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

“Waaah! A monster—!”
“Run for your lives!”

As Meteora and the knights rushed toward the scene, they were shocked to see the townspeople fleeing in multitudes.

“Wait! Don’t run that way! You’ll be safer inside the protective talismans!”

Meteora spread her arms wide, trying desperately to stop them, but in their panic at the sight of the enormous monster, no one listened.

“Like some holy woman’s charms would actually work!”

“Ah—!”

A rough shove sent Meteora sprawling to the ground.

“Lady Saintess! Damn it!”

One of the knights hurried over and helped her up.

“Are you alright?”
“Yes…”
“Forget them—there’s nothing we can do now. Fools! They’ve seen your healing power, and they still ran from the wards!”

The knight felt frustrated and started running again, pulling Meteora along.

She shared his frustration but even though the townspeople had witnessed her healing magic, they didn’t understand the power of the protective talismans or barriers.

To them, a talisman was nothing more than a simple good-luck charm. They couldn’t believe a mere scrap of paper with strange markings would keep them safe.

(And with a monster that massive bearing down on them, of course they panicked and ran…)

Still, even if it was understandable, having them scatter in all directions made it impossible to protect them with wards or barriers. At this point, the only option was to keep the monster from chasing them down.

By the time they arrived at the other side of town, Lionel had already engaged the monster, slashing at it repeatedly.

But despite his relentless attacks, the creature’s massive, armored scales deflected every blow.

“Even the captain’s sword won’t cut through!?”

The knights’ voices wavered with unease. Meteora furrowed her brows.

(It’s not just its size… Its hardness is completely different from any monster we’ve seen before! And more than that… its eyes—!)

Even from a distance, the snake-like creature’s pupils were visible—wide, unfocused, and eerily vacant.

(Its eyes aren’t focusing… It looks completely deranged! It’s not even reacting to Lionel’s attacks—it’s just blindly moving forward!)

If they let it keep going, it would crash into the town, leveling every building in its path. That had to be stopped at all costs.

Meteora ran desperately and finally emerged at the town’s far end.

“Lady Meteora…!”

In the open square, Chuli stood trembling, looking as though she might burst into tears.

Where the townspeople should have been gathered, only a handful remained—mostly parents clutching young children and elderly folk. They were paralyzed with fear, sobbing as the monster loomed ever closer.

“I-I’m sorry… No matter how much I told them this place was safe, most of them ran away…!”

“With that thing approaching, it’s no wonder. Lady Chuli, hold up your talismans and lead these people further back!”

“O-Okay!”

Chuli realized she would only be a burden if she stayed. She immediately turned to the townsfolk, urging them to move while holding up her talismans.

But most of them were too terrified to even stand.

Meteora stepped forward, placing herself between them and the advancing monster.

She raised her staff and unleashed a barrier—a last line of defense against the unstoppable beast.