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Last Embryo Volume 2 Epilogue Part 1

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

…. And then all of a sudden, the sounds of the roaring waves of the sea tickled at his ears.

That sound, a firm reminder of the times when he was but an innocent child running about on the sea’s shore was unmistakably the sound of his beloved Mediterranean Sea. The memories of him and his friend from way back then as they all frolicked and fooled around together for hours only to hide from the rays of the setting sun under the shade of the palm tree’s leaved all came vividly flowing back towards him. Judging from the humidity of the breeze blowing from the sea, it must have still been only the beginning of the summer season, and if what he remembered still held true then the summers in the Mediterranean region tended to quickly make one dehydrated, but on the other hand it was exactly the right kind of weather for the growing and the cultivation of the olive trees.

Whether you were simply playing by the seaside, hunting for wild game or harvesting crops, it was an all-around great season.

While being wrapped with the gentle light of the sun shining through the canopy of the trees above him, he quietly shed a single tear, but not because he was sad. It was because this warmth was far too real and too gentle to be just an after-death dream.

(…………)

When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the unfamiliar room that was too tidy to be located in an abandoned house. And while this house made out of chalk stones differed from the ones that were build back when he was still alive, he could clearly see that many years of diligent study must have been put into making it as close to the original as possible. Also, the though that some traces of the genealogy and culture of the Minoan civilization of Crete had remain present in the world all the way up to the modern times filled him with just a little bit of happiness. If he listened in closely, he could hear vague voices of boys and girls coming from the room next to the one he was in right now.

「….. as expected of Everything Company. Who would have thought that they are going to give us their protection without asking about anything in return? If it was just me, I never would have managed to achieve that no matter how hard I would have prayed and begged, so I guess I should be thankful to our residual pampered rich lady. On that matter, thank you so much for doing all of this for us, Lady Ayato!」

「Fufu, don’t mention it, because it really wasn’t all that much for me. Also, you shouldn’t be all that surprised, senpai. With what you have already achieved and if the current matter goes well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you gained the level of authority equal to that of the director within the ranks of Everything Company, even if only for it to serve as a countermeasure against the situations like one of the only Star Particle Bodies researcher going abroad without even a passport to his name. Supposedly, the word around the company is that even Edward Grimnir of the Department of Development was unsure of what to think about it.」

「It might very well be so in Homura’s case, but even so, you can be damn sure that I will stay by his side all the way to the very end, no matter what it might be!」

Suzuka gave them a thumbs up with a cheerful voice.

Slowly picking himself up from the bed, Asterios stood up and opened the door leading to the next room with a bitter smile on his face. When they noticed him, each of the three offered him a different greeting.

「Hello there. I hope you slept well?」

「Hi! How are you feeling? Not too sore, I presume?」

「Yo. You sure that you should be up and running so soon?」

「I feel fine, thank you all for asking, but… what is going on here? Why am I still manifested in this body despite being killed? What kind of sorcery did you guys used on me?」

Asterios could no longer contain his bewilderment, however, seeing him act that way, this time it was Homura and Suzuka’s turn to get surprised.

「Huh? Well that surely differs from what Big Bro Iza told us. I though that he said that once you cleared all of the Winning Conditions for a Gift Game then you could force its Host in to absolute obedience without any need for additional dialogue?」

「Yes, that was exactly what he said along with the fact that it should even be fine to forcibly bring them back to life even if they died. I was skeptical towards it at first, but it looks like it really worked. Little Garden really is a place where all manner of Gods dwell and all sorts of miracles happen, huh? So once again, how are you? Do you feel any different now?」

Once Homura pointed that out, Asterios placed his hand on his chest. He couldn’t explain it very well, but he was definitely feeling some kind of link between himself and Saigo Homura now, and it would seem that the Contract of Obedience was in full effect even all the way in the Outer World. Seeing Asterios in such a confused state, Homura smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder.

「Hahaha… well, things just kinda ended up being this way. Sorry about dragging you into this like that, but it looks like we will have to seriously participate in this 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority thingy, so I’ll have you cooperate with us whether you like it or not, okay?」

「Since I was the one who lost that Gift Game then I don’t really mind that, but does that mean I will have to live here in the Outer World until the time for the final selection comes?」

「Of course you’ll have to. But don’t get the wrong idea, there won’t be any free meals, but do not worry. Since you are technically sixteen years old, you can work in Don Bruno’s restaurant to pay for all of your living expenses.」

If this boy had all of the arrangements made to such an extent, than he must have had this entire thing planned for a good while.

(Why did they even bothered with saving someone like me… I wonder if it would be alright of me to ask them that?)

It was true that if Saigo Homura wanted to seriously think about winning the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority, then he would be in a desperate need for more allies that would have increased his overall battle potential. However, his primary reason for saving Asterios seemed to be something else. It must have been one of the reasons that only those who were called good-hearted people could have, and the one that him who was a man-eating Bull monster failed to comprehend.

Asterios couldn’t help it but to smile bitterly again.

「So, now tha this discussion is over, let us discuss what is going to happen from now on, shall we? Asterios, make sure that you will listen well, because that is going to be your first official order!」

「This island was the place of your birth, right? However, even if you wanted to go sightseeing now, there is not even one guide remaining here who would be willing to do this for you due to the evacuation order… so if you want to have a look at the Knossos Palace, I guess you’ll have to put up with us being your guides.」

His eyes went big in surprise when he heard Suzuka’s words.

「It really remained here to this day? Knossos palace, I mean?! And the castle town as well?!」

「Remained? Are you kidding me? It not only remained here, but is now considered as one of the most valuable tourist attractions as a relic of the architecture from the Bronze Age. As much as I would love to stay here for a few more days and have a nice long look at everything Crete has to offer since this seems like a good opportunity to broaden my horizons… but I’m afraid that our stay here is not entirely legal.」

「Now now, this is technically still our Golden Week, and I guess you could say we more than earned it this year, so I think no one should really mind if we do stay here for a bit.」

Ayato said so, running towards the door. As she opened them, the brilliant light flooded into the dimly lit room. Since this particular house was on the high ground, it had a magnificent overview of the town below, as well as the see that stretched all the way to the horizon.

For just a brief moment, his mind was filled with the nostalgic scenery of bygone days.