Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1091 1091: He sacrificed his dignity for us

After helping Kaelen and Aria level up, ensuring they were now more than capable of holding their own, Aether finally allowed himself a moment of breath.

The two had reached a level he considered fair—strong enough not to be liabilities but still with room to grow.

Now, Maelona and Liora were neck-deep in preparations for the grand contest. Even Liora, who once playfully clung to Aether and had no hesitation in jumping on his shaft at the slightest opening, now barely had time to throw him a glance, let alone sneak a moment of indulgence. As much as she missed the taste and the fullness he offered, her hands were busy now—called by duty, consumed by the Empireʼs expectations.

And Maelona?

She was avoiding him altogether.

Aether didnʼt take it personally. She needed time—time to focus, time to realign herself with her responsibilities. Her pride and the Empire came first. He understood that. So, he didnʼt chase her... He let her breathe.

Let her come back on her own when she was ready.

Instead, Aether turned his attention elsewhere.

He visited Delphine—not up close, but from a quiet distance, staying far enough not to intrude but close enough to watch her movements. She poured herself into her work like a woman trying to outrun something. Every decision, every order, every breath seemed like it was meant to silence her mind.

She wasnʼt the broken doll from before.

No, she had changed.

She wasnʼt lost anymore—her eyes held clarity. Her posture was firmer, her presence stronger. Aether didnʼt step in. He didnʼt speak. Dora was with her now, and that was enough reassurance for him. He would wait.

Wait until the moment she finally stopped running... and realised that the miracle she needed had always been waiting just behind her.

Everything was flowing exactly as it should.

His plan, his vision, the threads he had woven—it was all unravelling precisely how he intended.

Soon after, Aether made his way toward the location of the Lyirrs. The area was bustling—the massive thrusters were nearly completed, their structures like sleeping giants. Only a few finishing touches remained, tasks that could be handled by others.

Since Lyirrs still didnʼt know Aetherʼs true identity, he donned the guise of Victor once again. It wasnʼt out of fear or secrecy, but practicality. The fewer people who knew his truth, the safer things remained—for everyone. Besides, there was no reason to show his real face to her now.

Not yet.

”Shall we?” Victor asked, turning to Lyirrs with a soft smile.

She looked up at him, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, before she nodded and stepped closer. Her movements were hesitant, almost dreamy. Victor wrapped his arm gently around her waist, and with a pulse of energy, they teleported together.

They arrived in the empty, brazen land of the Aurora Empire.

”This is where we need to build,” Victor said, his voice low, serious.

”Here...? Just... u-us?” Lyirrs mumbled, her words almost slurring as drowsiness took over her. Her eyes fluttered slightly as she looked around.

Something about this land...

It made her heart quiet. Her thoughts slowed. Her soul felt strangely at peace—like she was floating in a warm pool of silence. The land itself was like a lullaby whispering through her blood.

Victor noticed and softly patted her head. ”Youʼre feeling sleepy, arenʼt you? Donʼt worry. Just rest. Your bodyʼs not used to the atmosphere here. Take your time... Iʼll handle the rest.”

She gave a tiny nod, her eyes already heavy with sleep. Then, with a gentle, swirling motion, she transformed into her true form—her majestic brown dragon body curling gently upon the earth. Her breathing slowed. Her scales shimmered. And soon, she drifted into slumber.

Victor stood silently for a moment, watching her sleep. Then, without delay, he turned his gaze toward the Main Temple of the Aurora Empire and teleported directly to the Archpriestessʼs chambers.

Or what remained of them.

The room was in ruins—shattered walls, collapsed ceilings, ash marking the aftermath of a brutal explosion. The blast had left its scars here.

The moment Victor appeared, the servants in the vicinity flinched. Their fear cracked the silence.

”Thereʼs an intruder!”

”S-Saintess!!”

Screams echoed. Panic erupted as people scrambled.

Victor sighed.

Just as the air thickened with tension, Helena appeared, flashing in with divine speed.

”How dare you—!” Her voice lashed out, but then she froze. Her eyes widened.

Recognition dawned.

Victorʼs tone was cool, composed, ”Where is the Archpriestess?”

Helena faltered for a breath. ”S-Sheʼs in a meeting with the High Priests…”

”I see. Can you guide me there?”

She turned to the trembling servants and soothed them with gentle words before nodding to him. Together, they began to walk.

No words were exchanged between them for a while.

Their footsteps echoed through the hollow halls—two figures who had once stood closer than anyone, now walking side by side like strangers. The silence between them wasnʼt peaceful.

It was tense... Heavy with all the things left unsaid.

Finally, Helena broke it.

”Hm... So, what happened in the Zephyra Empire?” she asked, her tone light but with a false curiosity. Her eyes, however, revealed her true desire: she wanted to talk about themself.

Victor gave a small shrug. ”Nothing much. Just the activation of the final Ebon Stone.”

”Oh...? So all of them are activated now…” Her voice trailed off.

But her eyes dimmed. Her expression fell.

She had hoped for something more—some spark, some crack in his voice to prove he still felt something for her. But his words were blunt, detached. Cold.

As if she were no one.

As if everything they once shared had already been buried.

Helena clenched her fists, her knuckles pale and trembling. Her breath caught, and her eyes glistened for the briefest second—but she swallowed it down. Swallowed all of it. Her emotions, her pain, her words.

She didnʼt look at him again. She simply turned and kept walking down the long marble corridors, her steps quiet but tight with strain.

When they reached the grand meeting hall, Helena placed a hand on the door.

”Wait here, I will ask—”

But she didnʼt get to finish.

Without a second of hesitation, Victor raised his foot and kicked the massive ornate doors open with a thunderous crack.

The golden-hinged doors burst inward, slamming against the walls, interrupting the tense silence of the meeting. Gasps echoed as all the High Priests turned sharply, their expressions laced with offence and disbelief.

A stranger had barged into a sacred meeting.

No respect, no permission—nothing but audacity.

Victor stepped inside like he owned the place, hands behind his back, posture relaxed. His sharp eyes swept across the room, taking in the shocked faces of the High Priests with the air of a man who had seen them all before—men whose voices once screamed at his name, who condemned him, feared him, hated him.

”Good morning, Archpriestess,” he said with a small nod—not a bow, not even an ounce of subservience. Just a cool, confident greeting. His voice held a hint of amusement, like he found this entire gathering nothing more than a stage play.

Some of the High Priests stood, their chairs scraping roughly against the floor.

”How dare you enter this sacred space uninvited?!”

”Who are you!? State your identity before the Archpriestess orders your death!”

Their voices rose in fury, in indignation, trying to drown out his presence with formality and authority. But Victor remained calm, untouched by their shouting.

He raised a single hand, as if calming children.

”Relax. Just... breathe a little. I didnʼt come to stir chaos,” he said lightly, with a smirk dancing on his lips.

”And as for who I am? Let me be polite—Victor, Emperor of the Pyra Empire.”

A chilling silence followed.

The air froze.

Some who were glaring just seconds ago suddenly turned ghostly pale. Their confidence shattered like fragile glass beneath the weight of his name.

Victor grinned. The shift in atmosphere was satisfying, if not amusing. These people were always louder than they were capable—shouting until someone stronger walked in the room. Then, silence.

Always the same.

At the head of the room, the Archpriestess narrowed her eyes, her mind racing.

ʼWhat the hell is he doing now?ʼ she thought with rising anxiety. He wasnʼt supposed to be here. Not like this. She had worked so hard to push the idea of elevating him into their ranks, to convince the priests and nobles of his worth... but one misstep, one rash move, and the whole fragile support would collapse like dust.

She couldnʼt allow that.

”State your reason for visiting our Empire, Mr. Victor,” she said firmly, keeping her tone polite yet edged with warning.

Victor turned to her slowly, his expression cool and unreadable.

”Nothing much. I simply came to make something clear—crystal clear,” he began, his voice cutting through the thick silence like a blade. ”I am not, in the slightest, interested in giving away my Thrusters to any of you... for free.”

Gasps erupted around the table. The air grew tense again, confusion spreading like wildfire. Several priests exchanged worried glances, some turning toward the Archpriestess for answers, for reassurance.

After all, hadnʼt she already secured a deal with the man chosen by the Mother? Wasnʼt the Thruster project supposed to be delivered?

What was happening?

Victorʼs voice cut through the panic once more.

”The only reason I allowed the transaction... the only reason the Thrusters are here,” he continued, clenching his fist slowly, ”was because my dear friend—Aether—asked me. No. He begged me... for your lives.”

He spat the words like venom, his voice heavy with resentment.

”I donʼt care about this Empire. I donʼt care if it burns to the ground. You all mean nothing to me. But Aether... He saved my life once. And this was the first time—ever—that he asked me for something. One thing. One request.”

Victorʼs eyes swept across them, cold and piercing.

”So I gave it. Not to you. To him.”

The silence that followed was thicker than stone.

Every priest stared at him, stunned. They looked toward the Archpriestess, as if desperate for clarification—answers.

The Archpriestess slowly rose from her seat, her hands resting on the polished table. Her gaze turned soft, sad, almost maternal.

”He asked me not to tell you this,” she said, her voice quiet yet full of gravity. ”He didnʼt want you to know. He didnʼt want us to feel shame... as if we had begged. So he accepted everything. Took it upon himself.”

Her voice cracked slightly.

”He sacrificed his dignity for us.”

A painful hush fell over the room. The weight of her words sank into every chest, pressing like stone. The grand meeting hall, once filled with pride and prideful voices, now felt like a tomb.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

They sat, drowning in the silence of guilt, debt, and realisation.

Victor didnʼt say another word. He just stood there with his signature grin—sharp, mocking, knowing. But inside, he wasnʼt laughing.

He was satisfied.

Satisfied that they now understood who truly held the reins.

And what Aether had given up for them.

After all... didnʼt Aether want this?

His name should be etched everywhere!!