After the blinding white light that made it impossible to keep her eyes open, Saber sensed something was amiss. Standing on the familiar yet strange land above the Great Hollow, she frowned deeply. Although she didn't know the exact situation, she was certain that she and Shirou had encountered an extraordinary event.
"Shirou, this place is..." Saber began, but her words trailed off as she realized Shirou, who had been by her side just moments ago during the burst of white light, was nowhere to be found. Not only Shirou but also Illya, Berserker, and the others were missing. She was the only one left in the entire forest.
Despite the alarming circumstances, Saber felt slightly relieved as she could sense, however faintly, that Shirou was still alive. Looking down the mountain, she noticed the seasons seemed reversed, the familiar town lay in ruins, and a huge crater she had never seen before dominated the town center. There were no signs of human activity.
Realizing her first action in this unfamiliar world should be to regain her strength, Saber heard her stomach growl. Yes, the King was hungry.
...
After searching the entire forest, Saber couldn't even find a rabbit or any living creature and ultimately fell to her knees. The situation in this world was harsher than she had imagined.
"Damn it!" Saber punched the frozen ground in frustration, unable to believe she couldn't even find food.
At the sound of rustling behind her, Saber's eyes widened with hope. Perhaps it was... food! But her hope was quickly dashed when she turned to see Bazett in tattered formal wear approaching her. The hope in Saber's eyes quickly turned to disappointment and she hung her head low.
Seeing the strange gleam in Saber's eyes and the crystalline drool forming at the corners of her mouth, Bazett halted immediately. Saber looked like she was about to devour her, like a predator eyeing its prey. However, when Saber recognized her, she turned away, once again shrouded in a low-pressure aura, silently wiping her mouth.
After an unusually long and awkward silence, Bazett decided to ask this servant, who seemed to have arrived here before her, for information. However, before she could speak, Saber stood up and seriously addressed her.
Slightly startled by Saber's sudden movement, Bazett became cautious, not wanting to become her food. Saber, oblivious to the misunderstanding her behavior had caused, placed her hand on her chest and spoke earnestly.
"I know we both have a lot of questions about our current situation, but before that, I have something more important to ask you."
Bazett, tense and nervous, swallowed hard. "You... you can ask."
"Though it's a bit difficult to ask, it's very important. Do you... have any food?"
Bazett was momentarily stunned, processing Saber's earnest yet desperate question.
...
Standing behind a dead tree in the forest surrounding the Great Hollow, Saber watched the crater intently. According to Bazett, she had also appeared here, though half a day later than Saber. This meant not only enemies but also Shirou and others could appear here.
The best course of action was to stay hidden and wait. Despite the harsh conditions, lack of food, and terrible environment, there was no other choice. Saber had faced similar hardships leading her troops in the past.
Thinking about Bazett's calm analysis—that they couldn't afford to be weakened by hunger and cold in battle—Saber felt a pang of nostalgia. Bazett's actions reminded her of a loyal retainer from her past. But where was she now?
...
Hearing the sound of footsteps on the snow behind her, Saber reminded herself to stay calm. A king must never show weakness, especially not a desperate need for food. When Bazett arrived and offered food, Saber accepted it without turning around, trying to appear nonchalant.
Crunch! "Pfft—!" Saber spat out the tree root-like food instantly, feeling as if she had returned to the hardest times of her past. Was modern society harsher than wartime? She asked in disbelief.
"What... what is this?" Saber asked, hiding her expression in shadows.
"Food," Bazett replied.
"But it looks like wood..."
"It's a tree root."
It was truly harsher than the war era! Saber looked at the tree root in her hand with a blackened expression, unable to bring herself to eat it.
"Does it not suit your taste? I also found burdock..." Bazett offered.
Hearing the word "burdock," Saber felt a renewed strength from its powerful sound. But upon seeing the burdock Bazett handed over, Saber's face went blank again. It was indeed harsher than her time.
In the end, Saber declared that as a Heroic Spirit, missing a few meals wouldn't affect her, and thus declined Bazett's offerings, albeit with tears in her eyes and a deep longing for Shirou.
If Shirou were here, he would surely produce delicious food from nowhere. Shirou, I will wait for you until the very end!
...
That night, due to hunger and cold, Saber followed Bazett to an abandoned school Bazett had found. After warming herself with a makeshift fire, Saber reluctantly agreed to rest there. With her magic power depleted, she needed sleep to conserve energy. However, seeing the tree roots and burdock Bazett brought, Saber couldn't sleep with an empty stomach.
In the middle of the night, Saber quietly rose and tried nibbling on the burdock. But after one bite, she spat it out again, silently asking, "Shirou, where are you?"
...
The third group to arrive in this world was Archer and Illya, who appeared almost simultaneously two days after Saber. As soon as she regained her senses, Illya saw the exhausted Saber with dark circles under her eyes and the calm Bazett chewing on a tree root.
"Um..." Illya looked around and sighed, "It seems we've been caught up in something really troublesome."
"Ilyasviel! Do you have any food?!" Saber, no longer embarrassed by the question, stood up and asked seriously.
Hearing Saber's question, Archer, with his arms crossed, couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows. In such an abnormal situation, why was Saber only thinking about food?
"Let's exchange information first, Saber and... the mage from the Association," Illya suggested seriously, noting the signs indicating the two had been in this world for over two days.
...
Passing through a park, Illya, who loved cleanliness, turned on a faucet to wash her face with cold water. Looking around, she sighed again, "We don't know the time in this world, what happened to this city, or what caused the crater in the center. Did you two really search thoroughly?"
"We thought waiting here might be better, and we didn't find any enemies in this city..." Bazett replied.
"I see..." Illya nodded, but then noticed a small figure with a parasol watching them from the edge of the park.
Seeing Beatrice observing them, Illya's expression turned serious. "Did you really search this city thoroughly?"
"Yes, we patrolled it," Bazett nodded.
"Then why did the enemy you said wasn't here just appear?!"
Looking in the direction Illya pointed, Bazett saw Beatrice and thought for a moment before responding, "I don't know."
"Don't think you can get away with just saying that!"