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

“Your figure truly is wonderful!”

Inside the room of the city’s finest tailor, the old woman carefully examined the girl before her, now dressed only in undergarments. Even someone who had seen countless bodies in her lifetime could not help but sigh in sincere admiration.

Her skin was pale and smooth like fine jade.

Her curves were seductive as a succubus.

Even the slightest movement carried a natural allure.

And yet that flawless face remained dignified and cold. A casual glance alone was enough to make even the old woman, another female, feel a shiver from the depths of her soul.

“Beautiful. Truly beautiful.”

Now that the fabric material and color had been decided, the next step was naturally taking measurements.

And in order for the finished dress to fit perfectly, every measurement had to be taken precisely after undressing.

To achieve true perfection, even the shape and size of those two abundant fruits had to be confirmed.

Thus, the old woman had been fortunate enough to witness this unbelievably beautiful body.

“These shoulders, this bust, this waist and hips, and these legs—these proportions are simply perfect. Perfect as though the Goddess herself personally sculpted you. And your physique too... tsk tsk. There isn’t even the slightest excess fat on your stomach alone. Just that would make countless women jealous. I’ve seen far too many noblewomen starve themselves and tighten corsets for the sake of their figures, yet none of them compare to how naturally beautiful yours is.”

“It’s only the result of a little training. And my figure isn’t overwhelmingly better than those few women’s. They each have their own strengths.”

An was not blinded by the old woman’s praise.

Instead, a trace of unwillingness appeared on her face.

The old woman might never have met women equal to An in beauty and physique—

But An certainly had.

Several of them.

And that was exactly the most irritating part.

“Oh? There are actually women not inferior to you...”

The old woman became interested and was just about to ask—

Only to be instantly forced back by that icy stare.

“Apologies. I got too excited and overstepped.”

Understanding that certain topics could be discussed while others absolutely could not, the old woman quickly lowered her head and tried to help An dress again.

Unfortunately, An did not need help.

As the perfect maid, the elegance of both dressing and undressing had long since been carved into her bones. Even the motion of pulling black stockings up her legs carried an effortless grace.

“Next would be some decorative details... A belt. A black belt would be best. Your waist is very slim, so black would emphasize it beautifully.”

The old woman quickly scribbled onto draft paper, sketching designs for An’s new outfit while combining them with the measurements she had just taken.

“Oh, right. About the neckline... would you prefer it lower or higher? Wine-red clothing becomes especially charming with a lower neckline. Of course, it wouldn’t be too revealing—just enough to slightly expose a bit of upper skin.”

“Obviously higher. As Young Master’s maid, how could I possibly resemble those gaudy little—”

An suddenly paused.

As though some image had flashed through her mind, she rested her chin on her hand and pondered seriously.

“No. Lower. And very low. But there should be hidden clasps there that are completely unnoticeable, so outsiders will think it looks extremely conservative without exposing any additional skin. However, as long as someone knows how to undo the clasps...”

“They’ll be able to look down from above and admire the scenery of the valley? I understand. Oh, I understand completely. Very few men can resist a trick like that.”

The old woman’s expression turned meaningful.

After being a tailor for so many years, what kinds of clothing had she not made before?

Still, hidden clasps around the chest area were indeed fairly novel. It made her creative passion burn even brighter.

So although the girl before her looked dignified and aloof, she was willing to reveal her beauty completely before the person she loved.

Designing clothes for such a person was difficult—

But once perfectly matched to her temperament and image, the result would become unimaginably stunning.

That blond young master from earlier definitely would not be able to resist.

“What about the dress style itself?”

The old woman continued:

“This part is equally important. If fabric is the soul of clothing, then the design is its body. Which kind do you prefer?”

“I don’t really understand that area. We should wait for Young Master.”

An shook her head.

She understood Young Master’s clothes quite well—from styles to measurements.

But her own...

Most of the time she only wore maid uniforms anyway. As long as they fit properly, that was enough.

“Oh? That young master understands women’s fashion styles very well?”

The old woman clapped her hands and smiled flatteringly.

“Then he must be a man who truly understands how to please women. You’re very fortunate.”

“...He doesn’t understand!”

An’s face suddenly darkened.

“Young Master understands absolutely nothing. You’re the professional here. Design whatever you think suits me best. Actually... there’s no need to wait for Young Master after all.”

???

Why did she suddenly change expression?

Not understanding was one thing, but was getting this angry really necessary? I was clearly praising him!

“A-all right.”

Although she had no idea what caused the irritation, the old woman was already overjoyed by such an easy client.

After all, many customers in the past clearly lacked even the slightest artistic sense, yet constantly insisted on interfering, ruining her perfectly good designs and then blaming her for being incompetent afterward.

Just thinking about it made her angry.

Perhaps after all these years of frustration, fortune had finally begun smiling upon her.

Thinking this, the old woman no longer wasted any time. She immediately began sketching rapidly, drawing the most beautiful and suitable image for the girl that existed within her mind.

Scratch scratch scratch.

Aside from the sound of the quill moving across paper, the room gradually fell silent.

A potentially breathtaking masterpiece was in the process of being born.

But regardless, its creation would still require time and effort.

And only then did An finally have time to turn toward the direction they had entered from, her brows slowly furrowing.

“Now that I think about it... why is Young Master taking so long?”

...

...

“Cough... cough cough!”

Muen spat out a mouthful of dust and staggered up from the ground.

His head spun violently while the world around him continued rotating.

That crude and abrupt transportation earlier had felt as though someone had stuffed him into a washing machine, activated maximum spin mode, then shoved the entire machine into a deep-sea whirlpool...

Round and round and round and round.

No good.

Just describing it was making him dizzy again.

Fortunately, while ordinary people might genuinely die after spinning inside a washing machine for several rounds, his current absurdly powerful body—which could casually fight many enemies at once—only felt slightly lightheaded.

Muen recovered quickly and began carefully observing his surroundings.

The first thing that entered his vision was a vast expanse of ruins.

Broken stone pillars.

Collapsed walls.

Yellow sand spilling across ancient doorframes.

Although everything had already become utterly ruined, Muen could still imagine from the remaining foundations that huge numbers of buildings had once stood here in carefully organized patterns. Their heights, widths, and spacing had all been orderly, like blocks deliberately arranged together.

Muen brushed his hand across a collapsed stone pillar nearby, revealing patterns carved into its surface.

The style belonged neither to the Kingdom nor the Empire.

In fact, with Muen’s current knowledge of the continent, it belonged to no known country or region at all.

Another city that did not belong to this era.

It reminded him of Gutonsburg, the great demonic city within the Abyss.

Yet the architectural styles were clearly different.

Moreover, this tightly packed and meticulously organized structure style...

...it resembled much more closely the underground district beneath Gutonsburg where he and Ariel had found the Godslaying Spear.

Muen looked farther into the distance.

Sure enough, within the endless yellow sand obscuring the sky, he could vaguely make out several towering spires.

“So this area is another ancient ruin left behind from some forgotten age? But why did that ghost thing send me to a place like this?”

The endless questions caused Muen to fall into thought.

Unfortunately, many answers could not simply be reasoned out through thinking alone.

And an abandoned city by itself provided too little information.

Fortunately, Muen was not alone.

“Do you know about the Sea of the Abyss?”

Turning toward that beautiful voice, Muen immediately found himself facing a bright moon immersed in warm autumn waters.

“Senior?”

Throwing every thought out of his head instantly, Muen hurried forward and grabbed Anna’s hand. The warmth transmitted through their touch made him subconsciously release a sigh of relief.

“You’re okay? Good. As long as you’re okay.”

“The one who should be worried is you.”

Anna feigned annoyance and lightly poked his forehead.

“You attacked before even figuring out what the enemy was. Since when did you become so reckless? What if that thing had been some kind of human bomb? Would you still have cut it down immediately?”

“That wasn’t recklessness. It’s habit...”

Muen scratched his cheek awkwardly.

His behavior earlier really had not looked very good.

“I’ve encountered far too many weird things like that. Those ghostly bastards always cause some ridiculous disaster the moment they get the slightest opportunity. So whenever I see them appear, my first instinct is to strike first.”

After all, the best way to defeat magical girls was to attack during their thirty-second transformation sequence.

Though those Evil God cult monsters did not usually require that much preparation time, the best solution was still the same—

Never allow them to use their abilities at all.

“But not every enemy should be handled that way, especially those specifically targeting you! You have to understand their abilities first. What if it was a trap?”

Anna lectured him earnestly.

“How was I supposed to know?!”

Muen could not help sighing again.

Heaven pity him.

He had merely gone out on a date with An.

Who could have predicted this many monsters appearing?

First Donna and the Salvation Society remnants.

Then a creature sent by the Lord of the Stars.

And more importantly, they had been thrown into some bizarre place like this.

And now that he thought about it—

His date with An...

Shit.

The situation suddenly seemed very bad.

“Junior, why do you look so hot?”

“Hm? Do I?”

“There’s sweat all over your forehead.”

“Oh, I just think this place is a little hot. Don’t you think it’s hot here too, Senior?”

“There isn’t even a sun here. How could it possibly be hot? Normal people would only feel cold.”

“Really? Then maybe I’m just nervous. After all, our current situation doesn’t exactly look ideal...”

Muen casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It was not hot sweat.

It was cold sweat.

The cold sweat of desperately wanting to go home!

“Oh my, since when did my dear Junior become so timid?”

Anna teased him lightly.

“What exactly are you afraid of?”

“Afraid? Of course I’m afraid. After all, Senior is here too. If my beloved Senior got hurt in any way, I’d be heartbroken.”

Muen immediately locked eyes with her, reclaiming her wandering gaze. His voice became low and magnetic.

“If I were alone, naturally I would fear nothing.”

“Smooth talker.”

Anna cursed him with a smile.

The tear mole beneath her eye became even more alluring at that moment.

Then she slapped his hand away lightly, took out a handkerchief, and began wiping the sweat from his forehead herself.

A familiar fragrance drifted toward him again, making Muen feel an overwhelming urge to pull the girl tightly into his arms and taste her lips deeply.

And Anna seemed to share the same thought at that moment.

While wiping his sweat, she slowly rose onto her toes.

“Not continuing?”

“Continuing what?”

“The thing we were interrupted during earlier.”

“...”

Muen quietly glanced around.

This ruined city was silent and dim. Those irritating extra lightbulbs had apparently been teleported somewhere else, and although this place was unfamiliar, there did not seem to be any immediate danger for now.

Most importantly—

If he refused without reason, Senior would definitely become suspicious.

“My pleasure.”

Muen stopped hesitating and lowered his head directly toward her lips.

The girl’s soft lips were springy and tender like jelly, while the little tongue entwining with his carried a completely different flavor from An’s.

If An’s style was “forceful” submission—guiding you ever deeper, allowing you to possess her while tightly entangling you, displaying her beauty wildly and passionately—

Then Senior was an enchanting little temptress.

She danced gracefully before you, sometimes rubbing intimately against you in passionate entanglement, then suddenly blowing a kiss from afar before disappearing into dense flowers, only to emerge unexpectedly while you searched for her in panic and strike mercilessly at your weak points.

It was difficult to compare which felt more wonderful.

But both brought pleasure from the deepest parts of one’s soul...

Wait.

No.

Muen suddenly stiffened.

Kissing Senior while thinking about another woman—

Wouldn’t that make him seem like a scumbag?

No!

He absolutely was not a scumbag!

He was loyal...

He was loyal...

He was loyal...

Repeating it three times inwardly, Muen focused himself and devoted even more attention to kissing Anna.

Soon, the kiss ended.

Anna gently rested her head against his chest, breathing softly after the heated kiss. Rarely, she displayed the dependence of a little woman.

“If only I could stay with Junior like this forever.”

“I want that too.”

Muen wrapped an arm around her waist, then like every good man in the world, kissed her forehead tenderly.

“But more importantly right now, shouldn’t we find a way out? One Swordbearer and one duke’s son trapped in a place like this—who knows what chaos might happen outside.”

“You’re right.”

Anna nodded gently, her eyes filled completely with trust and affection toward the man before her.

“Then... returning to earlier, what exactly is this Sea of the Abyss you mentioned?”

“Junior doesn’t know?”

“Senior thinks too highly of me. Although I’ve been desperately studying all kinds of knowledge lately, there’s no way I could become some great scholar in such a short amount of time.”

Muen smiled bitterly.

Honestly, merely recognizing that this ruined city did not belong to the current era was already the limit of all the knowledge he possessed.

As for anything more detailed...

Naturally he could not compare with Senior, who possessed the Silent Bureau’s resources and specialized in Evil God matters.

At times like this, he could only rely on her.

“Indeed. Not knowing isn’t embarrassing. After all, most detailed information regarding the Sea of the Abyss has already been lost within the cracks of history.”

Anna stepped out of Muen’s embrace and brushed aside her hair.

“Even I only know fragmented pieces of uncertain information.”

“Uncertain?”

“Mhm.”

Anna also examined their surroundings while slowly speaking.

“According to legend, after the great catastrophe a thousand years ago, there was one nation that miraculously survived.”

“A nation?”

Muen was stunned.

That disaster from a thousand years ago had nearly severed all continuity of human civilization.

Yet an entire country survived?

“How did they manage that?”

“Very simple. They accepted the protection of the Stars.”

“...”

Well.

With that information, Muen could already roughly guess why a nation capable of surviving the age of great chaos had ultimately become ruins erased by history.

“Of course, the people of that nation were not as foolish as Junior imagines. They also understood the terror of the Stars and knew that they were effectively delivering themselves into the mouth of an Evil God.

“So before the sacrifice, they created a forbidden place known as the Sea of the Abyss. They abandoned their physical bodies, using them as bait for the Evil God while sealing the souls of the entire nation within this place, hoping to avoid paying the full price demanded by the Evil God.”

“Using their bodies as bait while preserving their souls? Not a bad idea.”

Muen blinked.

“So what happened?”

“What happened?”

Anna smiled faintly.

“Hasn’t Junior already seen the result?”

“Huh? Seen it where?”

“Right here.”

Anna pointed delicately toward the ground beneath Muen’s feet.

“This place... is probably the former Sea of the Abyss.”

“???”

Muen looked around.

Ruins.

Desolation.

Then downward.

The endless yellow sand drifted with the wind. Muen had only been here several minutes, yet the sand already nearly covered his feet.

“Senior, stop teasing me. This is obviously a ruin and a desert. Where’s the sea?”

“How could I tease my beloved Junior?”

Anna rolled her beautiful eyes charmingly.

“This place indeed doesn’t look like a ‘sea.’ But think carefully—if a sea dried up, wouldn’t it become a desert?”

“A sea... drying up?”

Muen froze.

A strange chill suddenly climbed upward from the soles of his feet, racing across his spine and neck before dancing cha-cha on his scalp.

Subconsciously, he crouched down and grabbed a handful of sand, allowing it to slip through his fingers.

“The sea... became a desert. Senior means...”

“Quite obviously, they failed. Every soul here was eaten cleanly by the Stars.”

Anna nodded calmly while speaking words far more horrifying than her tone suggested.

“So that means...”

Muen’s cheek twitched.

“This place is basically... the plate left behind after the Lord of the Stars finished eating?”