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

Muen’s vision blurred.

The bizarre scene vanished, reality returning once more. The priest-and-Fubeka coffin-carrying funeral duo had merely been hallucinations born from the edge of despair.

But hallucinations disappeared.

The crisis itself did not.

The atmosphere...

Had already frozen solid.

At some point, even the arguing had stopped. Apparently, even they understood that verbal disputes were meaningless now.

In the end, the one who would make the decision was still the pale-faced blond pig standing in the middle, looking as though he were about to be dragged onto a slaughterhouse platform at any second.

“Young Master.”

“Junior.”

“Muen~”

“You despicable bastard...”

The four voices spoke in unison, like four bolts of heavenly thunder crashing down simultaneously before converging together and striking Muen squarely in the forehead.

“This flower... exactly who is it for?”

“...”

Muen, who would rather actually be dragged onto a slaughterhouse at this point, remained silent.

Only two streams of tears fell quietly down his face.

At moments like this, he desperately wished for some hero to appear and interrupt this suffocatingly hopeless harem battlefield.

Yet despite Ariel’s Heavenfire Unsheathing Slash having just created a disturbance comparable to a terrorist attack by a world-saving protagonist, the city’s emergency response system had shown absolutely no reaction.

Five blocks away stood the Empire army’s temporary encampment.

Two blocks away was the headquarters of a certain gang.

At the end of this very street was even a small church.

During a lockdown period like this, if you so much as lifted a passing girl’s skirt on the street, relevant personnel would arrive within five minutes and grind your face against the pavement.

But right now, all those defenders of justice seemed to have been pressed down by some invisible hand.

Forget Muen having his clothes torn off—

Even if these four terrifyingly dangerous beauties violated him on the spot, it probably would not cause the slightest ripple.

Indignation. Fear. Trembling rage...

What was wrong with blond guys? When would blond guys finally stand up?

Muen felt overwhelming despair toward this kind of oppressive abuse of power.

But despair alone was useless.

Muen understood that he had already been completely cornered.

If he failed to produce a reasonable solution here, then the earlier image of the priest carrying coffins before his eyes would no longer remain a hallucination.

So he lowered his head and stared at the fresh, beautiful rose.

One flower.

Four beauties.

Who exactly should receive it?

There was no more difficult choice in this world.

Because from the very beginning, this choice had never possessed a correct answer.

Choosing anyone was wrong.

The only difference was which three hatchets would ultimately chop him apart.

The elegant, capable maid?

She would probably cut very cleanly.

The seductive senior sister?

Before cutting him down, she might even carve beautiful patterns into his skin first.

The alluringly adorable Saintess?

The first thing getting chopped off was probably his dick.

Or perhaps the grief-stricken Child of Destiny?

If she unleashed another Heavenfire Unsheathing Slash, he probably would not even leave ashes behind.

Four beautiful girls.

Four different methods of chopping him apart.

In a certain sense, even if he died, Muen Campbell could still be considered someone who had experienced a uniquely hardcore form of play beyond ordinary human imagination...

No!

Muen suddenly jolted in alarm.

How could he think such defeatist thoughts?

Even Evil Gods had failed to make him submit, let alone a few hatchets!

His heroic declarations still echoed in his ears, and now he was already giving up?

What kind of real man was that?

A slash whether he stretched his neck out or shrank back...

That’s right.

Screw it!

“Junior, why aren’t you answering?”

Anna, the least patient—

Or perhaps the most confident—

Pressed him again first.

After all, she had already experienced Muen giving her flowers before, so she directly walked gracefully to his side and asked gently:

“Go ahead. Tell us who the flower is really for. Just speak honestly from your heart and let these little bitches give up already. Don’t be afraid. Senior Sister will protect you.”

Anna’s tone sounded exactly like a caring older sister.

But what this older sister offered him...

Was poison that melted flesh from bone.

And only a true man—

A true man determined to climb on top—

Could summon the courage to swallow such poison.

“This flower...”

Muen lifted his head and smiled as well before giving his answer:

“Of course it’s for Senior Sister.”

The gorgeous, lovable flower symbolizing loyal love was placed directly into Anna’s hands.

Although it was merely a flower and could not compare to some precious gift, Anna’s eyes immediately curved like crescent moons, endless affection rippling within her watery gaze.

For a moment, the woman herself seemed more beautiful than the flower.

“Thank you, Junior.”

“No need. This flower belonged to Senior Sister from the beginning.”

“Junior is so sweet...”

“Senior Sister is sweeter. Beautiful flower, even more beautiful owner.”

CLANG—

While affection and sweet whispers filled the air, the sound of metal grinding suddenly tore apart the gradually pink atmosphere.

At the same time, Holy Light and flames surged together as if intending to ignite the entire street.

The flower had indeed been properly delivered into Anna’s hands.

And it undeniably suited her charming, seductive beauty perfectly.

But naturally, the other three instantly exploded.

Giving flowers to another woman right in front of them?

The only flower at that?

And then openly flirting afterward as though nobody else existed?

How were they supposed to endure that?!

“Young Master, you...”

An had already tightened her grip on her scythe.

Naturally, she would never attack her beloved Young Master.

She was merely preparing to kill the pest who had bewitched him.

As for Young Master’s contaminated hand...

She would think of a way to handle it afterward.

That was what An thought.

But just as the steel scythe rose—

Something blocked it midair.

...It was another flower.

“An, here.”

A second flower suddenly appeared in Muen’s hand.

It was equally gorgeous and vibrant, fresh as though it had just been carefully selected from a flower garden moments ago, morning dew still clinging to its petals.

The instant it was placed into An’s hands, the surging dark aura around her immediately calmed.

“Young Master, this is...”

“This is your flower. Is it beautiful?”

“...Beautiful.”

An had no choice but to admit it.

Especially because it had been given by Young Master himself.

“Then hurry and accept it. Ah, put the scythe down. If you don’t put it down, how are you supposed to hold the flower?”

Even though she could easily hold it with one hand, Muen somehow coaxed her into carefully cradling the flower with both hands instead.

Thus, the steel scythe fell to the ground.

And along with it, all killing intent softened away.

“Next is my adorable Liya.”

The third flower appeared.

Before Liya could even fully open her mouth, the flower had already been placed into her hands. She failed to say a single word and could only blink down at the flower she now held.

“The Holy City is the place with the most flowers in the world. I imagine my beloved Saintess would never care for such ordinary flowers.”

Muen knelt before Liya like a knight and gazed into her beautiful eyes.

“But I hope you’ll remember this flower’s appearance. Remember its scent. That way, even while surrounded by endless flowers in the Holy City, you’ll still be able to recognize which one is the flower I gave you.”

“Muen...”

Liya sniffled softly, deeply moved.

“You’re so sweet. I’ll definitely remember.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Muen revealed a blissful expression, as though this alone were already the happiest thing in the world for him.

Of course—

The happiest thing was not merely that.

He turned once more.

For the fourth time.

Toward the final girl.

“And finally, Ariel. This one is yours.”

The fourth flower was once again produced before the grief-stricken girl could even speak.

Muen gently took her small hand and solemnly placed the beautiful flower into her fingers.

The tenderness and handsomeness in his eyes instantly soothed the girl who had still been raging moments earlier.

“Muen... you didn’t forget?”

All her sharpness and fury vanished in that instant.

Now she seemed quiet and gentle like a forest stream.

“I never expected you to suddenly return. But how could I possibly forget your flower? I’ve always had it prepared for you. I could hand it to you at any moment.”

A faint smile curved at Muen’s lips.

The arc was perfect.

Not exaggerated enough to seem fake, yet warm enough for anyone to feel the genuine care and affection within it.

He looked into each girl’s eyes one after another.

The burning affection within those azure pupils was impossible to mistake.

Combined with the beautiful flowers personally handed to them by him—

To any observer, this looked exactly like a handsome man sincerely expressing his love to the women dearest to him.

—Provided one ignored the fact that he was simultaneously stringing along four women at once.

Thus, even emotionally restrained An felt ripples stir within her heart.

Liya’s face had already flushed red with emotion.

As for Ariel, there was no need to mention her.

Her eyes reddened as though she wanted nothing more than to throw herself directly into Muen’s arms.

“Ariel.”

Muen pressed forward for the finishing blow:

“Welcome back.”

“Mm!”

At last, Ariel could no longer suppress her emotions and suddenly threw herself into Muen’s embrace.

“I’m back!”

Sweet.

Beautiful.

Enviable.

The lovely scene caused the other three girls’ eyelids to twitch once more, but after glancing at the flowers in their own hands, they temporarily forced down their dissatisfaction.

“Muen.”

“Mm?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I should be the one saying that.”

“I misunderstood you.”

“It’s fine.”

“This flower is so beautiful.”

“Of course it is. I picked it specially for you.”

“You’re so sweet.”

Ariel buried her entire face into Muen’s chest.

Who could possibly imagine that this was the decisive and overwhelmingly powerful Child of Destiny?

At this moment, she merely looked like a happy little woman.

“Muen.”

“Mm? What is it now?”

Muen gently rubbed his cheek against her head.

Even Ariel became this clingy when emotions overwhelmed her...

“Your heart is beating really fast. Are you tired?”

“...”

Muen’s expression stiffened slightly.

Tired?

Of course he was tired.

How could he not be?

He didn’t know what one could accomplish in two hours, thirty-two minutes, and twenty-one seconds.

But two minutes, thirty-two seconds, and twenty-one milliseconds—

That was the absolute limit for sprinting through the streets, selecting three flowers equal in quality to the first one from multiple flower shops, then returning and posing naturally afterward.

That’s right.

The suddenly produced flowers were neither magic tricks nor pre-prepared props.

At that critical instant, Muen had used his final time-stop ability to rush out and personally pick them from flower shops.

One flower.

Another flower.

And another flower.

Freshly hand-picked.

One hundred percent natural and pollution-free.

Which was why they were so gorgeous.

So fresh.

So vibrantly alive.

So full of heartfelt sincerity.

No—

This wasn’t sincerity anymore.

This was blood and sweat!

Stopping time. Sprinting wildly. Carefully selecting flowers. Pretending everything was perfectly normal afterward.

For the first time in his life, Muen realized that when human beings were cornered into absolute desperation, they could unleash truly terrifying potential.

At this rate, if he survived a few more situations like this, then the next time he met that old hag, the Witch of Repentance, he could probably beat her unconscious directly!

Do you understand the power of pure love, you husband-abandoning, daughter-abandoning evil woman.jpg?!

...

Of course, situations like this were better experienced only once.

...

And naturally, these secrets were best left undiscovered.

“It’s not exhaustion. It’s nervousness.”

Muen’s expression only stiffened for a moment before immediately returning to normal.

In fact, his smile became even gentler and more handsome.

“How could my heartbeat not accelerate while embracing the person I love?”

“Really? Then is all this sweat because you’re nervous too?”

Ariel blinked.

“Of course. I’m extremely nervous!”

“Then your breathing is so uneven...”

“Nervous!”

“Then your back is so hot...”

“Nervous!”

“There also seems to be lipstick from other women on your lips. More than one, too...”

“Nerv—wait, no!”

Muen immediately covered his mouth.

He forgot to wipe off the lipstick?

That shouldn’t have happened. How could he make such a rookie mistake—

“Hehe, just kidding.”

Ariel suddenly smiled brightly.

“There’s nothing there. I was teasing you.”

“...”

Muen felt his already-frantically-beating heart nearly stop on the spot from sheer terror.

So he immediately smacked Ariel’s pert little butt and threatened fiercely:

“You’re not allowed to make jokes like that again. Understood?”

“I won’t, I won’t. But...”

Ariel puffed her cheeks slightly.

“I have one final question. Okay?”

“Of course!”

Seeing even Ariel reveal such a shy expression, Muen finally relaxed internally.

If even the most emotionally devastated person here had already been comforted successfully, then the others should naturally be manageable as well.

To think such a terrifying harem battlefield had been resolved entirely through his own efforts—

Surely there was no one else in this world capable of accomplishing what Muen Campbell—

“My final question is—”

Ariel tilted her head slightly.

Using an extremely calm, extremely gentle, extremely soft voice, she asked:

“Muen, are you this nervous because... you went on dates with other women behind my back while leaving me all alone, so now you feel guilty?”

“...”

The moment those words fell—

The atmosphere froze once more.

The girls whose attention had temporarily been stolen by the flowers immediately snapped back to reality, sharp eyes instantly turning toward one another.

“That’s right.”

An narrowed her eyes at Muen.

“Young Master still hasn’t answered my question. Where exactly did you go during all that time? You were clearly on a date with me.”

“What do you mean ‘on a date with you,’ little sister?”

Anna smiled elegantly while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Junior was obviously on a date with me today. The pitiful abandoned one here shouldn’t speak nonsense, right?”

“That’s nonsense! All of you are talking nonsense!”

Liya stomped angrily.

“Muen clearly agreed to go on a date with me!”

“...So.”

Finally, Ariel tilted her head again while still clinging tightly to Muen, her eyes hollow.

“You dated all of them, didn’t you? Then what about me?”

“...”

I’m sorry.

I got arrogant.

I, Muen Campbell, am worthless garbage, trash, scum!

So please—

Please don’t let this horrifying harem battlefield happen again!

Muen closed his eyes.

Partly because he dared not look at the girls anymore, those gleaming hatchets already blinding him.

And partly because he was forcibly holding back tears, afraid that if he opened his eyes, he would burst into sobs on the spot.

“Young Master, ignore these pests. They’re useless except for seducing you. Come with me. The clothes you prepared for me still aren’t finished yet.”

Seeing Muen remain silent for so long, the girls finally lost patience.

An moved first, grabbing one of Muen’s arms and trying to pull him away from the “evil clutches.”

“What do you mean seducing?”

Anna smilingly grabbed Muen’s other arm.

“Isn’t that a little unfair? Who could possibly be more seductive than a little maid who constantly calls everyone else pests? Junior should come with me instead. I’ll properly cleanse his soul for him~”

“Nonsense! More nonsense!”

Liya directly wrapped herself around Muen’s legs and refused to let go.

“What could cleanse the soul better than the Holy Light of my Church? Muen should come with me. Look, you’ve already traumatized him mentally. Only I can heal him!”

“No me no me no me no me...”

Ariel clung tightly around Muen’s waist like an octopus, staring upward with hollow eyes like black holes devouring souls.

“There’s no me...”

“...”

Hands.

Legs.

Torso.

Finally, at this moment when resistance had become impossible—

Muen’s entire body had fallen completely into the hands of beautiful girls.

And clearly, they no longer merely intended to play with him.

Each confronted the others directly, refusing to release him first.

Thus, what had begun as a verbal conflict finally evolved into a physical struggle.

And the stake being fought over...

Was obviously Muen himself.

“Let go, pest!”

Steel roared as the maid’s pupils gradually turned crimson.

“Oh my, what bold words from my lovely little sister.”

Shadows surged while countless whispers echoed through the street.

“Waaah, I’ll fight all of you!”

Holy Light rose high into the heavens, radiating flawless sanctity.

“No me no me no me no me...”

Flames swept wildly as the Heavenfire Greatsword tore through space.

Terrifying powers collided beneath the already ruined street.

Cracks spread through the ground.

Countless clouds of dust spiraled upward into the sky.

They confronted each other.

Clashed.

Struggled.

Every one of them wanted ownership of the prize.

As for whether the prize would still remain intact afterward—

That was clearly not within their current range of consideration.

Hm?

Muen could not help feeling confused.

He had clearly already closed his eyes.

So why could he hear suona horns again?

Why could he once more see the priest and Fubeka carrying coffins while happily hopping toward him?

Had his death finally arrived?

“This is so fucking bullshit!”

Muen threw his head back as tears finally spilled down uncontrollably, while he lacked even the freedom to wipe his face.

Pain.

Too painful.

Both mentally and physically, with his body seemingly on the verge of being torn apart.

Seriously—

What virtue or ability did he, Muen Campbell, possess to deserve such “blessings”?

He didn’t deserve this!

He was just a damned blond bastard!

So hurry—

Please, hurry and let an Evil God kill him already!

That would still be better than this situation.

At least he’d leave behind an intact corpse, and he—

Hm?

Wait.

A flash of inspiration suddenly sparked inside Muen’s mind.

At this moment, he seemed to grasp something...

...

...

“So in the end, it looks like we’ll have to settle this with force.”

“Gladly.”

“Hmph. I’m not scared at all!”

“No me no me no me...”

Threats and intimidation had failed.

The atmosphere gradually escalated until finally, things reached the final stage.

The girls’ hair fluttered wildly around them like demons incarnate.

Power gathered behind each of them.

And just as those forces were about to violently collide—

“That’s enough!”

A thunderous roar suddenly exploded between them, forcibly interrupting the boundary between the girls and halting their movements midair.

Muen opened his eyes.

Lightning flashed within his gaze.

His roar thundered like a tiger, overwhelming the mountains and rivers themselves, instantly suppressing the beautiful girls—

“Mm?”

“Cough... what I mean is... everyone, please calm down first. Calm down first.”

Unfortunately, the intimidation lasted only a moment.

Several cold snorts later, Muen immediately shrank his neck back timidly and revealed a placating awkward smile.

“How about listening to me for a moment? Just two sentences, okay?”

“Listen to you?”

Anna let out a soft laugh.

“Junior, those words sound rather unpleasant. We’re acting like this entirely because of you, yet somehow you make it sound as though we’re the villains here?”

“No, no, no! How could Senior Sister and the others possibly be villains? The real villain is someone else entirely!”

“Oh? And that villain isn’t Junior himself?”

“Of course not!”

Muen wore a perfectly innocent expression.

“Doesn’t Senior Sister understand me? I’m an extremely good person!”

“...It seems no ivory truly can emerge from Junior’s dog mouth.”

The girls exchanged glances.

Their killing intent continued building—

“Wait! What I mean is... all of you have been tricked!”

Muen shouted suddenly.

“You’ve fallen into the enemy’s scheme!”

“Mm? A scheme? What do you mean?”

Those confusing words finally drew the girls’ attention, causing them to temporarily stop gathering murderous intent and look toward Muen.

“That’s right—a scheme! This entire incident is one massive conspiracy!”

Muen’s expression turned incomparably grave.

“A conspiracy capable of overturning the world itself!”

“A conspiracy?”

Anna smiled faintly.

“Isn’t this simply the result of a certain someone being too much of a playboy?”

“Ahem. I admit a certain someone bears a tiny bit of responsibility in this matter, but the true mastermind behind everything definitely isn’t that certain someone. Don’t all of you find this strange?”

Muen turned first toward An.

“An, you remember, right? I told you I was only stepping out briefly to handle a small matter and would return quickly.”

“...Young Master did indeed say that.”

An nodded. She remembered that sentence very clearly.

“Good.”

Muen then turned toward Anna.

“Senior Sister, you also know that our original enemies were merely members of the Salvation Society. But for some reason, that white creature suddenly appeared and dragged us into the Sea of the Abyss.”

“That’s true.”

Anna nodded as well.

“It happened rather suddenly.”

“And then there’s Liya!”

Muen turned toward Liya.

“Despite all the preparations that white creature made, it somehow forgot to conceal its aura, allowing Liya to successfully track us down. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“Oh!”

Liya blinked.

“That really is strange!”

“And finally!”

Muen lowered his head and gently kissed Ariel’s forehead, pulling her attention back from her muttering of “no me.”

“Ariel, how did you find us?”

“Because I encountered that white creature...”

“And how did you encounter it?”

“I-I just happened to run into it suddenly. It was very coincidental.”

“And you really believe that was just coincidence?”

“Eh? Then...”

“Where in this world are there so many coincidences? An, Anna, Liya, and you... all these ‘accidents’ connected together one after another. On the surface, they appear coincidental, but in truth, they’re orderly and tightly linked together. And what was the final result?”

Muen swept his gaze across all of them.

“It drove all of you into mutual conflict and infighting!”

His solemn, serious eyes gave overwhelming persuasiveness to every word he spoke.

“One of you is a reincarnated soul possessing ancient knowledge. One carries the authority of the Silent Moon. One is the Church’s Saintess. One is a Child of Destiny with limitless future potential. Every single one of your life paths is likely destined to influence the future of the entire world.

And yet now?

The mastermind behind the scenes manipulated all of you into killing one another through a series of carefully arranged schemes!”

Muen raised his voice sharply.

“Who could weave together a plan of this scale? Who would require such an outcome? And what kind of existence could possibly accomplish all these unbelievable ‘coincidences’?”

“Young Master | Junior | Muen | You bastard... you mean—”

“That’s right!”

Muen clenched his fist, fury filling his eyes as he glared toward the heavens.

“In this world today, only one type of existence could accomplish all this!”

“Evil Gods! This entire thing is the conspiracy of that Lord of the Stars!”