Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1302: We need Aether: Part-1

”Archpriestess... You have to do something!”

”Please, we beg you! We have nowhere else to turn!”

”We cannot afford to lose the Archpriest. If we do, the light will vanish from the Aurora Empire!”

”Yes, please, call him! Only you can reach him!”

The people, the followers, everyone in the Aurora Empire pressed close, their voices tangled in desperation, as they pleaded before the Archpriestess. She stood before them, her long silver robes trembling with each breath, a confused and powerless look flickering across her face.

The massive temple behind her, its marble pillars half-finished, the scent of fresh timber and sacred incense clashing in the air as if something under construction was going on here.

A huge crowd had gathered... priests, followers, High Priests, Fathers, mothers clutching silent children, all eyes fixed on the Archpriestess and the Saintess, the only two living souls in this half-built sanctuary.

The two holy women stood atop a battered wooden podium.

The Archpriestess glanced helplessly at Helena, her trusted Saintess. Helena’s shoulders slumped; dark circles haunted her eyes. With a heavy sigh, she finally found her voice and muttered,

”Listen, everyone. You know what happened. After that terrible incident, our Archpriest was left deeply wounded—heartbroken, truly... He has lost hope in us. We’ve tried every prayer, every rite, but the truth is, we have not been able to reach him. I am sorry, but—”

Before Helena could finish, the crowd collapsed to their knees as one. Hands clapped together in supplication, faces streaked with tears and dust. Their voices rose in a chorus of panic and heartbreak.

”NOOO!! He cannot leave us!”

”Please, stop him, we beg of you!”

”We cannot lose him, he is our last hope!”

”He is the dawn in our darkness! Our only light!”

”Tell him... tell him we are begging for mercy, for forgiveness!”

”We will humble ourselves, we will kneel forever if we must!”

”Please, Archpriestess, please!”

”If he goes, the Naiadae people will take him from us, forever!”

Their pleas tore through the air, echoing off unfinished walls and through the empty arches. Faces twisted in pain and regret. Helena’s gaze darkened. She glanced at the Archpriestess, her lips trembling.

The Archpriestess shook her head, ”We, too, took him for granted, didn’t we?” Her voice cracked, low and cold.

The words struck the crowd like a curse... Their heads bowed. Guilt and pain radiated from every inch of their bodies. Even the children went silent.

The Archpriestess let out another sigh, her voice barely a whisper. ”Whatever happens, I have lost all contact with our Archpriest. Only if he chooses to return, only if he reaches out to us, will I answer. I cannot force his hand, not with prayer, not with tears.”

A trembling voice rose from the crowd. ”B-but... can you not ask the Naiadae Empire? They must know something. Please...”

The Archpriestess’ eyes narrowed, ”I could ask them. I could beg them to stop. But why would I do that?” She paused, letting the question hang in the air.

A hush fell. Even the bravest High-priests flinched beneath her gaze.

She continued, her words slow and deliberate. ”The Archpriest is a man of great kindness. He has never once turned his back on our pleas, no matter the cost to himself.

If I go to him... if I ask him to return for our sake, of course, he would come. But understand this: he would not be coming of his own will.

There is a vast difference between choosing to help and being compelled by guilt or duty.

Do you not see? For so long, we have leaned on his strength, never asking what it cost him. Are we truly worthy to demand more?

Is this what we have become—people who use a soul until there’s nothing left, and discard them when they break?”

Each of her words pierced the people’s hearts like a knife no healer could remove, except perhaps the Archpriest himself.

The Archpriestess raised her hand, her fingers trembling as she spoke.

”He is not the only one who suffers. I am wounded too.” Her voice boomed, ”I will not beg for forgiveness from those who once adored me, but may abandon me when it suits them!” Without waiting for their pleas, she turned and walked away, her footsteps heavy as she disappeared into the temple’s shadowed entrance.

Helena stood rooted, caught between the sea of people and the receding figure of the Archpriestess. Conflict clouded her face as she looked from the crowd to Archpriestess’s back. ”Humm... Well,” she said softly,

”Please, take a moment to remember what you have done... and the great lengths he went for us all.” before she, too, turned and followed the Archpriestess.

As Helena caught up to the Archpriestess, she lowered her voice. ”Is this right? Aren’t we being too harsh on them?”

Sera snorted, her eyes flashing with a cold light. ”They chose to turn away, to give up hope and leave this sacred place. Compared to that betrayal, this is nothing... barely a scratch.” She paused, her expression flickering with confusion.

”It was Aether who told us to press them—make them feel the weight of their guilt, even more.”

Helena bit her lip, ”But why?”

Sera shrugged, her voice growing quieter. ”I wish I knew.”

Helena hesitated, then pressed on, ”Why only Aqualina?” hinting at the recent announcement of engagement made by Aqualina alone.

Sera let out a tired sigh. ”I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. All I know is, he asked for Aqualina to be the only one for now, and told the rest of you to wait...”

Helena clenched her fist, frustration burning in her eyes. Sera sighed... In truth, she was furious that those other girls had been given a chance at engagement while she was left out—more annoyed than happy.

Meanwhile, the people outside the half-built temple did not move. They stood frozen in place, dazed, their faces empty and lost.

”I think... I can finally see how much devastation our actions have brought,” one of them muttered. His voice, heavy with pain, rang out across the hush, carrying far despite the size of the crowd.

The others turned toward him—a teenage boy, the same one who ran a hotel with his elderly grandmother.

”When the people stopped coming to our place, as if we’d been forgotten, we felt it. We understand his pain... abandoned by the very ones he trusted. We lost everything—our hope, our pride, our sense of belonging. It’s hard not to feel ashamed when we see what we have become.” The boy looked up at everyone,

”I think our Archpriest must be even more disappointed in himself than he is in us... He must feel truly, terribly alone.”

His words hit them like a storm.

When the Archpriest had once called them his family, perhaps he had truly meant it. And now, it was clear—he must be feeling utterly abandoned, left behind by those he loved most.

Eyes grew misty with tears. Children began to sob openly, while the adults clenched their jaws, struggling to hold back their grief, unable to look away from the harsh truth standing before them.

The boy added painfully, ”Even more... now that they have their engagement, I’m sure he will protect them more than us. After all, we betrayed him, and now they’re offering him comfort—offering a cure for his loneliness, something we never could.”

Everyone’s faces turned pale, stricken by the truth.

While this scene of regret and confusion played out in Aurora, meanwhile, in the heart of the Zephyra Empire—

”Your Majesty, please forgive us for ever doubting your competence...” One of the elders bowed low, his voice trembling with a blend of reverence and guilt.

Kaelen sat upon the throne, his gaze cold and distant as he stared at the elders. These were the very same men who had once tried to undermine him—yet now, after Aether’s arrival, they bowed their heads, voices subdued by guilt and... was that fear in their eyes?

Kaelen wondered at the shift, his lips curling into a faint, knowing smirk. With a slow wave of his hand, he spoke,

”It’s alright, Elders. I did what Mr. Aether advised me to do. We’ve been working in secret, doing what needed to be done in the shadows. You should all be grateful, shouldn’t you?” His voice held a subtle threat at the end.

The elders swallowed hard, their faces tightening as they forced uneasy smiles. ”H-ha... Well, we are getting old and senile. Please forgive us, Your Majesty.”

Kaelen’s smile remained, but his eyes glittered with something unreadable.

”Let us turn to the situation at hand. The people have begun to return to their usual routines, but with the barrier now in place, our outside resources have been destroyed. We must manage what we have, multiply our production as much as possible, and—”

”Your Majesty—”

One of the elders interrupted, unable to hold back his worry.

Kaelen raised his brows, ”Is something the matter?”

The elders exchanged nervous glances, their faces etched with concern. Finally, one muttered,

”Is it true... that Mr. Aether is the husband of Princess Aria?”

Kaelen frowned, his eyes narrowing. The relationship between Aether and Aria was not truly secret, but no official announcement had ever been made. Most people only heard rumours—whispers of their closeness, sightings of them together.

Even fewer were aware of Liora’s bond with Aether; Only her tribe and a few among Aria’s knew that.

Kaelen answered calmly, ”There has been no official announcement regarding their relationship.”

The elders’ frowns deepened, understanding that the truth was being carefully guarded.

Another elder spoke, his voice hushed. ”It’s said that... Mr. Aether and that Vicious Victor were the ones who helped create the barrier protecting our lands. Is this true?”

Kaelen nodded. ”Yes, Mr. Aether was the architect of the barrier, and the Dragon Emperor Victor provided the rare materials and formulas for its construction. Both of them are the true owners of the barrier, and thanks to Mr. Aether’s connection to our Empire, Victor agreed to help us... asking nothing in return!” The Last words were kind of loud... Not sure why!

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the chamber. The elders exchanged wide-eyed looks, nodding their heads in awe and growing respect.

”So Mr. Aether did all of this for our sake?”

Kaelen shook his head, ”No. He did it because Princess Aria asked him and because I requested his aid directly. He has no deep bond with you, not the way he does with the people of the Aurora Empire.

After all, he is the Archpriest of Aurora, is he not?”

They nodded slowly, thoughtful and uneasy, as the meaning sank in...

Yes, Aether was Archpriest in Aurora... He didn’t have any title here...

Their crooked, aged minds began to work faster, racing to find the angle in this new and uncertain situation.

One elder glanced at the others before venturing, ”Please forgive us, Your Majesty, but... would this not be the perfect time to officially announce Princess Aria and Mr. Aether’s union to all the Empires?”

Kaelen blinked, his expression unreadable, then shook his head.

”The Naiadae Empire just made their announcement, but our situation is still uncertain. After what happened in Aurora, after his own people turned their backs on him, can any of us say which side he will choose?

Here, even without the same bonds, he knows how Princess Aria must have suffered, and he knows how easily we could betray him as well. So, it is not unthinkable that he might choose... Naiadae over us.”

He spoke the truth with a bluntness that stung, the facts slapping the elders’ faces harder than any physical blow.

The elders frowned, their unease deepening. It was Aether who kept them alive... Aether, who had shown only gentleness and restraint... And even more, he was the Archpriest.

That meant he cared deeply for his own people, sometimes more than anyone could imagine.

They knew they could not afford to sever such a connection. While placing a stranger on the throne was out of the question, having a man like Aether as an ally could shift the balance of power in their favour, especially in a new world so dangerous and unpredictable.

But how could they bring him to their side?

One elder leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. ”Perhaps we should speak with Elder Maelona...”

Only then did they realise... Elder Maelona was nowhere to be seen... And Elder Liora, too, was absent from the chamber.

Another elder turned to Kaelen, ”Your Majesty, please... help us. You, as Emperor, understand better than anyone the need for loyal and valuable subjects. All of us—”

He looked around at his peers. The other elders, some slowly, others with sudden conviction, stood and nodded in agreement.

”We all agree, Your Majesty. In times as dangerous and uncertain as these, it would be wise to have Mr. Aether—a capable human and the Archpriest—on our side.”