Chapter 47: Prejudice and the Complaining Saint.
Facing the jacketed youth, crouched in a combat stance, Suna set down her beer bottle, shrugged, and wagged her right finger.
“Wow, such hostility? Hold off on fighting. To your first question, I noticed you the moment you started tailing me. As for the second, I’m just an ordinary saintess.”
“Ordinary saintess? No way someone like you is ordinary,” he retorted.
Suna huffed, mock-offended. “What? Saintesses can’t drink? What century is this?”
She took a few big gulps of beer.
“That’s not what I meant! And we’ll see if you’re a saintess!”
As he spoke, the youth drew a hilt from his waist, its blade invisible.
Even while drinking, Suna ducked swiftly as he swung the hilt.
“Radiant Flame Aegis.”
An invisible blade slashed above her, scarring the alley wall.
Golden flames formed translucent hexagonal shields, precisely blocking his follow-up strikes.
Sparks flew from the shields as he retracted the hilt, then lunged forward, thrusting it.
“Armor-Piercing Thrust.”
Suna layered her flame shields, but sensing danger, she sidestepped.
The blade’s glint sliced through her shields like paper.
“Tricky. A space magic user,” Suna said calmly. “I’d rather not get serious with you Dawn Spear recon knights of the Golden Bough Temple. No benefit in fighting you. But…”
She glanced at the fully armored charge knight blocking the alley’s other end, wielding a massive lance capable of breaching gates, poised to charge.
On the rooftops, an archer with a compound bow had nocked a radiant arrow, drawn and ready.
“You questioning my saintess identity needs correcting. Radiant Rainscape.”
As Suna’s words and surging magic resonated, the three Dawn Spear knights attacked.
The jacketed youth’s invisible blade struck, but golden rain poured down, outlining his blade’s form.
The charging knight’s enchanted armor dented under the rain’s barrage, while inexplicably fast-growing vines and shrubs snagged his steps.
The archer’s radiant arrows shattered upon hitting the supersonic rain curtain.
After a mere second, the unprotected jacketed youth knelt, overwhelmed, though he quickly formed a conical shield to deflect the rain.
“Proof enough I’m a saintess?” Suna tilted her head as the rain stopped.
Having pushed her blessing’s magic output to its limit, small, glowing Corona Flowers bloomed in her golden hair.
The three knights lowered their weapons and saluted her with knightly respect.
Golden-tier saintesses weren’t rare in the temple, but those with a goddess’s blessing were, carrying high status.
“The Goddess’s blessing! …We’re sorry for our offense,” the jacketed youth said.
“We failed to recognize you. Please accept our apologies,” the armored knight added.
“We’re fresh from the front lines, too tense, and misjudged you. Sorry,” the archer said.
Suna pursed her lips. Though she’d shown Corona Magic proving her temple affiliation, they hadn’t stopped, only aiming to avoid lethal force.
They’d clearly intended to “teach her a lesson,” seeing her as a rival faction’s member, not an enemy.
But they hadn’t anticipated her blessing overpowering them briefly.
With no justification to continue, they apologized readily.
[The temple’s factional struggles are intense. But I didn’t risk a beating just for apologies.]
“Your apologies lack sincerity,” Suna said. “But I’ll forgive you. You stalked me, ignored me, and ganged up on me, but I’m sure you noble Dawn Spear knights had righteous reasons.”
Pausing, she smiled devilishly. “So, during tomorrow’s prayers to the Goddess, I’ll truthfully praise your diligence.”
Her words threw the knights into a panic.
“Uh… what?!”
The jacketed youth’s face reddened, the armored knight froze mid-motion, and the archer hesitated, all dreading her “reporting” them via her divine connection.
After a tense silence, the jacketed youth offered, “…If you don’t mind, we’d like to treat you to dinner to discuss further apologies.”
“Great! Since you’re kindly offering, I’ll accept. Tomorrow morning works, and I’d like to bring a few friends. Hope that’s okay.”
Beaming, Suna planned to enjoy a lavish meal, fleece them, and subtly extract information without revealing her mimic beast identity.