A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

There were no strictly regulated, unified dress codes for the monk knights and nun knights belonging to the Paladins. However, as clergy members had restrictions on personal possessions and most of their equipment was separately provided by the Order, it was often perceived as if they did have separate dress codes.

In any case, due to this environment, the distinct features of monk and nun knight attire tended to significantly reflect the influences of their respective monasteries and convents. Particularly as the monasteries and convents in each nation exhibited cultural differences according to nationality, such distinctions were frequently reflected in the monk and nun knights as well.

The most representative example was the image color of the cloth garments they wore.

For instance, the convents and monasteries of Frangian and Rotaring tended to favor dyeing their habits in black and white colors, as those shades showed less discoloration and conveyed a solemn impression. The difference was that while Frangian emphasized more black, Rotaring had a slightly higher proportion of white.

Conversely, the monastic habits of the Albion United Kingdom were often dyed in red and white hues, symbolizing the elemental spirits Drayg yr Gogychau born from the red dragon’s lineage, and Udgaibu Drayg from the white dragon’s lineage in traditional Albion faith.

Meanwhile, the favored colors for the convents and monasteries established in the Holy Griffon Empire were blue and white. Surprisingly, there was no particular reason behind this – it was simply because those institutions cultivated a lot of dyer’s woad. As it was the most readily available dyestuff, the habits were naturally dyed blue without much thought, eventually solidifying into tradition.

“Puh-hah! Wow, this tavern’s beer is excellent! At this level, it could even compete in the imperial capital, couldn’t it?”

……

Judging from her blue-toned attire and veil, the other party was undoubtedly a nun knight of the Holy Griffon Empire. Had she not been raucously laughing while heavily intoxicated, such an assessment would have been perfectly reasonable. With an expression as if all his worldly illusions had shattered, Conra dejectedly trailed behind Sophia as she strode forth unhesitatingly.

Unconcerned by the other’s uproarious drunken state, Sophia promptly plopped down nearby and called out to the tavern owner without further ado.

“You there, pour me the same as that one. And if you have anything else to drink, bring it for this young one here.”
“Master?!”

Conra reacted with surprise as Sophia unexpectedly created a drinking atmosphere, but she simply silenced him with a gesture before addressing the imperial nun knight seated beside her.

“Your mug is empty. May I pour you another?”

From the moment Sophia approached her, the other had been subtly observing her with half-opened eyes. Now she curled her lip slightly as she replied:

“Heh, I was wondering what sort of person would come as support from Frangian, but you seem quite decent, unexpectedly. I’ve heard Frangians tend to be rather unlucky fellows.”
“Individuals differ, do they not? Of course, I agree that among Frangians, there are indeed many unlucky gentlemen by foreign standards. But enough of that – will you accept a refill or not?”

Unruffled by Sophia’s nonchalant affirmation, the other sighed as if venting before extending her mug.

“My name is Hildegard Ritter von Wolfstein. You can call me Hilde. You seem around the same age, so how about we drop the formalities?”
“You certainly have a refreshingly frank personality, one seldom seen in Frangian.”
“Haha, the imperial women are naturally like this. But you too must be quite unusual yourself, immediately switching to informal speech when invited.”
“Think nothing of it. I am Sophia de Chazelle. Call me Sophia.”

As Sophia replied while pouring the mugs, the imperial nun knight Hildegard nodded in acknowledgment before setting her mug down and remarking:

“You have a rather quaintly antiquated way of speaking.”
“An innate habit. I have no intention of changing it now, so let’s not nitpick that part.”
“Haha, I have no such plans either. More importantly, shall we ‘cheers’?”

Just then, as the tavern owner brought the beer mug Sophia had ordered, Hildegard suggested with a hint:

“Wonderful! Then what shall our toast be?”
“Hmm? Well……how about something along the lines of ‘A toast to this rare collaboration between Paladin knights’?”
“Sounds perfectly fine to me. You can lead the toast then.”
“Alright! Then, a toast to this collaboration between Paladin knights!”
“Cheers!”

As they clinked mugs and drank deeply with the toast, the sight of the two nun knights was more than enough to draw the gazes of everyone present.

Utterly mortified by their shameless behavior, Conra shielded his face with one hand as he sipped the fruit juice served to him from a secluded corner, keeping as much distance from the two as possible. However, the boy’s desperate avoidance was to no avail. Before long, Sophia had zeroed in on him, forcibly dragging him over by the scruff of his neck to introduce himself to Hildegard.

+++++

Despite their highly inappropriate overnight revelry hardly befitting the education of a young boy, the next morning saw the two nun knights leaving the Badenbaden church’s dormitory with perfectly composed expressions.

Hildegard, Sophia, and Conra gathered around a reception room table provided by the presiding priest to discuss the tasks assigned to them. Nearby, the Holy Spirits Jibrail accompanying Sophia and Ariel following Hildegard flickered reprovingly about the two’s antics the previous night.

Of course, Sophia and Hildegard paid little heed to the spirits’ admonishments……

“So, while Jibrail informed me that a dungeon has opened here, could you provide more specific details about the current situation?”
“To be honest, I haven’t been here long enough to know the full circumstances myself. But one thing is certain – the local powers are coveting this dungeon that has appeared in Badenbaden.”
“Fools, they are.”

A dungeon requiring the presence of two Paladin knights. It was clearly a hazardous zone unwise for mere local powers to recklessly intrude upon with their limited authority.

“Overconfident lot, aren’t they?”
“That’s generally how these so-called powers tend to be.”

And because human society always tended towards such folly, was it not precisely why groups like the Order existed? Sophia could only respond with a wry smile to Hildegard’s remark.

“So in the end, where do we place our priorities?”
“That would seem to be the issue, wouldn’t it? Should we first suppress these oblivious local powers sniffing around, or prioritize delving into the dungeon to identify its nature and determine further actions as soon as possible? Whichever path, we cannot afford to hesitate and must act swiftly.”
“What is your opinion?”

Sophia deferred the matter to Hildegard. Regardless, Badenbaden was ultimately imperial territory – it would be presumptuous for the Frangian Sophia to take the lead and make unilateral decisions. Allowing Hildegard’s side to set the policy would be most appropriate without inviting objections.

“I believe…we should prioritize identifying the nature of this dungeon as soon as possible.”

Sophia nodded in agreement with Hildegard’s words. A ‘dungeon’ referred to the manifestation of a ruined stratum from the previous era piercing through to the surface world for some reason. While perspectives on such dungeons varied, the Order fundamentally did not view them positively.

Regardless of the reason or viewpoint, a dungeon was ultimately not a product of the present world, but rather a vestige of the already extinct past. When such vestiges breached the surface world, one could only speculate over the potential problems they might cause.

Most dungeons did not necessarily require intervention as they rarely exerted notable external influences. However, a few exceptional dungeons occasionally became sources of unforeseen incidents and catastrophes. Some dungeons the Order had failed to address in time triggered ‘dungeon calamities’ that could not be taken lightly, depending on the era they represented.

For instance, dungeons from the Bronze Age might unleash hordes of demonic beasts, while those from the Silver Age could bring about magical disasters or plagues ravaging the vicinity.

“Dungeons are dangerous. Moreover, this one has manifested right within an inhabited territory. If anything happens, it won’t be a trifling matter.”
“Of course. But what if other powers recklessly intrude into the dungeon while we’re exploring it?”
“Hah, that would be their problem to worry about, not ours. We’re not their nannies, so we can’t be fussing over them one by one, can we?”
“Heheh, I wholeheartedly agree with you on that.”

As Sophia and Hildegard laughed like villains in cahooted agreement, their accompanying spirits Jibrail and Ariel began nagging them again – which the two nun knights promptly tuned out, of course.

Still unable to become accustomed to the nun knights’ unconventional conduct, Conra struggled to ignore them as he began imagining the dungeon they would soon enter.