Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2854: The Tragic Bright Family Reunion

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

Looking at Corey’s shattered state, I didn’t know what to say. She’d waited so long to see her parents again—and when she finally did, it turned out they’d only been using her to spy on me.

I couldn’t bring myself to judge them. I’d like to say I had no idea what could drive someone to do that—but I did. While they were breaking themselves on the borders for this nation, their city, their family, and their own daughter had been branded traitors of the five regions. Just thinking about it was enough to twist something in my chest.

In their place, I might have done the same. Because when your entire world collapses like that, people don’t always choose what’s right—they choose what feels like survival.

Knowing the Southern Princess’s way of doing things, she might have baited them with pardons for their daughter and family—just like she tried to bait Corey through them.

Corey’s parents had been cut off from society for more than a decade. They had no idea what was really going on, no idea why their family and daughter had been branded traitors. All they could do was cling to the one thing in front of them—saving their daughter and family along with themselves. I couldn’t bring myself to blame them. I knew exactly who deserved that blame... and she was already suffering having learned the truth.

What bothered me more was something else entirely.

Who else?

Who else had the Southern Princess reached out to like this? She might not have approached everyone personally the way she did with Corey, but someone had to be acting on her behalf. There had to be more.

Hive AI would need to sweep every grimoire, trace every contact, and find out who had been approached—and how they had responded.

”Corey, don’t blame your parents. It’s my niece’s doing. She has a way of turning people against the ones they care about most—catches them at their weakest and gets what she wants. Your parents were likely doing what they thought was best for you,” the Field Marshal said, trying to comfort her while laying bare her niece’s methods.

Failing to notice the shift in Corey’s demeanor, she went on, ”I feel sorry for them, getting caught up in this after everything they sacrificed in the name of duty and achieved for the Southern Region. This isn’t what they deserve. That’s the part of her I hate the most—”

She stopped mid-sentence noticing that the tiny snake coiled around Corey’s knuckles as a makeshift brass knuckle unraveled, stretching and swelling back to its full size. Corey stepped onto its head in one smooth motion.

Sensing trouble, the Field Marshal reacted instantly, invoking her mastery over spatial rules to lock them both in place.

”Let go of us, Lorn!”

”After you tell me exactly what you’re planning to do.”

”I’m going to the Southern Capital. I’ll storm the royal palace and tear that woman apart. How dare she force my parents against me? I won’t let this go. I’ll kill her—I mean it!”

”Now that we’re on the same side, I’m starting to like you. Count me in,” Peyote said, clearly amused by Corey’s fury. Knowing his new boss had a soft spot for her, he decided to indulge her instead of holding her back.

”Stop pouring oil on the fire and help—she’s strong!” the Field Marshal snapped, calling out for help as Lil’ Baem struggled fiercely against her hold, even though she didn’t like Peyote one bit. It wasn’t because he was a devil; it was what he had said—that in the years he served me, he would be my most hardworking and loyal subordinate. Those words didn’t sit well with her. In her mind, that place was already hers and she didn’t plan on giving up anytime soon. As such, she saw him as her rival.

Watching the chaos unfold, I shook my head in dismay. This was supposed to be a celebration, yet it had twisted into something ugly.

I didn’t stop Corey. Truth be told, a part of me was weighing the same idea—storming the royal palace and punching the Southern Princess in the face.

Here I was, trying to ensure my world domination wouldn’t disrupt ordinary lives, no innocent blood would spill, and no lives would be ruined unnecessarily on either side. But she was using my world domination as leverage to hurt one of my closest confidants.

And yet, I couldn’t help but laugh at my own arrogance. If world domination were so simple that I could afford constraints like sparing every innocent, avoiding every inconvenience to regular folks, and shedding no innocent blood at all... many would have done it long before me.

”Corey, don’t you dare use concentrated vapor venom!” the Field Marshal shouted, panic creeping into her voice as she caught the look on Corey’s face.

”Limitless Celestial Blood Fate Domain.”

”Silence.”

The moment the words left my mouth, everything stilled. They were dragged into my double celestial domain, their connections to soul energy and rule power severed. They hung suspended in the air thanks to my mercy, otherwise they would have dropped to the ground.

”Corey,” I said. ”Calm down and tell me exactly what you talked about with your parents.”

I already had Hive AI go through Corey’s conversation with her parents in the VR-universe and knew exactly what they discussed and what information she unwittingly gave away.

All she let slip was that the blood storm was caused by Bloodette’s crying, that Morningstar University was supplying us with overclock cards, that she had my celestial empowerment cards to use against the Emissary, and details about her abilities—everything except her past lives.

It seemed she feared they would see her as a stranger and not their daughter if they learned about her reincarnations.

I wanted to go through the conversation myself, but their reunion was so raw it almost broke me.

Corey’s mother wept as she spoke—about missing her first period, her first crush, her awakening. All the moments she should have been there for, all the things she should have taught her—how to handle them, how to cope. Each word carried years of guilt and self-blame.

Her father just stood there, stunned. His cute little girl had grown into a beautiful young lady. He took her hand and led her into a waltz, almost on instinct—then froze midway, realizing she already knew the steps. The surprise on his face was almost painful to watch.

Corey smiled and told him her origin card had taught her. She didn’t know any other dances, though—he could teach her those.

And through it all, beneath the warmth and the longing, there was something heavier. They still had to betray her trust, carefully pulling information from her, even as they held her like they never wanted to let go.

Honestly, after witnessing something so heartbreaking and yet strangely warm, I couldn’t bring myself to blame Corey for her actions or reactions. If anything, I found myself forgiving her in silence.

All of my anger, instead, turned toward the Southern Princess. I had never hated her more than I did in that moment—not even when she tried to make Anna forget me using the Extreme Path.