Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1566: Goods Delivered!

”How is your body?”

”Hmm... I am fine. Just a little sore even after Helena healed me,” Sandra said softly as she lay against the bed, her body sinking into the sheets with a lingering exhaustion. Her gaze drifted toward nothing in particular, ”I just wonder if they are doing okay...”

Aether, seated beside her, watched her quietly for a moment before a gentle smile touched his lips. He reached out and carefully tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, ”They will be fine. Just take rest.”

Sandra responded with a soft hum, her eyes fluttering slightly.

Aether studied her expression, a faint crease forming between his brows. The wounds that had once marked her body were gone, completely healed, leaving no trace behind. Yet something felt wrong.

The exhaustion clinging to her was deeper than mere physical strain. It was the same look he had seen on others who had been heavily wounded during the chaos.

Though Aether himself had been injured, his condition was different.

’Is there an attack or... something on our side?’

”Anyway, don’t think about anything. Just rest and let the girls do their job, okay?”

Sandra nodded slowly. As Aether began to rise from his seat, intending to leave her to rest, her fingers suddenly tightened around his wrist, stopping him.

She parted her lips, hesitation flickering across her face. Words seemed to gather, tremble, and then retreat. A faint blush crept across her cheeks, and she shook her head lightly, as if scolding herself for even trying.

Aether paused, looking down at her hand holding his. Without asking, without pressing her to speak, he simply sat back down. His fingers turned, slipping into hers, holding her hand gently.

Sandra’s cheeks deepened in colour, warmth spreading across her face as her voice finally slipped out in a quiet murmur, almost lost in the silence.

”I... love... you...”

Her eyes slowly closed as the last word left her lips, her grip loosening just slightly as she finally drifted into dreams.

Aether remained there, his hand still holding hers. He watched her for a long moment, ensuring she had truly fallen asleep. Only then did he gently release her hand, careful not to wake her, and stood.

Without a sound, he left the room.

Next, he made his way toward the Royal Magician and Healer... Mareth.

The atmosphere shifted as he entered Mareth’s workstation, the air thick with the faint scent of herbs, metal, and lingering magic. Tools and strange devices filled the room, each carrying its own quiet purpose.

”Is it done?” Aether asked.

Mareth, the old man, turned toward him and nodded, his aged hands already moving as he picked up a small square device. It resembled a remote, ”Yes, Your Majesty...”

He held it up carefully, presenting it with a certain pride. ”There are three functions in the bug you asked for...” he began, his voice measured as he explained each detail, his fingers occasionally pressing against the device to demonstrate its use.

Aether listened without interruption.

Soon after, he left the palace and arrived at the main branch of Rosavere Pvt. Transport Company.

”It seems even they were attacked by them, too” Aether muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the area. Transport vehicles lay damaged, some overturned, others shattered beyond quick repair.

Goods were scattered across the ground, abandoned and broken, as if chaos had swept through and left everything behind without care.

Wearing the rabbit mask and holding a suitcase, Lackey stepped forward and entered the building.

The new receptionist noticed him immediately, her posture stiffening before she quickly reached out to contact the secretary. Within moments, the secretary arrived,

”Welcome, Mr. Lackey,” she said, her voice professional but edged with unease as her eyes searched him carefully.

”Are you... alright?”

Lackey gave a small nod, ”Yes, I am... what about you?”

For a brief second, her expression faltered.

Her face darkened slightly, as if a shadow had passed over it, something unpleasant lingering just beneath the surface.

”I... I am fine,” she replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Lackey let out a quiet hum.

He noticed it... The hesitation and forced composure. Curiosity brushed against his thoughts, tempting him to ask further, to dig deeper into what had happened.

But he didn’t.

After all... even he himself was not ready to speak about the incident.

”A-Anyway... please come this way. Madam has been really worried about you,” the secretary said, her tone brightening artificially as she turned, guiding him forward with that same carefully maintained smile.

Lackey chuckled softly, ”She might be worried about the deal, but definitely not about me.”

The secretary gave a faint, strained smile, her fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the folder she carried.

”Still... It’s not like she only cares about the deal,” she replied.

Lackey did not respond. He simply walked beside her in silence.

Soon, they arrived at the office.

As the door opened, Rosavere sat at her desk, pen moving swiftly across documents. The moment she noticed them, her hand stilled. She looked up, and a visible wave of relief passed through her as she leaned back slightly.

”Thank goodness you are alive,” she said, exhaling softly, the tension in her shoulders easing... after all, he didn’t attend the call for the past two days... she thought he was dead.

Lackey smiled as he stepped forward and took a seat across from her. ”Of course I am...”

The secretary moved quietly behind Rosavere, standing at her side with practised composure.

”So? Is it finished?” the secretary asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. Though she had given him more time, his return already hinted at the answer.

Still, she wanted to hear it directly.

At the same time, a flicker of thought crossed her mind. The chaos had only happened a few days ago.

Everything was destroyed.

If he had returned now... then he was surely planning something.

Lackey gave a small nod. Without a word, he placed the suitcase on the table and slowly opened it, turning it toward Rosavere.

”These are the samples.”

Rosavere’s eyebrows lifted slightly as her gaze fell upon the contents.

Three identical guns rested neatly inside.

Her eyes flickered toward him, ’Is he trying to impress me first with this? Interesting... let’s see how far he goes,’ she thought.

”Hmm...”

She reached for a similar gun from her desk and began comparing it with the three in the case. Her fingers traced along the surface with careful precision, her eyes narrowing slightly as she examined every detail.

”Just like the original artifact... no difference at all,” she murmured, noting how even the outer structure felt the same, down to the smallest detail.

Then, a faint spark of excitement lit her eyes.

”Shall we test it?” Rosavere asked with subtle eagerness.

Lackey nodded without hesitation. ”Of course.”

Moments later, Rosavere led him to a training area.

The space was wide and open, with rows of dummy figures lined up at a distance.

The secretary stood beside her, holding the suitcase open as Rosavere picked up one of the guns. She gripped it firmly, her stance steady, her gaze locked onto a target.

Then she pulled the trigger.

BOOM!!

A surge of blue energy burst from the pistol’s nozzle, tearing through the air before slamming into the dummy.

As the dust settled, fragments of the dummy scattered across the ground, its form reduced to nothing recognisable.

Rosavere blinked once, then slowly turned her head toward Lackey with a surprised expression.

Lackey’s lips curled into a faint smirk. ”Just a little tweak. It’s slightly more powerful than the original one you gave me,” he said casually, ”Take that as my compensation for the delay.”

[+200 AP]

Rosavere gave a small nod. Without wasting time, she handed the remaining guns to the secretary.

”Test them,” she instructed.

The secretary obeyed immediately.

Shots rang out one after another, blue beams flashing through the air as each dummy met the same destructive fate.

Meanwhile, Lackey leaned against the wall, watching them with quiet patience as they pushed the weapons to their limits.

Shot after shot.

Until—

Spark~

When Rosavere pulled the trigger again, the gun no longer released an energy beam. Instead, a small burst of sparks flickered weakly from the nozzle.

She tilted her head slightly.

”Total of twenty-five shots...” she murmured, ”Does that mean it becomes useless after twenty-five rounds?”

Lackey straightened slightly from the wall, his gaze shifting toward the weapon in her hand.

”No,” he replied calmly. ”You can replace the Origin Core Crystal. Since I modified the internal structure to increase output, the crystals need to go through a specific process to handle the strain.”

Lackey spoke as smoothly as possible.

After all... the bug was implanted inside the Origin Core Crystals, not the gun itself.

However—

”No need.”

Lackey flinched slightly. No need?

He was just about to convince her when Rosavere’s lips curled into a sharp smirk.

”We’ll sell the whole thing instead of just the Origin Core Crystals initially,” she said.

Lackey raised his eyebrows, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. ’So she wants to expand the scale... ah? I suppose selling the entire gun is different from just selling the magazine,’ he thought.

Still, he tilted his head slightly. ”Initially?”

Rosavere nodded as she stepped forward, her tone growing more calculated.

”Yes. The moment the world realises this kind of power exists... everyone will want it,” she began,

”And it will only be a matter of time before others start trying to dissect its function.”

”If we sell the Origin Core Crystals at the start, we risk helping those curious enough to reverse-engineer them faster,” she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly.

”So instead... we sell the full artifact at a price low enough that even commoners can afford it.”

Her lips curved again, this time more dangerously.

”We flood the market. Fast. Everywhere.”

She stopped, turning toward him fully now.

”And once demand takes root...” her voice slowly turned dark, ”we slowly raise the price. Gradually. Naturally. Until it reaches a point where only nobles can afford it.”

Her grip tightened around the gun in her hand.

”Then,” she said, a glint flashing in her eyes,

”We announce that we offer replacement Origin Core Crystals instead of forcing them to buy entirely new weapons.”

Her smile widened.

”And just like that... we control the entire market.”

Lackey frowned slightly, ”But... wouldn’t this cause losses for us?” he asked with a serious tone now.

”Selling at a price commoners can afford... You do understand the cost of the materials used in this, right? I can’t run that kind of business—”

”Believe me,” Rosavere cut in, ”the first step in business often begins with a loss.”

She walked toward him.

”And who said you are going to lose?” she continued, stopping just in front of him.

”I will bear the loss myself.”

She raised her hand toward him, offering it.

”Your share from every artifact sold will reach you without error,” she added.

Lackey fell silent for a moment, his gaze studying her carefully.

That cubby petite figure... that soft, almost harmless appearance.

Yet beneath it—

Danger.

He hummed thoughtfully, then he nodded.

”Well then... as long as my share remains untouched, I’m fine with anything,” he said before reaching out and shaking her hand.

”Good.”

[+300 AP]

Rosavere smiled warmly, but beneath that warmth, a faint, dangerous glimmer lingered in her eyes, as if her mind was already several steps ahead, weaving plans within plans.

”How many units can you deliver by tomorrow?” she asked, her tone shifting back to business as she placed the guns back into the suitcase held by the secretary behind her.

Lackey blinked once. ”Tomorrow? The goods are already waiting outside in containers,” he replied casually.

”I only brought these as samples for you.”

Both Rosavere and the secretary froze for a brief second.

”Really?”

”Yup.”

Rosavere let out a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly. ”Here I was thinking you brought these samples to calm me down... maybe with some excuse about the chaos destroying your production unit or something.”

Lackey paused, then tilted his head. ”...Should I have?”

Rosavere’s smirk returned instantly.

”You should have,” she said without hesitation. ”After all... It’s business, isn’t it?”

She folded her arms lightly, her expression turning knowingly sharp.

”Even we suffered major losses,” she continued. ”If I were you, I would have said these were the only units I managed to save after the chaos, and that all the raw materials were destroyed.”

Her gaze locked onto his.

”After all... everyone suffered, right?”

”...”

Lackey stood there in silence.

’Damn... that idea didn’t even cross my mind,’ he thought.

The secretary let out a small giggle, unable to hold it back. ”Even with that method, Madam has managed to trick her other business partners before... ahaha—”

Rosavere’s eyes shifted toward her.

Just a single glance.

The secretary immediately fell silent, her lips pressing shut as she straightened.

Lackey gave a faint, slightly awkward smile.

’I guess... I still have a lot to learn,’ he admitted to himself quietly.