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As Sophia approached, the commotion revealed that the wagon belonged to none other than the tax collector of the territory. When the plague swept through the entire territory, the lord had abandoned his castle and fled. Upon hearing rumors that the situation in this village had stabilized, he sent the tax collector, who had fled with him, to collect funds to maintain his dignity.

The problem was that the lord had already collected that year’s taxes just a few months prior, under the pretext of protecting the territory during a neighboring inheritance dispute. Moreover, since the plague had ravaged the entire territory, the only village capable of paying taxes was this one, which had been restored to normalcy thanks to Sophia’s treatment.

“This is absurd! Where in the world is it legal to collect taxes twice in one year? And we couldn’t even work properly until recently because of the plague! Even if you demand taxes now, it’s impossible to meet your demands within the deadline!”

“That’s your opinion. The right to collect taxes is the lord’s legitimate authority. And you just said the village was plagued, but what’s this scene before my eyes? Everyone looks too healthy. And you claim you can’t afford taxes, yet you’re throwing a feast?”

The tax collector didn’t even step out of the wagon, leaving the coachman to deal with the village youths. The coachman, ignoring their protests, smirked as he watched the festival celebrating the eradication of the plague.

The villagers’ protests were met with genuine mockery and disdain. The youths’ anger flared, but it was quickly suppressed by the soldiers escorting the tax collector and the knight commanding them.

No matter how strong the youths were, they were unarmed and no match for trained soldiers. Even if they resisted the soldiers, they were powerless against the knight’s superhuman martial prowess.

It was then that Sophia, holding a wine glass, stepped forward and coldly mocked the tax collector’s group.

“Hahaha, you bastards are really out of control.”

The sudden insult left the coachman dumbfounded, but he soon turned red and shouted at Sophia.

“Who are you?!”

“Speaking so rudely to an elder, you insolent brat. You need to relearn your manners.”

In an instant, Sophia, like a tiger leaping from the shadows, appeared before the coachman. Her hand was already on his head, forcing him to kneel and press his chin to the ground.

The escort soldiers and the knight were too slow to react. Sophia’s other hand still held the wine glass, the wine inside sloshing but not spilling a single drop.

“Stay like that and reflect on your actions.”

After paralyzing the coachman with a pressure point technique, Sophia slowly straightened up. Only then did the knight and soldiers realize the situation and shouted in alarm.

“Who are you?!”

“Do you think you can harm the lord’s envoy and get away with it?!”

“You’re amusing. Even the lord himself wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly in front of me, yet you, mere servants, dare to flaunt your authority?”

Sophia laughed heartily. At that moment, the tax collector, hearing the commotion, opened the wagon window and looked out.

“What’s all this noise? Are these country bumpkins refusing to pay their taxes?”

As he looked around, his gaze fell on Sophia. Despite the dim light from torches, lanterns, and moonlight reflected off the clouds, her beauty shone like a halo in the darkness.

Unfortunately for him, the tax collector had a lecherous nature.

“Oh ho, such beauty in this village! If you offer this woman to the lord along with the taxes, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

The tax collector carelessly flapped his mouth, treating his authority as power. The village youths stiffened, realizing the tax collector looked like a clown.

They knew Sophia was a high-ranking member of the Church Order, treated as equal to a bishop. To them, a bishop and a lord were of comparable status.

In short, the tax collector, a mere servant of the lord, had just insulted a high-ranking Church official of at least lord-level status.

“Oh ho.”

A dangerous smile played on Sophia’s lips. She had just gained a legitimate reason to unleash her violent tendencies.

In the next moment, before the knight and soldiers could react, the tax collector was dragged out of the wagon by his collar. Despite his bulky frame, Sophia lifted him with one hand while taking a sip of wine with the other. It still tasted sour and bitter.

The tax collector, unable to touch the ground, gasped and flailed. Sophia frowned.

“Stay still. Your spit and the dirt from your shoes are getting into my wine.”

With that, she threw the tax collector to the ground. He screamed like a pig.

“You crazy woman! I offered you kindness because of your beauty, and you dare assault the lord’s servant? Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

The more he spoke, the more ridiculous he seemed. At this point, even someone of average intelligence should have realized something was off. But this fool, who had somehow managed to be a tax collector, was too stupid to notice Sophia’s attire and hints about her identity.

Sophia began to wonder if she had misjudged the situation and glanced at the village youths. They shook their heads vehemently, not wanting to be associated with the idiot. Even as country bumpkins, being compared to that pig was too insulting.

‘This guy really doesn’t know his place.’

Just as Sophia was about to teach the clueless pig a lesson, the knight stepped forward.

“That’s enough. If you attack the lord’s lawful tax collector any further, we won’t stand idly by.”

“Oh? And what will you do?”

With that, Sophia kicked the tax collector, sending him rolling on the ground like a soccer ball, his pig-like squeals adding to the annoyance.

“Even so, the tax collector is the lord’s lawful servant! Whoever you are, you can’t treat him so recklessly!”

“Is that what you think? I don’t. In fact, I was planning to investigate whether the current lord is even legitimate. So, this fool dares to speak rudely to me, and I have every right to hold him accountable, don’t I?”

Sophia’s strong stance made the knight uneasy. He carefully observed her under the moonlight.

What he saw was a full plate armor, rarely worn even by high-ranking knights, a skirt and cloak embroidered with Church Order symbols, and a nun’s veil on her head.

“…A Paladin of the Church Order, a Nun Knight!”

At the knight’s shocked reaction, Sophia smirked.

“Yes, I am a Paladin Knight of the Church Order. Do you still think I don’t have the authority to deal with this fool who insulted a bishop-level figure of the Church?”

“…Even so, we have a duty of loyalty to the lord. And that duty includes protecting his servants.”

Sophia’s mind added another line.

‘Not only is the tax collector an idiot, but this knight is also a bit slow. What’s he thinking, standing up to me like this?’

Anyone with common sense wouldn’t dare challenge a Paladin Knight, knowing their special status and superhuman martial prowess. Yet, this knight, aware of Sophia’s identity, still dared to defy her.

Sophia felt like she was dealing with an incomprehensible creature.

“So, what do you plan to do to fulfill your duty of loyalty?”

“I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you release the tax collector. If I lose, we’ll leave.”

Sophia was dumbfounded.

‘Is this guy seriously thinking he’s on the same level as me just because we both have the title of knight?’

She began to suspect that not only the lord but his entire entourage were idiots. It explained why they polluted the underground water sources while building the keep. The thought solidified in her mind.

Originally, she planned to let it slide, but at this point, the lord’s legitimacy was in serious doubt. She would have to use the Church’s authority to suspend the lord’s powers and recommend the King of Franquia to revoke his territory.

“Fine, I accept your duel. But if I win, I’ll hold the lord himself accountable. I’ll use the Church’s authority to temporarily suspend his powers and bring his lordship under review by the Three Estates. Depending on the outcome, I’ll recommend the King of Franquia to revoke his territory.”

Realizing the situation was far more serious than he thought, the knight’s eyes widened in panic.

“This is absurd…!”

“However! All of you can come at me at once. I’ll allow that. And I won’t even put down this wine glass. If a single drop spills, I’ll consider the duel lost. Fair enough, isn’t it?”

The knight stopped protesting and fell into thought.

Indeed, facing a renowned Paladin Knight one-on-one was daunting. But if she was willing to fight all of them while holding a wine glass, it seemed like a foolish handicap. The knight thought she was overestimating herself.

‘If she’s willing to fight with a wine glass in hand, we might actually have a chance if we all attack at once.’

The knight, who had always believed the Paladin Knights’ reputation was exaggerated, thought he could at least put up a fight.

He completely forgot that moments ago, Sophia had subdued the coachman and dragged the tax collector out of the wagon without spilling a single drop of wine.

 

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