Chapter 1: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

I Have Been Reborn (1)

There’s an old, shabby chapel nestled at the base of a breezy hill.

The Edel Convent.

A place where unmarried women gather to serve the Celestial God.

It also serves as an orphanage for girls abandoned by their parents.

And this is where I was reborn.

Elia.

No last name.

No memory of my parents’ faces.

Just a first name, and the body of a small girl.

At first, I couldn't distinguish reality and thought it was all a dream, some hallucination after death.

But it wasn’t a dream.

One day passed.

Then a month.

And with time, I came to accept the truth.

I don’t know why or how.

All I know for certain is that one day, while living here as a regular girl in the convent, my memories from my past life suddenly returned.

“Huaaaahm…”

I let out a big yawn, covering my mouth with both hands.

I was sitting in the very last pew of the chapel during afternoon prayer.

...It’s peaceful.

Which, I suppose, is a good thing.

But after spending a lifetime soaked in blood on the battlefield, a quiet afternoon like this is anything but comforting.

I wonder how the front lines are holding up…

Last I remembered, the Imperial Army was being pushed back by the Demon King's forces.

They had expanded the front as far as the southern desert of the Demon Realm—

But once the Demon King himself entered the battlefield, the tides quickly turned.

I wish I knew what happened after the Battle of Black Sands.

But out here in the countryside, getting news from the front is nearly impossible.

Even more so when you’re stuck inside a convent all day.

My only source of information these days?

Occasionally picking up a discarded newspaper when we go into the village to volunteer.

“Elia!”

Just as I was heading back to my room after the afternoon service, a sharp voice cut through the air.

I turned around.

Standing there, wrinkles etched deep around her eyes, was Sister Bertina — my assigned guardian.

“You were dozing off again during prayer, weren’t you?”

I did a quick mental estimate.

This sounded like the start of a 90-minute lecture.

“No, Sister,” I said, smiling sweetly like a proper little girl.

I clasped my hands together in prayerful innocence.

“See? I had my hands folded like this, praying to the Lord, and—Ouch!”

She bonked me on the head.

She just hit the Sword Saint on the head.

If my old aide had seen this, he’d have lost it.

‘You lunatic! I’ll rip her throat out!’

I could already see him snarling like a rabid dog.

I had to calm that hothead down more times than I could count.

Thinking back on it almost made me laugh.

“I told you before. Sleep again during prayer, and you’re cleaning the toilets!”

I rubbed my head.

This body is way too fragile.

In my past life, I once took a spear through the gut and kept on fighting…

Now? One punch from an old nun and my scalp’s ringing.

And my eyes stung with tears. Just a little.

“I must’ve dozed off without realizing… I studied really hard this morning.”

I rubbed my eyes like I was exhausted.

“I heard from Sister Gianna. She said you slipped out in the middle of class and didn’t come back until the end.”

…Caught.

I’d crawled out of the classroom on all fours, slow and stealthy.

I’d never been caught before.

Looks like someone snitched on me this time.

Tch.

Okay, fine. I did skip class.

But I wasn’t lying about studying hard.

I went out into the woods next to the chapel to train in swordsmanship.

Just swinging thick tree branches around, engraving every movement from my past life into this new body, one by one.

I needed to adapt.

This body is still young, and being female, it’s structurally different from my old one.

Bone structure.

Muscle mass.

Even small movements felt completely different.

And in combat, even the tiniest misstep can mean the difference between life and death.

So I have to master this body.

Because I am returning to the battlefield.

There’s still something I need to finish.

I will sever the Demon King’s head.

And for that… I’ll take up the sword once more.

“Elia, if you want to become a proper nun, you need to study hard.”

Sister Bertina spoke gently, as if sincerely encouraging me.

Most of the girls here aimed to become nuns —

Or more precisely, official clergy of the Celestial God Church.

Once we come of age, we’re expected to become independent.

And to do that, we need to be capable of supporting ourselves.

For many, the easiest path is to complete their education at the convent and formally become a nun.

Of course, there are other options.

Some go into trade.

Some learn a craft.

Others try to enter the academy.

The Imperial Academy.

A place where the brightest students from across the Empire and the five surrounding kingdoms gather.

It has a Swordsmanship Department.

A Magic Department.

And a Theology Department.

For most girls here, the ultimate dream is to get into the Theology Department.

Because graduates can go straight into the Grand Cathedral.

That’s a guaranteed stable life.

The Academy, huh…?

If I want to return to the battlefield, getting into the Academy is one path.

I could join the Swordsmanship or Magic Department and enlist as an Imperial officer after graduation.

But I already have a different plan.

Once I come of age, I’m joining the Imperial Army.

No detours.

I didn’t need to be an officer.

As long as I could make it to the battlefield, that was enough.

Actually, starting from the bottom of the ranks was even better.

That way, I could swing my sword freely against the Demon King’s army on the front line.

The higher your rank, the further back you’re stationed.

You have to command instead of fight.

But honestly, I was always better at using my body than using my head.

That’s why I’d often leave command to my aide and charge straight into the front lines —

And get summoned by the Emperor afterward for yet another earful.

‘Adrian! You’re the Chief of Staff, start acting like it!’

‘As long as we win, what’s the problem?’

‘Victory is important, but how many times do I have to tell you? It’s not just about winning!’

Yeah… good times.

“You’d make a wonderful nun, I just know it.”

Sister Bertina patted my soft cheek with a warm smile.

I chuckled inwardly.

What exactly was she looking at when she said that?

That’s just the kind of thing adults say to kids, wishing they’ll grow up to be good people, no matter what.

I didn’t say I’m going to become a knight.

There was no need.

Still, for politeness’ sake, I gave the expected answers.

“Yes.”

“You’ll focus properly in class from now on, right?”

“Yes.”

“And pay attention during prayers too?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then go clean the toilets now.”

“…What?”

Before I could protest, Sister Bertina handed me the cleaning tools.

I blinked at the tiny scrubber now sitting in my even tinier hand.

I thought the mood had shifted in my favor this time. I really did.

“To become a good nun, you first need to learn how to take care of yourself before others. Acknowledging your mistakes and reflecting on them is part of that.”

Here it comes.

Sister Bertina’s 90-minute lecture.

What a nun is.

What a nun must embody.

What a nun must uphold… and so on.

“I’ll go clean the toilets now!”

I fled to the latrine like it was a battlefield retreat.

If I listened to that whole lecture, I would be as good as dead.

It’s not that she was trying to torment me, I know that. But it still felt like torture.

I’m 71 years old.

I’ve eaten all there is to eat.

I’ve aged all there is to age.

And now here I am… scrubbing a toilet.

*

2.

Twice a month, we go to the village beyond the forest for volunteer work.

A peaceful village, where the breeze dances through the hills.

A small farming settlement.

The whole place smells faintly of wildflowers.

Kids run around laughing and squealing.

It’s incredibly peaceful.

“Grandpa, does that feel good on your shoulders?”

“Ohhh yes, that’s perfect.”

Our “volunteer work” isn’t anything complicated.

The nuns offer free medical care.

The girls provide free massages.

Naturally, I’m on massage duty.

I was already on my ninth client of the day.

Somehow word had gotten out among the elders that I give the best shoulder massages.

Honestly… sigh.

This is a problem.

Apparently, my understanding of an old man’s aches and pains — grounded in decades of personal experience — has made me something of a specialist.

Now I’ve got regulars.

“Could I get a turn too?”

A middle-aged man approached, tapping his shoulder.

The village chief — another one of my loyal clients.

“Of course!”

I nodded and smiled like an innocent little angel.

Let me rest, dammit. Go away!

This is child labor!

I wanted to scream, but obviously, I couldn’t.

Instead, I worked my tiny hands over the chief’s shoulders, kneading gently.

“Ahhh, that hits the spot.”

His shoulders were tight, like, really tight.

It wasn’t just the farming. He carried the weight of all village affairs on those shoulders.

He was the most difficult client to massage among my regulars, but he was also my favorite.

Because he always had stories to share about what was happening in the world.

“Chief, got any fun stories today?”

“I do!”

The chief's eyes lit up.

He’d clearly been waiting for me to ask.

…Yeah, I know that feeling well.

The older you get, the more you enjoy talking about the past.

You become a chatterbox, without realizing it.

I used to be so blunt when I was younger…

But as my hair started to gray, I caught myself sharing old war stories with my subordinates and loving every minute of it.

The chief started talking — mostly about his younger days.

Not what I was hoping for.

“Anything going on nowadays?”

He was just about to launch into another “back when I was in the Eastern Kingdom…” story when I cut in quickly:

“Something recent?”

The chief rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Ah! There was something.”

He lifted his head as if struck by inspiration.

“Someone said they saw a monster in the forest recently.”

“A monster?”

I perked up immediately.

Peace was great and all…

But I’d been itching for something — anything — to test my sword skills on.

“A wolf-type beast, with razor-sharp fangs, hiding in the woods. And it just attacks people—Rawr!”

He raised his hands like claws and spun around with a growl.

The girls beside me screamed in surprise.

“So? Is it really there? In the forest?”

I leaned forward, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Was he expecting me to scream too?

The chief looked slightly disappointed as he continued.

“They found footprints. About the size of a human hand, pressed into the dirt.”

The frightened girls on both sides whimpered.

The chief grinned, clearly pleased with their reactions.

“But no need to worry. It only shows up at night. And we’ve already submitted a request to the Adventurers’ Guild. Should be resolved in four days. A week at most.”

“When did you put in the request?”

“Two days ago.”

So… at least two days left before anyone comes to deal with it.

I grinned.

My heart was pounding with anticipation.

Finally, I might get to face a monster again.

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