Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1756: Forging Weapon: Part-2

Jonathan sold his body.

What the fuck?

Young Aether stared at his friend, his expression frozen between disbelief and horror.

Jonathan merely chuckled, as though he had confessed to something completely ordinary. “There is no need to be surprised, and no, I did not force myself to do it. I simply used the deal to gain some leverage. That’s all.”

“B-But…”

Before Young Aether could gather his thoughts, Jonathan slid the bag towards him.

“Check it. Was that enough?”

“Man… that’s so fucked up.” Young Aether immediately shoved the bag back with a frustrated scowl.

“There was never any need for you to do something like that. I mean… fuck, I don’t even need this anymore. Take it back and give it to that horny bitch.”

Jonathan calmly pushed the bag toward him once again, almost amused by his reaction.

“As I said before, this isn’t anything serious. In fact…” A sly grin slowly spread across his face as he leaned comfortably against the seat.

“I’m probably the one who’s going to enjoy something good from this~”

“…”

Young Aether blinked several times, trying to determine whether Jonathan was joking or had completely lost his mind. Eventually, he shook his head with a tired sigh.

“Bro… I seriously don’t need this anymore, and honestly, I don’t even care about it now. Just call that bitch and cancel the deal.”

Jonathan let out a slow breath before turning his gaze toward the city beyond the windshield.

“This isn’t my first time doing this… and it won’t be my last either, Aether.” His voice carried no shame, only quiet acceptance.

“Everything here has a price. Every favour, every privilege, every opportunity. This city doesn’t run on kindness.

It runs on transactions.

As long as everyone pays their price, the machine keeps moving.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“She’s been pestering me for a long time to fuck, and honestly, I would’ve let her sooner or later anyway. She helped me more than once when I needed it most, and the only thing she ever asked in return was my body. I don’t really see the problem.”

A faint smile returned to his lips.

“If anything… it’s a win-win~”

Young Aether’s expression gradually softened, though sadness quietly replaced his anger. He searched Jonathan’s face, desperately trying to find some sign that his friend was forcing himself to smile.

“You mean… you’ve done this… a lot?”

Jonathan rested his elbow against the door.

“So many times that I’ve honestly lost count.” His voice remained calm, almost detached.

“Most divisions and military units are made up of men, but nearly every administrative sector, logistics bureau, and financial network is controlled by women. If someone wants access to the backhand deals, they play by their rules… Just like we play when they need something!”

“Sometimes I have received orders to eliminate their own husband after he’s deployed inside Hell’s Gate. Sometimes cheat… sometimes just pure pleasure… and most of the time they simply want us to kneel, beg, and feed their superiority complex.

Power changes people, Aether.

Absolute power changes them even more!”

Silence settled inside the vehicle.

After what felt like an eternity, Young Aether finally spoke.

“Do… your wives know about this?”

Jonathan sighed quietly.

“Yeah. There’s no point hiding it from them.” He gave a faint, almost self-deprecating laugh.

“Having a handsome face becomes a commodity around here. Most negotiations eventually boil down to one of two things. Either someone wants to fuck me, or they want to borrow my authority to clean up some bloody mess they don’t want connected to their own name.”

He shrugged as though discussing tomorrow’s weather.

“That’s simply how things work here.”

“I… I see…”

Young Aether lowered his head and stared silently at the bag resting between them. His fingers slowly tightened into fists before he finally looked back at Jonathan with unexpected determination.

“If that’s really how this world works…”

He took a deep breath.

“Then let me do it instead.”

Jonathan slowly turned his head toward Young Aether, wearing the flattest, most unimpressed expression imaginable, as though only a single thought echoed inside his mind.

‘Boy… are you in heat?’

“C-Come on, I’m not some horny beast, okay?! This is my problem, alright?!” Young Aether protested, his voice rising as his face flushed with embarrassment.

Why was he suddenly getting flustered?

Was it because he was discussing something this personal with his closest friend?

He honestly wasn’t sure himself.

Jonathan simply smiled before patting him on the shoulder.

“I know what you’re thinking. You probably imagine you’ll get to see something exciting new, but trust me…” He let out a dry chuckle.

“This isn’t the kind of thing you’re hoping to see.”

His expression gradually stiffened.

“Those women… they have some really disturbing fetishes. Fourteen years ago, after everything humanity went through, a lot of them developed psychological scars they never recovered from. Some coped through obsession, others through domination, and some…” He swallowed hard, his face briefly paling.

“…some came up with things so twisted that even I was horrified by what they asked of me.”

For a brief moment, Jonathan’s eyes lost focus as fragments of unpleasant memories surfaced before he forcefully pushed them back into the darkness.

He exhaled quietly before looking back at Aether.

“Anyway… there’s no reason for you to get involved with women like that.”

He gently patted Aether’s shoulder again, almost like a father reassuring someone who had wandered too close to danger.

“…Man…” Young Aether muttered, lowering his gaze. “Now, I honestly think… maybe I should be the one doing it.”

There was genuine disgust in his voice.

He simply couldn’t accept watching his friend shoulder everything alone.

Jonathan slowly shook his head.

“Even if I wanted to switch places with you, it’s impossible.”

His tone became unusually serious.

“We sealed the agreement under the Divine Contract… El Kova’reth.”

“The moment both parties invoke its true name, neither side is allowed to violate the agreement. If either party breaks the contract…” Jonathan paused, his eyes growing unusually cold.

“…their soul becomes the price.”

“…”

Young Aether blinked in genuine surprise.

Jonathan had actually used a Divine Contract…

“What exactly is El—cough,” He quickly corrected himself. “…I mean… what’s a Divine Contract?”

Jonathan leaned back into his seat.

“It was a blessing bestowed upon humanity by the Arcane Goddess to face against ‘things’ in your world.”

His voice became calmer, almost like a professor explaining history.

“Once both parties invoke El Kova’reth, the contract establishes itself directly within their souls. Every condition must be equal in value, or the contract simply refuses to form. That’s why my body became the equivalent payment for everything I received from her… so yeah, it’s not just this help she did… every help she’s done so far was the payment for my body.”

He looked directly into Aether’s eyes.

“Which also means the terms cannot be changed afterwards.”

“If you offered yourself instead, then my side of the agreement would immediately become incomplete.”

A brief silence followed.

“The contract would recognise that as a breach… and my soul would be taken.”

Jonathan spoke those words with complete seriousness.

“…”

Young Aether felt a chill crawl down his spine.

‘This idiot…’

‘He actually used a shitty Divine Contract… for something this ridiculous? Was that even worth it?’

He genuinely couldn’t understand why Jonathan would gamble something as irreplaceable as his soul over this situation.

Jonathan noticed the look on his face and smiled reassuringly.

“So what I’m trying to tell you is… you don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Faced with that unwavering confidence, Young Aether could only lower his head and nod.

He wasn’t about to let his friend lose his soul because of him.

“Is there… anything I can help you with?” Young Aether finally asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice.

Jonathan nodded.

“Yes.”

Young Aether immediately straightened in his seat.

“Just say it, and I’ll fucking do it. I mean… anything.”

His eyes gleamed with dangerous determination.

At that very moment, if Jonathan had merely asked, he would have marched over without hesitation and torn that bitch;s pussy before she could lay another finger on his friend.

Deep inside, he even hoped Jonathan would ask him to do exactly that.

After all, if there were no contracting party left alive…

Wouldn’t the agreement become void?

That was how ordinary contracts worked.

Surely a Divine Contract couldn’t be that different…

Right?

Jonathan glanced at Young Aether’s burning expression and completely misunderstood what that enthusiasm meant.

He clicked his tongue before bursting into laughter.

“Come on, man… control your hormones.” He pointed teasingly toward the glowing skyline beyond the windshield, “If you’re really that desperate to fuck someone, there’s a high-class brothel over in Zeta City.”

He grinned shamelessly.

“I’ll take you there myself and let you have all the fun you want. Hahahaha.”

“…” Young Aether suddenly felt as though his image had dropped several ranks in Jonathan’s mind.

Although he knew Jonathan was only teasing him, the embarrassment still crept onto his face, leaving him unable to think of anything meaningful to say in his defence.

“But if you truly want to do something for me…” Jonathan said with a weak yet gentle smile,

“Just take care of your sisters. I’ll probably be busy from now on, and Sasha and Maiuri might start feeling lonely. Just stay with them for me, okay?” As he finished speaking, Jonathan gently squeezed Young Aether’s palm, a simple gesture that carried far more trust than words alone could express.

It almost felt as though he were placing the safety of his entire family and bloodline into Aether’s hands without the slightest hesitation.

Young Aether remained silent for several seconds, blankly staring at Jonathan before a faint, sincere smile gradually appeared on his face.

He tightened his grip ever so slightly and nodded with quiet determination.

“I will… I’ll take care of my sisters.”

Jonathan smiled in relief before placing both hands on the steering controls. The vehicle’s fusion engine hummed to life as countless holographic indicators illuminated across the dashboard, while the anti-gravity drive silently lifted the car from the ground and guided it into one of the city’s elevated traffic lanes.

“Anyway, let’s get going. I know a workshop that can help us process materials like these.”

Young Aether quietly leaned against his seat while staring at the bag resting on his lap now. The weight pressing against his heart felt much heavier than the materials inside it, because, in his mind, Jonathan had practically sold himself just to obtain this pile of crap!

Even worse, there was nothing he could do to undo the agreement anymore, leaving him with an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness that refused to disappear.

‘Is this… karma?’

The question quietly surfaced in his mind before he turned toward Jonathan again.

“Say… could you explain more about this Divine Contract? I’ve never heard of anything like that back in my homeland.”

Jonathan nodded while keeping his eyes on the highway ahead, “Sure. We’ve got about an hour before we arrive, so I’ll explain everything on the way.”

“As I said before, it’s a Divine Contract that can be used against Otherworlders by invoking its true name. Once activated, it grants humanity the authority to compel them into a contract. That was one of the blessings the Goddess bestowed upon mankind, giving us an advantage when dealing with people from other worlds.

The word ‘compel’ is meant quite literally. The individual with the higher Aevum possesses greater authority over existence itself. Because of that authority, they can invoke a Divine Contract without requiring the other party’s permission, provided the other person’s Aevum is lower than their own. In the eyes of the contract, the one with lesser Aevum simply does not possess enough authority to refuse its invocation… and there is this feature…..”

As he continued to explain.

Nearly an hour later, the vehicle descended from the elevated traffic lanes and quietly docked in front of the workshop.

Unlike the one Young Aether had visited before, this place specialised in extraordinarily bizarre weapon designs that blurred the line between engineering and biology.

Every display rack contained creations modelled after monsters, mythical beasts, and creatures that looked as though they had crawled directly out of nightmares.

Some resembled enormous energy blasters shaped like the jaws of predatory beasts, complete with rows of metallic fangs surrounding their plasma emitters. Others looked like massive lion-headed gauntlets whose mechanical jaws could clamp shut with enough force to crush metal, while several weapons suspended from magnetic display fields possessed bone-like frames and crystal veins.

Jonathan noticed Aether’s curious expression and smiled faintly.

“This is one of the few workshops that specialises in custom biomimetic weapon engineering. Whether a client wants a weapon modelled after a monster, an ancient beast, or even something entirely from their imagination, they’ll find a way to build it.”

Young Aether slowly nodded while allowing his gaze to wander throughout the enormous workshop.

“Welcome, Jonathan! I haven’t seen you in quite a while. What brings you here today?” a cheerful middle-aged man called out with a broad smile as he walked over.

His soot-stained overalls contrasted sharply with the cybernetic monocle covering one eye, which continuously projected engineering schematics while several mechanical arms behind him independently assembled weapon components with astonishing precision.

“Hello, Monster Blacksmith. I’ve brought something that I need your help with.” Jonathan extended his hand toward Young Aether, silently asking for the bag. As soon as Young Aether handed it over, Jonathan confidently grabbed the handle.

Thud!

The unexpected weight instantly dragged his arm downward, causing him to stumble forward before he hurriedly released the bag onto the floor.

“What the hell…? Why is this thing so heavy?” He quickly regained his balance before crouching beside it and gripping the handles again. This time he lifted it only a few centimetres off the ground before his brows gradually furrowed in confusion. “It’s definitely much heavier than before… I’m certain it wasn’t anywhere near this heavy when she handed it to us.”

“Hmm?” Young Aether tilted his head with an innocent expression that looked almost perfectly convincing. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. This is exactly what she gave us.”

His face remained completely composed, betraying absolutely no sign that he had secretly slipped several of his own materials into the bag during their journey.

Jonathan stared at him suspiciously for a moment before eventually letting out a quiet sigh… He knew Young Aether had nothing on him, so it must be really heavy, and he didn’t realise it because he was on the car seat when he received this bag.

“Whatever…” He hoisted the heavy bag onto the workbench with considerably more effort than expected before looking toward the middle-aged craftsman.

“Monster Blacksmith, I’d like you to take a look at this.”

The middle-aged blacksmith nodded before carefully opening the bag.

The moment he saw the enormous bones and thick, curved claws resting inside, his expression changed completely.

“Oh my goddess~”