A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

Joseim was a manor about a day and a half’s journey from the village. Upon hearing that the lord had taken refuge there, Sophia could not help but express displeasure.

Although not far from the territory, in fact quite close in terms of distance, the manor’s location happened to be upstream of the aquifer – the direct opposite direction of the contamination’s source. In other words:

“The bastard lord was also aware of the aquifer’s pollution source.”

Sophia slightly curled her lip. Better if he had been ignorant, but knowing full well yet taking no measures, abandoning everything to save only himself?

“Isn’t sorting out such a wretch simply another delightful part of my life?”

As she gave a wry smile, the accompanying Conra made a displeased face and responded:
“Master, you’re currently making an expression unbecoming of the clergy, you know?”
“Kukuku, are there separate expressions for the clergy versus what lowlife scum assume to own? I’m simply going to plunder what those lowlifes delusionally think belongs to them, so am I not the lowlife of lowlifes? Truly, this expression of mine is most fitting.”

As Conra made an “uwah” face upon hearing Sophia’s declaration, others were making “ttuak” expressions of shock – namely the accompanying soldiers and the tax collector and knight Remond Gameurang loaded like cargo in the carriage.

‘Is that really a clergymember speaking so crudely? Listening to those words, she sounds more like a steppe nomad chieftain!’

Regardless of what others thought, Sophia paid no heed.

Even the night before arriving at Joseim, while making camp, Sophia did not neglect instructing Conra. Of course, this time was not mindless physical training… ahem, discipline, but rather a study session.

“From what I’ve seen, your astral muscle and astral brain development are at quite an admirable level. As you well know, the reasons are first, your innate talents, and second, the life force supplied by druidic arts and intake of elixirs produced through alchemical arts. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
“However, watching how you’ve utilized your astral muscles and astral brain thus far, your training methods seem rather amateurish and rule-of-thumb.”

Once reverse muscle cultivation reached a certain realm, one could perceive others’ reverse muscle levels. The same applied to reverse brain cultivation and perceiving others’ levels.

Of course, such perceptions were only vague, unable to meticulously discern every fiber and intricate detail – that depended on one’s realm. The higher the expert’s realm, the more one-sided the dominance over inferiors, precisely because of this ability to perceive the opponent’s astral muscles or astral brain and anticipate their next movements or spellcasting.

Moreover, Sophia had possessed formidable spiritual abilities since her previous life. Combined with her long-cultivated clairvoyance and mastery of reverse muscle and brain cultivation methods, she could practically glimpse others’ astral sinews and neural bundles as clearly as her own palm.

Of course, this was an abnormality for Sophia that defied common sense. But Conra, who had only lived in the forest with his highly-accomplished parents, did not find anything strange about Sophia’s words.

After all, Conra could vaguely perceive the reverse muscle level of someone inferior to himself – specifically Remond Gameurang, loaded in the carriage like cargo.

“As you know, to raise one’s reverse muscle realm requires physical movement, while elevating the reverse brain realm requires mental exertion. Some say there is ‘no set path’ for such cultivation, but in truth, that is not the case.”
“Then are you saying there is a correct answer key for this path?”
“Isn’t it only sensible? In all matters, there are principles of efficiency and rationality. Otherwise, how could similar efforts yield vastly different results? To dismiss it as mere talent would be a rather lax attitude, don’t you think?”

To put it simply, did not the alchemical elixirs Conra had learned also have proper methods and dosages? These too were the product of generations pursuing efficiency, safety, and rationality. To disregard efficiency and rationality by claiming “there is no set path” could only be described as an extremely negligent and ignorant attitude.

Considering the changes in Conra’s astral muscles under Sophia’s guidance in their few days together, they were undoubtedly extraordinary. Sophia had systematically and meticulously trained Conra’s muscles, quantifying the utmost limits of his exertions and extracting every last drop.

Yet she had also delicately adjusted the regimen to prevent any single area from being overtaxed, ensuring no part was left idle while cycling through full-body coverage.

Suddenly, Conra wondered if Sophia’s teachings meant even the methods of exerting one’s mind and body could become an academic discipline.

“Now that you understand this much, try to learn what I will teach you.”

What Sophia then instructed were, from Conra’s perspective, outlandish things he had never heard of – mnemonic techniques like the “Memory Palace,” meditation methods, and more. But what truly followed…

Amid a deluge of puzzles, mind maps, diagrams, and finger games (specifically rock-paper-scissors with both hands) claimed to enhance memory, cognition, analysis, precision, deduction, and calculation abilities, Conra floundered, utterly failing to comprehend how these could aid brain development.

Yet the results did not lie.

“This is…”

The next morning, as Conra habitually tried to memorize spells, he realized his spell socket capacity had slightly increased overnight, leaving him at a loss for words.

+++++

The party that set out early arrived at Joseim around midday. Though a manor, there were no castle-like structures, only the mansion serving as the lord’s residence where a keep would typically be located. Even for a mansion, it was quite large and grand compared to ordinary standards.

Seeing the carriage with shattered doors approaching the lord’s mansion, the villagers of Joseim murmured in wonder about the commotion. Regardless, Sophia drove Janghwalljang boldly at the front, with Conra following behind. The soldiers began resigning themselves, anticipating what was to come.

Finally, at the moment the party arrived before the mansion:

“Halt! This is the residence of the rightful ruler of Brhymath!”
State your identities and purpose! Before the sentry could finish, Sophia drew her longsword with a sring, shattering the mansion’s main gate with a single strike as she declared:

“Immediately go inform that the Paladin nun Sophia de Chazelle has come on behalf of the Order to hold Louis Bergson de Brhymath, lord of Brhymath, accountable for the plague incident.”
“Huh?”

The soldier stood dumbfounded, too stunned by her overly casual tone despite such a shocking performance to properly register her words. Seeing this, Sophia spoke again, this time with a hint of killing intent:

“What are you doing? Go inform them at once!”
“Hieek, y-yes ma’am!”

The soldier, instantly pale from Sophia’s aura, hurriedly dashed into the mansion. Soon, thumping noises and muffled commotion could be heard, but Sophia paid no heed.

After some time, not the lord, but knights and soldiers serving him appeared before the mansion in response to the intruder, exuding hostility. Sophia did not bother waiting to confront them, her chest swelling as she inhaled deeply.

“You insolent brats, begone!”

Wooroongwooroongwoorooong.

The Lion’s Roar technique derived from internal energy cultivation, combined with the mystic syllables of Kundalini Nada Yoga, further amplified by the “Martial Reverberating Roar” and “Heroic Ordeal’s Roar” legacies to manifest the “Earth-Shaking Roar” – this bellow originally meant to shatter minds, dispel curses, and render the weak unconscious erupted with overwhelming force enhanced by Sophia’s astral muscle lung capacity and sound amplification spells.

To describe it simply, this single roar instantly neutralized all the lord’s assembled forces before Sophia. Though some tried resisting through sheer mental fortitude, they were never Sophia’s true opponents to begin with even before being felled by her roar.

The Lion’s Roar was simply Sophia’s way to avoid wasting emotion and effort on those unworthy of exchanging words or blows – not out of any particular caution towards their gathered numbers.

Paying no heed to those staggering and barely standing, Sophia slowly guided Janghwalljang towards the mansion. Upon arrival, she saw the mansion’s windows had all shattered, unable to withstand her earlier roar.

“I wonder if those inside survived?”
Observing this scene, Conra tilted his head and asked. In his view, most ordinary opponents would likely have been incapacitated by that roar.

“The bastard lord will probably be unharmed. He seemed to have decent guardians.”
Sophia, who had pierced the mansion’s interior through echolocation at the moment of her Lion’s Roar, responded. Remarkably, the lord appeared to have a considerably accomplished expert by his side. Only such an extraordinary individual could have sensed the impending chaos from Sophia and moved to protect their master accordingly – an ability no ordinary person possessed.