Banishment is Fine: As a Genius Saint, I Can Shine Anywhere. - Chapter 3

Normally, the stake should be firmly embedded in the ground.

Bathed in the same pure white light as the Divine Tree, its shape and thickness resembled a large staff more than an actual stake, reaching from Meteora’s feet to her chest.

Like the gemstone embedded in Lionel’s sword, the Stake was also made from the bark of the Divine Tree.

Because of that, it wasn’t something that could easily break or be destroyed…

(Yet, the two Stakes we found today were both snapped clean in half, and the bark inside had been crushed to dust…)

Monsters were weak against the power of the Divine Tree—even a slight touch could cause them serious injury, and if they were already weakened, it could kill them instantly.

Because of this, monsters shouldn’t have been able to touch the Stake at all. And if they couldn’t touch it, they shouldn’t have been able to destroy it either.

However, unlike the ancient Divine Tree, which had stood for ages, the Stakes were created by priests and Saintesses—humans who possessed the Grace of the Gods. In other words, they were artificially made and required human preservation.

Following this logic… The reason the Stakes were breaking was likely because the prayers that had once been performed regularly had stopped, causing their power to weaken. Over time, they had succumbed to natural forces like wind, rain, and miasma.

(Just like how even the sturdiest building will eventually collapse if not maintained… But still, this level of destruction seems far too severe to be caused by mere weather.)

A Stake snapping in half was… understandable. It could be similar to how a flagpole breaks in a storm.

But the fact that the Divine Tree’s bark inside had been scattered and stomped into dust—that was something she simply couldn’t explain.

(After all, monsters shouldn’t be able to trample it. Like with talismans, the moment they sense the presence of the Divine Tree, they should instinctively flee… The power is that overwhelming.)

Could it be that, without prayers, the bark had lost its power entirely?

Meteora pondered this as she examined the first Stake, gathering as much of the scattered bark as she could from the ground.

Even as she held the remnants in her palm, she could still feel a faint trace of the Divine Tree’s power. However, it was incredibly weak—far weaker than the talismans she crafted.

(And compared to the size of the Stake, the amount of bark I found was strangely little…)

Had the wind carried it away?

Yet, even after thoroughly searching the area with the knights, they couldn’t find any more fragments of Divine Tree bark.

(And with the Stakes in this ruined state, it’s no wonder that monsters were able to invade freely…)

But still… could mere weather really have destroyed them this badly?

For now, she decided to assess the condition of the third Stake before drawing any conclusions.

As the knights motioned for her to come over, calling, “Saintess, please ride with us!”, Meteora moved toward the waiting horses.

“We’ll be moving again soon. Are you thirsty? The captain instructed us to offer you water.”

“Thank you, but wine will do. Water is precious—we should conserve it.”

“We appreciate your consideration, but please don’t push yourself too much. If the wine makes you feel unwell, let us know immediately.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Just as they were about to depart, Vice Captain Seguin called out.

“Saintess!”

“The captain wishes to speak with you along the way, so please ride beside him.”

“Understood.”

She guided her horse to the front of the formation where Lionel was waiting.

As he mounted his own horse, he glanced at her and said, “Sorry about this. There’s something I need to confirm with you.”