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

Chapter 32: High Stakes

“By the way, are you hurt at all?”

After Dean Pink Bear, looking utterly dejected, went to attend that inquiry meeting, Gran dismissed the other teachers and turned to Professor Plang to ask.

“The wounds caused by the Holy Sword shouldn’t be easy to heal, right?”

“About a third of the holy light still lingers in my body, not yet dispelled, and my chest still aches.”

Professor Prang lowered his head, gently stroking his right chest:

“However, a complete recovery is merely a matter of time. Though I am old, I am not at the point of collapsing just yet.”

“Wow, you’re sturdier than I imagined.”

Professor Gran raised an eyebrow:

“After all, you wield one of the five holy swords taught by life itself. I thought you would be bedridden for ten days or half a month, yet here you are, lively after just a few days.”

“It’s not that my body is sturdier than expected, but rather that the holy sword is weaker than anticipated.”

Professor Prang spoke softly: “That sword has always been in a sealed state.”

“What?” Professor Gran frowned slightly.

“Before being completely controlled by the God of Love, Belena sealed the holy sword.”

A complex expression crossed Professor Prang’s aged face:

“The trigger-type magical seal, once someone forcibly breaks it, will directly destroy the holy sword from within.

So even the God of Love is helpless, forced to use a sword with most of its power sealed away.”

“Taking advantage of the God of Love’s ignorance of magic, huh?”

Professor Gran sighed:

“You have a fine student, Prang.”

“Who could argue with that?”

Professor Prang turned his head, as if he could see again that girl who had smiled and waved after a brief greeting before disappearing.

“She has always been a source of pride for me.”

…

“Speaking of which, it seems Mentor Meladomir has been missing since then.”

Professor Gran placed the tea he had brewed himself in front of Professor Prang:

“This is a rare opportunity; I wanted to consult her about some ancient potions.”

“Don’t disturb Mentor Meladomir; she is very busy right now.”

Professor Prang sighed:

“After resolving the issue with the evil god, she immediately requested all the specific information about my current students.”

“Student information? Does that mean…”

“Probably.”

Professor Prang lifted his teacup and took a sip.

“After all, that is Mentor Meladomir’s lifelong pursuit; she cannot give it up. However, her urgency this time makes me a bit uneasy.”

“Did waking her early indeed have some impact on her?”

“Let’s not say such discouraging things right now. If Mentor Meladomir hears, he won’t be happy.”

Professor Gran rolled his eyes and then excitedly said:

“What intrigues me even more is, who will be the lucky one chosen by the mentor?”

“Lucky one? That’s not necessarily the case.”

Professor Prang stared at the tea leaves floating in his cup and said with a bitter smile:

“That’s an incredibly crazy path. For an ordinary person to embark on it, the probability is that they will end up with nothing but bones, right?”

…

“It feels like everything has suddenly calmed down.”

In the quiet hospital room, Mu En turned his head and looked out the window through the light-colored curtains.

The sun was shining brightly.

From not far away, laughter filled with youthful energy occasionally drifted in.

The entire academy seemed to have emerged from the previous turmoil and regained its vitality.

“Has it really been so many days without me realizing?”

After that incident, Mu En was sent to this hospital room for treatment due to his injuries, compounded by his close encounter with that monster tainted by the love god, along with a “quarantine.”

At that time, Professor Gran’s treatment was merely a rough magical healing. After all, it was a crowned one personally taking action, so to avoid any aftereffects, the academy conducted a series of physical examinations on him.

What relieved Mu En was that, apart from that white-haired midget expert, it seemed no one could detect the “blessing” of the King of Withering that belonged to him.

Thinking about it, compared to the straightforward power bestowed by deities, the divine favor itself was an embodiment of part of a deity’s authority, making it naturally harder to be discovered. Otherwise, this divine favored one wouldn’t have stayed in the duke’s residence for ten years without his cheap father noticing any clues.

It was abnormal for that white-haired midget expert to see through him at a glance; it should be considered an exception.

Otherwise, what Mu En faced earlier wouldn’t have been a mature beauty with a large chest and a slim waist, but rather the specialized organization of the empire that deals with evil god incidents, the “Silencers.”

Those shadowy figures hiding in black robes wouldn’t care about your identity as the duke’s son. Once caught by them, it would definitely not end well for Mu En.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur.

During this time, apart from doctors and professors from the academy coming to ask a few questions, no outsiders were allowed to contact Mu En.

Mu En was able to sort out his thoughts in this almost completely solitary and quiet environment.

The exchange with the black book felt as if it had just happened.

“So, in the end, is it because I’m too weak?”

Having learned new martial skills and defeated the outstanding second-year student, Rehn, Mu En thought everything was heading in a positive direction, believing he could slightly escape his tragic fate as the cannon fodder of the yellow-haired villain.

But now it seemed he had thought too much.

If it weren’t for the black book using the evil god to forcefully push the fate of this world completely off the original plot trajectory into the unknown, what he would face would be a certain death.

“To avoid a certain death option, the entire fate of the world has to be thrown into chaos. Just how much malice does this world have toward me?”

Mu En looked at his hands and whispered softly.

“Is the way to solve the problem still so simple and crude in the end?”

Not strong enough.

This is the crux of why he can only let fate toy with him.

If only he could be a bit stronger, as powerful as the protagonist Ariel, or even stronger.

Then, in the original fate, even when facing the saintess controlled by the god of love, he could survive.

But that is only a possibility.

Mu En knows that for him now, gaining such immense power in just a year is utterly impossible.

Ariel is already leagues ahead of him, and she has the protagonist’s halo, plus her cheat abilities, and even a mysterious big sister in her ring who understands ancient magic. On the path to becoming stronger, she is a genuine “rich second generation.” Why should he, a “poor loser” with nothing, who can only get beaten up in the dark book every night, be able to catch up?

The dark book knows it’s impossible too, so it chose to directly interfere with fate itself.

However, Mu En is very clear that this level of interference cannot happen a second time.

When the next wave of malice from fate appears, everything will depend on him alone.

And that time shouldn’t be too far off.

Hasn’t the second prophetic dream already given the answer? One day in the future, he will die with his heart ripped out.

So…

“Is there any way for me to become stronger faster?” Mu En couldn’t help but let out a lament like a dying fish.

“Oh, you want power, do you? Young man?”

A cold voice rang out, and at some point, a petite girl with white hair and red eyes appeared in the chair beside Mu En’s bed, a chair recently used by Heather.

“Eh?”

Mu En was startled, but when he recognized the identity of the visitor, he froze for a moment before immediately breaking into a somewhat ingratiating smile.

“Big shot? What brings you here?”

“I came to see you. Is that a problem?”

The girl twirled her pure white hair with her fingers, her expression a bit lazy, as if she had just woken from a nap.

“Of course not, of course not, it’s just…”

Mu En scratched his head, carefully choosing his words: “I don’t think I have the qualifications for a big shot like you to visit me personally.”

Mu En certainly doesn’t believe that simply waking her up and pinching her cheek would make this midget-sized big shot suddenly feel so close to him.

This isn’t some harem light novel where female characters would just give themselves away.

So her arrival must have a purpose.

“Smarter than I imagined.”

The girl’s eyes, clear like amber and seemingly able to see right through a person, glanced at Mu En, then her lips curled into a smile as she asked:

“So, as I just said, do you want power, young man?”

“Eh?”

“Recently, I happen to need a closed-door disciple. I will impart strength and knowledge, selflessly, to the one who becomes my closed-door disciple. How about it? Are you interested, young man?”

“Closed-door… disciple.”

Muen momentarily froze, chewing over the true meaning of the girl’s words.

This midget-sized girl before him was not simply a girl; she was a top-tier powerhouse who had been sleeping in a special space within the academy for an unknown length of time, capable of repelling even the evil gods.

In the original plot, she should have only appeared much later, but due to the disturbance caused by the black book, she was forced to enter the scene early.

If he could latch onto the thigh of such a powerhouse, it would be an utterly perfect development for Muen, bringing him countless benefits without harm. Perhaps it could even help him escape his predetermined tragic fate.

But…

How could Muen Campbell possibly obtain the gifts of fate so easily?

“So… why?”

Muen came back to his senses, his lake-like blue eyes fixed intently on the white-haired girl:

“Why choose me? Is it because of the power of the Withering King within me?”

“The Withering King? Well… that’s part of the reason.”

“Part? Then what’s the other part…”

“Ha ha…”

The girl suddenly broke into a smile.

But that smile sent chills down Muen’s spine.

She suddenly raised her hand, extending a single finger, pointing at Muen.

In an instant, a sense of malevolence surged forth.

A strong sense of crisis, accompanied by a nauseating warning of death, relentlessly assaulted Muen’s consciousness.

At some point, the world had turned blood red.

And in Muen’s eyes, there was only the girl, suddenly appearing as a vicious demon, and the incredibly real killing intent in her gaze.

“What’s going on? Does she really want to kill me?”

This thought barely flashed through his mind before he could think of anything else.

Because that slender finger had already reached him.

It felt like a mountain was pressing down, and Muen sensed an overwhelming pressure that seemed ready to crush him.

“Cough cough…”

His body was instantly struck with severe injury, and Muen coughed up a mouthful of blood along with pieces of his internal organs.

Death was imminent.

It was at this moment he felt the icy touch in the palm of his hand.

Like a knife.

Then, without any hesitation, Mu En gripped the familiar short blade tightly and slashed at the white-haired girl, whose expression was as fierce as a demon.

“Overestimating yourself.”

The girl let out a disdainful sneer.

“Do you really think you have any chance of surviving?”

Before the blade could reach her, Mu En felt his arm go numb.

Staring blankly, he realized that from his elbow down, it had vanished without him noticing.

But this time, it wasn’t like a toy being disassembled.

Instead, it exploded.

That’s right, it exploded—Mu En’s arm, hand, and fingers burst into a cloud of blood mist in an instant.

A sharp pain surged through him.

Mu En’s face twisted in agony.

He ignored the excruciating pain that would make an ordinary person faint instantly, for the countless times he had been ravaged in the black book had long accustomed him to such suffering.

He quickly extended his other hand and grasped the falling short blade.

Then, he slashed again!

Bang!

Without any surprise, below the elbow, it exploded into blood mist once more.

“Why resist?”

The girl looked at him with pity.

“You only need to give up the struggle, and I can let you die without any pain.”

Why resist?

Why not just die?

Looking at the girl’s sympathetic expression, a volcanic rage suddenly surged within Mu En.

He had struggled for so long.

He had experienced so many deaths in the black book.

He was used to death, accustomed to pain, always thinking of becoming stronger.

Wasn’t it all for—

—to avoid walking down that path of true death?

So, you want me to give up the fight?

You want me to just die?

I—can—go—fuck—your—mother!

Even if you’re a big shot, even if you’re strong, you don’t have that qualification!

Mu En suddenly lunged forward, like a beast, biting down on the handle of the short knife.

His eyes were bloodshot, a deep growl emanating from his throat, without any hesitation, he pounced on the enemy before him, one he could never defeat.

Even if I die, I must…

In an instant.

The world became clear.

The world and the girl’s demonic face suddenly vanished, like a brief nightmare.

Bright sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, the light spots shining on Mu En’s still twisted face, making it hard for him to open his eyes.

“What is this…”

The short knife in his mouth had disappeared, and his hands were still intact.

As if all the terrifying scenes had never occurred.

Mu En remained in that pouncing position, but his movements froze like that, making him look less like a hunting beast, and more like…

A copper-refining immortal about to commit an indecent act against a minor.

“Exactly, it’s like this.”

The girl didn’t mind Mu En’s invasive posture; instead, she cupped his face, gazing at the still lingering twisted expression, revealing a satisfied look as if admiring a piece of art.

“This exterior is like a sheep, yet it reveals a ferocity and savagery from the bones; this precious life is clearly cherished, yet it carries an indifference and madness as if already accustomed to death—this is what I want, only this way can that be accomplished.”

“Eh?”

Mu En was still a bit confused.

But he seemed to realize something; the girl’s murderous intent towards him was just a deliberately created illusion, she merely wanted to test something.

But even if you’re a big shot, you shouldn’t toy with me like this!

Mu En was furious: “What exactly do you want to do?”

“Hehe, are you angry? That’s quite normal.”

The girl smiled and said:

“But since you’ve asked like this, I’m not one for beating around the bush, so I’ll be straightforward.

—I want to use you, Mu En Campbell.”

“What?”

Mu En was stunned again.

Because the girl’s bluntness… was too blunt.

“So, you want me to be your disciple, also because…”

Mu En’s lips twitched slightly.

“That’s right. By becoming my disciple, I will do everything a teacher should do. But at the same time, you will become the material for my experiments, thoroughly utilized to achieve a certain lifelong ambition of mine.”

In the girl’s eyes, a fervor emerged that was starkly different from her outward appearance.

“A certain… ambition I have pursued my entire life.”

“I always feel…”

Looking at the girl who seemed to have transformed into someone else, Mu En narrowed his eyes and asked:

“Are you planning to treat me like a lab rat?”

“Well, a lab rat? That’s quite an apt metaphor.

However, unlike a mere lab rat, while the process may carry a hint of danger, as long as it succeeds—”

The girl chuckled lightly: “Mu En Campbell, you will gain the power you have always dreamed of!”

“The power I have always dreamed of…”

Mu En swallowed hard.

Those words indeed held a tremendous allure for him.

Moreover, he believed that with the stature of this big shot before him, she certainly wouldn’t deceive him.

But…

“May I ask, what is the probability of success for your so-called lifelong pursuit?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Because what I aim to accomplish is unprecedented, and there are no experiences for me to reference. Therefore, the probability of success could be one hundred percent, or it could be zero percent.”

The girl gazed at Mu En, her expression serious:

“Until everything is completed, even I do not know if this path is viable.”

“So, what you’re saying is…” Mu En felt a bit dazed.

“That’s right. This is a gamble. For me, the wager is the very path I have been seeking, the bet is whether you, whom I have chosen, have the ability to bear it.

And for you, the gamble is whether I am reliable, the bet is whether the outcome will be good or bad.

So—”

The girl extended her hand toward Mu En, her clear red eyes burning with a flame that did not belong to the ancient, filled with fervor. “Will you join this gamble, young man?”

“…”

Faced with the girl’s invitation, Mu En fell into deep thought.

He didn’t believe this big shot was simply trying to harm him, because if she had malicious intent, she could have crushed him with a single finger during the flower sea incident.

So.

As she said, this was a gamble so grand that even she couldn’t see the path ahead; she valued herself only because she was suitable.

So should he agree?

Agree to this gamble, where the road is unclear and it leads to an unknown fate.

Mu En thought for a moment, then came to a conclusion.

Because the black book had already told him what to do.

He was an existence that did not belong to the conventional fate, so to break the shackles of this conventional fate, he had to walk an unconventional path.

Moreover, just as the girl said, he truly, very very very very much, longed to—gain power.

That brief illusion just now made him even more certain of his own powerlessness.

So there was no reason to hesitate.

It was called a choice, but when the white-haired girl appeared, tossing out those baits one by one, Mu En found he had no room to refuse.

Like a moth lost in the night, seeing the light of a fire, knowing full well it might not represent salvation, yet still flew towards it without hesitation.

“I am willing to join… huh?”

Mu En reached out his hand, but ended up grasping at nothing.

Because the girl had already retracted her palm, then revealed a meaningful smile.

“I’m glad you have this thought, but I’m sorry, young man, I don’t teach fools.”

“Ha?”

Mu En was shocked by the girl’s sudden sharp tongue, as if he were teasing a cute cat at home, only to be met with a swift uppercut from the cat.

His mind was thrown into disarray.

“Fool… what do you mean?”

“Before coming, I checked your grades. Your last exam in Basic Magic Concepts scored only three points, right?”

The girl’s gaze turned cold, as if she were looking at trash:

“That’s really a score that could only be made by stepping on the exam paper; the footprint would score more than that.”

“Well… that was just because I was a bit playful last semester.”

Mu En awkwardly shifted his gaze,

“I’ll just have to work hard from now on, and I’ll definitely catch up slowly.”

“I believe you can do it, but I can’t wait for you to catch up slowly. My time isn’t as abundant as you imagine; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so eager to come find you.”

The girl glanced at her delicate hands, sighed, and said:

“So, I can only give you one month.

In the monthly exam a month from now, your score in Basic Magic Concepts must pass; that is the foundation of everything.”

“One month?”

Mu En’s expression froze: “The monthly exam for first grade?”

“The monthly exam for second grade.” The girl remained expressionless.

“But how is that even possible?”

Mu En’s eyes widened: “Learning a year’s worth of material in just one month—no, it should be said, a year and one month’s worth—how could that possibly be manageable?”

“That’s your problem now. All I can say is… good luck, kid.”

The girl stood up and turned her gaze aside.

Through the layers of walls, she saw another girl, who just days ago had been bundled up like a dumpling, now lively and frolicking with her childhood friend.

In her line of sight, that girl exuded an extraordinarily unusual aura.

“You are special, but you are not the only one who is special. I cannot pin my lifelong pursuits on just you alone, so to me, you are merely one of the options.”

The girl turned back, her gaze returning to its previous indifference.

“In a month, with your actual results, give me your answer, Mu En Campbell.

This is also my test for you.”

The girl turned, seemingly preparing to leave.

“Wait.”

But at that moment, Mu En called out to her:

“What’s your name? You can’t expect me to keep calling you ‘Big Shot.'”

“My name?”

The white-haired girl showed a hint of melancholy, sighing:

“That kind of thing has long been cast into the river of time.

As for what to call me—

Meladomir.

That’s my surname; you can call me Melra… Teacher, yes, Melra Teacher.

I’ve grown tired of being called ‘mentor.'”