I woke earlier than usual, that lingering warmth from the dream still faintly present in my chest. It felt strange—not unwelcome, but unfamiliar. Like wearing someone else's cloak.
The memory of that gentle voice kept echoing in my thoughts as I lay in the predawn darkness.
I love you, my child…
The feeling of loving someone that completely. Of having something—someone—worth protecting above all else.
I'd never had that. Never felt that.
But last night, I'd experienced it in that dream. That overwhelming love, that fierce protectiveness.
Was it just a dream?
With this new thoughts, I rose and prepared for the day, moving through my morning routine quietly. After sister Maria left for prayers, I made my way to the kitchens. Today would be different—the supply shipment from the Holy Kingdom was arriving by midday, and I'd need to help with preparations. That meant adjusting the training schedule, starting earlier than usual.
I gathered bread and dried fruit from the kitchen stores, arranging them carefully on a small wooden tray. It wasn't much, but it would be enough for Sir Kaito and Grey to start their day. After the supplies arrive, I'll make something nice to eat for them. I'd already eaten my own breakfast while my mind worked through the day's training plan.
Pattern drills first, then synchronized attacks, defensive positioning, and finally sparring.
They'd progressed well over the past few days—too well, if I was being honest.
Three days. Just three days of training.
In all the combat manuals I'd read, the training records from the archives, shouldn't it take longer than this? Weeks, at minimum, for basic coordination. Months for the kind of synchronized movement they were already developing.
Was this normal? Had those books been wrong, or was something different here?
And Grey—he confused me most of all. He wasn't even the hero, just someone accidentally caught in the teleportation incident. An ordinary person with no prophecy backing him like the heroes from stories, no divine blessing accelerating his growth. Yet he moved with instincts that shouldn't exist in a complete beginner.
The books never mentioned anything like this. How could someone with no destiny keep pace with the actual hero?
My initial plan was to teach them the basics and rely on mercenaries to carve the initial path until they adapted to this world. But now, they've completely shattered those plans with their unexpected growth. Still, there were gaps in their coordination—Grey's peripheral awareness, in particular, needed serious work.
As I walked toward their quarters carrying the tray, the Holy Land was still quiet in the early hour.
I knocked softly and waited.
When Sir Kaito answered, still groggy with sleep clinging to his eyes, I froze.
His sleepy expression, the way he blinked slowly, trying to wake up—something about it made my breath catch.
Warmth bloomed in my chest. Gentle, overwhelming, pulling me somewhere I didn't understand.
For a moment, I forgot where I was. Forgot the tray in my hands. Forgot everything except that feeling spreading through me like—
I blinked, snapping back to reality.
My hands had tightened on the tray without me realizing. My heart was beating faster.
"Good morning, Sir Kaito, Grey," I managed to say normally, keeping my voice gentle but clear. "I brought breakfast for you both. We'll be starting training earlier today, if that's alright."
Grey blinked at the tray, then at me, confusion evident on his face. "Don't we go to the canteen?"
"Not this morning," I replied, stepping inside to set the tray carefully on their small table. "Supplies from the Holy Kingdom are arriving today. I need to help with the preparations, so I thought we could start training sooner."
I paused, suddenly uncertain. "I hope this is enough for now."
Sir Kaito rubbed at his eyes, still waking up. "You're helping with supplies?"
When he spoke, that warmth flared again.
"Yes. Everyone helps when shipments arrive," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's important work."
I glanced back at the food, then met their eyes again. "I've already eaten. Please, take your time with breakfast. I'll be at the training ground making preparations."
I gave them a small nod and excused myself quickly, my white robe swishing as I turned down the corridor.
As I walked away, I pressed a hand to my chest.
What is this feeling? Why him specifically?
"Until I am alive, I won't let you get hurt either. I promise."
Why did I say that?
I didn't even know I acted like that.
As I tried to sort through these tangled feelings, I found myself at the empty training ground. I took a deep breath and began setting up the training dummies, positioning several wooden constructs around the area at different angles and distances. The familiar routine helped ground me, even if my thoughts remained chaotic.
When Sir Kaito and Grey arrived, I had everything ready.
"Good timing," I said as they approached. "Today we work on what I mentioned yesterday. Coordination patterns, synchronized attacks, and covering each other's openings."
Grey stretched his arms, still working out the soreness from yesterday's training. "And the fighting with barriers part?"
"That comes last," I replied. "First, you need to master the fundamentals."
I positioned them near the dummies. "We'll start with pattern drills. I'll call out sequences. You'll execute them together against these targets. The goal is to move as one unit."
The first few drills were straightforward—alternating strikes, simultaneous attacks from different angles, one person attacking while the other defended. I watched carefully, that strange warmth still present in my chest.
Sir Kaito moved with uncertainty but determination. His form was decent for a beginner, his timing improving. But there was hesitation in his strikes, doubt in his positioning.
Grey, on the other hand, moved with natural strength and surprising instinct. He adapted faster, committed more fully to each movement.
"Sir Kaito, you're drifting too far left," I called out. "Grey, your follow-up is half a second too slow."
They adjusted and tried again.
After about thirty minutes of pattern work, a thought came with sudden clarity: Grey needed to be stronger.
Without consciously deciding to do so, I created a barrier and swept it toward Grey mid-drill.
He barely managed to dodge, stumbling sideways with surprise. "What the—"
"Too slow," I said. "Again." The sudden realization came to mind.
Why? Why that thought came to my mind suddenly?
Of course, Grey was Sir Kaito's support—anyone could see that from how they interacted. If Grey fell, Sir Kaito would crumble. Therefore, Grey needed to be unbreakable.
I made excuses to myself to justify my thoughts and action.
We continued the drill. Five minutes later, another surprise barrier shot toward Grey from a different angle. He blocked it with his training spear, but the impact made him grunt.
"Better," I observed. "But you're still reacting instead of anticipating."
I noticed I hadn't thrown any surprise attacks at Sir Kaito. Every time I considered it, something in my chest tightened uncomfortably. That protective warmth flared, and my hand hesitated.
Why am I like this? Am I letting what I felt in that dream influence how I train him?
We moved on to synchronized attack drills—both of them striking the same dummy from different angles at the exact same moment.
Right in the middle of one sequence, I created a barrier wall directly in Grey's path.
He crashed into it with a familiar thud, though not as badly as that first day.
"Ow," Grey muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "Seriously?"
"Your peripheral awareness needs work," I said. "You were so focused on the dummy that you didn't notice the barrier forming."
"A little warning would be nice," Grey grumbled, getting back into position.
"Enemies don't give warnings," I replied. He accepted it without any protest.
We continued. The synchronized attacks gradually improved, but every so often, I threw another test at Grey. A barrier here, a sudden obstacle there, always keeping him on edge.
Why am I being harder on Grey? They both need improvement.
Is this really about training? Or am I being overprotective of Sir Kaito because I can't separate my duty from what I felt in that dream?
Next came the defensive drills—learning to cover each other's openings. I demonstrated first, then had them practice.
During one exchange, right as Grey committed to a strike, I created a small barrier orb that shot toward his unguarded side.
Grey twisted mid-attack, barely deflecting it with his shield. His main strike went wide of the dummy.
"See?" I said to Sir Kaito. "That's the opening you need to cover. When Grey attacks, his right side is exposed. You should be positioned to defend that angle."
Sir Kaito nodded, understanding, and they ran the drill again.
This pattern continued—me instructing, them practicing, and Grey consistently being the target of my surprise tests.
When we took a brief water break, I moved to adjust the training dummies. That's when I heard Grey's voice.
"You know," he said, and I could hear the slight exasperation beneath his usual grin, "I really am the punching bag, aren't I?"
I turned slightly, catching his words to Sir Kaito. "What do you think, bro? Am I just here to get smacked around?"
My cheeks warmed with embarrassment. I should explain, should clarify my reasoning. But how could I explain something I didn't fully understand myself?
"Break's over," I called out instead, cutting off whatever Sir Kaito might have said.
Then, the Last night's questions resurfaced once again with full force.
What is this feeling? Is it attraction? Love? Or am I just mixing everything together with my duty, and what I'm supposed to feel?
My head started to throb a little.
I'd been unable to answer those questions before sleep claimed me. And then came the nightmare about my past—the one that tormented me time to time.
But last night, it changed.
I love you, my child…
That fierce, protective warmth that would sacrifice anything to keep that small life safe.
For those brief moments in the dream, I'd felt what it was like to love completely. The jealousy had come sharp and painful after I woke.
Why can't I have this? Why can't I feel this for real?
But that warmth remained faintly in my chest, like embers that refused to die completely. And now, as I thought about Sir Kaito—
Is this the same feeling? Am I confusing what I felt in that dream with what I feel when I see him?
It felt similar to the warmth from the dream. That fierce, protective instinct. That need to keep someone safe at all costs.
But was it the same? Or was I just confusing the two because they felt alike?
I'd never met him before I brought him from his world. So why did he seem somehow familiar?
Yesterday, I'd told myself I would be more objective. More professional. Train them both equally, maintain proper distance, stop letting whatever this was influence my judgment.
Then why couldn't I do that?
Am I being unfair because I'm confusing everything—my duty, that dream, whatever this feeling is?
Is it attraction? Love? Or am I projecting that dream onto my duty?
It didn't feel like what I'd read about romance. It was too fierce. Too consuming. Too focused on protection.
Was that because of the dream? Did feeling that mother's love confuse me about what I'm actually feeling?
Or is this what duty is supposed to feel like, and I'm just so focused on my duty to protect the hero that I can't tell the difference anymore?
As they came near me, I positioned myself between them. Raising my hands, "Final phase. Sparring."
"You'll fight each other. I'll maintain protective barriers around both of you to prevent serious injury. Use everything you've learned these past few days—awareness, timing, coordination."
Sir Kaito looked confused. "Wait. We're fighting each other? Not you?"
"Not against each other," I corrected. "With the awareness of each other. Even when facing different opponents, you need to maintain that spatial awareness we've been drilling. The barriers will protect you, but I want you both to fight seriously."
I created two shimmering barriers—one around Sir Kaito, one around Grey. They were barely visible, like a faint golden outline hugging their bodies.
"These will absorb heavy impacts and prevent cuts," I explained. "But you'll still feel the strikes enough to know when you've been hit. Don't hold back."
Grey hefted his training spear and shield, taking a proper combat stance. His earlier joking demeanor faded, replaced by focus.
Sir Kaito readied his training sword. My heart rate picked up slightly.
"Begin," I said, stepping back.
Grey moved first, a testing thrust with his spear. Sir Kaito deflected it, circling to his left. Grey adjusted, shield up, footwork solid.
They exchanged blows—Grey's strength and reach against Sir Kaito's speed and adaptability.
That warmth in my chest remained steady, focused entirely on Sir Kaito. I found myself watching every strike that came near him. Ready to reinforce the barrier if needed, even though I'd designed them to be more than sufficient.
Why am I reacting like this? Is this the same feeling from the dream? That protective love? Or is it just my duty as his aid?
The fight intensified. Grey drove forward with a series of quick thrusts. Sir Kaito gave ground, deflecting and dodging. Then Sir Kaito lunged, sword aimed at Grey's exposed side.
Grey twisted, faster than expected, and his shield rim caught Sir Kaito in the shoulder.
I tensed before I could stop myself. The barrier absorbed the impact perfectly—exactly as designed—but my hands had already moved halfway to strengthening it further. My heart thumped against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
"Good awareness, Grey," I managed to call out. "Sir Kaito, you committed too early. He baited that opening."
They reset, both breathing hard.
Grey grinned despite his heavy breathing. "Almost had me."
"Almost," Sir Kaito agreed, adjusting his grip.
Is this… the same? The warmth from the dream and what I feel now—are they the same thing?
This felt like that fierce, protective, all-consuming need to keep him safe. Like what I experienced in the dream.
But am I just mixing them together? Confusing what I felt there with what I feel here? Is my duty to protect the hero making me think it's something else because of that dream?
Still I have no answers for my questions.
They clashed again. Sir Kaito managed to slip past Grey's spear and get inside his guard. His sword connected with Grey's ribs—the barrier flashed briefly, absorbing the strike.
"Point to Sir Kaito," I observed. "But Grey, you left that opening on purpose to test if he'd take it. Good tactical thinking."
I didn't know. I couldn't tell if what I was feeling was real or if I was just confusing everything—the dream, my duty, whatever this warmth in my chest actually was.
No matter which angle I chose to question myself from, I always came back to where I started. And that uncertainty made everything worse every time even more than before.
Before I could analyze the feeling further, rapid footsteps approached.
Sister Helen appeared, running toward us with her habit flying behind her. Her face was flushed, her breathing labored.
"Aria!" she gasped as she reached us. "It looks like we need your help! It's the bandits!"
All thoughts of confusion and warm feelings vanished instantly.
Bandits. Near the Holy Land. That means danger.
I turned to Sir Kaito and Grey, already moving. "My apologies, Sir Kaito, Grey. It seems I have to go sooner than expected."
Sir Kaito's face showed concern. Grey had already straightened, his warrior instincts clearly kicking in.
But this wasn't their fight. Not yet. They'd barely trained for a few days. Throwing them into a real combat situation against bandits would be reckless at best, fatal at worst.
I met Sister Helen's worried eyes, then glanced back at the two men I was supposed to be training.
That protective warmth flared again, fierce and certain.
I won't let them get hurt.
The thought was absolute. Clear despite all my earlier confusion.
Whatever this feeling was—whether it was the same as the dream, whether I was mixing my duty with something else, whether it was love or obligation or some combination I couldn't untangle—
I would protect them. Especially Sir Kaito.
Even if I didn't understand why.
Even if I couldn't tell what was real and what I was confusing.