A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

When Sophia rushed to the guard station after receiving the news, Conra had already handed over the subdued human chains to the Holy City guards while providing his witness testimony.

As Sophia appeared, Conra, having just finished his statement, immediately rose to greet his master:
“Master! What brings you here?”
“What do you think? I heard you were apprehended by the guards, so I hurried over assuming you’d caused some incident. But it seems you were not the instigator after all?”
“Hey, what do you take me for? I’m no troublemaker – I can handle myself just fine.”

Regarding the protesting youth with an unimpressed look, Sophia remarked:
“Very well, I’ll take your word for it. So what transpired exactly?”

Mirroring his earlier testimony, Conra recounted being ambushed upon entering a deserted alleyway – the extent of his knowledge. Realizing further probing seemed futile, Sophia waved dismissively:

“Enough, enough. Let’s drop it. More importantly, you weren’t injured anywhere, were you?”

Her tone carried an implied threat to thoroughly retrain him from scratch if he had sustained any wounds. Though momentarily taken aback, Conra swiftly regained his confident smile:

“Haha, who do you think your disciple is? Of course those thugs couldn’t land a single blow.”

Inwardly shuddering at the narrowly avoided ordeal, Conra nonetheless felt relieved to reassure Sophia of his unscathed state. Scrutinizing him thoroughly, she ruffled his head with a chuckle:

“I’m glad you emerged unharmed. But of course, who did you learn from that you’d bleed so easily?”

Regardless, gratified by her disciple’s safety, Sophia’s gaze soon shifted toward the recording guard:
“Are the statements complete?”
“Ah, yes. Since your disciple does not seem to warrant any special notations, you may depart at your leisure.”

Already discerning Sophia’s ecclesiastical status from her attire, the guard courteously acknowledged her with a smile – none dwelling in the Holy City streets scorned the Church’s clergy.

However, Sophia harbored another curiosity:
“If I may ask, do you know the identities behind those men’s backers?”

The guard’s expression turned slightly awkward as he responded:
“We are still investigating, so I cannot provide any details currently.”
“What if your investigation concludes later?”
“Then there would be no issue. But where should we direct any subsequent findings?”

After Sophia provided their dormitory’s location, she departed the guard station alongside Conra, who soon queried as they walked:

“Master, why did you inquire about their backers?”
“They brazenly targeted my disciple. Is it not only proper to uncover their roots for retaliation?”
“Eh, but I’m fine with it?”
“You may be fine, but your master’s dignity has been impugned. Would you simply allow others to disrespect your master?”

Conra vehemently objected at Sophia’s question:
“Of course not!”

Grinning broadly, Sophia patted her disciple’s shoulder, clearly impressed by his unscathed subjugation of the ambushers. Had he foolishly allowed his own kidnapping, her mood would have soured considerably. Not that Conra’s skills precluded a self-rescue, but she would have inevitably intervened regardless.

‘Well, unless facing true experts, these half-baked thugs could never lay a finger on him properly.’

For all her disparaging words, Conra truly was a prodigy – possessing innate talents for martial arts alongside his druidic, alchemical and runic prowess, surpassing mere agility or technique.

Under Sophia’s relentless physical regimens, Conra’s muscular enhancements consistently astounded her. To her astral sight, his muscle and neural fibers meticulously woveand crystallized with exquisite refinement.

The ambushers’ backers were revealed the following late afternoon. Upon receiving the guard’s message, Sophia’s party lapsed into stunned silence over the details succeeding Conra’s encounter:

“Evidently, this constitutes a concerted provocation – the Crown Prince supporters obstructing the cardinal’s path, followed by these blatant kidnapping attempts against a Church elder’s disciple by the Seventh Prince faction.”
“It seems their desperation reached a tipping point. The invitation from Count Alfonso d’Este, a prominent royalist backer, certainly explains their recklessness.”

Apparently, the bakers’ guild masterminded Conra’s attempted abduction, overriding objections from more militant factions like the sailors’ and adventurers’ guilds.

“Indeed, anyone sensible about wielding force would never recklessly provoke a Paladin knight’s disciple. Their amateurish bungling now makes perfect sense.”

Nodding her unsurprised acceptance, Sophia remarked:
“I’ve always felt the ignorant tend to be recklessly bold regardless of circumstances.”

As Hildegard baked bread in the oven, she muttered disgruntledly. With the bakers’ guild’s actions, the party could no longer freely purchase bread. Fortunately, Hildegard’s background as a fallen noble’s daughter included working at a bakery, enabling her to provide for the group in this situation.

…Though her reluctance was palpable.

“Haha, so even a stately knight like you, Sister Wolfstein, once had an adorable bakery girl phase.”
“Do you want me to hit you? Because I really feel like hitting you right now.”
“Absolutely not! Under no circumstances should you resort to violence!”

The impressively muscular, statuesque ascetic priest Ezio Emmanuele playfully taunted Hildegard with a swaying gait before adamantly rejecting violence when she reacted aggressively.

“By the way Master, how do you intend to retaliate as mentioned?”
“Hmm, what do you think I’ll do?”

Rather than satisfying Conra’s curiosity, Sophia mischievously countered with her own question. Though such childish evasiveness seemed beneath her, Conra nonetheless contemplated her query seriously.

Dismissing inaction as an impossibility given Sophia’s known character, only violent or political/economic retaliation remained as options.

“But between those two approaches, I cannot fathom which you might choose.”

Uncertain, Conra trailed off – prompting Sophia to snap her fingers audibly:

“Why trail off after starting so confidently? Must I choose just one? For proper retaliation, would not enacting both hold greater significance?”

As the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the oven, Sophia’s lips curled into a subtle smirk reminiscent of energetically plotting the bakers’ guild master’s imminent kidnapping and threats.

“You’ll see. I shall demonstrate an amusing spectacle. Take careful note, for you may require such methods yourself someday.”

Unable to dissuade her brimming self-assurance, Conra remained prudently silent.

“But enough ominous scheming for now – let’s partake of the bread first.”

As Hildegard retrieved the freshly baked loaves, the party eagerly converged upon the steaming offerings. Soaking a torn hunk in stew broth, Conra voraciously devoured the moistened delight.

The freshly baked bread soaked in savory stew proved utterly delectable.