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

“Since we just finished a battle with the monsters, let’s walk instead of running. Sorry, but this time, I’ll be the one riding,” Captain Lionel amusedly said.

“By all means, Captain. Honestly, as your subordinates, it always feels a bit wrong to see you walking while we ride.”

Vice Captain Seguin joked, prompting laughter from the knights around them.

“Alright, then. Captain, you lead the way.”

“Seguin, watch the rear. We’re moving north. If we encounter monsters like before, let us expect a fight. I’m not asking you to stay on high alert the entire time, but don’t let your guard down completely.”

“Understood!”

The knights responded with firm voices and began their steady march.

“…We can go over the details later tonight, but for now, I need to confirm something about the two Stakes we found today.”

As expected, that was what he wanted to discuss with the Saintess.

Meteora then agreed.

“The Stakes are holy artifacts infused with the power of the Divine Tree, right? Yet, both of them were snapped in half, their insides were scattered. Is that even possible?”

Lionel was getting straight to the point—he wanted the conclusion first.

“Based on the past records, I’d say no, it shouldn’t be possible. At least, up until five years ago, the Stakes were regularly reinforced through prayer. Official records confirm that much. But after that… at most, a Saintess was dispatched once or twice.”

“So, you’re saying the Stakes deteriorated because they weren’t prayed over enough?”

“That’s the most likely the explanation. Stakes are, after all, man-made. Neglecting them will make them dull and useless.”

Lionel nodded, seemingly accepting her reasoning. However, his brows furrowed soon after.

“…Still, isn’t it strange that they were completely split in two?”

“That’s been bothering me as well. But it’s not like I know exactly how many years of negligence it would take for a Stake to break. I can speculate, but I can’t say anything for certain.”

Meteora shook her head, and Lionel let out a thoughtful “I see…” before nodding again.

“Judging from the condition of those two Stakes and the fact that monsters are roaming freely, I doubt the ones we’ll find next will be in any better shape.”

“Most likely. The border wall, which was meant to work in tandem with the Stakes, was practically in ruins, after all.”

Meteora sighed.

Since the Stakes had lost their power, monsters had been able to breach the borders and enter the Holy Kingdom.

With their massive bodies, they could easily crush or scale any wall humans built.

That was precisely why repairing the Stakes was an urgent priority.

After a moment of contemplation, Lionel finally spoke up.

“For now, we’ll write another letter to the Central Temple tonight. We’ll explain the situation and urge them to hurry with the repairs. Your talismans will hold for a few months, but the sooner they will repair is better, right?”

“Of course.”

For now, they had managed to reconstruct the two Stakes as best as they could—packing the remaining Divine Tree bark into their hollow cores and wrapping them tightly with talismans.

They had planted them back into the ground and placed additional talismans nearby, creating a temporary barrier.

However, the Stakes had already lost their original function of circulating the Divine Tree’s power throughout the land.

At best, they now served as mere monster deterrents—nothing more than a temporary fix.

The Central Temple needed to take action while the talismans still held their power.

(The real issue is… the temple’s leadership didn’t seem particularly concerned about repairing the Stakes. Will they actually listen to Lionel and me…?)

Meteora wasn’t optimistic.

As someone who had fallen from grace, her words alone wouldn’t be enough.

But perhaps, if Lionel—who was presumably of noble descent—pushed for it, they might just take action…