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

”No, I need to stay calm.”

”The situation isn’t that bad yet. With that unfathomable clownish bear around, Liya couldn’t have gotten into trouble so easily.”

After her cry of grief, Ariel quickly pulled herself together again. Her gaze turned sharp as a hawk’s, sweeping across the battlefield now reduced to ruins.

”Master, can you sense anything?”

”The magic here is too chaotic. My perception can’t spread out. However, there are no corpses, so it’s likely no one died here.”

Ariel looked toward the edge, at the smear of flesh mixed with carriage wreckage.

”...That’s a dragonblood horse.”

”That’s good.”

Ariel let out a sigh of relief and turned her eyes away.

No bodies meant there was still a strong hope they were alive.

In any case—alive, she had to see them; dead, she had to see the body. Until she truly found Liya, she would never give up.

”Let’s check for clues first.”

Cautiously, Ariel stepped into the ground that looked as though a storm had plowed it open, carefully inspecting the scene.

The surroundings were chaos: shattered trees and stones everywhere, the ground full of massive cracks and craters, as if two monstrous beasts had fought here.

But no matter how chaotic, there would always be traces left behind.

”This is...”

Her gaze sharpened, and excitement flickered in her eyes.

Sure enough—just ahead, the soft sand bore scattered footprints, and among them ran several clear wheel tracks, extending straight into the distance.

”Dragonblood carriages. Someone left here in dragonblood carriages!”

Ariel’s heart leapt: ”It’s very likely Pink Bear and the others. Which means—Liya is still alive!”

Though the details were still unclear, and though she didn’t know why she alone had been left behind, the next course of action was now much simpler.

Follow the wheel tracks. Find the main group!

”I remember... this direction is toward /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the border, right?”

Then let’s move!

Ignoring her fatigue from a night of battle, Ariel gathered her strength again, preparing to dash forward.

But her step froze just as it was about to fall.

The excitement on her face instantly drained, replaced by heaviness and grimness.

”Who.”

Ariel turned her head, her voice low and cold.

”Come out.”

”Eh?”

A puzzled, unfamiliar voice responded:

”A little brat at Third Rank, and you actually noticed me?”

In the forest that was still intact, mist had somehow begun to drift. With a breeze rustling the leaves, the mist suddenly surged, then outlined a graceful silhouette not far away.

It was a woman—wearing a mage robe cut to expose white cleavage and long legs, with waves of hair cascading down. Her face was heavily painted with makeup, but beneath it, a sickly pallor showed.

She slowly stepped forth from the mist, her lazy eyes beneath purple shadow scanning Ariel without a care, her lips curling in a pleased smile:

”Since I couldn’t take part in the later hunt, I thought I’d sneak back to see if I could vent by ambushing someone. Didn’t expect to stumble on such a fine thing. Flat-chested brat, you’re with that duke’s son, aren’t you? I saw you in the reports.”

Flat-chested...

”Who are you?”

Ariel’s eye twitched, her voice sharp:

”What happened to the others? What is your goal?” ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

”Oh my, you don’t know anything? So you were left behind? How pitiful.”

The woman flicked her wand idly, chuckling:

”Want to come with big sister? I can teach you breast-enlarging magic.”

”Breast-enlarging magic? Oh, sure, I was just thinking... screw you!”

Ariel’s figure blurred into an afterimage, pouncing like a leopard at the woman.

”If that magic existed, I’d already be using it. Why would I need you to teach me?”

Her hands gripped the greatsword blazing with fire, trailing a long tail of flame. Her body twisted midair, gathering every ounce of strength, then slashed down fiercely!

Boom!

The earth split apart. A blazing crimson wave crashed down like a meteor at the woman.

The firelight reflected in her eyes grew ever more dazzling—but her expression didn’t change.

Because the sword, the fire, and the blazing wave all froze in an instant.

Stopped before a pale-golden barrier.

”Careful, Ariel.”

Her Master’s anxious voice rang by her ear:

”This is a Radiance-tier Grand Mage!”

”Wha—”

Ariel’s pupils shook violently as she cried out, her body springing back to widen the distance.

Shit. Radiance-tier!

Where did that come from?!

Unlike the warrior path with its crude First, Second Ranks, magic—mocked as a “noble pastime”—had a far more meticulous ranking system.

Mercury, Gold, Arcanum, Sublime, Radiance, and finally, Truth, corresponding to the Crowned ones.

Six stages in sequence. Though magic’s ascent did not bring a life-level evolution the way warriors gained upon reaching Crowned, each step meant deeper magical knowledge and finer magical control.

And Ariel right now—though she had just advanced to Third Rank as a warrior—not counting that, her magic tier had only just brushed the edge of Arcanum.

In other words, the gap between her and this foe was over two full great stages!

With such a gap, there was no such thing as “warriors can just rush in and slaughter mages.” If the woman threw on a random buff and smacked with her staff, she could still beat a lower-tier warrior to death.

”Can I fight?”

Sweat ran down Ariel’s forehead as she asked inwardly:

”She looks injured.”

”As long as her mind isn’t injured... probably not.”

”Fine, I understand.”

Ariel drew in a deep breath, her expression firm once more.

”Oh? Looks like you’ve realized the difference between us.”

The woman tilted her head, a curious look crossing her face:

”But then what’s with those eyes of yours?”

”Naturally... they mean I’m going to kill you!”

Ariel shouted, charging once more at the woman instead of retreating.

Her greatsword swung, flames compressed by swordwind into a terrifying tornado, slamming down!

Flames spread wide, as though the end of the world had arrived.

But the woman only sneered.

”Heh. Overestimating yourself.”

From the wand that was almost as tall as her body, radiant light blossomed. The pale-golden glow before her grew denser, and without even a chant, the roaring flame tornado could not advance an inch.

”What, that’s it?”

Watching the fire still straining to engulf her, the woman sneered:

”Little brat, your attacks are as pitifully thin as your chest.”

”...”

No response.

”Hm?”

The woman frowned.

She endured that?

A strange premonition flashed through her mind. Her eyes narrowed, her wand whipping to summon a raging gale with invisible force, tearing the fire apart.

But the brat was gone.

Snapping her head around, she caught only a rabbit-like back darting away at the far edge of the forest—fleeing at full speed.