Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2425: Luna’s Justification

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Lil Red Storm Realm, Freedom Megapolis

”Because I betrayed him... and everyone who cared for me,” Luna admitted to Dalie without hesitation.

To mortals, Dalie’s presence felt divine. In her presence, it was nearly impossible to lie—unless one was truly devoid of empathy like a sociopath or a psychopath. At the same time, her boundless enthusiasm had a way of energizing those around her and putting them at ease around her. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for anyone to enjoy Ceed’s birthday party with a Divine entity among them.

Dalie studied Luna, sensing the storm of emotions raging inside her. Gently, she consoled, ”Now that you’re here, don’t get lost again.” As a Celestial, she could perceive far more than any mortal, though the way she interpreted emotions was entirely different.

Luna hesitated but finally gathered the courage to meet Dalie’s eyes. ”...Yes, Your Highness,” she murmured.

She had never truly stopped to reflect on her betrayal—neither to the Southern Royal Family nor the Southern Region. To her, they had simply been the price she was willing to pay to further her research into the Empty Space through Henricks’ Origin Card.

Because of this cost, she was always on her toes. Every moment she spent away from her research felt like a waste of the price paid to be here. That thought haunted her, driving her forward relentlessly. She never allowed herself to laze around or procrastinate because this opportunity had cost her everything. She couldn’t let it all be for nothing.

Even when she learned that the Freedom Fighters were cutting her department’s funding—planning to take back the funds they had already provided—she hadn’t wasted time whining or blaming others. Instead, she found a way to secure the resources she needed. Unfortunately, the Freedom Fighters’ finances were already in shambles. Not even her early investment in VR-Universe’s currency could keep them afloat for long.

On top of everything, the Freedom Fighters had been forced to turn to the Southern Royal Family—and ultimately, to Wyatt—to survive. That, more than anything, made Luna confront her betrayal. It forced her to weigh her actions and ask herself: Was it worth it?

But in Luna’s twisted logic, she comforted herself with the thought that betraying the Southern Region and its royal family had only been a stepping stone for her Empty Space research. She had to think that way. Otherwise, she’d be no different from a fool who had gambled away their entire fortune—and their family’s along with it.

”You sure you should be running around instead of locking yourself up in your lab?” Wyatt asked, eyeing her skeptically. ”You do know your grandma’s here too, right?” He wasn’t looking for trouble—just hoping to avoid the inevitable family drama between Luna and the Field Marshal.

Luna scoffed, crossing her arms. ”Why? What she and I did isn’t all that different. We both followed what we thought was best for us. For me, it was ambition. For her, it was patriotism. That’s what drove us to switch sides.” Her voice was nonchalant, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. Her eyes gave her away.

Dalie stepped forward, her presence warm yet commanding. ”Little girl, you don’t have to force yourself to be alone,” she said gently. ”Now that you’re with us, learn to share—both your fears and your ambitions. It’s not selfish to chase your dreams... as long as you’re the only one paying the price. Not someone else.”

Her words settled over Luna like a quiet storm. Mistakes had been made. That much was certain. But letting herself off easy wasn’t the answer. If she truly wanted to move forward, she had to find a way to repay those who had borne the cost of her ambition.

”The Empty Project is going to be my way of repaying those I’ve hurt,” Luna said, her voice steady. Then, after a brief pause, she added, ”Before I ask for your help and funding, you should know—I had an agreement with Henricks. Once I complete the project, it’s to be shared with the Southern Royal Family. I don’t know if that arrangement still stands under your leadership. Does it?”

Wyatt leaned back, considering her words. ”Yeah, it does. But... are you sure the Southern Royal Family will forgive you with this?” He understood why Luna had done what she did. Before he took over, the Southern Region had no real future—nothing that would allow it to keep up with the other regions. See betraying them was the only way for her to bring back their lost glory, Luna hadn’t hesitated. She knew the risks. She knew her betrayal might amount to nothing. She knew she might go down in history as just another traitor. Yet, she did it anyway.

”I’m not doing this for their forgiveness,” Luna shot back, crossing her arms. ”I’m glad the Southern Region has you now, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us get to sit around and do nothing.” She fought to keep the irritation out of her voice. Explaining herself to Wyatt and his sister was grating, but she had no choice if she wanted to secure their help and funding. Otherwise, she was free to leave.

Wyatt let out a slow sigh. Same old Luna. He knew he couldn’t ignore her betrayal, but he also knew he had a choice—he could either stay stuck in the past or build something new with her, accepting who she was now.

That said, he had no illusions about the future. People didn’t really change. She’d probably make the same choices all over again.

”Fine. Send me all your progress and findings on the Empty Space so far. I’ll go through them—”

”I just sent it to your grimoire,” Luna cut in eagerly, her voice tinged with impatience. She knew this step was unavoidable—no one would blindly invest in research. ”How long until I get your answer?”

Wyatt barely glanced at his grimoire before responding. ”No need to wait. You can get started now, but Dalie will oversee the project. Use her abilities wisely.” He had no doubt about Luna’s intentions—she wasn’t scheming or playing tricks. She just wanted to finish her research as quickly as possible and start applying it to everyday life.

Luna hesitated for a moment before asking, ”What about you?” She knew that if Wyatt were involved, he’d come up with ingenious ways to apply her findings in the real world. That was the whole point of her work—to turn theory into something tangible.

Wyatt let out a small sigh. ”I’d love to join you guys, but something urgent just came up. I have to handle it personally.” He gave Dalie a quick nod, signaling her to transport him to his trophy section in the Seed World.