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Last Embryo Volume 7 Chapter 1 Part 2

「Well, how many days have I been sleeping?」

「It’s been around five full days. Once you’re done resting, you should first and foremost thank your little sister and the white girl. These two were the ones who have been taking care of you all this time.」

「Well, you can bet that I am grateful to them. I will be sure to give them some sweets as thanks later… huh? Wait a second… Were those two the only ones who were taking care of me?「

「Yes, I think so?」

Izayoi frowned when he heard Heracles’ reply. If Ayazato Suzuka and the Black Albino girl were here and looked after him, then it would be pretty strange for Saigo Homura to not be here as well.

Maybe he was simply not taking part in Izayoi’s nursing because he has been preoccupied with something else?

After he quickly finished chewing on the apple that he was eating, Heracles threw him another one with a wry smile on his face.

「Well, the weather seemed quite suspicious while I was heading out, but I’ll ask about it anyway. How’s the situation going?」

「To be honest, it’s not good. I have one good thing to report and three bad things to report.」

「Well, talk about the economy being good at the worst possible time. Anyway, I don’t want to get angry right after getting out of bed after being sick for so long, so hit me with the good news first.」

「Fine, as you wish. But first, let us go meet the native leader who commands this fortress.」

The leader of the underground fortress was someone about whom Izayoi was not expecting to hear right now.

Izayoi was intrigued by the gas lights that brightly illuminated the corridor along which they were walking, but for the time being the first priority was to meet that leader of the natives.

When they entered the large hall, Izayoi could see the natives running around busily, but the person in command of them that he saw standing at the top of the front stairs before them was a person whom he was not expecting to see here at all.

「As soon as you accept the refugees evacuating from outside settlements, immediately cover them with camouflaging cloth!」

「These monsters are surprisingly blind! We should be able hide the entrance to the underground with it as well!」

「King Asterios! The inquiries about the accommodations of the injured people are keep flooding in!」

(Huh?)

Izayoi couldn’t help it but to make a surprised face. Because the person who was standing at the top of the stairs while shouting commands was none other than Asterios, the boy from the legend of the monster bull of King Minos.

Looking back on his legend, it is true that his father was once the king who brought the Minoan civilization to its peak, so it is true that he was once a prince, but since he is called King Asterios now, then that means…

(This pretty much confirms it. The natives of this land are the descendants of the people who once flourished in the Aegean Sea. They are the survivors of the Minoan civilization.)

This confirmed the exact position of the Atlantis continent and the civilizational circle to which its people must have belonged.

After confirming that new information with the rest of the Greek lore that he was familiar with, Izayoi proceeded to process those information with all due haste.

When the two came to Asterios who was busily giving instructions to his subjects, they raised one hand and greeted him. Asterios also noticed their arrival and greeted them with a mysterious face.

「… Ahh, good. So you have finally woken up, Izayoi?」

「Thanks to you. Looks like you are getting yourself treated like a king now, huh? Must be nice.」

「If I were you, I would refrain from saying something so disrespectful. This boy is a legitimate kind of his people.」

「No, I don’t mind him saying that, Heracles. Besides, it is easier for me to talk with him like this. If possible, then I would like you to do the same as well.」

「… Hmm, I see. In that case, I shall do exactly like you ask of me.」
Hercules responded to Asterios with respectful attitude.

Izayoi didn’t know if he was serious or honest, but one thing he knew for sure: this guy might be the kind of person who takes the words of non-hostile people too seriously.

「You came at just the right time. We were just about to hold a strategy meeting with the Players who agreed to cooperate with us to handle this threat. The instructions for evacuation have been handled and soon the evacuation itself should be completed, so let us move over there right now.」

「I don’t mind doing that, but is there going to be any food there, by any chance?」

「Of course. It was supposed to be served before the decisive battle, but 40% of our total livestock have been choked and prepared for consumption, so feel free to eat as much as you need in order to quell your hunger and rejuvenate your spirit.」

When Izayoi nodded in satisfaction, Asterios ordered his subordinates to stand down and started walking together with the other two.

It seems that the meeting room is a little farther away from here.

If he were to start complaining about how hungry he was right then and there, then he would surely be on an express highway to being classified as a gluttonous character. So in order to prevent that from happening, Izayoi simply snatched some dried meat from Heracles’ leather bag as if nothing had happened.

While heading to the place of the meeting with the Players, Asterios muttered to him with a sigh:

「…………Izayoi. I am so glad that you finally woke up.」

「Hm?」

「You are the smartest and most loyal of all the Players that I have seen. Well, at least until you start acting selfish or rude, but you are definitely not someone who would be openly committing acts of evil aimed at others.」

「Well, how about that guy then? He seems like someone who is polite and loyal by nature, whereas in my case, whether I cooperate with anyone on anything depends largely on whether I find it interesting or not.」

He made fun of himself with his typical *Yahaha* laugh, but Asterios simply shook his head with a wry smile.

「Yes. I guess that is exactly the type of man that you are.」

「Yes, that I am indeed. So, if you have anything interesting to say say to me, I will be more than happy to listen to it right now.」

He made a wry smile again at the implication carried by Izayoi’s remarks. He just muttered that Izayoi really was a reliable companion, and then he led him and Heracles to another room located along one of the side paths.

Before they go attend the crisis meeting, there is probably something that Asterios wishes to discuss just with Izayoi and Heracles, and that is why he brought them here.

In front of the room where Asterios guided them, two women dressed as priestesses: Akasha and Lalah were waiting for them, most likely to act as their escorts.

When Akasha confirmed the arrival of the three, she greeted Izayoi with a soft smile.

「Oh my, it looks like Izayoi-sama has finally woken up! When I heard that you were the one who took care of our King Asterios while he was in the Outer World, I really wanted to express my thanks to you!」

「I wouldn’t really call it taking care of him, since all that I did was literally introducing him to a place where he could work so he could pay for his lodging. But if you wanted to thank someone, then by all means, go ahead and thank the owner of that place.」

Izayoi shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and Lalah, who was next to him, nodded earnestly.

「That sounds reasonable enough. After all, our king’s benefactor is also our benefactor as well.」

「I-I’ll do that myself! There’s no need to tell Don Bruno about my situation!」

「No way! That is unacceptable! If you weren’t there for him, then our king would probably end up perishing on the streets! In other words, we the people of Crete might have perished on the streets as well!」

「Don’t use a broad definition like that for everything and make it synonymous with doom, I’m begging you!」

In a Panic, Asterios hurriedly stopped them from escalating things needlessly, while Lalah and Akasha were about to start preparing small thank-you boxes.