Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1436: We caught a live metallic figure!

CLAP!

”That’s enough!”

Morgana appeared in an instant as she caught her trembling niece in her arms.

Lia flinched violently as the sharp sound echoed through the garden, the force of it crashing into her senses and shoving away whatever had been clawing at her mind.

”A-Aunt?” Lia whispered, her voice cracked with pain and confusion. Her hand hovered only a few inches from her ponytail.

Morgana’s voice cut through the air, cold and absolute. ”Everyone, leave.”

Lia turned toward her in shock, lips parting as if to protest, but Morgana did not look at her. Her gaze stayed fixed forward as she spoke again, ”They have to leave now.”

Lia flinched hard. This was the first time she had ever seen her aunt speak to her like this, without warmth, without gentleness.

She had never done this before. Even when Lia made mistakes, Morgana would scold her softly, her words firm but caring.

But this felt different.

Aria and Helena exchanged a quiet glance. Helena gave a small shrug before forcing a light smile and saying, ”Well, then we will be leaving,” as she gathered the remaining cookies into her hands.

Aria stepped forward, her expression gentle as she placed an invitation card on the table. ”Let’s meet again,” she said softly, her eyes lingering on Lia for a moment longer before she turned and followed Helena out.

Morgana watched them walk toward their group, her gaze sharp and guarded until they disappeared from sight.

Only then did she look down at her niece. The cold expression drained from her face, replaced by worry and restrained fear.

”Lia... do you still feel the pain?”

Lia blinked slowly, her breathing uneven as she shook her head. ”I... I don’t know. It was there just a moment ago, like something was squeezing my head, and then it vanished. How did you know something was wrong?”

Morgana released a quiet breath and smiled faintly, ”Because you are my niece. I would know your pain even if you tried to hide it from the world,” she said softly before leaning down to kiss Lia’s forehead.

”Now go and rest. Do not push yourself.”

Lia hesitated, glancing toward the path where her friends had left. She wanted to say goodbye properly, wanted to pretend everything was fine, but Morgana kept insisting with a firmness that left no room for argument.

In the end, Lia only nodded and turned away, clutching her head lightly as she walked back to her room.

Morgana stood still, watching her niece disappear down the hallway. The moment Lia was gone, she turned toward the exit where Aria’s group had already left the mansion.

She muttered quietly, ”Sis.”

Snap!

Veins bulged along Morgana’s forehead, ”Bitch, come here now!” she roared.

Mary appeared instantly, a camera still held loosely in her hand.

”Do you have any idea what you are doing?” Morgana muttered, trembling with barely contained rage.

Mary nodded slowly, meeting her eyes without flinching. ”Of course I do.”

Morgana let out a harsh breath, ”... Oh? Then tell me why the fuck you let those bitches get close to Lia,” she growled, stepping forward. ”Are you insane? Or do you simply not care anymore?”

Mary shook her head, her crimson eyes lowering as something heavy settled into her expression.

”As her mother, all I want is for her to be happy and... to live a long life,” she said quietly. ”I do not mind her having friends. I do not mind her smiling. You do not understand, Morgana, but seeing your child laughing, talking freely with others, feeling normal even for a moment... I have longed for that more than anything.”

Her fingers tightened briefly before she continued, ”When that moment finally came, when I saw her smiling like that, how was I supposed to turn away? How was I supposed to destroy it with my own hands?”

Morgana’s eyes burned as she snapped back, ”By remembering that you are putting her life in danger. Do not pretend happiness matters more than survival... Or do you truly believe her life is worth less than a fleeting smile? Or do we fucking let that bastard come back to her life again?”

Mary sighed deeply as the camera in her hand dissolved into nothing.

She lifted her gaze again, ”Then tell me why the memories of that bastard are trying to resurface,” she said. ”I thought you erased his existence from her mind completely. You promised me that part was gone. Was I wrong?”

Morgana flinched, her breath catching for a brief moment before she slowly shook her head. ”I... I really don’t know,” she admitted,

”I truly erased his existence from her memories. Completely. There should not be anything left. I tested it myself more than once, searched every layer I could reach, and I never once saw any sign of resurfacing.”

”Then?” Mary frowned deeply.

Morgana hummed quietly, her gaze drifting away as she sighed and shook her head again. ”Maybe... it is not about him,” she said slowly.

”What do you mean?”

”Maybe his actions had a far greater impact on her than we anticipated. Even if we erased his existence from her memories, the consequences of what he did cannot simply be erased. Which means that rather than his face, his name, or his presence... it was his actions that engraved themselves into her.

Those are the things her heart might never forget.”

Mary visibly trembled, ”D-Does that mean she could remember everything?” she asked, her voice barely holding together.

Just those words alone were enough to make her hands shake violently. If her daughter ever remembered it all... she would be dead!

There would be no saving her from it.

Morgana smirked faintly, shaking her head with confidence. ”Do not worry. Even if his actions left a deep impact, his existence itself is gone. That part will never return. Not now or... ever.”

Mary released a shaky sigh of relief as she nodded. ”That is all I needed to know.”

Morgana shook her head, ”Even so, you should avoid situations like this,” she said as she turned and began walking toward Lia’s room. ”I will go and check on her, just in case.”

Mary nodded in response, but Morgana suddenly halted mid-step. Without turning her head, she spoke again with a cold voice,

”And... I understand far more than you think.”

Mary tilted her head in confusion as Morgana continued walking away without another glance.

Her gaze slowly drifted back toward the table.

An invitation?

”Fu~ fu~,” Mary let out a low, chilling sound, her lips curling into a deeper smirk beneath the blur surrounding her form.

****

”What do you mean she acted like she did not know him?” Aqualina frowned as she listened to the details while walking out of the mansion.

Aria and Helena shook their heads almost in unison. ”We are not sure,” Aria replied carefully. ”But from her reaction alone, it felt like something definitely happened to her.”

Aqualina snorted. ”I do not believe something happened to that bitch,” he said bluntly. ”If anything serious had occurred, her mother would have already caused chaos... Maybe she was just acting in front of her?”

”That is what we thought too, but...” Helena trailed off, shaking her head with a conflicted expression.

”Guys... look at this.”

Raven suddenly spoke up, her voice sharp enough to pull everyone’s attention away.

They turned their heads together, following his gaze toward a massive structure being built in the distance.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock. It was not just because the castle was enormous, far grander than they had expected... well, it did, but the most important thing was because of what was being used to build it.

Grrr!

A towering yellow metallic artifact moved relentlessly, lifting massive blocks of raw material as if they weighed nothing.

Gnnnn!

The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet as the machine continued its work, its presence alone radiating power and unease.

Gnnnn!

Another artifact followed behind it, shaped like a massive rectangular carriage. Its claw-like structure scraped violently against the ground, lifting it and putting it into a container.

Thud! Thud!

A colossal hammer-like artifact slammed downward again and again, each strike flattening the ground with terrifying accuracy.

Drrrlll!

A shrill drilling sound cut through everything else as a long cylindrical device bored deep into the earth.

Above them, floating disk-shaped machines hovered silently, releasing streams of shimmering material that solidified midair before settling into walls, beams, and arches.

”What in the name of...” Aqualina muttered as she scanned the surroundings. ”What is going on here?”

Everywhere she looked, strange constructs moved, reshaping the land.

Everyone stood frozen, shock etched across their faces. None of them had ever seen anything like this.

Even Drakhairs appeared momentarily stunned, though the reason for his silence quickly twisted into something else. ”Tsk,” he clicked his tongue, ”It is bigger than ours. Are they trying to compete with us?” His lips curled slightly. ”I need to inform His Majesty. We will expand our palace immediately.”

Aqualina exchanged glances with the others before nodding slowly. ”This confirms it. Void is dealing with Terra,” she said, ”This has to be trade. Void provides resources, Terra gives back these... things. There is no other explanation that makes sense.”

Aria nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the artifacts, ”Maybe,” she said cautiously. ”But what about the values in the sky? If this is a trade, the exchange should be balanced. Why does Void’s number so much bigger than Terra’s? It does not feel equal.”

”That...” Aqualina frowned deeply, her brows knitting together as she searched for a logical answer and... found none.

Just then, Selene’s voice echoed inside their minds.

/We caught a live metallic figure!/

Everyone’s eyes widened at once... they caught a live one?