rabbits』 from the Buddhist folklore. 『Shirayuki-hime』 from 「Yasha-ga-ike」. And 『Halloween』, a festival which had its origins rooted deeply in the ancient Celtic Mythology. Initially, Homura had a hypothesis that maybe the reason why vastly different mythologies of various cultures and religions could coexist here in Little Garden was because the originals from his world were used like manuscripts and then faithfully reproduced here with every little detail to them, but that question must have been the one that didn’t have an easy answer to it, because even the Queen didn’t reply to it from the get-go, having to ponder on it for a moment instead.

「Let’s see, how should I put it… *Tongue Click x3*… the easiest, simplest answer would be that there is indeed a deep connection between the two of them. But before we get to that in more detail, might I ask you what are your thoughts on the invitation you have received? The one that allowed you to appear in Little Garden in the first place?」

「Yeah, sure, of course.」

Nodding affirmatively, he retrieved his phone and navigated it to the invitation that was send to his mailbox.

『–The 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority Invitation–』

Dear Mister Saigo Homura

We are delighted to inform you that you have earned the right to participate in the qualifications stage for The 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority that is currently being held in The World of Little Garden. In order to pass the qualifications stage and gain entry to the final selection, please defeat or enslave one of the Celestial Beasts of Twelve Constellations.

Celestial Beast required for subjugation: 『Taurus』

Winning Conditions:

1. Subjugation of the 『Taurus’』 Avatar
2. Erasing of the 『Taurus’』 lightning, returning its star to its original form

• Summary of the Rules & Duration Period:

The duration of the Game’s preliminary stage is 7 years. After the set time period passes without the participant achieving either of the winning conditions, said participant is to be disqualified automatically. Even if the one to subjugate the beast is not Mr. Saigo Homura himself, the achievement would still be counted on your behalf, so feel free to cooperate with as many people as you see fit.

*Points of Importance*

The challenge and its timeframe presented above have been prepared specifically so that Mr. Saigo Homura could take part in The 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority. Should you choose to abstain/abandon/ignore the participation or get eliminated in the preliminary round, it will result in the challenge’s cancellation and the collection of the Gift 「Proto Idea」 that is currently in your possession, so please forgive us for the inconvenience if that do happens. Furthermore, it is prohibited to leave Little Garden throughout the duration of the game, so please be mindful of that fact. Depending on the circumstances it might be possible to prolong the Game, but we strongly recommend to fulfill the requirements presented to you within the allotted timeframe.

Sincerely

 The 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority’s Facilitation Committee, 『The Laplace Demons』

「Your thoughts?」

「Right. When I read through this invitation for the first time, the first thing that came to my mind was: why was I chosen as a special participant in this nonsense? At first I thought that me being selected has to be connected to the latest nanomachine-based device I have created and my overall progress on deciphering my father’s research, but after giving it some more thought I concluded that such a lackluster reason would not be enough of a justification for being included in the 「greatest Gift Game of all time」.」

「I see. Please, do continue. Your musings are most interesting.」

「That was the point where I had to think about it for a bit. The damage done to my world by the Typhoon Nr.24… 『Taurus』 exceeded two million destroyed households, and the agricultural damage was probably just as large if not even greater, and the infection that was spreading because of the typhoon-associated virus was more dangerous to the crops than to humans. As a natural consequence of both viral infection and the famine it would have caused, many more people would have died, be it from the virus itself or the famine caused by the crop damage and the skyrocketing prices of essential articles such as wheat, flour or corn. If the worst-case scenario comes true, all those things might result in an all out war breaking out over the access to the crops that have yet to succumb to the infection.」

「You’re absolutely right. After all, humans cannot survive on sweets alone, and if they are to continue to grow and prosper further, they require a proper and balanced nutrition. And? Do you have anything else you would like to add to your previous statements?」

Queen urged Homura to continue talking with a smirk on her face. The eyes with which she looked at him now looked as f they were able to see through everything, and were honestly a bit frightening. But since he’s gone this far already, there was no way for him to falter here, so Homura took a deep breath, and continued his monologue while doing his best to look back at Queen without backing down or running away from her all-piercing gaze.

「Now, just for argument’s sake, let’s assume that if the Gift Game itself is to be held for 7 years, the blight and famine brought by the virus would also last that long. Wouldn’t that mean that whoever managed to find a way to cure them would essentially achieve a feat equal to singlehandedly saving the entire world?」

「Yes, that is exactly how it would be, but please, do not misunderstand. What is going on right now is not the reenactment of a genuine legend, but rather a modernization of the one that has already happened and long since came to pass. The current Gift Game means only to reproduce the happenings of the past with the Spiritual Status of the present, but that in not where the cause of the problem is located.」

Homura was greatly perplexed at Queen’s elusive words. Just as he expected, fully understanding what she had in mind was well beyond his capabilities right now.

「The modernized legend? What do you even mean by that?」

「We will get to that in a bit, but before that, it looks that another guest has arrived to entertain us.」

Saying that, Queen raised her slender finger into the air and traced a horizontal line with it, as a result of which, the smartphone in Homura’s pocket started ringing. He took it out, but the name of the caller wasn’t displayed. So she was even capable of connecting the electromagnetic waves that weren’t even supposed to be able to connect to one another due to literally being worlds apart from each other? That’s yet another reason for him not to underestimate her simply because of her alluring appearance. No matter what, Homura can’t allow himself to be careless around this girl.

「Go ahead, pick up. Now, I wonder who that might be, ufufu~~」

Homura frowned with suspicion, but picked up the call nonetheless. And as he did so, he heard an unexpectedly familiar voice at the other side.

「Yo. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Homura?」