Banishment is Fine: As a Genius Saint, I Can Shine Anywhere. - Chapter 1

The knight captain didn’t expect her to talk back. He was slightly taken aback; he raised an eyebrow and smiled, “You’re a cheeky one.”

“Well, I treat those who are polite with the same politeness. So, I return rudeness with rudeness as well. What’s wrong with that?”

“Heh, I commend you for your courage to speak like that to me and for your barrier and healing powers.”

The knight captain straightened up and became serious.

“I’m Lionel Adickan, captain of the Second Unit, Third Division of the Royal Knights, and who are you?”

“I am Meteora, the saintess assigned to the Fifth Regional Temple from the Central Temple.”

“The Central Temple… that’s where the elite saintesses gather. Why are you here in the remote regions?”

One of the knights surrounding them muttered in amazement.

She just shrugged in response.

“Even the Central Temple feels cramped for someone as talented as I am.”

“I admit your talents as a saintess are exceptional. Very few saintesses can create a barrier that completely neutralizes monster poison.”

Lionel, the knight captain, exhaled and softened his tone slightly.

“Sorry, but can you put up some protective charms around the temple? Just the perimeter will do.”

“That seems necessary. For a monster like that to breach the stakes, what’s going on around here?”

“I’ll explain. If an incompetent saintess who could only heal scratches arrived, I’d send them back immediately, but you’re different.”

Thinking that he always had a confrontational way of speaking, Meteora replied, “I need to find my bag; it got blown away by the wind,” and walked off promptly.

A knight quickly found her bag. She took out a stack of papers, about the size of a face, and removed the gem from the tip of her staff. She pressed it onto the paper.

As she drew it, the gem glowed softly. The trails it left glowed pink, creating mysterious patterns on the paper.

“Keep writing and stick these around the building.”

“York and Royja, you handle it.”

“Yes!”

The knights took the charms that she created and went outside immediately.

“Are there no clergy or saintesses in this temple? Even in remote areas, there should be at least one person capable of writing charms.”

Meteora asked in exasperation, without stopping her work.

“Monsters started appearing around here two weeks ago. We evacuated the nearby villagers to a town closer to the center. The people here could barely handle tending to the injured.”

Lionel added quietly that the charms they made were also subpar. Meteora shrugged in response.

“So, this temple is unmanned now? And the surrounding villages too?”

“Yes. This is our base for monster hunting now. But… we’re running out of water. We’ll need to move out soon.”

“Water…?”

She looked up from the paper.

“Is the water around here undrinkable?”

“Yes, it’s already contaminated. Monsters keep coming in, and the miasma fills the area, causing the water to spoil.”

Meteora looked out the window frame. The ground was cracked, and the trees were withered and blackened. It was clear that clean water would be hard to find in such a place.

“Running out of water is critical.”

“We used to receive regular support until two months ago, but it’s stopped recently. Rumor has it that the southern areas, which are in a similar state, are getting the support now.”

“The south… where many nobles live.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

This time, it was Lionel who shrugged.

“I see it’s a difficult situation. Here’s the last charm. Stick this, and the building should be safe.”

She handed over the finished charm, and Lionel took it without complaint.

“Thanks. We really appreciate it.”

(Hmm, so he can be polite after all.) Meteora raised her eyebrows slightly.