Banishment is Fine: As a Genius Saint, I Can Shine Anywhere. - Chapter 5

As Lionel searched his memory, Chuli gave a firm nod.

“Yes. He’s currently the Chief Priest—essentially the highest authority in this country. Most official communications from the Central Temple come under his name.”

“So… it was him? The one who exiled Meteora from her position as Chief Saintess?”

Lionel’s expression twisted in displeasure.

“Would a competent man really cast out someone as powerful as Meteora? That’s an act of pure idiocy.”

“Hmm… It has been thirty years since I last worked alongside Boranzon at the Central Temple…”

Roadban stroked his long beard, his gaze was thoughtful.

“From what I recall, Boranzon was intelligent, compassionate, and a devout follower of the Goddess.

He never struck me as the type to be blinded by power or ambition… but people do change with age.”

Had Boranzon changed, then?

Regardless, it was an unsettling turn of events.

“Well… if nothing else, the fact that this orb wasn’t made in our country just made this an even bigger crisis.”

Lionel tossed the orb lightly into the air.

It was astonishingly light, its smooth black surface shimmering faintly.

At the same time, it was unnervingly slick, threatening to slip from his fingers if he wasn’t careful.

Yet, despite its delicate appearance, Roadban had apparently dropped it onto the floor and even struck it multiple times—without leaving so much as a scratch.

“…Wait, you did what?! Are you insane, old man?!”

“Well, I had to test it somehow.”

“What if it cracked open and released some kind of curse?!”

“No need to worry. I can no longer sense any residual power within it.

Chuli, why don’t you try touching it yourself?”

With a sigh, Chuli hesitantly took the orb from Lionel, rolling it in her hands as though expecting it to burn her.

“But if this was crafted by a sorcerer, wouldn’t it be expected that Saintesses and priests like us wouldn’t sense anything?”

“No,” Roadban replied firmly.

“We who bear the Grace of the Gods have an instinctual ability to detect anything that threatens the Divine Tree.

It’s less about conscious awareness and more about a primal response—like a guardian’s intuition.

And yet, I feel nothing from this orb.

That tells me its power has already faded.”

“Huh… That’s how it works?”

As someone utterly clueless about divine blessings, Lionel struggled to wrap his head around it.

But Chuli seemed convinced, handing the orb back to him.

“I suppose that makes sense. I don’t feel anything from it either.”

“Regardless,” Lionel muttered, staring at the object in his palm,

“The fact remains that someone in Durandix—a sorcerer—was manipulating the monsters.

…and that led to an enlarged, frenzied creature attacking our people.

That’s a huge problem.

We need to report this to the Central Temple immediately… and speaking of Durandix…”

He turned to glance out the window.

The dark sky was beginning to lighten—dawn was approaching.

“…Thanks for the insight, Chuli, Roadban.

I’m going to check on the magic pigeon.”

“You should really rest a little, Lionel,” Chuli chided gently.

“You’ve been on the move since we got here, and last night, you were by Meteora’s side the entire time.”

“I’ll grab a nap once my men wake up.

For now, I need time to think—especially since we won’t be able to move until Meteora recovers…”

—Though deep down, he knew time wasn’t something they had the luxury of wasting.

Keeping that thought to himself, Lionel nodded to the two before quietly stepping out of the room.