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Last Embryo Volume 4 Chapter 1 Part 5

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

「Yes, I am not, and I do not understand why is it so shocking to you? After all, that was a mock battle, and the purpose of mock battles and sparring sessions in general is to see how much your skills have improved and what kind of new tactics you could try to implement into your fighting style. Losing in something like that is not a reason to be ashamed, but rather an opportunity to learn and improve my accumulating mistakes in a way that will not result in your death.」

Swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery. . . since Scathach knew all of those schools of fighting like the back of her own hand, she was more than familiar with the difficulties of mastering the art of fighting with swords, spears and bows, and also knew the reasons for why warriors failed to do so inside-out.

She knew that she should be angry at Miss Uesugi for scolding her like that and asking all those needless questions, but tried as hard as she could, she just could not bring herself to be mad at her. Because deep down in her heart she knew that Miss Uesugi was right about one thing: as Ayato’s master, she should not involve her personal feelings, her anger and dissatisfaction, into the process of mentoring her disciple.

「Then, Lady Scathach. . . could it be that the reason why you got angry at Miss Ayato is not because her skills in wielding her weapons have declined. . . but rather her apparent lack of purpose? I mean, sure, throughout our earlier battle there was never a moment where I could feel any sort of motivation behind her blows whenever our blades clashed. . . but was her old self, the one that lived her life here in Little Garden really that great? And what was it that you have said back at the training grounds? That she was obsessed with reincarnation so that she could live in the Outer World?」

「That is right. After all, the envy of life is a phenomenon peculiar to the dead that the living will never be able to understand. But it is exactly because she was able to achieve her goal and start her new life in the world of the living as Kudou Ayato that it would be inevitable for her to grow more and more detached from the battlefield and its blood-soaked lifestyle as the years went on.」

(. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . huh?)

「Uhm, Lady Scathach? If you realize that much, the really, what in the hell has made you so angry?」

「Hmm? Her lack of purpose. . . perhaps?」

「But you just said it yourself, that this kind of thing cannot be helped considering her circumstances. . . were you wrong in saying that?」

(Ahh, I see. . . )

Scathach shook her head at Uesugi’s misunderstanding that almost made her want to laugh.

Kudou Ayato that Scathach knew, the predecessor to the current Kudou Ayato. . . she was one of the twin sisters, the one who should not have even been born. It was unknown whether or not the cause of her death was a miscarriage or if perhaps their mother decided to kill her for some other reasons but it remained an undisputable fact that she was destined to lose her life as a baby.

That is why no one had any right to blame her for wanting to obtain a chance at finally experiencing that which she was never allowed to have so desperately that she was ready to be at odds with the rest of the world. Which is exactly why it would be unfair to criticize Ayato’s current incarnation for not having the same kind of passion and determination despite having the same soul as her predecessor. Because apparently, the current Kudou Ayato. . .

「To be frank, this girl is too happy right now.」

「Too happy? Forgive me, Lady Scathach, but I am not sure if I follow.」

「Allow me to elaborate on it then. What I meant to say by calling her too happy was to say that she is satisfied with her current life. She has a loving family, as well as dependable friends who would come to her aid whenever she found herself in trouble. Someone like her, who can be said to have obtained the happiness that most humans strive for, this Second War for the Sun’s Authority has no meaning, because there is nothing she could possibly gain from participating in it. It is inevitable that someone who already had a perfect life would not find any meaning in the battle that is taking place in this Great Gift Game. In that case, would it not be cruel of me to have her risk losing the innocence she worked so hard to obtain just so that she could see how far would she be able to go in this war? I mean, if you really think about it, as a master, the happiness of my disciples should delight me as much as it delights them, would you not say?」

The harsh look in Scathach’s eyes has eased down considerably when she took a short break to catch her breath. 「. . . you will lose everything that you hold dear.」that was the warning that she gave to Ayato right before she left the training grounds. A warning that if she continues to live they way she is living now, she will one day lose all of that happiness she was taking for granted. Finally piecing the pieces of the puzzle together, Uesugi could not hide her amusement at how surprisingly maidenly the Mistress of the Land of Shadows was deep down in her heart.

「Fufu, fufufu~~!!! What the hell, so that is what it was all about this entire time? Ahh, it looks like I was getting worried for nothing then. It looks like – and try to deny it all you want but you have pretty much admitted it yourself just now – that you are simply so worried about your newest, beloved disciple that you cannot handle it!」

「Huh? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EEEEEEEHHHHHH?!!!!!!!」

“EEEEEEEHHHHHH?!!!!!!!”? That really was how she has chosen to react? For someone like Scathach such a pure and cute reaction was quite unexpected, but at the same time it proved one thing: that she herself was unaware of what the real source of her anger was. But now that someone explained it to her in a rather blunt and extremely direct manner and the initial shock has passed, she tried to reassemble herself and calmly analyze what she just heard. . . only to end up looking like a cute, a little confused animal while silently murmuring to herself:

「H-Huh? What? B-But. . . ah, y-yes, thinking about it from such a perspective, that really has to be it. I see, not it all makes sense!」

「Yes, that is indeed the case. Took you long enough to realize something so simple, huh?」

「B-B-But wait! How can that be the case when that girl is not special to me in any way?! No, I really mean it!」

However, Scathach still tried to deny something so obvious that trying to hide it now seemed like a fool’s effort. For a moment Uesugi contemplated if she should start calling her 『Tsundere Master』 from now on, but taking into account the possible consequences of that action, she decided not to do it after all.

Finally being done with her little outburst, Scathach coughed a few times to clear her throat and then declared, ore to herself than to anyone else in particular:

「W-Well, I would be lying if I said that I was not worrying about her. But don’t get the wrong idea! I still do not think that she is special in any way! B-But come to think of it… all of my female disciples ended up as old spinsters unable to find a partner and have a successful love life… and all of my male disciples ended up dying prematurely before reaching the peaks of their youthful lives. . . huh? Wait a minute. . . c-could it be that I am actually a bad teacher and mentor?」

「L-Lady Scathach, please calm down! I was mistaken, okay?! I was in the wrong here, so let us drop this subject already, alright?!」

It was an extremely rare sight to see Scathach having such self-destructive thoughts. Even those who claimed to her mentor to be good friends would probably go all wide-eyed if they saw her now, which is why it was good that Queen Halloween was not present here in the 『Purple Smoke』 lounge at the moment. If she saw Scathach in such a miserable state, it would probably lead to some extreme bullying and all kinds of other atrocities at her expense.

Scathach wanted to do the exact opposite of what Uesugi suggested: she wanted to pursue the matter further, but thankfully, she was stopped by the voice of Kuro Usagi that suddenly echoed throughout the entire Giant Spirit Train.

{Well, this is it, everyone! The official first stage of the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority is finally about to begin as we will shortly arrive on the Lost Continent of Atlantis! As such, all of the participating Players and the parties related to them are asked to prepare their contract documents!}

「Oh, so Lady Kuro Usagi is the one responsible for making the announcements this time, huh?」

「Ah yes, now I remember that today was supposed to be the day of arrival at Atlantis. I hope those kids are ready for what will be waiting for them on the road ahead.

「I will go and check it out then. I am sorry, Lady Scathach, but we will have to continue this conversation some other time!」

Finding a good excuse not to be in the V.I.P room anymore, Uesugi turned her back to Scathach and hastily made her tactical retreat. So apparently, it does not look like she made any mistakes, but Uesugi’s words made Scathach think that she should probably do something to help Ayato feel more encouraged to give it her all in the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority.

Wondering what exactly she could do to achieve that, Scathach decided to follow after Uesugi to the Observation Lounge.