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

Muen was filled with grief and indignation.

He felt he had truly underestimated Senior’s methods.

Compared to An’s fitting room or Liya’s spatial power, this setup—with only a single gauze curtain separating them—was obviously even more stimulating, even more sinful.

And the worst part was that Senior possessed the Authority of the Silent Moon. Hiding everything from Ariel while being separated by only a thin curtain was absurdly easy for her.

That meant she could carry out this kind of thing far more boldly and shamelessly than the previous two.

Muen could no longer imagine just how thoroughly he was about to be toyed with.

Yet because Ariel was directly in front of him, he could not reveal the slightest abnormality.

After all, this was completely different from before.

Ariel only needed to lift the curtain once to see everything with her own eyes.

Under the combined effect of all these stimulating factors, one careless mistake would probably send him straight to heaven...

In every possible sense.

“...Looks like all I can do is leave it to fate... no, leave it to Senior.”

Muen inhaled deeply and casually wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Tears of determination.

After a fierce internal struggle, he still chose to calmly walk toward the final execution ground before him.

Because resisting now was already meaningless.

Silently, he lay down on the massage bed and waited for his final destiny to descend.

Come on, Senior!

Do whatever you want to him!

He—

The Lion King’s son.

The man favored by countless Evil Gods.

The final macho man of humanity—

Muen Campbell was completely prepared!

Come!

“Sir, could you please turn over and lie face down on the bed? This is a legitimate massage establishment. If you don’t lie down properly, we won’t be able to massage you.”

...Huh?

Hearing that unfamiliar yet gentle voice, Muen froze and blinked blankly.

Because the person who had come to toy with him—

No, massage him—

Was not Senior at all.

Instead, it was a broad-backed, massively built, incredibly muscular woman who looked at least fifty years old.

...An old lady?

“Who are you? Why are you the one doing the massage?”

“What do you mean why me? Did the customer hit his head?”

The woman’s cat ears bobbed atop her head, making Muen’s eyelids twitch violently. Then she pointed proudly toward the nameplate on her chest.

Little Wildcat.

The words nearly blinded him.

“Sir, please look. I’m a certified first-rank masseuse of the Saint Blancfazesiya Massage Association. A true professional among professionals...”

“Masseuse? Professional? But you don’t exactly look like...”

“You weren’t expecting one of those delicate little girls to massage you, were you? Sir, surely you jest.”

The woman flexed her chest in a standard bodybuilding pose, her biceps bulging and writhing like beasts about to devour prey.

“How could those weak little things who’d get blown away by the wind possibly understand real massage? True massage is the purest collision and communication between muscle and muscle!”

“...?”

This was Little Wildcat?

Muen’s head filled with question marks.

What the hell was happening?

Where was Senior?

Where was the teasing?

Where was the immoral affair right in front of his lover?

Why had Senior not appeared, only for this terrifyingly powerful woman—who looked capable of caving in his chest with a single punch—to arrive instead?

“Ah, M-Muen, something seems kind of wrong with the massage therapist over here too!”

Ariel’s frightened voice came from the other side of the curtain.

Muen turned his head and realized the gauze between them was actually semi-transparent. Faintly, he could make out another huge figure equally gigantic and broad.

“Please don’t worry. That’s my younger sister, stage name Little Bunny.”

The older masseuse smiled reassuringly enough to make people even more terrified.

“She used to be the top star of the Saint Blancfazesiya Massage Association. Unfortunately, she accidentally shattered seven ribs of a certain count during a session once, so now she has no choice but to make a living in a small place like this together with me.”

“Please don’t doubt her skills. She will absolutely satisfy you.”

On the opposite side of the curtain, the masseuse called Little Bunny struck a similarly “professional” pose.

One foot balanced on tiptoe, both arms flexed inward.

Even through the curtain, Muen could practically see her pectoral muscles bouncing.

“...”

Wait.

Muen was dumbfounded.

I’m not doubting whether you’re professionals!

I’m doubting whether you’re actually massage therapists at all!

That pose just now was obviously not something a masseuse should be doing!

Are my ribs really not going to end up like that count’s?!

And Ariel...

Her chest is already small enough. What happens if it gets flattened?!

“Sir?”

While Muen stood there in shock, Little Wildcat urged him again.

“Please lie down obediently.”

“...Okay.”

After thinking it over repeatedly, Muen ultimately still chose not to run.

Because deep down, he still held onto a tiny sliver of hope...

Hope that this was merely one of Senior’s pranks.

Yes.

After all, this was exactly the kind of prank Senior would pull...

Thinking this, Muen obediently followed Little Wildcat’s instructions and lay face down.

Beside him, Ariel did the same, looking extremely well-behaved.

Before the massage began, she turned her head and met Muen’s eyes.

“Muen, I love you.”

“Mm. Me too.”

Two massive shadows slowly approached, carrying pressure heavy enough to shatter mountains.

Filled with terror, the two lovers reached their hands through the thin gauze curtain separating them...

And tightly clasped each other.

The lovers silently conveyed the sincere feelings within their hearts.

Then moments later—

Accompanied by a muffled groan of agony and the faint sound of cracking bones, Muen trembled and cried out sorrowfully:

“There’s no Senior...”

There was only—

“...Cow!”

There was cuckolding again!

It hurts!

...

...

One hour earlier.

The cathedral.

“Saintess!”

Great Sister Lin hurried forward and shoved open the door to the prayer chamber.

“There’s important—hm?”

She had clearly intended to report something urgent, but suddenly paused, her brows furrowing slightly.

Because the instant the door opened, she saw very clearly that the Saintess had not been praying properly at all.

Instead, she had apparently been doing something else. Only after hearing the door open did she abruptly turn back toward the Goddess statue.

“Your Holiness?”

“...”

“Your Holiness, please turn around.”

“...”

“Your Holiness!”

As Lin’s tone grew increasingly stern, Liya finally had no choice but to slowly turn around.

But even after turning, she still kept both hands tightly covering her mouth, staring at Lin with wide eyes as if trying to scare her away through sheer pressure alone.

Unfortunately, her current appearance possessed absolutely no intimidation whatsoever.

“Saintess, during such an important time for prayer, surely you weren’t...”

Lin observed Liya with slight anger.

A fine layer of sweat covered her forehead.

Her eyes looked nervous.

Her cheeks were puffed out beneath her hands.

Even her clothes appeared somewhat messy.

Clearly, she looked exactly like—

“You were secretly eating snacks again, weren’t you?!”

“...?”

Liya looked confused for a moment.

Then she nodded violently.

Yes, yes!

She was secretly eating.

Just secretly eating.

Absolutely nothing else!

Gulp.

Liya forcefully swallowed the “snack” in her mouth and gave Lin an embarrassed smile.

Naturally, she still refused to open her mouth.

That would expose everything!

“I knew it. Hiding snacks inside your clothes and secretly eating them whenever nobody’s around isn’t exactly a one-time offense anymore. How many times have I told you this damages your Saintess image?”

“Mmph...”

“What?”

“I won’t do it againnn...”

Liya mumbled unclearly through her covered mouth.

“Sigh. I’ve heard that promise more times than I can count. Have you ever actually changed?”

Lin sighed helplessly.

Everyone envied her for being able to remain constantly at the Saintess’s side and bask in divine favor.

But who knew how difficult the job really was?

After all, both generations of Saintesses she had served...

Had been deeply troublesome people.

Anyone else would have already suffered high blood pressure severe enough to burst blood vessels.

Only she—

Former top-ranked Holy Light user of her class—

Could literally heal her own ruptured veins if necessary.

“You need to eat fewer snacks in the future. Especially while doing serious work. Understood?”

“Mhm!”

“And also... hm? Come to think of it, why does today’s incense smell strange? Did they change it? This scent... isn’t that daphne flower? Since when did the people in the holy supplies department develop such awful taste?”

Lin shook her head in disdain.

The holy supplies department truly was vulgar beyond belief.

Their taste was just as terrible.

Still, she suspected nothing else.

After all, she, Lin, holder of the position Great Sister, possessed experience...

The kind just one step away from becoming a Grand Mage.

“Why did you come looking for me, Lin?”

Taking advantage of Lin’s attention shifting elsewhere, Liya hurriedly conjured a cup of water with magic and gulped down several large mouthfuls before finally speaking.

“Right, business!”

Lin suddenly cried out.

She had spent so much time scolding the Saintess that she nearly forgot the important matter!

“Is it serious?”

Seeing Lin’s expression, Liya instantly realized the matter was significant. Her own face became serious as well.

“It’s important... though not particularly important relative to your status. It’s simply somewhat urgent.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“According to reports from some lower-ranking clergy, part of the Kingdom’s western border has recently seen residents contract a strange illness. It causes people to sleepwalk at night and wander around.”

Lin spoke seriously.

“Although no deaths have been recorded yet, the disease apparently possesses extremely strong infectious properties. Nearly half of one town is already showing symptoms. If left untreated, it could become disastrous.”

“The Holy City’s instructions are that now the Saint Blancfazesiya situation has temporarily settled down, you should immediately head there along the way.”

“Eh? Right now?”

The moment she heard she had to depart immediately, Liya’s serious expression collapsed instantly, her little face drooping completely.

Leaving now was terrible.

Her own date had not even started yet!

No, no. How could only Ariel get a date? That was completely unfair!

Liya nearly started throwing a tantrum on the spot, but—

“Your Holiness, this is your duty.”

“...”

Right.

This was her duty.

As the Church’s Saintess, besides spreading the Goddess’s mercy and miracles and guiding believers, she possessed another important responsibility...

Healing disease.

Or more accurately—

Stopping plagues.

The continent was enormous, and with demons, monsters, Evil God followers, and terrorists constantly lurking in the shadows, large-scale outbreaks appeared from time to time with alarming regularity.

And what better way existed to spread the Goddess’s mercy and miracles than halting the spread of plague and healing suffering people?

Thus, whether the current Saintess or past ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Saintess candidates, the moment they learned an epidemic had appeared somewhere, they were required to depart immediately.

It was a responsibility they could not avoid.

And also a choice they sincerely accepted themselves.

“...Alright.”

No matter how important dating was, she could not just abandon people to die.

Liya sighed softly.

“I’ll leave immediately.”

...

...

“You’re saying there are signs of cultist activity in Kasti, one of the Empire’s eastern coastal cities?”

Western district.

An alley outside the massage parlor.

Anna leaned lazily against the wall, half-lidded eyes glancing sideways toward the man nearby.

“Y-yes, Lady Anna.”

The man wiped sweat endlessly from his forehead, unable to understand what mistake he had made to provoke such visible displeasure from the Swordbearer.

“The signs are obvious?” Anna tapped her fingers lightly. “Or has the situation already become extremely urgent?”

“The signs are indeed very obvious. As for urgent... definitely urgent.”

The man swallowed nervously.

“The Kasti branch has already requested reinforcements from headquarters three separate times. Reportedly, the cultists are planning a massive blood sacrifice ritual, and the branch lacks the strength to stop them. They can only request assistance. But wartime chaos has stretched our manpower too thin, so we truly cannot spare additional personnel and therefore...”

Under Anna’s increasingly cold gaze, the man hesitated for a long time before finally shrinking back and forcing out the rest:

“We can only trouble Lady Anna to personally intervene.”