Chapter 88: Saving the Beautiful Muen
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Saving the Beautiful Muen
The person in the mirror, despite wearing an ill-fitting white shirt and boxers, could not hide that exquisite face and curvaceous figure. A cascade of wavy golden hair draped down, reminiscent of an endless field of ripening grain.
However, this woman looked a bit familiar...
"Wait? Is this... me?"
Muen suddenly snapped out of it, his expression turning even more vacant.
What’s going on?
What do I do?
How did this happen?
How had he suddenly turned into a woman?
After a brief existential crisis, Muen instinctively reached out and gave a squeeze to that pair of large, perfectly shaped breasts—the kind that could fuel a man’s wildest fantasies.
Hmm... the texture is quite nice.
However, there was no sensation from the chest itself. It felt like... he had two water balloons hanging off his torso?
"As expected, it’s just an illusion?"
Muen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
In the world of a Soaring Phoenix novel, suddenly turning into a woman was terrifying. It usually meant a one-way ticket to "feminization" and being added to the original protagonist's harem.
The thought of himself dressing up, putting on makeup, and competing for Ariel’s favor in her harem... Ugh. What kind of unspeakable, chaotic demonic development was that? Even the harem and yuri fans would be left speechless.
"So, this is the effect of the potion? Changing one's appearance to that of a woman?"
Muen rubbed his chin in thought.
"That’s why it was useless for the Senior."
Thinking of this, Muen felt a stroke of luck.
Fortunately, the potion was slow-acting, and he had transformed in his dorm. If he had changed in front of the Senior, with her little devil personality, she probably would have turned it into a personal makeover session on the spot.
The image of the Senior approaching him with a wicked, wolf-like grin while holding a frilly little skirt made Muen shudder.
"Looks like early morning training is out for now. I’ll go back to bed for a bit."
Estimating that the potion's effect would take some time to wear off, Muen prepared to catch some more sleep.
Fortunately, the shock of this accident had diluted the fear from his prophetic dream.
"So much has happened already; surely there won't be any more unexpected developments."
*
"Student Ryan, you couldn't possibly have grown up... without ever being liked by a girl, right?"
In a dark room, Ryan sat in silent contemplation.
Even though so much time had passed, those words from Muen Campbell continued to echo in his mind.
Like a curse, they startled him awake at midnight and kept him from sleep.
But—
"That is all in the past!"
Ryan looked up, his eyes flashing with a burning intensity in the darkness.
"You want to know why? Because I have found my true love!"
With that, he stood up and opened the wardrobe in front of him.
The wardrobe was filled with underwear.
Densely packed, stacked in layers, in various styles... men’s underwear!
Ryan picked up a pair, his face filled with ecstasy.
"The great Love God has taught me the meaning of true love."
"Therefore, I no longer need those so-called women."
"I don't need them!"
Ryan let out a fanatical shout, slammed the wardrobe shut, and added layer upon layer of locks to it.
Finally, he walked out of the room.
Outside, a group of muscular men stood waiting in silence.
"Let’s go," Ryan said. "I’ll take you to find Muen Campbell."
*
BOOM!
Muen had just climbed into bed, his covers not even warm yet, when a violent explosion sounded from the distance.
"What happened?"
Muen bolted upright, looking out the window in horror.
An enemy invasion?
No, no.
The enemy invasion event wasn't supposed to happen for another month!
"Thunder. It must just be thunder."
Even though the weather outside was clear enough to see the stars, it was definitely thunder. No doubt about it.
His month of leisure hadn't even started yet.
How could it end before it even began?
Muen nodded vigorously, as if trying to convince himself.
Then he rolled himself in the blanket and went back to sleep...
Sleep, my ass!
The school was clearly being bombed.
And looking at the location, it was the teachers' dormitory area!
There were plenty of experts and professors living there. Who the hell was bold enough to start an invasion on "Hell Mode"?
Muen scrambled out of bed, intending to put on clothes no matter what. Otherwise, if someone saw him in this shirt and boxers—especially with the appearance of a busty, cute girl...
BOOM!
Another explosion.
This one was close.
Very close!
So close that the flying wood chips and stone debris almost grazed the tip of Muen's nose.
"Holy shit—"
Looking at the door to his room that had suddenly blown open, Muen didn't even have time to express his shock and anger before he was frozen by the sight that followed.
Through the swirling smoke and dust, a horde of muscular men wearing nothing but thongs swarmed in.
These men were all bald, with muscles like wild bulls. Their skin was coated in some kind of liquid that reflected the dim light with an oily sheen.
Bulgaria.
The King.
Deep Dark Fantasies.
♂.
These bizarre terms flashed through Muen's mind.
If it were just one muscular man, Muen might have appreciated him like a bodybuilding champion.
But for so many to pop out at once...
Muen felt his eyes begin to ache.
What the hell was this?
An offline meetup for fitness instructors?
"Is this the place?"
The muscular men were clearly well-trained.
They moved swiftly, silently, and efficiently.
After orderly flooding into the relatively small single dormitory, they quickly secured all the doors and windows, leaving no room for anyone inside to escape.
Then, an exceptionally powerful muscular man—one who had to duck his head to pass through the blasted hole in the wall—stepped inside. He scanned the room with a cold expression.
When his gaze passed over Muen, his eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly looked away.
Failing to find the person he wanted, the High Priest frowned in dissatisfaction and asked the person beside him:
"Didn't you say this was Muen Campbell's room? Where is he?"
"This is definitely Muen Campbell's room."
The only muscular man wearing clothes scratched his head in confusion.
The moment Muen saw him, his eyes widened.
Ryan!
What was he doing here?
Wait, no—he actually didn't look out of place at all among this group of muscle-heads.
But that wasn't the point. The point was...
Their target seemed to be me?
But because of the potion, they didn't realize I was me?
"I don't care if it's the right room; the question is, where is the person?"
The High Priest scanned the small room again, not even missing the dark corners. After still failing to find his target, he pointed angrily at Muen. "Aside from this blonde beauty, tell me, where is there any sign of Muen Campbell?"
"But..."
Ryan was still confused.
This was definitely Room 526.
They were on the same floor; how could he have remembered it wrong?
He turned to look at Muen.
His gaze swept over the unfamiliar blonde beauty. He froze for a second, and then, as if he had discovered something, a look of realization dawned on his face.
Muen’s heart tightened.
Did he figure it out...
"I get it!"
Ryan slapped his knee.
"That Muen Campbell is a playboy, so this woman must be his girlfriend! She definitely knows where he is!"
"Is that so?"
"Exactly. It has to be."
With that, Ryan's expression immediately turned malicious.
"To think he secretly brought his girlfriend back to the dorms... this is too envi—I mean, too scandalous! Such indecent behavior! Does he have no respect for the school rules?"
And you bringing a bunch of naked men into the dorms doesn't violate the rules?
Muen couldn't help but complain internally, but then he paused.
Bringing men into a male dormitory... technically, that really didn't violate any rules.
...
"I see."
The High Priest nodded, seemingly accepting Ryan's logic.
He turned and looked at Muen.
Even though there were several meters between them, he didn't approach. Instead, he asked coldly:
"Beautiful lady, could you please tell me where Muen Campbell is?"
Muen, feeling it was a bit strange to talk from so far away, twitched his lips. He lowered his pitch, mimicked a woman's voice, and forced a smile.
"Um... I... I don't know, tee-hee."
"You don't know? But aren't you his girlfriend? He wouldn't just leave his girlfriend alone in his room."
"I'm not his girlfriend. I'm... I'm..."
Muen’s mind raced as he explained, "I'm his younger sister. I'm just staying in his room for the night, so I don't know where he went off to fool around."
"That’s not right."
Ryan frowned.
"Isn't the Campbell family a single-child line for generations? Where did Muen Campbell get a sister?"
"..."
Damn it, is the Campbell family's lack of heirs common knowledge?
Muen’s smile stiffened, and he immediately corrected himself.
"Cousin! I'm his cousin! I just enrolled at St. Maria this year. I'm still a fresh-faced first-year, so it's normal that no one knows me."
"I see."
The High Priest nodded, showing no suspicion toward Muen's claim.
After all, the blonde beauty before him did bear a resemblance to the Muen Campbell in the portraits.
Compared to a girlfriend, a cousin was indeed more believable.
"But since you're his cousin..."
The High Priest’s expression turned cold again. "Perhaps at a critical moment, you can be used to force Muen Campbell to surrender. You there, go and tie her up."
"Yes!"
Ryan took the order. Holding a coil of hemp rope, he began walking toward Muen.
Muen’s breath hitched.
He quietly hid his hand behind his back, gripping a fruit knife he had snatched from the table.
Should I strike? Should I strike?
Although his chances against a dozen muscular big brothers were low, surrendering just like this would be...
"Huh?"
Muen, caught in his internal struggle, tilted his head in confusion.
Ryan hadn't come up to bind him. Instead, he stood in front of Muen, pacing back and forth with the rope, appearing hesitant. His gaze occasionally swept over Muen—specifically over the two large mounds restrained by buttons, which only made them more prominent. Ryan's rugged, fleshy face suddenly turned slightly red.
"Um..."
Ryan scratched his head and turned back to the High Priest awkwardly.
"High Priest, I've never actually touched a girl before. I've heard that girls' bodies are very soft. What if I use too much force and she just... breaks?"
What kind of pure-hearted boy are you? The kind that blushes just looking at a girl?
Muen was dumbfounded by Ryan's shy remark.
But it didn't end there.
The High Priest, who looked as cold as iron—as if he wouldn't blink even if a river of blood flowed before him—also blushed after hearing Ryan's words.
"I haven't touched a girl either, so I don't know."
Muen: "..."
What kind of organization is this?
The Pure Boys' Mutual Aid Society?
Wake up! Pure boys staying with pure boys will never gain experience with the opposite sex! You'll never find a girlfriend like this!
"Then what do we do?" Ryan asked.
The High Priest frowned and looked around. "Have any of you had contact with a girl?"
"No."
All the muscular men shook their heads in unison.
Are you kidding? Touching a cow would be a violation of their tenets and result in being burned at the stake. How could they have touched a woman?
Besides, the so-called True Love Cult was a group that could survive on nothing but beer, dumbbells, and the sweat and groans of men. Where was there room for women?
"Let me do it."
Just then, like a savior appearing at the end of the world, a relatively young-looking muscular man stepped forward.
He pulled out a pair of shackles, his expression as solemn as a soldier heading to the battlefield after making a "I'll go home and get married after this war" vow.
All the muscular men watched him in silence, as if witnessing the birth of a hero.
The High Priest couldn't help but show a look of admiration.
With members willing to make such fearless sacrifices, how could the True Love Cult fail to prosper?
The young muscular man walked toward Muen.
Muen glanced at the shackles in his hand. After some thought, he abandoned the idea of attacking. He hid the fruit knife behind his boxers and cooperatively held out his hands.
The young man held his breath, carefully locking the shackles onto Muen's wrists.
But no matter how careful he was, his hand inevitably brushed against Muen's.
He touched what he believed to be a woman's hand.
And then.
It was as if a bucket of red paint had been dumped over his head; his face turned crimson all the way to his neck.
His heart hammered in his chest like a husky that had been cooped up for a month and was finally allowed to run wild.
Even Muen could clearly hear his heartbeat.
"I..."
The young muscular man stumbled back a few steps. Feeling the lingering softness on his fingertips, he clutched his chest, his expression dazed.
After a brief hesitation, he stared at Muen's face and spoke in a trembling voice, "Mama, I think I'm in love."
Fuck.
In love, my ass! You're just shy because you've never touched a girl!
Muen didn't even know how to begin roasting him.
Falling in love just by touching a hand—what kind of kindergartner are you?
Do you want me to—
The next moment.
Before Muen could finish his internal monologue, his eyes widened.
Blood sprayed before him.
The young man, whose face still held traces of shyness and confusion, suddenly had his head lopped off by a blade right before Muen's disbelieving eyes.
It was so sudden.
Hot blood splashed across Muen's face, staining his white shirt with hideous red spots.
The young man's head rolled to Muen's feet, his eyes still wide, unable to rest in peace.
The High Priest retracted the cold, gleaming blade in his hand and sneered:
"Another piece of filth who violated the scriptures."
Gurgle, gurgle...
As soon as the High Priest finished speaking, the young man's corpse began to writhe. The flesh seemed to gain a consciousness of its own, tearing away from the bones and skin that once bound it. It twisted and tore, the shapes of organs and tendons vaguely visible, yet it crawled up the High Priest's body like a swarm of maggots. Then, it burrowed into the heavy Black Book the High Priest held in one hand.
A faint, pleasurable groan of drinking blood and eating flesh echoed from the book.
In less than ten seconds, only a skeleton wrapped in withered skin remained before Muen.
Muen was chilled to the bone.
At that moment, he felt that spine-chillingly familiar aura from the book once again.
He finally understood why these muscular men, who had appeared out of nowhere, were looking for him by name.
They were believers of that Love God.
The Corrupted Love God, whom Muen had recently humiliated, defeated, and ground into dust.
One could say their grudge was now greater than if Muen had insulted the deity's mother.
Though an evil god didn't have a mother, that being definitely wanted Muen dead. Otherwise, it wouldn't have spent two precious seconds learning human speech just to leave a parting threat.
Muen knew how serious the consequences of being targeted by an evil god were, and he had been preparing for it.
He just didn't expect...
The revenge to come so quickly!
According to the usual tropes, after a protagonist provokes a villain, the villain should at least give the protagonist some time to level up. Otherwise, if the villain just slaps the protagonist to death, how is the plot supposed to progress?
But how many days had it been?
Not even half a month.
Does your soul for troublemaking have no limits?
—Ah, wait, he wasn't the protagonist. Never mind then.
"Hmm? Why do you look so scared?"
The High Priest looked at Muen, puzzled.
"Be... because someone just died in front of me."
Muen tried his best to steady his shaking legs and forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"For a delicate little girl, shouldn't I be scared?"
"...I see."
The High Priest rubbed his chin. "I don't know much about women. Are they really such fragile creatures?"
Ordinary men are fragile too, you bastard! If I hadn't seen Eluka's transformation before, I'd probably be on my knees by now.
Muen gave the tall High Priest a "I'm a weakling, please ignore me" smile while slowly backing away.
Don't panic, Muen. Don't panic yet.
People corrupted by the Love God usually aren't very bright because their distorted love has eroded most of their reason. These muscle-heads probably haven't realized I'm Muen yet.
Stay calm, then find a chance to slip away.
Even if I can't slip away with so many of them watching, this is St. Maria Academy. As long as I stall and wait patiently, rescue will definitely come!
"Let us continue."
The High Priest tucked away the Black Book and shouted orders to the surrounding men. "We must find that Muen Campbell who desecrated the Divine and sacrifice him to the great Love God!"
"Sacrifice him to the great Love God!" the muscular men echoed fanatically, seemingly unbothered that their companion had just become food for an unknown entity.
*
"Wait, the rescue I wanted wasn't supposed to happen like this!"
On the rooftop of the dormitory, the wind howled.
Muen looked despairing. With the High Priest's blade at his back, he was forced to stand on the edge of the railing.
The dormitory area below was brightly lit.
Accompanied by piercing alarms, various lights created by magic or artifacts illuminated half the sky as if it were day.
Terrifying explosions, mixed with the cries of lower-year students, rang out from time to time.
Many muscular men were running around causing destruction.
The area below the dorms was in chaos. The younger students had never seen anything like this, and most were fleeing in terror.
But in that chaos, Muen could vaguely see some familiar figures moving against the crowd to join the fray, battling the muscular men.
Further away, reinforcements from the upper years were quickly approaching.
Aside from the cowards who ran and the teachers who, for some reason, hadn't arrived yet, half the academy was converging on this dormitory building.
It was incredibly lively.
And right then.
Under Muen's dead-eyed gaze.
The High Priest stood beside him and slowly raised a...
Magic! Megaphone!
"MUEN CAMPBELL—"
The massive voice echoed.
In an instant.
The noisy area below fell silent.
"Look who I have in my hands! This must be someone very important to you! If you want to save her, stop hiding like a coward! Stand out like a man! I'll be waiting for you right here!"
Whether they were fighting, fleeing, or approaching, everyone was drawn by the booming voice and looked up.
Then they saw the tall muscular man and the eye-catching, strangely dressed blonde beauty standing beside him.
Wow, what a beautiful blonde.
The moment all those eyes shifted toward him, even though he was standing on a freezing rooftop in thin clothing, Muen felt his face grow hotter than ever before.
Yamete.
Please.
Don't look.
Don't look at me.
I'm begging you, don't look at me!
*
"Muen Campbell again. What kind of trouble has he stirred up now?"
Ariel swung a ruler-shaped greatsword larger than her own body. After knocking out a charging muscular man, she looked up toward the voice.
Then, her expression, which had been slightly annoyed at the mention of Muen Campbell, suddenly turned serious.
"I'm going to save that beauty," Ariel declared.
"Eh—"
Beside her, Liya, who was constantly releasing Holy Light to support Ariel, cried out in surprise.
"But there are so many enemies there. Is that beauty an acquaintance of yours, Ariel?"
"No, I don't know her. In fact, I'm even a bit annoyed because she seems to be related to that Muen Campbell.
But—"
Ariel rubbed her smooth chin and said seriously:
"That beauty really hits my preferences. I can't just leave her like that."
"I'm your childhood friend and I'm right here, yet you're obsessing over another woman! Ariel, you're so mean!" Liya shouted tearfully.
"I'll just go get her Voice Transmission Stone frequency and come right back!"
But Ariel had already charged out. Though helpless, Liya could only follow.
*
In the shadows where the light couldn't reach, an alluring figure darted through the trees, moving as fluidly as a snake.
Suddenly, the figure stopped, standing on a branch and gazing at the beautiful blonde figure on the dormitory roof.
"Junior?"
A stray beam of light from the distance illuminated an exquisite face with a seductive aura.
"So that's what the potion does?"
A look of understanding appeared in Anna's eyes, but it immediately turned into a heart-stirring, charming smile.
"As expected of Junior Muen."
The corners of Anna's mouth curled up, and her beautiful eyes narrowed, making the mole at the corner of her eye look even more enchanting.
"He really never lets things get boring."
With that, Anna turned back into a flickering shadow and sped toward the dormitory.
*
"They even took a student hostage?"
In the Student Council room, Celicia looked at the brightly lit dormitory area, her expression dark.
She hadn't expected the academy, protected by the Three Layer Grand Ritual, to be invaded by outsiders.
"No, with the protection of the Third Layer Grand Ritual, the academy shouldn't be penetrable by trash that can only bully students. Which means..."
The Third Layer Grand Ritual had been deactivated?
Why?
Was this the change brought about by the Pink Bear?
Or was the real reason something he was unwilling or unable to say—some truth bound by a Silence Oath?
Celicia’s eyes flickered.
Regardless, as the Student Council President, she couldn't just sit by.
Although she didn't know why the teachers and professors hadn't made a move since the initial explosion, she couldn't interfere there for now. It was better to clean up these disgusting insects first.
Celicia stood up, preparing to head to the dorms.
But after just two steps, as if sensing something, she froze, her gaze sinking.
"Wei'er."
"He... here."
Wei'er's voice came from outside the door.
"Take the Student Council elites and clear out the insects in the dormitory area. Remember, the priority is the safe rescue of the hostage."
"Yes!"
Wei'er answered firmly, but then asked with a hint of confusion:
"What about you, President?"
"You go first. I have something to handle."
"Understood."
Out of trust for Celicia, Wei'er didn't ask further and quickly departed.
After Wei'er left, everything returned to silence.
An absolute silence.
It was as if all background noise had been stripped from this small room. Celicia could only hear her own slightly quickened breathing.
She lowered her head, staring at the floor.
From the corners of the room, the mottled shadows cast by the moonlight twisted and stretched toward her, only to be blocked by a thin layer of ice less than twenty centimeters from her feet.
The shadows prowled around the ice like wolves preparing to hunt a flock of sheep.
"Whew—"
After a suffocating silence, the sound of a second person's breathing echoed in the room.
A withered figure shrouded in a black robe, holding a dim lantern, looked at the expressionless Celicia. His voice contained a hint of genuine admiration:
"I didn't expect the Princess to notice so early. A pity, truly a pity. Just a little more, and the Third Princess, the pride of the Empire, would have perished here."
"I didn't expect it either..."
Celicia looked up, her pale blue eyes seemingly frozen with eternal ice.
"That at the same time, the followers of two different evil gods would grace our St. Maria Academy."
Outside the window.
From Celicia’s perspective, the bright, clear moon had, at some point, turned a cold, chilling blue.
And under the radiance of that deathly blue moonlight, the shadows of all things in the world seemed to transform into hideous, malevolent ghosts.
An Evil God.
The Silent Moon!