Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

"By order of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Bloody Mary… Aether, Husband of Nyx Shadowfall, shall be arrested for his sin of stealing the Grenthollow, the Empire's God's Treasure!!!"

A voice boomed, loud enough to echo all around Nyx's house. But to this realm, almost like a whisper brushing against the edges.... Aether and the others heard it as clear as thunder.

Thud!

"Fuu~"

Nightfire fainted on the spot!

Her body twitched slightly before slowly transforming. Her figure slimmed, her chest and curves shrinking just a little, until her form settled into something smaller. Ashara had taken over. Her eyes opened slowly, lashes fluttering as she sat up, brushing dust off her clothes with calm hands before glancing toward Aether.

"I mean… she handled the stress so well, right?" Ashara's voice carried a softness, almost as if she was trying to defend Nightfire's pride.

Aether's lips parted, as though he wanted to say something, but no words came. He only shook his head faintly.

Honestly, Nightfire had done her best to handle the situation with everything she had… he couldn't complain about that, could he?

"Let her rest," Aether muttered with a small smile, though the warmth in his eyes quickly hardened into something far more serious.

"I should come with you," Nyx said, stepping forward, her tone steady even as her hands trembled slightly.

"You all stay here."

Aether shook his head firmly.

"But Aether, if I talk to the Empress, she might—"

"Nah. She's already reached her limit… I'm surprised she managed to hold on this long," he muttered with a grave tone, "If I don't go, she might harm you… and everyone close to me."

Aether's expression turned grim as his eyes swept over every ghost in the room. His aura shifted, weighty and commanding, almost frightening in its change. "You better protect my wives… okay?"

The ghosts, though their instinct was to snort at his words,...because protecting Nyx was already their sworn duty but hesitated.

Aether standing before them now was different. His presence was sharper, heavier, the kind of weight that demanded obedience. So instead, they nodded their heads solemnly.

Nyx watched silently as Aether began walking away.

Ashara suddenly shouted, "A-All the best, Aether!"

Aether didn't stop, didn't turn back. He only raised his hand slightly in acknowledgement.

Nyx blinked, her eyes trembling, before glancing at Ashara with a faint frown. Her thoughts whispered desperately, 'Please no…' almost choked her from the inside.

Meanwhile—

Aether stepped out of the realm, the door closing softly behind him on the left. His gaze rose to the ceiling above, where a gaping hole stared back like a wound in the sky... jagged edges broken apart as if something enormous had crashed through.

Well, hadn't he said it took him everything just to bring the mountain here?

Well… he kind of did his best. But sometimes, things slipped out of hand. Sometimes, accidents happened… right?

Anyway, looking up at the sky… he saw it was grey. That meant the morning had already arrived.

Aether opened the door on the right side and stepped forward.

His eyes immediately widened slightly as he saw… a whole batch of soldiers waiting.

An army, fully armed, stood in formation across the graveyard. Their armour glinted faintly under the pale light, weapons drawn and steady, while flying beasts circled above.

He was surrounded.

"Do not do anything stupid… just come with us," one of the men barked in a serious tone, as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

Aether's gaze swept calmly across the encirclement. He took a slow step forward—only for a black fireball to slam into the ground before him, blasting the dirt into the air.

"I SAID DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID!!"

Aether looked around, his expression calm, unreadable. The soldiers tightened their grip, weapons raised, spells glowing at their fingertips.

It was clear: if he made a single wrong move, they wouldn't hesitate to unleash everything on him in an instant.

'Trying so hard~'

He shook it with an amused expression before slowly raising his hands. He bent his knees and, to everyone's shock, knelt down on the ground.

"??"

For a brief moment, everyone froze, taken completely aback by his sudden act of surrender.

They had been told he would definitely resist. Their Empress had warned them herself to be ready, to use any means necessary to drag him down.

Yet here he was—kneeling.

Galen, Lia's uncle… or Morgana's husband, stepped forward in heavy armour. His lips curled into a sneer as he looked down at Aether.

"Pathetic. Here I was hoping for something worth my time~" he muttered, his tone dripping with contempt as he strode closer, staring directly into Aether's calm face.

"You've got some guts for a slave… stealing the Grenthollow? Fucking asshole!" Galen spat.

"So?" Aether calmly tilted his head.

Galen's lips twitched, "You fucking..." lifting his armoured leg to stomp down on Aether's face.

!!!!

But his foot froze mid-air. Just a few inches away from Aether's cheek, Galen's leg stopped. It trembled, stuck as if held by something unseen.

The soldiers blinked, frowning.

Why did he stop? His boot hovered, but his body wouldn't move—not even an inch.

"My Lord?" one of the soldiers called, walking closer. His voice carried unease.

But Galen gave no reply. His eyes were trembling violently, his breath shallow.

"My Lord?" the soldier repeated.

Still no answer. Galen stood frozen, blankly staring at Aether with eyes that shook in raw horror.

Because he felt it.

No... he saw it.

An overwhelming, instinctive fear.

A wicked presence loomed behind Aether, something colossal and suffocating. An illusionary grin stretched across the darkness behind him—vast, inhuman, sharp.

A grin that shouldn't exist, and yet it pressed down on him as though someone… or something… was right there, leaning close, whispering in his ear.

Go on~

Even though it was just an illusion—if it even was one—the sensation was unbearable. It pressed against his very soul, crushing it under invisible weight. His entire being trembled beneath that grin.

Meanwhile, Aether kept his calm expression as he looked at the soldier beside Galen.

"I have surrendered myself. Didn't you all come here to arrest me?"

The soldier flinched, his body stiff. He didn't understand what had just happened, but one thing was certain—this man had done something to their Lord.

Something beyond their comprehension.

Otherwise, they would have never seen him like this… completely consumed by fear.

Aether calmly placed his hands together, as if asking them to handcuff him. The soldier in front of him flinched again, sweat beading down his forehead, before finally fumbling to bring out the chains.

Clang... Clang

His hands shook as he wrapped them tightly around Aether's wrists, the metal clinking unnaturally loud in the silence. They didn't dare drag him, didn't dare force him.

"C-Come with us," the soldier stammered as he glanced at Galen... who was still not moving an inch.

He gulped down.

Aether rose to his feet in one smooth motion and simply followed. The entire army shifted in formation around him, but none of them dared utter a word.

No mockery, no threats, not even commands.

They marched in silence, a suffocating quiet that carried Aether away from the graveyard.

Meanwhile… Galen was still there. His leg remained half-lifted, frozen in place. He stayed like that until Aether's figure moved out of the graveyard, vanishing alongside the soldiers.

Only then—

Drip…

A dark stain spread down Galen's leg. Warm liquid dripped onto the dirt as he pissed himself where he stood.

His leg finally collapsed, and he fell heavily to the ground. His breath came ragged, his chest heaving uncontrollably as his eyes bulged wide with terror.

"Haah… Haah… Haaah—" He clawed at his own throat, gasping, as though trying to make sure he was still breathing.

His trembling hand pressed against his neck, his mind screaming only one thought: Am I alive? Did he kill me already?

The fear still lingered in his bones, in his veins, in his very soul.

"W-What is he?" Galen rasped out, his voice shaking, hoarse. "He felt… different now? Like… like Empress Mary?"

Those were the last words to escape his lips before his body finally gave out. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, fainting onto the dirt.