Chapter 11: Priestess or Nun

"Enrique! Corrado!"

Leo opened his eyes again, calling the two knights over.

Corrado followed Enrique to Leo’s side, awaiting his orders.

“Have you ever been to Chanodenza?” Leo asked Corrado.

“I have. It’s a very, very small town,” Corrado nodded. “Are you going to Chanodenza now?”

“The monastery needs some people.” Leo spoke as he gestured toward the barren land behind him.

“Though there is nothing here, I still need some monks to help me manage this place.”

“There are no monks,” Corrado shook his head, disappointing Leo greatly.

But Corrado’s next words rekindled Leo’s hope.

“But there is a nun.”

“That will do. Let’s set out at once.”

...

On the outskirts of the tiny town of Chanodenza, a worried townsman paced outside a humble wooden hut. He had come not for himself, but for his ailing daughter.

He walked back and forth at the door, listening to the nun inside recite scripture, bowing his head in prayer as well.

In these benighted times, nearly everyone—from nobles to commoners—could only confront illness with the most ignorant, yet helpless, means.

Hearing his daughter’s coughs, the townsman sighed deeply.

He could only hope for God’s mercy...

As he prayed silently, a shadow fell over him. He looked up at once, as though beholding God himself. There, before him, stood a priest in a white robe.

“Is this Sister Agnes’s home?” Leo gazed at the modest hut before him, momentarily lost in thought.

Even the drafty walls made it clear—this nun lived an extremely austere life.

Convincing someone like her would not be easy.

“Yes, Father, this is Sister Agnes’s home...” The townsman’s demeanor turned reverent and anxious at the sight of Leo’s robes, as if terrified of saying the wrong thing.

“What are you doing here?” Enrique demanded.

His fierce bearing sent the townsman into a trembling stammer. After a long pause, he managed to explain himself.

“A few days ago, my daughter and I went out to sell wine—we’re winemakers. She caught a chill, so I brought her here for treatment.”

Treatment?

At the word, Leo felt a chill down his spine.

Hearing the scripture being recited inside the hut, Leo’s unease grew.

Would this end in death? With the medical practices of the Middle Ages, a cure was a miracle—death was the norm.

“Corrado, Enrique, go inside,” Leo commanded, determined to intervene and preserve a life.

Seeing Leo rush in, the townsman tried to stop him, but his hand froze in midair.

He dared not offend a priest or monk—not even for his daughter’s life.

Leo, however, did not hesitate. As soon as he entered the hut, the scent of herbs mixed with a faint stench greeted him. Enema tools lay scattered on the floor, and a young girl in a linen shirt knelt trembling, praying with an elderly nun beside her.

From the girl’s pallor and frail body, it was clear she had endured cruel treatments, likely even starvation. In her weakened state, even a strong man would not survive.

Was this a nun or a witch? Leo couldn’t help but wonder.

The old nun turned and, seeing Leo, sprang up with a twisted expression, shrieking at him.

“Who let you barge in? Do you want to kill this girl?”

“Kill her?” Leo was not one to yield and retorted sharply at the witch-like nun.

“The Gospel of Matthew says: when hungry, eat; when thirsty, drink; when ill, be cared for! What are you doing? You’re the one killing her!”

With that, he strode forward and took off his priestly robe.

He draped it over the girl’s shoulders. Only then did the old nun realize it was a church robe.

She gaped for a moment, then sneered viciously, “You people from the Roman Curia are nothing but fallen devils!”

Stung by the accusation, Leo was about to retort when Enrique tapped him on the shoulder.

Leo turned to see the villagers gathering behind him.

Many had come, drawn by the commotion, and now watched Leo’s confrontation with the old nun.

Their eyes brimmed with suspicion towards Leo, despite his priestly robes.

Such was the legacy of past misdeeds...

For centuries, the Roman Curia had acted with little regard for the people, leading many to distrust priests, especially the impoverished peasants in remote valleys.

In their minds, priests came only to seize wealth, never as God’s messengers.

Though Leo had done nothing wrong, he bore the burden of this mistrust.

He had to manage his image now.

“Let me treat her,” Leo declared, pushing the old nun aside and gripping the girl’s arm.

The frail girl trembled, her eyes pleading, as if fearing Leo would drag her back into hell.

“You’re a devil! A demon! Satan’s servant! You’ll kill Helena!” the old nun shrieked, causing unrest among the villagers.

The old nun had lived here many years. Compared to the suddenly-arrived Leo, the villagers put more faith in her.

As Leo weighed his options, a system prompt appeared:

[New Mission Triggered: Just a Minor Cold]
[Objective: Help Helena recover from her cold]
[Reward: 50 Piety, 1 nun]

Glancing at the prompt, Leo reached into his pocket, pulled out a small cross, and raised it high.

“People of the town! I am sent by the Pope! I am God’s messenger! Watch closely: before tomorrow’s sunrise, I shall cure Helena!”

The townsfolk, seeing the cross, wavered.

Enrique and Corrado stepped forward, hands on their sword hilts, clearing a path for Leo.

Leo supported Helena, whispering gently to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, I’m truly a priest—I won’t harm you,” Leo said softly. “You’ll recover soon.”

“Tha... thank you...” Helena’s voice was barely audible.

Yet Leo’s reassurance seemed to comfort her. Wrapped in his robe, she began to trust him, leaning weakly against him.

Her father hurried over, his trembling mustache betraying his anxiety.

“Father, where are you taking her?” he asked.

“To your home,” Leo replied, scanning the gathered villagers, eager to resolve this quickly.

He then turned to Corrado.

“Corrado, go fetch some garlic. Enrique, stand guard. And you...”

“Carlo,” Helena’s father supplied his name.

“Very well, Carlo, lead us home. Once we arrive, boil water at once and prepare clean bedding, so your daughter can rest properly.”

“Yes,” Carlo replied, half in doubt, unsure of Leo’s intentions.

Yet, seeing Leo’s confidence and his daughter’s wretched state, Carlo chose to trust him—at least this once.