The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness Chapter 430: Heaven-Sent Treasure

“Sister, I have sinned.”

Wens Church—an unremarkable little chapel among the countless churches and monasteries of the Holy City.

Stone walls, wooden benches, an old wooden window ledge—everything carried an air of age and simplicity.

The believers who ca here were all ordinary people, most of them poor souls who, despite their hardship, had made the long pilgrimage to worship in the Holy City.

If this place had any advantage, it was that its elevation was slightly higher, allowing one to look out over half the streets of the city. The view was decent.

So, after the final prayer session organized by the congregation, the nuns tidied everything up quickly, extinguished the candles, and waited eagerly for tomorrow to co.

Tomorrow, Her Highness the new Saintess would pass just two streets away. Perhaps even these low-ranking little nuns could glimpse Her Holy Grace from afar and receive the Goddess’s blessing.

But just as the chapel doors were about to close, a dust-covered figure pushed open the door of the confessional and sat down on the creaking wooden chair, waiting to be heard.

The priest had already left early, gone to treat a poor sick child. Left with no choice, a newly arrived nun received him instead.

The weary visitor, of course, didn’t know that. In the confessional, the black veil separated their lines of sight.

They couldn’t see each other. Only that way could truth be spoken.

“Sister, I have sinned.”

In the dim booth, the man bowed his head and repeated the words.

He wore a tattered black trench coat, the hem stained with faint red spots. His hair and beard were tangled and unkempt, his eyes exhausted to the extre.

It seed countless words wanted to squeeze out of his cracked lips, yet all that ca, trembling, were those pale syllables:

“I have sinned.”

“...Of course. Everyone has sinned.”

A gentle voice answered after a pause. The nun seed unsurprised by the opening line—for everyone who ca here always began the sa way.

She leaned forward slightly, trying to make her posture closer, to ease the heavy air inside the booth.

“As long as a person is born into this world, sin is inevitable. In truth, every person carries sin. You need not bla yourself for that.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

The man exhaled softly, then said,

“I’ve done so many wrong things. They tornt day and night. Whenever I close my eyes, those scenes replay uncontrollably in my mind. I’m being driven insane...

“But I had to do them. I couldn’t stop. For the sake of this world, for everything beautiful in it, for the flowers and scenery I love, and for my dog who stayed by fifteen years—I had to, and I will never stop.”

“It sounds like you’re a good man.”

The nun nodded lightly with a kind smile.

“Then confess to . You can tell everything you’ve ever done. It will make you feel lighter. Before the Goddess, no one here will condemn you for anything. I am only here to listen.”

“A good man... that’s the first ti anyone’s ever called that.”

The man’s gaze softened. Even this brief exchange seed to ease him.

But he still shook his head.

“Still, maybe I shouldn’t tell everything. Not because I don’t want to, but because there’s too much. I’ve forgotten most of it. Yes... thinking carefully, I really am a forgetful person.”

“Is that so?”

The nun sounded a little puzzled. “Then why co here, if not to speak?”

“I...”

The man hesitated, then suddenly asked, “Sister, may I hold your hand?”

“Of course.”

Without a trace of hesitation, a slender, pale hand reached out from behind the black veil, palm up.

“Thank you.”

The man’s voice choked. He took her hand gently in his rough, calloused one.

What a warm, soft, lovely hand it was—like salvation itself, making him want, helplessly, to hold on forever.

“May I ask one more question?” the man said through tears.

“You may.”

The nun looked toward him through the veil, as though watching a child. “Here, you can ask anything. I’ll answer as best I can.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

His thick beard quivered as he spoke.

“Then... I’ll ask.”

“Please.”

“You said every person has sin. Then all humanity’s sins—who will purify them?”

“Why, of course, the Goddess Herself.”

The nun replied without hesitation.

“Ah, the Goddess... how wonderful. The rciful Goddess, who forgives every human sin and grants salvation and cleansing—it sounds like sothing out of a fairy tale.”

The man nodded dreamily, as if savoring the beauty of the story.

But the next instant—

His voice turned suddenly cold.

“Then... the Goddess’s sins—who will purify those?”

His hands tightened sharply, making the nun flinch in pain. He craned forward, as though trying to see her eyes through the veil.

“Human sin is cleansed by the Goddess, redeed by Her. But what about the Goddess? She stands above all... what stands above Her?”

“The Goddess’s sins...”

The nun’s voice remained gentle, yet unshaken.

“The Goddess has no sin. She is the Goddess.”

“Is that so... ha. Hahaha. That really does sound like sothing a Church sister would say.”

The man burst into loud, almost cheerful laughter.

“Thank you, Sister. Talking with you—it’s been the happiest thing in my life lately.”

“To let you forget your troubles, even a little, is the least I can do. There’s no need to thank .”

The nun smiled back, unbothered by his overstep.

“So kind... but that’s exactly why I must apologize to you.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes. I’m truly sorry, Sister. From now on, there will be one more thing keeping awake at night.”

He stroked her hand softly again—so small, so pale, so delicate, flawless.

Surely the nun herself was as pure and unblemished as this hand.

He regretted what he must do.

But he had no choice.

For his goal, even if it ant bearing heavier sin and consequence, he would do it—without hesitation.

A cold aura began to coil from his palm, slithering like a venomous snake up the nun’s smooth arm.

Like the kiss of death, it robbed her of all movent in an instant.

So frail.

He sighed in regret, tracing her hand, her fingers, and the ring on her slender fourth finger.

Her hand, this pitiful nun, even the ring—all so beautiful.

Unfortunately, beautiful things are always...

Wait.

A ring?

His hand froze slightly.

Why would a nun wear a ring?

And not just any ring—why hadn’t he noticed until now how valuable it looked?

Frowning, he turned her hand over, palm down.

At last, the flawless back of her hand ca into view.

And then he saw the ring’s face clearly—

Ancient, solemn, crafted of gold and gem, with intricate sacred carvings and a holy cross engraved at its center.

This was no ordinary ring.

It was...

A Ring of Authority.

A symbol second only to the Pope and Saintess—worn by the one who presided over a great cathedral or temple. A mark of utmost honor and rank.

The bearer of such a ring held a title everyone in the Church knew.

—Goddamn Cardinal Archbishop!

“Ha.”

The man bowed his head in silence, then suddenly laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

The nun asked, her voice still gentle as ever.

From beginning to end, her tone hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“Why not laugh? Laugh at how strange fate is. Laugh at what a fool I am, pouring out my heart to an Archbishop.”

He stared at the ring, the corner of his mouth twisting. From it, he could sll a stench of blood thicker even than his own.

“Or perhaps... laugh that the dreaded ruler of the Tribunal of Judgnt... turns out to be a woman?”

“Is that so...”

The Archbishop of Judgnt chuckled softly.

“I thought you were laughing because the Fourth Seat of the Salvation Society couldn’t kill even one person tonight before dying in vain.”

“...”

The man’s mouth twitched hard. “According to my intel, the Church was only supposed to dispatch an ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ordinary bishop tonight.”

“Indeed. That was the plan.”

“Then you—”

“I was bored.”

“What?”

“I said, I was bored.”

Behind the veil, the Archbishop disguised as a nun sighed wistfully. “In the last incident, every other temple had sothing to do. Even those old fossils returning from abroad were assigned important tasks by His Holiness.

“But ? Nothing. Utterly idle. So when I saw tonight looked lively, I decided to take a stroll.”

“...”

The man froze, then sneered.

“I see. After all, judgnt only works when it’s used against your own kind.”

“Correct.”

The Archbishop didn’t even flinch at the taunt.

“The reason people fear so much is precisely because... I can only judge humans.”

Evil Gods.

Pollution.

Monsters.

Those were not within her jurisdiction.

Judgnt, after all, existed to cleanse humanity itself.

“So, Fourth Seat—since you’re human, you must have a great deal to tell .”

The man’s face changed drastically. He tried to pull back, but the delicate hand he’d once caressed had already turned to an unbreakable iron grip that clamped him in place.

“Let’s continue our earlier topic, shall we? Your sins. The deeds that tornt you. And perhaps... how you infiltrated the Holy City, and why.

“Don’t worry if your mory’s a little fuzzy.”

Under his horrified gaze, the Archbishop smiled gently.

“Because mory restoration happens to be my specialty.”

That night—

Infinite light burst forth from the small, remote chapel, blooming under the Goddess’s rciful gaze.

Blindingly bright.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

In a secluded alley beside a foul-slling drain, Ariel—covered in dust—peeked out her small head, watching the black-robed figures with crow-beak masks dart across the rooftops above. Her head throbbed even harder.

“All I did was sneak in... just a little illegal entry! Why the hell did even those lunatics from the Tribunal of Judgnt show up?! What the hell!”

Ariel wanted to cry.

Now she finally understood sothing had gone wrong with the caravan she’d joined earlier in the day.

But even knowing that—so what? She was already branded an accomplice. No one would believe anything she said.

All she’d wanted was to see Liya as soon as possible. Yet not only had she failed to et her, she now had to curl up in a deserted corner, suppressing her presence to avoid detection by knights and black-robes alike.

Weak, pitiful, helpless—and still needing to eat.

Biting into the last of her hard, dry black bread to keep up her strength, Ariel stared blankly at the communication stone in her hand.

After finding a temporary hiding spot, she’d tried contacting Liya again, hoping the Church insider could explain the situation for her.

But...

Why wasn’t she answering?

She’d called several tis—no response. Liya, what are you doing so late at night?

“Damn it! Why am I so unlucky!”

After sulking for a mont, Ariel swallowed the rest of the bread in one bite and sprang to her feet.

“But bad luck alone won’t stop !”

She’d survived far worse. How could a small setback stop her now?

And besides, there was still a way.

“No matter what, I am the legal heir of a count in the Empire of Leopold. If the Church tries to arrest , it becos a political issue! As long as I can reach the Imperial Embassy and have them step in, everything can be resolved!”

After all, she was innocent. The upright have nothing to fear from shadows. There was no way such a ridiculous misunderstanding couldn’t be cleared up!

Yes, that’s it!

Ariel clenched her fists, ready to march straight to the embassy.

What? It’s this late at night? Why don’t you ask why those Church freaks aren’t resting either!

She’d do it now—Ariel never delayed once she decided sothing—

BOOM!

The sudden explosion froze her face mid-stride. The wall nearby blew apart, and a figure tumbled out, landing not far from her.

“W-What the—?”

Thinking the knights had caught up, Ariel nearly bolted—but her quick instincts made her pause.

That wasn’t a knight.

A tattered black coat, scorched hair, a face lined with pain and fatigue—he looked nothing like a pursuer. More like... a fugitive.

As she watched him, the man forced his eyes open and saw her.

His wary gaze swept over the disheveled Ariel. He blinked—then, surprisingly, his dim eyes lit up.

“You... cough... you’re being hunted by the Church too?”

He coughed a few tis, asking weakly.

“Y-Yeah.”

Ariel scratched her head awkwardly.

“You too? Haha... what a coincidence.”

“Ha, quite the coincidence.”

The man gave a twisted, painful smile, then reached out his mangled hand—so damaged the bone was visible—fumbling inside his coat before lifting sothing and tossing it to her.

“Here. Take this.”

“Huh?”

Ariel stared, dumbfounded, at the black object in her hands.

“What... is this? Why give it to ?”

The man didn’t answer.

His injuries were far beyond saving. He’d only stayed alive through sheer will, and now that his purpose was fulfilled, that will faded.

His pupils dimd. Staring into nothingness, he left her with his final words:

“Rember... never let the Church... find this.”

The mont he finished, his head slumped sideways, completely lifeless.

Leaving Ariel standing there, utterly bewildered, clutching sothing she didn’t even recognize, as the wailing alarms rose in the distance—

Lost in the wind.

That night, sleep was impossible.