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

“Anyway, thanks to those pampered knights being utterly useless, we have no resources to spare for the north, and that means the Saintesses are also too busy.”

“It would be nice if we could call for reinforcements, whether knights or Saints.”

Hearing Meteora’s words, Lionel shook his head slightly.

“To be honest, I’d rather have you alone than ten elite Saintesses. That would make your burden heavier, though—”

“Weren’t you listening to me? I’m a genius. My resolve, my power—everything about me is on a different level from those ordinary Saintesses.”

“I know. But still, I do think it wouldn’t hurt to have at least one other Saintess around just to help you recover.”

…That might actually be helpful. Meteora reluctantly nodded.

“If there were two of us, we could heal each other’s fatigue and injuries.”

“Exactly. Well, from what I’ve heard, that’s not a realistic plan. But whether we’re short on manpower or not, we can’t afford to neglect repairing the Stakes.”

“True.”

“So, I’m thinking of sending a letter—not just to the temple, but to His Majesty the King as well.”

“To the King?”

Meteora widened her eyes in surprise, but Lionel nodded seriously, unwavering.

“Even in this theocracy, where the clergy holds the real power, the King’s words still carry enough weight that even the temple wouldn’t be able to ignore them.”

“That’s true…”

“The only problem is making sure the letter actually reaches him. If it gets delivered to the temple first, they might toss it out without even opening it. A mere knight and a Saintess writing to the King? The clergy would just call it disrespectful and get rid of it for some ridiculous reason.”

“Yeah, that sounds possible.”

Meteora recalled the face of Chief Priest Boranzon. That man would definitely do something like that. She nodded solemnly.

“So, do you have any kind of spell or charm that could ensure the letter gets to the King safely?”

“That kind of magic falls under the clergy’s domain… but still, now isn’t the time to say ‘I can’t.’”

After all, if the letter did reach the King, even Boranzon wouldn’t be able to ignore it. He may have had the power to exile her from the temple, but he couldn’t simply brush off the King’s orders.

In the Holy Kingdom of Satarian, the clergy, who wield the power of Divine Grace and protect the Sacred Tree through prayer, hold the highest status. Below them are the royal and noble families, who govern the kingdom and its people.

Even among the nobility, however, the royal family is a special case. The temple cannot completely disregard their wishes.

If one were to rank them roughly, the hierarchy would be the Chief Priest (highest authority), the King, the Clergy, royal family members (excluding the King) and the Chief Saintess (equal standing), and lastly the Nobles and Saintesses (equal standing).

The fact that that bald-headed, idiotic old man—or rather, Boranzon—was the most powerful figure in this theocracy still didn’t sit right with Meteora. But he did possess considerable power as a cleric, making it difficult to oppose him outright.

Even if the letter was addressed to the King, all Boranzon had to do was say, “Let me see that,” and the people around him would obediently hand it over.

Knowing him, if he saw Meteora’s name as the sender, he’d probably tear the letter to shreds and burn it without even reading it.

“If I were a cleric, I could use spells that prevent anyone but the recipient from opening the letter… or place a curse that triggers if someone else tries to open it…” Meteora thought.

Unfortunately, such magic was outside the realm of a Saintess’s abilities. Even someone as powerful as Meteora could only wield saintess-related abilities—she couldn’t tap into the specialized arts of the clergy.