The grand hall of the royal palace was soaked in sweet wine, roasted meat… and the stench of arrogance.
But Kaito did not taste a single bite.
—It wasn't that he didn't want to eat. He simply wasn't even allowed to approach the table.
He wore a torn, filthy school uniform.
His shoes were frayed, on the verge of falling apart.
On his hands were black leather gloves.
Inside them, several gray, colorless cards.
None of them emitted even the faintest light.
"Look at him…" one of the knights whispered.
"Did they really summon that from another world?"
"Hahaha. More than a hero, he looks like a mere clown, doesn't he?" another mocked, tossing an olive that struck Kaito on the forehead.
Kaito clenched his teeth.
But he didn't respond.
He knew it wasn't worth reacting.
Around him stood the real "heroes."
Summoned from other worlds, blessed with magic and divine protections, proud of their achievements.
They laughed, drank, and spoke of glory.
Kaito was the only mistake.
The only "miscalculation."
A useless summoned one.
He had no magic.
No aura.
No talent.
Only those gloves…
and incomprehensible cards.
"A laughingstock."
"Disappear, useless trash!" spat the captain of the royal guard.
"The kingdom has no resources to waste on parasites like you!"
Kaito did not answer.
With his head lowered, he staggered away from the hall.
His stomach, empty for days, growled.
No shelter.
No destination.
Merely existing.
---
Outside the Kingdom — The Black Forest
Twisted trees blocked out the sunlight, and a deathly silence ruled the forest.
Not even animals dared approach it.
They had sensed the scent of a "loser."
Kaito kept walking… until his knees finally gave out.
He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, his entire body trembling.
The gloves felt unbearably heavy.
Like a curse.
He clenched his fists…
and screamed.
"WHY—!?"
He raised his voice toward the sky.
"Why me!? Why was I summoned!? What are these gloves supposed to be!? What are these damn useless cards for!?"
His tears wouldn't stop.
Hunger.
Pain.
Humiliation.
Everything piled up in his throat, spreading like poison.
"GO TO HELL, GODS OF THIS SHITTY WORLD—!!"
"WHY… WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ME!?"
He hurled the cards to the ground.
One.
Then another.
—And then—
One single card glowed differently.
It was red.
The color of rage and domination.
Wrapped in a blazing aura, the black card began to pulse.
The gloves trembled.
Instinct… or desperation?
Kaito grabbed the card and pressed it against the glove.
> CLACK
The card fused with the glove and was launched into the air with a metallic sound.
And then—
The sky tore apart.
A vortex of darkness rose, and from the floating card a figure began to descend.
High heels.
A military cap.
A black uniform traced with red lines.
A woman with perfectly tied white hair.
Her eyes were cold…
yet brimming with unbreakable will.
The woman knelt on one knee before Kaito.
"I have been waiting for you, Commander Kaito."
Breathing raggedly, Kaito stared at her as if witnessing a hallucination.
"Waiting…?"
"Who… who are you?"
"I am your First Queen."
"One of the villains sealed by the gods for being too dangerous."
"Hands stained by history… were the ones that freed us."
She lifted her face and introduced herself.
"My name is Adelheid."
"She who was once called—
The Führerin of Collapse."
Kaito couldn't respond.
Strength left his body.
His legs gave out.
His mind failed to process it all…
…and he lost consciousness.
But before he fell, she firmly caught his body.
For the first time in hundreds of years, the expression of that woman—who had never once faltered—wavered slightly.
"So fragile… and yet, you are our chosen one."
"Rest, Commander Kaito."
"From now on… I will guide you in everything."
And with her silent oath—
The rise of the
Queens of Evil
had begun.