The fallen princess of a ruined kingdom.
The embalmer of the Holy City.
The handmaiden of Deathshade.
That's who she was?
And she came from the same game as the one Su Mu was roleplaying—Great Herta.
To think… her teammate in the National Fate Forbidden Zone would be Castorice?
Now that was interesting.
"Hello, I'm Herta," Su Mu said first, her voice calm and composed.
She knew her.
But Castorice didn't know her.
Castorice blinked, slightly surprised, then returned the greeting with polite detachment.
"Hello. I'm Castorice."
"From today on, we're teammates in this Forbidden Zone."
"…Mm."
Castorice gazed across the barren land, her brows faintly furrowed.
She could feel it—her power was being suppressed.
This place… something about it was dampening her energy.
[Defeat monsters to earn rewards. Unlock your sealed power.]
A silent message flashed in her mind.
She paused, then understood.
So this was the trial of this strange world.
Just then—
She suddenly realized Herta had somehow appeared behind her, so close their bodies nearly touched.
In that instant, Castorice could feel Herta's breath against the back of her neck.
Her pupils shrank.
She flinched and quickly stepped away.
Turning around, her eyes flickered with surprise and a hint of panic before she composed herself.
"…What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Herta replied innocently, though a sly glint flickered in her eyes. "Just wanted to discuss tactics."
Of course, she knew Castorice preferred to keep her distance.
That eerie aura of death she carried—any living being within five steps would feel its oppressive chill.
Over time, Castorice had grown used to isolation.
But Herta wasn't just any living being.
Even though she hadn't inherited all of Great Herta's power, she could still sense it—
Castorice's strength was being suppressed too.
Likely a side effect of the Forbidden Zone.
In fact, Castorice was currently weaker than her.
So Herta had no fear of that deathly aura.
"I'm sorry.." Castorice said coolly. "I'm used to keeping my distance. If we're going to talk strategy, please don't get so close."
She'd never felt this before.
As someone who avoided contact with the living, that breath on her neck had sent shivers down her spine.
And something else—something unfamiliar—stirred inside her.
Herta, savoring the faint floral scent unique to Castorice, chuckled softly. "Got it."
While Castorice found herself unable to meet Herta's gaze.
As Deathshade's handmaiden, she remembered every physical interaction she'd ever had.
And this one…
This one would be hard to forget.
Meanwhile, in China's livestream chatroom, the audience erupted:
—"Whoa! I didn't expect Castorice to be the cool, aloof type—I love her even more now!"
—"Not gonna lie, I'm jealous of Castorice in that moment…"
—"Herta-mama, can we talk tactics too? Please?"
—"…Guys, can you stop simping for five seconds? We don't even know if they'll survive!"
The viewers had unknowingly split into three camps:
Team Castorice Team Herta And Team "Please Let Us Live"
And all of this…
Was just the beginning of the chaos the National Fate Forbidden Zone would bring.