Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey - Chapter 1494: You have to close your heart to protect what you love...

Chapter 1494: You have to close your heart to protect what you love…

Victor and Dora walked along the corridor toward the Academy Prison.

The happy moments disappeared and were replaced with seriousness and tense silence.

Victor finally broke it, “You dragged me all the way here for a reason. Whatever it is, it better be worth turning that smile of yours into a funeral mask.”

Dora nodded, “On the day you and Delphine were swallowed by the Eternal Prison, I was on my way to see her. That was when I ran into the old nurse from the infirmary”

Victor frowned slightly, “You mean that woman? Possessed by that so-called Ghost?”

“Yes,” Dora replied, “That day she looked worse than ever. Her skin was pale, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and her eyes… they were filled with terror, like something was crawling right behind her… I followed her because I couldn’t ignore that feeling”

Victor glanced sideways at her, catching the subtle dip in her voice. He slowed his pace slightly,

“You know none of that was your fault. You didn’t cause what happened to us”

“But it happened in my academy,” she shot back quietly, clenching her fist. “Right under my nose. First, Alaric betrays us, then secrets pile up where I should have seen them, and now this. I’m supposed to protect this place, yet…”

The guilt was still in her heart; if only she protected them, nothing would have happened.

They continued walking in silence for several steps, turning left at the corridor’s bend.

Dora spoke again, “She told us she didn’t remember anything from the time she was possessed.”

Victor nodded.

“But that day… She remembered something,” Dora said, her expression tense. “She remembered who planted the bomb.”

Victor stopped short, eyes widening as he turned fully toward her. “Who did it?”

She glanced at him before turning right, “The answer was sitting right beside us this whole time. Neither of us saw it, and that’s the worst part.” Her fist clenched again.

Victor’s brows drew together, confusion and unease mixing in his expression. “You’re not making sense. Who are you talking about?”

Dora halted in front of a prison door, the iron surface scarred and cold. Her face hardened as she reached for the lock.

“The one you trusted. The one who stayed close to you”

The door creaked open as she finished.

“Huh?”

Victor stepped inside after her, still frowning, until the sight before him stole the breath from his lungs.

His eyes widened, pupils shrinking as he saw a figure suspended in chains.

A woman hung there, bloodied and trembling, chains biting into her wrists as dark bruises bloomed beneath the metal. Blood slid slowly down her skin, dripping onto the stone floor below.

Victor swallowed hard, “Who… who is she?”

Dora turned to him with disbelief, “What do you mean ’who’? You really don’t recognise her after everything?”

Victor stared again, forcing himself to look closer, searching her face for familiarity…

“Should I know her?”

Dora exhaled sharply. “Did you really forget her? You saved her from Kennedy? She was your attendant, Victor. Don’t tell me you forgot her.”

His chest tightened as realisation crashed down, and he stepped closer, horror spreading across his face.

“K-Kara…”

Dora tilted her head, “Kara? That’s not right. Her name is Mira.”

Victor didn’t hear her. His world had narrowed to the broken woman before him as he moved closer, hands trembling.

“Kara, it’s me. Can you hear me?” His voice cracked as he gently touched her cheek. “Say something. Please.”

The woman groaned softly, her head shifting weakly against the chains.

Victor’s heart trembled as he moved without hesitation, his hands already working to remove the chains biting into her wrists. Metal clattered softly against stone as the restraints fell away, leaving behind raw skin and deep bruises that made his jaw tighten.

Dora frowned slightly with confusion, yet she said nothing. She simply watched as Victor pulled the bloodied woman into his arm, supporting her fragile body with a single arm as though she might shatter if handled too roughly.

He lowered himself to the ground and sat there, carefully laying her across his lap. He summoned a healing potion from the portal, the vial glowing faintly as it appeared in his grasp.

Victor tilted the bottle gently and brought it to her lips, “Just a bit… drink it,” he murmured, his voice low and strained as he tried to feed her.

Her mouth barely opened, and the precious liquid spilled uselessly down her chin, as though something inside her refused to let it pass.

His expression darkened with worry as he lifted her chin slightly, checking if her tongue was blocking the way. He took a sip of the potion himself and leaned down, pressing his mouth to hers to guide the liquid into her bloodied mouth.

Dora raised an eyebrow, mild surprise flickering across her features at the sight, but she quickly shrugged and remained silent.

Whatever questions formed in her mind, she chose not to voice them.

Victor continued, taking another sip and feeding it to her again and again. At first, the liquid resisted, flowing poorly as if something were tightly clotted in her throat, but he did not stop.

Again!

Again!

Suddenly, her body convulsed.

Cough, cough.

She coughed violently, her body jerking as a mixture of white liquid and blood poured from her mouth onto the floor.

“That’s it… that’s it,” Victor said softly, rubbing her chest downward with steady pressure, helping the liquid move before it could get trapped again.

After a moment, he carefully poured the potion into her mouth once more. This time it flowed smoothly, disappearing past her lips and into her body without resistance.

A faint glow spread across her skin as the healing magic began to take effect.

The colour slowly returned to her face.

Victor glanced up at Dora, his expression distant and cold. “What happened?”

Dora blinked, “I didn’t expect you to be this close to her,” she muttered, noticing the raw anger burning behind his eyes. “Especially when you called her by a different name.”

Victor stared at her blankly, as if demanding an answer to the question she had avoided.

Dora sighed.

“She is the one the old nurse remembered seeing. She is the one who planted the bomb in the academy, among the children.” Her voice hardened.

“Mira tried to kill everyone.”

Victor clenched his fist as he looked back down at the slowly healing woman. “Did the old nurse really see her clearly?” he asked tightly. “Or was it just another face in the chaos?”

“No,” Dora replied firmly. “The nurse herself nodded when I captured her.”

She continued explaining. After learning the details and helping him first, she immediately traced Mira down. At first, Dora investigated calmly, giving her chances to speak, to explain. But Mira insisted she was innocent, over and over, until Dora was forced to take other methods, only after confirming beyond doubt that she was the one the nurse had described.

Also, whenever things happened… Mira was there in the academy, too.

As the truth settled in, Victor’s body trembled with anger. He bit down on his lip, struggling to contain it. He knew Dora well enough to understand what she was capable of when betrayed… she wouldn’t hesitate to kill those who betrayed her.

But he was not like her.

Seeing Kara… no, Mira like this left him hollow. His anger had nowhere to go, no clear shape to take.

Dora was only doing her duty.

Victor bit his lip hard, forcing himself to stay composed. “Did… did the old nurse say she was 100% sure it was her?”

“Maybe she mistook her for someone else. She was fucking old and senile, right? Maybe her eyes didn’t register properly, or maybe she was possessed again.”

Dora stared at him for a long moment before letting out a slow sigh.

“I don’t fire arrows blindly,” she said calmly. “I verified everything. No, the old nurse was perfectly fine. Sera checked her personally, and yes, she was completely lucid.” Her gaze hardened. “She was 1000% sure it was Mira.”

Victor’s fingers curled into a tight fist, his nails digging into his palm as he struggled to contain himself.

“I tried to be gentle with her at first,” Dora continued, her tone controlled and deliberate. “I wanted answers… But she wasn’t telling the truth, and at some point I had to take drastic measures.”

“What did she tell you?” Victor asked, his voice restrained but trembling beneath the surface. “What did she say when you asked her?”

Dora answered without hesitation. “She said that… she didn’t do it.

She said it again and again, even after everything she went through.”

Victor’s eyes stayed fixed on Mira’s broken form as he spoke with disbelief, “After all that… you still kept going?”

“I had no choice—”

“YES, YOU DID!” Victor shouted suddenly.

Dora fell silent, her expression unreadable as she turned away. She started to leave, knowing full well that if they continued now, it would only spiral into something ugly.

He wasn’t in his right mind to listen to her.

“I… I’m sorry,” Victor said suddenly, his voice cracking with pain and confusion. “I didn’t mean to yell. I just… fuck.” His shoulders slumped.

Dora paused, then turned back. She stepped closer and gently gripped his shoulder, her touch firm yet tender. “Sometimes,” she murmured softly,

“You have to close your heart to protect what you love, even when the threat comes from someone who already lives inside it.”

Victor’s lips trembled as the words struck deep. He knew she was right. He fucking knew it.

But seeing Mira like this shattered his resolve. They were not close like his wives, yet she had carved out a quiet place in his heart.

A hardworking senior who never complained, never leaned on others, always pushing forward alone.

He admired that strength. He respected her discipline.

Watching her work without asking for help had always reminded him of his own past, of the version of himself that survived by refusing to bend… until it left him no choice.

That was where the connection had formed.

Now, seeing her broken and bleeding…

Victor leaned his head slowly against the arm gripping his shoulder, his gaze dropping to the bloodstained ground.

“How are you planning to bring out the truth?”

Dora hummed thoughtfully. “At first, I considered using your manipulation ability,” she admitted. “But you don’t have that power anymore, do you?”

Victor sighed and nodded.

“Now,” Dora continued, “I’m not sure what options remain, aside from continuing the torture or resorting to other methods.”

Victor’s shoulders trembled slightly. “Please don’t,”

Dora looked down at him, “Well…”

Just then, Mira suddenly coughed violently, her body jerking as dark, thick patches of blood spilled from her mouth. Her eyes shot open in raw terror, pupils trembling as if she had been dragged back from a nightmare she never escaped.

“Kar—Mira?” Victor called out.

The moment Mira’s gaze landed on Dora, fear swallowed her whole, memories of weeks of agony crashing back into her mind all at once.

“N-No… no, no…!” Mira screamed in a broken, painful voice as she scrambled away from Victor’s lap. Her body shook uncontrollably as she pressed herself into the corner of the room, arms wrapping around her knees like a shield.

Victor’s chest tightened painfully at the sight. “It’s alright,” he said quickly, “Nobody is going to hurt you. Mira, it’s me. Look at me.”

Mira only cowered harder, her head shaking violently as tears streamed down her face. “N-No, please… please…” she sobbed. “I-I didn’t do it. P-Please, I didn’t… ease don’t… no…”

Seeing her reduced to this shattered state made Victor’s heart tremble. He forced a weak smile, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Mira… it’s me. Victor. Your junior. You remember, right? It’s really me.”

She didn’t respond, “No… please… please,” she whispered repeatedly.

“Senior…”

At that, Mira flinched sharply and slowly looked up and saw…

“V-Victor?” she whispered.

Victor smiled, “Yes,” he said softly. “It’s me.” He crouched down and moved toward her slowly, careful not to startle her.

“V-Victor?”

“Yes,” Victor replied again, stopping just inches away.

“Victor… Victor…” Mira slowly lifted her fingers toward him, hesitation and fear warring in every tiny movement.

“I won’t hurt you,” Victor said quietly, raising his hand just enough for her to see. “Nobody will. I promise you.”

The moment those words reached her, Mira’s composure shattered completely. Tears poured from her eyes as her body collapsed forward. “V-Victor…” she cried.

Victor caught her instantly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her gently as she sobbed into his shoulder.

“I… I’m scared,” she cried between broken breaths. “I didn’t do it. I swear. sob, sob Please… please believe me. Please…” Her words dissolved into sobs as tears and snots soaked into his clothes.

Victor nodded slowly, his hand patting her back in a steady rhythm. “Of course,” he murmured.

“Ka… Mira. I believe you. I really do.”

“R-Really?” Her eyes shook violently as she looked up at him, disbelief and desperate hope colliding.

“I..It hurts so much…”

Victor nodded again, “Yes. I believe you.” He hugged her even more gently.

For the first time in weeks, Mira smiled, a small, fragile smile laced with suffering. “T-Thank you… aweee…,” she whispered, tears still flowing as she cried with relief, as if someone had finally reached her through the darkness.

Dora watched silently from where she stood, her expression unreadable.

Only the sound of soft, painful, yet relieved crying filled the prison room. It was different from the screams of agony that had echoed here for days.