There were many things Aether couldn’t understand, especially his Survival rate…
There were times he thought it was related to his current survival situation, but he quickly dismissed that notion. After all, most of the time he faced numerous life-threatening situations.
So, his survival rate never meant his current situation, rather it was related to the ‘Survive until the Beginning’ mission. This meant his survival was purely based on the ‘Beginning’ that the mission talked about.
Even more perplexing was when he encountered the Empress. She posed a significant threat to his life and drained his survival rate, yet when the Archpriestess came into action, the Empress’s presence seemed to raise his survival rate, as if he needed both of them rather than just one.
Still, the Empress consistently decreased his survival rate. If he thought about the survival rate, Delphine would surely be a major factor in his survival. Yet, there was no mission about her, which made him wonder…
“What does survival rate mean to me?” Aether pondered, feeling a surge of confusion. Was it about him only? Or was it something else, or someone else? Many things confused him.
Yet, amidst the confusion, there was one thing he understood…
‘Decision…’ Aether thought as he looked at the Princess, who was clearly enjoying his reaction.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 6.5↑%]
As he walked alone on the road, his mind buzzed with thoughts. They say you think too much when you are alone in the middle of the road or something like that… He might not have fully understood his survival rate, but he did catch something relevant to him.
The choices he made would reflect on his survival rate!!
‘Let’s test it,’ he thought to himself and then gathered his courage to speak, saying with a shy face, “P-Princess, what are you talking about? Seduce? me?”
“There’s no need to be shy~ You might not know this, but I’m pretty sure you are really handsome,” Princess nodded with amusement.
“E-Even so, I-I don’t think I can do it,” Aether said with a terrified expression as if he were scared of something deep within.
Seeing this, Princess couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment, ‘Maybe he’s not up for the task,’ she thought to herself, her brows furrowing slightly.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 6.4↓%]
‘Fuck! I knew it!!’ Aether screamed inwardly, his mind racing with understanding and happiness. With a remorseful face, he added, “I-If Princess wants, I will do my best,” forcing the words out as if he were compelling himself to agree for her sake.
Hearing that, Princess’s smile brightened, a sense of satisfaction washing over her features. ‘Not bad,’ she nodded inwardly, a glimmer of approval in her eyes.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 6.5↑%]
Aether stared at his log, realizing that his decisions would surely affect the…. Future, not him!
Aether realized that it wasn’t necessarily about him seducing the Arcane Queens, but rather about the choices he made and their consequences, which seemed to trigger a shift in his survival rate.
This revelation prompted him to wonder, ‘What if this survival rate is about more than just my own survival? Could it be related to the women who need to survive, or perhaps it pertains to the fate of this worlds, or even the mysterious…. Arcane?’
“Come back to reality!” Princess’s voice broke through his thoughts as she snapped her fingers before him.
“H-Huh?” Aether snapped out of his reverie, his attention refocusing on the Princess, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to shake off the lingering thoughts.
“What, are you already dreaming of having a gorgeous woman under you?” Princess teased with a knowing smile, her tone playful…. unknowingly she started to get familiar with him.
Aether gently shook his head, “You mentioned every Arcane Queen, right? So I thought Princess was also including herself,” his voice soft and hesitant, revealing a hint of shyness.
Princess’s expression suddenly turned sour, “You are pushing your luck too much, Slave,”
However, Aether maintained a calm smile while hiding a small trace of sadness on his face. “Forgive me, My Princess,” he said softly.
Seeing the genuine sadness on Aether’s face, which he wasn’t really hiding as well as he planned, Princess felt a pang in her heart. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to dismiss the feeling, and then said, “Anyway, this is my plan. I need you to get the attention of the Arcane Queens and make them fall deeply for you, to the point where they are willing to give up anything for you.”
‘I supposed I need to work on my facial expression even more and…. She’s making it sound easy…’ Aether thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He gathered his thoughts and asked, “Forgive me for interrupting Princess, but what’s the use of me seducing them? I don’t understand. You could easily ask Ka–Master Kai for that, couldn’t you? He’s charming, charismatic, and powerful.
I’m pretty sure they would fall for him without much effort.”
“…” Princess stared at him, her expression turning thoughtful as if he had touched on a sensitive topic.
“P-Princess?”
“Sigh, I don’t want my future husband to be chasing after other women,” Princess said with a mixture of truth and hesitation. The real truth was that she couldn’t fully trust Kai after witnessing how he treated Lia. Princess had been aware of Kai and Lia’s situation.
Actually, that time… She tested him to see his resolve in love, and it had truly disappointed her. If she were to discuss a plan like this with Kai, who knew when he might discard her and pursue other bitches.
Aether nodded in understanding, sympathizing with her sentiments. He then asked, “What about me then? I’m not sure if the Arcane Queens would even pay attention to me, being a slave and all. Plus, most of all… you can use Timmy, I mean, he has a better status than me, right?”
“Timmy? He’s not suitable… he comes off as rather foolish,” Princess said with a frown, recalling her observations of Timmy. She had already assessed him and concluded that he wasn’t worth the effort. Princess continued, “But you are different. You are favoured by the Arcane.”
“!!” Aether raised his eyebrows in surprise, wondering if she knew something he didn’t.
Princess, wanting Aether to be loyal to her, decided to be truthful with him. “Yes, what my mother said… and also, there were a few older women declared as Arcane Queens,” she said with a grin, hinting at a deeper connection.
“So?”
Seeing him act nonchalant, Princess grinned even more. “Come on, do you think I didn’t notice you checking out both Delphine and my mother?”
“Cough, Cough” Aether coughed fakely, his eyes widening in surprise. ‘A-Am I that obvious?’ he wondered, feeling a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck.
Being caught by a little girl especially since she was the daughter of someone he checked out…. It really made him embarrassed.
Seeing his reaction, Princess’s grin widened even further. “Gotcha,” she exclaimed triumphantly as if she had just caught him in a lie.
Aether’s lips twitched in annoyance, resisting the urge to pinch her grinning face.