Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1533: Taking Snake with him.

”Come with me.”

Mira froze, staring at him from such a close distance. His warmth, his steady presence, and the sincerity in his eyes overwhelmed her. Her cheeks flushed red as she slowly lowered her gaze.

”W-Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly. ”Even after the Principal believes I’m a traitor... why are you still supporting me?”

”You’re my senior,” Victor replied simply.

Mira’s eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her face. Her voice trembled as the dam inside her finally cracked.

”Is that all?” she asked. ”Is that really the only reason you keep helping me without asking for anything in return?”

”I don’t know what you expect from me,” she continued. ”I have no money. No freedom. No real will of my own. I work in any job that offers money, doing whatever others tell me to do, just to survive.”

Her hands clenched as her voice shook.

”I deal with angry customers every day,” she said. ”If I make a mistake, they shout at me. If I don’t know something, my boss gets furious and threatens to throw me out like I’m nothing.”

Her eyes trembled as she looked up at Victor, tears threatening to fall.

”I’m just their servant,” she whispered. ”Someone used and thrown away whenever they’re no longer needed. I’m nobody. Nothing more than a disposable tool.”

Her lips quivered as she took a shaky breath.

”M-My body is all I could offer you—NGGHhhh!!”

Victor suddenly flicked her nose, cutting her off mid-sentence.

”You watch too much drama,” he said flatly.

Mira gasped and rubbed her nose, wincing as she looked at him with watery eyes.

”T-That hurts.”

Victor chuckled softly, shaking his head as his expression softened.

”I’m doing this because I want to,” he said. ”That’s all.”

He met her gaze directly, ”So what if others call you a traitor?” he continued. ”So what if they see you as a servant? So what if they think you’re nobody or a tool meant to be used and thrown away?”

Victor stepped closer, ”All I see is someone who keeps trying,” he said. ”Someone who keeps moving forward no matter what the world throws at her. Someone who carries pain but still acts with kindness.”

His voice softened.

”You still have the heart of a child,” he added. ”And there’s no way I’m hurting that. There’s no way I’m letting anyone else hurt it either.”

He smiled gently at her.

”So, my dear Senior Mira,” he said lightly, ”come to my place. Honestly, I’ve got plenty of empty rooms. Just take one for yourself~”

Mira let out a weak laugh, shaking her head as emotion welled up inside her.

”Victor...”

She stepped forward suddenly and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Victor smiled softly and returned the embrace, patting her back in quiet reassurance.

[+300 AP]

Not long after, Victor and Mira left the Academy together. Mira guided him through the streets as they headed toward her home.

Eventually, they arrived at a lone, weathered house on the outskirts of Valysar City, not far from the Academy grounds. The area looked much like before, mostly deserted, with only a few decrepit homes scattered across the land.

Victor frowned as he looked at the old, weathered house standing before them.

”You’re still living here?” he asked, ”I’m pretty sure I gave you money to find a new place, didn’t I?”

Mira gave an awkward smile, her fingers fidgeting at her side as she avoided his eyes.

”The money was mostly used to clear our debts,” she admitted softly. ”So... yeah. We’re still staying here.”

Victor let out a slow sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose as frustration mixed with disbelief.

”At least tell me you’re out of debt now,” he said.

Mira nodded quickly, forcing a brighter smile this time.

”Almost,” she replied. ”Just a few more things, and I’ll be completely free.”

Victor didn’t understand how someone who lived in such conditions could have fallen so deeply into debt, but he chose not to push further.

He simply nodded and gestured toward the door.

”Go on,” he said.

Mira stepped forward and pushed the door open, the hinges creaking loudly in protest. She leaned inside and called out hesitantly.

”Mother? Father?”

As they entered, Victor’s frown deepened.

The interior looked exactly the same as before... Dust coated the walls, thick enough to dull the light, while cobwebs clung stubbornly to every corner.

It felt as if no one had cleaned the place in years.

Nothing had changed... Not a single thing!

Suddenly, a frail, trembling voice echoed from deeper inside the house.

”W-Who is it?”

Victor turned toward the sound and saw an elderly man and woman sitting stiffly in their chairs, as though they had been there for years without moving.

They looked exactly as before... Pale skin stretched tightly over fragile bones, faces wrinkled far beyond their age, hollow eyes sunk deep into their sockets. Their bodies looked thin and brittle, barely held together by life.

Mira rushed forward the moment she saw them.

”Mother! Father!” she cried as she wrapped her arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight embrace. She leaned in and whispered softly into their ears, her voice barely audible. ”Go with my flow.”

The elderly couple froze for a moment, confusion flickering across their faces. Then, as if something inside them finally broke, tears welled up in their eyes.

”O-Oh! Dear...” the elderly woman choked out, ”Y-You’ve finally come back. Where have you been all this time?”

”M-My daughter...” the old man sobbed weakly, his hands trembling as he clutched her clothes. ”What happened to you? It’s been so long since we last saw you. W-We thought we lost you forever.”

Mira tightened her hold on them, her shoulders shaking as she spoke through sobs.

”I’m sorry,” she cried. ”I was stuck in a terrible situation. Sniff... sniff... Victor saved me. If it wasn’t for him... if it wasn’t for him...” Her voice broke completely, dissolving into helpless sobbing.

The three of them clung to each other, crying openly.

Mira’s grandparents wept as they held her after such a long separation, and Victor felt a strange weight settle in his chest.

He remained silent, standing back and allowing them the moment they needed. He waited calmly until their emotions finally began to settle.

After a minute or so, the elderly woman lifted her tear-filled eyes toward him.

”T-Thank you, child,” she said weakly. ”Thank you so much.”

She attempted to bow her head, but Victor raised his hand quickly to stop her.

”I only did what I was supposed to do,” he said quietly.

Both elders smiled at him, their expressions filled with gratitude despite their exhaustion.

”Thank you,” they said together.

Victor sighed softly and accepted their thanks, then glanced toward Mira, silently prompting her to explain the rest.

Mira took a deep breath and began to describe the situation, explaining what had happened and what Victor was offering them.

Victor had assumed they would come with her without question. To his surprise...

”Oh dear...” the elderly woman said softly. She rested her frail hands on her lap, eyes filled with calm acceptance.

”I am sorry, but we do not have much time left to live. This is our home, a place we built with blood and sweat. If we are going to die, we want to do so here.”

Mira shook her head, her hands clenching tightly as emotion rose in her chest.

”B-But Mom,” she pleaded, ”you could live so much more comfortably. Victor offered us a big room. You could move freely, see new places, even dragons. You don’t have to stay here anymore.”

The elderly man lifted his head slightly, his eyes calm and clear despite their age.

”Happiness lives inside the heart,” he said gently. ”Not in comfort or luxury. We are happy here, truly.”

He then turned his gaze toward Victor, his expression earnest and filled with trust.

”Please take care of her,” he said. ”She can be a bit troublesome at times, but she is a good girl. Please.”

Victor nodded with a faint, sincere smile.

Mira bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at them both.

”I-I’ll visit you every week,” she promised shakily. ”I swear I will.”

They pulled her into a gentle embrace, holding her with trembling but loving arms.

”Of course you can,” they said softly.

Victor watched the scene quietly before speaking in a calm voice.

”I’ll wait outside,” he said. ”Pack your things.”

He turned and stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him without another word.

The moment Victor left, Mira’s shoulders dropped, and her expression changed completely. She exhaled slowly and turned to face the two elders, her eyes now flat and unreadable.

”What do you mean I’m troublesome?” she asked calmly. ”Huh?”

The elderly man gulped audibly.

”M-Master, I was only joking,” he stammered. ”I meant it in a good way. Going with the flow, you know. You are kind of troublesome sometimes, Master. No offense, but—”

”Haha...” Mira’s smile was cold and sharp, sending a chill through the room. ”Looks like I need to teach you two a lesson.”

Both elders turned pale instantly, their bodies trembling.

”We are sorry!” they cried out in unison.

Mira ignored them, her gaze icy as she moved to pack her belongings.

”M-Master,” the elderly man asked cautiously, ”are you sure about this?”

Mira shrugged lightly, though her eyes burned with frustration.

”I don’t have a choice anymore,” she said. ”Dora found me, even though everything was supposed to be perfect. Fuck.”

She clenched her fist and glared sharply at the elderly woman.

”I told you to erase the nurse’s consciousness when you were inside her body, didn’t I?”

The elderly woman’s form flickered faintly, like a ghost struggling to remain solid. She bowed her head deeply, her voice filled with panic.

”I-I did exactly as you ordered,” she said quickly. ”I swear it! I don’t know how she remembered any of it. Please believe me.”

Mira stared at her bowed figure, watching as she trembled so badly it seemed like she might disappear altogether. She clicked her tongue sharply.

”Tsk. Now we’re fucked,” she muttered. ”I don’t have a choice anymore. If I stay here, Dora will come looking for me again.”

She continued packing without pause.

”So the safest option is to stay under Victor’s protection.”

The elderly man forced out a nervous chuckle, ”But Master,” he said cautiously, ”what if he finds out about you? You’ll be in his territory. You might end up stuck there, hehe~”

His laugh died instantly when Mira shot him a cold, murderous glare.

”I know exactly what I’m doing,” she snapped. ”So shut the fuck up before I annihilate your existence.”

She clenched her fist, and the air around the elderly man rippled violently.

The man’s form shook like a flickering candle, his voice breaking as he dropped to his knees.

”P-Please forgive me, My Lady!” he begged, bowing so deeply his ghostly head nearly sank into the ground.

Mira inhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm down.

”Anyway,” she said coldly, ”I’ll try to find another solution while I’m gone. Until then, you two will fill the rest of the slots without me.”

She turned her sharp gaze on both of them.

”You understand, don’t you?”

Both elders slowly lifted their heads from the ground, fear still etched deeply into their faces. They nodded furiously, afraid to hesitate even for a second.

”Understood, Master,” they said together.

”Good,” Mira replied curtly.

She returned to packing her belongings... She gathered her makeup kits carefully, followed by a selection of neatly folded clothes that leaned more toward the feminine side, each item placed with deliberate care.

The elders exchanged a few silent glances, communicating more with their eyes than words.

After a moment, one of them dared to speak.

”Looks like the Master has really fallen for the enemy—”

A single, icy glare from Mira cut through the room like a blade.

”I am not,” she snapped sharply. ”She is.”

After yet another round of punishment, Mira finally stepped out of the house, a piece of luggage gripped firmly in her hand.

As she stepped outside, she paused and looked around. Victor was nowhere in sight. She frowned slightly, scanning the area before noticing him nearby, perched casually on a tree branch.

He appeared to be talking to something.

Mira squinted, confusion flickering across her face as she realised what he was doing. Victor was speaking softly to a small bird, gently rubbing its cheek with a relaxed smile that felt oddly out of place for him.

”...Was he talking to a bird?” she muttered, blinking in disbelief.

”Haha... he’s weird sometimes,” she murmured.

She raised her voice and called out to him.

”Victor, let’s go!”

Victor glanced in her direction, then turned back to the bird perched beside him.

”You can do it for me, right?”

He fed the bird a single seed.

Chirp!

Victor smiled faintly as he let the bird take flight, its wings fluttering into the sky. He jumped down from the branch and walked toward Mira with an easy stride.

”Finished packing?” he asked.

Mira nodded, offering him a weak smile.

”I was still thinking maybe it wasn’t—”

Victor reached out and took the luggage from her hands before she could finish speaking. He turned and started walking immediately.

”Let’s go.”

”O-Oi, wait for me!” Mira laughed lightly as she hurried after him.

Inside the house, both elders stood by the window, watching the two figures disappear into the distance. They leaned closer to one another, whispering with knowing smiles.

”Look at her,” one murmured. ”Isn’t it obvious? She never lets any man touch her belongings.”

”Indeed,” the other replied with a soft chuckle. ”She has truly fallen in love with him.”

”Haha...”

Their laughter echoed faintly through the empty house.

Above them, a small bird circled quietly over the roof.

Soon, Victor and Mira boarded a carriage together... Before long, they arrived at a teleportation station.

Mira frowned slightly as she studied Victor from the corner of her eye.

”Don’t you still use magic?” she asked. ”Unlike the rest of us?”

Victor shrugged casually, ”I wanted to enjoy the trip once in a while.”

Mira narrowed her eyes.

”Hm,” she hummed.

Inwardly, a sly smile began to form.

Something was wrong.

Something had happened to his powers.