Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1428: [Bonus] If she did not do it... Then who placed the first death spell on him?

Helena and Sera treated Delphine’s wounds. They changed her clothes carefully, mindful of every fragile movement, then eased her onto the bed.

Even without words, Delphine’s condition spoke clearly. Her body looked drained beyond exhaustion, as though she had been running endlessly without sleep, her darkened eyes carrying the silent weight of everything she had endured.

”She will be alright... won’t she?” Dora asked quietly, her voice carrying a fragile hope as she gently ruffled Delphine’s hair.

Her skin remained wrinkled, stretched thin from whatever toll her body had paid, and her muscles had not fully returned to their former strength. It was clear that whatever had happened to her was not something a single night of rest could fix.

Sera nodded slowly.

”Don’t worry. She will be fine,” she said, ”She needs proper rest, real nourishment, and time. If she eats enough and her body recovers naturally, she should regain her strength within a month.”

Dora released a soft sigh, though it trembled at the end. Seeing Delphine like this made her chest tighten painfully.

To Dora, Delphine was more important than anyone else.

She was the one who stayed beside her through every difficult moment, the one who never turned away when things became unbearable.

It was Delphine who supported her when she felt weakest.

Alaric had been there too, but Delphine was different!

She was a loyal subordinate, unwavering even when it hurt.

She was a wonderful friend, honest and warm in ways few could manage.

She was a lovely woman, strong yet gentle, carrying burdens without complaint.

And sometimes, Dora felt Delphine was like a daughter to her. Watching her cry, pout, complain, and cling stubbornly to her feelings had always stirred something tender inside Dora.

Those moments had been annoying and amusing all at once, but above all, they were precious.

Of course, Dora would worry about her. It would have been stranger if she had not.

Her gaze shifted to Aether as Xara and Sandra brought him in from the bathroom. His body was completely naked, yet none of that mattered. His condition was all that drew their attention.

They dried him carefully and laid him onto the bed, covering him with a quilt. Their eyes drifted, unwillingly yet inevitably, to his severed hand once more. The sight had not grown easier, no matter how many times they looked.

”What do we do now?” Sandra whispered, her voice tight with worry as she sat on the edge of the bed. ”His hand... what happens to him like this?” Her eyes lingered on his darkened gaze, hollow and exhausted, as though he too had not slept for days.

Sera let out a quiet hum before sitting down,

”I honestly cannot do anything more,” she admitted, her voice heavy with defeat. ”Our healing works on the principle of exchange. We cannot create something from nothing. Creating a new limb or body part is impossible unless the previous one is completely detached and destroyed beyond recovery. But this situation does not follow any known rule.”

She gestured toward his torn arm, where the flesh remained alive. Veins still pulsed, blood still flowed, yet it did not drip or spill. Instead, it vanished unnaturally, as if swallowed by something unseen.

”His severed arm is still connected to the rest of his body,” she continued, shaking her head slowly. ”It is still functioning, still responding. That alone should not be possible.”

Her voice dropped, barely above a whisper.

”It defies everything we know.”

Like his hand was still here, but they couldn’t see it.

”We will only know the truth once they wake up,” Xara said gently, forcing a small smile as she softly pressed and massaged Aether’s foot. ”Until then, all we can do is wait.”

Sandra nodded faintly, gathering herself before speaking.

”Let’s not alarm the others,” she said in a calm but firm tone. ”Tell them Aether and Delphine need deep rest. No interruptions, no questions. They deserve peace, at least for now.”

The others nodded together.

Xara hummed quietly before rising to her feet.

”I will speak to the girls,” she said, her voice steady as she turned and walked out of the room.

Sandra motioned for Helena to follow, but Helena hesitated, casting one last look at the beds. Sera met her gaze and gave a calm nod, silent reassurance passing between them. Only then did Helena finally turn and leave the room, the door closing softly behind her.

As soon as they left, Sandra and Dora’s expressions tightened with quiet seriousness.

The air between them shifted as they turned to look at one another. No words passed their lips, yet their eyes spoke clearly, carrying questions, confirmations, and grim certainty without a single sound.

Dora gave a slow nod, her gaze steady and deliberate, but Sandra immediately shook her head in response.

Dora frowned slightly, blinking as if trying to reframe what she had just understood.

Sandra hummed softly, then nodded once, her expression firm and unyielding, as though she had already reached her conclusion and would not stray from it.

Dora’s eyes widened in surprise, her face openly asking, Oh? Really? Sandra answered with another nod, her stare dead serious, leaving no room for doubt or denial.

Sera, who had been watching the silent exchange unfold, looked back and forth between them with growing confusion. She could not help but wonder when these two had grown so close that words were no longer necessary, that a glance alone could carry meaning so precise and complete.

”What are you two talking about?” Sera asked at last.

Sandra and Dora turned toward her at the same time and snorted in near-perfect unison. Sandra crossed her arms and spoke coldly,

”Please. There is no need to hide it,” she said flatly. ”We saw it too. You are not the only one.”

Sera blinked, confusion flashing across her face before dread slowly crept in. Her lips trembled as realisation began to settle.

”D Don’t tell me you knew that too?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly as fear tightened her chest.

Both Dora and Sandra nodded.

”We knew the moment we saw everything,” Sandra replied quietly. ”Just like you did.”

Sera clenched her fist tightly, disbelief washing over her. Her breath hitched as she struggled to accept it.

”You... you saw it?” she asked again, as if hoping they might suddenly deny it. ”With your own eyes?”

Once more, Dora and Sandra nodded together. Of course, they knew exactly what they had seen. That wicked grin was impossible to forget. Its hissing tone still echoed in their minds, whispering threats, warning them never to speak the truth.

Even now, remembering it made their throats tighten, as if invisible hands were closing around their necks.

Sera’s expression fell, disappointment and bitterness settling deep into her features. The thought that they too knew about the golden feather, the unmistakable symbol of godhood, struck her harder than she expected.

She had believed it was something special. A secret shared only between her and Aether.

How naive that felt now.

Dora broke the silence with a thoughtful nod.

”It might be the reason,” she said slowly. ”I mean, how else would he manage to form a contract like that?”

Sandra nodded in agreement,

”Exactly. That is how he ended up in this situation in the first place.”

Sera let out a quiet scoff,

”Yeah, yeah. Of course,” she muttered. ”Why else would he be contracted at all?”

All three of them turned their gaze toward Aether at the same time, their expressions heavy with conflicting emotions.

”What is the point of all this?” Dora asked softly, her voice tinged with exhaustion and doubt. ”Why give him something like that?”

Sandra frowned deeply, frustration evident on her face.

”I do not understand it either,” she said. ”Why would it attach itself to him of all people?”

Sera nodded weakly, her eyes never leaving Aether.

”Yeah, yeah. Of course... he was always unique,” she said quietly. ”Even back then.”

Dora and Sandra hummed in agreement, their expressions distant as they nodded slowly. Aether had always stood apart.

Indeed, he possessed a truly unique trait.

”That must be why it clung to him so stubbornly,” one of them murmured.

”I could not find anything about it either,” another added softly. ”That is what makes it so unsettling.”

”Yeah, yeah... I have been trying to find out how he got that, too,” Sera said, ”It should be impossible by every law we know, and yet he somehow obtained it anyway. Something like that does not just appear. How does that even happen?”

The trio fell silent once more, turning their gazes toward one another.

Their eyes met, questions forming silently, answers responding just as quietly, layers of understanding passing back and forth without a single sound.

This time, even Sera found herself slipping into their unspoken rhythm, following the exchange instinctively, until...

”Maybe we should talk to Aether about it,” Sandra suggested carefully.

Dora immediately shook her head, ”Did you not understand what we saw?” she said firmly. ”They were powerful enough to erase our existence the very moment we tried to speak about it. Not punish us. Erase us completely, as if we never existed!”

”But... it is Aether,” Sandra replied after a brief pause, ”He is the source, right? If anyone could know, it should be him.”

Dora shook her head again, ”No. I do not think we should provoke them. Unless we are pushed into a corner with no other choice, it would be wiser to keep our mouths shut and pretend we know nothing.”

Sandra released a deep sigh, ”Maybe you are right,” she admitted quietly. Then she turned to Sera, ”Still... what do you think we should do about this?”

”Yeah, yeah... wait. What?” Sera snapped out of her annoyed thoughts, blinking in confusion as she looked between them. ”What are you two even talking about again?”

Sandra sighed, rubbing her temple slowly, ”We are talking about whether we should tell it to Aether or not.”

Sera frowned deeply, ”But doesn’t he already know about it?”

”He knows,” Sandra replied carefully, ”but he does not know that we know. That difference matters, doesn’t it?”

”Huh?” Sera froze, utterly baffled.

Of course, Aether knew about it. After all, he was the one who had allowed her into his storage space in the first place.

Nothing about this made sense to her.

”Just to be absolutely sure,” she said slowly, choosing her words, ”what exactly are we talking about here?”

Sandra’s lips twitched with irritation before she spoke bluntly. ”Please. How long are you going to pretend to be innocent?” she said coldly. ”We are obviously talking about the death spell and its consequences.”

”...Pardon?” Sera tilted her head, genuine confusion written clearly across her face.

For a brief moment, both Sandra and Dora blinked, caught completely off guard. Then their eyes widened in visible shock.

”Do not tell me,” Dora said slowly, dread creeping into her voice, ”that you were not the first one to place a death spell on him.”

Sera tilted her head again, even more confused than before. ”I can do that?” she mumbled softly, surprise slipping into her tone. She knew what a death spell was, of course, but she had never used one.

The belief surrounding death had always restrained her. She had never even considered casting it until they brought it up now.

Sandra and Dora’s expressions turned dreadful as they slowly turned their eyes toward Aether.

They only muttered union,

””If she did not do it... Then who placed the first death spell on him?””

****

Meanwhile, back in Nyx’s room, she lay sleeping on the bed, her body still but her expression twisted in visible pain. Her eyes twitched beneath closed lids, roaming restlessly as though trapped within a nightmare she could not escape.

She was suffering.

But why?

Because of the brief connection she had formed with Aether. Those few seconds, those chains that had temporarily granted her full authority over him, had been enough. More than enough. Through that connection, she had felt it all, seen fragments of what was happening to him.

Or rather... what had already happened.

Iteration No. 28.

A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, trailing slowly down her cheek.

”A Aether...” she murmured in her sleep, her voice fragile and strained. ”How are you still sane after all of this?”

Her hands clenched tightly around the bedsheets, fingers digging into the fabric as if trying to anchor herself to reality. Information flooded her mind relentlessly, truth after truth crashing together.