A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight - Chapter 4

Of course, when everyone else is lining up and someone tries to blatantly cut in line, no one will be pleased, and there are bound to be people who won’t just sit idly by.

“Hey, what’s with that girl? Can’t she see people are lining up here? She’s openly trying to cut in line!”

Naturally, the person brave enough to call her out would usually be someone nearby who knows a bit better.

“Shh, shut up! She’ll hear you!”
“What’s wrong with you? We should go ask her what she’s doing right now!”
“Hey, hey! You’re not the one to confront her! Can’t you see?”

A man carefully warned, grabbing the shoulder of the person about to approach Sophia.

“Don’t you see the pattern engraved on the forehead part of that veil on her head? It’s the symbol of the Order!”

“If she’s a clergy member, shouldn’t she behave better? What clergy openly cuts in line so brazenly?”

“You idiot, not all clergy are the same, don’t you know? Don’t you see she’s wearing armor? And the crest on her surcoat? She’s obviously a nun knight!”

“What? A nun knight? Those…people who hunt demons?”

Similar arguments broke out here and there in the line. While some had no one to stop them, those who tried to leave the line to confront Sophia immediately froze, rendered motionless by the ominous aura she exuded, silently retreating back to their original spots.

Regardless, Sophia simply rode her horse forward, clop-clop-clop, straight to the very front where the guards stood.

“Halt! Please stop for a moment! What business brings you here? If it’s not important, the people are lining up over there so please go to the back of the line!”

As the rude junior guard stepped forward, the senior guard who had intended to let Sophia pass after noticing her ominous demeanor from afar facepalmed. He tried to quickly intervene and pull his junior aside, but Sophia beat him to it.

“I am Sophia de Chazelle, 7th Seat Paladin. I am here on urgent Church business, so please allow me to pass.”

“You have identification…Urk! Senior, why did you do that!?”
“You idiot, stand aside for now! …Ah, haha. Our new recruit was a bit oblivious and blocked your path, despite your haste. Uh, please proceed quickly!”

“No, it’s fine. That junior guard shows quite a solid attitude for his looks. I’ll remember him.”

The moment Sophia responded, the senior guard silently mourned for his junior.

‘Dammit, I knew this blockhead would cause trouble someday.’

Meanwhile, Sophia passed through the gate as if nothing had happened, nonchalantly urging her horse forward. As she passed through, Sophia inwardly clicked her tongue.

‘Tsk tsk, discipline has slackened. Allowing entry so easily means any shady character can easily infiltrate big cities and towns to scheme. …Well, it wouldn’t matter how strictly they guard against those vile demon whores if they’re determined.’

Without considering her own actions, Sophia’s thoughts continued in a gruff, condescending vein. Well, she truly didn’t think she had done anything wrong. Exterminating demons took precedence over any mundane matters in this world.

If they delayed to follow every little procedure of human society and let a demon run rampant, the area near where the demon appeared would undoubtedly be engulfed in calamity immediately. Ordinary humans had no ability to stand against demons.

The continent had maintained peace thus far solely because the Order and Paladin operatives worked tirelessly to stop them.

Still, Sophia, who had been prepared to readily show a writ from the Order if asked for identification, did not look too kindly upon the senior guard stopping his junior.

In other words, the one most likely to get burned was actually the perceptive senior guard, not the oblivious junior. If Sophia happened to meet a local lord while passing through and recounted this incident…

After entering Strasbourg, the first place Sophia unexpectedly visited was not a church, but rather the commissioner’s office. The name of the man running it was Paul Hiltmann.

Originally a member of Strasbourg’s dark guild, there is an intricate narrative detailing how he left the guild to end up running a commissioner’s office, stemming from the guild master’s political downfall in the council. However, since we cannot expend that narrative for a brief cameo appearance, let’s just skip over it.

In any case, this Paul Hiltmann seemed to be quite a capable man, so if one wanted to find anything suspicious among those coming and going in Strasbourg, it was proper to seek him out first.

Asking around for directions, Sophia arrived at the commissioner’s office and made a surprised expression at the unexpectedly decent building.

“Hoh, this building seems rather well-maintained. It appears the commissioner is quite skilled?”

Since earning a living running a commissioner’s office was no easy task, most offices in territories or cities were run by those barely scraping by without going out of business. Strasbourg’s commissioner’s office was particularly eye-catching. Sophia let out a slight smile as she opened the door and entered.

“Welcome, welcome… Huh?”

The burly, scarred middle-aged man Paul Hiltmann, who had greeted customers warmly, froze the moment he saw Sophia’s attire. After a moment, he carefully asked:

“A nun knight Paladin has come here for what business?”

“What other reason would I have to visit a commissioner’s office? I have a request.”

Sophia responded with an intriguing smile to the commissioner, who seemed highly displeased for some reason. In her experience, those who showed such displeasure were almost 90% likely to be capable.

“…If a demon hunter says she has a request at a commissioner’s office, there can only be one reason. Dammit, she’s serious.”

“Hm? You’re quite perceptive without me saying anything. Have you worked with Paladin operatives before?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t have lived this troubled life until now.”

“You may not know, but the vicinity of a Paladin operative seems the most dangerous at a glance, but is actually the safest place.”

“Haha, well, let’s just say so.”

Sophia clicked her tongue, clearly not buying it. But it didn’t matter. Since a demon had visited Strasbourg and Sophia, a Paladin operative, had come to pursue it, the commissioner would have no choice but to actively cooperate with her to survive.

“It seems you’ve guessed the gist of my request, so I’ll get to the point. A demon named Erzsebet has entered Strasbourg. She’s a high-ranking demon who bewitches people through temptations related to lust – a big shot who recently devoured an entire village.”

“So I should gather recent cases in Strasbourg related to brothels and romantic affairs? And a list of foreigners who entered but haven’t left Strasbourg yet would probably help too.”

Impressed by how quickly the commissioner Paul grasped what to do after hearing what type of demon was involved, Sophia remarked honestly:

“Precise. Truly a capable man.”
“Not exactly a compliment I’m happy to receive, but…”
“Bill the expenses to the Order.”
“Ugh. How should I deliver the gathered information?”
“I plan to stay at the church’s lodgings in Strasbourg. I’ll make a copy of my writ for you to bring the information there.”
“Understood. Damn, working with the Order is troublesome and unprofitable.”

As the burly man grumbled, Sophia smiled wryly and extended her hand for a handshake.

“Enough grumbling, let’s shake on it. I’ll be your colleague while I’m in Strasbourg, won’t I?”

“…Sheesh, alright. Rest assured, I won’t slack off.”

Paul stopped grumbling and eyed Sophia’s outstretched hand with a strange expression before shaking it.

“Who would’ve thought I’d live to shake a knight’s hand.”
“It’s a bit much to lump the Order’s knights together with ruffians, isn’t it?”
“I don’t call ruffians ‘knights’ either.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was? My apologies for misunderstanding.”

After finishing her business, Sophia left the commissioner’s office. Paul would soon prepare the information Sophia needed by combining existing gathered data with local rumors and facts.

Only after finishing at the commissioner’s office did Sophia finally visit Strasbourg’s church. As a large fortress city dominating the surrounding trade network, Strasbourg’s church was also quite sizeable.

Churches of this size were usually overseen by bishop-ranked priests. As Sophia met the resident Bishop Joannes Bettel overseeing Strasbourg’s church, she inwardly clicked her tongue.

‘This man’s luminous power is too weak to hold the bishop’s position.’

Luminous power could only be increased by wholeheartedly cultivating sacred virtues through one’s mind and conduct. To wield spells using luminous power required cultivating the astral brain through reverse brain cultivation to create a spell socket, but luminous power itself grew solely through righteous contemplation and good deeds.

From that perspective, Bishop Joannes Bettel did not seem suited to be a bishop. While his luminous power was barely enough to be recognized as a priest, it was nowhere near the level required for a bishop’s ordination.

‘It seems some circumstances were involved.’

In the Order, where luminous power’s existence was clearly manifested, such an occurrence was truly rare. But since it was an organization of people, these things did happen on occasion.

Especially in Strasbourg, where the council’s authority exceeded the lord’s, the church’s resident priest appointed to the council may have been better suited as someone more worldly.

‘But I’ll have to prevent such a person from rising to the Order’s core in the future.’

Fortunately, the individuals currently comprising the Order’s core were not those from big city councils, but members who had gone through the traditional Order training courses.

‘But that’s not the main issue here.’
“I am the 7th Seat Paladin, Sophia de Chazelle. Thank you for this welcome, Your Excellency.”
“The pleasure is mine. I am Bishop Joannes Bettel, resident of Strasbourg’s church. It is a fresh honor to meet a renowned Paladin knight.”
“Hardly a happy occasion, is it? Our presence here means a demon has appeared somewhere.”

As Bishop Joannes Bettel seemed to try lightening the mood with some pleasantries, Sophia cut him off with her frank remark.

The bishop’s words and actions lacked any sense of urgency about demons. Even priests with bishop-level luminous power would pale and immediately assess the situation to devise countermeasures upon hearing a demon had appeared nearby. Yet despite the most concrete proof of a demon’s presence – a Paladin operative’s visit – Bishop Joannes Bettel showed no such urgency.

However, Sophia could not outright criticize and strain relations with a legitimately appointed bishop of the Order. She felt the need to convey an appropriate sense of urgency to the bishop in a roundabout manner.

But her intent did not seem to get through properly, as the bishop’s expression began showing considerable displeasure.