Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1818: Lily will take care of the rest: Part-1

Driippp~

The hot water dripped steadily over his body, sliding down his shoulders and chest before falling from his fingertips and disappearing into the drain.

Young Aether stood motionless beneath the shower, his palm pressed against the cold tiled wall while his fingers tapped against it in an absent rhythm.

His eyes remained fixed downward, watching the water gather around his foot, swirl in small circles, and slowly vanish into the dark mouth of the drain.

He had remained silent ever since Allen brought up his mother.

Why had Allen mentioned her again?

And what exactly had he meant when he asked how Aether would react if she suddenly stood before him?

There was something wrong with the question.

More than wrong, it felt deliberate, as though Allen had carefully chosen those words because he already knew something Aether didn’t.

Aether’s fingers stopped tapping.

Something was bothering him.

Everything had happened too quickly.

One moment, they had been discussing their situation, and the next, Allen had brought up his mother as though he were testing Aether’s reaction.

His instincts kept screaming that something was approaching, something he had failed to notice.

Or… Was he simply thinking too much?

Perhaps he was allowing his own dangerous thoughts to twist innocent words into something darker.

Perhaps there was nothing behind Allen’s question at all.

Or—

“Enough with this bullshit.”

The dark voice suddenly echoed through his mind.

“You already know what’s happening here. You’re just refusing to accept it, aren’t you?”

Young Aether’s head twitched.

His breathing faltered as his eyes slowly tightened.

“It… cannot… be… N-No…” His voice trembled beneath the pressure of the thought he desperately tried to suppress.

Pain and confusion tightened across his expression as though even acknowledging the possibility was enough to tear something open inside him.

The dark voice chuckled softly.

“Oh, believe me. I know exactly what you’re thinking. I know the truth you’ve been running from all this time.” Its voice seemed to crawl through the back of his mind.

“I’ve been watching you. I’ve watched you search for answers. I’ve watched you put the pieces together one by one.”

The voice paused.

“And you already found the truth.”

Young Aether’s jaw tightened.

“You simply refused to accept it.”

Young Aether clenched his fist until his nails dug into his palm. The dark voice continued, its amusement becoming more apparent.

“You found the answer, and yet you chose to bury it beneath excuses. You kept telling yourself there had to be another explanation. Something kinder. Something easier to swallow.” The voice gave a quiet, contemptuous laugh.

“But there isn’t.”

Aether’s fist trembled.

“You refused to accept reality like a fucking coward.”

The words struck harder than he wanted to admit.

Young Aether slammed his fist against the wall.

BANG!

“I am not a coward!” he snapped, “This is ridiculous! Why would he do that? Why would he even—”

“And I can ask you the same thing. Why wouldn’t he?”

Young Aether froze.

The dark mist suddenly flickered between Young Aether’s eyes, appearing for only a moment before fading.

The dark voice laughed softly.

“Hehe~ Pretty boy… this won’t end well if you keep refusing to accept the truth.”

Its voice began to fade, but its final words remained lodged inside his mind.

Young Aether stood there for several seconds, staring at nothing. His toes curled against the wet floor as the water continued to pour over him. Eventually, he reached up and turned off the shower.

He quickly dried himself and changed into the clothes Allen had prepared for him.

When Young Aether finally returned, Allen was sitting beside his daughter.

Lily had changed into different clothes as well. She was now wearing full-length pants and a long-sleeved shirt, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she sat beside her father with an unmistakable pout.

Young Aether’s mood lifted slightly at the sight.

He activated his visor.

“Well, look at you.” His voice softened as he looked toward Lily.

“Now that’s much better. So cute~”

“Hmph.”

Lily rolled her eyes and deliberately turned her face away from him.

Allen couldn’t help but smile when he saw Young Aether returning with some of his usual composure.

“So, bro, are you ready?” Allen asked.

Young Aether nodded.

“I already explained everything to Lily, so you don’t need to worry about explaining the situation to her again.”

Lily immediately clenched her fists.

“You still treat me like a child, Dad!”

Her voice carried genuine frustration. She hated being pushed away from the danger while her parents remained behind to face it themselves.

To her, being sent somewhere safe wasn’t protection. It felt like being told that she was too weak to stand beside the people she loved.

Allen smiled gently. “I didn’t.” He kissed her forehead before continuing, “You are not a child anymore… That’s why I leave them in your care. As a proper elder sister… Please protect your brother.”

Lily lowered her eyes. She was still furious, and a part of her wanted to argue with him again. But when she looked at her father’s warm and hopeful expression, she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.

After a moment of silence, she reluctantly nodded her head.

“I will,” she murmured. “I’ll protect him.”

Allen’s smile softened. “I know you will.”

He gently ruffled her red-wine hair before glancing toward Young Aether, who had been staring at him intently.

Young Aether finally broke the silence. “Don’t worry, man. As long as I live, nothing will happen to them.”

Allen chuckled. “That certainly sounds like a red flag, don’t you think?”

“…Well…” Young Aether paused, realising how his words had sounded.

“Scratch that. I’ll take care of them.”

Allen raised an eyebrow. “Much better.”

Young Aether nodded seriously before his expression suddenly brightened. “So, where is the little cutie—”

“WROHH!!!”

Suddenly, a small child jumped from behind Allen with a fierce little growl, his tiny body hunched forward as he raised both hands like a monster preparing to attack.

“OH, shit!”

Young Aether let out an exasperated cry. He was startled for a moment, but his surprise quickly turned into bewilderment when he actually saw the child.

Noah was wearing fluffy bear clothes and a strange mask over his face.

A mask Young Aether was far too familiar with.

A pure-black mask with a wide, sinister white grin.

“WRO!” Noah roared again, a giggle slipping through the monstrous sound as he happily watched Young Aether’s reaction.

Lily folded her arms, clearly annoyed. “See, Dad? This is what he was making while wasting my filaments.”

She pointed toward the mask, her irritation growing as she remembered how much of her roll of filament had been consumed just to create that ridiculous black face.

“Hahaha…” Allen chuckled as he reached down and gently picked up his son. He carefully removed the mask from Noah’s face.

“W-Waaa!”

Noah immediately reached for it, trying to grab the mask back.

Allen laughed softly and kissed his son’s cheek. “Look at you. You’ve been enjoying yourself ever since your uncle came.”

Noah giggled and tried to reach around his father for the mask.

Young Aether watched the scene with a strangely proud expression, even though he hadn’t actually done anything except scare a child and apparently become the inspiration for his terrifying little mask.

“Looks like he really likes it,” Young Aether said.

“Of course he does,” Allen replied. “He’s been waiting to show it to you.”

“Seriously?”

Noah answered by reaching for the mask again.

Allen smiled and handed it back to him.

Noah immediately put it on. He then turned toward Young Aether without showing even the slightest hint of fear. He lowered his body and raised his tiny hands like a monster preparing to pounce.

“WROHHH!!”

“…Hah… Haha…” Young Aether laughed awkwardly. “Now you aren’t scared of me anymore?”

Noah simply stared at him through the white grin of the mask… the mask was huge, as if almost the size of Real Aether’s face.

Young Aether looked back at Noah, unsure how exactly he was supposed to react to the situation. Something about it felt strangely amusing, yet he couldn’t quite understand why the child had suddenly lost all fear of him.

Was it because he was wearing the monster mask?

Perhaps, to Noah, the frightening creature wasn’t Young Aether anymore.

It was the thing behind the mask?

^Haha… Children really are amusing creatures, aren’t they?^

RIN’s voice echoed softly through his earpiece.

Young Aether’s expression immediately softened. The playful tension in his face disappeared, replaced by a quiet smile as he nodded.

‘Children really are amusing creatures… and come to think of it, I haven’t eaten one yet, Have I?’

As he had a thoughtful expression…

“All right!” Allen announced, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. “Since everyone is ready, it’s about time you guys leave.”

Lily nodded before standing up. She carefully picked up Noah and carried him toward the door.

Noah continued wearing his black monster mask, occasionally turning his head toward Young Aether as if checking whether his terrifying appearance was still having an effect.

Young Aether smiled faintly and was about to follow them when Allen suddenly stepped toward him and pulled him into a hug.

Young Aether froze for a moment, caught completely off guard.

Allen gave him a soft pat on the shoulder.

His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.

“No matter what happens… Please believe in me.”

Young Aether frowned. “What was that—?”

Before he could even finish the question, Allen suddenly shoved him out of the house and tightly closed the door behind him.

Young Aether blinked several times as he stood in front of the closed door, his expression filled with confusion before raising his hand, intending to knock and demand an explanation.

However, Lily called out to him.

“Uncle! Come on!”

Young Aether turned his head.

Lily was already standing inside the elevator, gesturing impatiently for him to hurry.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”

Young Aether lowered his hand and glanced back at the apartment door one last time.

Something about Allen’s behaviour bothered him.

He took a slow breath before turning away from the door and following Lily into the elevator.

Meanwhile, Allen remained standing behind the closed door.

He waited.

One second.

Then another.

Only when he heard the faint sound of the elevator doors closing did his tense expression finally break.

He released a huge sigh of relief.

“Finally…”

Allen immediately turned around and walked toward his room.

The moment he stepped inside, his expression became serious.

His wife, Emily, was sitting before the desk, surrounded by floating holographic screens. Dozens of video feeds covered her, most of them frozen or flickering with the same message.

SIGNAL LOST.

SIGNAL LOST.

SIGNAL LOST.

Some repeatedly glitched between distorted images and blackness, while others showed nothing but static.

Emily turned toward him.

“How did it go?”

Allen’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

“I told you. It was easy to fool him.”

He raised his hand, causing a holographic image to appear between them.

It was Penelope.

Allen tapped the hologram. “He didn’t doubt a single thing about this AI-generated image.”

Emily released a long breath, her lips curving into a relieved smile.

“Thank goodness. I was almost worried he had discovered it. If he had found out what we were doing…” Her smile faded slightly.

“Something could have happened to us.”

“Haha…” Allen chuckled, his sly smile returning.

He turned his attention toward the flickering footage surrounding them.

“It seems you succeeded on your side?”

Emily gave him a small wink.

“Who do you think I am?”

Allen smiled.

But Emily’s playful expression soon disappeared.

She glanced toward the closed door.

“Still… Are you sure about sending him with our children?”

Allen’s expression immediately became more serious.

“There’s no need to worry, dear.”

He crossed his arms and said in a cold tone, “Lily will take care of the rest.” A wicked smile slowly appeared across his face,

“I already planted a seed of doubt in him. The rest is in Lily’s hands… It’ll only be a matter of time before he turns against Jonathan.”

****

**

Meanwhile, Young Aether stood beside the same car Lily had picked him up in that morning.

He looked toward the driver’s seat and then at Lily.

“You’re going to drive again?”

Lily ignored him.

“How about letting your uncle take care of it this time?”

Lily simply huffed.

She still seemed annoyed about what had happened earlier.

Without answering him, she started the car.

Young Aether sighed and entered the passenger seat.

“Still angry, huh?”

Lily tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the car drove.

Young Aether looked toward the back seat.

Noah was sitting comfortably in his child seat, happily playing with his toys. Every now and then, however, he would stop playing and let out a little growl through the black mask still covering his face.

“WRO…”

Young Aether awkwardly smiled.

Both children were certainly unique in their own ways.

He leaned back into his seat and glanced out through the window as the car descended into the underground exit. A moment later, the vehicle emerged from the apartment complex and accelerated onto the highway.

For a while, everything seemed normal.

The city stretched around them in a sea of towering buildings, holographic advertisements, and elevated roads.

Young Aether watched the scenery pass by while occasionally glancing toward Lily.

She remained unusually quiet.

“Still angry?”

Lily didn’t answer.

He sighed.

“… Fine.”

A few minutes later, however, Young Aether noticed something strange.

Instead of continuing with the flow of traffic, Lily suddenly turned the steering wheel.

The car veered sharply to the left and left the main highway.

Young Aether straightened in his seat.

“Wait… What?”

Lily accelerated.

The car shot toward a far emptier road.

Young Aether looked ahead.

Large holographic warning signs floated above the road, flashing brightly.

The road beyond them was nearly empty, with unfinished structures, exposed steel frameworks, and heavy construction machinery scattered across the distance.

Young Aether’s eyebrows slowly furrowed.

“Lily?”

She didn’t respond.

The car continued accelerating.

Young Aether looked from the warning signs to Lily.

“Uh… Lily?”

Still nothing.

His expression became increasingly suspicious as the car shot straight past the holographic warnings.

“Where exactly are we going?”

SSSSNNNNGGGG!!!

The car accelerated even harder, its engine roaring as Lily pressed down on the accelerator. The vehicle surged forward with enough force to push Young Aether deeper into his seat, while a faint, almost mischievous grin appeared across Lily’s face.

“LILY!!!”

Young Aether grabbed the side of his seat as the car rapidly picked up speed.

“WAAAHHH!!”

Noah screamed from the back seat as well, but rather than sounding frightened, his voice was filled with pure excitement.

He giggled wildly behind his black monster mask, bouncing slightly in his child seat as if the terrifyingly fast ride were some kind of amusement park attraction.

Young Aether, however, was having a very different experience.

“Slow down! What the hell are you doing?!”

Lily didn’t even look at him. She simply kept her eyes on the road and pushed the accelerator even further.

Then Young Aether’s eyes widened.

Ahead of them, a massive flat wall suddenly emerged from the darkness.

The road ended there!!

Several holographic warning signs immediately flared into existence around it, their red symbols flashing rapidly.

Young Aether’s expression went pale.

“STOP IT, LILY!!”

His hand instinctively shot toward the steering wheel, intending to force the car to stop, but Lily sharply rotated the steering wheel to the right.

“VRRRRMMMMM!”

The anti-gravity stabilisers trembled violently as the car swung violently to the right. Young Aether was thrown sideways, his back slamming against the left door.

“Gah!”

For one horrifying second, Young Aether was certain they were about to smash straight into it.

“Lily, what are you—?!”

The car passed through the wall.

Young Aether blinked.

“…Huh?”

The wall simply vanished around them as the vehicle slipped through it as though the entire structure were nothing more than a holographic projection.

“W-WAAAAAAHHHH!”

Noah shouted in delight.

His tiny hands shot into the air as he giggled beneath his monstrous mask.

Young Aether stared at the wall behind them.

“…What?”

He slowly turned forward again.

Thin strips of white light suddenly illuminated the path ahead, revealing a massive underground tunnel stretching far into the darkness.

The vehicle smoothly returned to a straight position and continued racing forward.

Young Aether remained frozen for several seconds.

His eyes slowly shifted from the tunnel to Lily.

She was already looking at him.

A wide grin spread across her face.

Young Aether stared at her in disbelief.

“…Did you really have to do that?”

Lily’s grin widened.

“You could have warned me,” he continued. “You know, something simple like, ‘Hey, Uncle, we’re about to drive through a wall.’ That would’ve been nice.”

Lily snorted.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have shouted at me.”

“…Arrgh.”

Young Aether groaned and rubbed his forehead.

“If this is about me shouting at you… Fine. I’m sorry, alright?”

Lily glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then she shrugged.

“I’ll think about it.”

“…”

A vein visibly bulged on Young Aether’s forehead.

He took a slow breath and decided it was better not to argue with her.

“Fine.”

He leaned back into his seat and looked ahead.

“So, where are we?”

“A shortcut to Gamma City.”

Young Aether raised an eyebrow.

“A shortcut? How come?”

Lily shrugged.

“I don’t know. Dad just told me that if we ever get into danger, I should take this route.”

Young Aether nodded slowly, ‘How come a soldier knew this shortcut?’ he frowned.