A transcendent figure riding a white horse.
It was Esta, the Academy’s instructor, riding a unicorn.
Already known to the world as the White Sword Saint—
“Wow!! The Maiden of Light!!”
“The Virgin Sword Saint!!”
“The Eternal Pure Sword of Victory!!!”
…That’s how she was known 10 years ago, but it seems like she’s gained a few more titles since then.
The people who were running away from her now cheer as they welcome her.
‘She must have had a tough time while I was in the Demon World.’
Although her appearance hasn’t changed, the history she has built over the past 10 years must have diverged significantly from the original story.
Could it be because of her brief encounter with me as Regif?
If so, I would be honored, but it’s fine even if that’s not the case.
After all, it’s much better than raising disciples only to see them die, and then being branded as a ‘disciple killer’.
‘She’s showing her emotions more vividly. I like this version much better.’
As proof, the eternal maiden—no, let me correct myself.
The Virgin Sword Saint over there has a vastly different set of abilities compared to what I knew from the original story.
‘She’s riding a unicorn as her Summon.’
Summon.
They are commonly referred to as ‘mounts’, a type of pet that summoners can ride whenever they need to.
Originally, Esta did not ride a summon.
Originally, Esta didn’t ride summoned beasts. She probably never felt the need to raise one, and she would have used the mana required to maintain a summoned beast to enhance her own physical abilities instead.
But now, she’s different.
Perhaps she realized the necessity of rapid movement that required her to ride a mount.
‘Did she learn this after that incident 10 years ago?’
If she wanted to rush to dangerous locations more quickly, a horse-type summoned beast would indeed be quite useful for mobility.
Especially now—
Swish, swish!
As she charges in faster than the escaping bloodsuckers, cutting them down with her sword.
‘Amazing ability.’
She seems even stronger than in the original.
While the power to slice through bloodsuckers in a single strike remains the same, the speed and fluidity of her movements are so graceful that they are almost beautiful.
‘Her resolve to keep riding the unicorn is also impressive.’
The original Esta was a bit embarrassed about still being a virgin at 27.
To some, remaining a virgin until 27 might be something to cheer about, but Esta found it quite shameful.
Yet, here she is, proudly riding a unicorn.
If she ceases to be a virgin, she would no longer be able to ride the unicorn, and that would let the entire world know that Esta is no longer a virgin.
Swish.
With one last strike, the Sword Master on the white horse eliminated the final bloodsucker.
No more bloodsuckers attacking the train.
And then—
“Ugh, the watchdog of the Academy!”
These villains, who had sneakily escaped when others were in danger, suddenly reappear as soon as the bloodsuckers are gone, yelling as if they’d done something great.
“Just you wait!”
Slendia and the Vinyudan members grab their staffs and press the button on top, causing their bodies to disappear with a ‘flash’ sound.
“Teleport…!”
Teleportation.
Each member of Vinyudan has a magical tool that allows them to teleport to a predetermined location with just the click of a button.
It’s easy to scoff and think, ‘They’re using something like that just for train t*rrorism?’
But if you think a little deeper…
“Each member has a magical tool with teleportation capabilities….”
As Yunia pointed out, something is definitely suspicious about Vinyudan.
The technology being ‘distributed’ to each member is not ordinary.
“Just who….”
If Yunia knew who was backing Vinyudan, she would be shocked, but I decided to play ignorant.
‘A murder committed by an individual. The entire Vinyudan isn’t a group of killers.’
I do know a few things about Vinyudan.
‘Having ambiguous villains like Vinyudan makes it easier for me to gain favor with the heroines.’
The existence of Vinyudan helps me achieve my goals.
Even this time.
I met Yunia.
“You two.”
This time, due to the train attack.
“I saw you from afar. Your courage deserves praise.”
Esta and I reunited.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Esta, the White Sword Saint and a 5th-year instructor at Esdinas Academy.”
We were meeting for the first time, and she had become an academy instructor much earlier than in the original.
“You two. Would you mind having a chat with me for a moment? It won’t be anything bad.”
“Huh? With us? That is…”
Yunia looked flustered by Esta’s approach and subtly gestured toward the people around us.
“Miss Esta! Look this way!”
“The Eternal Maiden…! Ugh, truly the Pure Sword Saint…!”
“Who’s that guy who’s so close?”
As various comments flew around, Esta didn’t look directly at them but was clearly annoyed.
“The ones who fled without stepping up in a crisis…”
It could be argued that this is unreasonable, but the ones Esta is sneering at are the capable individuals who were hiding among the many passengers.
They had combat abilities but chose to flee.
And even among these individuals, Esta seemed to avoid contact with regular people.
At the same time—
“When everyone fled, you two stepped forward with courage.”
If there’s a type of human Esta prefers, it would be—
“If it was dangerous, you must have thought you could handle the bloodsuckers and stepped up, right?”
In blunt terms, they are people who understand the situation well and meddle, and if phrased more politely—
“There should be more people like you in the world, doing their best to help others.”
In this world, there are very few who step up like we did.
* * *
[Late evening, outside the stopped Magic Train on the tracks.]
The situation has ended.
Though the incident is over, the train attack caused many problems.
This is a summary of the current state from Yunia’s perspective, who found herself caught up in the accident, rather than from my perspective as Phoenix.
- A large-scale anomaly with the sky shining blue.
- An attack by Vinyudan on the train and resulting fatalities.
- An assault by monsters targeting the magic stone fuel of the magic train.
- Rescue by the White Sword Saint, Esta.
And 5. While everyone else fled, only one young man and woman fought the bloodsuckers and managed to drive them off.
-…To Esdinas to enter the Academy?
– Yes. That….
– I’ll check if we can move the train somehow. Please wait a moment.
After briefly talking with Esta on the train, she decided to report to the academy first and then inform us of the situation.
The result.
“I’m sorry to the two candidates, but the train cannot move.”
“What?!”
Yunia gasped in shock at Esta’s words.
“I can’t give you details, but…just a moment.”
Esta placed her hand on the magical tool strapped to her wrist.
“Ah, report.”
“…?”
Yunia tilted her head, and I winked at her and tapped my ear, signaling her to listen quietly.
“The stoppage of Magic Train KTS 088 is presumed to be due to an anomaly in the magic fuel, aside from the engineer’s death.”
The recording magic.
Esta was reporting to someone.
Yunia noticed and kept quiet, and I held my breath.
Why?
“The mana in the magic fuel has been completely depleted. The internal mana has vanished. To put it simply… it’s become an empty can.”
The train stopped because of me.
‘It’s the influence of the Azure Flame.’
The power that moves the magic train is mana.
The flames burn mana as well.
“It is presumed to be due to the influence of the blue sky.”
What about the other people on the train? Were they affected?
There was an error in Esta’s report.
The train stopped because someone intentionally drained the mana, using a force that completely depleted the magic fuel in the train’s fuel compartment.
Even if the engineer is dead, they can be replaced.
But without refueling, the train won’t move.
“Compared to the ‘color’ from that time… it’s difficult to confirm. Hah.”
“?”
Esta showed a brief emotional reaction, and Yunia tilted her head slightly in confusion.
“There have been several new students discovered heading to Esdinas Academy. As an instructor, I cannot offer assistance, but I will report the identities of the ‘two scholarship candidates’ separately later. That’s all for the report.”
Esta covered her wrist with her hand, and the magical tool on her wrist flickered and then turned off.
“…As an instructor, I cannot give special treatment in the entrance exams.”
“Uh, well, yes.”
Yunia knew this too.
Several 17-year-olds nearby were casting suspicious glances at us as we talked with Esta on the roof of the train.
“But… please don’t give up until the end.”
So Esta subtly hinted at something.
“The doors of the Academy are always open. …That’s all.”
Esta bowed her head to us with a troubled expression.
“No, Instructor. Just your ‘support’ is enough.”
I intentionally emphasized ‘support’ and raised my voice so others could hear.
“It’s an unavoidable accident. Yes. There will be another opportunity next year.”
“…”
Esta momentarily looked at me as if she hadn’t caught on, but—
“Miss Yunia, I believe there is a station up ahead.”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
“Instead of waiting for a new train or sleeping on the train and waiting for repairs until tomorrow morning, how about staying there for a while and taking a magic bus early in the morning?”
“…”
Yunia blinked at me, and Esta turned and jumped off the roof.
“Then.”
Hehe.
With a neigh, Esta rode her unicorn and departed.
The area around the stopped magic train was now being guarded by railroad authorities and hunters from the Silverstar Trading Company, who had appeared after Esta.
“Miss Yunia, it’s your choice now.”
“What about you, Mister Phoenix?”
“I’ll probably arrive before midnight if I walk.”
“…Alright.”
Yunia pointed downward and extended her hand to me.
“Let’s go. Right now.”
In fact, this was the choice Yunia originally made in the story.
– At that time, the engineer was killed. There was no one who could move the train, so it seemed they would have to stay overnight until morning.
Yunia is a good person, but she’s the type to actively solve problems rather than passively waiting for them to be resolved.
* * *
We walk along the railroad and arrive at the town, [Pregnant].
The town’s name already gives an odd impression, but fortunately, there was an inn.
“There’s only one room available.”
“…”
