Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1333: Again Nightfire as a bait?: Part-1

That’s the new golden shimmering words fluttering in the middle of the sky above the barrier.

Lyirrs stood before everyone at the meeting table.

”Umbrionis Void and Gaius Terravita now have values in their T.P., unlike the others,” she announced, ”So far, yesterday I didn’t notice any changes, so the chances are it changed around midnight or sometime after. This... wasn’t here before.”

Victor and the others hummed with questioning gazes.

Selene broke the silence first, ”Why only those two Empires? What about the rest of us? Does anyone have any explanation for this?”

Lyirrs, of course, shook her head.

”Maybe something happened there only...” Thalia muttered, ”It can’t be a coincidence. Did something change in their territory?”

Victor, lips pressed tight, barely nodded. Actually, he was already contacting other Empires,

/Anyone else seeing this?/

And sure enough, everyone was seeing the same readings.

/Maybe those two have a trial or something?/ Aqualina’s voice slipped into Victor’s mind, clear and curious.

/If so... why only those two?/ Helena chimed in.

/Since there are Six Empires, maybe the trial was set for a pair or something?/ Aria mused.

Her words made sense, making everyone frown.

/What is the trial about again?/ Liora’s question drifted in.

/Strength and Weakness,/ Sandra answered softly, adding, /Does that mean... those two Empires went through a Strength and Weakness trial?/

”That’s maybe correct,” Victor suddenly said out loud, startling the others.

Lyirrs blinked, startled out of her reverie. ”Sir?”

Victor shook his head before saying, ”What I’m trying to say is... We were put into two trials at the same time, right? Maybe that’s what those two Empires went through—Strength and Weakness.”

Emberlyn frowned, ”Maybe next is the other two Empires? Like, one following the other, the remaining ones set against each other... Maybe it’s an elimination method or a chain reaction?.”

Now everyone turned even more serious... Emberlyn’s words made sense, too.

Raven pointed, ”Those numbers... 120 and 15. Does that mean Terravita Empire failed the trial, and Void won somehow?”

The questions lingered on their minds again and again as they tried to find the solution, until—

/Positions?/ Maelona’s voice echoed in Victor’s mind.

/Hmm?/

/Look at that position... it changed, Aether? Weren’t they supposed to be below the others? But now they’re above those who only had zeros... Maybe it’s like a scoreboard./

When they heard that, Victor’s eyes widened in mild shock as he glanced at the visuals. The positions had indeed changed. He hadn’t thought of it until now, but as he told the others, realisation struck.

Everyone raised their eyebrows in surprise. In fact, they had forgotten the original order, but now they remembered—the sequence had truly shifted.

Void took first place since it had more points than Terra.

Lyirrs gasped as she connected the dots. ”Maybe the Trial is going in reverse order... The last two Empires were given a chance first, and maybe the next one might be us and Aurora Empire.”

Nightfire added, annoyed and scratching her head, ”Maybe not.” Then, realising all eyes were on her, she blushed. ”I—I’m sorry—”

Victor raised his hand calmly. ”There’s nothing wrong. Just say what you think”

Nightfire smiled awkwardly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ”I mean... you all keep saying ’Maybe’... but it’s just possibilities unless we talk directly to the ones involved.”

Victor stared at her for a long moment, then, ”Ashara?”

Nightfire’s lips twitched, ”It’s me, you fucking shithead!” she snapped, crossing her arms. Victor grinned, ”I’m just kidding,” before turning serious again.

”But Nightfire’s right. If we keep guessing, we’ll only end up with a list of endless possibilities.”

”Then we should visit Void Empire to see what’s really going on there,” Selene said.

Victor looked at her, shaking his head. ”Do you think she’d just tell us what happened? Mary’s not going to hand over answers. Even the puppets we sent were hunted down—they couldn’t last even a few seconds. She’s on high alert.” He sighed.

Everyone frowned. Thalia leaned forward, ”If that’s the case, we should go there ourselves.”

Victor shook his head again, ”Only the chosen ones can survive in that place.”

Raven frowned, her glare sharp. ”Then the chosen ones should go—and teach that bitch a lesson for wounding my beloved’s heart!”

Victor gave her a weak smile, ”If only it were that easy,” he said quietly, then added, ”If we try to infiltrate the Empire now, it’ll turn into a war. Not just the chosen ones, but powerful figures from each Empire—Empresses, Princesses, Saintesses—all gathering there? I can already feel the tension in the air.”

He paused, remembering Mary’s warning... Next time, she wouldn’t hesitate to announce open war if he tried anything reckless.

Everyone gritted their teeth.

”What if we use the Sovereign?” Emberlyn asked curiously, voice hopeful.

But Raven shook her head immediately. ”The Sovereign cannot meddle if it’s a trial... She’s forced to stand back.”

Selene added, ”Then... that leaves only Nyx, who was close to Empress Mary...”

Everyone nodded in unison.

If it was Nyx, then there was at least a chance to get the truth—her relationship with the Empress was different from everyone else’s.

”I’ll wake up Nyx,” Emberlyn said, her tone hurried, chair scraping as she nearly leapt up from her seat—

But Victor raised a hand and stopped her, awkwardness flickering across his face. ”She’s been... working all night. I don’t think she has the energy to move right now. Let her rest.”

Hearing that, Emberlyn blinked; it took a second to understand.

A blush crept up her cheeks as she sat back down, flustered and fiddling with her sleeve. ”I... I’m sorry...” She wasn’t even sure what exactly she was apologising for... this or... that?

”It’s fine. Mistakes happen... I’ll be careful.” Victor awkwardly said.

Emberlyn lowered her head, cheeks turning a deep red, and just hummed softly. The others exchanged looks, frowning at the awkward shift between Emberlyn and Victor.

”So, what should we do now?” Thalia muttered, eyebrows scrunched in frustration as she tried to puzzle out the next move. ”Victor can’t go, the chosen ones can’t go... even Nyx can’t go. Tsk... it’s so annoying.”

”We need someone sneaky,” Selene said.

”Someone close to that place,” another added.

”Someone even the locals wouldn’t notice,” another chimed in.

”Someone who could handle... both energies, like the chosen ones,”

As everyone’s eyes sharpened, the answer dawning slowly but surely. They turned, almost in perfect sync, their gaze drifting toward... an empty seat?

Thud!

The silence was broken as a sudden noise drew everyone’s attention to the door.

Nightfire, who’d been trying to slip away unnoticed, tiptoed across the floor in a classic, cartoonish sneak—shoulders hunched, steps exaggerated, eyes darting back and forth. She almost made it, her hand inches from the door handle, when it slipped and slammed against it.

She froze.

Everyone spun toward her, and Nightfire put on the guiltiest smile in the world, beads of sweat rolling down her temple. ”Ha... hah... I—I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll just go—Bye~Bye~” She spun, making a dash for the exit—

But instead of freedom, she crashed headfirst into something soft but immovable, almost bouncing back.

She looked up, heart sinking, and saw Victor grinning down at her, arms crossed and blocking the only way out.

”Nope, nope... NOPE!!” Nightfire shook her head furiously, already edging away, hands held up in protest.

”If I go there... I’ll be dead as fuck!” She crouched as if preparing to bolt between his legs, but Victor was faster, catching her wrist and gently steering her back against the wall.

He leaned in, voice dropping to a silken whisper right by her ear. ”Darling~”

Nightfire glared, refusing to give in.

”Nope, nope... NOPE! I am not falling for this trick! No way, jerk! Get your hands away from my ass—ahh—O-Oi! Wait! Fucker!!!”

She writhed, face going crimson, caught between fighting and freezing as Victor’s hands found her hips. ”I am not going there!!”

Victor’s smile only grew. Without letting go, he ran his palm down her waist, teasing with just enough pressure to make her squirm.

”You will,” he murmured, seductive and playful, pressing his body closer to hers—heat radiating between them. Nightfire trembled as his core energy brushed against her thigh, her breathing quickening despite herself. He leaned in further, lips grazing her neck, then nibbled her collarbone, each touch deliberately slow.

”You will... for me~”

”Haha... N-No fucking way... No matter what, I would never fall for your pathetic trick—”