The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness Chapter 337: Welcome

“This is the Holy City?”

Muen lifted the carriage curtain and looked up at the towering giant city not far away.

The first thing to et his eyes were two majestic, enormous gates, as if cast in gold, with lifelike sword-bearing angels carved upon them, ready at any mont to spread their wings and, with the holy swords in their hands, bring heavenly judgnt upon sinners.

Then ca the lofty walls extending from the gates. The walls were high yet not oppressive; beyond their crests one could see, climbing in winding tiers, all manner of refined yet grand dwellings and churches in the distance.

And finally, at the very center of the Holy City, visible clearly from any spot the mont one raised one’s head—that... goddess statue.

Unlike the goddess statue Muen had once seen in that dilapidated church, this one brimd with a sanctity visible to the naked eye, as though dotted with countless starlights. Her face was compassionate as she looked down upon all beings; the slender hands she extended seed to be scattering hope and gospel.

The faithful faced the statue and, along the roads climbing upward, worshiped devoutly.

The Holy City.

Yeranska.

It was said that in the ancient tongue, the na ant “the chosen land under the goddess’s gaze.”

Even if, in bustle and population, it could not compare to Belrand, the Imperial capital, this ever-present solemnity and holiness could still deliver a trendous shock to the soul.

Only...

Muen rubbed his chin, staring at that goddess statue, unable to help thinking:

With a statue that huge, if I went to stand right beneath it... would I be able to see up the goddess’s skirt?

No, no.

This is truly under the goddess’s gaze.

Don’t think nonsense, don’t think nonsense.

Muen shivered, quickly pressed his palms together, and muttered in the goddess’s direction, “No offense ant to the goddess—please pardon .”

“Ha! My most, most, most, most, most beloved Muen boy, you’re finally here!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out so exuberant it was like every sunflower in the world burst into bloom at once, making many believers doing morning prayers along both sides of the road instinctively look over.

Muen opened his eyes in astonishnt just in ti to see a familiar pink mascot bear wiggling its butt, sprinting this way.

“Ha, good lad, good lad!”

Without even panting, the Pink Bear threw open its broad arms and lunged in for a hug—

And hugged nothing but air...

Holding that pose, the Pink Bear’s expression turned grievously resentful. It looked at Muen. “Did you really just take a half-step back?”

“S-sorry.”

Smoothing down his bristling arm hairs, Muen tugged the corner of his mouth and said,

“I just felt kind of gross all of a sudden?”

“At a ti like this, don’t tell the truth, you little punk!”

He swore, but in the very next second that clownish bear face blood again with a smile like old chamomile in autumn. He thumped Muen’s shoulder hard, praising him like an elder who’d just seen a child score a perfect hundred:

“Well done, well done! As expected of Celicia’s fiancé—actually managing to get out of that forest alive! I hear it even happened while the Calamity was waking and passing through. I admit I underestimated you, kid! Decision made! When the ti cos for your wedding with Celicia, I’ll definitely throw in an extra two hundred as a gift!”

“Only two hundred?”

“Be content, boy. When that brat Aldrich got married, I went to freeload. You’re the first one who can make this grandpa attend a banquet and not freeload!”

“...”

Weird—why am I feeling an inexplicable sense of honor?

Expressionless, Muen pinched that strange feeling dead on the spot.

“So, I heard that little girl nad Liya got hurt. Are all three of you okay?”

The Pink Bear craned its neck, sticking a head that nearly /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ filled the entire window into the carriage.

“I’m fine. Liya’s injuries are pretty serious, but there should be a way to treat her in the Holy City, so I don’t need to worry about that for now. As for... huh?”

Muen paused and looked at the Pink Bear:

“Three? What do you an three?”

“...”

The Pink Bear’s wiggling ursine rump suddenly froze. He yanked his head—nearly wedged in the window fra—back out of the carriage, turned with a stiff neck to look at Muen, and blurted in shock:

“You weren’t three people?”

“Where would the three co from? The ones teleported into the forest were just and Liya, weren’t they?”

“And that flat-chested little brat!”

“What’s a flat-chested brat got to do with ? I’m on the big boobs side... wait, the flat-chested brat you an—could it be Ariel?!”

Muen rubbed his chin. He rembered what he’d forgotten earlier.

When he and the others were facing those enemies of the Indra King and focused on fleeing, it seed... they left Ariel behind.

She’d gone out in the night to kill monsters for money.

But...

“She didn’t end up with you guys?” Muen said, face odd.

“That question should be mine to ask!”

The Pink Bear shook Muen by the neck, his eyes popping round. “That flat-chested brat didn’t end up with you at the end?”

“N-no, that doesn’t make sense. Ariel didn’t even go into the forest, so how could she possibly...”

“She did. She went in!”

The Pink Bear’s tone grew urgent:

“She went to find you guys!”

“...”

Muen froze.

Froze again.

Then finally ca back to himself.

Given Ariel’s temperant, if she knew Liya was in danger, stepping forward without hesitation to help—that was normal.

But the problem was...

“Even if she went into the forest, it’d be almost impossible to find us, right? That forest is that big.”

Muen frowned in puzzlent:

“Why would you think she could co out together with us?”

“...”

The Pink Bear’s mouth fell open; the pink of his ursine face seed to drain away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He knew it was impossible, of course.

He was just...

Clinging, tentatively, to a shred of hope.

“Repent!”

But now, the hope shattered.

A cold, rciless voice sounded from behind him.

A transmission stone, radiating a strange magical power, slowly floated up. From within ca Professor Prang’s voice, like a doomsday sentence.

“You lost a student, Pink Bear. Those... things of yours—forget about them!”

“N—no, no—”

The Pink Bear flung himself forward, hugging the transmission stone, and pleaded in a rush:

“Old—no, Prang—honorable Professor Prang, listen to , please, listen! This was an accident. I’ll go look for her. I will find her. I’m already thinking of ways to make up for it. Please show rcy, please—”

“Hmph. Save it for when you’ve found her!!”

With a crack, the transmission cut.

Hearing the sizzling, static-like sound after the line went dead, the Pink Bear seed likewise electrocuted, going limp to the ground.

“N—no, no—”

He suddenly slamd a fist into the street, dropped to his knees, and let out a wail to make listeners weep and onlookers grieve.

“My pinup photos—”

“Snowflakes flutter~ the north wind soughs~”

“What are you singing?!”

“Ahem, reflex, reflex.”

Muen coughed a few tis, then quietly shuffled back a few more steps.

Watching the Pink Bear going manic in the middle of the road before the Holy City’s gates, and feeling all the odd looks cast their way, Muen scratched his cheek, feeling a bit hot.

Better pretend we don’t know each other, or this is kind of emba—

“In broad daylight, please don’t lie here polluting the environnt like a piece of non-burnable trash, Mr. Pink Bear.”

Just then, a voice as warm and gentle as a spring breeze sounded from not far away.