Banishment is Fine: As a Genius Saint, I Can Shine Anywhere. - Chapter 4

The third Stake was in as terrible a state as the previous two.

As night had fallen, they paused their search for the day. At dawn, Meteora resumed walking along the border, tending to a total of thirteen Stakes with temporary repairs.

While she worked, the knights searched the ruins of abandoned villages and settlements nearby.

Whenever they found monsters nesting in those places, they immediately launched an attack, hunting them down one by one.

On the fourth night of their border expedition, as they prepared to camp, the knights murmured among themselves.

“Still… this is worse than we thought.”

“Looks like a huge portion of the country had already fallen to the monsters.”

“Before the Saintess arrived, we were barely managing to deal with the ones we encountered. We had no idea they had spread this far into the inner parts.”

“Then again, considering the local temples were destroyed, we probably should’ve seen this coming…”

“It couldn’t be helped. We were too busy fighting the threats right in front of us.”

Hearing that, Lionel, who had been listening quietly, nodded in agreement.

“That’s exactly right.”

“Ah, Captain!”

“Like York said, we did everything we could at the time. Which means we did our best. Don’t let it weigh you down—in fact, you should be proud of yourselves.”

“C-Captain…!”

“And thanks to Meteora, we finally have the breathing room to step back and think. As Roija pointed out, now we can take a moment to reflect. From here on, we’ll keep that in mind and move forward accordingly. I’m counting on all of you tomorrow as well!”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights responded with a lively chorus and their faces were bright with renewed determination.

Watching from a short distance away, Meteora was genuinely impressed.

(He really knows how to lift his men’s spirits.)

Just as she thought that, Lionel suddenly turned toward her.

Meteora quickly shifted her gaze and pretended to be busy organizing the protective talismans.

“…Did you just intentionally look away?”

“Did I? Must be your imagination.”

“Hmm…? Well, if you say so.”

He let it slide, but then added,

“Anyway, leave that to us. You should sit by the fire and rest—you don’t look too well.”

“I don’t?”

Meteora unconsciously touched her cheek.

Lionel nodded with serious expression.

“You’ve been walking around all day, healing us and writing talismans… It’s exhausting. If we had comfortable beds and good food, it’d be different, but under these conditions, just keeping up must be tough for a young lady like you.”

(Now that he mentions it…)

Food wasn’t the problem, but sleeping definitely was.

No matter how many blankets she wrapped around herself, the hard, cold ground was still uncomfortable.

She had thought it was the same for the knights, but unlike her, they were trained for this.

She had spent her life in the temple, where food, shelter, and comfort were given—adjusting to life in the wilderness was another matter entirely.

The temporary repairs on the Stakes had also drained her both physically and mentally.

Perhaps she looked even more tired than she realized.

(He really does have an eye for these things… Typical of a doting captain.)

The thought wasn’t sarcastic—she meant it sincerely.

“Thank you.”

“Taking care of my subordinates is part of my job.”

“I’m not your subordinate, you know.”

“Figure of speech. As long as you’re snarking back at me, I guess you’re still fine.”

With that, Lionel got some water and set a pot over the fire to warm it.

“Hot drinks will help. When we’re exhausted, we warm the wine before drinking it.”

“You’re right… Just holding the cup is comforting.”

Meteora let out a small chuckle as she sipped the warm water.