A room decorated like a princess's dream. A cute blonde toddler slept peacefully; in dawn's glow her face looked like a fallen Angel. Soon the Angel frowned, startled awake by a nightmare.
'That dream again—damn purple potato.'
She spat the curse, then glanced at the nearby mirror. The little Angel inside stared back. Sticking out her tongue, she headed to wash up. Five years had passed since her reincarnation. Artoria now knew the world—and that her body looked eerily like Artoria's; for a moment she'd thought the King of Knights had arrived.
Once she realized what universe this was, the nightmare returned monthly: a sentient purple potato smirking, snapping his fingers, everything turning to dust—terrifying.
'What's wrong, sweetheart? Something upset you?'
After washing and downing the milk the maid set out, Artoria was escorted to the lavish breakfast table. Her birth seemed to have awakened something in Howard: raise your daughter like a princess—and he did. The whole household doted on the adorable girl, including the reformed playboy big brother.
This morning, though, Howard and Tony were absent; only Maria, her mother in this life, joined her. Seeing her daughter's gloom, Maria stroked Artoria's silky blonde hair.
'Nothing, Mom—just a bad dream.'
Looking at the woman who cared for her, Artoria didn't pull away. Her past life was dead, but she could still accept a new family. She was petty, though—hurt her loved ones and she'd repay it a hundredfold. Emerald eyes flashed coldly, crimson magic Circuits flickered so fast Maria never noticed. Artoria hadn't forgotten: her new parents would die in a staged 'car crash,' and she knew exactly who'd orchestrate it.
'Hydra—before I deal with the purple potato, I'll shave off you world-threatening creeps.'
After a warm breakfast with Maria, Artoria returned to her room. The 1990s offered no games, but she had something better: her phone existed inside her soul. Back then she'd splurged on a high-capacity model loaded with Honkai, FGO, Onmyoji, Naruto, etc. After crossing, they'd all mutated.
Entering her mental space, she could see FGO still running. Other apps were frozen. Before her stood the heroic northern hemisphere, eyes closed, holy lance Rhongomyniad raised; behind it, the southern hemisphere mirrored the pose.
What bothered Artoria most were the two pools beside her—one red, one blue. She had done some experiments, tossing gems and miscellaneous items into each. The blue pool spat everything back out, while the red pool made them vanish completely. In return, the blue pool produced a Craft Essence: 'Innate Bounded Field', a mere 3-star in the game. The instant Artoria picked it up, it dissolved into motes of light and merged into her body.
'Even in another world, you can't kick your gacha addiction!'
Artoria sighed, gems and gold in hand. The thing devoured money—thankfully she had plenty. All she wanted was something she could actually use: Chakra, magecraft, or—if nothing else—a Herrscher Core.
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