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

Inside the tailor shop.

As the magic stones lit up one after another, the tiny inner room the old woman used to store her finest fabrics welcomed its second guest within only two days.

Normally, it would not be this lively even once a month.

Not to mention that these two girls, both absurdly beautiful, had been brought here by the same young master.

As expected of that person.

The old woman sighed inwardly in admiration, then immediately put on an enthusiastic smile again as she pulled Ariel over to the display cabinets.

“Come, Miss Bugaard. These are all the finest fabrics in my collection. Take a look and see if there’s anything you like.”

“Wow... there are so many?”

Ariel did not answer immediately. She simply tilted up her little head in amazement.

As a top-tier adventurer who had traveled everywhere and experienced countless ancient magics, Ariel could be considered extremely knowledgeable. Practically no rare treasure could escape her eyes. After all, a major source of her income back in Belrand had once been hunting for hidden bargains in the black market... although she had suffered for quite a while after the black market shut down.

But when it came to little things like fabrics and cloth, her knowledge was pitifully lacking. Seeing the entire wall transformed into display cabinets, every divided glass case containing a different kind of fabric rolled neatly inside, she immediately became dazzled, unlike An, who had remained relatively calm and composed before.

“Teacher!”

Ariel hurriedly sought outside assistance.

“Don’t ask me.”

Peles’ voice sounded in Ariel’s mind, carrying a trace of helplessness as well.

“I don’t know much about this kind of thing either. You’ll have to handle it yourself.”

“...”

So Teacher had things she did not understand too.

Ariel puffed her cheeks slightly, realizing for the first time that Teacher Peles was not some all-knowing machine with answers to every question. She had gaps in her knowledge too.

And judging from the nature of those gaps...

From birth all the way until becoming a soul in her current state... Teacher Peles had probably been single the entire time.

“I suddenly feel like you’re thinking something extremely rude.”

“Absolutely not. Teacher’s imagining things!”

Since her teacher was no help, Ariel could only follow the old woman’s explanations, examining the display cabinets one by one.

Each fabric had different properties. Some were thick like cotton. Some were thin as silk. Some subtly changed color under different lighting.

There were even some that looked perfectly normal from the front, but turned nearly transparent the moment viewed from another angle.

“T-this is way too shameless!”

Listening to the old woman’s explanation, Ariel’s face instantly flushed red. With her extremely limited knowledge in this area, it was hard for her to imagine that fabrics like this even existed in the world.

“Ahem. These special magical fabrics are generally only recommended for rather intimate undergarments and things like that.”

The old woman leaned closer and lowered her voice.

“Incidentally, these are extremely popular among certain circles of noble ladies. Apparently they greatly increase one’s attraction to their husband. Many noblewomen say that after using clothing made from this fabric, their husbands go looking for mistresses far less often.”

“Increase attraction? Go looking for mistresses less often?”

Ariel’s eyes lit up.

Unconsciously, a scene appeared in her mind: herself wearing clothing made from this fabric, completely enchanting Muen until he lost his mind, while those seductive little sluts who relied only on their figures to tempt men lost all their advantages and buried their heads in tears...

“What are you two talking about?”

At that moment, Muen, who had arrived a little later, interrupted the secret conversation between Ariel and the old woman. At the same time, he looked toward the fabric inside the display cabinet.

“This fabric actually looks pretty nice... huh? Why does it feel like there’s a familiar magical aura on it? It seems like...”

“D-don’t look!”

Ariel suddenly shoved Muen away and blocked the display cabinet herself, glaring at him angrily.

“I’m choosing clothes. Why are you looking?”

“Huh? I can’t look? We’re practically an old married couple already...”

Muen looked completely baffled.

“And it’s not like we’ve reached the stage where I’m forbidden from seeing anything inappropriate yet. I can still give some suggestions regarding fabrics...”

“Who’s an old married couple with you?!”

Ariel bared her teeth like a puffed-up little beast.

“Anyway, you can’t look. Go outside first!”

“?”

Muen was confused.

It was just fabric. It was not like he was watching her change clothes. Why was her reaction so extreme?

Besides, it was not like he had never watched her change clothes before.

“Young Master Campbell should wait outside for a bit. It’s not very proper to suddenly interrupt ladies while they’re whispering secrets.”

The old woman chuckled.

“Ladies?”

Muen’s mouth twitched.

One of you is a female tyrannosaur capable of shattering space with a greatsword, and the other is so old the wrinkles on your face could probably crush lice to death. Which one of you exactly is the lady here?

There were countless things he wanted to complain about, but naturally, Muen could not actually say any of them out loud. Otherwise, the thing that tyrannosaur shattered next would not be space, but his skull.

“All right.”

Muen shrugged. “I’ll wait outside.”

“No peeking!”

Ariel’s eyes were full of vigilance.

“I’m not that tasteless!” Muen said helplessly.

Besides...

If he really wanted to look, would he even need to peek?

Muen sneered inwardly and quietly added this matter to his mental ledger.

Hmph, you little tease. Let’s see what you do later when you have no choice but to let me look!

...

...

Muen left the inner room.

Rather interestingly, despite already having entered there twice, he still could not even remember the color of the magic stones.

The first time was because he had sensed remnants of the Salvation Society.

The second time, he had simply been chased out directly.

It was only getting clothes made, yet he, the man in the relationship, was not even allowed to provide reference opinions... was that reasonable?

Very unreasonable.

But clearly, girls on dates could never be measured by whether something was reasonable or not.

If she disliked it, then naturally he could only obediently retreat.

“Still, at least this time there’s no nonsense delaying my time. I just need to wait here.”

Muen calmed himself and began surveying the surroundings again.

The tailor shop was dim and old, not particularly large. Aside from the front counter with its rocking chair, there were only two rows of finished clothing deeper inside.

“As expected of a master tailor. These clothes are pretty nice too.”

Muen walked over directly. The old woman had mentioned earlier that the finished clothing outside could be tried on freely, and if he liked them, he could simply take them as a gift from her.

Since the owner herself had said so, there was no need for him to be polite. After all, ever since selling off his father’s ninth estate, he had secretly sworn to become a diligent and frugal son.

Unfortunately, his father no longer seemed to trust him much. Apparently, after Celicia rewarded him with another three estates due to his military merits, he had directly refused them, saying that even if he accepted them, the family’s spendthrift brat would just sell them anyway, so it was better not to take them in the first place.

Sigh. Trust between people really was fragile.

Muen sighed while selecting two outfits. Unfortunately, there was nobody nearby to give reference opinions, so he could only rely on himself.

After all, aside from the old woman, there did not seem to be anyone else in the tailor shop. According to her, all her apprentices had gone to Saint Haze Palace recently to rush out ceremonial robes for the new king’s coronation, so she had actually stopped doing business during this period and remained closed to ordinary guests.

If not for the Dark Emperor’s reputation now carrying weight even in the western district, perhaps she would not have given face even [N O V E L I G H T] to Tyron himself.

“In a certain sense, doesn’t this mean my standards are even higher than the king’s? The king’s ceremonial robes are only made by apprentices, but the clothes for my woman are being made by the master herself?”

Muen laughed softly.

Of course, he knew it was only a self-amusing thought. The reason the old woman had not gone to Saint Haze Palace was because she had once been expelled after causing trouble there. For the sake of appearances, the palace naturally could not invite her back.

And she herself did not seem to want to return either. Apparently, the schedule for the new king’s coronation was extremely rushed. Those tailors and craftsmen summoned into the palace were already working themselves half to death, sleeping less than two hours a day. If not for court physicians constantly pumping them full of powerful tonics, nobody knew how many would have dropped dead already.

“Ah, enough thinking about all that. I should try some clothes on too.”

Temporarily setting aside the messy thoughts, Muen picked two tops he thought looked decent and prepared to head to the fitting room.

After all, no matter how stunning clothing looked, one still had to wear it to know whether it actually suited them.

However, before trying anything on...

Muen’s eyes suddenly sharpened. His figure flashed instantly to the tailor shop entrance, where he quietly... opened the door a crack.

Outside, the autumn sunlight remained bright. People hurried along the black market streets as usual, and from farther away came rhythmic shouts from workers repairing the roads damaged during yesterday’s battle.

The streets were normal.

The rooftops were normal.

The sewer entrances were normal.

The shadows in the alleyways were normal.

...And the inside of this tailor shop was normal too.

“Good. Everything’s normal.”

After carefully observing another full round and confirming absolutely nothing was wrong, Muen finally let out a sigh of relief while glancing at the clock on the wall.

—At this hour already. Since nobody had come to cause trouble, they probably genuinely were not planning to.

After all, judging by those girls’ personalities, if they intended to interfere, there would definitely have been movement from the very beginning. They would never patiently wait this long. The purpose of this sort of thing was to stop the date, not carefully stalk prey or anything like that.

He could probably relax completely now.

After confirming that he could finally have a normal, ordinary date with Ariel today, Muen relaxed completely. Carrying the two outfits he had selected earlier, humming quietly to himself, he headed toward the fitting room.

Although the tailor shop itself looked ordinary, the fitting room was surprisingly spacious. The moment Muen opened the door, he instinctively felt that it was large enough for more than one person to change clothes inside. It could even...

Hm?

“Who’s there?!”

A chill exploded through Muen’s heart as he suddenly roared.

The instant he stepped inside, he sensed that besides himself, there was actually another person in the fitting room!

And while he had been outside, he had not noticed the slightest trace of them!

Who was it?

Someone capable of evading his senses and searches so thoroughly was obviously no ordinary person.

Could it be another remnant of the Salvation Society? Or one of the Lord of the Stars’ lackeys?

Muen immediately entered combat mode, battle aura surging through his body.

But clearly, the other person inside the fitting room had already prepared for this long ago. With Muen’s guard finally lowered, the other side’s movements were obviously faster than his!

Before Muen could even activate time slowdown, the other person lunged at him violently and—

Sealed his angry shout with a passionate kiss.

“Mmph... An?”

That soft, smooth, delicate body coiled into his arms like a water snake, fragrant saliva tangling hotly between their lips and teeth. Muen spent tremendous effort barely managing to escape that pump-like sucking and devouring long enough to gasp for breath.

“What are you doing here?”

Muen stared at the girl before him in shock. Her expression remained refined and proper, yet her actions were utterly insane.

“No, wait, actually, you being here is pretty normal. I already expected it. But how did you avoid my perception? I was being extremely cautious!”

His vigilance earlier had not been a joke. He had thoroughly searched the surroundings. He absolutely did not believe someone could casually hide beside him that easily.

“A little special magic.”

An pointed around them.

Only then did Muen notice that ancient, mysterious runes had been carved into the walls surrounding the entire fitting room, including the mirror. Connected together, they formed an intricate magical array that completely isolated the inside and outside atmosphere of the fitting room.

No, not simply isolated.

When Muen spread out his senses, he could still clearly perceive the existence of the fitting room itself. It was just that... he specifically could not sense An inside.

“Isolation targeted only toward a specific person. Other objects and people remain unaffected, so unlike normal isolation spells, it doesn’t create a blank spot in perception that makes people suspicious. It’s a very useful concealment method.”

An tapped her temple.

“Ancient magic I happened to remember yesterday. I can’t actually use magic myself, but I can still construct arrays using magical materials.”

“...That really is convenient timing for remembering it.”

Muen’s cheek twitched. If it was some ancient thing recalled from inside An’s head, then he truly had no countermeasures.

“So you specifically waited here like a hunter waiting for prey, just for me to walk in?”

“Yes. Since you were making clothes here, Ariel would definitely be taken into the inner room. Which means the only one entering here would definitely be Young Master.”

An wrapped herself around him even tighter, greedily seeking his scent.

“Looks like I guessed correctly.”

“You really are a clever little...”

Muen suddenly paused.

“Wait. Whether you guessed correctly or not, isn’t this a little inappropriate?”

Muen struggled hard.

“An, didn’t we agree yesterday? This is my date with Ariel. Why are you causing trouble?”

“I’m not causing trouble.”

“If this isn’t causing trouble, then what is? The drawing result was already decided. This doesn’t count as being a trustworthy good girl!”

“I already said I’m not causing trouble, and I’m not breaking my promise either.”

An pressed herself against him more insistently while speaking rapidly.

“I acknowledge yesterday’s result. I won’t stop Young Master’s date with that flat-chested pest. Everything is exactly according to our agreement.”

“Then what is this?”

Muen’s eyes widened.

This did not count as causing trouble?

Then what the hell did?

Their clothes were practically off already!

And underneath... damn it. Purple lingerie and garter stockings too. Way too erotic. This had obviously been premeditated!

“How does this count as causing trouble?”

Despite her frantic posture, burning breath, and revealing lace lingerie, An’s face remained perfectly proper, and her voice stayed calm as well.

“You continue your date. I’m simply taking advantage of a little spare time to be intimate with Young Master. I’m not stopping your date, nor interfering with it. Is there a problem with that?”

“T-that’s not a problem?” Muen was dumbfounded.

“Was this point ever mentioned during yesterday’s drawing?”

“...”

Muen froze, then began recalling carefully.

Before he had been spun halfway to heaven, the agreement among the girls regarding the drawing results and the date...

Apparently there really had not been any clause about this.

But you still could not do this!

He was on a date with Ariel over there.

And here, some greedy little cat was secretly stealing affection?

Was this reasonable? Completely unreasonable!

“I don’t care whether it’s reasonable or not. Since it wasn’t forbidden in the agreement, then it doesn’t count as breaking the rules.”

An ignored everything and continued greedily demanding more from him.

“Wait! An, this is wrong. Being on a date with Ariel while doing this kind of thing with you...”

After being teased relentlessly by An, Muen naturally began reacting too. He had passed out last night without spending a wonderful evening with any of the girls, and the bullets he had emptied over the past several days had naturally long since been reloaded. The scorching fire in his lower abdomen had already begun blazing fiercely.

But Muen still refused to surrender so easily. Just as he said, he was a good man who devoted his complete attention to whichever girl he was alone with. How could he possibly engage in this kind of scumbag behavior—

“Oh? So Young Master is unwilling?”

An suddenly stopped moving.

“Then all right. Young Master can leave.”

“Hm?”

An giving up this easily instead made Muen suspicious.

“You’re really letting me go?”

“Go ahead. I won’t stop Young Master. After all, I’m your personal maid. How could I possibly force Young Master into this kind of thing?”

“Whew... exactly, An. You can’t do this. If you want to later, there’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future, but right now...”

Just as Muen let out a sigh of relief, thinking his sincerity had finally moved An, he suddenly realized something was wrong the moment he shifted.

Why did it feel so... cold?

Looking down, he finally discovered that at some point he had already been stripped nearly bare. Although An did not possess abilities like his “undressing technique,” as his personal maid, she was intimately familiar with the structure of all his clothing. With only a few movements, she had nearly undressed him completely.

And An herself was in much the same state. Her outer clothing had long since been removed, leaving only purple lace lingerie behind.

“Um... An, my clothes...”

“Clothes?”

An tilted her head. “What clothes?”

“The clothes I’m supposed to wear!”

“Apologies, Young Master. Since you’re on a date with another girl today, I’m temporarily unable to perform my duties as your personal maid. Therefore, regarding your clothing, please find a solution yourself.”

“...”

Find a solution himself?

You stole all his clothes. How was he supposed to solve it himself?

She had even stuffed his underwear into her bra. Did she think he would not dare reach in and take it back?

Damn it!

“You hid here this whole time just to steal my clothes? You think I won’t dare go outside without them?”

Muen sneered.

“Do you know where we are? This is a tailor shop. The one thing this place isn’t lacking is clothing!”

“You can absolutely leave directly, Young Master.”

An nodded.

“Go ahead. Open the door and walk out right now. However... I’ve already opened a small gap in the isolation spell. The moment you open the door, that flat-chested pest will immediately sense my presence and rush over, then see us exactly like this. As long as Young Master doesn’t mind, I certainly won’t stop you.”

“...Like this?” Muen’s eyelid twitched violently.

What state were they currently in?

He was half naked.

An was half naked.

And the two of them were embracing each other inside a fitting room.

If Ariel saw this...

Instantly, a terrifying image surfaced in Muen’s mind—raging flames, dazzling sword light, the girl leaping high like a demon from hell!

People would die.

Someone would definitely die!

Ariel had already been jealous yesterday because there were many things she had not gotten.

If she saw something like this happening during her own date...

The Skyfire greatsword was definitely harder than his skull!

“Understand now, Young Master? You have no choice.”

An pressed herself against him again, wrapping her arms around his body. Then she leaned to his ear, lightly biting his earlobe while speaking teasingly:

“You wouldn’t want Miss Ariel to see what you look like right now, would you?”

...

...

“T-this is way too shameless!”

Listening to the old woman explain the properties of that special fabric, Ariel could not help covering her flushed face.

You could actually play around like that? Th-this was just clothing!

“But it’s certainly very attractive, isn’t it?”

The old woman smiled kindly. After talking for a while, she had already roughly understood the characteristics of the girl before her regarding these sorts of matters.

A theoretical king.

A practical bronze.

And... a complete mudslide in terms of imagination.

Although she currently looked unbearably embarrassed on the surface, once the moment truly came... whether passively or actively, she would absolutely wear it!

“Ahem. A-anyway, I don’t need this sort of thing to improve my attractiveness yet. Let’s discuss proper clothing tailoring first and set those kinds of things aside for now!”

Ariel coughed awkwardly.

“As you wish, Miss Bugaard.”

The old woman nodded obediently, though inwardly she had already decided to make that special outfit too and send it over together with the normal one later.

A professional tailor still needed this level of insight.

“As for ordinary clothes, there’s no need to avoid Young Master Campbell. Why don’t we call him back? His experience and perspective would be quite helpful.”

The old woman suggested.

“That’s true.”

Ariel thought about how directly she had chased Muen out earlier. It really had been a little excessive.

Mm... maybe she should compensate him a little later. Otherwise he might think she was some unreasonable, troublesome woman.

Thinking that, Ariel proactively walked out toward the outer room, intending to call Muen back to help give opinions...

“Hm? Muen?”

But after looking around, she discovered there was no trace of him anywhere in the room.

“Muen? Where did you go?”

Ariel frowned slightly, wondering whether those awful women had stolen Muen away again. Her hand quietly moved toward her sword hilt. If she encountered those women now, she did not care who it was—she would slash first and ask questions later!

How dare they steal her man during her date? Even if it was Liya, she would not allow it!

“I’m here!”

Fortunately, Muen called out in time.

“I’m in the fitting room!”

“The fitting room? Oh, you’re changing clothes?”

“Y-yeah! I saw a couple outfits that looked pretty good, so I suddenly wanted to try them on!”

Muen’s tone sounded hurried, almost as if he feared that if he answered too slowly, Ariel would dismantle the entire tailor shop.

Hmph. Was she really that violent?

Ariel wrinkled her delicate nose and lowered her greatsword.

“Then hurry up and change. I’ll wait for you.”

“No need to wait. I might need... ahh!”

Muen suddenly sucked in a sharp breath from inside, his voice rising noticeably.

“What’s wrong?”

Ariel asked worriedly.

“Did something happen?”

“N-no, nothing.”

Muen hurriedly answered from inside.

“Nothing at all. It’s just that these clothes are... ahh, a little too—”