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Last Embryo Volume 6 Interlude Part 2

Yamata-no-Orochi. . . a serpent Yokai with eight heads and eight tails that is probably the most famous Dragon Demon Lord known across Japan. Originally it was supposed to have been the guardian deity of water and mountains, but something must have happened to it, causing it to become one of the deadliest threats unique to the folklore surrounding the region of Japan.

It will not be an understatement to say that the entirety of the history of Japan, which is a country that is prone to natural disasters, is exactly that: a history of the Japanese people fending off one disaster after another, and one of the reasons behind that is because the Japanese archipelago has been formed on top of four different, overlapping tectonic plates, so every time when all four of them: The Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Philipine Sea Plate and the Eurasia Plate were subbing against one another, it resulted with yet another disaster that Japan and its people had no choice but to deal with if they wanted to ensure their continued survival.
It would also not be an understatement to be calling it the largest artery among all of the Aortas of the Stars, and in that context, Demon Lord Yamata-no-Orochi might be seen as a symbol of the power swirling in the natural order of the world.

「So essentially, the sword can serve as a proof that the breath of the stars can effectively be subdued. But the more I hear about this and the longer I think about it, it does seem like 『Ame no Mukarumo no Tsurugi』 is more like an 「Astra」that controls the process of sealing rather than your typical Holy Sword. What do you think about it, James?」

『I think that first and foremost, we should approach this matter from a slightly different direction. First of all, we should try and define Yamata-no-Orochi’s folklore. What about its physical characteristics?』

「Well, if that is what we are starting with, then the most obvious one would be that it had eight heads instead of one and every single one of them were capable of independent action, but that is not telling us much because there is a multitude of anecdotes about multi-headed dragons just so that their monstrous qualities could be enhanced, so just the fact that it had eight heads and eight tails does not provide us with any conclusive evidence about pretty much anything about it.」

『That is right. This particular folklore does not tell us anything about Yamata-no-Orochi’s origin; it simply describes the form that the people associated it with, since humans harbored a strong dislike towards multi-headed snakes and dragons alike since ancient times.』

That statement could not have been more accurate. A strong dislike towards anything that was deviating from the established norms even by just a little bit has always been one of human’s most defining traits that stemmed from their own weakness as a species. As long as it was something that did not exist in the nature as they knew it, that was more than enough of a reason for them to brand that something as a foreign entity that needed to be destroyed at all costs.

Multi-headed dragons and snakes are the best examples of that fear and hatred. Therefore, there is no information about traditions that are related to them or about the point of their origins, because they were all spawned from the depths of human fear at the prospect of losing their lives to the unknown and that which they were not able to comprehend with their minds.

In other words, because they are something unfamiliar, humanity did not bother to learn nearly as much as they should have about them, and that is why their knowledge of what Dragons and Demon Lords such as Yamata-no-Orochi truly are is severely lacking.

「Ugh. . . I am trying to think of something more, but I just cannot seem to find any more clues that might be useful to us.」

『Fufu, even though I cannot see it, I can just picture the frown you must have on your cute face right now. But that was to be expected. After all, it would be no exaggeration to say that it is almost impossible to solve this problem using only the information available to you at the current moment, my Lady. So do not beat yourself up over it and simply focus on trying to get along with Miss Kudou Asuka for the time being.』

「. . . Mu?」

Lamia murmured while feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Lamia does not doubt that James is the strongest Game Maker. There has never been a mystery that he could not solve, and there is no single trial that he could not overcome, so she could not even imagine that right now would be the first time for such a problem to appear before him, therefore. . . .

「James. Could it be that you have already figured out this mystery?」

『Now, I wonder about that. It is just that I think that lately you have been relying on me a little bit too much, to the point where you stopped thinking about overcoming various challenges yourself. Besides, I was not lying when I said that I will not be able to figure this mystery out without your help, my Lady. So for the time being, why do you not try to take this opportunity to deepen your own insights?』

James pointed that out while emptying his pipe of the ashes.

Lamia looked frustrated at his words, but if that was what the Game Maker decided would be best for her, then she should not speak against his judgement and courteously obey his suggestions. However. . . . . . .

「There you go, being all mean to me again.」

「Maybe so, but I am simply doing that for your own sake. But since you are being especially cute today, then allow me to give you one hint as a reward for that.」

「A hint?」

『Yes, a special hint from me. If you ever happen to meet a Chinese participant, be sure to ask them a question about this particular issue and you might just get some more clues.』

「Chinease?」

Lamia tilted her head in confusion.

Well, it is more than likely that if a particular folklore managed to made its way to Japanese Archipelago, an island country that was isolated from the rest of the world for a very long time, there is a very high probability that the same folklore could have reached China as well or perhaps even come from there in the first place, so if Yamata-no-Orochi really was of a foreign origin, then perhaps a Chinese person might just know something about him that Lamia does not.

『That is going to be all from me for now, since there is another matter that I have to settle now. The next time we contact each other, I sincerely hope that you would have befriended some other participating Players. I am looking forward to seeing you again.』

「. . .? Settle?」

Lamia tilts her head, but the call with James got cut off at that point. Lamia glared at the black phone with discontent and then sighed heavily.

「Well, if it got cut off, then I guess there is nothing to be done about it. For the time being, I guess I should start by going to where Asuka and the others are.」

Sighing again, Lamia dropped her shoulders melancholically.

Right now, Kudou Asuka is the only person capable of handling 『Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi』, so until she agrees to help them and fulfills her purpose, they have to avoid placing her in any kind of situation where she would be exposed to the risk of death. From now on until she dispels the curse that is plaguing the Vampire Queen, her safety and well being are going to be absolutely paramount to them. However, the fact that Lamia needs to keep her alive does not mean that she should be getting overly attached to her, or at least no more than it is strictly necessary.

Because in the and, no matter how extraordinary she might be, she is nothing but a human. And once this 2nd War for the Sun’s Authority runs its course and draws to a close. . . one of them is inevitably going to be forced to kill the other.