Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2492: Never Underestimate A Scholar’s Resolve

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning

”I’m sorry, Ma’am Dean!” Dean Faust apologized aloud on his knees before the 3rd Dean of Morningstar University, Lucine Morgenstern.

Then, he proceeded to kowtowed hiding streams of tears down his cheek, wetting his white beard. With a trembling but firm voice, he pleaded, ”The university... the world needs you to go to the past again, Dean. I’m sorry, I failed you.”

It was very difficult for Dean Faust to come to this decision. Watching their young guest sucked into the temporal current, he knew immediately that the only card apprentice at Morningstar University that can save their young guest was Madam Lucine, but he struggled internally to make a decision. It took a while, but he made the decision knowing Madam Lucine would blame him if he didn’t do everything to save the future of the Card World.

Seeing Faust kowtow, the other six demigods were ashamed of themselves. Instead of seeing the bigger picture of what was at stake here and trying their best to protect it, they were focused on the small gains. After their initial hesitation, they didn’t hesitate to join their Dean and kowtow to the 3rd. They were too disappointed in themselves to beg for forgiveness. They let their combined silence speak of their determination.

”Get up, we can discuss who did what later. Tell me exactly what I have to do before it’s too late,” Lucine asked without bothering to confirm the situation, such was her trust in her staff. She had no idea what these seven were going on about, but she knew that it must be big considering that their arrogant asses were kowtowing to her and crying a river.

Dean Faust didn’t get up. He continued to kowtow, unable to face Lucine. The same was true for the other demigods. After all, what they were asking Lucine was akin to sending her to her death.

”Ma’am, I have shared the info with your grimoire. Please save it as a periodic five minutes reminder. This way, even if you begin to lose your memory, you will know why and what you’re doing in the temporal currents,” Dean Faust informed, getting on his feet, planning to witness Lucine’s heroics, assuming full responsibility for his decision.

However, the other six demigods continued to kowtow, unable to forgive themselves. They couldn’t understand when they got so consumed by the competition between the top ten universities that they failed to see the bigger picture. They failed to live up to the ceremonial oath they took when they accepted their tenure. They tainted the legacy of Morningstar University’s founders.

Going through the file Dean Faust shared with her, Lucine set it as a recurring alert with a five-minute interval in her grimoire without a hint of hesitation. Nobody knew the horror of entering the temporal current better than her. Yet here she was, preparing to enter it again, even though she had no recollection of the boy she was supposed to be rescuing from the temporal currents. She didn’t doubt Dean Faust or question his decision, just prepared to execute it with her all.

Lucine glanced over the time vestige above the lightning-stuck stump and rested her eyes on the six demigods kowtowing on her side. She willed her intent, forcing the six demigods to stand on their feet and then glancing into each of their eyes, she began, ”I don’t know what you guys did, but I forgive you. But only you can redeem yourself in your eyes. I can’t help you guys with that. I leave the rest to you.”

Listening to Lucine, the six demigods broke into tears like little children, vowing in their hearts to live a life they could be proud of, a life that would make their predecessors proud of them when they finally meet them in the womb of Card World.

Before Lucine, they truly were akin to children. She was still Morningstar University’s Dean when a couple of them were admitted to the university as freshmen. Morningstar University was their identity, their life. They can’t forgive themselves for forgetting the principles the university was built on.

Seeing them like this, Lucine shook her head with a gentle smile, knowing that there was no punishment that she could give them that would be more effective than the one they would give themselves for the rest of their lives. However, she hoped that they could forgive themselves by the end.

Lucine then stepped towards the lightning-struck stump unhurriedly, knowing that‌ time was no longer an issue. No matter who goes first, they will be at the same point in time at the same time, unless the boy somehow manages to change his destination in time.

Hopefully, his mastery of time rule wasn’t high enough. It would be hard for a layman to divert from the path of the university’s time tunnel. Since he was sucked in from one end of the time tunnel, he would be thrown out of the other end. As long as he stayed put at that point in time, it would be easier for her to get him out, with a simple in and out. Otherwise, the odds of either of them surviving would be slim.

Yes, Lucine was heading into the time current only to return with the boy or search for him in time current for eternity. She was a card researcher. She didn’t give into the situation. She would think of thousands of ways to tackle the situation and patiently try them all out until she succeeded. With every failure, her resolve would only grow stronger, and her means would get wiser. The notion of giving up was utterly alien to her.

Just then, several figures came out of the time vestige. Among them was a beautiful woman with an innocent vibe of a newborn baby. She appeared and felt so pure and immaculate that all the filth in the world seemed to avoid her as if she were the bane of its existence. Looking at Lucine, she exclaimed, ”Master, you didn’t have to come personally to receive me.”