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Last Embryo Volume 7 Chapter 3 Part 9

「Um… my name is Saigo Nanami. I look forward to working with you from now on.」

「That’s right, her name is Nanami-chan! Me, Aya-chan, and Asuka-san came up with the idea for it!」

Suzuka proudly gave her a thumbs up. Izayoi guessed the meaning of her name and narrowed his eyes.

(Nanami… Ah, I see. Name taken from the number 773, huh?)

Suzuka must have followed Canaria’s teaching that it is no good to give somebody a name that is not going to be connected to them in some way. That name might be reminding her of her painful past, but when it comes to humans, their past is always inseparable from them, no matter if it is a good or bad one. But in order for her to survive strongly and proudly in her new environment, it might be better for her to leave it in such a way.

「…… Nanami, huh. Well, it’s definitely not a bad name. After all, it’s said that a name is one of the first Gifts a person receives from others, so make sure that you’ll take good care of it, okay?」

「Yeah. I will be sure to cherish it.」

「By the way, is it really okay for you to be giving her Homura’s surname? I mean, the custom of those who don’t have surnames getting whatever surname they want from the home’s enrollees still exists, right?」

「I think it is still around, but we don’t even know when we will be able to go back home with how things are now, right? Also, she really took a liking to it, and having her memorize some other surname along with her name would be uncomfortable for her now.」

Suzuka had a point there. It’s not a good idea to overwrite the first name a child learns over and over again. It’s not that Izayoi doesn’t have feelings for the Saigo surname, but this time it can’t be helped given the circumstances.

「Speaking of which, I don’t Homura anywhere. Is everything alright with him?」

「Hmm… I haven’t seen him today. I don’t really know what’s going on with him, but he’s been shutting himself in his room to make weapons for Iza-nii lately. Also, didn’t that machine of yours break down?」

Izayoi looked at his right hand and remembered.

His B.D.A broke due to the collision of his 『Another Cosmology』with Typhon’s 『Another Cosmology』. Using it was risky, but the instantaneous boost to combat prowess it was giving was truly unprecedented.

However, it is not like Izayoi to mourn what he has lost. He thought that now that he used its power and it broke then that was it, but if it is Homura we’re talking about, then surely he would be able to reproduce even something as complex as B.D.A.

「… Alright. Where is Homura?」

「The living area beyond the dining hall.」

「I won’t be able to leave this place for a while. Can the two of you call Homura here for me?」

「Roger that! We’ll stop by the cafeteria and bring you something back while we’re at it!」
「W-We’re at it!」

Saigo Nanami tried her best to imitate Suzuka’s tone. It’s nice to see that she found herself a role model, but Izayoi hoped that it won’t cause that innocent child to become foul-mouthed.

When Izayoi tried to scold her, Suzuka and Nanami teleported and disappeared. Izayoi made a mental note to himself that both of them would need re-education later.

(I’m curious about Homura, but I’m also curious about Kasukabe and the others. If I remember correctly, that chibi runt should have also been present on that battlefield five days ago.)

Gin Russell, their former 『No Name』comrade who now belongs to 『Avatara』. He suspects that there must be some reason for him to do so, but considering the current situation, it is highly likely that he is acting with Kasukabe You’s approval.

(I wish I could understand chibi runt’s intentions… What the hell is that brat thinking?)

「Izayoi-kun! Other Players want to see a copy of the inscription!」

「Aiyo. I’ll be there soon, so wait a minute!」

The continent continues to experience severe earthquakes. He doesn’t know how long this underground fortress can stay undiscovered. There is no time until the final battle. It will start in half a day at the earliest.

In order to defeat the Demon Lord Typhon, it is necessary to proceed with many things at the same time.

If they won’t solve the mystery of the Chief God’s Declaration as quickly as possible, they won’t make in time for the final battle.

「We got a total of six inscriptions. I’m assuming that there are three that are involved in solving the riddle. In other words, from these three inscriptions, we must solve the mystery of the Chief God’s Declaration.」

「It’s not only about the inscriptions, but also the myths and traditions that need to be researched to solve it. As a Game Maker, that’s something I’m pretty good at, fufun!」

Misha sticks her chest out proudly, But Connla pulled her flaxen hair with a dumbfounded face.

「What are you talking about? We can’t use the Sun Authority carelessly, and we can’t show our hands anymore than we already did, so we’re going to retreat.」

「Eh?! H-Hey, wait…!」

「Information will be shared with all the Players anyway. There is no reason to participate anymore if you don’t want to.」

A casual duo then retreated by the wall with Connla still pulling Misha by the hair. Izayoi and Alma honestly thought it was a shame.

It’s a shame that the spear-wielding boy was keen enough not to let the girl who called herself Misha participate, because if it was at all possible then he would have liked to have her participate in the investigation as well so that they could successfully draw out any information about the Vatican in Rome, or her relationship with the Medici family out of her.

「… Well, I’m fine with it as well, so until we finally solve the mystery, this lineup is going to have to be enough. I will now pass my smartphone around, so I would like all the Players to have a look at what is being displayed on its screen.」

The Players crowded around the LCD screen.

Some of them had interesting reactions like Heracles, but they were promptly kicked away by Izayoi who would allow no special treatment to anyone in particular.

A copy of the inscription from the stone pillar read as follows:

Inscription 1: 「In accordance with the Chief God’s Declaration, Perseus is declared to be the firstborn son of the Great Father Zeus」.
Inscription 2: 「The currently binding definition of Demigods was created by the Great Father Zeus in the Chief God’s Declaration.」
Inscription 3: 「Heracles has a 100% probability of existence under the prerequisite conditions.」
Inscription 4: 「Those who have reached the true meaning of the Chief God’s Declaration should reveal the solution to its mystery under the Great Tree in the depths of the earth」.
Inscription 5: 「Constellations are not allowed to shine without understanding the true meaning of the Chief God’s Declaration」.
Inscription 6: 「The one who wants to unravel the true meaning behind the Chief God’s Declaration has to walk the same royal road that the Great Father Zeus did. Never forget that」.
The one who made the mistake was Indra, the King of the Gods.

When everyone has finished reading through the contents of the copy, Izayoi pointed to the recovered smartphone’s LCD screen and says:

「I think the people who read the copy’s contents will understand, but in order to solve the riddle this time, we need to be familiar with the legend of Perseus….」

What followed was a moment of heavy silence.

Izayoi knows it thoroughly of course, but not everyone is as familiar with mythology as he is. That is why in order to keep things fair for everyone involved, it is something that the Players should hear about from the mouth of someone who not a facilitator, and as far as everyone knew, they had only one candidate available for that role.

The Players looked at Almatea all at once, and then…

「… Of course! I also prepared a picture-book show of Perseus’s story just in case something like this happened!」

*Don!*

「As expected of the Chief God’s wet nurse! I don’t hate women who know what to do before they’re asked for it!」

「I am honored to receive such a compliment.」

「I was wondering what you were doing before the Game started, but to think that it would be something like that… well, no matter. Before the game started, I was wondering what he was doing. Well, he said yes. Shall we proceed with our brainstorming session after we watch the picture-book show that Alma made?」