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

”As a kind, ordinary passerby, it’s perfectly normal for a meteor hammer to accidentally fall out from under my skirt.”

The girl swung the vicious weapon in her hand, yet she wore a smile, and her tone was filled with a sense of gentle, compassionate pity.

”Y-yes, yeah, something like that... is very normal, too.”

The butler seemed to be moved by that harmless atmosphere, like warm sunlight shining everywhere, and he unconsciously nodded again and again.

That’s right, that’s right, it’s just a meteor hammer falling out from under a skirt hem, that kind of thing is obviously very normal... my ass!

How stupid do you think I am, that I’d believe this kind of bullshit?

The butler’s expression abruptly turned ferocious. In the instant he nodded along to humor her and make her relax her guard, a dagger gleaming with cold light had already lunged at the girl in front of him like a predatory venomous snake.

No matter who the other side really was, striking first was best! He wasn’t going to be fooled by the other side’s appearance!

However...

That alchemy dagger the butler had obtained at a high price through the Dion family’s power stopped dead when it was only a thread’s breadth away from that fair, fragile-looking skin.

Only because of two slender fingers.

Yet it was precisely those two fingers, as delicate as scallions and looking completely nonthreatening, that lightly pinched the dagger. No matter how he drove his battle qi, no matter how the faint blue glow on the dagger flickered, the butler’s attack could not advance even an inch.

Just like a venomous snake, easily having its weak point seized.

”You...”

Horror surfaced on the butler’s face. Looking at the girl swinging the meteor hammer, he finally understood that the princess—or rather, the person behind what happened tonight—had not sent the Dion family only a few carriage-loads of bombs.

Or rather, the purpose of the bombs was only to...

”Thud.”

A dull sound cut off the butler’s thoughts.

Then came the agonizing pain as if all the internal organs inside his body had been smashed to pieces, as well as the weightless sensation of being flung away like a sandbag.

But very soon, he couldn’t feel even those anymore.

Because when he hit the ground again, all the vitality in his body was already leaking away at high speed, like a deflated ball.

His consciousness rapidly sank into darkness.

”S-spare... spare me...”

The butler struggled and squirmed a few times on the ground, stretching a hand toward that blurred shadow:

”I... I’m just a... butler... anything the Dion family did... has nothing... nothing... to do with me...”

”Ah, is that so?”

The girl clasped her hands together in pity. ”Then that’s really a shame. In that case, the goddess... no, the one we serve will definitely forgive your sins, right?”

”Therese.”

Another steady, helpless voice sounded by the butler’s ear, which had already gradually turned cold:

”How many times have I told you— as a cul... as a kind, ordinary passerby, it’s better not to casually use a vicious weapon like a meteor hammer.”

”Ah, I’m very sorry.”

The girl named Therese lowered her head to apologize. ”Looks like I was too lax, and actually forgot that point.”

”Y-you... you...”

Seeing that monster girl actually soften, the butler seemed to grab onto a lifesaving straw. He stretched his hand with all his might toward the figure who had approached at some point:

”Save me... save me...”

”How pitiful.”

The man in simple gray clothes lowered his head. In his compassionate eyes was reflected the butler’s miserable state.

”It seems that now, only the holy scripture I treasure can give you salvation.”

”Yes... salvation... I want salvation...”

”Then, may... that one bless you.”

The man took out an extremely thick tome from his chest. Under the butler’s expectant gaze, he did not open the tome, but instead... raised it high.

Thump.

Blood mixed with red-and-white matter splattered everywhere.

This time, it was an even duller sound, and the butler could no longer make any sound at all, yearning for salvation.

Presumably, his wish had been granted.

The goddess would give him salvation.

”How sly, Father Cooper.”

Therese wiped the blood that had splashed onto her cheek, dissatisfied as she said,

”You won’t let me use the meteor hammer, but you still, just like before, smash people with the scripture yourself. What if your identity gets exposed?”

”I’m letting him feel the truth of the scripture. The path of salvation is within it.”

Father Cooper stroked that thick black tome with great care and said calmly,

”As for identity, don’t worry. This time my scripture is disguised. The cover is wrapped in sheepskin, ordinary people can’t tell.”

As he spoke, Cooper rubbed his chin and pondered. ”Mm, speaking of it, this method seems pretty good. There’s no need to worry at all about the scripture being contaminated by sinners’ filthy blood like before.”

”It really is a good method.”

Therese rubbed her cheek in distress. ”Unfortunately, my little darling isn’t as convenient as the scripture, therefore...”

Therese turned around and looked at those people of the Dion family who, because of the earlier explosion and fire, had already gathered here. She swung the meteor hammer again, and a trace of abnormal, excited flush suddenly appeared on her cheeks.

”Therefore... I can only let these guilty people go beg the goddess for her personal forgiveness.”

”Please restrain yourself a bit, Sister Therese.”

Cooper sighed helplessly as he loosened his joints.

”Our task is only to temporarily hold them back, that’s all.”

”Of course, of course.”

Therese smiled, then pounced on her target like a beast.

”Goddess above, I will... be very gentle.”

......

......

When a riot was happening in the spacious, magnificent Dion family manor, in the deep night, there were also people continuing the unfinished conversation from earlier.

”Your Grace the Archbishop, these two... fierce warriors of yours, where exactly did you invite them from?”

Gazing at the increasingly hard-to-watch scene in the manor, Muen’s mouth twitched as he said,

”I hope they won’t go too far. Our purpose this time isn’t to wipe out the Dion family.”

”Sister Therese was a member of the former Saintess’s hymn choir. She was personally trained by the former Saintess. After the former Saintess stepped down, she also withdrew from the choir and came to my place to do some odd jobs, nothing more than that.”

Canterbury stroked his beard and smiled.

”As for Father Cooper... as you can see, he’s just an ordinary ★ ★ priest, nothing special. But don’t worry—Father Cooper is very measured in what he does. He’ll keep an eye on Sister Therese and make her... kill a little less.”

”...As expected of you. You’ve hidden this hand even deeper than I imagined.”

Muen said meaningfully.

”Hehe, after all, this is Berland. If you don’t have a few trump cards, who would have the face to muddle around in a place where the waters are so deep you can’t see the bottom? I’m an old man—if I don’t have something to rely on, I won’t sleep well.”

Canterbury squinted at Muen.

”And besides, isn’t it more reassuring for you when your partner is reliable?”

”Your Grace the Archbishop, those words are too distant. What partner are we?”

Muen said sincerely. ”We’re family! Since we’re family, about the payment—”

”Not a single penny less. If you short me even one penny, I’ll strip you naked and send you back to the Saintess. I imagine the Saintess would be very happy about that.”

Canterbury sneered.

”......”

This old bastard—how can a dignified archbishop be this stingy?

Muen cursed a few times in his heart. After coughing a few times, he turned to the main point.

”Since that’s the case, I also need to start getting busy. Oh, right—just in case, I’ll ask one more time...”

As if suddenly remembering something, Muen asked, ”That other matter I troubled you with before—is it really reliable enough? This is the most important link in my plan. If something goes wrong—”

”Boy, how much do you look down on my Church of Life?”

The corners of Canterbury’s mouth lifted, disdainful as he said,

”Relax. That ‘thing’ is absolutely foolproof.”

......

......

Dion Manor, reception hall.

Orange-yellow candlelight swayed out a romantic atmosphere. Soft music highlighted an elegant temperament. A gentleman and a lady sat facing each other at the dining table, waists and backs straight, movements meticulous as they cut the beef on their silver plates.

It was as if a pair of well-matched aristocratic lovers were harmoniously sharing a meal... if not for that needle-to-needle atmosphere, it would have been so.

”The beef is too old. It tastes awful.”

”Wasn’t it you who wanted it well-done?”

”The wine is bitter and astringent. It tastes awful.”

”The wine was also picked by you.”

”The tableware...”

”The tableware was also chosen by you! What else do you want?!”

Sharp could no longer endure it. He slammed the table in fury.

Yet Viel immediately put on an innocent expression, blinking pitifully, acting coy and affected. ”Eh? Was it? I forgot~”

”......”

Sharp’s vision went black for a moment, but he still took a deep breath, then slowly sat back down again.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Sharp, you must calm down.

This bastard is being so deliberately disgusting. Maybe it’s to make him get angry and leave, so she can get a chance to do something behind his back. He absolutely can’t fall for her trick.

The more it was this kind of time, the more he had to maintain his composure.

Since she was so annoying, then he just wouldn’t look at her. He’d look out the window. Tonight’s night scenery—how exquisite, how tranquil.

Sharp temporarily moved his gaze away from that annoying bun face and looked out at the beautiful view outside the window.

Since it was a place used to entertain guests, the scenery seen from here was also excellent. He could directly see the forest garden outside, designed by famous masters. Even under the night, that white-jade-carved hot spring still revealed an extremely restrained sense of beauty.

Look—such tranquil night scenery, tranquil to the point that even the splashes seemed motionless... hm?

The splashes are motionless?

Sharp widened his eyes and abruptly stood up, his expression dark.

”What are you doing, what are you doing?”

Viel shouted loudly, reaching out and getting handsy, trying to pull Sharp down. ”Will you let people eat properly or not?!”

Sharp dodged Viel’s grabby hand and pointed, vast magic power gathering.

”Chaotic Magic.”

In an instant, the tranquil scenery outside the window was like a lake into which a stone had been thrown, beginning to stir wave after wave of ripples.

And only at this time did the clear, noisy shouting from the other side of the manor, as well as the firelight that had almost dyed half the sky red, pierce through an invisible boundary and get noticed by Sharp.

”This is...”

Damn it, I got played!

Sharp reacted instantly. This bastard’s goal from the start wasn’t to draw him away... it was to hold him down!

The humiliation and rage of being toyed with burned like flames inside his heart. Sharp looked at Viel with a ferocious face, his voice like an evil ghost from hell.

”You actually dare do something like this. Do you know what you’re doing?!”

”Of course I know what I’m doing.”

Her little trick being exposed, Viel wasn’t the least bit flustered. She still sat there calmly.

Even if the man in front of her was an outstanding magician who had graduated from St. Maria Academy many years ago, and his strength surpassed hers by a whole level.

”Then do you know what the consequences of doing something like this are?!”

”If you’re not convinced, then shark me.”

Viel jutted her neck out and said proudly.

”What?”

”I said, just shark me.”

”You think I don’t dare?!”

Sharp smashed the dining table with a palm and roared, ”Openly attacking a marquis’s manor— even if I kill you on the spot, nobody can accuse me of anything!”

”Of course nobody can accuse you, but...”

”But what?”

”But you don’t know, do you?”

The corner of Viel’s mouth crooked as she said,

”My grandfather is the former commander of the Royal Mage Corps, a genuine old-school Truth-rank grand mage!”

”If you shark me, my grandfather will shark your whole family!”