Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1659: Sovereign’s Final Words: Part-1

”I SAID NO!!!”

Snowflake’s furious scream echoed across the room.

Her golden eyes burned with raw hostility as she slithered in front of Aether possessively.

Someone else taking her place?

The nerve of this bitch!!

Prophetess remained calm despite the outburst. Her gaze merely shifted toward Aether for a brief second, carrying a silent message within it.

Pacify your pet.

Aether let out a slow sigh, rubbing the side of his forehead as exhaustion flickered across his face. He truly didn’t expect things to spiral into this kind of situation.

Shaking his head lightly, he spoke in a patient voice. ”Snowflake...”

”NO! I WON’T GIVE MY PLACE TO ANYONE!”

Snowflake shot back instantly, glaring at him with stubborn fury. Even before her own Master, she refused to retreat a single step.

Aether stared at her for several long seconds before finally raising his hand and gently placing it over her head.

”Snowflake,” he said quietly, ”listen to me properly. She isn’t taking your place. She’s only coming with me temporarily, that’s all. Nobody is replacing you, and nobody is going to steal your spot beside me, dear.”

The anger inside Snowflake visibly wavered for a moment.

”B-But...” she muttered weakly, clearly unwilling to surrender yet.

Aether chuckled softly under his breath and gently patted her head again. ”Come on, girl... don’t make this harder than it already is.”

While Aether struggled to calm Snowflake down, Prophetess quietly turned toward Selene.

She slipped a neatly folded note into Selene’s hand with graceful precision before leaning closer to whisper something into her ear.

Selene immediately flinched. Her brows furrowed as she looked at Prophetess with visible confusion.

”Can you do it for me?” Prophetess asked softly, carrying gentleness.

Selene glanced down at the folded paper resting in her palm. Confusion lingered in her eyes for several seconds before she finally exhaled quietly and nodded.

”Is there... some kind of issue?” Selene whispered cautiously.

Prophetess only smiled faintly.

”Sometimes,” she murmured, ”people lose control of themselves and end up doing the very things they promised they never would.”

Selene frowned deeply as she tried to understand the meaning behind those words, before shaking her head.

Talking with her grandmother always left her feeling strangely lost.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Selene shifted her attention toward Aether and Snowflake, who were still arguing with frightening seriousness over something that honestly looked ridiculous from afar.

Aether finally let out another defeated sigh before raising both hands in surrender. ”Alright, alright... how about this? I’ll grant you any wish you want.”

His voice carried pure resignation now. Even he looked tired from the endless resistance. Despite the fact that this entire Sanctum belonged to him, Snowflake still refused to yield even slightly.

The moment those words left his mouth, Snowflake suddenly froze.

Her expression changed instantly. The anger disappeared from her face, replaced by intense thoughtfulness as her golden eyes slowly narrowed.

After all... that offer carried a dangerous temptation to her.

”Anything?” she asked carefully this time, staring directly into Aether’s eyes with frightening seriousness.

Seeing her finally hesitate, Aether inwardly released a massive sigh of relief. At least she was no longer screaming.

That alone already felt like victory.

Anything, huh...?

What could Snowflake possibly want that badly?

Maybe an enormous buffet filled with Origin Beasts stacked mountain high?

Maybe a massive, fluffy bed and a comfortable house all for herself?

Or perhaps... something far more troublesome?

Whatever it was, Aether could easily afford to give it to her. That was exactly why he made such a bold promise without even hesitating.

Aether nodded with a serious expression before flashing her a relaxed smile. ”Of course. Anything for my dear Snowflake~” he said playfully, giving her a soft wink.

[+4000 AP]

Snowflake remained silent for several seconds, staring directly into Aether’s unwavering eyes.

Her slit-like golden pupils narrowed slowly.

For some strange reason, Aether suddenly felt like prey being observed by a predator.

’Don’t tell me... she wants to eat me?’

The thought nearly made him choke internally. Aether looked genuinely flabbergasted by his own imagination.

Why would she want to eat him? Literally.

Did she secretly hate him that much?

However, what Aether completely failed to notice was the direction of Snowflake’s gaze. Though she appeared to be looking into his eyes, her attention kept subtly drifting lower.

Much lower.

In her vision, her sharp golden eyes lingered on his crotch with disturbing focus, as though she desired something hidden beneath those layers of clothing.

”Hiss~”

Snowflake let out a soft hiss, her lips curling into a teasing smile filled with dangerous amusement.

”I’ll accept your offer,” she said slowly, her voice carrying a strange sweetness. ”But don’t forget your promise, Master.”

Her eyes narrowed further.

”You said anything... and I mean ANYTHING.”

Aether’s relaxed smile instantly stiffened.

For a brief moment, an inexplicable chill crawled down his spine.

’What’s with this bad feeling...?’

He frowned slightly, staring at Snowflake suspiciously before eventually shaking those thoughts away.

Whatever she wanted, it probably couldn’t be that outrageous.

Probably.

Letting out a quiet breath, Aether finally turned toward Prophetess and gave her a small nod.

Prophetess slowly walked toward the portal. The swirling gateway illuminated her figure with pale light as energy distorted the surrounding air. Just before stepping inside, she paused for a moment and glanced back at everyone standing behind her.

Most of them wore defeated or annoyed expressions. Some looked openly irritated. Others simply looked worried.

Seeing those faces, Prophetess quietly spoke.

”Sometimes... It’s better to look at what you love rather than what you fear.”

Everyone frowned in confusion.

Was that supposed to be goodbye?

No one understood the meaning behind her words as they silently watched her disappear into the portal. Seconds later, the gateway slowly closed behind her, leaving only fading ripples of light in the empty air.

Every single glare immediately landed on Aether.

Questions came flying toward him from every direction as everyone demanded to know why Prophetess was allowed to enter while they couldn’t. Others angrily pointed out how reckless he had been for making such a ridiculous promise to Prophestess without thinking properly first.

Now they owed her.

They had all been completely tricked.

And in the end, the person accompanying him wasn’t even someone close to him.

It was practically a stranger.

What a ridiculous fate.

If Snowflake had gone with him instead, they probably would have accepted it eventually. But this outcome only left everyone frustrated and uneasy.

More than anything, they were worried about Aether himself.

What if something changed him there?

What if something happened to him in that unknown place?

Before long, everyone started trying to persuade him again. Some even began arguing loudly that he should take one of his wives instead of ”some old hag,” as they bluntly called Prophetess.

The argument dragged on for quite a while before Aether finally managed to calm everyone down, though not without making several promises along the way.

****

The next day,

No war had broken out overnight.

Perhaps it was related to the slave situation or some hidden issue nobody fully understood yet.

Whatever the reason, the temporary peace allowed everyone to breathe a little easier.

Standing outside the massive barrier surrounding the Zephyra Empire...

Dora listened quietly after hearing every detail about what had happened and what Aether had ultimately decided to do.

”So in the end, they still didn’t accept your idea of going there alone?” she asked softly.

Aether weakly nodded his head before letting out a helpless sigh. ”Well... what can I say?”

A faint grin slowly appeared on his face as he shrugged dramatically.

”I guess they’re just too worried about me. That’s the burden of having a handsome, hot, dangerous husband~” he added shamelessly while giving her a playful wink.

Dora’s lips twitched immediately at the sight of his smug expression. She stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head in disbelief.

”Anyway,” she said flatly, ”I’m not sure about the handsome, hot, dangerous husband part... but I do understand why they’re worried.”

A weak smile quietly formed on her face afterwards.

Aether raised a brow in surprise. ”You do?”

He looked genuinely amused now.

”And here I thought you were a heartless woman who doesn’t even contact her husband.”

Dora’s expression instantly stiffened.

”I AM NOT YOUR WIFE!” she growled sharply, glaring at him with irritation.

Aether only smirked wider at her reaction. ”When exactly did I say I was your husband?”

”...”

Dora froze.

For a brief second, she simply stared at him with a completely deadpan expression before letting out an annoyed breath and waving her hand dismissively.

”Whatever.”

She clearly had no intention of continuing that argument.

”I know my skill can deceive almost anyone. Even Mary couldn’t find it,” Dora said calmly, crossing her arms beneath her chest. ”But are you really sure about Terra?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

”What if they possess some kind of technology capable of detecting it too?”

Aether nodded slowly. There was a reason he had personally come to meet her. One reason was to inform her that he would be gone for some time.

The other was because he needed her Reality Illusion to alter his appearance before entering the Terra Empire.

”But you said your illusion is fundamentally different from Succubi or even stronger Vampires, right?” Aether replied thoughtfully. ”Even Mary failed to notice it until you personally removed it yourself.”

”I did say that,” Dora admitted quietly. ”My power doesn’t simply create illusions. It literally alters reality itself.”

She paused briefly before her expression darkened slightly.

”But in the end... an illusion is still an illusion. No matter how perfect it looks, there’s always a chance something could expose it.”

Her gaze shifted toward the distant sky.

”And who knows what kind of technology Terra possesses? If they’ve evolved far enough, maybe they’ve already developed methods to detect even reality manipulation.”

Aether hummed thoughtfully at her words, though his expression didn’t change much.

”Maybe,” he admitted. ”But it’s still worth trying.”

Dora quietly sighed after hearing his answer. The determination in his eyes made it obvious that changing his mind now would be impossible.

She had originally been dragged outside the barrier simply because Aether needed her Reality Illusion to change his appearance. Never in her expectations had she imagined he was preparing to infiltrate the Terra Empire itself.

’And what’s worse... I was the last one to find out.’

The thought immediately made irritation appear across her face as she silently puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

If Aether saw her like this, he probably would have found it adorable enough to pinch.

Dora herself felt strangely dissatisfied lately. More and more, it felt as if she was slowly fading into the background while everyone else remained close to him.

But she had no choice.

She wasn’t allowed to interfere directly in the ongoing trial. It wasn’t merely some ordinary restriction either. The Origin Pillars themselves actively blocked her actions whenever she attempted to overstep her limits.

And deep down... she knew Aether was probably dissatisfied with her as well.

After all, compared to everyone else, she had barely helped him in anything so far.

Thinking about it too much only made a bitter feeling spread inside her chest. Unlike the others, she couldn’t stand beside him openly, couldn’t act freely around him, and couldn’t proactively support him even if she wanted to.

Dora quietly shook her head, forcing those thoughts away before they dragged her deeper into frustration.

Taking a slow breath, she finally looked back at him seriously.

”Alright,” she said firmly. ”Give me all the details.”

Aether nodded before giving her every detail about how Lackey looked. From facial structure to body proportions, he explained everything carefully while Dora listened in silence.

Dora hummed thoughtfully as she memorised the information. ”Alright... so you only want me to change your face?”

Aether immediately shook his head. ”No. I want you to recreate everything from the base.”

Dora blinked in confusion. ”From the base?”

”From the bones,” Aether replied seriously. ”The internal organs, muscles, veins, every human part... all the way to the outer skin.”

His expression remained unusually solemn while speaking.

After all, he clearly understood one dangerous problem. His body wasn’t truly human anymore. If Terra possessed advanced scanning technology and discovered abnormalities inside him, things could spiral out of control instantly.

And the worst-case scenario?

Being dragged into some cold laboratory and turned into a living experiment.

Just imagining it made Aether uncomfortable.

Initially, Dora looked confused by the level of seriousness in his tone, but after thinking about the Terra Empire for a moment, she eventually nodded in understanding.

It honestly made sense.

Against a civilisation built around advanced technology, simply changing external appearance wouldn’t be enough. If they wanted true infiltration, they had to prepare everything perfectly from the foundation itself.

”Alright,” Dora finally agreed. ”But before that, let me remove the fake appearance first.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she casually waved her hand.

Instantly, the illusion covering Aether’s body shattered apart like fading mist.

!!!

Dora unconsciously took a small step backwards the moment she saw his real face.

For a split second, her thoughts completely blanked.

Too handsome.

Too dangerously attractive.

Too absurdly cha—

”Oi, what the fuck happened to your face?” Dora blurted out immediately before her own thoughts could continue any further.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stared at him intensely.

”It almost feels like I’m looking at Mary.”

Aether chuckled softly at her reaction before casually brushing his hair back with effortless confidence. His gaze carried deliberate seduction as though he fully enjoyed provoking her.

”What?” he asked smugly. ”Did you fall for me again?”

A teasing grin slowly spread across his face.

”Oh my~ The haughty and naughty fox has fallen for this humble handsome man once more?”

Dora instantly gave him a completely deadpan stare.

Sure, she had been caught off guard for a second. His sudden charm had struck harder than expected. But so what?

She was a Fox.

A dangerous one at that.

Far more terrifying than a vampire.

Seeing her remain silent, Aether simply laughed under his breath before speaking again. ”I’ll tell you the story later. But first, make this properly.”

Dora continued staring at him for several more seconds before eventually sighing softly.

’He’s seriously getting out of hand...’

She inwardly clicked her tongue in annoyance.

’For a second there... he almost got me.’

A faint blush briefly appeared across her cheeks before she quickly hid it away, refusing to let him notice even the slightest reaction from her.

Without another word, Dora slowly reached toward her long white hair and pulled out a single strand.

The moment it left her head, the white colour instantly transformed into a beautiful, silky pink radiance glowing faintly beneath the surrounding light.

Dora clenched the strand gently between her fingers before slowly closing her eyes.

The moment her aura shifted, the atmosphere around them changed completely.

Tiny ripples spread across space itself as though the world had suddenly become liquid beneath invisible pressure. Even the ground beneath Aether’s feet trembled faintly while pale symbols began appearing one after another in the empty air around Dora.

Aether’s expression gradually turned serious.

”Haaa...”

Dora exhaled softly as the pink strand of hair dissolved into countless glowing particles between her fingers. The fragments floated upward like stardust before spreading across the sky above them.

Then suddenly...

BOOMMMM!!!

A massive magic circle exploded open beneath Aether’s feet.

Layers upon layers of rotating symbols unfolded outward endlessly, glowing in white, pink, and deep crimson light. Runes spun around him like celestial gears while geometric formations stacked over one another with impossible precision.

One circle.

Then another.

Then dozens more.

The entire area became covered in countless overlapping magic formations, stretching across the ground like a divine machine awakening from slumber.

Aether looked upward slightly as luminous chains of symbols rose around his body.

Even space itself looked distorted now.

The scenery behind Dora bent unnaturally as though reality could no longer decide what was real and what was false.

Dora slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils had completely transformed.

Instead of normal irises, countless spinning symbols rotated inside her pink heart eyes like miniature universes. The moment her gaze landed on Aether, the surrounding magic circles began spinning faster.

”Don’t move,” she said quietly.

The next second, dozens of glowing threads erupted from the magic circles and pierced toward Aether’s body.

As the bright pink light covered the entire space, it blinded anyone who could see it.