Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1499: I need a... bug

”If... if the one who sits upon the Throne is Marisandra Naiadae, then... indeed.

This servant’s loyalty rests with her alone.”

Aether’s smirk slowly deepened... Honest words yet Dangerous words.

Mareth felt the grip on his shoulder tighten. A faint knot twisted in his chest, though his face betrayed nothing. Years of discipline held firm as his expression remained calm, composed, almost indifferent.

Then grip on his shoulder finally loosened, and only then did Mareth allow himself a slow, controlled breath. Aether stepped away as he returned to his chair.

Sitting down with deliberate ease, Aether leaned back and studied him, amusement flickering behind his eyes as he spoke,

”I like you, man. Truly.”

Mareth lifted his brows with a slightly surprised expression.

Aether’s lips curved again, his voice calm yet thoughtful,

”No need to look so surprised, Mareth. I can’t be angry at you for not swearing blind loyalty to us. Loyalty isn’t something that appears out of nowhere.... It’s earned. Built slowly, through trust and respect. Honestly... It’s refreshing. Knowing that your loyalty belongs to the Throne itself.”

He paused, eyes narrowing faintly as his tone grew deeper.

”As long as Marisandra Naiadae sits upon that Throne, you will stand with her, no matter what choices she makes... no matter how ugly those choices become.”

He pinched his lips thoughtfully, as if savouring a rich taste, something complex yet satisfying.

[+10 AP]

Mareth allowed a small, restrained smile to surface.

”I’m relieved that Your Majesty can see through the clumsy deceit of this old man’s words, rather than taking offence to them.”

Aether hummed softly, ”Enough of that. Let’s move on to the real reason I called you here.”

That caught Mareth off guard.

’So this wasn’t merely a test of loyalty...’ he thought, curiosity stirring as he watched Aether reach into his pocket.

Aether took a translucent, rectangular bar, no larger than his palm. Its surface shimmered faintly, light bending unnaturally within it. He placed it on the table with care.

”Take a look,” Aether said, gesturing calmly.

Mareth nodded and picked it up with extreme care, treating it like fragile crystal despite its solid weight. He turned it slowly, studying the internal glow before retrieving a magnifying glass and examining it more closely.

”What is this... hmm,” he murmured, intrigue creeping into his voice. ”Interesting. Very interesting.”

Aether remained silent, watching patiently, giving the old man space to think.

After a long moment, Mareth finally set the magnifying glass down,

”This is an unusual energy source. Highly refined... I’ll need my equipment to perform a deeper analysis if I’m to understand it properly.”

Aether raised a brow before nodding slowly.

”Good. You identified it as an energy source with nothing but a magnifying glass. That alone tells me I wasn’t wrong about you.”

Mareth’s face remained composed, as though the praise hadn’t struck him at all.

Aether then explained the Origin Core crystal, its origins, its purpose, and the terrifying potential hidden within its structure.

Mareth listened without interruption. Surprise flickered through him when he realised that Aether had managed to acquire something so rare, so dangerous.

Still, He simply nodded, studying the crystal once more before finally speaking.

”I understand what it is capable of,” he said slowly. ”But I don’t yet understand why you brought it to this old man.”

Aether leaned back,

”The ring you made... its function, its refinement. I was impressed beyond words. It’s the finest artifact I’ve ever seen. I asked Lyirrs to replicate it, but she couldn’t. She said it wasn’t technological in nature at all.”

His eyes sharpened.

”It was a pure magical composition. Similar to Spell Scroll creation, which is already difficult. Yet this surpassed even that.

This was something else entirely.”

Mareth let out a faint, tired smile.

”I’m honoured that you think so highly of my work, Your Majesty.”

Aether’s smirk returned,

”So you admit it, then. You’re the one who made it.”

Mareth said nothing.

Aether chuckled softly,

”Such a sly old man...” he muttered, shaking his head slightly as if both impressed and wary.

Mareth responded with a faint, knowing smile, neither denying nor accepting the remark outright.

[+10 AP]

After a brief pause, Mareth straightened slightly, his curiosity surfacing through his composed demeanour.

”So... what is it you want me to do, Your Majesty?” he asked.

”I need a... bug.”

Mareth blinked.

”...Pardon?” he asked.

****

While this quiet, dangerous conversation unfolded behind closed doors, events elsewhere in the palace moved on without pause.

Outside, Nightfire had arrived and now sat across from Aqualina, the two of them sharing tea as they discussed the troubling situation in Pyra. Steam curled lazily from the cups between them.

”Are you certain they only looked like dead... or were they truly dead?” Aqualina asked, her voice calm on the surface but edged with fragile hope. She lifted her teacup and took a slow sip, watching Nightfire carefully.

Nightfire shook her head,

”I know what you’re hoping for,” she replied quietly. ”But unfortunately... they looked like dead.”

Aqualina’s lips pressed together as disappointment flickered across her face. She exhaled softly, then tilted her head, curiosity quickly replacing the initial letdown.

”What caused them to look like that?” she asked. ”Have they been pushing themselves too hard again?”

A faint worry crept into her voice. Managing the Empire and constantly forcing growth had already taken a toll on her own body.

Nightfire shrugged lightly.

”They didn’t tell me anything, so I can’t be sure,” she said. ”But... I suspect it might be related to Delphine.”

”Hm...” Aqualina hummed, her brows knitting together as her mind turned. ’I think... I should check this myself,’ she decided silently.

And honestly, she had another reason.

She wanted to see that hollow-cheeked bitch Selene.

And laugh at her bitchy ass.

The thought alone brought a wicked spark to her eyes. Aqualina couldn’t help imagining Selene’s exhausted, broken appearance, already picturing herself standing there, savouring every second as she rubbed salt into the wound.

”I really want to see them now,” she muttered, her lips curling into a smirk. ”Alright, it’s decided. I’m coming with you and—”

She turned her head slightly, glancing toward the woman seated nearby.

”Mom,” Aqualina added casually, almost sweetly, ”do you want to see them too?”

Sandra, who had been sitting beside Celestia, paused mid-thought. She hummed quietly, her fingers resting against her chin as she considered the idea.

”Well...” she murmured before her gaze shifted toward Nightfire, ”Tell me... was Xara like that as well?”

Nightfire tilted her head, then shook it gently.

”I’m not sure,” she replied. ”She’s still in the lab, so...”

The moment those words left her mouth, Sandra’s interest visibly faded.

”Then I’m not interested,” she said flatly, waving a dismissive hand as if the matter had already bored her.

Aqualina let out a sigh, clicking her tongue in open disapproval.

”Mom... that’s cruel,” she muttered, disgust lacing her tone. ”I can’t believe you. You only wanted to see Xara in a weak, broken state.”

She shook her head slowly, eyes narrowing.

”That’s heartless, Mom. What if Aether knew you thought like this? He’d be disappointed in you.”

Even as she spoke, Aqualina was already plotting how to use this later, how to twist the moment to draw more of Aether’s affection toward herself and away from others.

Sandra gave her daughter a strange, unreadable look before responding,

”Darling...” she said quietly, eyes locking onto Aqualina’s. ”I am your mother.”

Aqualina blinked once, her expression blank before her lips parted.

”So?”

Sandra let out a slow sigh. She hadn’t wanted to say it, but watching Aqualina act high and mighty while clearly preparing to snitch her out pushed her patience past its limit. She shook her head faintly before responding,

”Says the one who’s literally heading out just to see a weak little Selene, right?” Sandra said calmly.

”Should I inform Aether about that, then?”

Aqualina visibly flinched. A bead of sweat formed at her forehead as panic flashed through her eyes for a brief moment before she forced a cute, overly innocent smile onto her face.

”I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mom,” she said quickly. ”I would never do something like that. Really!”

Sandra stared at her daughter in silence, her expression completely deadpan.

Aqualina coughed awkwardly, breaking eye contact. She turned away as if her mother suddenly no longer existed, waving the moment off with forced casualness.

”Anyway,” she continued, shifting her attention back to Nightfire, ”since my mom isn’t interested, we’ll go and see what actually happened. It could’ve been an enemy attack, too. We need to analyse things carefully... hehe~”

She kept talking, already planning her next moves in her head.

Sandra gave her daughter an even flatter look than before, then glanced toward Celestia with a knowing expression. Celestia met the look briefly, understanding passing between them without a word.

Soon after, Aether finished his conversation with Mareth and handed him several sealed boxes, each one bearing quiet significance.

Not long after, he received the spell scrolls from Nightfire, accepting them with a nod.

Sandra suggested that he rest there for the night, noting how the sky had already darkened.

But Aether gently shook his head.

”Sorry, dear,” he said softly. ”Aria’s father is getting married. I need to be there.”

He leaned in and kissed Sandra’s lips tenderly.

”It’s already late.”

Sandra pouted faintly, disappointment flashing across her face, but she didn’t press him. She knew how much he was carrying right now. She kissed him back and smiled gently.

”Please don’t push yourself too hard,” she said quietly. ”You just woke up. Okay?”

Aether nodded and kissed her forehead with care.

He then turned toward Aqualina and kissed her as well.

”I’ll be going with Nightfire,” Aqualina announced casually.

Aether raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. She was practically glowing with energy, far more than usual.

Something felt off...

He frowned slightly, then glanced at Nightfire standing calmly beside her. A moment later, realisation clicked.

”Oh... I see,” he said slowly. ”You’re going to see Selene, aren’t you?”

”Pfffft—”

Sandra nearly burst out laughing, hastily covering her mouth and turning away.

Aqualina’s lips twitched violently.

’Fuck!’

Honestly, she was fucking happy that her husband understood her so well... but at the same time, she was fucking annoyed that he knew exactly what she was up to.

What a ridiculous husband-and-wife predicament!!

”I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aqualina said quickly. ”I just wanted to see my beloved sisters!”

She tried to sound warm and affectionate.

It failed miserably.

Aether gave her a weak smile.

”Aqua... I hope you come back alright,” he said, his voice unusually soft as he kissed her forehead.

His eyes looked almost teary.

Aqualina frowned.

Why did he suddenly look so emotional?

He’s just going to see that bitchy Selene... that’s all!

Right?

Aether then turned to Celestia and kissed her lips, lowering his voice.

”Look after Mareth.”

Celestia nodded, her expression serious. Aether hadn’t explained anything to anyone, not even to Sandra. And Sandra hadn’t asked. She trusted him completely. If she didn’t trust her husband, who else could she trust?

She would hear the truth when he was ready to tell it.

Aqualina, too, hadn’t been given many details.

Aether finally turned toward Nightfire, his expression turning strangely pitiful.

”P-Please... be careful,” he said, hugging her tightly. ”Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

Nightfire stiffened slightly, caught between happiness and confusion as she returned the embrace.

’What the fuck is that supposed to mean?’ she wondered.

Soon after, Aether departed for the Zephyra Empire, moving at insane speed through forests and over mountains, pushing his body to its limits as he raced toward Kaelith’s house.

The sky had fully darkened by then, stars barely visible through thick clouds.

/Aether, where are you? The ritual is about to begin!/

Maelona’s voice echoed sharply in his mind.

’Shit!’ Aether thought as he forced himself even faster, wind tearing past him.