How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

“Prismstone Unicorn? What’s the difference?” Vinny did not know much about unicorns. As far as he knew, a unicorn was just a unicorn. He had not realized there were different kinds.

“To put it simply, unicorns are a bit like us elves. We elves originated from the Golden Sacred Tree, while the unicorn race originated from a magic-crystal mountain range located in elf lands.”

“That place is the unicorns’ holy land and homeland. A Prismstone Unicorn is born from the sacred crystal at the very center of that mountain range,” Vera explained. “Almost all the unicorns leased out to Carillian Academy are ordinary unicorns. Prismstone Unicorns rarely leave their homeland unless they encounter a master they truly acknowledge.”

“I see.” Vinny nodded.

Still, even if the unicorn pulling the carriage was not an ordinary one, elven technology clearly had not developed to the point where a unicorn could fully make use of its speed advantage. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say their ancestors had always traveled underground with unicorns, so their technical skill tree had simply never branched in that direction.

The unicorn carriages at Carillian Academy could let the unicorn spread its wings and soar freely through the sky. In that regard, the Academy’s magic craftsmanship was obviously ahead of the elves by far more than a small margin.

That said, even if this carriage was not built for flight, plenty of shock-absorbing enchantments had been worked into the wheels. The ride was very smooth, and the cushioned sofa inside the carriage was comfortable as well.

Vera sat beside him with flawless posture, poised and elegant. Vinny had started out sitting properly too, but after a while he got tired. Once he could no longer hold the pose, he slumped crookedly to one side, utterly unconcerned that an exquisite elven beauty was sitting right next to him. He lounged in the carriage with complete abandon, stretching out his legs as if deliberately showing off how long they were.

Man, I’m exhausted.

With his arms folded over his stomach, Vinny glanced at Vera sitting upright beside him. If someone had not been there with him, he would have wanted to lie down and sleep on the spot. He was really too tired.

After that, he did not know what came over him. Maybe it was because Noni had dragged him out of bed too early that morning and he had not slept enough to begin with. Now, in the carriage, all he could hear was the white noise of hooves striking the ground. His mind quickly grew heavy, his eyelids drooping little by little. He grew drowsy in the carriage, but also felt that falling asleep here would not be very proper, so he began nodding off like a pecking chick.

People always said sleepiness was contagious, but Vera beside him remained completely silent, without the slightest trace of drowsiness. Instead, while Vinny sat there half-conscious, her clear, clever gaze rested calmly on him.

“Mr. Vinny?” Vera called softly, testing him.

“...” Vinny did not answer. He remained sunk in his haze.

“Mr. Vinny, are you tired?”

“...Mm.” It was hard to tell whether he had heard her or not. He only gave a vague murmur.

“Mr. Vinny, it’s a long trip. If you’re tired, you should get some sleep here in the carriage.”

“Mmh.”

“Mr. Vinny, may I ask you a question?” Vera’s eyes shifted slightly, and a faint, dim glow spread from the staff in her hand.

“...What?” Vinny dimly heard someone calling him and answered on instinct.

“What is your real purpose in coming to elf lands?” Vera’s expression slowly sharpened, a keen light flashing in her beautiful eyes.

“My real... purpose?” Vinny tilted his head, seeming unable to understand the question. “My... real purpose?”

“Yes.”

“My real purpose... isn’t it just this, right now?”

“Right now?” Vera watched him for a moment, thinking, then asked again in an even softer voice, “Then what was your true purpose in enrolling at Carillian Academy?”

“My purpose... in enrolling at Carillian Academy?” In his groggy state, Vinny did not think much before answering. “You mean... my real purpose?”

“Yes.” Seeing that his will seemed to be loosening, Vera drew her brows together slightly and listened intently.

“My real purpose... do I really have to say it?”

“Everyone has secrets of their own. But if you keep certain secrets buried in your heart forever, doesn’t that become a heavy burden?” Vera said in a gentle, guiding tone. “I can see that you’re carrying tremendous psychological pressure. You’re almost at your limit. Sharing those things with someone else would make you feel much better.”

Vinny said nothing.

Seeing this, the light radiating from Vera’s staff grew a little stronger.

“A secret? Fine. For me... yes, it is a secret.”

“Mhm.” Vera nodded.

“I... I want to eat well, wear good clothes, live a good life... and then be with some passing upperclassman girl or underclassman girl and...”

“???” Vera had braced herself to hear the beginning and end of some hidden secret, but instead it felt as if someone had dumped a basin of cold water over her head, freezing her straight through.

What was that supposed to mean?

She could not make sense of a single sentence.

No.

This was completely different from what she had imagined he would say. Or rather, it was off by a hundred thousand miles.

This human really was no ordinary person. His mental defenses were high and thick. Even while his awareness was blurred and secretly guided by her magic, he could still force himself to say some bizarre nonsense that swerved away from the truth.

No wonder he had managed to lurk at Carillian Academy for so long. Setting aside the help he had received from others, this human himself was anything but simple.

Vera thought silently.

If this method did not work on him, then there was nothing more to be gained here. At this point, she would not be able to probe anything further.

The glow on Vera’s staff gradually faded away.

“...Hm??” Vinny suddenly felt his drowsiness disperse like mist. When he looked out the window, he found that sunset had already fallen.

Without noticing it, they had already spent the entire day in the carriage.

Strange. He had felt drowsy just now, but it had not seemed as though he had actually fallen asleep.

But if he had not fallen asleep, then why was it already evening by the time his mind cleared?

So he really had dozed off earlier, hadn’t he?

As Vinny was puzzling it over, he suddenly noticed something, and his expression changed slightly.

His Virtue had changed again.

[Virtue +60.]

[Current Virtue: 8689.]

“???” Vinny’s expression turned strange.

What happened while I was asleep? Why had his Virtue changed again??

Had Milian done something again?? Or...

Vinny glanced at Vera, who was resting against the back of the sofa beside him, and fell silent for a long while.

If not for the change in Virtue, he really would not have noticed.

“Mr. Vinny, are you awake?” Vera asked when she saw he had come to.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” Vinny rubbed his head. “Did I fall asleep just now?”

“You did. You probably got up too early this morning, didn’t you?”

“Probably.” Vinny’s expression returned to normal, as if nothing had happened before.

“Are you hungry?”

“I’m alright.” Even though he said that, he was actually starving by now. But the moment he thought of elven food, his appetite vanished anyway.

Unless he was desperate, he truly did not want to gnaw on landscaping.

“We’re almost there.”

“So soon?” Vinny asked in surprise.

“This is a unicorn carriage, Mr. Vinny.” Vera smiled. “Look outside. See how quickly the scenery is flying backward?”

Vinny looked out the window and realized that in his field of vision, there was one thing that was not streaking past like an afterimage. Instead, it remained utterly still, like a fixed point of reference.

They were circling a lake, and that colossal thing stood there like an ancient tree that could pierce the heavens. Thick vines coiled around it in ring after ring. Its bark was an earthy gold, and beneath the glow of the setting sun it shone with a splendid luster.

Its branches and leaves spread lush and vast, like the ancient tree of legend said to grow at the end of the world and reach into the heavenly realm—a true Golden Sacred Tree.

Everything around it was rushing wildly by, yet it alone remained calm and unmoving, taking up most of his view and making it seem close at hand. But when his gaze dropped to the tiny walls below it—small as an anthill, barely able to encircle it at all—only then did he realize there was still quite some distance between them and the tree.

It was hard to imagine just how enormous that giant tree must be once one got close enough.

Vinny’s gaze was captured by the stunning sight. His eyes locked onto the scene in silent amazement.

It was hard to imagine that in a place human hands could never reach, such a wonder still existed.

No. This was beyond any man-made wonder. It felt like a relic left behind by a god.

What Vinny did not notice was that while he was completely focused on the Sacred Tree, Vera was watching him from beside him, studying his reaction and thinking who knew what.

“So that’s your elves’ Golden Sacred Tree?” Vinny asked with genuine awe.

“Mhm. What do you think of it, Mr. Vinny?”

“I think it’s overwhelming,” Vinny answered. “Beautiful too. And hard to believe. I can’t imagine there could be a tree this massive in the world. In front of it, humans really are like ants.”

“The Golden Sacred Tree is the incarnation and blessing of the Mother of Earth. It is also the source of every elf’s power, and the longest-living plant still alive on the Tyrelis Continent today,” Vera said softly. “It is the root of the elves. Because of it, elves possess long lives, powerful comprehension, and exceptional magical talent.”

“For generations, the elves have lived under its protection. To us, it is our shared mother. We are all children lying in our mother’s embrace.”

I see. So the [All-Forests Barrier] is provided by the Golden Sacred Tree.

Vinny thought that as he watched the scenery race past. Time slipped by quickly.

Before he knew it, deep night had fallen, covering the half-red sky.

Even beneath the black curtain of night, Vinny could still see countless points of light flickering atop the Golden Sacred Tree, rippling gold through the darkness in answer to the stars spread across the sky.

“Every leaf on the Golden Sacred Tree is a golden leaf—the same kind the elder gave you,” Vera said. “Golden leaves preserve the Sacred Tree’s power. At night, their veins shine with a golden glow. When countless golden leaves light up together, they paint this breathtaking scene.”

“This is the place where every elf would do everything in their power to protect the sleeping ground of the Mother of Earth.”

Vinny listened to Vera’s explanation, and at some point while he listened, the carriage came to a stop.

When he lifted his head again, the Golden Sacred Tree that had seemed distant before was now right in front of him, so immense that he could not take it all in at a glance. By comparison, even the wall below it looked tiny.

Ever since entering elf lands, this was the first proper elven city wall Vinny had seen. Countless golden magic patterns covered it, corresponding to the vast spread of golden leaves overhead. It was as if the vein-patterns of those golden leaves had been copied directly onto the wall. The closer one got, the more clearly those golden lines emerged, until the entire wall seemed like one enormous leaf.

“We’re here.” Vera stepped down from the carriage, the heels of her sandals touching the ground with a crisp, lovely sound.

Vinny followed her down as well.

The walls that had looked like an anthill from afar now rose like a heavenly barrier, and the Sacred Tree behind them was even more overwhelming. Vinny almost felt as though he had reached the end of the world, where an immense tree so wide it blocked the gates of time and space stood barring his path.

“Welcome to the city created by the Mother of Earth—the City of the Golden Tree.” Vera walked ahead.

At that moment, Caesha changed into human form as well, shrugged the harness from her body, and followed behind Vera.

“Miss Vera, if I remember right, you haven’t been in your post for very long, have you?” Caesha asked curiously.

“That’s right,” Vera said. “When I left, I certainly didn’t expect to be coming back so soon to make a formal report.”

Vinny was still studying the mysteries of the wall before him, as well as the Golden Sacred Tree whose full form he could not even perceive.

This was the first time he had ever seen the elves’ Sacred Tree.

There would probably never be a second chance like this in his entire life.

“This way, Mr. Vinny.” Vera made a courteous gesture of invitation. “The elders also have matters they wish to discuss with you.”

Vinny said nothing and followed behind Vera.

Even though the city gate was already right in front of them, it still took quite a while to actually reach it.

Vinny looked at the tightly shut gate, then at Vera beside him, as if asking how they were supposed to get in.

Vera lifted a hand. The staff in her grip began to emit the same golden patterns as the lines spread across the wall. On the heavy gate, countless enchantment patterns lit up in response.

Vinny was a little surprised.

That gate was clearly made of wood. Even if it was obviously no ordinary wood, the fact remained that the elves had managed to engrave enchantment runes into wood in a way that actually worked.

So the elves had not completely wasted their magical talent after all.

The same was true of these walls. If elves built their cities like this everywhere—instead of leaving everything outside the Sacred Tree more or less unmanaged so long as it was barely livable—their defenses would be much stronger than they were now.

“CLACK, CLACK.”

The magic patterns on the gate began to rotate. Accompanied by the deep, massive groan of turning axles, the giant sealed gate slowly opened inward.

As Vinny watched the golden radiance gradually spill across his face, he suddenly realized something.

Hadn’t Milian gone quiet for a very long time now?

“Come, Mr. Vinny.” Just as Vinny was about to take out Milian’s Soul-Heart and inspect it, Vera spoke.

Vinny looked at her back, and his expression shifted slightly.

Forget it.

He was already here.

Whatever was waiting for him, he would find out soon enough.