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Last Embryo Volume 3 Chapter 1 Part 2

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

The white coat he was wearing was different from the robes the rest of the researchers were given, and the clothes he was wearing underneath them looked to be more on the worn-out side, but he didn’t seem to mind that at all, probably because of his natural good looks and the conviction that any clothes must have looked great on him regardless of the state they were in. The way he walked all straightened up with springy steps made Homura think that he must have been someone of a noble heritage.

(Hair with such an unusual color.      Is he an Albino?He is undoubtedly of Caucasian descent, but… no, that’s not the most important problem here. I should be the only minor present on 「Ymir」 right now, so what is he doing here? And seriously, what’s up with that 「Your Highness」 schtick?)

As far as Homura knew, the only people allowed to work in Joint Star Particle Bodies Research Center 「Ymir」 were the employees of Everything Company, and no one else, no exceptions. Aside from Ayato, who was the daughter of the company’s current CEO, Homura was supposed to be the only underaged member of the personnel stationed there.

Just when Homura was getting lost in his own thoughts as he tried to analyze as much about the young man as he possibly could from sight alone, Edward Grimnir stepped in to properly introduce him.

「Correct me if I’m wrong, but this should be your first time meeting each other, right? Allow me to introduce him then: this young man here is Kalki A. Vishnuyasha. He is a son of one of my good friends as well as one of the investors of the Star Particle Bodies research. As for the 「Your Highness」 part, that was a nickname he was given since birth due to his family’s position and social standing.」

「Right on every account. Nice to meet you.」

「I-Is that so? I see, so you are from one of the investor families? My name’s Saigo Homura. I’m the one researching the Star Particle Bodies, as you can probably see.」

When Homura delivered his self-introduction, the young man called His Highness Kalki became surprised and his eyes opened widely.

「So, you’re Saigo Homura, huh? The one everyone is talking about?」

「Y-Yeah. What about it?」

「Nothing much. I was just simply taken aback by the aura of absolute mediocrity that you seem to be giving off. Also, since this inhuman guy looked like he was having so much fun talking to you, I automatically assumed that you must be some kinda oddity or something more inhuman than not, but I guess I was mistaken about that.」

「Hey, “Your Highness”. Just what were you taking me for, exactly?」

「To put it delicately, something inhuman, like I just said. To put it not so delicately, a fucking freak, or a monster, or a demon, pick whatever you think is the most appropriate. And don’t think I didn’t hear those air quotes.」

「I would watch that rotten mouth of yours if I were you, you shitty brat. We are trying to be all polite to you even if we don’t want to do it, so as a fellow gentleman you should do everything in your power to return the favor. Has no one ever taught you that this is a common courtesy while interacting with others, even if they might be beneath you?」

Edward threw a rather unsavory remark towards Kalki, but Homura immediately rebuked him.

「Oh? You dare to call yourself a gentleman when you are nothing by a fake one? Hmm?」

His Highness Kalki looked at Homura with a slight smile. Homura had no idea how he should act around someone who outright called him a freak of nature upon their very first meeting, but he fully agreed that Edward was nothing more but a faker acting like a gentleman only when it suited his personal interests, so he just nodded his head in silent affirmation of that statement.

「I might be a faker, but you know what they say, takes one to know one. And since you called me that, then you must be pretty good at faking yourself, correct? Or is that assumption too rude of me?」

「Ngh…!」

「Haha, see? Consider that nerve touched! I think right about now would be the part where I throw my head back after my failed attempt to stop myself from laughing at how fake your gentleman act was just now!」

Knowing that he had Homura’s full support on that one, Kalki verbally assaulted Edward with even more vigor than before. Agitated, Edward sat on a chair with his legs and arms crossed and angerly looked the other way. Now that it has turned into a 2v1 situation, he must have realized that his chances of winning that argument, even though it was admittedly quite a childish one, were pretty much nonexistent. Homura suppressed his laughter, and then Edward’s phone made a sound like he just received a message, probably indicating that their idle chatter was over, and it was back to work for them.

「The results of the analysis are in. I have the video, so we can start it whenever you’re ready.」

「Got it… okay, since you are already here, then why don’t you stay with us and watch it as well, Your Highness? Who knows, it might become a good reference for you in the future.」

「What are you going to watch?」

「The results of the  first experiment with the {Genome Tree Project}. That matter concerns you as well, so you have no reason not to see them, right?」

Kalki looked at Edward with a mixture of surprise and annoyance when he heard his words.

「{Genome Tree Project} …….. hah, what’s up with that? Do you really think our world is ready for something like that to be introduced to it?」

「What do you mean by that?」

「I’m merely displaying my worries about the usage of this super technology of yours. But never mind that for now, just show us the results already. You have my permission, and if anything happens you can blame me for it without reservations.」

Homura still had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask, but since this boy said he would take responsibility if anything bad happened to them because of it, he just loaded the video with the results of the analysis after being urged to do so by Edward. All three of them immediately stopped talking and focused their eyes on the monitor. The three of them ended their conversation and directed their sights at the monitor.

「This is…. 」

Cutting through the ominous silence, the noise of the video filled the room.

The recording showed a laboratory room with a two-meter tall plant sapling placed right in the middle of it, as well as the Everything Company’s newest invention: the B.D.A – The Constant Velocity Particle Accelerator. After a while, it began emitting the waves with the 32.768 kHz frequency, which was commonly believed to be the 「Definition of One Second」. The exposure to that frequency made the sapling sample resonate and oscilate along with the entire facility even after the B.D.A has been shut down, until the sapling finally turned to nothingness along with the light phenomenon that began when the fusion process was happening, or at least that is how the entire process seemed to have went from where they were standing.

Seeing the whole thing in person, Homura could not help it but to feel awed. Edward on the other hand had a smile on his face after he witnessed the results he would have never expected even in his wildest dreams.After cutting off the cigar’s tip with the cutter, he asked Homura with a voice that was filled with self-satisfaction:

「The fortified armor that has the thickness of 200 mm, same as the {Iron Coffin} was melted in an instant, huh? Now then, while it was not a success we hoped for, I wouldn’t say that this was a complete failure either, wouldn’t you agree, Dr. Homura? Can you try and explain what happened in the recording with your own words? I don’t mind them being simplified to the measurable scopes, just take your best shot at it.」

Exhaling the smoke from the cigar, Edward smiled again, enjoying it. But unlike him, Homura’s expression as he answered his question was a sour one. Concluding that what happened there was something that should not even be possible, he dropped his gaze at the measuring instruments and said:

「Well, this is just me making a wild guess, but it looked like a heat wave comparable to that of the sun’s corona was released by the sample in just a fraction of a second.」