Chapter 759: Good Medicine Tastes Bitter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 759: Good Medicine Tastes Bitter
"Shut your mouth!"
Ariel suddenly snapped her eyes open, her expression a mix of grief and fury.
Due to extreme blood loss, her skin was as white as snow, yet a frantic, crimson flush had crept onto her cheeks—a final surge of vitality before the end.
It was a red born of rage, a red as deep as blood, a red that screamed of her desire to tear apart the mouth of the man talking such nonsense!
Well, if she’s turning red, it’s working.
This "miraculous cure" had snatched Ariel back from the brink of death. Even Liya would likely sigh in self-deprecation at such a feat.
But... it wasn't enough.
Muen studied Ariel. She was now more awake than she had ever been—perhaps more lucid than she had ever been in her entire life. A handsome smile suddenly curved his lips.
It wasn't sweet.
It wasn't gentle.
It was dashing—dripping with the flamboyant air of a playboy noble, the kind of "dashing" that the old Ariel would have wanted to punch on sight.
"Why should I shut up? Ariel, the way you’re acting... could it be that you actually noticed something a long time ago?" Muen’s tone was heavy with meaning.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to hear it!"
The crimson on Ariel’s cheeks deepened, and she began to struggle violently. It was as if a new wellspring of power had erupted from her exhausted, dying frame.
She had been moments away from returning to the Goddess’s embrace, yet here she was, moving again. Is this the infinite potential of a Destined Protagonist? You love to see it.
However, no matter how high Ariel’s potential was, she was still incredibly weak. She couldn't break free from Muen’s restraint. All she could do was glare with eyes as red as a rabbit’s at "Miss Muse," who was currently sitting on top of her.
She didn't want to hear that Miss Muse was a fake.
She didn't want to hear that Miss Muse was actually a man.
She didn't want to hear anything about Miss Muse’s true identity.
Miss Muse was Miss Muse—the princess she was willing to give her life to save, the beautiful girl who perfectly hit all her preferences. As for anything else, it didn't matter.
"Based on that reaction, you really did suspect something," Muen continued to provoke her.
"You... shut up." Her resistance and struggles were futile, and Ariel’s voice finally began to soften.
"Then again, someone as sharp and intelligent as you couldn't have been completely oblivious. You couldn't really be entirely ruled by a 'love-struck' brain."
"Shut up."
"So, you were just lying to yourself?"
"Shut up."
"But I’m curious—to what extent were you deceiving yourself? Did you know my real gender, or did you know my real na—"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up, you bastard!"
Ariel began to writhe in shame and indignation again. But unlike her previous animalistic struggle, tears began to well in the corners of her eyes.
It was like having your middle-school diary found and read aloud with passion in front of your entire family.
No, for the current Ariel, this was a situation far more agonizing than that.
She should have drawn her sword and hacked this bastard to death right now.
Unfortunately, in her current state, even her struggling was pathetic and helpless.
Ah...
This isn't good.
Muen’s breath hitched for a moment.
Bullying this "Soaring Phoenix" protagonist actually felt... a little bit good?
After all, opportunities to bully her were rare.
"Get off me, you bastard!"
Ariel shoved hard against the arms Muen was using to pin her down, but she was simply too frail. As that final surge of energy began to wane, the life force within her started to dissipate even faster.
But for Muen, it was enough. He had achieved his goal.
"Sorry, but it’s not time for me to move yet. In fact, we’re just getting started."
Muen drew Elizabeth and, right in front of Ariel’s eyes, sliced his wrist without hesitation.
Hot blood immediately began to flow down his arm, dripping onto Ariel’s pretty face.
"You..."
Ariel’s eyes widened again. "What are you doing?"
"Can't you tell? I'm saving you, obviously."
Muen didn't know how to brew potions.
So, he had used his own body as a cauldron and the Black Flame as the heat source to decoct a remedy.
The final result of that "medicine" was his own blood, currently overflowing with exuberant vitality.
"Come now, it's time for your medicine."
"No... get away! I don't want to drink your foul blood!"
Ariel shook her head frantically, her face full of revulsion.
But her current level of resistance was far too weak to stop Muen. To put it one way... she was small and quite cute?
"What are you saying? This is the blood of your beloved Miss Muse. Aren't you happy to finally... become one with her?"
Muen forced his wrist against Ariel’s lips, allowing the blood to flow smoothly into her mouth.
"You... bastard... cough... don't... don't defile the words... become one..."
The tears at the corners of Ariel’s eyes became more pronounced.
Dammit, the "becoming one" with a beautiful girl that she had dreamed of wasn't supposed to look like this at all.
It wasn't supposed to be like this...
But why...
Why...
"Waaaah... you bastard... I... I’m going to kill you!"
"Even if you want to kill me, wait until you’ve recovered."
Muen had transformed into a cold-blooded feeding machine.
Aside from the slight sting of the cut, the strange sensation coming from his wrist made his expression turn a bit odd.
Warm and soft.
It seemed that even for a "Soaring Phoenix" protagonist who carried a greatsword and was invincible in battle, her lips were still soft.
...
As Muen’s forced "medicine" play continued, Ariel’s resistance gradually weakened.
She seemed to have finally given up.
However, through this process, Muen could clearly feel the changes occurring within her.
Muen’s blood was pure, containing massive amounts of vitality and medicinal power. The toxins and impurities from the raw herbs had been entirely consumed by the Black Flame, leaving only the elements that were extremely beneficial to Ariel.
Muen had almost completely ignored the burden the medicine placed on his own body, integrating those properties into his blood as quickly as possible.
And now, that vitality and medicinal power were finally merging into Ariel’s body through his blood.
She didn't need to spend much effort digesting the medicine, because it had already been "digested" by him; all she had to do was assimilate the blood. Even for her near-death, weakened body, this was not a difficult task.
Consequently, a staggering amount of vitality soon began to pour into her limbs and bones, transforming into her own life force and strength.
The wound on her abdomen had long since stopped bleeding. The color in her cheeks was no longer just from rage; a healthy, baby-pink glow began to appear on every inch of her skin.
Most importantly, the injuries she had sustained across her body during the previous fierce battle began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
It seemed that once her vitality was restored, her Mana and Fighting Spirit followed suit. Her formidable innate recovery ability was finally back online.
Muen let out a long sigh of relief.
However, almost at the same moment, a violent wave of dizziness and weakness assaulted his consciousness.
Ah, it looks like I’m the one suffering from blood loss now.
Muen gave a wry, haggard smile.
Then, the world flipped.
By the time Muen snapped back to his senses, he had been pinned to the ground. The "Soaring Phoenix" protagonist, her lips still stained with flecks of blood, had already regained her usual fierce dominance. She was staring down at him with a face full of rage and menace.
She looked down at him from above.
"After doing that to me... are you ready to die?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
Muen spread his arms, offering no resistance. He smiled bitterly. "Since I accidentally deceived you for so long, I suppose I should pay the price, shouldn't I?"
"..."
The veins on Ariel’s forehead throbbed. She grabbed Muen by the collar and growled, "So you know you were deceiving me?"
"...Sorry. I didn't mean for it to go this far."
Muen didn't know what kind of expression he should make, what words he should say, or how he should beg for forgiveness.
He could only tell the truth:
"It was all an accident... if I said that, would you believe me?"
"You!"
Ariel’s chest heaved, her fury reaching a breaking point. The sharp light in her eyes was like a lion ready to pounce and devour the person who dared to make a fool of her.
But...
But...
In the reflection of her pupils, the person beneath her was still "Miss Muse."
The Miss Muse she had yearned for, the one she was entangled with, the one she had met through so many coincidences, and the one she had experienced life-and-death situations with.
Her face was so pale, so delicate—like a princess who inspired a desire to protect.
Even knowing that another person resided beneath this princess’s skin—a person she despised—still...
"You..."
Ariel’s hands trembled. She lowered her head, hiding her expression. "Who are you, really?"
She finally asked the question to the answer Muen hadn't been able to fully voice earlier.
"Don't you already know the answer to that?"
Muen tilted his head slightly, glancing at Elizabeth, which lay quietly by his hand, almost devoid of presence.
From the moment he entered this tower, Muen hadn't hidden its existence.
"Since you already know, why keep pretending to deceive yourself?"
"No... I’m not deceiving myself. I just... I just didn't believe it..."
Ariel slowly stood up, her hands clenched into fists so tight her nails dug into her palms, causing a piercing pain.
"I didn't believe it. I didn't believe it could be like this. Because... because that was Miss Muse! Miss Muse is so beautiful, so gentle, so kind... How could she be... how could she be the person I hate most?!"
Ariel suddenly looked up, a profound light flashing in her eyes.
"Eye of Truth!"
She refused to believe it.
Even at this stage, she had to use her own eyes to confirm.
At the same time, she prayed in her heart... praying for a tiny sliver of hope.
What if... what if this was just a little prank Miss Muse was playing on her?
That’s right, a prank. Haha, Miss Muse really does love to tease—
But.
As Mana flooded her eyes, the figure before her, no matter how she looked at it, was unmistakably... that bastard she hated most in this life.
"No... no... NO!!!"
There was no snow, only the withered leaves of the botanical garden.
To the sound of a vaguely tragic, mournful BGM that seemed to come from nowhere, Ariel pounded the ground in agony. Once again, her expression was one of grief and fury as she looked to the heavens and wailed:
"Damn you, Muen Campbell! I HATE YOU!!!"