In a certain country, there exists a particularly unpalatable ingredient, "K."
S-san, who is studying to become a chef, believes they can create delicious dishes using K.
However, S-san has never cooked with K, nor do they plan to. There's no tasty K around them, and no chefs capable of using K well. They mostly rely on foreign ingredients. It's unclear if tasty K even exists in the country.
Yet, S-san starts a K farm. They're not even a full-fledged chef, managing this alongside their studies. If K could be made delicious so easily, someone else would've done it already.
Curiously, a foreign chef supported S-san's farm. Why? Coming from abroad, they should know K's inferiority better than local chefs. Could it be related to S-san's older sister, a culinary authority? If so, it's clearly a form of polite bribery.
If S-san can't grasp such basic truths, they don't understand human hearts. Such people are destined for a pathetic downfall.
S-san's dream will likely collapse and vanish midway.
But that's okay!
Surely, someone else will take S-san's grand failure as a lesson and realize that dream! If it's truly a wonderful ideal, it should be wonderful to others too. Someone else will strive to achieve it.
Thus, the baton of ideals is passed to someone who can realize it in the best form.
It doesn't have to be you who succeeds.
It shouldn't be you.
"Even so..."
The mysterious doctor glared at the dragon-formed Demon God.
"The top-priority patient is that Demon God. I never thought I'd have to treat them again."
The Demon God trembled violently.
It understood this woman was its end.
"No, no, no, I don't want to die, don't want to die, don't want to die! Live, live, live, live! I won't end. I can't end. We mustn't end. Not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet. In this world, I'll continue that ideal—! It must be me! I must do it! Only I—!"
"That's wrong."
"Those words may be your heart, but they aren't the truth. Based on my examination, you're sick."
Everyone present realized that was the examination.
The doctor drew a scalpel from her pocket.
"Let's begin the emergency operation. Permission? That comes later."
"Emergency treatment!"
"The princess is seriously the princess!"
"Crazy doctor ☆!"
"This is bad, bad!"
"Right, Master, Mash—escape now! Don't let Andromalius's sacrifice be in vain!"
"Uh, ××? Who's that head nurse-like doctor?"
"She's the top disciple of Florence Nightingale, summoned by him."
"Eh?"
"Why'd he summon Nightingale of all people…?"
"He regretted it big time. It piled on extra work. No time for chatter—move, quick!"
"A bit too desperate, Undertaker."
"It's like the Fifth Singularity, or worse…" .
"Honestly, she's scarier than Sensei. Sensei's a runaway dump truck, but her brakes are just loose. They work, which makes her trickier. So, let's escape. I doubt it'll happen, but if she bonds with Master, or if Asia gets summoned, I'm heading back to the Throne!"
"That extreme?"
"—What a pathetic man, so desperate to escape a woman."
"You're still here, self-proclaimed Cao Cao?"
"Who's self-proclaimed?!"
"Shut up! Don't flaunt an ancestor's name you didn't even know until someone—a monkey—told you! Hero, monster, or god—scary is scary!"
"He said it! He called her scary!"
"Quiet! What's wrong with calling scary things scary?!"
"Don't double down!"
"Really? That woman would probably look at you and say, 'Cao Cao's name value isn't quite enough to gather heroes worldwide, is it?'"
"…Guh…!"
"That hit hard."
"Guh!"
"The one saying it's hurt too!"
"Haa, haa, aah, aaah, ugh, aaah! Haa, gah…! Gobo, ha—ha!"
"Leader?!
"Hold it together, Cao Cao!"
"Wow…"
"Phew, phew. Listen, self-proclaimed heroes. Do you even know why Kyoto was chosen for summoning Great Red?"
"Uh, because it's the best spot for it… right, Georg?"
"Yeah. Cao Cao picked it from several candidates…"
"To sabotage the alliance between the Three Factions and Kyoto?"
"No, that's part of it, but not the main reason."
"S-Stop—!"
"I'll tell you. Kyoto was chosen because Japan has the highest recognition of Cao Cao in the world!"
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"You wouldn't get it. Your names are known worldwide. But in China, the Three Kingdoms' fame is low! In Japan, Cao Cao's name is decently known—thanks to games!"
"Shut up!"
"Oof."
"Bullseye…"
"Didn't want to know that."
"Quiet, self-proclaimed heroes! I know you know nothing about the hero Cao Cao. When we met, you pretended to know to avoid looking ignorant—I know that too!"
"That's a lie!"
"Sorry… it's true."
"And right now, Azazel and Serafall are in Kyoto. Both are into Japanese subculture, so they likely know Cao Cao. That's why you chose to attack now!"
"That's absurdly petty!"
"Ehh? Our Kyoto was attacked for that?"
"Mother, stay strong!"
"Are you alright, Lady Yasaka?"
"My apologies, foreign knight. The shock was… overwhelming."
"I understand. If barbarians invaded for such a reason, I'd be at a loss. Even Agravain would be stunned. No need to feel sorry—it's a man's duty to support a lady. It's my pride—"
"Sir Lancelot."
"Uh, Mash? This is unavoidable."
"I apologize on our leader's behalf."
"We're truly sorry!"
"Stop! Don't bow! No Japanese dogeza! You'll ruin my standing!"
"You had no standing to begin with, self-proclaimed Cao Cao!"
"I hate agreeing with the enemy, but what are you doing? Ancestral fame isn't that big a deal,."
"What do you know…?"
"Huh?"
"You, reborn as the great hero Heracles, known worldwide—what do you know about me, a descendant of a general barely recognized even in China?!"
"…I almost got swept up in the mood, but I'm not the bad guy here! It's your fault for having that complex!"
"Leader, crying while saying that…?"
"Yeah. You raised your roots as a banner without verifying them. Saying you're Cao Cao's descendant—did you check how you're connected? He had many children."
"Shut up."
"…It's scary, isn't it?"
"Shut up!"
"If you're descended from someone mediocre, what then? A rising star? Welcome. A warlord? Thrilling. But a minor figure, only a name in history? That'd break your heart!"
"Shut uuuup!"
"This makes you rethink alliances."
"What's this about being Cao Cao? If you're born a warlord's heir, Xiang Yu's better!"
"××-san, you like Xiang Yu?"
"Only Liu Bang fans dislike him. I like both. Honestly, in Japan, why's the Three Kingdoms more famous than Liu Bang or Xiang Yu? It's baffling to locals. Truth is, every time Master summoned a Servant, I hoped for Xiang Yu and dreaded Cao Cao. Any Xiang Yu is cool just by being Xiang Yu. But Cao Cao? He has to exceed my vision, or I'd hate him."
"That's unreasonable…"
"No clue what's going on, but I totally get it. Pure relatability."
"So, that guy's from the future…?"
"Something like that…"
"Look, ××, I get wanting to escape, but we need to help her. She can't handle a Demon God alone—"
"—So, it doesn't have to be me…? Someone else can do it?! Haha, hahahahaha, gyahahahahahaha!"
"Treatment complete."
"It's over?!"
"See? You didn't escape in time!"
"No, defeating a Demon God Pillar solo in that time is insane! Who is she?!"
"—I'm Asia Argento. As you can see, just a doctor. Time is finite—let's start the next treatment."
True Name: Asia Argento
Class: Caster
Stats:
Strength: D+
Endurance: A
Agility: B
Mana: A
Luck: B+
Noble Phantasm: C+
Skills:
Item Construction: D
Territory Creation: B
Medical Technique: A+
Biological Understanding: A
Pioneer of the Stars: EX
Noble Phantasm: Smile of the Holy Mother - Immaculate Aurora Garden
Notes: The tragic saint Asia Argento, transformed into the ultimate doctor under the influence of Servant Berserker Florence Nightingale. Her "Biological Understanding" stems from treating humans, Demon Gods, evil dragons, and even apocalyptic beasts. Servants are exempt from this skill.
***
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