Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1311: Making Aether guilty: Part-4

Chuckk~Drip...

No, it wasn’t the follower’s blood—rather, it was Aether’s. His hand had moved at the last possible instant, blocking the blade before it could claim a life.

Blood welled from the wound, dripping steadily down his arm. His eyes narrowed at Sandra and Sera.

How in the world did this man have a knife?

He hadn’t expected this!

Sandra frowned deeply... She hadn’t checked for weapons before allowing them entry. She had made a brutal mistake!

Sera’s lips twitched, her expression twisted in disbelief. She couldn’t accept that she had missed something so important.

Aether drew a shaky breath, controlling himself as his eyes grew even more teary with the sting of betrayal and fear.

"Oh my God! What have I done?! You’re bleeding... you’re bleeding!" The follower’s face went ghostly with horror.

He tore his robe, frantic, wrapping the cloth around Aether’s hand, staining it red with fresh blood.

Yet, Aether managed a warm, gentle smile through the pain. "Are you alright?"

The follower looked up at him in pure awe, his soul shaken.

[+5000 AP]

[+6000 AP]

[+7000 AP]

Aether gulped inwardly, ’What the heck?’ then spoke with grave seriousness. "You shouldn’t have done that... Look, now you’ve hurt me by trying to hurt yourself." He gently patted the man’s trembling shoulder and quietly took the knife from his hand.

Still, Aether didn’t shout, didn’t scold or shame him for the attempt—he just worried if the man was injured.

Who could possess such a heart?

Aether sighed, exhaustion in his voice. "Next time... please, think about your family first, alright?"

The follower’s eyes went wide with wonder. "Family? My... family?"

His knees buckled as realisation crashed into him. "How could I not have seen this... How blasphemous of me... My God..." His expression flickered dangerously, hysteria mingling with awe.

Aether felt a cold sweat prick his neck, ’What the hell is going on here?’ he wondered.

"Just as the Archpriestess said... You truly are our God," the follower declared, voice thick with desperate adoration. The fervour made Aether step back, unsettled, glancing sharply at the Archpriestess.

/What have you been telling them?/

/...hen."

"WHAT?!"

The collective cry rose up, shock and disbelief painting every face in the room.

Aether offered a weak, apologetic smile, tears trembling on his lashes.

"I am sorry... I-I cannot choose one among them!

N-Not when each of you has given me a piece of your soul, your future, your love." His words were heavy, each one seeming to cost him dearly.

"Naiadae... she’s the one who fed me, who gave me food and warmth and a place to rest, who nursed me back from nothing and taught me what it meant to be seen." He looked at Sandra, the tears streaming openly now. "She... without her kindness, without her grace, I would be nothing. For that, I could never wound her, never turn my back on her sacrifices."

Sandra’s expression melted, her fierce demeanour softening into something tender and vulnerable.

Aether turned, voice trembling, to Zephyra. "Zephyra... is the one who let me grow. My powers, my skills, even my capacity for love—all of it, she showed me that life could be more than just pain, more than just old scars. She taught me what it meant to heal, to move forward, to trust in something better."

The Elders, listening, could not hide their awe.

That a human could feel so deeply about their Empire, could say such things with such conviction, was both humbling and frightening.

Then, at last, Aether turned to the Aurora Group. His voice was barely more than a whisper, choked with feeling.

"Aurora... is..." He smiled gently through his tears. "I... I don’t even have the words. You gave me purpose. You found a nobody and gave him a name, a title, a chance at life. You cared for me like I was your own child. For that, I am honoured beyond measure—beyond what words can capture."

The Aurora group could not contain themselves. They wept openly, some burying their faces in their hands, others reaching for one another, united by their shared devotion and heartbreak.

"That’s why... I cannot choose one above the others... I am sorry if I have disappointed you all." Aether’s face crumpled, defeat etched into every line as he rose slowly to his feet.

Each movement seemed heavy, as if gravity itself fought to keep him rooted in place. He turned, head bowed, to leave the meeting.

His legs trembled, barely able to carry him beneath the unbearable weight of abandonment and guilt pressing into his bones.

All eyes followed his slow, halting steps. They watched, breathless, as the man who could not choose love over loyalty, or loyalty over love, tried to walk away from everything.

What a man, they all thought, silent awe mingling with their grief and admiration.

Aether’s steps were painfully slow in their eyes... well, he was walking in very slow motion!!

One Elder watched Aether, old eyes glittering with sudden inspiration. Abruptly, the Elder lunged to his feet and shouted,

"Then... take them all!"

The words rang out, shattering the air and turning every head in the room.

Especially among the Aurora Group, shock rippled like a wave, leaving them frozen, breathless.

Aether stopped dead in his tracks, body stiffening. For a split second, a dangerous, wicked grin curled his lips—so quick and subtle no one could have noticed.

Cunning, sharp, and predatory, the look vanished before anyone could see.

Sandra, Maelona, and Sera blinked, startled by the sudden turn. In truth, they had expected to be the ones pushing that solution, to be the ones cornering Aether into such a fate.

To think that an old, stubborn Elder would be the one to suggest it!!!

Their surprise melted into sly, knowing smirks~