Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1612: N-Now you see it... r-right? H-He... he is my man!

*Aevum is the value that determines the existence of an individual. Like the worth of a person, for example, those with high influence, rulers, actors, and others... and it can be exchanged for anything under the El Kova’reth Oath *

The severed head rested against the blood tray, its expression twisted between pain and resignation.

It spoke in a low, explaining each detail while Victor sat across from it.

’A value that determines worth...’ Victor’s gaze dimmed slightly, ’But why? It wasn’t there before. Power spoke everything, for everyone... strength alone defined existence. But now... a value decides the worth of individuals? Why is it needed?’

Victor’s eyes shifted, settling on Vesperine.

She stood a short distance away, watching him with quiet curiosity.

’She told me... something even worse is coming...’ His thoughts echoed faintly, ’Is this Aevum connected to that?’

Some pieces aligned, forming a fragile structure of meaning, while others remained scattered... refusing to reveal their shape.

Victor exhaled faintly as he gave a small shrug. His gaze returned to the bloodied head,

*Aevum, you say... then tell me... how does one increase it?*

The head’s lips trembled before parting, *... By killing others*

”...”

Victor did not react immediately. Then he gave a slow, accepting nod. *I see... then we move on to the next question...*

Time stretched.

An hour dissolved into a steady rhythm of questions and answers.

By the end, Victor had gathered nearly everything he needed, fragments of truth forming a clearer image of the Terra Empire and its hidden mechanisms.

Vesperine leaned slightly against the wall, her eyelids heavy, as she drifted closer and closer to sleep.

Beside her, Xara remained composed as she waited for Victor to finish.

When the questioning finally ended, he turned toward Xara and said,

*Just as we expected... he was bait.*

”Huh?” Xara tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face.

Victor let out a quiet breath, correcting himself,

”Sorry... what I mean is, this man was used as bait to initiate the war.” His tone sharpened slightly as he continued,

”He sought revenge for his wounded brother, which, from what I understand, was caused by our ladies. But in his desperation... or perhaps his obsession... he ignored the protocols of his world, crossed into ours, and even gained access to a prototype model of Mech-suits.”

His eyes narrowed faintly, voice lowering as thought deepened, ”But something about it feels... off.”

Before he could continue, Xara stepped in, ”You think it was all arranged? That he was deliberately used to spark the war?”

Victor paused, ”...Yes. I believe so. He mentioned the war was supposed to initiate the next day as they prepared for everything.”

Xara’s fingers lightly brushed her chin as she hummed, her gaze drifting as she processed the implication.

”Anything else?”

Victor nodded slowly, ”There is more. I will tell you everything... but before that—”

Zzzzzzz!

The faint sound of soft breathing filled the room.

SLAM!

”HIKK!!!”

Vesperine jolted violently from her sleep as something struck the wall she had been leaning on, the impact sending a sharp vibration through her arms. Her eyes snapped open, unfocused for a moment, before she hurriedly rubbed them, trying to force away the haze of sleep.

A thin line of drool clung embarrassingly to the corner of her lips as she blinked toward Victor.

”I-Is it over?” she asked, still caught between sleep and awareness.

Victor looked at her in silence for a brief second before he said plainly, ”You are drooling.”

”H-Huh?”

Vesperine froze, then blinked once, twice, her face flushing rapidly into a deep crimson.

”D-Don’t look at me!!”

She shouted, turning her head away in panic as her hands flew to her lips, wiping hurriedly again and again as if trying to erase the moment itself.

Her movements grew frantic as she pulled out a small hand mirror, glancing at her reflection with visible distress, fixing stray strands of hair and checking her face.

Xara gave her a deadpan expression, before her eyes slowly shifted toward Victor. His lips had curled into a faint, restrained smile, amusement quietly dancing in his eyes as he continued staring at Vesperine... clearly entertained by her flustered state.

”...”

Xara kept her gaze fixed on him for a moment longer than necessary.

Something about that smile... she did not like it.

Victor, unaware or perhaps simply ignoring her silent judgment, straightened slightly and began explaining everything he had learned from the severed head.

He made sure to include Vesperine in the explanation as well, knowing her abilities could prove useful.

After all, who knew... she might unleash her little ”puppies” for him when the time came.

As his explanation came to an end, Vesperine reacted first, her eyes widening with genuine astonishment as she leaned forward slightly.

”Oh my god... how do you even understand that language? I heard it was an Ancient Language... You are incredible, a genius!”

[+4000 AP]

Victor let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head modestly as he replied, ”Not really. I only understood it because Aether taught me... He is the real genius here.”

The moment that name left his lips, the sparkle in Vesperine’s eyes dimmed instantly. Her expression twisted, her nose scrunching slightly as if she had just tasted something bitter.

”Oh... right... good for him... haha... ha...”

Her laugh trailed awkwardly, hanging in the air like a poorly played note.

”...”

”...”

Victor and Xara exchanged a brief glance.

Xara cleared her throat softly, pulling the conversation back on track. ”Anyway... I am a little confused here. If what he said is true, then increasing Aevum is proportional to killing others, correct?”

Victor nodded, his expression turning serious again. ”Yes. According to him, he killed at least ten thousand people just to survive in his world... and that granted him fifty thousand Aevum.”

Xara’s brows drew together, ”Fifty thousand? Then that means—”

”Yes, I noticed it too,” Victor interrupted, giving a slight nod. ”The number of kills does not directly match the Aevum gained. There is something else influencing it. And even he had no idea how it actually works.”

He turned his head slightly toward Vesperine, ”But one thing seems certain... killing does increase Aevum. That part was true.”

Vesperine’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, her eyes gleaming as she lifted her chin slightly.

”See? I told you. I would never lie to you!”

Victor met her gaze with a calm smile. ”Of course. I believed you from the start.”

”Oh?”

Vesperine blinked, clearly caught off guard. A faint warmth crept up her cheeks, blooming into a visible blush as she cupped her face shyly, her voice softening.

”S-So straightforward... Fu~Fu~ I like that~”

”...”

Xara’s lips twitched sharply, the muscle near her eye flickering as if something inside her was threatening to snap. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, containing whatever reaction tried to rise.

”So... anything about the next attack? Or this ’President’ he kept mentioning? Can we contact them? Try negotiation, perhaps?”

There was a flicker of hope in her eyes. With the information they had gained, she clung to the possibility that this conflict could still be resolved without further bloodshed.

Victor watched her for a brief moment before slowly shaking his head.

”No... it seems he had no idea who this President actually is, nor any way to contact them.”

The faint hope in Xara’s expression dimmed.

She exhaled quietly, shaking her head with mild disappointment. ”Then what is our next course of action?”

Victor tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting as he thought, ”I have no idea.”

A brief silence followed, stretching thin between them.

Then, as if recalling something important, Xara spoke again, ”What about the scoreboard in the sky?”

Victor shook his head slowly, ”Even they had no idea why it exists... but one thing was clear. They have been transporting goods, deliberately, to increase those numbers in the sky.”

Xara absorbed his words as a faint hum escaped her lips. ”I see... so even they were left with vague answers?”

Her gaze drifted slightly and thought, ’It seems like Arcane did not favor them either... everyone left grasping at fragments, incomplete truths.

Then why favouritism? Terra was clearly favoured by the goddess, otherwise they would never have advanced this far... something does not align... something is missing.’

Her fingers curled subtly at her side.

That question... only the goddesses themselves could answer.

Vesperine turned toward Victor with a bright, almost sparkling smile,

”You are so cool, Mr. Victor. Not only do you understand their language, you even managed to pull the truth out of them...”

She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening with a playful glint. ”Since you trust me so much... how about I kill that head and take the so called Aevum?”

Victor hummed faintly, his eyes drifting toward the severed head lying nearby.

”Alright,” Victor said casually, ”Kill him.”

Vesperine’s lips curved into a delighted smirk, her fingers curling slowly into a tight fist,

”Do not worry... I will do my best to satisfy your sadistic side~”

”...”

Victor’s lips twitched slightly, ’I am not a sadist... or am I?’

The severed head suddenly trembled violently,

*O-Oi! What are you doing?! That was not what we agreed on! Weren’t you supposed to reattach my head to my body?!*

Its voice cracked with desperation as it watched Vesperine approach.

Something in her expression felt wrong... dangerously wrong.

Victor’s lips slowly curled into a faint, wicked smile as he responded,

*Yes... I did say I would reattach it.*

His eyes glinted.

*But I never said when~ Hehe~Maybe after your death?... Who knows~*

*Y-YOU!!*

Vesperine raised her arm, ready to bring it down, to smash into paste

And then—

”How about letting me keep it... as a specimen?”

Xara’s voice cut through the moment.

Her hand shot forward, catching Vesperine’s wrist mid-motion.

Vesperine flinched, her expression immediately shifting into irritation. The interruption clearly displeased her, especially now, when she had been so close to impressing Victor.

Victor’s gaze narrowed slightly as he turned toward Xara, then back to the trembling head.

”Give me one reason... to let it live.”

Xara met his eyes without hesitation. She understood the weight behind his tone, the anger beneath it.

”When I was examining it... I analysed its blood,” she said calmly.

”The ’X’-Blood is highly prominent in this body.”

Victor frowned at first, but then something clicked. Memories of her research, her fascination with blood composition, surfaced in his mind. His eyes widened slightly as realisation took hold.

”X-Blood... the one that exists in less than ten percent within our bodies, yet is universally present in everyone...?”

He stepped closer with disbelief, ”And you are saying... you found that ’X’-Blood in this body... prominently?”

Xara nodded once, ”Yes. But not just prominent...”

A slow, almost unsettling smile began to form on her lips.

”It contains only ’X’-Blood.”

”...”

Victor’s eyes widened fully this time, ”Only X...? Goodness...”

He exhaled, shaking his head slightly as the implications settled in.

For a moment, his gaze returned to the severed head, which now writhed in pure panic.

He wanted to kill it.

Every instinct urged him to erase it completely.

But—

Victor turned back to Xara, ”This... is what you have been searching for your entire life, isn’t it?”

A brief pause.

Then he nodded once.

”Go ahead... it is yours.”

Xara’s smile widened, ”Thank yo—”

”Mr. Victor, you are so great!! I do not even know what ’X’ you are talking about, but... You even let the enemy live for her sake, right?”

Vesperine cut her off instantly, darting forward with startling speed. Her face closed in on his, so near that her breath brushed against his lips, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Before she could get any closer, Xara grabbed her twin tails sharply, yanking her back as if pulling reins on a wild animal.

”Arh! It hurts, bitch!” Vesperine snapped.

”Then you should stop throwing yourself at him, bitch,” Xara muttered coldly, her expression laced with irritation, fingers still tightly wound in Vesperine’s hair.

”Stop? Who the hell are you to stop me? It’s not like you are his wife!!” Vesperine shot back, her temper flaring instantly.

This woman had been grinding against her nerves from the very beginning, and now she had crossed the line.

Xara stared at her blankly for a brief second.

Then she moved.

Her hand shot forward, grabbing Victor by the collar, pulling him down as she pressed her lips against his in a sudden, forceful kiss.

”~hmm~”

Time seemed to freeze.

Victor’s eyes widened.

Vesperine’s breath caught.

Xara pulled back just enough, her face flushed a deep crimson, her chest rising unevenly as if her own boldness had shaken her. Still, she forced the words out, dragging them from somewhere deep within.

”N-Now you see it... r-right? H-He... he is my man!”

Her voice trembled, yet burned with a fierce, possessive edge that refused to waver.

Vesperine staggered back a step, her face draining of colour as disbelief flooded her expression.

”H-huh? W-What? N-No... you already have your secret husband?” she shouted, her voice breaking as confusion tangled with anger.

”W-What about Selene? For fuck’s sake, he is your son-in-law, bitch?!”

Xara’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk. Her tongue brushed lightly across her lips, her gaze darkening.

”That only makes it more... interesting, does it not?”

Her hand slid against Victor’s shirt.

”...”

Vesperine stood frozen, as if she had just witnessed something unnatural, something her mind refused to process.

Before she could react further, she was suddenly shoved out of the lab.

The metallic door slammed shut in front of her with a heavy, echoing clang.

Silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Then—

”Let me in, bitch! What are you doing in there with him? You fucking rotten bitch! Can’t you keep your legs closed?!”

Vesperine’s voice erupted from outside, furious and frantic as she pounded against the door, her face burning red, her imagination already spiralling into chaotic conclusions.

Something Forbidden~

Inside the lab,

Victor’s back pressed against the cold metallic wall, the chill seeping through his clothes as he found himself cornered.

Xara stood in front of him.

Close.

Too close.

Her earlier outburst had vanished, replaced by a calm, almost unsettling composure. Her eyes locked onto his.

”Tell me the truth...” she said quietly. ”Did you really not fuck that bitch... or even seduce her?”

”...”