CHAPTER 2

“What? No way!

Saint Mitea is glaring at Lord Boranzon. She was known to be always smiling, always kind to everyone, and is a model saint, but the Saint Mitea they saw is different.

The other saints crowded together in fear because she was acting so differently from how she usually does things, while the clergy looked at each other confused. 

Boranzon, the High Priest who made the announcement, seemed to be of the same opinion. His hair, which had become completely deserted, and his mustache were twitching, and his face was slowly turning red.

“Y-you! What kind of language is that?! Such insolence toward the High Priest—!”

“I’m deliberately using this tone because I see no reason to be polite to someone who declares, ‘Yes, you’re banished,’ without any explanation. Shouldn’t you at least appreciate that I’m still speaking formally? Frankly, I’m angry enough to refer to you as ‘that bald old man.’”

“B-Bald old man?! “

Boranzon lets out a crowing sound like a rooster with its throat squeezed. The people laugh at the absurd nickname. But when the furious Boranzon glared at them, they quickly straightened their faces.

Meanwhile, Saint Mitea openly displayed her displeasure as she glared at her superior, the high-ranking Bolanzon, without hiding her displeasure.

“So, why exactly am I being stripped of my title as Chief Saint and sent to the provinces? If you don’t provide a reason, not only will I refuse to accept this decision, but so will the saints and clergy gathered here.” 

Her menacing posture was anything but saintly as she thudded her staff loudly against the marble floor while asking the High Priest. 

Though Boranzon clenched his teeth in frustration, he couldn’t argue with her logic.

“Hmph! The mere fact that you’re glaring at the highest-ranking priest with such eyes proves you are unfit to be Chief Saint!”

“I don’t care about your emotional reasoning. Give me a rational explanation!”

I didn’t know that was your true nature. I knew it was right to expel you.”

Muttering under his breath, Boranzon unrolled the scroll tucked under his arm. Holding it, he cleared his throat with an exaggerated cough.

“Ahem! Then I shall explain. The reasons for stripping you of your title are as follows:

First—You did not achieve the top score in the Chief Saint selection exam.

Second—You attempted to undertake duties beyond the scope of the Chief Saint’s role.

Third—You failed to dedicate sufficient time to prayers before the Divine Tree.

That is all!”

Once again, the surroundings were enveloped in a restless and uneasy atmosphere. Boranzon stood there with a proud expression, as if to say, “What are you dissatisfied with?”

Without changing her expression, Mitea listened to the three reasons and let out a sigh. Then, with a look that said “Well, well,” she lifted her face.

“Then, I would like to object to those three reasons.”

“Y-you’re objecting?”

“Obviously. Let’s start with the first reason—the ‘Chief Saint selection exam.’ You mean the one I took against Lady Gloriosa the other day?”

Everyone turned to look at her as she casually motioned at the person behind her with a tilt of her thumb. The saint named Gloriosa trembled and shrank back.

“Lady Gloriosa is undoubtedly a remarkable saint. She is only sixteen, yet she already has powerful healing abilities, is a master at prayer, and is so in-demand by the knights of the realm for protection charms that she can hardly keep up. As Chief Saint, I was also anticipating her development.”

“But!” Meteor emphasized each character before continuing. “In that selection exam, it was obvious that I outperformed her.”

“Ugh! And what makes you say that? ”

“Well, to start with, I finished the written exam in ten minutes, while she spent over thirty minutes crying because she didn’t understand the calculations or the classical Japanese, and half of her answer sheet was left blank, which I heard made the exam proctor sigh in disappointment.”

“Guh…!”

“As for the practical exam, we were supposed to heal injured animals, correct? I fully restored a horse with a broken leg that was about to be put down, whereas she only managed to close a wound on a rabbit’s hind leg. While healing animals is harder than healing humans, and treating the rabbit was commendable, can you really compare a horse to a rabbit?”

“Grr…!”

“Moreover, the way she sets up the barrier is quite different. While I have spread a barrier of the same strength across the entire wall of this hall, she has only managed to cover an area the size of a door. It’s true that there are very few saints who can deploy a barrier, so what she has done is impressive, but still…”

“Guhhh…!”

“Also the recitation of the prayer was clearly more elegant on one side than the other. As for the way the talisman was written, I thought her method was a bit rough. However, the power of the talisman itself is very strong, so if the writing were done more carefully, it would undoubtedly become even more powerful. That part needs to be thoroughly guided starting today.”

As Mitea continued on presenting her arguments, Boranzon’s forehead was twitched with frustration. Finally unable to bear it, he shouted:

“W-What are you trying to say in the end, you wicked saintess?!”

“I just want to say that no matter how you look at it, it is impossible for me to have lost to Gloriosa in the exam.”

Mitea answered plainly and decisively. Boranzon’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Are you saying that we, the exam proctors, are blind?! ”

“What else could it be if not blindness? ”

“You…! How dare you say that?”

“Oh, I’m not done yet, so please be quiet and listen. The second reason—‘attempting to perform duties beyond the scope of the Chief Saint’s role’—I assume this refers to my suggestion that we send more saints to the provinces.”

Mitea’s previous irritation faded slightly as she spoke in a serious tone.

“Lately, more and more knights are getting injured while fighting monsters in the provinces. There have also been reports of several barrier stakes breaking near the borders. Doesn’t that suggest that the Divine Tree’s blessing is weakening? ”

“The Divine Tree’s Blessing… weakening? ”

The saints and priests fell silent, and their faces turned pale with fear.