Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1074: Origin Pillarsʼ Rising: Part-1

The Representative Professors, each bearing the pride of their own Empires, stood shoulder to shoulder in a tight formation, their bodies trembling under the immense strain.

They were grouped together with a singular mission—to keep the Origin Pillars sealed beneath the earth. Their combined effort was the last line of defence.

”Just how much longer do we have to keep holding this damn thing?” one of them muttered in a hoarse voice, his tone laced with fatigue and frustration. His expression was drained, sweat dripping from his jaw as if his strength had already been scraped to the bone.

He looked like a man on the verge of collapsing.

Delphine, standing firmly at the centre, narrowed her eyes. Her long coat fluttered slightly in the low, magical wind that whispered from the churning barrier. ”We hold the line until the construction above is complete,” she said in a tone that was sharp, focused, and unwavering. Her voice carried the weight of command, yet also the burden of responsibility. ”We donʼt get to break. Not here. We are the Representative Professors of our respective Empires. If we fail now, we are no different from ordinary lecturers with fancy robes and no spine.”

The air trembled faintly as they all tightened their fists, channelling more magic into the barrier.

Then, amidst the concentration, Delphineʼs brow furrowed. A distinct, deliberate set of footsteps echoed in the dim tunnel. Her head snapped toward the noise. Her eyes sharpened. ”Whoʼs there?” she called out sternly. Her voice cut through the hum of the barrier. ”This place is a restricted area... wait—Victor?”

Her breath caught the moment she saw him—white hair that shimmered faintly under the glow of the magical barrier, and a half mask hiding one side of his face.

That smug aura was unmistakable.

”Hello, Mrs. Delphine~” Victor greeted, his lips curled into a crooked smirk. His voice was casual, laced with mischief, like he knew exactly what effect his presence would cause.

Delphineʼs cheeks flushed a noticeable red, but she quickly hardened her expression, lifting her chin with a forced huff. ”Thatʼs Ms. Delphine to you,” she corrected coolly, folding her arms tightly across her chest. ”I have yet to be married, thank you very much.”

Victor smirked, ”But I heard from my old friend that you got married recen--”

”A-ANYWAY...” she suddenly snapped louder than intended, trying to mask the flutter in her chest. Her tone shifted into a trembling sternness as she struggled to regain composure. ”What the hell are you doing here? This place isnʼt for idle visitors.”

Victorʼs smirk only widened as he walked a few steps closer, hands in his pockets, gaze flicking lazily across the barrier and the throbbing Origin Pillars beyond. ”Relax... Iʼm just here to observe. Curiosity, thatʼs all. Wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

Behind the barrier, the Origin Pillars pulsed with a strange rhythm, like ancient hearts awakening from centuries of slumber.

They rose slowly from the earth, not by any mechanical force, but seemingly through their own will. No chains, no gears—just raw, mystical motion. Thick, sinewy veins sprawled from the base like tree roots, reaching deep into the ground and spreading out far wider than any of them had ever seen.

It was as if the roots of the world itself had begun to stir.

Victor tilted his head, watching them stretch skyward and push against the cave ceiling. The magical barrier strained visibly, rippling under pressure.

”When exactly did this start happening?” he asked in a tone more curious than alarmed.

One of the Professors, his tone clipped and displeased, stepped forward slightly. ”Even if you are the Principalʼs favoured disciple, this is classified territory. Only a select few are permitted here. You should leave. Now. Before the Principal returns.”

Victor ignored the hostility entirely and glanced sideways at Delphine. She gave an awkward half-smile, her fingers twitching against her sleeve.

”Itʼs been a week,” she admitted with a shrug. ”Since the activation, I mean.”

The other Professors immediately exchanged worried glances. Some frowned. One clenched his jaw.

Delphine sighed. ”You seriously thought heʼd show up here without her knowledge? Without permission? As if he just wandered in?”

That made them fall silent. Of course, he hadnʼt. They all knew better now.

ʼSo... the activation began before the final two Ebon Stones even responded. Which means it wasnʼt triggered by those. No… something else set this off. Itʼs… independent. Like a seed that decided to grow on its own,ʼ he mused, brow furrowing in thought.

Then, as if brushing off the weight of the situation, he exhaled with a lazy grin. ”Well then… I hope you all enjoy your little babysitting duty down here,” he said with a mocking chuckle, pivoting on his foot to leave.

Veins twitched on every forehead around him.

But before he vanished into the shadows, Victor turned back and threw one last comment over his shoulder with theatrical flair. ”Oh, and by the way, the Principal is calling for you… Mrs. Delphine~”

The deliberate use of the title hit her like a slap. Her face burned crimson as every pair of eyes slowly turned toward her.

”O-Okay! Guys... could you take over from here?” she blurted, nearly tripping over her words as she spun away. ”Iʼll be back soon!” She stomped off hurriedly, not daring to meet any of their gazes.

The Professors watched her disappear, a few blinking in stunned confusion.

”H-Have you ever seen her react like that?”

”Y-Yeah... she was definitely blushing, right?”

Meanwhile, Delphine marched up the steps, her heels echoing with a mix of righteous fury and mortified embarrassment. Her brows were furrowed, her mouth twitching.

”I-I cannot believe that smug bastard said it like it was nothing!!” she hissed under her breath, her cheeks still hot as a furnace.

Whenever she was in front of him... her composure just crumbled. Every little tease, every smug grin—he knew exactly what buttons to push, and he did it shamelessly.

ʼDamn him! I swear Iʼll tear that mask off and slap that grin right off his stupid face!ʼ she fumed internally.

As she climbed with determined, seething steps, she suddenly felt a strong hand reach out from around the corner and yank her into the shadows.

”HI!!” Delphine shrieked, her body instantly tensing as she prepared to unleash her magic. But then—

Victor stood in front of her, grinning like a devil whoʼd just pulled off the perfect prank. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

”B-Bastard!” she hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at him as her face burned redder than ever. Her fists trembled, caught between the urge to punch him and the irrational butterflies twisting in her chest.

Victor leaned in without hesitation, stealing a kiss right from Delphineʼs lips. At first, she stiffened—her eyes wide in surprise, body tensed with instinctive resistance. But only for a second. Her breath hitched, heart thudded, and slowly, she gave in—her lips pressing back against his with a soft, longing warmth that betrayed her own craving.

The heat surged between them like wildfire... until she remembered where she was.

With a gasp, she pushed him back, flustered, breathless, and cheeks glowing crimson.

”Hmm~... W-Wait! The Principal called me! I-I donʼt have time for this!” she stammered, trying to gather her composure while hiding the fact that sheʼd almost lost herself in his kiss.

Victor merely shrugged with a lazy grin, that trademark cheeky glint in his eyes.

”Nah. Nobody called you,” he said casually, completely unapologetic.

Delphine blinked, her expression shifting from flustered to flat, ”You... you just lied?”

Victor smirked wider, eyes twinkling. ”Wasnʼt it obvious? I just missed you~” he teased, and in the same breath, reached around and gave her ass a playful pinch.

Delphine yelped softly, a shiver running down her spine as she trembled from the sudden touch. Her face turned a deeper shade of red. She shoved him with both hands against his chest and barked, voice wobbling between sternness and embarrassment, ”Y-You need to behave properly, young man! This is not how a student should act in front of a professor!”

Victor leaned closer with a devilish whisper, his voice dripping with teasing delight.

”Role play, huh? Hehe... I donʼt mind one bit, Professor~”

Her whole face turned beet red in an instant. She clenched her fists, she reached her teasing limit and snapped,

BOOOMMM!!

Her punch shot through the air like a missile—but Victor, with a fraction-of-a-second reaction, vanished from her sight. The blow landed hard on the wall behind him.

Stone exploded.

Dust shook.

The impact echoed like a thunderclap.

Delphine blinked in utter shock. Her own power startled her for a moment. She hadnʼt even been trying that hard—or at least, she thought she hadnʼt.

Before she could even register where Victor had disappeared to, a warm arm slipped around her waist from behind. His chest pressed gently against her back. His breath, hot and teasing, brushed against the nape of her neck.

”Surprise, surprise... looks like Iʼm getting faster~” Victor whispered softly, the smugness evident in his voice.

Delphine flinched, her neck tingling from his breath, a mix of irritation and involuntary shivers rippling through her.

”Haha...” she chuckled weakly, struggling to keep a straight face.

But then—

Crack...

The sound was sharp. Too sharp.

Both of them froze and looked up.

A long fracture had formed on the stone wall where her punch had landed—spidering outward, faint but deadly.

Victorʼs eye twitched.

ʼHow much power did she actually put into that punch...?ʼ he thought with a sudden hint of concern. He glanced at her, his expression unreadable, one brow raised in cautious inquiry.

Delphineʼs face flushed with embarrassment. ”W-Well...” she started, eyes darting away. She hadnʼt meant to punch that hard.

Really!

But after spending an entire week cooped up underground, carrying most of the workload on her own, constantly hearing annoying words from other professors, and getting no appreciation whatsoever... she mightʼve let her frustration slip into that one punch.

Just a bit.

She cleared her throat, pretending like it was all under control.

”Y-You dodged, right? Thatʼs why it hit the wall instead. Totally not my fault,” she said with a confident shrug, lifting her chin with a knowingly smug look.

Victor just stared at her with a deadpan expression, as if to say: Really?

Crack...

Another hairline fracture formed, then another.

Crack... crack...

Like a spiderweb laced with tension, the entire wall began to splinter. Stone groaned under invisible pressure.

Delphineʼs eyes widened.

Victor raised a brow.

”...Oh, shit,” Delphine muttered.

TTTRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

The entire underground section gave way with a thunderous roar, the floor collapsing inwards in a massive surge of dust and stone.

Without a moment of hesitation, Victor wrapped an arm around Delphineʼs waist and teleported them both into the air. The cold sky greeted them as they reappeared above the surface, watching in horrified silence as the earth beneath them sank in.

A wide portion of the ground had caved in—swallowed by the collapse of the underground chamber.

The Origin Pillars, raised, exposed, stood tall in the midst of the wreckage. Debris tumbled. Dust rose in thick plumes.

Delphine stood frozen in Victorʼs arms, suspended in the air, her face drained of all colour. Her lips parted in horror as she realised...

She had practically buried her fellow professors alive.

The very ones who were supposed to be protecting the Origin Pillars alongside her.

Victor, after a long pause, finally exhaled.

”...Well... shit happens sometimes,” he muttered.