Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Soon afterwards, they finally left the restricted zone.

Amara returned toward her office while Lackey began planning everything he needed to complete within the next two days.

The dim corridors stretched endlessly around him while his thoughts moved far ahead.

After witnessing what his wives were capable of accomplishing without his direct interference, he had decided to temporarily leave matters in their hands. Meanwhile, he himself would focus on working from Terra and supporting them from the shadows.

Still…

There remained one more person he needed to meet.

He needed to determine whether this entire operation involved others as well… or if Amara alone was secretly managing such dangerous dealings behind the Empire’s back.

“Uh…”

Hearing a hesitant voice beside him, Lackey finally turned his head toward Penelope, who had been following quietly the entire time.

“Is there something you wish to say?” he asked calmly.

After all…

Penelope had now seen his face.

Or rather, half of it.

A ruined, burned appearance that most people could barely tolerate looking at, much less imagine touching or kissing.

Only someone with deeply unusual tastes could possibly accept such a thing… certainly not someone who had just confessed feelings toward him and got rejected.

Penelope hesitated.

Her fingers nervously tightened together while confusion and worry visibly crossed her face beneath the dim hallway lights.

She wanted to ask about “them.”

But after seeing his true face, her thoughts had been thrown into complete chaos.

All this time, she had assumed he hid behind the rabbit mask because he was some influential figure concealing his identity. In her imagination, she had unconsciously painted the image of a handsome and charismatic man beneath it all.

A dangerous man.

A charming man.

A face worthy of matching his intelligence and confidence.

Yet reality had shattered that image completely.

Still…

Was that really strange?

A woman in her thirties, hoping the man she admired possessed a handsome face… There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

Ever since he removed the mask, Penelope had remained unusually quiet.

Not because she wanted to avoid speaking to him.

Rather…

She genuinely did not know what to say.

Should she pity him?

Even if she herself was not considered especially beautiful compared to other women, at least she still possessed a normal face.

But him…

No woman would willingly wish for a husband carrying such scars.

For a fleeting moment, she even wondered whether he had lied to her earlier simply to reject her confession politely.

But the longer she walked beside him, the more confused her heart became.

Yes, the sight of his face had shocked her.

Her heartbeat had even faltered for an instant.

Yet strangely enough…

Her heart still continued racing whenever she walked beside him.

That realisation struck her harder than anything else.

No matter what his face looked like…

No matter how horrifying the scars appeared…

Her feelings had not disappeared.

If anything, they only became more painful.

Besides, she had never fallen for his face in the first place.

She fell for the man himself.

For his intelligence.

His kindness.

The strange warmth was hidden beneath his restraint.

And somehow…

That made things harder.

She wanted to say the same comforting words Amara had spoken earlier.

To tell him appearance did not matter.

To tell him he was still worthy.

But those words felt wrong.

Insulting, even.

This was a man who continued standing proudly despite whatever horrifying nightmare had destroyed his face.

What kind of suffering had he endured?

What kind of pain had he walked through to become the man he was today?

He was not some spoiled young master born into wealth and privilege.

He was someone who had clawed his way upward through intellect, ambition, and sheer willpower.

If she pitied him…

Then she had no right to claim she loved him.

And if some ugly part of her felt relieved that he was scarred because it meant she finally had a chance beside him…

Then she was no different from the monsters who had ruined her own life before.

A part of her even began to wonder if the reason he rejected her before was because of his face.

Maybe he thought she would stop loving him after seeing the truth.

Maybe he believed she would feel disgusted.

Or perhaps…

He expected her to run away from him like everyone else probably did after seeing those scars.

Was that the reason he lied… that he was married?

To keep her away from him?

To not hurt her love if his face turned not good as she thought?

Maybe he thought she would just after his face?

The thought alone made her chest ache painfully.

How many people had looked at him with fear?

How many had secretly recoiled while pretending to be polite?

How many times had he hidden behind that rabbit mask, not because he wanted mystery… but because he was simply tired of seeing rejection in people’s eyes?

Penelope suddenly realised something terrifying.

The calmness he carried around others…

The restraint in his voice…

Even the way he avoided speaking about his appearance…

None of it came naturally.

Those were walls.

Walls built by someone who had already experienced enough disappointment to stop expecting kindness from others.

And somehow, that realisation hurt her more than the scars themselves.

Her chaotic thoughts abruptly snapped apart when Lackey suddenly spoke.

“Did you know about this slave matter?”

His voice carried a faint chill that instantly made Penelope unconsciously step backwards.

!!

Penelope flinched.

Only then did she realise that Mr. Lackey might actually be angry. After all, despite his calm personality, he was genuinely kind-hearted. Perhaps he was disgusted that such a slave system still continued to exist beneath the Empire’s surface.

Penelope nervously gulped before lowering her head.

“I… I knew.”

Lackey stared at her silently through the rabbit mask as though he was waiting for an explanation capable of calming whatever storm had surfaced within him.

Sensing that silence, Penelope hurriedly continued.

“I do not know every exact detail, but… after Lord Aether abolished the slave system, the slaves who were supposed to be freed had their records destroyed and were immediately sold through the black market.”

Her fingers nervously tightened together.

“Initially, rumours spread that Lord Aether provided no compensation to the masters who had legally purchased slaves before the law changed. Many people panicked… so they secretly sold their slaves before losing everything.”

Hearing that, Lackey visibly paused.

For the first time since the conversation began, genuine surprise crossed his eyes beneath the mask.

He had only focused on freeing the slaves.

He had never considered the people who purchased them.

And the truth was… not everyone owning slaves was some cruel noble overflowing with wealth.

Some were farmers.

Small merchants.

Labour workers struggling to survive themselves.

Many had purchased slaves through loans for agricultural work, magical labour, or household survival.

To them, slaves were not a luxury.

They were investments tied directly to survival.

’Fuck…’

Lackey gritted his teeth internally.

He truly had not considered that perspective.

Even his wives had never mentioned this possibility to him.

Or perhaps…

They simply allowed Aether to proceed however he wished.

Lackey slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.

’It was my mistake…’

His thoughts darkened slightly.

’I should have compensated the commoners before enforcing something that large.’

But before his thoughts could drift deeper, Penelope hurriedly continued speaking.

“Madam Rosavere had no choice but to accept many of them herself. She feared that if they were handed over to other slave traders, truly monstrous people would obtain them instead.” Penelope’s voice softened slightly with admiration.

“So she bought as many as she could.”

Her expression gradually became more complicated.

“But… none of us expected the number of slaves to nearly reach one hundred thousand.”

Lackey’s eyes widened slightly beneath the mask.

Even he was genuinely shocked by that number.

Penelope nodded bitterly.

“Once the numbers became that large, feeding and housing them started placing enormous pressure on the company. Eventually, Madam Rosavere could no longer continue accepting everyone.”

She lowered her gaze.

“And that is when other slave traders began rising across the black market.”

Lackey quietly hummed.

It made sense.

An uncomfortable kind of sense.

Penelope let out a small sigh before looking toward him again.

“Please do not misunderstand her, Mr. Lackey. Even if Madam sometimes appears cold… she truly has a good heart.”

A weak smile appeared on her lips.

Once upon a time, Penelope herself had believed Amara Rosavere was nothing more than a ruthless merchant willing to sacrifice anything for profit.

But after serving closely beside her…

She had slowly started seeing the hidden warmth buried beneath the icy exterior.

Yes, Amara still valued money above many things.

But despite that…

She was not cruel.

“What do you mean?” Lackey asked curiously.

Penelope looked relieved that he seemed willing to listen.

“Because of the overwhelming numbers, Madam eventually decided to remove the dangerous elements among them.” Her voice turned quieter. “Those sold to Terra were mostly criminals, violent individuals, or people who had already lost their sanity.”

“She once told me…” Penelope paused briefly. “’I refuse to feed hands that may one day stab me.’”

Lackey turned silent.

Penelope then added carefully,

“I was personally in charge of many of those transfers… so please believe me when I say Madam Rosavere is not heartless.”

Lackey slowly stepped back while lightly shaking his head.

Truthfully…

It was not his place to judge Amara.

The problem itself existed because he had failed to fully understand the consequences behind his own ideals.

One careless decision had created countless unintended deviations.

“What about the innocent ones?” he finally asked.

Hearing his voice soften once more, Penelope quietly relaxed.

“Well… most of them are working under the company for a certain period in order to repay their debts before being released.” She smiled faintly.

“Madam always says there is nothing truly free in this world. Before leaving, people must first repay what they owe.”

Lackey nodded calmly.

“I suppose that is fair enough.”

He lightly shrugged.

This entire situation had become another lesson carved deeply into his mind.

Good intentions alone were not enough.

Without understanding every consequence behind an action, even kindness could create suffering.

Just as he turned to leave…

“M-Mr. Lackey…”

Penelope suddenly called out hurriedly.

Lackey stopped before turning toward her with a questioning gaze.

Penelope bit her lips nervously, her expression tangled with hesitation, embarrassment, and confusion.

“W-Well…”

She still did not know how to express herself properly.

Should she tell him she loved his heart?

No…

That sounded wrong.

And besides…

He had already rejected her once, had he not?

What if she kept pestering, would made him think she was after something?

“Ms. Penelope?”

Lackey waved a hand lightly before her face, pulling her out of her daze.

Penelope inhaled deeply before finally gathering enough courage to look directly at him.

“I… I do not know what kind of future we may have…” Her fingers nervously pinched together.

“B-but if I still wished to grasp that future and hold onto it…” Her voice trembled.

“W-Would you… ac-acccept it?”

Her heart almost leapt out from her chest when she said… it was more embarrassing than saying ’I still love you!’

It sounded almost like a confession.

Yet not entirely.

Deep inside, part of her still believed he had lied about being married simply to reject her gently.

Lackey raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised.

’I honestly thought seeing my face would make her step away in fear…’

A faint smile slowly formed beneath his mask.

“…You are still trying to catch that one fish within an endless ocean?”

His tone sounded almost disappointed.

Yet beneath it lingered something softer.

Penelope smiled through trembling lips.

“But… just because the ocean is deeper does not mean the f-fish there are better.”

Her voice remained quiet, filled with fear and sincerity at the same time.

Lackey stared at her silently for several moments before,

“Hahahaha”

Started laughing, almost his tears came out… not sure why, but he felt… for some reason… he liked that answer.

’Deeper does not mean the fish there are better’

A philosophical word… Indeed~

“You silly woman…”

Then, before Penelope could react, he gently took her hand.

Slowly lifting his mask just enough, he lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand.

Penelope’s face instantly turned bright red.

[+4000 AP]

[+4000 AP]

[+4000 AP]

[+4000 AP]

…

..

Her heartbeat exploded wildly inside her chest, freezing her completely in place.

Frozen by the time… Frozen by the kiss… and Frozen by his laugh!

Lackey chuckled softly.

“Interesting woman…” he muttered quietly, almost as if he was finally seeing the real Penelope standing before him rather than the image he had originally formed in his mind.

He turned away.

As he began walking away, Celestia immediately pinched his side hard enough to make him flinch.

“Ouch… what was that for?”

“Hmph!”

She simply huffed while turning her face away, clearly acting jealous.

Lackey softly laughed before shaking his head.

However, moments later, the warmth in his expression vanished completely.

“Celestia…”

“Hm?”

His voice suddenly became cold.

“Even the… shadows belong to us.”

“…?”

For a second, Celestia looked confused.

Then realisation struck her.

A dangerous gleam flashed through her eyes almost instantly.

“Understood, Your Majesty~”

Lackey smiled faintly beneath the rabbit mask.

“Gather everyone. We are holding a meeting. And I will personally bring Nyx.”