A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

The exchange proceeded along a smooth flow.
Though situated in Caledonia, considered a frontier region even on the continent, the monastery was affiliated with the Dominican Order. As practitioners of the Contemplative Practice pursuing universal knowledge, their intellectual caliber and aspirations were on par with other continental monasteries.

This was a unique advantage of those inheriting the Contemplative lineage – seeking universally comprehensible general knowledge over individual specialized expertise. Consequently, Dominican monks tended to possess a baseline level of erudition, with regional variations.

However, this advantage had a corresponding weakness. While ideal for elevating the group’s overall baseline, it fell short in supporting individuals to reach higher realms according to their talents, as the universal and general focus meant sacrificing exceptional and specialized cases.

Ultimately, it was a matter of prioritization, but for monks seeking elevated intellectuality, settling or abandoning the pursuit was never an option.

In this context, interacting with Jesuit monks who had ascended through the Spiritual Exercise’s emphasis on personal, experiential knowledge was like an oasis, a divine elixir for their thirst.

They could trace branches from universal to specialized knowledge, and vice versa, tracing causality. The intersection of these differing perspectives intellectually and spiritually stimulated their practices. Conventionally, such exchanges between the Dominicans and Jesuits formed a virtuous cycle.

The flow reached its climax when Ezio mentioned his ‘Theory of Bodily Spirituality.’

“Thus, through repetitive, isolated physical training and the meticulous cultivation of mind and body, our souls can awaken the primordial creative impetus, the Light of Illumination pursued by the Grand Progenitor.”

“Of course, you must have realized this through your practice, but could you provide any decisive evidence to present to others?”

Ezio’s theory seemed quite plausible.
The practice of the Light of Illumination ultimately involved connecting one’s inner virtuosity with the positive aspects permeating the world through sensory resonance and practical emanation. Receiving ‘impressions’ from the world’s positive aspects stimulated one’s inner virtuosity, which in turn reinforced those worldly positives through practical emanation, improving the perceived reality.

Within this interaction, the Light of Illumination blossomed – the mainstream scholarly theory of the Church.

In this context, imposing physical austerities through repetitive, isolated training to shed inner impurities, resulting in a healthy body and sound mind, did not contradict the mainstream theory of the Light of Illumination.

However, fundamentally, ‘universal knowledge’ necessitated being demonstrable and relatable to all. So for Ezio’s ‘Theory of Bodily Spirituality’ to sublimate into a ‘Doctrine of Bodily Contemplation,’ clear evidence was required.

Ezio readily offered to provide such proof, calling out:
“Allow me to introduce my contracted divine spirit, Saraswati!”

With his exclamation, an explosive brilliance coalesced, revealing a silhouette within.
Though enveloped in the characteristic pearly aura of divine spirits, the silhouette’s form was unmistakable – a sensuous yet beautiful feminine figure with a toned, athletic physique. Her aura exuded sanctity and grace, brimming with vitality that enveloped her surroundings.

“Oh, oooh!”
“A divine spirit!”
“This is the ‘divine spirit’ Ezio has ‘resonated’ with through ‘physical training’…!”

The monks’ reactions were predictable, their eyes widening in awe at the spiritual guide, the great ally of light, descended from the golden age.
Some were so overwhelmed that tears streamed down their faces, testifying to the profound impact and inspiration the divine spirit’s presence had on them.

For those who had realized this truth, personal experience was the only recourse. Even if initially subjective, repeated contemplation would inevitably sublimate it into universal knowledge. Sharing this belief, the monks were already ablaze with an unstoppable passion.

“In this case, as monks, we must experience this for ourselves! Father Emmanuele, could you impart the teachings of your Bodily Spirituality to us? We would establish it as the Doctrine of Bodily Contemplation!”

One monk pleaded with bated breath, prompting Ezio to curl his lips in a knowing smile as he responded, “Of course. That is the purpose of this exchange.”

And so, the exchange session transformed into a training hall (health club).

“Huk!”
“Grraah!”
“Not yet! Your muscles still have reserves, brother! We must burn them all!”
“Kugh, aaahh!!!”

Indescribable, sweat-drenched camaraderie and passion billowed like smoke from a bonfire, and a steamy space populated by shirtless men manifested before their eyes.

+++++

Meanwhile, oblivious to the happenings within the monastery’s hall, Hildegard was thoroughly engrossed in her own enjoyment.

“Mmm~, this rich oakwood aroma. It has an unfathomably profound depth~.”
Sip, ahh. Taking a deep breath, she savored the unique fragrance emanating from the large and small oak casks lining the gin storage, her expression one of bliss.

“Is this the scent of Petra oak? Though I detect a slightly different aroma mingled within.”
“Quite perceptive, my lady. That other aroma you noticed is likely Mazar oak.”
“Really!? But Mazar oak is quite expensive and rare!”

“As you know, gin tends to pursue a more affordable market segment, does it not?”

Guiding Hildegard through the distillery facilities that produced Plymouth Gin upon her request, Brother Brownell Brewmaster responded to her queries with a friendly demeanor.

As Brownell stated, gin was fundamentally an inexpensive beverage accessible to all, using cheaper grains that the wealthy typically avoided as its primary ingredient.

“However, since the brewing process is not so simple, the prospect emerged of partially developing premium products by refining certain aspects.”
“Ah, so those Mazar oak casks were developed for that purpose?”
“Precisely. We are also researching various factors to further refine our products – the yeast strains used in brewing, the aromatics added during distillation, the intricate techniques of the final distillation stage, and even the solvents used for spirit dilution.”

With an evident pride, Brownell enthusiastically explained, his demeanor more akin to a master brewer than a monk. To be precise, he was a ‘Contemplative Brewer’ – one who pursued the principles of the Light of Illumination through the refinement of brewing skills.

Beyond his pride in Plymouth Gin, he also exhibited a researcher’s aspiration to advance brewing techniques themselves, expressing love and interest in every aspect of alcohol production and distribution. To Hildegard, who prided herself as a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages, his passion was blinding.

Hildegard could not contain her rising excitement about the upcoming premium gin.

“May I ask when this product will be released?”

Detecting Hildegard’s intent, Brownell curled his lips and replied, “Well, it just so happens that the timing is right to unveil the first batch. I was considering holding a tasting event during this evening’s dinner.”

“Oh, a tasting event…!”
Hildegard’s voice trembled with anticipation. Coincidentally, Ezio and Hildegard had been invited to dine at the monastery that evening, so she might have the opportunity to sample the new gin during the tasting.

While indulging in drunken revelry within the monastery would be inappropriate, she could at least savor the new gin’s aroma and flavor in moderation.

‘While bingeing is enjoyable, calmly appreciating fine spirits has its own appeal.’
Her fist clenched as she eagerly awaited the evening hours.

As Brownell guided them through the brewing and distilling facilities while sharing the history and amenities of the Plymouth Dominican monastery, he mentioned that monastic structures typically comprised nine essential components: a quadrangular garden, a cloister encircling the garden, a chapter house for solemn ceremonies, an administrative space nicknamed ‘Tiferet,’ a chapter room for reading doctrines and monastic rules, dormitories for the monks, a refectory and workspaces, and finally, a sacristy for storing sacred relics.

The Plymouth monastery’s brewing and distilling facilities were part of these monastic workspaces, situated not far from the sacristy.

Suddenly, at the edge of their vision near the sacristy’s location, Brownell and Hildegard spotted a fleeting pale shadow.

“Just to be sure, but is it common for outsiders to enter the monastery?”
“Haha… Of course not.”

Brownell shook his head with a wry smile in response to Hildegard’s query. A moment later, their expressions froze in unison. In the next instant, Hildegard’s body shot forth like a cannonball, her target the suspicious silhouette attempting to slip out from the sacristy’s shadows and escape the monastery grounds.

“Hold it right there!”
“Tch, caught!”

Accompanied by a thunderous shout, Hildegard’s halberd traced an arc, its axe blade gleaming menacingly as she sought to block the intruder’s path. However, in the next moment, she realized her oversight.

“What!?”
Splutch, an unsettling wet sound accompanied by a spray of an alien green fluid.

Astonishingly, the intruder had thrust their body into the trajectory of Hildegard’s halberd strike.
Yet what truly stunned her was not the intruder’s reckless action – it was the sight of their bisected upper and lower halves, severed cleanly along the halberd’s diagonal arc, fleeing independently as if they had been separate entities all along.

Certainly, the cleanly sliced cross-sections and the alien green muscle fibers clinging to the bones visible before her eyes confirmed they had once been a single entity. However, an even stranger anomaly presented itself:

‘I clearly struck their torso, but where are the internal organs?’

Along the severed cross-sections, only twitching muscle fibers clung to the bones, with no visible internal organs that should have been present within the torso. Moreover, the bisected upper and lower halves were now scurrying away in opposite directions, busily flailing their respective arms or legs in a desperate attempt to evade Hildegard’s pursuit.

More troublingly, their agile flight paths were diverging, rapidly creating enough distance during Hildegard’s momentary hesitation over which half to chase that simply pursuing either would prove challenging.

‘Damn it, there’s no time to waver!’

Truly, her duties as a nun knight frequently brought her face-to-face with all manner of bizarre entities. Grumbling inwardly, Hildegard channeled her aura and began pursuing one of the fleeing halves.

+++++

As Sophia imposed her usual training regimen upon Conra and Maria, her gaze suddenly fixed in a particular direction.

“What’s this?”
The profound insight of one who had attained the transcendent realm was warning her, her exquisite intuition alerting her to some realization.

“That direction… it’s the way Ezio and Hildegard departed earlier. Is something happening again?”

Having just endured the devastating downpour and storms, Sophia lamented the seeming accumulation of incidents, as if tempting fate.