Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1572: A Mob’s Story: Part-4

Penelope’s POV

”Penelope... are you alright? Your grades have been falling since last semester, and... what are these bruises on your face?” Professor Delphine’s voice carried a careful concern, her eyes narrowing slightly as they traced the marks that refused to hide beneath my skin.

”I... I fell down the stairs, Madam... and as for the grades... I... I am sorry.” I lowered my gaze, unable to meet her eyes for more than a fleeting second.

After that day, everything in my life turned upside down in ways I could neither control nor escape.

Everything slipped through my fingers, leaving me with barely a moment to study, barely a breath to think, and as for the reason... I could not bring myself to say it aloud.

”Is that so?... Very well then, you may leave for now, and if you wish, take a week to rest,” Professor Delphine replied.

The faint pause between her words carried doubt.

I bowed my head quietly and stepped out of her office.

The corridor stretched long and silent before me. As I walked, my thoughts pulled me backwards, dragging me into memories I wished I could forget.

My future boyf—Mr. Mathew—came to me after that incident, his hands trembling as he apologised. He said he had been forced to sleep with her, that refusing would have brought something dangerous upon his family.

Even though my heart had already shattered, hearing him still tried to mend something within me, even if only for a fleeting moment.

I told him we could go to the professors, that we could speak the truth, that someone would help us.

But he refused. He said that the woman he slept with was a born noble, someone untouchable, and even if justice reached her within these academy walls, the moment we stepped outside... she would end us without hesitation.

So we were left with only one path. To endure. To cooperate. To wait until she grew bored of us and cast us aside like broken things no longer worth touching.

That was what he told me... and I believed him, because I had nothing else left to believe in--!!

A sudden force struck before I could steady my thoughts, a hand gripping me and slamming me hard against the empty corridor wall. The impact stole the air from my lungs, pain blooming across my back as I flinched and lifted my gaze.

There she stood. The same noble woman, her lips curled into a slow, venomous smile, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement as if she had been waiting for this moment.

”Bitch... did you rat me out?”

Before I could even part my lips, another voice cut in,

”Of course not. There is no way something as useless as her would ever have the nerve to speak. Haha”

”Oh please, even if she did say something, do you really think she would be fine afterwards? Who would dare go against our mighty noble? Hahaha~”

From the corner of my vision, I saw them. One was the girl I had encountered when I sneaked in on Mathew, her gaze filled with the same cold mockery, and beside her stood another from my classroom, watching me as if I were something beneath her feet.

They had been ganging up on me ever since that day.

”I asked you a question... You worthless mongrel.” The noble woman’s voice hardened, and before I could react, her hand struck my face with a sharp crack that echoed through the empty corridor.

My vision blurred, the world tilting as pain spread across my cheek.

Rough hands seized me before I could regain my balance, dragging me down the hall, my feet stumbling against the cold floor.

The door to the girls’ restroom slammed open.

The first blow came without warning, then another, and another, each one stealing my breath, each one breaking something deeper than flesh. My body folded under their strikes, unable to resist, unable to escape, as if I had become nothing more than something meant to endure pain.

Y-yeah... this was my reality.

I was being bullied, again and again, without end.

After that day, it never stopped.

They found me whenever they were free. With a body as weak as mine, I could not even stand against one of them, let alone all three.

They laughed as they hit me, as if my suffering painted joy across their faces, as if every bruise, every gasp, every broken breath of mine became their only source of amusement.

”Arh!”

One of the women drove her foot into my stomach with brutal force. Pain exploded through me, and blood surged upward, spilling past my lips as I struggled to breathe, my vision flickering like a dying flame.

After they were done beating me, they poured a bucket of dirty water over my body, the cold filth clinging to my skin and clothes.

With satisfied sighs and careless laughter, they walked away without a second glance, as if I were nothing more than something they had finished using.

I... I didn’t understand why they kept coming after me.

I stopped speaking with Mathew. I even avoided going anywhere near her class. I tried to make myself invisible, to erase my presence as much as I could, yet still... they found me.

I just... I just...

Drip... drip...

Tears slipped from my eyes, falling soundlessly onto the floor.

My body trembled as I forced myself to stand, every movement sending waves of pain through me.

I needed rest... I could not read, could not think, could not even gather the strength to do the simplest things.

Just like the past six months, I told myself to endure it. Just one more year, and everything would be over.

I would be free. I... I would be fine... right?

Blood trailed down from my lips as I stepped out of the restroom, when a voice reached me...

”Here...”

A handsome boy stood before me, his expression touched with something that looked like pain as he held out a handkerchief toward me.

Who... was he?

”I-I am fine...” I said with a broken voice, I didn’t want others to see ugly me now, as I avoided his gaze, stepping past him as if he were nothing more than a stranger I did not need.

I did not know who he was.

Yet he came again. And again. Every time I was hurt, every time I thought I would collapse, he was there.

At first, I could not understand why, what reason he had to approach someone like me. But he kept coming, even standing up to those girls, placing himself between me and them like a shield.

Like a knight from the stories I once believed in.

And slowly, despite everything, I began to feel something I had almost forgotten.

Warmth?

At least... someone was on my side.

Unlike Mathew, he felt different.

Charming, gentle, and far more handsome than any man I had ever seen in my life, second only to my father.

When he smiled, something inside me responded without permission, a fragile smile forming on my own lips, as if the pieces I had lost were quietly finding their way back to me.

Even as the bullying grew worse, even as each day became harder than the last, I endured it, because at the end of the day... he was there.

That was enough.

Just six more months, I told myself. Just a little longer, and everything would be fine.

Once I finished the academy, I would never have to see their faces again.

That was... what I believed.

Until—

”Damn, man, that girl was really easy, you know? Haha... I just showed up at the right moment after they beat her, and she looked at me like I was her hope... haha... Shit, you should have seen her ugly face, getting all hopeful and everything... damn, it was pathetic. How in the hell did you even propose to her?”

”Tsk, don’t remind me of that... damn, what was I even thinking back then? But honestly, she was kind of cute, you know. It’s just that as she grew up, she turned into an ugly hag... tsk, what a waste. If I had known, I would have taken my chance before she turned into ugly shit.”

My face turned pale as I stood frozen, staring at the two figures seated inside the restaurant where I worked part-time.

Mathew... and the handsome boy?

”Hahaha... so you still want her? I mean, come on, even I felt disgusted just handing her a handkerchief...” the handsome boy said, his face twisting with open disgust, the same face that once looked at me with kindness.

”Nope, I wasn’t interested in her anymore... It’s just... that bitch had the nerve to keep me as a backup all these years.

Do you know how frustrating that is? I couldn’t believe she still thought I would end up in her arms... A golden Arcane card holder falling for a nobody like her? Fuck that... and even worse, making me wait for that ugly ass to accept my proposal... that was the fucking reason I wanted to take my revenge...” Mathew said, his face twisting wickedly as his fist clenched tight.

”Man, you should have seen her face when I fucked Melen in her bed... fuck! I was almost thrilled watching that bitch’s expression... like everything inside her shattered. Ahh... it made everything I did feel worth it...”

”Haha... that’s exactly what a bitch like her deserves... making you a backup. So what if she worked hard? There was no way she could ever reach people like us. Hahaha...”

As their voices grew louder, heavier, spilling without restraint, I stood frozen behind the counter, my fingers trembling as I stared at the bill in my hand... the ink slowly blurring as tears soaked into the paper.

”Oh, Mathew!”

That voice...

I lifted my head slowly, and there they were... the same three girls who tormented me day and night, walking into the restaurant with bright smiles, their faces glowing as they approached the boys as if this were some joyful meeting.

”... ”

Thud.

My legs gave way beneath me, weakness swallowing my body as something hollow opened inside my chest, as if everything within me had been carved out at once.

S-So... all of them... they were together...?

The thought echoed, unable to form into something I could truly understand.

Why...?

Sure, I made him wait.

Yes... that part was my fault.

But... but... I...

”I was trying my best...” I whispered under my breath, my voice barely existing as I curled into myself, arms wrapping tightly around my knees, holding myself together as silent tears fell, one after another.

Pain spread through me, not just in my body, but everywhere...

...

..

The next week,

”You are all dismissed from the academy.” The principal’s voice rang cold and sharp through the office, each word falling with absolute finality as her gaze settled on the five of them standing before her.

Shock spread across their faces as their eyes widened, their bodies turning instinctively toward me...

I stood beside Professor Delphine, fear lingering faintly within me, yet no longer strong enough to silence me.

The reason I had held back before was because Mathew said he had been forced, that everything would be fine once we left the academy. I believed him... I chose silence because I thought endurance would be enough.

But after that day...

I no longer held back.

”I-it’s a false allegation! She’s lying—” the noble woman shouted.

Before she could finish, Professor Delphine stepped forward, her expression cold and unwavering as she revealed the recording orb... the one I had secretly used to capture everything, just in case I ever needed proof.

Silence fell instantly.

Mathew clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening as he forced himself to speak, turning toward the principal.

”W-What does this have to do with me?”

The handsome boy quickly nodded in agreement, stepping forward with a frown. ”Yes, we didn’t do anything. In fact, I helped her... what an ungrateful bitch—”

”Mind your fucking words, brat.”

The principal’s voice cut through him like a blade.

In an instant, the arrogance drained from his face. His body trembled as pressure filled the room, forcing him down to his knees, fear replacing every trace of confidence he once held.

Since I told them everything, and Professor Delphine worked behind the scenes, gathering enough evidence, the Principal already knew that the entire group was involved together.

The Principal folded her arms, ”I know everything... so don’t you dare lie to me.”

The noble woman bit her lip, her eyes flashing with anger as she glared at me for a brief second.

But before that gaze could linger, Professor Delphine stepped forward, standing in front of me, shielding me completely. The noble woman clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, before she turned back to the Principal and shouted,

”S-So what? We were just playing around. Why should we be dismissed for that? For a nobody like her? Two Golden Arcane Holders and three Silver Arcane Holders... is that really worth less than a blank card? Principal, tell me!”

For a moment, the entire room fell into a heavy silence.

Her words carried a cruel kind of truth, one that the world often followed without question.

You could not compare five perfect chocolate cakes to a single piece of burnt bread... that was how people saw it.

For a second, it felt like everything around me collapsed inward, like the ground beneath my feet had vanished.

Until—

”Fuck off. Delphine, get these assholes out of my academy.” The Principal’s voice cut through the silence, laced with irritation and disappointment.

Everyone froze.

Including me.

So... she wasn’t letting them go? Not even for a moment? Not even because I was... nothing?

The noble woman’s face flushed a deep, furious red as she stepped forward, her voice rising with rage.

”Do you even know who I am? I am a noble of the Zephyra Empire! Emperor Alaric— is this how you treat the nobles who supported your ascension? Standing there silently behind a woman?”

Vice-Principal Alaric, who had been standing beside the Principal, let out a quiet sigh before speaking, his tone hesitant. ”Maybe we should at least hear her—”

”I said get the fucks out of my room, Delphine.” The Principal’s voice rose again.

And just like that... it ended.

The group of five who had tormented me for months were forcibly expelled from the academy.

And my life... returned to something quiet.

Days passed, and soon the end of the semester approached. Once I finished my exams and graduated from the academy... everything would finally be worth it.

Everything I endured would have meaning.

At least... that was what I told myself.

With no one left to interfere, no one to control my time or break my focus, I studied day and night. Books became my only escape, pages turning beneath my trembling fingers as I forced myself forward, step by step, refusing to stop.

As the day of the exams drew closer...

So did the news of my bakery home’s destruction.