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Last Embryo Volume 8 Chapter 5 Part 2

「Of course.」

「Isn’t it wrong to think that when Particle Bodies I and Particle Bodies II are mixed, Particle Bodies I are going to transform into Particle Bodies II?」

「Yes. It’s exactly like you said, Chief Grimnir.」

「And I see that Particle Bodies II and Particle Bodies III have lost compatibility with one another… no, everything should be fine as long as it’s just going to be the issue of losing compatibility. So, in exchange for losing the versatility of the regular Star Particle Bodies in exchange for transforming into a specialized type that’s focused on making use of a single function…is it correct to interpret it as such?」

「Yes, that’s right.」

Head of Development Department Edward scratched the back of his head and recrossed his legs while mumbling 「 Astounding!」to himself, because what the meant was more or less that from the very beginning, there was a person who would be an absolutely necessary masterpiece needed to perfect the research of Star Particle Bodies.

「Until now, the hypothesis that we came up with stated that only the subjects who have been infused with Star Particle Bodies ever since they were in their fetal stage of growth would be capable of mass-producing Star Particle Bodies that would be the same as the 『Origin』ones… but now it needs to be changed to 「only special test subjects subjects who have been infused with Star Particle Bodies ever since they were in their fetal stage of growth are capable of mass-producing Star Particle Bodies that would be the same as the 『Origin』ones」… ahh, this is astounding! Devastating even!」

「I couldn’t agree more. Now that we know that we need specialized test subjects who can mass produce Star Particle Bodies similar to the 『Origin』since they are indispensable for advancing our Star Particle Bodies research, I say we need to find such test subjects immediately.」

Homura proposed their next course of action while maintaining an innocent attitude…. Because the game here has been rigged from the start, and Homura was the one holding the trump card in his hand.

Out of all the potential Star Particle Bodies research subjects, there are only two of them who have the power to advance Everything Company’s research: Sakamaki Izayoi and Saigo Homura, because they have both retained an idiosyncratic relationship with the 『Origin』Star Particle Bodies they had embedded into their bodies ever since they were fetuses.

In other words, without the cooperation from the both of them, the research of Star Particle Bodies is not going to be moving anywhere anytime soon, so right now Homura was simply waiting for the right moment to use that trump card.

「The source of the 『Origin』Star Particle Bodies… I wanted to postpone bringing him into the research facility as long as possible, but it would seem that this option is no longer on the table, wouldn’t you say?」

「Huh?」

「I am talking about Sakamaki Izayoi of course. He is just too smart for his own good, which is exactly why I didn’t want to bring him anywhere near this research institute… so that he wouldn’t come across some of his acquaintances from Little Garden here.」

At that moment, Homura’s whole body was assaulted by a chilling sensation that made him feel as if ever single hair in his body stood on end at that very moment.

Sensing Homura’s intention to turn this meeting into a game of mental shogi, Edward, the Chief of the Development Department took action of his own before Homura had the chance to declare that the game was over. While lighting his cigar and puffing its smoke out towards Homura’s face, Edward Grimnir stared at him with a snake-like glint shining in his eyes

「Now that things have become the way they did, I believe that we shouldn’t be hiding anything from each other anymore. We knew that Sakamaki Izayoi was one of the few precious Star Particle Bodies research subjects needed to advance the research further, but the reality is a little different still. In truth, Sakamaki Izayoi is not one of the few precious subjects, he is the only precious subject, so how about we call a truce between ourselves until the exact mechanism of that uniqueness of his can be clarified?」

「… so that means that you are the insider working for 『Ouroboros』!」

「That statement is half correct and half wrong. It’s correct to say that I’m in touch with 『Ouroboros Demon Lord Alliance』, but due to the recent events, 『Ouroboros’s』Commanders are beginning to have a change of heart, thinking that it will be more beneficial for them to simply wait and see how the next events are going to unfold

His unexpected words caused Homura’s entire body to stiffen.

「However, now that it has become clear that Sakamaki Izayoi is the only person in the world capable of mass-producing Star Particle Bodies that are identical to the 『Origin』ones, the other major powers of both worlds need to decide whether to capture Sakamaki Izayoi and use him or wait for your research to progress, Homura-kun. I also heard rumors that the members or 『Ouroboros』continue to act more and more outrageously as time goes on, but you can believe me when I say that at the end of the day, all of their actions are taken out of their desire to save mankind. The time will surely come when you will find out exactly what kind of organization 『Ouroboros』is, but let me tell you that the Commanders of the Demon Lord Alliance do not have unilateral, clearly defined ambitions, aside from the ones whose only ambition is to use the organization’s power for their own gains, just like me, for example.」

Chief Edward laughed mischievously when he finished his little speech. The reason why he told Homura about some of the internal affairs of『Ouroboros』 in the first place was probably because he thought that he could gain his trust this way.

He doesn’t feel any ill will emanating from him anymore, but it doesn’t change the fact that Edward Grimnir turned out to be someone around whom he should not be letting his guard down.

Homura reminded himself of that and braced himself before he continued talking.

「Edward-san. To tell you the truth… I thought you were one of the Navigators for the second round of the War.」

「Me? A Navigator? Haha, don’t be silly. When it comes to the 2nd War for the Sun’s Authority, I am only going to be involved in it for the third round, but since we’re already talking about that Navigators for the second round, they should be here soon.」
「Huh?」

Homura let out a surprised voice.

It was just then that a sound announcing the arrival of an outsider resounded all throughout the facility, followed by the sound of the two pairs of footsteps coming towards them straight from the research institute’s front door.

However, it was already late evening when the sun has set, and as far as Homura knew, there were no outpatient appointments scheduled for today, so he was wondering who the mysterious visitors might be, but the two foreigners that soon walked through the rest room’s door were definitely someone whom he didn’t expect to see….

…. Because one of them was Misha, the blonde girl wearing a 「Tripple Crown」T-shirt and a simple jacket.

「Hello, Homura-kun! I’m sorry that I didn’t have a chance to speak with you properly on the Lost Continent of Atlantis! Before we go any further, do I need to introduce myself again?」

「Eh… Uhm, you are Misha-san, if I remember correctly?」

「Ahaha, that name was nothing but a pseudonym, but it should be just fine to continue calling me Misha for the time being. And besides, members of my family aside, this guy right here is the only one that knows my real name.」

Misha pointed to her companion behind her with her thumb. The young man silently stepped forward and asked Homura for a handshake.

「Nice to meet you, Saigo Homura. I’m Connla, who was ordered to escort Misha around by Queen Halloween. I’m pretty much useless when it comes to solving mysteries and all that intellectual stuff, but I am pretty confident in my strength.」

「Queen Halloween… Does that mean that you guys have the same Sponsor that I do?」

「I’ll only say that you’re half right about that. Queen Halloween is just one of our Sponsors. It would seem that it has already been settled that we’re going to be in a cooperative relationship throughout the second round of the war, so even if we wanted to, we don’t have any right to veto that decision. Well, for the time being, let’s just take it easy, alright? We will probably join up with Ayato later… oh, and you can drop using the honorifics, since I hate being so stiff with people.」