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

By the time she came to her senses, it was already late at night. At some point, they had already arrived at the Fifth Regional Temple. The knights were scattered across the floor, sleeping wherever they could, while Vice Captain Seguin, who had been keeping watch, let out a yawn.

“Oh, Saintess, you’re awake. You had a terrible fever. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m… managing.”

As she sat up, Meteora pressed her fingers against her forehead.

She had once again had that relentless nightmare, and though her body had recovered, mentally, she felt awful.

“I’ll get you some water. Just wait a moment. —Oh, Captain, welcome back.”

Following Seguin’s gaze, Meteora saw Lionel stepping in through the crumbling entrance.

“Oh, Meteora, you’re up. —Seguin, once you’ve finished getting the water, you can rest. I’ll stay awake until the next shift.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that.”

After handing Meteora the water, Seguin said, “Good night, Captain, Saintess,” then grabbed a blanket and headed toward the back.

“…Were you outside, Lionel?”

“Yeah, patrolling. Thanks to the talismans, it’s been quiet.”

Lionel plopped down beside her, loosening his collar and sleeves, clearly exhausted.

“Hey, don’t start undressing in front of the Saintess.”

“I’m not stripping. I have at least that much sense. …More importantly, sorry for pushing you so hard. Making you set up such a wide barrier and then move it around must have been tough.”

“You knew that and you still made me do it?”

“Of course. When you put up a barrier, the knights can fight without worrying about the rear. Thanks to that, today’s battle went incredibly smoothly. If only it were always this easy.”

Lionel pulled out a bottle of wine from his pack and took a deep swig.

“That said, we won’t need a barrier that strong again. Now that we’ve placed talismans along the border, the monsters won’t just be able to cross—they won’t even come near.”

“You’re right.”

—The talismans placed at the border were of a particularly powerful type, much larger and stronger than the ones used in the temple or distributed to the townspeople. Because of its strength, monsters wouldn’t dare approach.

The knights, on the other hand, carried smaller talismans meant for personal protection. While they could repel attacks, they didn’t prevent monsters from getting close.

But that was intentional. After all, these knights were specialists in hunting monsters. If the creatures avoided them entirely, that would be a problem. The talismans had to be strong enough for defense but weak enough to allow close encounters.

And Meteora’s ability to craft talismans with such precision was one of her greatest strengths.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll inspect the stakes. How’s your condition? You don’t seem feverish anymore.”

“I’m fine, no problem at all.”

“For someone who says that, you were having nightmares again.”

“…Huh?”

Meteora stiffened.

Lionel smirked knowingly. “Gotcha.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“When you collapsed in town, you were tossing and turning in your sleep. I figured you were probably doing the same tonight, so I took a guess.”

“…You’re awful.”

Meteora puffed out her cheeks in frustration, but Lionel just shrugged.

“You’re the one having nightmares. Not my fault.”