The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness

“...What?”

Bishop Kore’s eyes instantly widened like brass bells.

He froze for a long while before finally grasping what Muen meant. Snapping back to himself, he hurriedly opened the letter.

“R-requisition?”

At first, Bishop Kore absolutely did not believe it. How could someone who used such despicable methods to coerce him possibly possess a temporary requisition order from the legendary Judgment Archbishop?

But the moment he opened the letter and saw the incomparably clear blood-red Eye of Judgment stamped across the golden parchment, he could no longer voice a single objection.

“It really is from the Judgment Temple... It really is from the Judgment Archbishop...”

As the temple specifically responsible for purging internal corruption and heresy, the Judgment Temple’s reputation inside the Church far surpassed its reputation outside it.

To outsiders, ordinary people only knew that the Judgment Temple was the Church’s sword-bearing right hand, a special organization known for strength and violence.

Inside the Church, however, the Judgment Temple’s infamy was deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Lunatics, perverts, fanatics, sadists, people who loved skinning others alive and rendering the fat beneath the flesh into lamp oil for offerings to the Goddess... All kinds of rumors decorated the name of the Judgment Temple, making the overwhelming majority of clergy fear it instinctively.

Of course, many of those rumors... were not merely rumors.

“Well? Still want to refuse?” Muen asked. “This is the Judgment Temple you fear and hate so much. If you still don’t want to do it, I won’t force you.”

“I...”

Bishop Kore instinctively started to refuse again.

What kind of joke was this? Being requisitioned by the Judgment Temple?

How was that any different from dancing alongside madmen?

Wait.

Speaking of which... wasn’t this guy one of the Judgment Temple’s lunatics?

That ability to suppress Holy Light. Those merciless methods that let him casually split open a man’s belly without even changing expression...

Thinking of that, the little color Bishop Kore had regained vanished again.

“What’s wrong? Unwilling?”

“N-no, no! How could I possibly...”

Bishop Kore hurriedly bent at the waist and forced out an awkward smile.

“Since it is the personal order of the Judgment Archbishop, how could I possibly dare refuse?”

Now he understood.

This... this was another part of the trap.

Just like before, when this man had disguised himself as that little girl’s adoptive father. Now he had produced a requisition order from the Judgment Temple. The moment Bishop Kore refused...

It would become the grave crime of defying orders.

At that point, no number of lives would be enough to survive the punishment.

The Judgment Temple...

Truly terrifying beyond measure.

And he had actually spoken badly about the Judgment Temple right in front of one of its members?

Bishop Kore secretly studied Muen’s face. Only after realizing Muen seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter did he finally breathe in relief.

“Your target definitely isn’t a minor bishop like me.”

Now that he had temporarily escaped his fear, Bishop Kore’s thoughts began turning quickly, connecting pieces together.

“You’re investigating Saint Blancfazesiya Cathedral? No... the upper ranks of Saint Blancfazesiya Cathedral? Could it be that the cathedral is secretly involved in something dark even I don’t know about? And something so serious it alarmed even the highest levels of the Holy City?”

Cold sweat broke across Bishop Kore’s body.

Thank God he had caved quickly enough earlier. Otherwise, what awaited him later might have been far worse than merely being disemboweled.

Damn it. Why hadn’t he realized it then?

Without sufficient backing, who would dare casually carve open a bishop of the Church?

The more he thought about it, the more Bishop Kore felt that the nun who loved sharpening knives in the middle of the night was actually fucking adorable.

Sharpen them more. He loved hearing it now.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with where the order came from, and you don’t need to concern yourself with our purpose. Right now, what you need to do is arrange a position for me at the upcoming welcoming banquet for the Saintess—one that will allow me to approach Archbishop Ision.”

Muen’s tone turned serious.

“This is important.”

“That won’t be easy.”

Knowing he no longer had the right to refuse, Bishop Kore immediately fell into thought.

“Welcoming the Saintess is an enormous affair, but the number of people who can actually approach the core area is very small. After all, the Saintess’s safety always comes first. Everyone qualified to get close has to pass through layer after layer of screening.

“And this time, the welcoming ceremony will be held in the Ritual Hall of the Palace of Sacred Mists. The entire Kore Church only received three spots allowing entry into the Ritual Hall and close participation in the ceremony.”

“Three spots...”

Muen rubbed his chin. “That really is a bit few.”

“Well, the Kore Church isn’t particularly outstanding beneath Saint Blancfazesiya Cathedral...” Bishop Kore laughed helplessly before asking again, “But speaking of which, since you were sent by the upper ranks of the Church, why not go directly through the Saintess’s side? Wouldn’t approaching Archbishop Ision be much easier that way? There’d be no need for all these twists and turns.”

“That would certainly work.”

Muen remained expressionless.

“Do you think I don’t want to? If I went through the Saintess’s side, I could probably even approach the Archbishop directly as part of her retinue. But if I did that... it would make him wary, wouldn’t it?”

“Wary... That’s true. With Archbishop Ision’s sharpness, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice movements from above. So that’s why he personally invited the Saintess? Is he trying to turn passivity into initiative? A probe? A preemptive strike? Or is he trying to curry favor with the Saintess in advance to secure himself an escape route?”

Bishop Kore shuddered.

“The power struggles among the Church’s upper ranks really are something else. The deeper you think about it, the scarier it gets!”

“...”

Your imagination is something else too.

Muen sighed. “Enough nonsense. Can you do it or not?”

“Yes, absolutely. Although the Kore Church received very few spots this time, fortunately one particular duty does allow direct close-range contact with Archbishop Ision!”

“Oh? What is it?” Muen raised a brow.

“The choir!”

“...”

Muen fell silent for two seconds before asking again,

“What?”

“The choir!” Bishop Kore repeated.

“You don’t mean... the kind of choir I’m thinking of?”

Muen’s mouth twitched.

“A huge group of beautiful nuns in white gauze dresses gathered beneath a statue of the Goddess, emotionally singing hymns praising Her?”

“More or less.”

“I have to disguise myself as a nun?”

Muen instinctively leaned back. “I have to cross-dress again?”

“Again?”

Suspicion appeared on Bishop Kore’s face.

“No. Pretend you didn’t hear that. Continue.”

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I think you misunderstand me. I said more or less, not exactly the same. There’s still a difference.”

“I don’t have to disguise myself as a nun?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s good...”

Muen let out a breath of relief.

Although this would hardly be his first time infiltrating somewhere in women’s clothing, if he had to dress like the choir he had once seen in the Holy City—wearing gauzy dresses smoother than Holy Light itself, fingers intertwined before his chest, singing praises to the Goddess with intoxicated devotion before countless believers...

Ugh...

No. Forget whether the Goddess herself would even accept such a ceremony.

Liya would absolutely preserve the scene forever as a treasured collectible and take it out from time to time to savor it for the rest of her life.

“Please rest assured. The choir in the Holy City truly is composed entirely of female clergy, but that’s because, first, they belong directly to the Saintess, and second, because their primary duty is serving the Goddess, which requires absolute purity.

“But this is only a cathedral. The rules aren’t so strict here, and the standards naturally can’t compare to the Holy City. So whenever a ritual requires a choir, the participants are temporarily selected from experienced clergy across the various churches. There’s no strict requirement for female clergy. Even veteran priests can participate,” Bishop Kore explained.

“I see... That sounds promising.”

“It is. The choir can approach Archbishop Ision very easily. It should satisfy your requirements.”

“Then what’s the downside?”

Muen rubbed his chin. Based on his past experience, he did not believe things could truly go this smoothly.

“The downside... Does limited time count? When the moment comes, your direct contact with the Archbishop may last less than thirty seconds.”

“Thirty seconds is enough.”

After thinking for a moment, Muen answered with certainty.

“Then that should be fine. There probably won’t be anythi—wait, there is one more thing.”

Bishop Kore suddenly looked awkward.

“For you, there may still be one tiny little problem.”

“A little problem?”

“Yes.”

Bishop Kore somehow produced a book as thick as a brick and slammed it into Muen’s hands with utmost seriousness.

“You must completely memorize all three thousand five hundred and eighty-one hymns praising the Goddess within two hours.”

“Remember, I mean truly memorize them. Recite them backward if necessary. To demonstrate devotion, the hymns are selected at random, so even I don’t know... which one will need to be performed when the time comes.”

“...”