The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness - Chapter 294



72. Digging and Being Dug (Combined)

“Really leisurely, little brats.”

That night, on the carriage, the Pink Bear was flipping through a crumpled map, glancing at the group not far away, gathered around the campfire, excitedly chatting and laughing, devouring the food and drinks prepared by Mu’en, as if they were truly treating this as a trip. It scratched its rear dismissively:

“Hope you don’t wet your pants when you really encounter danger.”

“Will there be danger?”

—

Holding the food, Mu En appeared beside him at some point, curiously glancing at the map in his hand, only to find it looked like a child’s scribbles—completely incomprehensible. He could only turn to ask.

“Hmph, kid, are you looking down on me again?”

The Pink Bear grabbed a handful of roasted meat and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly:

“Who do you think I am? I’m the existence that even your dead proud fiancée has to bow and call ‘Uncle’ when she sees me. Do you really think the path I choose could be wrong?”

“Hmm? Uncle?”

Mu En keenly caught the key word.

But the Pink Bear twisted his neck, shifting the topic.

“With the speed of those dragon-blooded horses you provided, even if the path I chose is this remote, we’re still moving over fifty percent faster than a normal carriage.

At this rate, in two days, we’ll cross the southern border of the Empire.”

“I feel like the temperature has risen a bit.”

Mu En stroked his chin and said, “So doesn’t that mean we could reach the Holy City in about five days?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, we definitely can.”

“Why do I feel like your ‘nothing unexpected’ is bound to lead to something unexpected?”

“What kind of talk is that? Bad luck! With me around, do you think anyone would dare to ambush us halfway?”

The Pink Bear shot a glare at Mu En, then spread his hand in front of him, scratching his backside.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I have a craving. Give me a cigar.”

“Where the hell would I get a cigar?”

“Knowing I’m leading the team, you didn’t even prepare top-notch cigars to honor me, but instead brought this useless food to win over those little brats?” The Pink Bear slammed the plate, fuming.

“Do you believe I’ll go tell that Odric kid about your insolence?”

“What do you mean by ‘useless food’…”

The corner of Mu En’s mouth twitched, ignoring the disrespect of this guy daring to directly call the Emperor by name, and helplessly said:

“And besides, I had no idea it was you in advance. Professor Plang has always kept things mysterious; how was I supposed to prepare?”

“Damn, that old man!”

Recalling how he had been completely outmaneuvered by a mere Professor Plang, the Pink Bear was filled with indignation. He gestured a middle finger in a certain direction, then turned back, continuing to spread his hands and ask:

“No cigars? You must have some adult magazines, right? Hand me one; I need to unwind.”

“Huh?”

Mu En was stunned by this guy’s train of thought.

“Why would you think I have adult magazines?”

“A boy your age wouldn’t have adult magazines?”

—

The pink bear was even more shocked, and then its gaze turned strange, its round little black eyes scanning Mu En back and forth. After staring for a while, it said:

“You… can’t be serious, right?”

“You’re the one who can’t be serious!”

Mu En gritted his teeth and sneered, “I have a fiancée if I want one, and a girlfriend if I want one. What do I need some little yellow book for?”

“…Damn it, you lucky b*stard.”

The pink bear cursed in frustration, recalling that although he had vowed to see all the beautiful legs in the world, he had yet to meet anyone with high enough standards to see through the interesting soul beneath his skin. In anger, he could only grab the “useless snack” in his mouth and take a hard bite to vent his frustration.

But as he bit down, he suddenly froze for a moment.

Wait, something’s not right.

Is the girlfriend and fiancée this guy mentioned the same person?

“Ahem…”

Ignoring the pink bear’s suspicious gaze, Mu En cleared his throat and changed the subject:

“Are you not going to join in and socialize?”

He pointed towards the campfire.

“Hmph, what’s there to socialize with you little brats? You haven’t even grown all your hair yet; I bet you’d blush for half a day just from reading a little yellow book.”

The pink bear crossed its arms and scoffed disdainfully.

“Alright then.”

Mu En shrugged, thought for a moment, and decided not to tell the pink bear that he had just chatted around and found out that two seniors in their third year also had girlfriends.

“Then take your time eating. If you need anything, just call me.”

Mu En prepared to leave.

But the pink bear suddenly called out to him.

“Wait, there’s something you can help me inform those guys.”

“Mm? What is it?”

“It’s nothing big.”

……

“Independent city of Ailierze?”

In response to Mu En’s notification, Lia asked curiously:

“So, that means we’ll be staying there for a while in three days?”

“Mm, that’s right. The pink bear said so.”

Mu En replied:

“The purpose of the stay is simple: to give you time to prepare supplies and buy props, after all, your preparations at the academy might not have been very sufficient.”

“Can’t we buy anything in the Holy City?”

Fanny raised her hand and asked.

“In the Holy City, you can only purchase expensive holy light artifacts and some useless goddess statues. If you’re not careful, you might get arrested and interrogated by the Judgment Temple as a suspicious person, especially someone as handsome as me. Those folks from the Judgment Temple watch me every day, like perverts drooling over beautiful women… That’s the exact words of the Pink Bear.”

“That doesn’t seem right…”

Liya said, puzzled:

“Although there are indeed many fanatics in the Holy City, it’s not so strict that they would randomly arrest people. It’s just that compared to other cities, they are much stricter in guarding against heretics and contraband.”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s just that the bear did something, so they’re being particularly harsh on him.”

Mu’en shrugged: “However, I also think it’s a good thing to stay in Aelirze. As one of the few free city-states on the continent, Aelirze has always been a major trade route due to its geographical position and open policies.

Although its population and prosperity are not as great as Belrand, perhaps there are some good things there that can’t even be found in Belrand.”

“Good things…”

From noble mtl dot com

Ariel, who had been silent in the corner, suddenly raised her head, a flicker of inexplicable brilliance flashing in her eyes.

Mu’en’s gaze just happened to sweep over, his brows slightly raising, but he quickly looked away and continued:

“That’s how it is. Although it was proposed by the Pink Bear, I think we should still ask for everyone’s opinions…”

“What’s there to ask?”

Senior Fanny blinked and joked: “We’re all just hitching a ride on Junior Mu’en’s wagon. Even if you want to drag us to Aelirze to sell us, we’d have no way to resist, so you can just decide.”

“I’m just making a trivial sponsorship.”

Mu’en smiled as well, looking at the others:

“What about you all? If there are no objections, then it’s settled.”

Of course, there were no objections.

Even Vicky and Fanny expressed great interest in the trip to Aelirze and suggested that they could stay a few more days.

It seems that no matter which world they’re in, girls naturally have an interest in shopping?

Watching the girls chattering excitedly together, Senior Fanny even pulled the somewhat shy Liya into the conversation, and Mu’en shook his head with a smile.

He walked over to chat with the other two boys, Marshall and Aaron, and then subtly turned to the corner.

“Why are you still eating black bread? I should have prepared plenty of food.”

Mu’en plopped down in front of the campfire, poking at the firewood, the orange flames reflecting brightly in his eyes.

“Who, who’s eating black bread!”

Ariel shot him a glare.

“I’m not eating at all!”

“When you say that, there are still crumbs stuck to the corner of your mouth.”

“Wh… what?”

Ariel hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth upon hearing this, and halfway through, she noticed Mu En’s teasing gaze. It suddenly dawned on her that she had been tricked, and she angrily exclaimed:

“Mu En Campbell, are you looking for death?!”

“Wait, wait, wait, now is not the time to fight.”

Mu En quickly waved his hands, forcing a bitter smile as he said:

“I’m just concerned about you.”

“I don’t need your concern.”

Ariel hugged her knees, burying her face in her thighs, her voice muffled.

“……”

The atmosphere fell into silence.

On the other side of the campfire, the sound of silver bell-like laughter and playful scolding grew increasingly crisp, as if it were a joyful outing.

Ariel secretly lifted her eyes to look at the group playing over there, then turned her head to glance at the man beside her, who remained silent but wore a gentle smile at the corners of his mouth.

It was only now that she realized, the person beside her at this moment seemed really different from the guy she had in mind.

Of course, she didn’t need to feel this herself.

Because this man had proven to everyone with his own strength that he was no longer the useless son of a duke, aside from his title.

The one who had misjudged was only herself; perhaps even the silly Lia had noticed it a bit earlier than she had.

“Hey, Mu En Campbell.”

“Hmm?”

“Why have you suddenly become so strong?”

“Early to bed and early to rise, look at beautiful women more, and diligently practice…”

“Nonsense, I haven’t seen you work hard at all!”

“……”

Mu En glanced at Ariel and said softly:

“Effort isn’t something for others to see.”

“……Is that so.”

Ariel lowered her head again, lost in thought.

Mu En’s words always left her with a sense of loss, as if she had inadvertently overlooked something.

But she quickly dismissed the thought and pouted, saying:

“Then I’ll reluctantly admit it, your change.”

“Oh? In that case, you should also accept my apology.”

Mu En seized the moment and said, “I truly want to reconcile with you!”

“……No.”

“Why?”

“Because compared to what others say and how they seem to act, I prefer to use my own eyes and hands to confirm things myself.”

Ariel stared into Mu En’s eyes, speaking earnestly:

“So, once this trip to the Holy City is over, I will personally challenge you. At that time, let your strength show me your sincerity!”

“Ah? No, really?”

Mu En twitched his lips, “Are we really going to fight?”

“Of course!”

Ariel stood up, hands on her hips, exuding an imposing presence as she declared,

“Mu En Campbell, although I admit you have become much stronger.”

“However, I absolutely will not lose to you!”

“Strength, money, and even Celicia!”

“I hope you can let me have enough fun when the time comes!”

With that, without waiting for Mu En’s response, Ariel turned and slipped into the darkness where the firelight could not reach.

“……”

Watching Ariel’s disappearing figure, Mu En rubbed his chin, and after a moment of daze, he couldn’t help but reveal a hint of helplessness and a wry smile.

“How strange, I clearly want to avoid conflict with her, but why do I feel like I’m getting cornered more and more?”

“Is this also the correction of fate? This blonde villain can’t escape conflict with the protagonist no matter what?”

“But right now, I’m the one being cornered. Even if a fight breaks out later, I shouldn’t be killed by Ariel, right…”

“Should… be.”

……

……

“Hmm? If you have something to say, just come out. Don’t hide sneakily, or I’ll think you’re coveting my beauty.”

In front of the carriage where the campfire couldn’t reach, the pink bear’s butt wiggled as it suddenly spoke to an empty direction.

Most people had already fallen asleep, and in the quiet night, the sound of rustling leaves suddenly broke the silence.

Ariel slowly walked out from the woods, nervously glancing at the pink bear, and asked:

“I want to ask, why haven’t we encountered a single magical beast on this journey?”

“Hmm? Your quirks are even stranger than mine? You actually like magical beasts?”

“No, no, no…”

Ariel lowered her head and spoke softly:

“I… I just want the materials from the beast.”

“Lacking money? Why not go find that kid?”

The pink bear asked in confusion:

“That kid has plenty of money. If it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t have a daughter, I’d want to be his father-in-law. Why would I bother with that little brat Audric?”

“I wouldn’t want that guy’s money anyway!”

Ariel bit her lip, “Not even if I die!”

“…Alright, so you little brats in your teenage years are just a hassle.”

The pink bear twisted away like a wriggling worm and said:

“See those dragon-blood horses? Even though they only have a trace of dragon blood in them, the aura they release is enough to scare off most low-tier beasts. So it’s normal not to encounter any along the way.”

“But if you really want to meet a beast, from my experience…”

The pink bear pointed, “That direction might have some.”

Looking in the direction the pink bear pointed and reflecting on her master’s thoughts, Ariel’s eyes lit up, “Th-thank you!”

“No need, it’s just a small matter. But I must remind you, if you don’t come back by dawn, don’t blame me for leaving you here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make it back before dawn!”

Ariel couldn’t wait to set off.

But she was called back by the pink bear.

“Wait.”

“What else is there?”

“Do you have any… adult books?”

“Huh?”

“Adult books!”

The pink bear emphasized impatiently:

“Yuri works are fine too, I don’t mind!”

“…”

……

In the stillness of the night, after confirming that no one was paying attention to her, Ariel transformed into a silent shadow and dove into the increasingly dense southern jungle.

What she didn’t know was that, at that moment, a pair of eyes was quietly watching her.

As they observed her venturing into the dangerous unknown of the jungle at night, a hint of reluctance and worry flickered in those eyes, which then transformed into a certain resolve.

After Ariel disappeared, the figure in the darkness turned and approached a carriage, hesitating for a moment before gently tapping on the window.

“Who is it?”

“I, Lia.”