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Last Embryo Volume 2 Chapter 5 Part 6

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Homura didn’t really understand why she was so sensitive about that particular subject, but if she really disliked it, then there was no reason for him to force that in her simply because it was the name he was the most familiar with. But now that he stepped on one landmine and got almost blown to bits by it, he made a mental note to avoid any subjects that Queen might have deemed as too “touchy” in order not to step on another similar landmine, and proceeded forward with extreme caution.

「Your wish is m command, Queen. I will be sure to use a name that will be more to your liking from now on. To go back to our talk about Halloween, I know for a fact that it is an ancient Celtic festival that associated the cycle of life, death and rebirth with the cycle of changing seasons. Am I correct so far, Lady Scathach?」

「Feel free to call me Scathach-sensei or Master Scathach (TL Note: Well I’m going to call you Shishou) sine that is how each of my disciples called me. I have to admit, for someone brn and raised in 21^st century which is associated with rapid technological advancement, you are quite well versed in mythological matters. Could it be that you know that much about my own legend as well?」

「I’m sorry to disappoint you, sensei, but I’m afraid that I do not know that much about you. It’s just that in the orphanage where I grew up we always celebrated Halloween as the most important festival of the year, since it was the one which was the favorite one of the orphanage’s founder.」

Homura spoke those words with both highest respect and the deepest affection.

Canaria, the founder of the Canaria Family Home orphanage. Aside from her name no one knew anything about her, aside from one thing she always made abundantly clear: that Halloween was her absolutely favorite holiday, and that she loved it with all her heart.

But it wasn’t just her. In present day Japan, it would be no exaggeration to say that Halloween was one of the most favorite festivals nation wide due to how both adults and kids could enjoy it to their heart’s content. The regional festivals like Nebuta, Tenjin and Gion were still popular, but only three festivals have been universally celebrated across Japan as a whole: Halloween, Christmas, and New Years, so in a sense it could be said that Homura’s statement was filled to the brim with respect towards the Queen, but for some reason, both she and Scathach turned their faces away from his with incredibly sad looks in their eyes.

「You don’t say? So even after moving to the Outer World, she still celebrated Halloween, huh?」

「Huh? What was that?」

「Nothing you need to concern yourself with. But that’s right, there can be no doubt that unlike the ones in the past, the Halloween celebrations in the modern day have been more tailored towards festivities for the general public. To tell you the truth, the things associated with it, that is to say: life and death, stars and their boundaries and their governance falls under Queen Halloween’s rank as a Celestial Spirit. But when she met Kudou Ayato, she was a little different from all the other spirits of the dead that Queen was used to coming across. It cannot be easily explained, but the thing closest to the truth would be that she was 「a reincarnated soul of a baby that couldn’t have been born」 and after that, she was given a single mission: to come into contact with the person directly involved with Star Particle Bodies – in other words, you, Homura – as a daughter of the current CEO of Everything Company.」

「So… so you want to say that in her previous life… Ayato was a miscarried child?」

「That’s not it. If that was the case, I would have said so, wouldn’t I? I made that statement vague on purpose so hat you could draw your own judgement, but that’s going a bit too far.」

Scathach gave Homura a scornful gaze. She probably wanted him to not incline about that matter any further. She probably was so vague about it because she was aware that if she spoke too much too bluntly, she would inevitably end up hurting Ayato’s feelings. Fortunately, hearing that much was enough for Homura. He sighed with relief and placed a hand on his chest to calm his heartbeat.

「I see. I am really glad to hear that he serves Queen of her own volition. I was afraid that she might have been forced into obeying her, but based on what sensei said, I can see that she clearly has her own, personal reasons for following her. To that end, Queen is someone like a benefactor to her?」

That matter was constantly weighting down on his mind. Putting together what the source of Homura’s worries was, her eyes continuously widened in surprise, and then her lips curved in a warm, gentle smile.

「You just keep surprising me with how truly diligent you are. Make sure to cherish that aspect of your personality, okay? While it can be a weakness that your human enemies might take advantage of, but against Devils, Demons and other monsters it can be your strongest weapon.」

「I-Is that so?」

「Yes, that is so. That is one of the things where Ayato is severely lacking, so make sure you’re going to compensate for that to her. She is definitely talented and honest, but also too pure, and that tends to make her fall for the silliest of traps, and make blunders at the last possible second.」

Head Butler Scathach offered her words of advice to Homura with a raised index finger. He felt like he could definitely understand that part of her. Even if she had a strong sense of justice, her biggest flaw was being raised as a typical sheltered rich girl. That is probably what she meant by “too pure”.

「Without the Queen I would have never met Ayato, and the existance of our orphanage would have been put in jeopardy. So I am grateful to her, because thanks to her making Ayato her servant, I was able to meet her and forge a lasting bond between us.」

「Fufufu, that’s right, everything good in your life happened thanks to me, so praise me some more! Aren’t I quite a generous Goddess?」

「Yes, you are. But… was it really fine for me to let her go alone like that?」

「There should be no problems with her whatsoever. The years of living in peace probably dulled her combat senses, but I think that experiencing some actual pain helped her switch her mind into the right gears. Once she gets serious and sets her sights on  victory, even the toughest of warriors from Celtic pantheon would be no much for her, because as far as the natural talent is concerned, the only one who could rival her would probably have to be Setanta…. Fufufu, now that would be an interesting match to witness.」

It was probably because Ayato wasn’t around, but Scathach’s real colors began to show up. Losing some of his tension, Homura fell onto the chair and leaned his back against it, feeling deadly tired and lifeless, but then he suddenly raised his head as if he just remembered something.

「Oh, that’s right, Queen. I almost forgot about it, but aside from participating in the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority, are we going to get some kind of reward for clearing this Gift Game?」

Queen’s hand stopped in the air with the teacup halfway into her mouth as she gave Homura a sharp glare. Even compared to the previous ones, this one was particularly intense. He wiped the sweat off his forehead thinking if this was another landmine triggered, but Queen just returned to drinking her tea without looking too offended by his question. Was that some kind of sign? Because as soon as she saw that, Scathach one again stepped forward.

「Homura, I’m not sure exactly what kind of reward do you or your companions seek,  but when you win this Gift Game and advance to the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority’s next stage, then I think you’ll be able to understand exactly what it is.」

「In other words, for now you want me to focus on winning the current Game without thinking about any unnecessary distractions?」

「It’s good that you catch on so quickly. That is indeed what the Queen and I want you to do now.Just focus on grasping the victory in your hands, and once you do that, a big change is bound to happen around you, so look forward to that as well.」

Putting her finger on her lips, Scathach winked at him seductively. Strangely enough, that kind of maidenly behavior suited her very well, so perhaps she was actually younger than she looked?

Anyway, looks like winning this Gift Game should be his singular focus for the time being, since that is what Queen and Scathach want him to do.

Just then, the entire Spirit Train Shook from an attack coming from the outside.