“Sister, are you good at cooking?”

The one who spoke was little Anli, she seemed to have been completely disciplined by Lisna, no longer calling Velian “sister-in-law” with that strange title.

That was the thing about children, innocent and carefree, blinking their eyes with a look untouched by knowledge.

She was still chewing on a piece of malt candy, her cheeks puffed up.

“Of course, my cooking skills are at the level of a master chef.”

Velian could only cook home-style meals, but in this world, she could indeed claim that.

‘The whole world’s cooking skills have dropped by a hundred times while I remain the same... ahem.’

“Alright then, I’ll leave the kitchen to you, Miss Nun.”

Seeing Velian’s firm attitude, Lisna didn’t insist further, taking little Anli’s hand and leaving the kitchen with a smile.

Watching their departing figures, Velian moved her fingertip lightly, opening a small spatial crack, taking out a slightly oversized white apron and a small stool to stand on.

To improve her meals, she had already prepared a cutting board, kitchen knife, and iron pot in advance.

Even various seasonings were fully stocked.

Just as she used magic to quickly prepare and cut the ingredients, she suddenly heard a noisy commotion coming from outside.

Her eyes shifted slightly, quietly putting away the apron, her gaze narrowing as a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes.

She stepped out of the kitchen and walked toward the village entrance where the sound was coming from.

At the open space at the village entrance, an arrogant and harsh voice rang out from above, “Hmph, lowly peasants! Isn’t it time for your village to pay this month’s taxes?”

The village chief, already advanced in age, stood hunched over, trembling in front of him, not even daring to raise his head, “My lord Viscount, we’ve already paid this month’s taxes, I clearly remember handing them to the tax officer myself!”

At this moment, the village entrance was already completely surrounded.

More than a hundred fully armed knights sat on pure white horses, holding cold gleaming lances, standing in formation behind Viscount Fink.

Viscount Fink sat atop his horse and snorted coldly.

“You say you’ve paid? My financial officer didn’t see any record of your payment! Deceiving a noble is a grave crime! You lowly peasants deserve death!”

“My lord, we truly paid the tax, I even kept the receipt given by the tax officer, if you don’t believe me, look—”

“Hmph, who knows if your receipt is forged!” Viscount Fink had no intention of even looking, his tone growing harsher.

“Today, either you hand over the tax, or I’ll personally take it with my men! When that happens, my soldiers won’t be so polite!”

At that moment, the village chief realized something, his face turning extremely pale.

“My lord, please have mercy! If we pay the tax again, our entire village won’t survive!”

“Whether you survive or not has nothing to do with me! You lowly peasants are best at pretending to be pitiful! Daring to evade taxes under my watch, I’ll send you to your deaths right now!”

Before his words even finished, he raised his leg and kicked toward the village chief with all his strength, showing no restraint.

But the next moment, his foot felt as if it had struck an immovable steel plate.

With a dull bang, intense pain surged through his entire body, his face twisting as he convulsed.

The leg he had kicked out was already completely fractured from the powerful rebound, leaving only piercing pain.

He hurriedly circulated his battle energy to control the injury, gulped down a healing potion, and after the pain eased somewhat, he realized that a magical barrier had appeared in front of the village chief, easily blocking his attack.

That old man was just an ordinary person, there was no way he could possess such powerful magic!

“Who is it?!”

Viscount Fink roared in fury, his gaze sweeping viciously across the surroundings.

The village chief had thought he would surely die, but when the kick didn’t land and instead he heard the viscount’s furious roar, he trembled and hurriedly dropped to his knees.

The surrounding villagers also knelt in panic, kowtowing repeatedly.

At that moment, a gentle yet undeniable force lifted them up, preventing them from kneeling.

Velian walked forward gracefully, stepping on Holy Light, each step carrying a sense of vitality.

A gentle yet powerful aura surrounded her, like a divine maiden blessed by the heavens, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

“Viscount Fink, may I ask what you are doing? Illegally collecting taxes? Oppressing your subjects?”

The newcomer smiled like a spring breeze, but when Viscount Fink saw her face, he almost felt the urge to kneel immediately.

It was a completely unfamiliar face.

Yet it stirred a strange voice within him, frantically warning him, roaring at him to prostrate himself and offer absolute submission.

‘What kind of bizarre feeling was this?’

Clutching his chest, he exhaled heavily.

‘Could this be some kind of mind-controlling magic?’

Even his overwhelming anger was forcibly suppressed.

“You... know who I am?”

“As a nun of the Holy Church, it’s only natural for me to know who governs this land.”

Murmurs of unrest came from the soldiers behind him.

In this country, almost everyone was a believer of the Holy Church, holding at least some reverence for the gods, even an ordinary nun was enough to make them feel awe.

“Silence.”

Viscount Fink shouted, barely suppressing the soldiers behind him.

He stared at Velian, if she was just an ordinary nun, then things would be much easier.

Tch.

Originally, all he needed was an excuse of “tax evasion” to have his knights storm into the village, slaughter all these lowly peasants, and then trample the lowborn chosen by the concept of Hero underfoot.

“A nun of the Holy Church? This is a village under my jurisdiction, collecting taxes here is perfectly justified, you have no right to interfere.”

“Mm-hmm-hmm~ no right? Every one of them is a subject protected by the gods.”

A hazy radiance spread as Velian waved her hand, gradually filling every corner of the air.

It wasn’t like sunlight shining down from above, but more like a mist of light merging with another layer of vapor.

“T-this is a miracle!”

“Look! This is great! A nun from the Holy Church! We’re saved!”

The villagers’ worries about angering the noble quickly faded under the glow of the light.

The murmurs grew louder, and Viscount Fink, initially startled by the light, swept his gaze across them before fixing it viciously on the small yet imposing nun before him.

“Hmph, don’t think this will scare me! Interfering in local noble affairs, aren’t you afraid I’ll have you taken to the cathedral?”

Velian raised her eyes, looking at him calmly, “Do you really dare report this to the cathedral?”

The atmosphere fell into a strange silence.

A simple sentence, yet like a heavy bell hammer crashing down on Viscount Fink’s heart, leaving his mind buzzing as his anger was extinguished and his thoughts cleared.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, a deep sense of unease gripping his heart like an invisible hand tightening around his throat.

“Viscount, are you really here today to collect taxes?”

Velian spoke casually, “Or... did you come because you heard about the newly born Hero, specifically to eliminate her?”

“You! What nonsense are you spouting?!”