The Forsaken Land — Moon City.
Patrolmen paced along the city walls, torches in hand, to ward off the threat of monsters sneaking into the city.
For thousands of years, the people of Moon City had lived without food. To survive, they could only eat the flesh and blood of monsters — the very monsters that had once been their kin and friends before mutating. The flesh of monsters carried poison and madness, yet generation after generation, they were forced to consume it, accumulating the toxins and insanity within their own bodies.
The price they paid was far more than a mere drop in average lifespan. Those whose bodies still remained "normal" began to show subtle signs of mutation. Worse still, their newborns were increasingly likely to be born deformed.
Deformities multiplied. At this rate, within just a few generations, Moon City's people might lose control of their bodies before they could even grow up or bear offspring.
Moon City was on the verge of extinction — not from invasion or war, but from its own decay.
Yet, the faces of the patrolmen bore no trace of worry. Their situation had greatly improved — because their "General" had arrived.
Several patrol members gathered, eagerly praising the greatness of this "General." The General had appeared suddenly a few days ago, bringing food, water, and all kinds of supplies. The citizens of Moon City adored and revered her.
While they were still chatting, a red figure emerged from the darkness, approaching them. In the past, they would have drawn their weapons in alarm. But now, they rushed forward in excitement.
Raising their hands, they leapt and shouted in unison:"General! General!"
The General, mounted on her horse, lifted a hand to greet them. Their voices grew even louder:"General! General!"
She rode past them, humming a soft tune they couldn't understand:
"If you bring me snow-white cities from the east, my longing will bloom in the wind…"
The citizens of Moon City poured out through the gates, waving their hands and shouting:"General! General!"
On horseback, the General calmed the excited crowd. Raising a hand, she delivered a stirring "speech" to rally the people of Moon City:
"Your salt, my vinegar! People of Moon City — watch your rice and pots, the bowls are breaking!"
The citizens erupted in even wilder cheers.
The red-haired beauty on the back of the Red Hare looked at the fervent masses and couldn't help but recall what had happened just a few days before.
She remembered — or rather, thought she remembered. Time had become blurry to her.
A few days ago…
"That wall wasn't built to protect Chaldeas — it's a checkpoint. To block out foreign entities."
"Eh? Foreign entities? Who? Me?"
"Ahead lies the true domain of Proper Human History. You cannot enter as you are now."
"Huh? Why not?"
"In your previous battles, you overused powers that do not exist within Proper Human History. You misused classes that should not exist — so the world itself now recognizes you as an anomaly."
"So after saving the world seven times, I'm the anomaly now?"
No one answered.
Fujimaru Ritsuka — or rather, the Human Evil, Fujimaru Ritsuka — let out a crazed, mocking laugh.
"Heh… hehehehe… looks like this so-called 'Human Order' really doesn't know how to appreciate gratitude."
Human Evil · Fujimaru Ritsuka — has entered the stage!
Unfortunately, as a human, she could not defeat Human Order itself. She was slapped — quite literally — out of the world.
Perhaps Chaldea's clairvoyants, prophets, and future-seers had foreseen something, because none of them stopped her from challenging the Human Order alone.
But as she was flung away, the Heroic Spirits of Chaldea joined forces to cast a protective barrier around her.
She didn't know how long she drifted in the void. Eventually, with the help of a kind stranger, she descended into this world.
Upon arrival, newly hatched from her cocoon, her first instinct was to summon a Servant — but to her dismay, her magical energy was insufficient.
The sphere surrounding her glowed softly, protecting her from being swallowed by the darkness. Her instincts warned her that letting the darkness consume her would lead to something terrible.
She examined herself and discovered a magical item called the "Treasury of the Retainer" (臣之宝库) — a counterpart to the "King's Treasury." It allowed her to store items within.
After rummaging around, she found only basic supplies, a few plain clothes, and one strange device.
Trying it out, she found — miraculously — that she could establish a faint connection with Chaldea. Unfortunately, it only allowed her to receive messages left behind.
The message was simple:
"You can use magical energy to create Saint Quartz Fragments. Seven fragments make one Saint Quartz. Three Saint Quartz can be used to contact Chaldea — perhaps to summon a Servant, or receive an item."
Her eyes sparkled.
"I know this! It's gacha! It's gacha time!"
The ever-resourceful Gudako began crawling across the ground like a worm, muttering incomprehensible eldritch incantations:
"Gacha… gacha… ten-roll… ten-roll…"
"There's always a free ten-pull for new players, right?" she said, slapping the machine.
Clang! — thirty Saint Quartz tumbled out.
"Hahahaha! I knew it! Ten-roll, baby! Kahaha!"
She immediately began summoning.
"Answer my call… my beloved!"
A flash of golden light filled the air — a red-armored, handsome centaur materialized before her.
"Rider — manifesting here. Let the matchless me become your strength henceforth—"
Before he could even finish, Fujimaru Ritsuka scuttled up his horse like a cockroach, wrapping all four limbs around the Red Hare.
"Hahh… haaah… Red Hare~!" she moaned, clinging to him like a deranged fangirl.
It seemed that being rejected by the Human Order had hit this Master a little too hard.
At least, that's what Red Hare thought.
(End of Chapter)