【The Old Man of the Expelled Inn Unwittingly Dominates Today Too】Although I Want to Lead a Slow Life, for Some Reason the Strongest Beauties Who Hold Important Positions in the Country, and Were Once My Disciples, Gather Around Me Asking to Be Hired – Even Though I Only Taught Them a Little～ - Chapter 41: Saint Milene's POV- What She Fears Most

“Sigh… finally, it’s complete.”

In the central church of the royal capital, in its chapel, I had just finished drawing a large magic circle and took a moment to catch my breath.

This was to cast a Saint’s 【Barrier】.

Of course, I can cast a 【Barrier】 without a magic circle. I didn’t use one at the innkeeper’s place.

“But to cover the entire Natol Kingdom… that’s a different story.”

Even for a small country, to cover the entire land, I needed a magic circle to efficiently create a holy attribute wall.

Plus, a 【Barrier】 without a magic circle fades quickly. The one at the inn has already disappeared.

News of the monster outbreak stampede has already reached my ears.

Sensei Baldo and the others must still be fighting at the inn. And so are the people in the royal capital and other towns.

This is something only I can do…

I’ll show Sensei Baldo how much I’ve grown! I raise my holy staff in front of me, blending the 【Fighting Spirit】 and holy magic power I’ve refined.

“Alright, here we go!”

“O holy wall, protect us from the great calamity! Shine light! Bestow your blessings upon us!

Great Holy Barrier – High Holy Shield!”

From the entire magic circle, intense light particles burst through the church’s ceiling, overflowing.

A wall of light began to spread from the church, like pure white lace.

“Ugh…”

This output is indeed draining. I feel like my strength is continuously being sapped from my entire body. But I haven’t lived a life so frail as to falter here!

With my 【Barrier】 complete, it should save many lives.

◇◇◇

Several hours have passed since I deployed the 【Barrier】. I wonder if it has covered half of the Natol territory by now.

…?

I feel a slight trembling from the ground… No, it’s not the ground, but rather my own instability.

A bead of sweat drips down from my forehead. It’s no surprise, given that I’m fully operating both the 【Fighting Spirit】 and the holy magic power, continuously pouring them into the magic circle.

The surrounding knights look at me with a mix of anxiety and expectation, swallowing nervously.

“Still, I can’t falter here! I must face Sensei Baldo with pride.”

As I gather strength in my abdomen and tighten my lips…

“Saint-sama~~~”

Three small shadows approach with cute, toddling steps.

Oh dear, such tiny little knights and princesses.

“Here, you can have this!”

They hand me a plump, round bread from their little hands.

—How nostalgic.

It’s the anpan that Sensei Baldo loves. When I was a little crybaby, it often stopped my tears. Hehe.

Well then, let’s have a little meal. The 【Barrier】 is spreading from the church. It will take another day to fully deploy.

It’s a long process, and I can’t let my guard down.

So, I need to put something in my stomach too.

“Hey, hey~ where did the Saint-sama come from? I’m from the village of Ronia~”

Ah, children who have taken refuge in the church.

“I come from a country called Fridania.”

“Fridania? Is it farther than the village of Ronia?”

“Yes, quite far. …Oh? Turn your face this way.”

I wipe off the red bean paste stuck on the little princess’s nose with a handkerchief, and think to myself.

…If I became Sensei Baldo’s wife, would it be like this?

I would like to have at least two children, both a boy and a girl.

What a daydream, isn’t it?

“Hey, hey, if the Saint-sama of Fridania goes away, what will happen to the scary monsters?”

Hehe, “In Fridania, there’s another Saint-sama. So don’t worry, it’s safe. And so is Natol.”

The Saint who succeeded me in Fridania. That person, despite their personality, had decent magical power.

If they properly construct a magic circle at the appropriate facility, they should be able to deploy a 【Barrier】.

But that’s if they have enhanced their magical power more than I did in advance.

Not to boast, but my title as the number one Saint in history isn’t for nothing.

“Saint-sama? Was it delicious?”

The children pull on my robe and ask with beaming smiles.

“Yes, it was very delicious. Thank you. Now, go back to your mother.”

The three angelic children toddled away cutely.

Well then, both my stomach and heart are satisfied. Time to keep pushing on.

—What!?

—Rumbling!

What is this rumbling?

The chapel, no, the entire church is shaking! It seems the earlier trembling wasn’t just my imagination.

“Knights of the Guard! All hands, prepare for battle! Be on the lookout!”

“Whoa, what an incredible shake!”

“The ground of the chapel is splitting! Everyone, evacuate from the area around the crack!”

Amidst the panic and shouts of the knights, a large, black shadow slowly began to emerge through the chapel floor.

—Chills.

Goosebumps spread across my body like waves.

This sensation is unforgettable… no matter how much I want to forget…

The creature that emerged from the ground…

—Yes, the very creature I’m most averse to.

And of all things…

A monster with SS-class power among its kind, a dragon.

A three-headed, turtle-shaped dragon species.

—A Dragon Turtle.