A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

After Priest Ezio joined their party, their journey became considerably smoother. Of course, having an ascetic priest who traversed the Alb Mountains like his own backyard accompany them made such an outcome inevitable.

Unlike his avant-garde barefoot loincloth attire that allowed him to roam the mountains’ perennial snow, glacial terrain, marshes and bogs unhindered, Priest Ezio surprisingly proved adept at locating suitable campsites suitable for overnight stays.

When Conra questioned this unexpected pragmatism contrasting his striking first impression, Priest Ezio explained:

“While I adopt this appearance to draw closer to the hallowed peaks’ natural environment in pursuit of enlightenment, that is precisely why I understand better than anyone the importance of never underestimating nature itself. For humans, clothing is ultimately an inessential factor. But proper shelter to shield one from wind and rain, to rest comfortably, is an entirely different matter. Does the young one comprehend this principle?”

Grasping the general context, Conra readily agreed with Priest Ezio’s words, though he could not fully empathize. He certainly understood the importance of proper lodgings, but inwardly objected to the notion of bodily attire being inconsequential.

‘Surely the teachings about not being bound by material trappings weren’t meant to justify parading around like a savage warrior clad only in a loincloth while flexing one’s muscles.’

As Priest Ezio calmly embraced such a self-serving interpretation, Conra began wondering if his preconceptions about clergy were perhaps not mere prejudices after all.

Well, the only clergy Conra had encountered were the nun knights Sophia and Hildegard, and now Priest Ezio. And while Sophia and Hildegard likely considered themselves perfectly normal, to Conra their eccentricities merely differed in direction from Priest Ezio’s oddities.

Of course, proper Church clergy would find such assessments gravely unjust.
Yet in this particular company, there were no such proper ecclesiastics to correct Conra’s biases.

With their expedited pace and stabilized lodgings, Sophia devoted her surplus time to mentoring her disciple.
By now, Conra had become thoroughly accustomed to Sophia de Chazelle’s training regimens. At this juncture, Sophia introduced him to new disciplines:

Kettlebells, steel maces, weightlifting, stone training, clubbells, mace bells, gym ball exercises, various calisthenics including PT routines and CrossFit, parkour, contortion, flying yoga – and Sophia’s fusion of Tai Chi Ball, Qigong Weight Balls, and the Eight Brocade Qigong’s ‘Rotating Attendant Dances,’ the ‘Walking Circle Ball Training.’ Sophia cycled through daily evening training menus, effectively sculpting Conra’s musculature.

Before long, Priest Ezio also took interest in how Sophia trained Conra. As someone who had undergone rigorous conditioning to forge his own physique, Priest Ezio soon joined Sophia and Hildegard in researching methods to maximize physical performance.

And the primary beneficiary of this research was none other than Conra. While maddening for him, Conra could hardly complain when Sophia, Hildegard and Priest Ezio concurrently engaged in equal or greater training intensities right beside him.

“Kugh…ungh!”
‘Lord, I’m dying. Dying, I tell you!’

Performing exercises like lunges or squats atop wooden platforms while shouldering heavy weights, Conra could not help but emit dying sounds.

His thighs burned intensely. Maintaining perfect balance atop the platforms proved far more challenging than expected. And to cycle through lunges or squats under such conditions bordered on nightmarish.

“Silence such feeble thoughts. Did you not previously express a desire to move as I did while levitating? To achieve that requires mastering these disciplines. Let’s start by aiming to double the thickness of those thighs.”

Gritting his teeth at Sophia’s words, Conra regretted ever voicing his wish to learn weightless skills after witnessing her slay the dread drake. But what was done could not be undone.

The previous day involved cross-position holds and handstand push-ups while gripping rings. The day before that, windmill exercises while wearing weighted limb attachments. And the day prior, parkour drills in restraint clothing. Compared to such torturous routines, the initial gym ball single-arm snatches seemed trivial in hindsight.

By the time their grueling training culminated with the Alb Mountains behind them and the Toriento Bishopric coming into view, Conra’s movements had transformed remarkably. He could consistently operate at peak strength and endurance levels, his salmon leap stability incomparably refined.

The harsh high-altitude regimens amid the oxygen-depleted peaks provided more than enough stimuli to thoroughly condition Conra’s constitution.

Might he now overcome Karl, the youth who had previously defeated him? Sophia had vowed to elevate Conra beyond Karl’s level before long. Perhaps she truly intended to keep that promise, Conra mused.
…Otherwise, why would she so ruthlessly push her sole disciple to such extremes?

Conra remained unaware of Sophia’s principle: ‘A disciple must be worked to the brink of life and death.’ Ignorance was likely bliss in this case, for even if he knew, nothing would change.

In any case, they had finally arrived within sight of the Toriento Bishopric. As if beholding a town for the first time in ages, the party bore wistful expressions.

“So this is the northernmost Toriento Bishopric of the Kingdom of Rotaringhia…”

In contrast to Conra’s sentimentality, Sophia, Hildegard and Priest Ezio all appeared utterly blasé. To them, the Toriento Bishopric was simply an unremarkable town – just another bishopric district.

While its transport connections made it a frequent Council venue, that was about it. Their sensibilities were not refined enough to find deeper meaning in such mundane factors.

Observing their indifference, Conra grumbled that they likely would not bat an eye even if they stumbled upon Rotaringhia’s Iron Throne and Crown in the street. And the youth’s cynical assumption was not too far from the truth.

+++++

A few days remained until the Council’s commencement in the Toriento Bishopric. Fortunately, this bishopric maintained relatively lower miasma concentrations and collateral damage compared to the other towns and cities the nun knight party had previously passed through. As an episcopal see, the clergy had intervened to mitigate the impact.

Thanks to this, Sophia’s nun knight party could finally enjoy some respite and self-maintenance upon arrival. Though Priest Ezio was briefly detained at the gates for public indecency, it was a trivial matter – his ecclesiastical status would inevitably secure his swift release.

What truly mattered was the invitation they received from the Toriento Bishopric Cathedral immediately after passing through the gates.

“Hmm, the handwriting suggests an invitation from that cardinal.”
Hildegard remarked upon inspecting the letter’s calligraphy. Sophia nodded in affirmation after perusing it herself.

“Indeed, a missive from our Paladin First Knight Commander, Cardinal Andrea. I wonder what business His Eminence has with us? Do you perchance know, Hilde?”
“How would I know if you don’t? But if I had to speculate, perhaps he wishes to receive a detailed situation report from us before the Council commences.”

Sophia agreed, her thoughts aligning with Hildegard’s conjecture.

“In any case, as the Knight Commander, if His Eminence summons us, we ought to attend, should we not?”
“You make a fair point. This also allows Conra some respite, and it seems Priest Ezio won’t be released until this evening at the earliest. Let us grant the boy a proper day off then.”

Upon receiving Sophia’s day off notice, Conra cheered exuberantly at this rare reprieve. While Sophia and Hildegard were away, he could finally enjoy an undisturbed afternoon nap. The mere thought prompted his unbridled elation – swiftly curtailed by a crisp thwack from the vexed Sophia.

Thwack–!
An impeccably clear sound not of a piano, but of ringing across all creation, accompanied Conra’s head snapping forward in a deep bow.