Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1497: Say... are you trying to seduce her?

”It all happened a month after obtaining the Origin Core crystals. I immediately embedded them into the replicated artifacts, believing that they would finally be ready for the test, but nothing happened. I tried everything I could think of, altering the internal circuits, reinforcing the runes, even recalibrating the core structure, yet the replicated artifact still refused to respond.

So... I tried using the original artifact instead, thinking maybe the copy was flawed. But that didn’t work either. That’s when I began suspecting the Origin Core crystals themselves, so I decided to alter the raw material directly. I thought if I could adjust its resonance, maybe it would synchronise properly.

And when I tested it... the artifact failed completely.

It detonated right in m-my very hand.

That’s it... That’s how everything ended.”

Lackey muttered the words while sitting stiffly on the chair, his voice hollow and strained. Each sentence sounded like it was being dragged out of old scars, memories burned so deeply that even recalling them hurt.

Fuck!

He clenched the torn hand... trembling so tightly and painfully. So much fucking pain surged through his hand, as if his body still remembered the explosion.

Rosavere stared at him in horror as his posture slowly collapsed, his shoulders slumping as though the weight of the memory finally crushed him. Her gaze drifted toward his left arm, where the sleeve had been folded back just enough to expose the severed limb. Torn flesh, blood, and exposed veins lay grotesquely visible, a sight that made her stomach tighten.

”Did you... use healing?” Rosavere asked with worry.

Lackey slowly shook his head.

Rosavere immediately reached for a healing potion on the desk. As she brought it closer, Lackey spoke again,

”I meant that it didn’t work at all.”

Rosavere froze in disbelief, ”It’s... a High Grade Healing Potion. It can regenerate an entire arm without leaving a scar.”

Lackey shook his head again, more firmly this time. ”Nothing worked. Not even a High Grade Healing Potion.”

Rosavere’s eyes widened, ”You have to be kidding me. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Lackey released a weak sigh before taking the potion from her hand. He carefully poured it over the torn flesh, the liquid soaking into the wound before he tilted the bottle back and swallowed the rest.

His movements were slow, almost detached, as if he already knew the outcome.

A faint glow spread across his arm!

For a moment, Rosavere held her breath, convinced the limb would reform. But the glow faded, leaving the cut the same as before.

”See... nothing worked,” Lackey said softly.

The secretary, who had been listening in silence, stepped closer with a pained expression, her eyes fixed on the injury. ”Should I bring any medical clothes?” she muttered, as she hesitated to touch, fearing it would hurt Lackey even more.

”Is it... really not healing back?” She asked carefully.

Lackey nodded his head once. ”After the blast, I lost consciousness entirely. I don’t remember anything after that. It took me a whole month just to wake up again.”

”Wait... a whole month?” Rosavere asked, her shock deepening as she leaned forward.

Lackey nodded weakly. ”Yes. I woke up this morning. After hearing everything from my servants, I came here as soon as I could.” He clenched his right hand into a fist, pain flickering across his face.

”Please believe me. I never intended for this to happen. Everything spiralled out of control before I could stop it.”

”hmm...” Rosavere hummed quietly, her expression serious and unreadable. Doubt lingered in her eyes, as though part of her still questioned his explanation. No matter how convincing his injuries were, something felt incomplete, something she couldn’t quite grasp.

Lackey clicked his tongue inwardly... She really was a tough nut to crack.

The secretary stepped forward again, ”Madam, it was an accident. No one could have predicted something like this happening.”

Rosavere let out a slow hum before responding. ”Even so... being unconscious for an entire month, and yet you look completely fine otherwise.” Her gaze swept over Lackey from head to toe before she frowned deeply.

”That doesn’t sit right with me.”

Lackey searched desperately for another excuse, his thoughts racing, when the secretary spoke again, her tone sharper this time.

”Madam, it’s just a month. Nothing significant is bound to change,” she said. ”When my father was in an accident and fell into a coma, his body remained stable even after three months. As long as sufficient energy was supplied, the body maintained itself perfectly.”

Rosavere frowned slightly, her brows knitting together as she processed the explanation. ”Is it?” she asked, her tone sceptical rather than dismissive, as if weighing the words instead of rejecting them outright.

The secretary nodded without hesitation, ”Absolutely. And if you look closely at his clothes, you can already see the signs,” she said, gesturing subtly toward Lackey. ”They’re looser around his shoulders and biceps. Not drastically, but enough to tell that his body mass has changed.”

Rosavere leaned closer and examined him more carefully. Lackey’s clothes had always fit him snugly, almost unnaturally tight and sexy.... Now, they hung slightly loose, not enough to appear sloppy, but just enough for the difference to become obvious once noticed.

Lackey, on the other hand mildly surprised... How did she know?

He was getting a strange vibe from this Secretary!

”Still...” Rosavere said after a pause, ”If he lost consciousness, his servants could have sent information regardless. I mean the black-clothed woman who appeared before me. She could have informed me, couldn’t she?” Her eyes locked onto Lackey, doubt clearly written across her expression.

Lackey parted his lips, ready to deliver the explanation he had prepared. He could simply say the woman betrayed him, keep it short, clean, and final.

That would end the questioning.

No more questions.

But once again, the secretary stepped forward before he could speak.

”Maybe he didn’t inform anyone about the project,” she said calmly. ”After all, the project he was involved in was supposed to remain secret, wasn’t it? He might not have told them about the project, and when he lost consciousness, that servant may not have known what to do. Waiting for Mr. Lackey to wake up would have been the safest choice.” She shrugged lightly, as if stating something self-evident.

Lackey shot her a strange look, confusion flickering across his face.

What the fuck was going on here?

Wasn’t he supposed to be the one convincing Rosavere?

And more importantly, how did she know about the secrecy of the project?

Did Rosavere tell her everything? If so, why?

Rosavere, too, turned to her secretary with an odd look, ”Whose secretary are you, exactly?” she asked.

The secretary flinched, colour rising to her cheeks as she stepped back. ”F-Forgive me,” she said quickly, lowering her head in embarrassment.

Rosavere shook her head once, ’Well, she had been nagging about his whereabouts more than me...’ she thought before dismissing the moment before turning her attention back to Lackey. ”So?” she asked, waiting for his answer.

Lackey snapped out of his thoughts and steadied himself before speaking, ”Yes, just like she said. Our deal was supposed to stay secret,” he said evenly. ”So I didn’t inform anyone. Not even my closest servants. I worked alone, and... the disaster happened.”

He followed the secretary’s explanation without deviation. It sounded far more believable than any rushed excuse he could have invented on the spot.

The secretary smiled faintly, satisfaction flickering across her face.

[+3000 AP]

Rosavere took a slow breath, tilting her head as confusion lingered beneath her composed exterior. Even though Lackey’s explanation made sense, the feeling of being kept in the dark for an entire month still gnawed at her.

Acceptance did not come easily.

Still, the proof stood before her. The missing arm, the failed healing potion, and the undeniable severity of the accident spoke louder than words ever could.

Even as doubt lingered, she could no longer deny that something had gone terribly, irreversibly wrong.

’Well... he still came back. If he truly wanted to run away, he would have done it long ago. There would be no reason for him to return unless he genuinely intended to continue, not unless he needed more raw materials,’ she thought, her expression turning contemplative as she weighed the situation carefully.

After a long pause, she finally let out a quiet sigh.

”Fine... I believe you.”

Lackey released a deep breath, the tension slowly easing from his shoulders.

”But,” Rosavere continued, her tone sharpening as her gaze hardened, ”this is your last warning. I’m already behind schedule, and I don’t intend to let things spiral further.” She retrieved the contract and slid it back beneath the desk, not torn, just below the desk... as if silently declaring that trust had not been fully restored.

Lackey offered a small smile behind his mask, ”Don’t worry. This time, I’ll be careful. I’ll at least instruct my servants to inform you immediately if anything happens to me.”

”Do that first,” Rosavere said with a curt nod.

”So... we’re fine now?” Lackey asked cautiously.

”Yes... and no,” Rosavere replied, folding her hands together. ”How long will it take you to deliver the goods now? With your left hand gone, won’t this delay things even further?” Her voice remained steady.

Lackey hesitated, calculating his answer carefully before speaking. ”At most... two weeks—”

”No,” Rosavere interrupted firmly. ”Take three weeks.”

Both Lackey and the secretary looked at her in mild surprise.

Rosavere shrugged lightly, her expression unreadable. ”Don’t misunderstand. I do have a heart,” she said calmly. ”That’s precisely why you shouldn’t betray it. But... I really want it by three weeks without a single delay! You got it?”

Lackey smiled and nodded in agreement. ”Don’t worry. This time, I’ll deliver.”

He turned to leave, but Rosavere spoke again before he could take another step.

”Here.”

She tossed his Origin Card toward him. ”The verification is complete.”

Lackey caught the card smoothly and nodded in acknowledgement.

”And also...” Rosavere added after a brief pause, ”If you want, I could call the Archpriestess. She might know a way to heal that wound.”

Lackey shook his head immediately. ”She would probe me,” he said bluntly. ”We can’t afford that.” With that, he turned and slowly walked out of the office.

Rosavere watched his retreating back with a long, unreadable stare before shifting her attention to the secretary, who stepped forward and placed several documents on the desk for her to sign.

Meanwhile, as Lackey walked down the hall, a faint frown formed beneath his mask. ’She didn’t give a single Affection Point,’ he thought irritably. ’Which means she still doesn’t believe me. Tsk... I need to finish the project.’

He continued walking when a voice suddenly called out behind him.

”Wait, Mr. Lackey!”

He turned to see the secretary running toward him.

Lackey chuckled softly beneath his mask and asked in an amused tone, ”So when did you become Ms. Secretary~?”

Hearing his teasing, the woman flushed and puffed her cheeks slightly. ”Come on... don’t be mean. I’m a very hardworking person, you know,” she said, pouting lightly as she crossed her arms.

[+3000 AP]

”But seriously,” she added after a brief pause, ”how did all of this really happen?”

The secretary’s expression brightened instantly, her eyes softening as a small smile crept onto her lips.

”I’m free... why don’t we talk it over during lunch?” she muttered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger with a hopeful expression.

Lackey remained silent for a few seconds, then, ”Well... you saw what just happened, right? I really don’t have much time. I need to finish the project before the deadline.”

”Oh... right,” the secretary said softly, flinching as she nodded meekly. ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to force you. If you’re busy, it’s alright.” Her smile faded into something awkward, and her shoulders tensed slightly.

She worried she might have overstepped her boundaries, the thought making her avert her gaze for a brief moment.

Lackey let out a quiet chuckle, sensing her discomfort. ”There’s no need to apologise,” he said gently.

”I really wish we could have another dinner together.”

”R-Really?” Her face bloomed with colour again, surprise and happiness flickering across her face.

Lackey nodded. ”Yes. So... when I have more time, we’ll do it properly. We’ll have lunch together, alright?”

The secretary stiffened for a split second before a deep blush spread across her cheeks. She nodded furiously, a wide smile breaking free as she struggled to hide her excitement.

[+3000 AP]

Lackey smiled warmly at the sight of her flustered expression, finding the reaction unexpectedly endearing.

[Say... are you trying to seduce her?🤨]

His log suddenly echoed inside his mind.

’What? Of course not!’ Lackey snapped back internally, startled by the accusation.

[Then what the fuck are you doing right now?🤔]

’Well... I’m just trying to be nice to a girl who helped me,’ Lackey argued silently, genuinely confused beneath the mask.

’Is that wrong?’

[... 👀]

Lackey felt utterly baffled by his own log. He really was just being kind to someone who had helped him, nothing more.

Believe him!!

Really!!!