The real world, Alliance Camp.
Aoki stood rooted to the spot, feeling every inch of his skin tingle under Yuelan’s gaze—so loving, it was almost scorching. Her words, her expression, those natural, affectionate gestures… everything pointed to a direction he found utterly inconceivable.
“Yuelan,” he steadied himself, trying to break the suffocating atmosphere, his voice carrying a hint of dryness almost imperceptible, “Why… are you suddenly so… concerned about me?”
He deliberately avoided using that terrifying phrase, “like a mother.”
Upon hearing his words, Yuelan’s clear blue eyes blinked, showing a trace of confusion, as if Aoki had asked the most obvious question in the world. She tilted her head slightly, her smile as gentle as ever—enough to drown someone in its warmth. “Why? Aoki, I watched you grow up… uh, I mean, you’re an important family member to me. Isn’t it only natural for me to care about you?”
“Family?” Aoki caught the subtle pause and correction in her words, and the doubts in his heart grew heavier. “Between us… it doesn’t seem like…”
Before he could finish, Yuelan seemed to be triggered by some invisible switch. Her gaze suddenly became deep and complicated, with a rich affection now tinged with an indescribable sorrow—and… obsession?
“Aoki,” she interrupted, her voice dropping lower, bearing a heaviness as if it carried the weight of countless years, “don’t you understand? Everything I’ve done is to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Aoki’s heart skipped a beat.
He stared closely into Yuelan’s eyes, not missing a single shift in her emotions.
Yuelan did not evade his gaze. Instead, she nodded openly, the obsession in her eyes becoming more pronounced. “Yes, confining you. But it’s not punishment, Aoki. It’s protection! The outside world is too dangerous: the Demon Lord’s Army, the infighting within the Church, and those… those who covet you with ill intent!” Her voice grew agitated, filled with a nearly fanatical conviction. “Only by my side, under my care, are you truly safe. I even… I even gave you those medicines because I wanted you to calm down, so you wouldn’t get caught up in outside troubles and get hurt. Though… though it seems I got it wrong, and you ended up sleeping for so long…”
She reached out, wanting to touch Aoki’s cheek again, her eyes shining stubbornly with the light of “it’s all for your own good.” “I know you might hate me, might not understand me. But it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re safe, I don’t care about any misunderstandings I have to bear.”
Listening to her “heartfelt confession,” Aoki only felt a chill run from the soles of his feet up to the crown of his head.
This logic was twisted, but behind that twisted logic was a protective urge so strong it could warp behavior itself. And this protectiveness seemed not only to be aimed at him…
A terrifying thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
He suddenly took a step back, his voice trembling before he even noticed: “Protect me? So, in your eyes, anyone who could be a ‘threat’ to me needs to be ‘removed,’ is that right?”
Yuelan looked at him, her gentle smile fading slightly, replaced by a cold, unquestionable calm. She didn’t answer directly, but her silence was an answer in itself.
Aoki’s heart pounded wildly. He almost didn’t dare to ask the next question, but he had to.
“Where are Lin Qiyou? Where’s Nongli? Where are they… now?”
Yuelan’s pupils shrank ever so slightly. She was silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh, a sigh laced with a hair-raising regret… and a barely perceptible coldness.
“Them…” Yuelan’s voice floated lightly, as if speaking of something trivial. “Lin Qiyou, that sword immortal from another world, she’s too stubborn, too dangerous. Her very existence would drag you into endless conflict. And Nongli… that fox, her obsession with you runs too deep, her demonic nature too wild to tame. Sooner or later, she would have hurt you.”
She looked up at Aoki’s face, which turned pale in an instant, her tone almost cruel in its “comfort.” “So, I had to ask them… to leave completely. Now, no one can hurt you anymore, Aoki. You can stay by my side, safe, forever.”
Boom—!
It was as if thunder exploded in his mind. Aoki felt the world spinning around him.
Lin Qiyou and Nongli… wiped out by Yuelan?!
Just because they might be a “threat” to him? Under this twisted “motherly love,” or rather, extreme protectiveness, Yuelan had quietly eliminated the two people most important to him—his greatest allies, and the women whose fates were most tightly entwined with his own!
“I… I’m not feeling well. I’ll go back and rest for a while.” Aoki forcibly pressed down the storm in his heart, doing his best to keep his voice steady, even letting a touch of obedience slip in.
Yuelan immediately stepped forward, full of concern. “Not feeling well? Should I have an attending priest come check on you?”
“No need, I’m just a bit tired. I’ll be fine after a rest.” Aoki avoided her outstretched hand, almost fleeing as he hurried back to his own tent.
As soon as he entered, he quickly cast a simple soundproof barrier, then, without hesitation, plunged into his consciousness, connecting with the softly glowing simulation interface.
*****
Continue! Aoki did not hesitate for an instant.
The wave of dizziness struck again. The scenes of reality rippled and faded like water. When he “awoke” once more, he had already returned to that rather simple guest room of the Windbell family, with the familiar otherworldly scenery outside the window.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and coldness brought by the real world. Time was short—he had to move faster.
This time, he could not simply “correct” Yuelan by keeping his distance and emphasizing his identity as before. He needed to understand her more deeply, to learn about this family, and, above all… to grasp their connection to “the gods.” Yuelan’s interest in theology, Yueqi’s fate of being “replaced” in the future—all of it seemed to point to some higher existence.
He changed his approach.
The next day, when he “ran into” young Yuelan again in the family corridor, he didn’t show deliberate distance. Instead, he gave her a relatively gentle smile.
“Yuelan, heading to the library again?” he greeted her.
Young Yuelan obviously hadn’t expected him to speak to her first. Her small body stiffened, her head lowered, and she answered with a soft “Mm,” her fingers nervously twisting her skirt.
“As it happens, I have a few questions I’d like to ask.” Aoki spoke naturally. “There are some passages in the Holy Light Canon I don’t really understand. I’ve heard you’re quite knowledgeable—could you help me take a look?”
He lowered his posture, approaching her as a “seeker of advice.”
Young Yuelan looked up at him in surprise, her blue eyes flashing with disbelief. This was the first time anyone had ever asked her about theology, and it was… she snuck a peek at Aoki, her little face flushing red. This time, aside from shyness, there was also a faint, happy sense of being recognized.
“I… I might not really understand…” she whispered, but her steps slowed unconsciously, not running away as she used to.
“It’s fine, we can work through it together.” Aoki seized the moment and walked beside her toward the library.
In the days that followed, Aoki deliberately participated in Yuelan’s “theology studies.” He no longer made those dispirited or pessimistic comments. Instead, he earnestly raised questions, guiding Yuelan’s thinking, while also listening carefully to her insights. He discovered that young Yuelan was remarkably sharp and had an excellent memory when it came to theology. The obscure doctrines and legends—she could usually grasp and memorize them quickly.
At the same time, he did not neglect his interactions with Yueqi. On the training grounds, he stopped giving only offhand pointers. Instead, as Yueqi practiced, he would sometimes offer more constructive suggestions, even using experience from his past life to inspire her in a way she could accept when she hit a bottleneck. Yueqi remained cold as ever, but her acknowledgment of his swordsmanship was gradually increasing. Occasionally, she would even discuss some tactical questions with him.
The Windbell Marquis and his wife watched all this, a bit surprised at Aoki’s “scholarliness.” But seeing him get along “harmoniously” with their daughters, and not overstepping his bounds, they were happy to let things be. After all, a fiancé who could get along with the future Hero, or even be of help, was far better than a son-in-law who was completely invisible.
The time was almost ripe.
One day, Aoki found young Yuelan engrossed in her books in the library and suggested, “Just reading may not let us truly understand the essence of the Holy Light. I heard there’s a famous ascetic priest giving sermons at the grand cathedral in the west of the city. He has a deep understanding of the Holy Light—he can even ‘hear the voice of the gods.’ Why don’t we go and listen? Maybe your sister could come too. Her pursuit of power might find new inspiration in faith.”
He purposely mentioned “hearing the voice of the gods” and included Yueqi, making his proposal both reasonable and appealing.
When young Yuelan heard “hearing the voice of the gods,” her eyes obviously lit up, showing great interest. As for bringing her sister… she was a bit timid, but under Aoki’s encouraging gaze, she nodded gently.
To Aoki’s surprise, when he proposed the idea to Yueqi, the always-disinterested would-be Hero, after a slight frown, actually agreed.
“Father hopes I can learn more about church affairs,” Yueqi gave a reasonable explanation. But Aoki keenly noticed a subtle, hard-to-read fluctuation deep in her green eyes.
And so, on a sunny afternoon, Aoki, Yueqi, and young Yuelan left the Windbell family manor together for the first time, heading toward the historic, imposing Grand Holy Light Cathedral in the west of the city.
Inside, the cathedral was solemn and majestic, colored beams of light streaming through stained glass. The choir’s voices were ethereal, and the air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood. The ascetic priest looked quite young, but his eyes were deep, as if containing infinite wisdom. His sermon was anything but dry—instead, it was full of profound and unique insights into doctrine, deeply engaging.
Young Yuelan listened in rapt attention, her small hands clutching her clothes, blue eyes filled with devotion and thought. Yueqi sat quietly beside her, her expression as cool as ever, but her gaze was more focused than usual, as if searching the priest’s words for some insight related to her own power.
On the surface, Aoki listened attentively too, but most of his attention was on observing the sisters’ reactions and sensing the unique, peaceful yet powerful energy field within the cathedral.
When the sermon ended, the believers went forward to seek guidance or blessings from the priest. After some hesitation, Aoki led the sisters forward as well. He wanted to get close to this priest said to be able to “hear the voice of the gods.”
When it was their turn, the priest’s gaze first landed on Yueqi, nodding slightly. “The sword of Windbell shines already. May the Holy Light guide your path, future Guardian.” His words seemed to carry some special meaning.
Yueqi’s body trembled almost imperceptibly, but she didn’t speak, only bowed in return.
Next, the priest looked at young Yuelan, his gaze softening considerably. “A pure heart is the nearest sanctuary to the Holy Light. Child, keep your devotion and your questioning mind.”
Young Yuelan’s face flushed with excitement, and she nodded vigorously.
Finally, the priest’s gaze landed on Aoki. At that moment, Aoki felt as if the man’s eyes penetrated his flesh, peering directly into the depths of his soul. The priest’s face showed a flicker of surprise—faint, indecipherable—before returning to calm.
He reached out and gently pressed his hand to Aoki’s forehead, the touch soft but carrying an irresistible force.
“Lost lamb…” The priest’s voice was low and clear, as if it rang out directly within the depths of Aoki’s mind, reverberating strangely. “Visitor from another world…”
Though the voice was the priest’s, the one “speaking” was not!
No, it wasn’t even a voice, but a stream of information, branded directly into his consciousness—ancient, majestic, and utterly inhuman in its indifference!
Aoki’s whole body froze, his pupils contracting suddenly. He stood there as if struck by lightning.
Beside him, Yueqi and Yuelan seemed to sense nothing out of the ordinary, only looking at the suddenly stunned Aoki with confusion.
So it was—everything started from here!