In the hallway of Chaldea, a reasonably good-looking man was holding his forehead, lost in thought.

His name was Ian, a traveler from another world.

To be honest, he never really wanted to travel to another world.

After all, he was quite content with his life before crossing over—he had everything he wanted and lacked nothing essential.

But, as fate would have it, the oncoming truck still hit him, and the lightning that was meant to strike still found its mark. Unluckily for Ian, he got hit by both.

Just before dying, he had only managed to delete the racy pictures on his phone, and then everything went black. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in Chaldea, having somehow become the 49th Master candidate.

By "somehow," it meant he was told about his status as a Master candidate and the other associated details all at once.

Magic—?

Singularities—?

Heroic Spirits—?

What even are these things?

Ian felt like someone who had just learned that 1 + 1 equals something and was now being asked to solve a complex calculus problem.

What made things worse was the unmasked look of expectation in the eyes of those around him—they all seemed to assume he should know all of this.

However, he was somewhat fortunate. Despite not understanding any of the terms, his ability among the 49 Masters seemed to be above average, landing him in Group A.

He could vaguely hear terms like "unpolished jade" being used to describe him.

That should be a compliment, right?

Thinking along these lines, Ian unintentionally bumped into a girl.

She was a young girl with short pink hair and glasses, wearing Chaldea's standard white uniform and a distinctive red tie.

The only difference was her black dress, from which her fair legs emerged, making her look even more lively.

"Sorry, my bad," Ian apologized reflexively, stepping back a few paces to keep a distance from the girl in front of him.

"It's okay; I shouldn't have been so reckless either."

"Hey, wait, judging by your appearance, could it be that you're—"

Before the girl could finish her sentence, she glanced down the hallway as if she had seen something flash by.

Then she raised her hand and spoke hastily to Ian:

"Ah, I have something to attend to, we'll talk later—!"

And just like that, a chance encounter ended as casually as dust carried by a gentle breeze, settling back into its place.

Ian lowered his head and looked at his hand, still tinged with the warmth from the girl.

He had indeed touched somewhere he shouldn't have, and from his past experiences, that usually meant getting into some trouble—possibly even earning the label of "pervert."

However, the girl didn't seem to mind much.

Or perhaps in Chaldea, everyone was just too busy?

Come to think of it, that feeling was truly indescribable—it was his first time touching something so soft.

If given the chance in the future, Ian thought he might not miss out on enjoying that sensation a bit more.

The corridor was now empty, leaving only him behind.

Ian decided to head back to his room and rest for a while; after all, in his dazed state, he couldn't get anything done.

However, just as he touched the door to his room,

A strange sting emanated from the doorknob, numbing his entire body as if he had been electrocuted.

The pain seemed to be warning him that unexpected events would occur once he stepped through that door.

But, having already crossed worlds, what could be more unexpected than that?

Surely this was just an illusion brought on by static electricity?

Thinking this, Ian pushed open the door that had been trying to warn him.

As the door swung open, a white light engulfed Ian, and a cold voice echoed in his ears.

[Simulation cooldown in progress—cooldown complete.]

[Confirming environmental components—confirmation complete.]

[This simulation is a historical simulation. Please take note, user.]

The series of statements made Ian realize that this was not his imagination.

This was truly happening.

It seemed that the doorknob's warning was not false—beyond the door lay an entirely unforeseen path, one he had never anticipated.

[Confirming that this is the user's first simulation; selecting talents now.]

[Talents have been generated based on the user's characteristics for use in this simulation.]

[Boundless Energy: Your stamina far exceeds that of ordinary people. Even after intense exercise, you can maintain your physical activity. If you choose, you can go days without food or drink without feeling sluggish.]

[Battle Continuation: Driven by your promises to others, you will rise again even after severe injuries, as long as you haven't reached your destination.]

[Affability: Your words are more easily accepted by others, even if they aren't entirely accurate or may be filled with your own desires.]

Three talents, each described in detail, were laid out before Ian.

He began to understand what the simulation entailed—taking these extracted talents and applying them at various historical points.

This was far easier to grasp than those mages and Heroic Spirits from earlier.

The cold voice continued in Ian's ears, like an emotionless machine.

[Simulation officially begins.]

[After crossing into Chaldea, you undergo another crossing.]

[This time, you arrive in Britain.]

[You find yourself in a family that lost their parents early on, and through your tireless efforts, you become a knight in training.]

[Your hard work is noticed by your captain, and soon, you are promoted to a full-fledged knight, one of the many responsible for protecting Princess Morgan.]

[Privately, you admire this powerful yet cold princess and vow to fight for her, though she seems unwilling to accept any of it, often giving you the cold shoulder and maintaining a significant distance from you.]

[This troubles you deeply, but out of affection, you continue to guard her in silence, while wicked thoughts slowly begin to fester, eventually sparking into desire.]

[Before long, the entire kingdom enters a time of celebration. Everyone, including Morgan, drinks until they are drunk—everyone except you, who stays sober with something on your mind.]

[In that dark moment, you feel as if guided by some divine revelation, finding yourself at Morgan's chamber door, wide open as if welcoming someone in.]

[At this moment, your fate reaches a turning point.]