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

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking… I never would have appreciated plain hot water like this if I hadn’t experienced something like this.”

“Well… yeah, I can see that.”

“You seem pretty distressed about a ‘young lady’ being in ‘harsh conditions,’ but honestly, I’m finding this rather enjoyable, so you don’t have to worry too much about me.”

“……”

“That said, I do appreciate your concern. Thank you.”

However, instead of looking pleased at her gratitude, Lionel pressed his lips into a thin line, looking strangely irritated.

“Something wrong?”

“Just thinking… You shouldn’t say things like that to other men.”

“…Huh?”

Meteora blinked at him in confusion.

With his arms crossed, Lionel continued, looking entirely serious.

“You and I both have pretty good faces. An idiot man might hear you say something like that and fall for you on the spot. To avoid attracting deluded fools, keep your sweet words and cute smiles reserved only for me.”

“…Excuse me?”

Meteora’s face went blank for a moment before she let out a long, infuriated sigh.

“You know, considering you’ve got a good face too, you should probably avoid saying things that could lead to misunderstandings.”

“That’s rude. I was giving you serious advice.”

“Which just makes it worse.”

Meteora gasped and took a sip of her hot water. Lionel was muttering, “What an ungrateful brat,” downed his wine.

Meanwhile, the knights were diligently preparing the campsite around them.

Usually, the air was filled with chatter and laughter, but tonight, there was an unusual silence.

Almost all of them had overheard the conversation between Meteora and Lionel, and in their heads, they were collectively thinking:

(The real problem is the two of you and this weird atmosphere…)

(What was that? Some kind of sweet-and-sour romantic comedy moment?)

(The fact that neither of them seems aware of it just makes it even more annoying…)

Yet, the two at the center of it all remained blissfully unaware.

***

For the next two days, they continued their grueling trek, traveling from one Stake to Stake another.

But the exhaustion must have been building up on them.

The moment Meteora finished the emergency repairs on the seventeenth Stake, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Ugh… I feel sick.”

“Yeah, I figured. You’ve been pushing yourself past your limit, so this doesn’t surprise me.”

Lionel let out a sigh, looking unsurprised.

“Hey, someone get her a bucket.”

At his command, one of the knights quickly fetched a bucket.

Meteora clutched it just in case she needed it, while the knights carefully pulled her onto a horse.

“We confirmed a town to the south this morning. If we leave now, we’ll reach it by evening. We’re moving out.”

“Yes, sir!”

It wasn’t just Lionel—every knight seemed to be watching Meteora closely.

Their movements were shockingly efficient and finishing preparations in record time before setting off at a brisk pace.

“I feel like… the knights are more aware of my condition than I am.”

“That’s how it is. It’s easier to notice these things from the outside. Besides, your complexion is terrible. You’ve got deep circles under your eyes too.”

He tapped a finger under his own eye to illustrate.

Meteora bit her lips.

“When I first got here, you guys were the ones looking half-dead.”

“Thanks to our genius Saintess, we’re now in peak condition, which is exactly why we’ll make sure to look after her health in return.”

She wanted to respond—“You’re so obnoxious”—but another wave of nausea surged up, forcing her to shut her mouth.

She never actually threw up, but at some point, her mind drifted into a daze.

By the time she came to her senses, she was already lying in a quiet corner of some town while carefully tucked into bed.