Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1015: There’s a possibility I could cure those mutated children!

Aether decided to bring Xara to his Empire for one important reason... which was...

”Wow... What are these?... Oh my goodness... Isnʼt that... a blood-sucking tube? Oh... itʼs a filter, right? Oh my god!! Itʼs a high-level filter that even has the ability to filter micro-level... Beaks? Tubes? Elemental separator? Mixer?...” Xaraʼs face lit up with fascination as she looked around the room, her eyes wide and sparkling, marvelling at the sea of unfamiliar technology that seemed deeply connected to blood manipulation and alchemy.

Yes, this was the same forbidden place the previous Dragon Emperor had used for his vile and twisted deeds... creating unnatural, malformed children in his mad quest to extend his wicked lifespan.

Aether had never dared to open this room before... he was never interested in these kinds of things. He couldnʼt even be sure how to use most of the equipment here. Sure, he understood a little—barely enough to recognise some components—but not nearly enough to operate or fully grasp them... And truthfully, he had neither the time nor the desire to learn everything.

He had once asked Lyirrs if she was interested here. However, Lyirrs had flatly refused. She had been imprisoned in this very room long ago, and the memory of that trauma was still raw. It was perfectly understandable. Aether didnʼt press her again, didnʼt even mention the place afterwards.

All this time, the room had remained sealed and untouched... until now.

Aether glanced at Xara, who wandered like a child in a candy store, her hands occasionally brushing along the sides of cold steel devices as she moved, her eyes filled with a hunger for knowledge and curiosity. She crouched to peer inside a glowing canister, stood on her toes to read labels in old, old text, and took notes in her mind. Her expression was a mix of awe and obsession.

”I cannot believe... the Pyra Empire was so technologically advanced...” she muttered under her breath, speaking more to herself than to him.

Aether stood nearby with a small smile, watching her. It warmed his heart to see that spark again—the same spark of passion and excitement she had before the tragedy with her children.

”Itʼs for me?” Xara finally asked, tilting her head toward him with a gleam in her eyes and a slightly crazy smile forming.

Her voice was quiet, but it quivered with rising excitement. There was no way—absolutely no way—she was going to let go of this place now. It had everything she needed. In fact, some of these machines were even more advanced than what she had access to before.

No, this was hers now... She had already claimed it in her mind!!!

Aether chuckled softly, amused by her expression. ”Why else would I bring you here? Just to show it to you? Not give it to you? Haha.”

Xaraʼs expression brightened even more, turning wild with joy and possessiveness. ”Everything is mine... Mine, MINE?! REALLY?!!” she shrieked gleefully, her eyes wide as she suddenly zoomed her face toward Aether like a wild animal about to bite the hand that fed her—with love, of course.

Aether grinned and gently pulled her by the hips, hugging her waist and nodding, ”Everything is for you. No one will question it. Do whatever yo—Hmmm~” he tried to finish his words, but—

Xara suddenly leaned in and kissed his lips. She was just too happy, too overwhelmed by emotion. In that moment, kissing him felt like the only thing that made sense.

It was her way of saying thank you without thinking too hard.

But as the kiss ended, reality and embarrassment caught up with her. She quickly lowered her head, ears turning a deep beet red, as she mumbled shyly, ”W-Well... Thank you...”

Aether chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her again with a loving expression. ”You are so adorable~” he whispered playfully, rubbing his face into her shoulder like a clingy cat.

Xara twitched slightly at the tickling sensation and chuckled back, gently pushing his face away. ”C-Come on stop it... Iʼm way too old to be called something like that!”

He didnʼt answer immediately. Instead, he lifted her blushing face with a gentle touch, his finger under her chin, tilting it up so sheʼd meet his eyes. ”Yeah... You are fucking adorable,” he said with a confident nod.

Xaraʼs cheeks burned even hotter. She blinked rapidly before he leaned in again, sealing her lips with another kiss.

”~hmm~”

”A-Anyway...” she mumbled, trying to change the subject while still flustered. ”Tell me about this place... Itʼs old, and it looks like it was already used by someone? These machines werenʼt just stored—they were operational once, werenʼt they?”

”Yeah... About that...” Aether sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he began to explain everything that had happened in this place—the secrets, the forbidden experiments, the grotesque goals of the previous emperor.

Xara listened calmly. She didnʼt interrupt once. She simply stood there with her arms crossed, soaking in his words as if collecting data. And then, after a long silence, she muttered quietly, ”Hmm... I see. So someone managed to create artificial life before me?”

Her face dimmed, her proud expression giving way to something hollow and disappointed.

She had once proudly declared to Aether that she had created life artificially—believing herself to be the first, the pioneer in such forbidden territory. But the truth hit differently now. Someone else had already done it. Someone had already created life, and not just that—they had perfected the process.

”Leon... ah...” she whispered the name of perfected process, her mind spiralling through a series of racing thoughts, clashing emotions, and shaken pride.

Aether didnʼt seem surprised by her calmness. He knew Xara. In her eyes, such subjects were experiments—test materials. Things to study, things to learn from, and sometimes... things that ended in disaster.

She treated it all like a scientist. Detached, analytical, logical.

Just like any true scientist.

Still, even the calmest scientist could feel shaken by the idea that their greatest breakthrough wasnʼt a breakthrough at all.

Xara bit her nail, eyes narrowed in frustration as she scratched the side of her head with her other hand, visibly annoyed, lost in thought, and visibly irritated that someone had beaten her to it.

”I guess... Iʼm not as groundbreaking as I thought, huh?” she muttered under her breath, a half-laugh escaping her lips.

Aether shook his head with a smile as he gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against his chest. ”I know my wifey wouldʼve done way better if she had a setup like this... You are my wifey, My best wifey~ arenʼt you?~”

Xaraʼs heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened slightly as her cheeks flared up into a deep shade of red. ”O-Of course I am... Yeah...” she mumbled, caught off guard by the sudden affection and playful title. Then she lifted her chin, puffing her chest slightly with pride. ”I could do even greater things if I had all of this at my disposal...!” Her voice rang with conviction, even though a strange warmth was spreading through her body—an unexpected heat coiling low in her belly.

She shifted her thighs slightly, confused by the rising sensation.

ʼM-Maybe that bitchʼs magic is still messing with me…?ʼ she thought, trying to rationalize the heat that began blooming inside her. She clenched her hands, trying to keep her composure, to hold onto her logical mind and not melt under the affection.

Aether watched her with a soft, knowing smile, his eyes glowing gently. ʼSheʼs really adorable…ʼ he thought with warmth, savouring every little change in her expression.

”I told you, I donʼt mind your creations or your experiments and all of that,” he began softly, brushing a few strands of hair from her cheek, ”but... I just want to make sure... I donʼt wan—”

Before he could finish, Xara raised her hand and gently pressed a finger against his lips.

”I know...” she interrupted him softly, her voice barely above a whisper. ”I wonʼt do it again. Iʼve learned from my mistake, Aether. Iʼm not going to create new life anymore… not like that,” she said, her gaze steady now, filled with maturity and regret.

Aether blinked, a little surprised at her sincerity. ”Thatʼs... very goo—”

”But!” she suddenly said with a wild grin, her eyes glinting with renewed madness.

”Instead... Iʼm going to create a new kind of blood! Multiple types! Varieties! Varieties of new blood synthesis!” She spread her arms dramatically, turning around to face the machinery with a gleam in her eyes. ”And with this technology... this room... Iʼll finally find the answers Iʼve been searching for! The mysteries of blood, the core of vitality itself... Hehe~!”

Her laugh echoed through the chamber, manic yet filled with excitement and purpose. Aether could only smile more as he watched her, caught in the whirlwind of her passion.

ʼYup... I like this side of her,ʼ he thought with pride. He stepped closer, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and leaned in toward her ear, whispering softly, seductively, ”Just stay like this... I love you like this~”

Then he kissed her nape, slowly, tenderly, letting his lips linger for just a moment too long.

A shiver ran down her spine, sharp and electric. Her breath hitched, her body stiffened slightly, and her thighs instinctively pressed together.

Her flower almost betrayed her, already on the verge of leaking nectar just from hearing those few simple words—ʼJust stay like thisʼ—because they werenʼt just words.

They were acceptance.

He wasnʼt trying to change her, mold her, or make her fit into societyʼs expectations.

He loved her exactly as she was—brilliant, dangerous, obsessive, insane, and whole.

It overwhelmed her.

ʼHe really loves me… for me…ʼ

Her face burned red hot as she suddenly turned and pushed Aether away with both palms, not out of rejection but sheer emotional panic. ”A-A-Anyway...!” she exclaimed, trying to redirect herself before she crumbled completely.

She took a long breath, rubbing her face to calm the storm of flustered emotions, and finally composed herself enough to look him in the eye again.

”You told me before... about those children who mutated, right?” she asked, voice now carrying a serious edge. Her shy tone vanished, replaced with the sharp professionalism of a master alchemist. ”Can I meet them?”

Aether blinked. ”You want to see them?”

”I think...” Xara took a deep breath, ”Thereʼs a possibility I could cure them. Their condition—those mutations... If I study them directly, I might be able to reverse some of the damage. Maybe not all, but at least... give them a chance to live like normal people. Or... closer to normal.”

Aether raised his eyebrows in surprise.