The Train to the Academy Has Always Been Called the Saintess Unia (4)
Ever since old times, the train heading to the academy is called the Saintess Unia. That's the name given to her, the main heroine. Is she actually a saintess? No, not really. The official saintess designated by the Goddess Church is someone else. The ones calling her the Saintess were the gamers playing Esdinas of the Blue Sky.
To be honest, I don't like that title. It's a word laced with a bit of mockery toward Unia's existence. 'She has a pure love route, but most players treat her as the base for the harem route.' If the harem member heroines are the fillings in kimbap, Unia is the seaweed. You can swap out the fillings for all sorts of things, but it's the seaweed that wraps them into a proper roll of kimbap. Unia coordinates the heroines when forming a harem and is one of the conditions for the harem route. A harem without Unia is possible, sure. But it's like juggling multiple partners in real life—you need an insanely tight schedule, and the heroines have to get along well enough to accept each other or the harem without a mediator like Unia.
Unia is kind. To put it bluntly, she's a total pushover. They exploit that trait. But the goodness in Unia that I want to use isn't the kind where she watches the guy she likes fool around with other girls, smiles through it, and blames herself with, "It's okay, I'll just endure a little pain."
"Miss Unia. Are you sure you're okay with this? You might regret using your mana and struggle in the entrance exam."
"What are you talking about now that we're already up on the train roof?"
Unia shoots me a tense glare. In her hands is a folding compound bow clearly made with magic engineering, and she's nocked golden mana matching her hair onto the string.
"Saving people comes first. Isn't that why we came up here?"
"Nope."
"Huh?"
Unia looks shocked. Her red eyes staring at me resemble those of someone betrayed.
"I didn't come up here to save other people. I came up to help you, Miss Unia, who wants to save others."
"What do you...?"
"Look over there."
I point at the people fleeing from the train.
"People who could fight but choose to run instead of joining the battle. Attackers from the Binyu Group who caused this mess and now bolt when it gets dangerous. Do we really need to save trash like that?"
"...Even so."
Unia raises her bow toward the monsters slowly coming into view from the horizon dots.
"Someone has to help people like that."
"You might not even get a thank you."
"It's fine. I'm doing this because I want to."
Golden mana takes the shape of an arrow. The magic engineering bow precisely aligns the mana arrow she shaped right in the center.
"I can't just ignore people dying right in front of me. That's why I'm stepping up."
Unia answers earnestly. Her gaze is already fixed on the monsters charging from afar.
"Because it's the obvious thing to do."
"It might not be obvious to everyone."
"Hey, Mr. Phoenix...!"
"I like that about you."
"......Huh?"
Unia turns to me in confusion.
"I like that mindset. See? I knew I had good taste in people."
"......."
I deliberately avoid looking at Unia and aim my staff forward. Whatever expression or thoughts she's having, I know all the lines and actions Unia would like.
Of course, Unia wouldn't actually like this crazy behavior.
Chatting carelessly. Picking fights with the attackers. Saying something cryptic. All of this is just me doing what I please. Unia's type is a serious guy, not someone acting this flippant. However.
Affection can be built up one way or another, right?
Separate from Unia's most preferred type, heroines' affection can be raised in various ways.
"Miss Unia. Know what those approaching enemies are?"
"Not yet. A bit closer and... "
"Mana Seekers. The most common quadrupedal monster on this continent... always hunting for mana."
Formless monsters. They move like shadows but scuttle on six legs like ants.
"Also known as [Mana Drain Worms]."
The difference? They move like crocodiles—fast as a Siberian Husky chasing a thrown ball—and their size rivals a Thoroughbred racehorse.
"Blood Ants."
Monsters the size of horses, ant-like. Danger level around D-rank. Jaws strong enough to crush steel plate armor easily. A single one does that, but in swarms, the risk jumps to C-rank.
"If those showed up in the entrance exam, how would you handle them, Miss Unia?"
"...I heard their weak point is the forehead. So then."
Unia releases the string.
"An arrow infused with mana to the weak point...!"
Pang!
The lead Mana Drain Worm's forehead is pierced by a golden arrow. It freezes in place, then topples sideways and shatters.
"Impressive."
"It's just the magic engineering bow's aiming assist. My actual archery skills are..."
"Doesn't matter if it's a tool or whatever—as long as it kills the monster. You would've hit even without it."
I thrust my staff forward.
"Fire."
Red flames erupt. I'd love to unleash Blue Flame Array and wipe them all out, but two problems. One, using Blue Flame summons angels immediately. The wasteland would be made by angel legions, not monsters. Two, Blue Flame burns away mana. These foggy, formless things have clear 'cores,' so they drop mana stones when killed.
So I need basic attacks for mana stone farming.
"Shoot."
The red flames from my staff spread into a wide barrier upon hitting the ground.
Kiiit!
The startled Mana Drain Worms scatter left and right. As they try to circle or slip between the walls—
Pang!
Unia's arrow nails one between the walls. Piercing its forehead into the ground, the thing withers instantly, crumbling to dust.
"Whew."
Unia catches her breath and looks at me.
"That was...?"
"Right. No lethality."
The flame wall I made is an illusion. It looks blazing, but get close and no heat or burn.
"Illusion Flames. What do you think?"
Passing or brushing it touches the mana generating the illusion, like embers settling—like perfect setup for a later 'effect'—
"No attack magic?"
"I can do basic Fire Bolt, but I think this is more effective?"
No need to use it now anyway; I'm more talented in illusion magic than attack spells.
Wasn't this Regiph's talent?
Regiph's three talents. Even after that body burned away, his aptitudes, knowledge, and skills remain with me.
A form of hypnosis.
Optical illusion via flames. Doesn't have to be flames, but all creatures instinctively tense or fear fire.
"Buying time...!"
"Miss Unia. We just need to buy time."
"To let people escape, we need to take down even one more Mana Drain Worm!"
"True. But what about that?"
I point ahead.
"Ah."
Kishaaa!!
A massive Mana Drain Worm, easily 10 meters, bursts out.
"Rare specimen."
"Th-that big one...!"
"Gets called Giant something. Seems like the boss."
The super-sized Blood Ant charges. At least C-rank, maybe B.
"No choice...!"
Unia reaches into her bosom with resolve.
"Miss Unia."
"Yes? Kyaa!"
I snap my fingers in front of her face, sparking a flame. She startles and stumbles.
"Wh-what...!"
"The train's been stopped for a while now, right?"
I steady her by the shoulders from behind and point the way the train should have gone.
"Even the engineers are dead."
"Yes, so...!"
"Silverstar handles rail operations, but Esdinas Academy doesn't completely ignore it. They might've let this happen on purpose, but they're not crazy enough to ignore people dying or monsters attacking the train."
"...!"
Unia widens her eyes in realization.
"Reinforcements...!"
"Yeah. Weird if they don't come."
Unless something huge happened.
In a world with craters and angels popping up everywhere, a magic train attacked by a B-rank boss-led monster pack is small potatoes.
They're probably inspecting the crater now. The Goddess Church's revelation calls it the seed of apocalypse from the heavens. Actual apocalypse comes from heaven-sent angels, but the church brands all heretics as Satan's spawn or demons anyway.
Similar end result.
Phoenix the phoenix demon crash site. No idea what alert level the church set, but S-rank or higher—no, SS-rank—means no one's minding the train.
"The Holy Knight Order... is coming?"
Unia's voice trembles mentioning them. The Goddess Church's military arm, publicly guardians of justice and peace. But she clearly trembles a bit.
"If they do, great. For an extra like me."
"But the one coming this time seems different?"
Holy Knights, servants of the goddess, won't come.
"B-but the academy's higher-ups surely...!"
"You think the academy brass won't move?"
"...!"
"Even with people dead and dying?"
"That's...!"
Unia knows something. Not about Phoenix, but that the academy elite won't budge for a 'minor crisis' like this.
"It's fine."
I grip her shoulders firmly.
"Even if a rigid, rotten organization won't move for their own gain..."
Far off.
"The individuals in that rotten group might be different."
Something approaches along the magic rail tracks.
Kishishit...!!
Faster than the Giant Blood Ant boss.
"That’s...!"
A white-short-haired swordswoman in a red coat-like cloak billowing behind, charging in.
"White Sword Saint Esta!!"
She's riding a white horse with a horn on its head.
"As expected... the Maiden of Light!"
I saw it. The moment Unia shouts Esta's epithet, Esta bites her lower lip.
Long time no see.
Ten years, and she looks unchanged outwardly. Still the White Sword Saint, the Maiden of Light.
Flash.
Esta extends her hand sideways, unleashing a turquoise aura blade matching her eyes.
Hiiin!!
The white horse leaps off the tracks toward the Mana Drain Worms. In that instant—
Slash!
One swing cleaves the 10-meter monster in half.
Who'd have thought she'd contract with a unicorn.
Esta's white horse.
Had a white horn jutting proudly from its head.