Chapter 807: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Part 14)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 807: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Part 14)
Muen could feel his heart thumping wildly.
The world had fallen silent; all other sounds had drifted away, leaving only that irritatingly clear heartbeat. It felt like a powerful minotaur was inside his chest, relentlessly thumping a great drum.
"Is something wrong?" Ariel asked softly.
"It’s nothing."
Even though they were in the middle of a rapid escape, Muen’s attention refused to stay on the path ahead.
He kept his head lowered, his gaze fixed on the profile of Ariel’s face.
The faint, delicate scent of the young girl had long since dispelled the damp, musty odor of the haunted house. Ariel, who usually acted with sharp, decisive intensity, was unexpectedly suited to such a soft and elegant fragrance.
She remained curled in Muen’s arms, her expression remarkably calm.
From her childhood to the present, Ariel had endured countless hardships, life-and-death crises, and desperate straits. Naturally, she wouldn't be shaken by a minor danger like this, which explained her composure.
Even if she was being carried in a princess-carry by the person she used to hate most.
But…
Thump-thump.
Once Muen managed to snap out of his own pathetic fluster, he keenly detected a second heartbeat.
It was hidden right behind his own, clinging to the back of that thumping drum, so subtle that he hadn't noticed it at first.
Where was this heartbeat coming from?
A wave of murderous intent surged toward them, and a large section of the interior structure behind Muen exploded into flying splinters.
The "Noble Lady" currently pursuing him was clearly some kind of vengeful spirit manifested through a power boost. Forget a heartbeat—she wasn't even a living creature; she was a thing of the undead.
Therefore, in this narrow space occupied only by himself, Ariel, and the "Noble Lady," this heartbeat naturally came from…
Muen’s eyes flickered.
Ariel’s long, slender eyelashes trembled slightly, like the wings of a butterfly about to take flight. Her fingers had been gripping the fabric of Muen’s chest since the beginning, and she was holding on so tightly that her knuckles had begun to turn white.
She leaned her entire weight into the crook of Muen’s arms, appearing as though she didn't have a care in the world. But upon closer inspection, certain small gestures—completely unlike her usual self—revealed that she wasn't nearly as calm as she pretended to be.
She was wavering.
But if this minor danger couldn't possibly shake her, then what was it that was making her waver?
"What are you smiling at?"
Noticing the strange grin that had suddenly surfaced on Muen’s face, Ariel felt a surge of inexplicable annoyance and shot him a fierce glare.
"Nothing."
"Is it really nothing?"
"I just thought of something funny, that’s all. It’s really nothing."
"Hmph. Always acting so mysterious."
Ariel let out a cold snort. She didn't seem to hear the duet of heartbeats, or perhaps she had heard them and was intentionally ignoring them.
"By the way, why has your speed dropped again?"
Ariel bared her teeth at him. "Didn't you say you’d be faster than ever?"
"Did I?"
Muen asked innocently, "This is already my top speed."
"Liar!"
Ariel tilted her head, looking past Muen’s shoulder at the "Noble Lady" who was hot on their heels.
The "Noble Lady," who had almost been shaken off moments ago, had somehow caught up again. She remained in a state where she was perpetually on the verge of catching them but never quite succeeding, which only served to make her more furious.
"This is definitely not your full speed. Otherwise, how could a ghost like that still be eating your dust?"
Ariel looked at Muen suspiciously. "You aren't secretly brewing some despicable scheme again, are you?"
"Absolutely not."
Muen put on an expression of pure righteousness.
"I’m just feeling a bit under the weather, so my maximum speed has decreased slightly."
That was right. His heart was under too much strain, so naturally, he couldn't run too fast.
He wasn't lying.
As for the childish idea of intentionally prolonging this moment… he certainly didn't have any thoughts like that.
"Hold on tight."
However, no matter how much Muen tried to stall, the place he was sprinting through was ultimately just a slightly large mansion.
Every road has an end, and they reached this one very quickly.
Following Muen’s warning and a final leap, Ariel narrowed her eyes as the light of the exit instantly dispelled the darkness. It felt as if time had finally resumed its flow, and the real world returned to her vision.
Coming back to her senses after the daze, that stretch of road felt incredibly long, yet incredibly short.
The two stepped out of the haunted house’s doors and came to a halt.
Muen looked down, meeting Ariel’s eyes once more. Neither spoke, both seemingly savoring the lingering aftertaste of the moment…
"ROAR!"
The "Noble Lady" tore through the doors, howling in rage, "Humans! Don't run! Let me eat you!"
"..."
Muen let out a soft sigh of regret and looked around.
The staff at the Duke’s estate weren't just the ordinary people playing ghosts; a magical barrier had already been deployed. The tourists invited to visit the amusement park were still wandering about with expressions of novelty, completely unaware that a vicious vengeful spirit had emerged just a paper-thin distance away from them.
"Has everyone been evacuated from the haunted house?" Muen asked a person standing by. The man’s face was bruised and swollen; it was unclear what role he had been playing inside.
"Yes, Young Master Muen. Everyone has been safely evacuated."
"Good."
Muen set Ariel down and spun around abruptly.
At that moment, the "Noble Lady" finally broke free from the constraints of the doorway and lunged at Muen with a savage face.
After playing cat and mouse for so long, she could finally feast on this vibrant, living bloo—
Zheng—
However, what greeted her was not the coveted flesh and blood of a living human.
It was a flash of a blade.
A piercing, brilliant, scorching flash of light.
The blade-light compressed into a single line, sweeping through space soundlessly. Aside from its brightness, it looked entirely unthreatening, like a strand of fluorescent spider silk drifting through the air.
But in the next heartbeat, the "Noble Lady’s" ferocity froze on her face. Her murderous intent was also frozen, as if time had become eternal.
Muen’s running might have been slowed by his "abnormal heart," but he didn't hold back a single bit with this strike.
As everyone knows, a racing heart affects one's ability to run, but it doesn't hinder one's ability to cut someone down.
In fact, it even provides a bonus.
And so, the vicious spirit—along with the entire haunted house behind her—was split vertically in two.
Soon, the "Noble Lady" dissipated under the sunlight. The haunted house, unable to withstand the spirit’s earlier rampage combined with Muen’s final strike, could no longer hold its form and began to slowly collapse.
Realizing he had accidentally overdone it, Muen snapped out of it and muttered with a pained expression:
"Dammit… one-tenth of the Old Man’s manor… gone again…"
"Sigh, my condolences."
Ariel patted Muen’s shoulder with a look of schadenfreude.
"I know exactly how you feel."
"..."
Muen took a deep breath, not dwelling on the issue for long, and regained his smile.
"Forget it. Money is just a worldly possession. A small sacrifice like this won't shake me."
"You’re certainly taking it well," Ariel remarked, pursing her lips.
"What about you?"
Muen reached out and smoothed Ariel’s bangs, which had been meticulously styled by a professional makeup artist but had become slightly disheveled during their escape.
"Can you keep going?"
"Are you looking down on me?"
Ariel used her head to bump Muen’s hand away, expressing her dissatisfaction.
"I promised to go on one date with you. Even though I know it won't succeed, it’s not in my nature to give up halfway just because of a little thing like this."
"Excellent. Let’s go to the next—"
"Wait."
Ariel interrupted Muen, crossing her arms over her chest with a displeased look on her small face.
"We can continue, but the next one better not follow the same pattern. First it was an explosion, then a vengeful spirit. What’s next? An invading evil cultist? Give it a rest. I don't want to be the 'damsel in distress' for you to save three times in a row."
"...Don't worry."
Muen pulled out a Voice Transmission Stone, the veins on the back of his hand bulging from the force of his grip.
He gave a very friendly smile.
"I’ve also had quite enough of that meddling dead bear. I’ll deal with him right now…"
*
"Ooh! The 'hug of love' was a success!"
In a dark, hidden corner, watching the scene of Muen carrying Ariel out of the haunted house in a princess-carry, the Pink Bear suddenly tossed aside his small cat mask and let out a cry of pure satisfaction.
Perfect. Simply perfect.
Was there any other relationship master in this world who could devise a plan as flawless as his? With just a little bit of meddling, he had made two people who originally hated each other embrace so intimately.
A Casanova. He was practically a Casanova.
The Pink Bear felt that his skills in this area had already transcended the mortal realm, surpassing the level of a master and reaching a higher plane.
It was a non-human level that ordinary people simply couldn't comprehend.
"It’s done, Lord Oranriel!"
At this moment, Pars also ran back, wiping sweat from his brow, his excitement plain to see.
"The target has been successfully embraced—and it was a princess-carry! Given Miss Ariel’s personality, if she’s willing to be princess-carried, I feel like we could just send them straight to a cathedral and get them married right now!"
"Don't be hasty!"
Having become a Casanova, the Pink Bear felt that his every move had become sophisticated. He raised a hand, calming the impatient Pars.
"Now is not the time."
"Right, right. The date isn't over yet. I shouldn't be so impatient." Pars looked slightly ashamed. Even though he was the invited expert master, he had made such a mistake in his excitement.
"The roller coaster and the haunted house were nothing. According to our intel, the next attraction is the main event! If that step succeeds, forget a cathedral—we could send them straight to the bridal chamber…"
A fierce fire burned in the Pink Bear’s eyes. He could already see the image of Muen and Ariel successfully getting down to business under his expert guidance…
Ring-ring-ring-ring—
But the Voice Transmission Stone suddenly rang, interrupting the Pink Bear’s fantasies.
"Who is it? Interrupting my good work at a time like this."
The Pink Bear picked up the stone in annoyance and snapped, "You bastard, do you have any idea—Eek! It’s my dearest, most beloved… What? You’re coming back right now? Didn't you have a few more days… Oh, oh, it was moved up. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up as soon as I’m done with work…
"What? You’re already at the Imperial Palace?"
Cold sweat began to drip from the Pink Bear’s forehead.
"I… where am I? I’m busy with official business, of course. Inspecting… that’s right, inspecting the living conditions of Belland’s residents, contributing my part to the people’s happiness… Get back right now? I-I-I-I…"
You damn woman, didn't I say I’m busy? Can't you understand human speech?
Glancing at the two people in the distance who seemed to be heading toward a new attraction, the Pink Bear felt a surge of endless rage in his chest. He wished he could immediately show that senseless woman what a real man was. I might have been under your thumb before, but now I’m a Casanova!
I’ll let you witness the power of a Casanova right now!
"Yes, yes, yes…"
The Pink Bear immediately put on a fawning smile. "I’ll be back right away. Right away… give me five minutes… no, one minute. I’ll be there in one minute!"
"..."
With a beep, the Voice Transmission Stone was hung up.
Pars tilted his head to look at the clear sky, whistling and pretending he hadn't heard the conversation or seen the "Casanova" looking so pathetic.
"Ahem."
The Pink Bear coughed twice, as if his previous weakness had never existed. He remained as composed and sophisticated as ever, then solemnly patted Pars on the shoulder.
"Godfather, something urgent has come up. I’ll leave things here to you."
"Me?"
"You don't have enough time alone. Let’s skip the next attraction for now and leave it to the youngsters. There’s still one most important place left, isn't there?"
"This…"
"Don't let me down. You are Belland’s famous Love Godfather. Once this is done, the title of Casanova will be yours!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Pars was extremely humble.
But deep in his eyes, something subtle seemed to flash.
"My abilities are lacking, but if it is Lord Oranriel’s request… I shall naturally do my best to complete the mission."
*
"Let’s go. To the third attraction."
"The third attraction?"
Ariel looked up and saw a massive ring, over a hundred meters tall, standing in the center of the amusement park. Steel spokes made the ring look incredibly stable, and along its edge, cabins hung like fruit. Colored magic stones were embedded in them; though it wasn't dark yet, they were already flickering beautifully.
"What is this?" Ariel asked.
From the beginning, Ariel had been most interested in this attraction because it looked unique, and its appearance suited most people’s aesthetics, carrying a strange sense of atmosphere.
"That’s a Ferris wheel."
"Ferris wheel? The name is nice too."
Ariel raised an eyebrow. "How do you play it?"
"You don't need to 'play' it. You just sit inside."
Muen gallantly opened the cabin door. "After you."
"Just sit inside like this?"
Though a bit confused, Ariel obediently sat inside.
Muen followed her into the cabin, sitting opposite her.
Ariel looked around with curiosity. This way of playing seemed a bit similar to the roller coaster earlier, but the actual feeling was different.
For instance, the two of them sitting in such a small, enclosed space gave off a strange vibe.
If she didn't know that the guy opposite her wasn't the type to do anything bad to her in an enclosed space, she definitely wouldn't have sat inside while completely powerless. If danger were encountered in a place like this, there would be no way to escape.
"And then?"
"And then…"
Muen waved to the staff outside. "And then it starts moving."
As soon as Muen finished speaking, a slight hum came from the very center of the giant ring. The entire cabin trembled once, and then, as the ring began to rotate, it slowly rose.
Ariel continued to look around with anticipation, but after waiting for a while, there were no other changes besides their position getting higher.
"That’s it?"
"That’s it."
"What’s so fun about this?"
Ariel was completely baffled.
Rising so slowly, like a snail—the level of excitement wasn't even as good as the roller coaster earlier.
And at least on the roller coaster, you could feel the wind. Being locked in an enclosed space like this, you couldn't feel anything except the breath of the person opposite you.
"It isn't particularly 'fun.'"
Sitting in an enclosed space, waiting for the Ferris wheel to complete one rotation at an extremely slow pace—from the perspective of "playing," it definitely couldn't be called fun.
But…
"From another perspective, a Ferris wheel isn't meant for 'playing,'" Muen said.
"If it’s not for playing, then what is it for?" Ariel asked curiously.
Muen didn't answer, instead giving a meaningful, gentle smile.
"Did you know? It’s said that the success rate for confessions on a Ferris wheel is as high as ninety-five percent."
"..."
Ariel’s breath hitched.
Her pupils dilated slightly, and her entire body suddenly tensed up. Faced with Muen’s seemingly informative statement, she felt an inexplicable panic and didn't know how to respond.
"Wait, no."
Ariel snapped out of it and huffed, "Didn't you invent this thing? What 'ninety-five percent success rate'? You’re lying to me!"
"Do you really think I’m lying to you?"
"..."
Ariel bit her lip, almost letting out that phrase "I believe you" again.
"You still believe me."
Muen’s smile grew even softer, but he didn't dwell on the question for long. He turned to look out the cabin window and said:
"It seems my arrangements were fine. The timing is perfect."
"Timing?"
"Look outside."
"At what?"
"The scenery."
"..."
Ariel frowned slightly, truly not understanding what was so great about the scenery Muen mentioned.
She had once used a Levitation Spell to fly above the white clouds, much higher than this mere hundred-meter Ferris wheel. Even then, she hadn't spared the scenery a second glance, having no leisure to look… so what could she see sitting in this tiny cabin?
But Ariel turned to look anyway.
She saw the sunset. An orange sunset.
Half the sky was dyed crimson by the blazing evening clouds, and fish-scale clouds dotted the end of the world. When Ariel’s eyes met that setting sun, her gaze seemed to be ignited by it as well.
The world was full of light, but darkness was also peeking out from far away. Indescribable colors and vastness flooded into Ariel’s mind, making her feel as if she were standing in the very center of the world.
She was rising with the Ferris wheel, while the sun, radiating its afterglow, was descending.
The boundary between light and dark moved from one end to the other. Ariel subconsciously chased that boundary, inexplicably wishing it would go a little slower.
Wishing time would go a little slower.
However, time naturally wouldn't slow down, and the boundary line rushed toward the distance without stopping. Ariel watched as it swept over the districts of Belland below, suddenly finding those places somewhat familiar.
She saw narrow, cramped alleys; she saw a bread factory that had long since gone bankrupt; she saw the convent that had been renovated not long ago; and she saw, on the small hill at the edge of the convent, the sturdy tree that had endured countless strikes from wooden swords but still stood tall.
These were the places she had once been.
When she was at her weakest and most helpless, she had scrambled through those alleys just to find a place to stay for the night. She had worked from morning till night in that black-hearted bread factory just to get a bit of bread to fill her stomach.
Fortunately, she had been taken in by that once-shabby little convent. There, she had a nagging, ill-tempered Matron and dull, boring morning prayers, but at least she could eat her fill… and under that big tree, she had met Liya for the first time.
Whether painful or beautiful, tumbling memories rose and sank with the blurred light and shadows. The boundary line continued forward, as if it wanted to leave time itself behind.
Ariel saw St. Maria Academy again. It was far away, but she could vaguely see the tip of the academy’s very tall clock tower, gleaming in the sunset.
The academy was too far, so it was blurry. She had only been enrolled for a few short years, yet she already found it hard to remember what that blonde bastard she used to hate most actually looked like.
Now, this annoying but not hateful Muen Campbell was becoming increasingly clear.
"Is it beautiful?" the annoying Muen Campbell asked.
"...It is," Ariel answered truthfully.
"Is it pretty?"
"Pretty."
Ariel turned her head back.
At that moment, she realized that she wasn't the only one looking at the scenery. The annoying Muen Campbell was also looking at her, and he was very close, as there was only a foot of space between them.
"You are very beautiful, too."
He said.
In an instant, the sun completely sank below the horizon, and the world plunged into darkness.
But in Muen’s eyes, light still lingered.
The sunset hadn't disappeared.
The sunset remained in his eyes.
And it was even brighter than before.
Thump-thump…
The silence was broken by an annoying sound. Ariel could no longer ignore the uncontrollable, rapid drumbeat. This tiny cabin was so quiet that no other sound could be heard.
Except for another heartbeat.
Under that gaze, Ariel suddenly found it hard to breathe. The temperature began to rise. Even though she was wearing a light gauze dress, she felt an inexplicable heat.
She finally understood why this thing called a Ferris wheel could have a ninety-five percent confession success rate.
It wasn't because it had some magical power, but because here, not only could you not escape danger, you also had nowhere to run from such a burning gaze.
A narrow space, a high altitude with no retreat—in each other’s gaze, all your disguises would be peeled away layer by layer until the deepest part of you was exposed, with nowhere left to hide.
On the other side, Muen’s breathing also began to grow heavy, but he remained steady, gazing at Ariel with eyes devoid of any malice.
From just now, from the start of the date, he had often looked at Ariel—many, many times.
But this time was different. Simply looking at that pretty face could no longer satisfy him; he wanted to go a step further.
First it was holding hands, then it was an embrace… his transgressions came one after another, each deeper than the last.
So, since the atmosphere right now was so beautiful—beautiful like the stars that were gradually becoming blurred… it would be okay if he was a little more transgressive, right?
Muen stood up, then slowly leaned over.
All light had completely vanished. This moment was like the instant before dawn, the darkest of times.
Dark enough to make one easily accept something quite embarrassing.
Ariel’s delicate body tensed, then relaxed, tensed, then relaxed, occasionally accompanied by a slight tremble, repeating in a cycle.
But in the end, she didn't push him away. She only stared with wide eyes, looking at him somewhat blankly.
And so, filled with anticipation, Muen gently leaned in for a kiss.
Without any obstacle, without any resistance, he gradually drew closer to the girl, gradually inhaling her scent, and then… he kissed something soft.
But it wasn't her lips.
It was the palm of a hand blocking them.
"No…"
Ariel panted, her cheeks flushed as if she had used up all her strength. She whispered:
"Not yet…"