Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2851: Honesty Works In Mysterious Ways

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Three Mischief Encampment

*Baam!*

Out of nowhere, Corey grabbed the tiny Lil’Baem and used her like a makeshift snake-shaped brass knuckle, driving a punch straight into Peyote’s face. The poor guy went flying—but managed to stabilize himself mid-air.

”What the hell was that for?” I snapped.

Truth be told, I was more impressed than angry. Corey had learned to weaponize her summon. With Lil’Baem coiled tightly around her knuckles, she struck like a living relic—amplifying her strength and speed to the level of a semi–ruler-class, all without undergoing fusion.

They were growing fast. Too fast—right in front of my eyes.

As Peyote steadied himself, Corey pointed at him, her voice sharp and almost hysterical.

”Just now—he did something to me. I’m telling you, Wyatt, don’t you dare enlist him in your criminal army. That bastard’s skill is seriously messed up. It’s been keeping me awake ever since my last breakthrough. I can feel the harmony between me and darkness in my title demon core slipping.”

She clenched her fists, and added, ”I tried taking those pills to manage it, to keep it in check—but they’re barely working anymore. I need something stronger.”

Peyote wasn’t having it, so he called her out. ”I undid my skill on you. It should be obvious—how could you not tell? You just wanted to punch me, didn’t you?”

”I did no such thing.”

”Admit it.”

Peyote’s frustration flared. From where I stood, it was obvious—he had indeed lifted his skill from Corey. There was no way she hadn’t felt the change as the party involved. Which meant one thing. Peyote was telling the truth, she’d punched him because she wanted to.

”Stop it!” I raised my voice, fixing both Peyote and Corey with a sharp look. Only when they stepped back did I turn fully to Corey. ”Your harmony with your title demon core’s darkness is slipping. It’s not because of his innate skill. Your core has grown stronger—stronger than your realm—and it’s breaking the balance. It’s manageable. Go read up on Martial Unity. It covers the harmony between mind, body, and core in detail. Work on that first. Then take the pills again—they’ll work this time.”

After dealing with Corey, I turned back to Peyote and spoke plainly.

”I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a member of the Librarian’s faction. If I were, would I be risking my life fighting devils like Konjur and you? I’d have called in reinforcements and been done with it. Think about it.”

Peyote’s expression darkened, but he clung to his belief. ”Then how do you explain the pixie?”

”I’ll be honest about that too. Zaltan Librarian Jr. made it possible. He offered me VVIP access to the Infinity Library in exchange for taking her out and showing her the outside world. In a way, I’m just a glorified chauffeur.”

I tilted my head slightly. ”Notice how she sits on my head. What does that tell you?”

Peyote looked from Dredre to me, his gaze lingering as he tried to make sense of it. It was obvious what he was thinking—my story didn’t add up.

No demon or devil would believe that simply treating their assigned pixie book guide well could lead to meeting Zaltan Librarian Jr., let alone earning VVIP access to the Infinity Library.

Even now, knowing the truth straight from my mouth, Peyote couldn’t accept it. Not really. Because they looked down on pixies. To them, that belief was basic common sense.

There was a reason I was being so honest. The truth was so absurd that no one could accept it without trying to make something more of it, just as Peyote was doing now.

The real trick lay in that instinct. The moment he tried to understand it, the focus shifted. I was no longer the one proving anything; he was the one justifying it to himself in my stead, because he wanted it that desperately.

”It doesn’t matter. You know—and have met—Zaltan Librarian Jr.. That’s enough. All I need is a signal. Arrange a meeting for me as well.” Peyote demanded, his tone came out flat and firm, leaving little room for refusal.

”Hey, slow down. You’re acting like I have him on speed dial. Even if I did, you of all people should know it doesn’t work like that. I don’t call him—he will contact me when he needs me. Honestly, there’s nothing I can do for you. So, stop begging, it can only end like this.”

”No, it doesn’t. You said he’ll call you, right? Then how about this—I work for you. In return, when he contacts you, you introduce me to him. Simple. Don’t you agree?”

What Peyote proposed was essentially staking himself to me until Zaltan Librarian Jr. reached out. It was starting to sound less like a negotiation and more like an instruction.

I figured this was a side effect of being completely true to him, it had given him a fresh line of thinking—and the confidence to push it this far. I guess I should remind him not to get ahead of himself.

”What exactly are you aiming to achieve here, Peyote? A slower, more painful death than the one I’m about to give you? I said I couldn’t call reinforcements for myself—I never said I couldn’t call them for the pixie. You idiot, you’ve just handed me better cards to kill both you and Maestro Matteo.”

A grin spread across my face as I turned and spoke aloud, ”Dredre, call for reinforcements. Tell them there’s a lunatic trying to force you to arrange a meeting with Zaltan Librarian Jr. by setting you up for the murder of Maestro Matteo’s disciple.”

”No—no!”

At my command, Peyote’s eyes widened in shock. He lunged for Dredre, but she was quicker, she escaped his grasp hopping over the River of Reincarnation.

I didn’t give him a second chance. My hand came down with full force, the blow smashing into his face and sending him crashing into the ground with a heavy thud, dust erupting around him.