Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1796: This Pair is kind of unique!

After telling Emily about Young Aether’s situation, she sat there in stunned silence. The entire story sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel, so absurd that any sane person would have laughed it off.

Yet after seeing Allen’s serious expression and hearing everything that had happened, she found herself accepting it, even if confusion still lingered across her face.

It’s not like he was her friend, right?

If Allen believed him, then that was enough for her.

Besides, Jonathan was involved too. That alone made the story far more believable than she wanted to admit.

As for Young Aether supposedly having the ability to attract older women… under normal circumstances, she would have dismissed it as complete nonsense. But he was no longer just a normal human.

He came from another world, a world filled with impossible things and powers beyond common sense. Compared to everything else she had just heard, that strange ability somehow became the least unbelievable part.

Even so, one question stubbornly remained in her mind.

How could women become attracted to someone simply by looking at his face?

How ridiculous was that?!

…Still…

Let’s just hope curiosity doesn’t kill the cat.

After their long conversation, Allen and Emily finally walked out of the room. Before opening the door completely, Allen made absolutely sure his friend had his face covered.

“Bro… you good?”

Young Aether gave a small nod beneath the visor.

“Yeah. Come on.”

Only then did Allen allow Emily to enter. Even so, he instinctively stepped in front of her, positioning himself like a human shield just in case.

Emily, however, couldn’t suppress her curiosity anymore. She leaned slightly to one side, trying to peek around Allen’s broad shoulder for even the tiniest glimpse.

Young Aether looked toward the trio as they returned.

Trio?

Well… duh.

The little boy had quietly followed behind his mother, copying her every movement.

Whenever Emily leaned left to peek, he leaned right too.

When she leaned right…

He leaned left as well.

The mother peeked from behind her husband’s left shoulder while the son hid behind his mother’s right leg, shuffling left and right together in perfect synchronisation.

It looked less like a family confronting a dangerous person and more like ducklings trying to spy without being noticed.

The sight was so unexpectedly adorable that Young Aether couldn’t hold it in.

“Hahaha…”

A soft laugh escaped his lips before he adjusted his posture and looked at them.

“Relax… I’m not going to bite. No need to be so scared.”

Allen stared at him with the deadest expression imaginable.

…Yeah. No way, bitch.

From Allen’s perspective, this was exactly how every NTR plot started.

One handsome bastard.

One unsuspecting wife.

One trusting husband.

Absolutely not!!!!

Without wasting another second, Allen guided Emily farther away from Young Aether before sitting down directly beside her.

Actually…

Scratch that.

He practically glued himself to her side.

He had never imagined, not once in his entire fucking life, that he would someday be protecting his own wife…

…from his best friend.

The irony was so overwhelming that even he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time!

Young Aether noticed every bit of Allen’s exaggerated vigilance, and despite finding it somewhat amusing, a faint bitterness settled in his chest.

He couldn’t even blame him.

A face capable of unconsciously charming people wasn’t simply a blessing.

It was dangerous!!

A dangerous double-edged sword.

The same power that allowed him to slay terrifying enemies could just as easily become the blade that harmed the people standing closest to him.

That thought weighed heavily on Young Aether’s heart. Feeling a little bit sad!

No matter what kind of ability he possessed, he swore to himself that he would never harm his friends or take away what they treasured.

Even if the world forced him into impossible situations, that was one line he refused to cross.

A gentle smile spread beneath the black visor hiding his face as he looked toward the couple.

“So, did Sister Emily get all the answers she was looking for?”

Emily was about to answer him herself, but Allen immediately reached over and covered her mouth before she could say a single word.

“I already explained everything to her, and she understood most of it, so we’re all goo—ARRGH!!”

Allen instantly pulled his hand away after Emily sank her teeth into his palm without the slightest hesitation.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

Emily folded her arms and glared at him with complete justification.

“He asked me, not you. I’m perfectly capable of answering my own questions.”

Allen rubbed his sore hand while muttering under his breath.

“I married a vampire…”

“You’re lucky I didn’t bite harder.”

Young Aether watched the married couple bicker over something so unbelievably trivial that he couldn’t stop a helpless smile from appearing beneath the visor.

Somehow…

Watching them argue like this felt strangely comforting.

Emily finally turned back toward him, although her eyes couldn’t help drifting toward the black visor every few seconds. Curiosity continuously poked at the back of her mind, urging her to pull it off just once and see the face everyone kept treating like some forbidden artifact.

Thankfully, common sense was still winning that battle.

“So… does that really mean you were reborn into another world?”

“Indeed.”

Emily slowly nodded as she processed everything she had heard today.

“That still sounds completely insane when I say it out loud.”

Young Aether gave a small shrug.

“I thought so too.”

“Then… can you actually use magic? You know… fireballs, lightning, flying, summoning dragons… that kind of stuff?”

“Well, technically I can.”

His eyes lowered toward his right wrist.

Although the Eternal Chain around it was destroyed, he could still feel the heavy restraint sealing his power. Three more chains still remained around his other limbs, preventing him from accessing the vast majority of his abilities.

“But things are a little complicated right now.”

Emily tilted her head.

“So… no dragons?”

“Unfortunately, no dragons today.”

“Aww…”

“But I can still run very fast.”

“How fast?”

Young Aether looked at her for a moment before answering with complete confidence.

“So fast that your eyes won’t even realise I’ve moved until I’m already back.”

Emily’s eyes widened.

Allen’s eyes widened even more.

“REALLY?”

“REALLY?!!”

The married couple leaned forward so quickly that their son looked between them before copying the exact same movement, creating three pairs of sparkling eyes staring at Young Aether.

Seeing the little boy imitate his parents almost made Young Aether laugh.

“Ha… Yes!”

His gaze casually swept across the living room before stopping on the colourful toys scattered across the floor.

“There.”

Allen instinctively looked toward the toys.

“So what about them?”

Young Aether smiled beneath the visor.

“Watch carefully.”

“…”

Neither Allen nor Emily dared blink.

The little boy even puffed out his cheeks as though that somehow helped him concentrate harder.

Then…

Step!

By the time Allen instinctively blinked…

Every single toy had completely disappeared from the floor.

!!

Emily gasped.

Allen immediately looked around the room.

“What the…”

His eyes landed on the table.

Every toy now rested there in a perfectly neat pile.

Neither of them had seen even the slightest blur.

There wasn’t any gust of wind.

There wasn’t even the sound of footsteps.

It simply… Happened!!

Allen slowly turned his head toward Emily with the expression of a man whose understanding of physics had just resigned from its job.

“Darling…”

Emily slowly looked back at him, wearing the exact same dumbfounded expression.

“Darling…”

Both of them stared at each other for another second before exploding simultaneously.

“THAT’S SO FUCKING COOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!”

The husband and wife began stomping their feet against the floor like two overgrown children who had just discovered superheroes were actually real.

They clapped excitedly.

They pointed at the table.

They looked at Young Aether.

Then back at the table.

Then back at Young Aether again.

Even their son joined in by jumping up and down without having the slightest clue why everyone was suddenly so excited.

Allen abruptly pointed toward the staircase.

“Bro! Bro! Do another one!”

Young Aether chuckled.

“What do you want?”

“That towel hanging over the second-floor railing!”

Allen pointed dramatically toward the upstairs hallway like a commander assigning the most important military mission in human history.

“Bring that one!”

Young Aether gave him a small salute.

“On it.”

Step!

The next moment, Allen didn’t even realize Young Aether had moved.

One second, the towel was still hanging peacefully on the upstairs railing.

The next second…

It was neatly folded on the coffee table.

Allen’s pointing finger remained frozen in midair.

“M-me! Me!” Emily immediately raised her hand like an excited schoolgirl. “P-pick that pillow on the sta—”

Step!

“Here, Sister.”

The pillow was already resting in her hands before she even finished her sentence.

“OH, MY GOD!!”

Emily let out a scream so loud that it startled everyone in the room. She squeezed the pillow, poked it several times, then even smelled it as if she were checking whether it was actually the same pillow.

“It… it’s real!”

Young Aether couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh behind his visor.

Allen, meanwhile, stood completely frozen.

He looked upstairs.

He looked at the pillow.

Then back upstairs again.

His brain stubbornly refused to accept what his eyes were telling him.

Young Aether was still sitting on the couch exactly where he had been a second ago.

He hadn’t seen him move.

He hadn’t even seen a blur.

Yet somehow the pillow had travelled from the staircase into Emily’s hands as though reality itself had skipped a few frames.

Allen suddenly slammed his hands together.

“Bro! Bro! Meat in the Kitchen!”

Step!

A package of meat landed neatly on the table.

Emily immediately shot her hand into the air again.

“Me! Me! My belt!”

Step!

Her belt appeared beside the meat.

Allen refused to lose this competition.

“Bro! My pants!”

Step!

A neatly folded pair of pants landed beside the belt.

Emily wasn’t backing down either.

“Me! Me! The broom!”

Step!

The broom leaned perfectly against the table.

“Bro! A bottle of water!”

Step!

“Me! Me! Clean the living room!”

“I think we should…”

“Pretty please!”

Step!

Allen immediately joined in.

“Bro! Vacuum the…”

“Listen, I…”

“Bro!!”

Step!

Emily pointed somewhere else.

“My slippers!”

Step!

Allen pointed upstairs.

“My charger!”

Step!

Emily spun toward the hallway.

“The laundry basket!”

Step!

Allen looked around like a customer discovering unlimited wishes.

“Bro! Since you’re already do—”

“STOP IT!!”

Young Aether’s voice echoed throughout the entire living room.

Allen and Emily both flinched so hard that they instinctively leaned into each other.

“…”

The married couple slowly looked at Young Aether.

Then they slowly looked around the house.

The table had practically disappeared beneath a mountain of random objects.

The floor… was spotless.

The toys had been organised.

The broom was back in its corner.

The scattered clothes had vanished.

Even the cushions had somehow returned to their proper places.

The entire living room looked cleaner than it had that morning.

Young Aether pinched the bridge of his nose beneath the visor before letting out a long, exhausted sigh.

“I know this is cool and all, but I seriously can’t believe the two of you somehow turned my super speed into free house cleaning.”

Allen blinked.

Emily blinked.

The husband and wife slowly looked around the room once more.

“Huh.”

“It really is clean.”

They exchanged a glance.

Then, as if sharing the exact same brain cell, both of them gave Young Aether the most shamelessly innocent smiles imaginable.

The kind of smile children wore after breaking something expensive.

Young Aether felt a vein twitch on his forehead.

He suddenly understood why older brothers wanted to smack their younger siblings.

He especially wanted to smack Emily.

Allen had mostly been requesting random things because he was excited.

Emily…

She had somehow managed to sneak “clean the house” into the list without anyone noticing.

‘She planned this from the beginning, didn’t she…?’

Young Aether slowly turned toward her.

[+200 AP]

Emily immediately looked away and began whistling very badly despite clearly not knowing how to whistle.

Young Aether could only shake his head before leaning back against the couch with a defeated sigh.

“So… do you finally understand that I wasn’t exaggerating?”

After witnessing his speed firsthand, they no longer had any doubts.

They still hadn’t actually seen him move.

To them, objects simply disappeared from one place and reappeared somewhere else.

It was equal parts incredible…

And terrifying.

Allen’s playful grin gradually faded into a more serious expression.

He slowly nodded before leaning forward with his hands clasped together.

“So… it’s really that serious, huh?”

Young Aether nodded quietly.

Although…

Behind Allen’s serious face…

Young Aether could practically see the giant words floating above his head.

‘IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME!!’

Young Aether resisted the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes.

‘Motherfucker… of all the things to be jealous about, you chose this?’

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed two tiny eyes peeking from behind Emily’s shoulder.

The little boy would peek for a second…

Then immediately hide.

Peek again…

Hide again.

Young Aether smiled softly.

“Come on, Noah.”

He gently gestured for the child to come closer.

“You don’t have to hide behind your mom.”

Noah tightened his grip on Emily’s shirt.

His curious little eyes remained fixed on the mysterious man wearing the black visor.

He clearly wanted to come closer…

But his tiny body still hadn’t decided whether curiosity was stronger than caution.

Emily let out a soft chuckle before gently lifting Noah into her arms and turning him toward Young Aether.

“That’s your uncle, Noah. Go say hello.”

She gave him a light, encouraging push.

Noah stood there for a few moments, his tiny hands clutching his shirt while staring at the mysterious man wearing the black visor.

Young Aether slightly leaned forward and gently waved at him.

“Come here~”

“WAAAAAAAH!!”

The little boy burst into tears almost instantly.

Young Aether froze.

His entire body became motionless.

Behind the visor… His heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

“…”

Emily quickly picked Noah back up and softly patted his back.

“There, there… It’s okay, baby. He isn’t a weirdo.”

Young Aether felt another invisible arrow pierce straight through his chest.

‘I’M NOT A WEIRDO!’

‘Woman… do I seriously look like one?’

Noah buried his face against his mother’s chest while quietly sobbing.

After calming down a little, he cautiously peeked over Emily’s shoulder.

The moment his eyes met Young Aether’s visor again…

He immediately buried his face back into his mother’s embrace.

“…”

Young Aether’s lips twitched.

That one hurt even more.

Emily scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

“Sorry… he’s just really shy around new people.”

Young Aether slowly nodded.

“I… understand.”

Although… RIN clearly had a completely different opinion.

^Based on his facial expressions, elevated heartbeat, and behavioral response, my analysis concludes there is a 99.99% probability that he is terrified of you.^

Young Aether almost choked.

‘…For real?’

RIN continued without the slightest mercy.

^There is also an old belief among humans that young children are able to see devils.^

Young Aether’s eye twitched beneath the visor.

‘See the devil? Come on… don’t be ridiculous. He’s just shy. I’m a complete stranger wearing a black visor. Of course he’d be scared….

Once I buy him some candy, he’ll definitely like me. Hehehe—’

He could already imagine Noah happily calling him “Uncle.”

A beautiful dream.

RIN crushed it immediately.

^My behavioural prediction module estimates there is a high probability you were just imagining giving the child candy to lure him toward you.^

Young Aether blinked.

^That is also consistent with stereotypical devil behaviour.^

“…”

Young Aether’s expression turned genuinely horrified.

‘How… How did she know exactly what I was thinking?’

For the first time since meeting RIN…

He felt genuinely creeped out.

‘Holy shit… This AI is becoming dangerous…’

RIN immediately responded.

^You just thought I was dangerous, didn’t you?^

There was an unmistakable hint of playful amusement in her otherwise calm voice.

Young Aether nearly jumped.

“…”

Yep.

She was definitely becoming dangerous.