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Last Embryo Volume 8 Chapter 3 Part 3

「I saw someone who looked like Kasukabe You at the other side of that cliff.」

That was the last time when anyone last seen her.

Approximately one month has passed since Kasukabe You, leader of the Grand Alliance, went missing.

Sharol Gunark, one of the members belonging to the 『Six Scars』Community and Kuro Usagi had come to the mountainous region in the southern part of Little Garden in search of Kasukabe You, who simply disappeared one day.

The forested mountainous area has not been cleared completely, and the only roads available are the ones in the form of rough animal trails that could be seen here and there. This place, which is more than 1,000 miles away from the nearest site of human habitation, is hard enough just to get there, much less move around freely.

Kuro Usagi walked lightly through the forests of the mountains and perches on the cliffs while looking around for any signs of You’s presence.

「I’m pretty sure that the information we received mentioned that the last place where You-san was sighted was somewhere around here.」

「Hey, hey, wait a minute! Wait a minute I said If sis Kuro Usagi continues to run so fast, I won’t be able to catch up!」

Kuro Usagi looked back at Sharol while tilting her head, and her rabbit ears did the exact same thing.

While being covered with beads of shining sweat, Sharol was trying to keep up with Kuro Usagi while following after her through the forest.

「Ayaya…….. Oh, I’m sorry. I think I got a little distracted!」

「No, it’s okay… I know that asking to slow down would be unreasonable, what with the 2nd War for the Sun’s Authority drawing ever closer and all.」

Sharol gasped and scratched his cat ears with a wry smile, while Kuro Usagi stretched out her bunny ears and nodded strongly.

「That’s right! In order for us 『No Names』to claim victory in the War, it is a self-evident truth that the power of You-san, who is the leader of the entire Community now , is indispensable… and yet she went and disappeared on us like that all of a sudden! As both Organizers of the War and Players who will participate in it, this is something that we absolutely cannot allow!」

Kuro Usagi’s ears stood on ends angerly, as if they wanted to pierce the heavens themselves.

Sharol scratches her cheek with a wry smile at the sight of Kuro Usagi and her struggles.

「Hahaha, you certainly have another layer of difficulty to your already hard situation, aren’t you? Well, since your Community is one of the closest allies of the 『Six Scars』then you winning the entire War would benefit us as well, so for that to happen, we won’t hesitate to use our everything to cooperate with you!」

「YES! That would be very helpful of you!」

Sharol stretches out her tail and willingly accepted Kuro Usagi’s praise, and Kuro Usagi herself stretched out her bunny ears and lowered her head in gratitude.

『No Name』 on the East Side and 『Six Scars』on the South Side. The relationship between these two Communities is a long one that continues from the previous generation and still lasts even today. That is probably why Kuro Usagi asked Sharol, someone who is familiar with the topography of the South Side, to be her guide .

The fact that Kasukabe You, whom they have come here in search of in the first place, is also the leader of the Community alliance to which Kuro Usagi’s and Sharol’s Communities both belong to only added to the sense of urgency, since there is no doubt that she is an indispensable talent who needs to participate in the 2nd War for the Sun’s Authority if 『No Name』can even begin to have any hopes of winning.

As long as they don’t know when Sakamaki Izayoi will return, she’s the only woman who can be called their greatest force in the current situation, so she must be brought back at all costs.

Sharol climbed the cliff she was aiming for and stood on the top of it to look down on the surroundings area.

「Hmm. I can smell the water nearby.」

「If we’re looking for any traces of life in such a remote area, should we go check there?」

「Well, it’s one of the basics of looking for people in the wilderness, so we might as well. However, I can also smell some mythical beasts, so we best thread carefully.」

With that said, Sharol jumped off a cliff.

Rather than a dignified lady, it would be best to describe Kasukabe You as a civilized child of the wilds. According to what Kuro Usagi told her, there was this one time when she disappeared and came back to the Community covered is such ungodly amounts of mud that she could be easily mistaken for a beast herself or something.

It is said that when the beautiful head maid saw her figure at that time, she lamented greatly, saying: 「Of all the possible things, why did she had to take that habit after her father?!」

The two of them, who were walking towards the waterside while vigilantly looking around, suddenly slowed down their stride and shouted at the same time when they saw a huge plant that seemed to pop out right in front of them.

「What is that!?」

「An Ivy Cage, perhaps?」

Kuro Usagi announced with a solemn face. The huge cage that seemed to be made out of ivy was overgrown over a lake in a mountain ditch.

Sharol touched the ivy and observes it closely, frowning her brows.

「This seems to be a Western Ivy, isn’t it? If I were to hazard a guess, then I would say that it has grown to such a gigantic size due to some kind of Gift… because no matter how I look at it, growing it to such a large size naturally would take too much time and effort.」

「If we think about it that way… then perhaps it would be better to think about it as a seal rather than a naturally grown plant?」

「Okay. Should we try opening it?」

「Don’t do that.」

When the two of them were thinking about what they should do, they heard a voice from inside the ivy cage. Hearing a familiar female voice, Kuro Usagi stretched out her bunny ears and rushed towards the ivy cage

「Y-You-san!! Are you the one trapped inside?!」

「Yes. Actually, I was asked by the Unicorns to help restore them and I agreed to help them… but then I was caught in a poacher’s trap and ended up becoming like this.」

A dejected You’s voice came from beyond the ivy cage, and Kuro Usagi jumped up in surprise when she heard her.

「W-What did you say?! To think that there were still poachers in the lower floors who could set a trap that could seal even someone like You-san away…」

Kuro Usagi couldn’t help it but to become speechless at how surprising these news were.

Kasukabe You, who is currently caught in a cage of ivy, is the leader of the current 『No Name』as well as the biggest Community Alliance currently known in Little Garden, which made her one of Little Garden’s most respected people. So if there are poachers who were capable of capturing her despite all of her power and reputation…

Just as Kuro Usagi was thinking that, another voice called out from inside of the ivy cage… one belonging to one of the Unicorns.

『It would seem that this time our clan has caused you quite a lot of trouble, Kuro Usagi-dono.』

「Ayaya!? That voice, you are…?」

『Yes. I am the Unicorn that your Community has rescued from the drought disaster. I sincerely congratulate you on your Community’s appointment as the 「Floor Master」of the East Side. So, now you finally have a foothold to regain its former glory?』

「Y-You’re being too polite! I should be the one who should be thanking you, since if it wasn’t for the unicorn horn that you’ve given us, I wouldn’t have been able to save Izayoi-san after he was critically wounded in the battle against Demon Lord Azi-Dahaka!」

*Usa!* Kuro Usagi stretched out her ears and says thank you. A horn is one of the Unicorn’s greatest treasures, and still he chose to give it to them at the best timing possible.

『If it means that I helped in the reconstruction of your Community, then I am all the more glad that I have decided to give it to you. I have no idea what is currently going on in the world… but this time, it seems like we were the ones who caused you a great deal of trouble, and for that… I am deeply sorry.』