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

17. Cute

Mu En opened his eyes.

With the support of special materials, he found himself in the still warm pool water, and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Both his injuries and the exhaustion within his body had nearly healed.

The abundant magic power and fighting spirit flowed within him, making him feel a sense of strength he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

After nearly exhausting everything within his body, and with sufficient external replenishment, every inch of his being surged back to life.

Unknowingly, this had led to a subtle enhancement in both his physical strength and cultivation level.

Especially the magic power, which, through the continuous consumption and replenishment of the alchemical core, had increased at least twofold from the meager amount that could only sustain a few light spells.

Unfortunately, the upper limit of magic power capacity mostly depends on one’s innate talent, and this kind of training merely gradually releases that talent. And considering the Campbell family’s magical talent…

Mu En thought he should prepare more items that could replenish magic power anytime when fighting in the future.

“Only after reaching the third tier of secret arts can one freely draw magic power from the air. I still have a long way to go.”

Mu En sighed and continued to sort through the gains from this experience.

In fact, there wasn’t much to gain; after all, he wasn’t the destined protagonist who could level up significantly after each major event.

To be honest, he hadn’t gained anything this time and had instead lost quite a few valuable items.

But it was worth it.

Because no matter how precious the items were, they couldn’t compare to a single hair of his senior, could they?

…

“At least it’s not entirely fruitless…”

Mu En’s consciousness sank deeper.

In that pitch-black place, the black book floated quietly.

Mu En could clearly feel its weakness.

It seemed that the direct confrontation with the projection of the Silent Moon had drained it significantly.

However, Mu En also noticed that the faint, ethereal glow surrounding the book’s body seemed to have intensified quite a bit.

It felt like being struck in the knee, seeing stars, yet immediately afterward enjoying a hearty meal.

Pain intertwined with satisfaction, a perfect contradiction.

Mu En did not communicate with it, interrupting its pain and pleasure, but instead, with a gentle shift of consciousness, the pages turned, revealing previous records.

In that record, the name of the female demon had already turned red, which meant…

New character up!

Mu En reached out, lightly touching the red record, and in an instant, the surrounding environment suddenly changed.

Heavy rain poured down.

The icy raindrops fell on Mu En, bringing a bone-chilling cold, while the shadowy streets loomed ominously, as if hiding phantoms.

“Can it really simulate even that scene from back then?”

Under the downpour, Mu En felt as if time had reversed.

And that familiar yet detestable enchanting figure stood silently, wielding a crescent moon blade.

Her eyes were devoid of emotion.

“Well then, let’s give it a little test first.”

Mu En, at some point, found himself gripping a pure white dagger, excitement evident on his face.

The second round with the female demon began!

…

“Did I really lose again?”

Mu En opened his eyes and sighed regretfully.

After stripping away fear and caution, the female demon, existing merely as a record, wielded the immense power of a peak third-tier realm, along with her terrifying physical form enhanced by the dark god, exerting pressure on Mu En that was several levels higher.

And in the record, he naturally could not use the Eternal Bell.

The loss was clean and decisive.

But there was really nothing to regret.

If one is weaker than their opponent, then there is no point in recreating the encounter, right?

“I just need to find a way to address my lack of variety in techniques.”

Otherwise, as the son of a duke, the betrothed of a princess, the closed-door disciple of Teacher Meila, and the record holder for the accelerated introductory magic course at St. Maria Academy, to keep relying on these simple three moves would be too embarrassing.

Moreover, when facing true powerhouses, this would be a significant shortcoming.

“Fortunately, after resolving this matter, I still have ample time left.”

……

Mu En stood up, instinctively stretching his back.

He had just fought a fierce battle in the realm of consciousness, yet he still felt remarkably light, both in spirit and body, as if he had just undergone a baptism of holy light.

“What is this…”

At that moment, Mu En seemed to realize something. He reached out and scooped a handful of water from the bath, bringing it to his nose to take a whiff.

Catching the faint herbal scent hidden beneath the floral fragrance, Mu En couldn’t help but chuckle:

“Why can’t it be a bit more straightforwardly adorable?”

……

The night was deep.

But when Mu En stepped out of the bathroom, he found that Celicia’s room was still brightly lit.

After a moment of hesitation, he walked over and knocked on the door.

“Can I come in?”

“…Come in.”

With a creak, the door opened.

Celicia had her head down, still diligently handling documents.

When the round-faced Weir saw Mu En, her cheeks immediately flushed, but she quickly turned her head away. “I’ll go make you some drinks. What do you want? Black tea or coffee…”

“Coffee!”

Mu En and Celicia blurted out in unison.

“Coffee it is, but was that really necessary to shout?”

Weir shot a strange glance at the two of them before swiftly exiting to prepare.

At that moment, Celicia finally looked up at Mu En, her gaze flickering slightly.

In that instant, Mu En, fresh from the bath, had a refreshing aura about him. The flickering light painted his profile, outlining a different kind of handsome.

Even Celicia had to admit that the Campbell family’s genes were indeed perfect enough in appearance to leave no room for criticism.

No wonder, despite his notorious reputation, he could still charm so many women.

“It’s so late, and you’re still busy.”

Mu En leaned in with curiosity.

“Just some documents, helping out with a few things from above.” Celicia didn’t hide it, as these documents weren’t particularly confidential.

“Is that so?”

Mu En instinctively glanced over a few documents, his brow furrowing slightly: “These tasks… should be what the district governor is busy with, right? Why are you helping out? What about Viscount Gu En?”

“He’s dead.”

Celesia said coldly, “I killed them.”

“……”

Mu En’s lips twitched.

It seemed better not to ask why.

“The upper city is probably still busy shifting blame, deciding who will take office. It might take a while, so I’m just helping out a bit, that’s all.”

After a brief exchange, Celesia lowered her head and returned to her work.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, but even Mu En, who wasn’t skilled in these matters, could clearly see that it was all extremely tedious.

But the more tedious it was, the more energy it consumed.

“But… you don’t have to do this, right?”

Mu En couldn’t help but say, “The lower city isn’t just managed by Viscount Gu En alone.”

“……Those in charge… I’ve probably killed about a third of them.”

Celesia said, “Another third is in prison, and the remaining third is scared out of their wits. The ones still usable… probably aren’t many.”

“……”

“Of course, I could just walk away and not care. No one could blame me for anything. In fact, what I’m doing now might even lead those nobles to accuse me of overstepping my authority in front of my father. I didn’t want to get involved in the first place.

But…”

Celesia’s gaze fell, hiding her fatigue, as she rubbed her temples and spoke softly:

“But after experiencing something like this, if no one manages the already chaotic lower city, how much worse would it become?

How many people would die when they shouldn’t have to?”

“……”

The girl’s cold voice, mixed with the flickering candlelight, filled the bedroom where no one had yet fallen asleep at this late hour.

Mu En suddenly looked up, silently staring at Celesia’s delicate face, not shifting his gaze for a long time.

Until Celesia, somewhat displeased by Mu En’s unwavering stare, lifted her head and shot him a cold glare, he finally broke into a sudden smile.

“Celesia, has anyone ever told you something?”

“What?”

“That sometimes… you’re really quite adorable.”