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

“Ariel??!!”

At that instant, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had descended from the heavens and struck Muen squarely in the forehead, making him tremble uncontrollably from head to toe, from flesh to soul!

Numb.

This time, he was truly, completely numb.

“Why? Why are you here?”

Even as his whole body stiffened, Muen’s brain instinctively began thinking, yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not resolve the confusion and shock before him.

Why was Ariel here?

Why was Ariel here?

Why was Ariel here????

Important questions had to be asked three times!

This was the ruins of the Sea of the Abyss, a mysterious land hidden within the cracks of space.

Ever since the destruction of the nation that once attempted to toy with the Lord of the Stars, nearly a thousand years had passed, and the number of humans who had entered this place could be counted on one hand.

The probability of encountering another living person here was roughly equivalent to casually tossing a pebble into the ocean and then diving in blind to retrieve that exact pebble.

And on top of that—

The person was Ariel!

Ariel, who had not yet officially joined this harem battlefield, but the moment she stepped into it, the balance Muen had painstakingly maintained would explode on the spot!

This was no longer just a matter of fishing a pebble from the sea.

This was dredging sand from the ocean floor and somehow pulling up the single grain capable of crushing Muen Campbell to death instantly!

“You two...”

Meanwhile, Ariel was equally shocked.

She had obtained information about Muen from that white ghostly thing. She originally believed this was a fated encounter, a reward for all her hard work, so she had rushed here excitedly, already imagining countless sweet reunions and surprising encounters in her head...

But the result was...

She had personally witnessed her best friend and the man she loved kissing each other!

Kissing so deeply.

Kissing so skillfully.

Kissing as though nobody else existed.

Those shamelessly lewd sounds had carried from far away, yet neither of them had even noticed her arrival, causing her to stand here watching for who knew how long.

What a cruel and painfully familiar scene this was!

It hurt so much!

Her heart hurt so much!

“No!!”

The Sea of the Abyss had long since been severed from real-world space, so naturally it could not snow.

Yet as Ariel’s grief-stricken cry echoed through heaven and earth, an inexplicably desolate atmosphere suddenly enveloped the area, making one instinctively want to hum along with some strangely melancholic melody.

“I worked so hard to become stronger, so hard not to get left behind! I struggled through ancient ruins with everything I had! These past few months, I’ve slept outdoors, suffered endlessly, and pushed forward through every hardship without retreating!

I believed my efforts would be rewarded.

I believed my persistence... would lead me to the best possible ending.

But!!”

Ariel trembled as she collapsed to her knees, first raising her head toward the heavens to accuse fate of its unfairness, then slamming her fists against the ground, all the grievance in her heart finding nowhere to go!

“But why is this the result waiting for me?!”

“I refuse to accept this! I refuse!!”

“You damned... Liya Angel!”

“...”

“...”

At the side, Liya’s expression was naturally just as colorful.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, being caught by Ariel right now was an incredibly awkward scene.

Her best friend had discovered her making out with the man she loved...

The image became more twisted the longer one looked at it.

If this were a different genre, it could probably become a million-word triangular romance drama about love and hatred between two women and one man.

Ah, no.

A triangle was only temporary.

If the situation was not quickly suppressed, then once the other two corners joined in...

Best not to imagine it.

“How about... you try persuading her a little? Comfort her or something?”

Seeing Ariel’s grief and fury escalating further and further, Muen knew that if he opened his mouth now, he would probably only pour oil onto the fire.

So he looked hopefully toward Liya, wishing for her to say something.

After all... regardless of how twisted things currently were between them, they were still best friends, childhood sweethearts who had grown up together since they were little!

Compared to people like An, Anna, and Celicia, who had been incompatible from the start, surely these two could reconcile easily!

“Comfort...”

Liya thought briefly.

Under normal circumstances, she really should be the one to back down now and properly soothe her childhood friend, persuading her not to take this matter too seriously.

It was only being cuckolded a little. Who had never experienced that before? Whenever she was absent, who knew which sneaky cat might climb onto Muen’s bed!

As people, one should be broad-minded!

Just look at her own chest. Not everyone had such narrow gaps, right?

Originally, Liya should have comforted her like that.

However, the current Liya clearly had no intention of acting according to common sense.

Because she sharply realized something—

Ariel had come to steal her man!

Did she really think crying dramatically and pounding the ground would fool her eyes? They had grown up together since childhood. The moment Ariel stuck her butt up, Liya already knew exactly what kind of fever she was burning with!

Feigning weakness. Acting like a pig to eat the tiger. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river...

Those were all Ariel’s best tricks.

Who knew how many enemies had been deceived by her fake magical rubber chest circumference—no, deceived by her temporary weakness—only to overturn horribly and lose miserably to her in the end!

Liya absolutely would not make such a low-level mistake that only idiots would make!

“No way!”

Liya immediately wrapped her arm tighter around Muen’s neck and stuck out her little tongue at Ariel.

“Muen belongs to me now, so don’t even think about it!”

“...”

Huh?

Muen petrified on the spot.

No, was that how you comforted someone?

Childhood sweethearts?

Ten years of friendship?

Closer than sisters?

Was this comforting someone...

Or declaring war?

“Y-you shameless slut!”

As expected, Ariel’s eyes instantly reddened further.

Doing something so disgraceful was one thing, but she actually dared to provoke her too?!

Why had she never realized before that this big milk cow was so evil?!

“So this is the kind of person you really are! I’m going to teach you a lesson today!”

“Bleh! We still don’t know who’s teaching who!”

“Take this!”

Ariel directly charged forward, tackling Liya to the ground. She immediately launched several sharp palm strikes toward Liya’s vulnerable areas, especially those two infuriating big white rabbits.

Smack. Smack.

Waves surged wildly like a storm-tossed sea.

As the Saintess of the Church crowned with the title of purity, how could Liya tolerate such profanation from anyone other than Muen?

Her pretty face immediately flushed red, her cheeks puffing up adorably in anger.

Unfortunately, Ariel did not feel any sense of revenge from this either. In fact, she nearly burst into tears.

“Damn it. Damn it. Damn milk cow, what exactly are you showing off here? Showing off what??”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

The angrier she became, the harder she slapped.

The harder she slapped, the more violently those waves surged...

And the more violently they surged, the angrier Ariel became.

It formed an endless vicious cycle, constantly pushing Ariel’s boiling point higher and higher until she nearly exploded on the spot.

Although Liya suffered at first, she gritted her silver teeth and refused to give up, constantly attempting to counterattack. Unfortunately, in terms of physical strength alone, she had only recently stepped across the threshold of becoming a warrior, and her training had mostly been for improving bed—no, improving self-defense capabilities.

Naturally, she was not Ariel’s match.

Fortunately, she was not merely a reckless brute relying on physical strength. She was the Church’s Saintess protected by overwhelming Holy Light.

With the enhancement of Holy Light, she gradually managed to reverse the disadvantage.

Then, seizing the opportunity when Ariel once again fell into despair after being smacked in the face by the surging waves, Liya directly flipped her over and fiercely smacked her little butt.

“Who are you calling a milk cow, you little slut?! You used to be so proper, but now your brain is filled entirely with men! Aren’t you ashamed?!”

“Ah... that hurts! The one who should be ashamed is you, perverted Saintess!”

“I’m not perverted, you little slut!”

“Perverted Saintess!”

“Little slut!”

“Perverted Saintess!”

“Little slut!”

The two of them fought back and forth, wrestling with each other until they were literally rolling around on the ground. Their clothes were nearly torn off entirely, exposing large stretches of spring scenery. The scene was indescribably fragrant and stimulating.

As for the chief culprit responsible for all this, a certain blond pig who had gone from rooting cabbages everywhere to being rooted by cabbages himself—

He watched with immense satisfaction from the sidelines.

If circumstances had allowed, Muen would even have liked to sit there eating popcorn while continuing to watch.

No other reason.

Women fighting was simply peak entertainment.

“Sigh, it’s not that I don’t want to stop them. It’s just that as a considerate good man, how could I possibly lay hands on cute girls? Both are such adorable girls, both are my lovers. The palm and back of the hand are both flesh, so what can I do?”

After watching for a long time, Muen could not help tilting his head forty-five degrees toward the heavens, entrusting all the frustration and sorrow within his heart to the distant stars.

Did those stars feel the complexity of his emotions at this moment?

That’s right.

Fight.

Keep fighting.

Fight until the heavens darken and the earth cracks. Best if both sides end up heavily wounded and completely exhausted.

That way, he could smoothly step forward afterward, soothe both sides, lower the temperature everywhere, and resolve this harem battlefield crisis that had only just ignited and thankfully had not yet spread to everyone.

Muen was no longer in a hurry to leave. In fact, he was extremely thankful that he, Liya, and Ariel were trapped within this isolated Sea of the Abyss rather than outside in the real world.

Although he had no idea why his luck was terrible enough to run into Ariel here, at least...

This isolation prevented the flames from spreading any further outward.

It was merely a one-versus-two situation.

And when the “two” were still busy consuming each other internally, the advantage was mine!

“Muen!”

However, before Muen could finish projecting his thoughts into the cosmos, he felt a familiar fragrant breeze approach once more.

Liya rapidly darted to Muen’s side. One hand tidied her disheveled clothing while the other rested on his shoulder as she puffed her cheeks angrily.

“Let’s go! We’re not playing with this little slut anymore. Her skin’s too thick and she’s too durable. I’m not her match!”

“Huh?”

Muen froze.

“Go where?”

“Where else?”

Liya looked at him strangely.

“Back, obviously.”

“Ah, back now? Then what about Ariel...”

“Let her calm down here for a while. She actually hit me that hard this time. My chest is practically swollen now... hmph. Next time I’m not sharing my panini cake with her anymore. Let’s go!”

“Wait!”

Muen hurriedly shouted in panic, but he was already one step too late.

The ease with which Liya manipulated spatial power far exceeded his imagination.

With only a soft whisper of “Urlons,” the space before them instantly twisted, rapidly forming a gate connecting two dimensions.

“Let’s go!”

Liya excitedly dragged Muen through the spatial gate. In her mind, she could monopolize her beloved Muen once again!

But Muen knew things could never be that simple.

That was Ariel Bugaard, the original novel’s protagonist, the child of destiny, the so-called dragon-among-humans chosen by heaven!

Would she really be stopped so easily by a mere spatial gate?

The answer was...

No.

The instant Liya brought Muen back to the previous street, just as the familiar scenery entered Muen’s vision—

SCHWIIIING!

Accompanied by a sharp explosive shriek, the spatial gate that was about to close under Liya’s control was suddenly pierced through by a crimson-gold greatsword engulfed in blazing flames!

Half the greatsword floated in the air, looking extremely bizarre.

Because the other half still remained inside the Sea of the Abyss.

But this alone was enough.

The gap forced open by the Heavenfire Greatsword was already sufficient for the original novel’s only officially designated cheat character to forcibly reopen a path!

“Heaven—!”

In an instant, a cold voice traveled along the Heavenfire Greatsword from the opposite side of space, like true abyssal darkness rapidly invading this world.

Muen’s expression changed violently along with the blazing fire illuminating the heavens and the rapidly gathering power.

“Wait!” Muen tried to stop her.

“Fire—!”

“Stop! Stop right now!”

No, she absolutely could not use that move here!

“Unsheathing—!”

“Ariel, wait!”

This was not the Sea of the Abyss.

This was the royal capital of the kingdom—Saint Blancfazesiya!

If she used that move here and created such a massive disturbance—

“Slash!!”

There was no stopping it.

Clearly, after witnessing the earlier White Album scene and then physically fighting her childhood friend, Ariel had completely lost all reason.

Thus, in the next moment, Muen saw flames even more violent than those in his memories illuminate the city still bathed in daylight.

“So beautiful...”

Beneath flames brighter than the sun itself, Muen completely gave up resisting. He even narrowed his eyes, tears streaming down his face while revealing a blissful smile.

That must have been the result of Ariel’s diligent training during this period.

As her lover, being the very first to witness it personally and experience it firsthand—

Wasn’t that, in its own way... a symbol of love?

...

...

“Cough cough...”

Muen pushed aside the rubble pinning him down. After finally seeing daylight again, he immediately began coughing from the constantly falling dust.

The earlier impact had left him dizzy and disoriented. Although his body did not seem seriously injured, his current filthy appearance was undeniably miserable.

Fortunately, at times like this, a jade-like hand reached out and pulled him from the ruins of the alleyway.

At the same time, it handed him a fragrant handkerchief and gently wiped away the dirt on his face.

“Thank you.”

“No need. This is what I should do.”

The girl dressed in a maid outfit moved gracefully, yet worked with remarkable efficiency. In no time at all, she had cleaned Muen spotless without leaving behind even a speck of dust.

Muen almost wished he were still buried beneath the rubble instead.

“An.”

Muen forced a smile toward the maid.

“Your dress... is it finished?”