Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 3038: Prison Break

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Dark Realm, Gelid Alps, Snow Elven Region, Frosell District, Frosnow City

No matter how I looked at it, this incident wouldn’t just unite the surviving races against me. Their allies, their vassals, and even their neighbors would inevitably be drawn into the conflict. Whether out of shared interests, fear that they might be next, or simply to preserve the balance of power, they would all find reasons to stand against me.

That wasn’t the future I wanted. My goal in establishing a faction in the Dark Realm wasn’t to wage war against it and its countless races. It was to build an empire, enriching and empowering both myself and my people. That vision would be difficult to realize if I had to spend every waking moment watching my back, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

There was a reason I wore a mask when I came to rescue the Froslings. Behind my grand display, were my fears and insecurities. I didn’t want my enemies tracing me back to the people I cared about and settling their scores through them.

A mask could only conceal so much. Sooner or later, the Froslings would reveal themselves, and it wouldn’t be long before the world would trace them back as my vessels. What then? Once that happened, there would be countless threads for my enemies to follow, a never ending war, and just as many ways for everything to go wrong.

I had already accomplished my primary objective for coming to the Gelid Alps. There was no reason for me to linger any longer. The Half-Bloods had always been a side objective. Completing it at the cost of making so many powerful enemies simply wasn’t worth it.

At least, that’s what logic told me. Unfortunately, my conscience refused to agree. The thought of returning to Lil’ Red Storm Realm while leaving nearly a thousand imprisoned Half-Bloods behind gnawed at me.

‘Fuck it,’ I cursed.

In the next instant, I shot toward the Snow Capital, flying straight at the coalition army waiting for me, led by an imposing lineup of Ruler-class beings.

I came to a stop roughly a mile away. For a long moment, neither side moved. We simply watched one another, silently sizing each other up.

None of the allied Ruler-class beings looked surprised that the Snow Elven Crown Prince had summoned them to confront a single Ruler-class devil whose energy signature wasn’t even fully refined.

Before arriving, they had already been thoroughly briefed by the Crown Prince. He had spared no effort in explaining the threat I posed, ensuring he received their complete cooperation despite the battle taking place within Snow Elven territory.

When forced to choose between protecting the fruits of several millennia of painstaking work and preserving the lives of countless innocent Snow Elves, the Crown Prince did something unexpected, he chose to abandon the Snow Elven pride without hesitation.

It wasn’t the first time.

He had done the same the moment he began crossbreeding Froslings with Snow Elves in search of a way to elevate the Snow Elven race into a true Ruler-class race. His pride had always existed only so long as it didn’t stand in the way of his ambition.

The Crown Prince believed pride alone would never take the Snow Elven race to where they dreamed of standing: a true Ruler-class force. History had already proven that. So, he had no qualms about casting aside that pride the moment it stood in the way of his ambition.

He believed his people might despise him today. They might condemn his methods, curse his name, and brand him a traitor to their traditions. But once they reaped the fruits of his sacrifices, once they stood as a genuine Ruler-class race, they would understand. They would no longer blame him for doing what had been necessary.

At least, that was what he told himself. Right now, however, he was at his weakest. In a single day, he had committed patricide and cast aside the pride that had defined the Snow Elven race for countless generations.

Those decisions weighed heavily on him. They haunted his every thought. Yet he pressed forward. He had already come too far to hesitate. Too far to turn back. There was no retreat left for him, nor for the Snow Elven race. Only one path remained, forward. Forward toward the beautiful future he believed he was forging for his people, no matter how much blood had to pave the road.

“Your Highness, one last chance,” I called to the Snow Elven Crown Prince’s clone leading the coalition. “Give me what I want, and we can resolve this without causing a scene.”

I was making one final implication. Things didn’t have to end this way. If he simply handed the Half-Bloods over to me, I would leave immediately, and no one outside the Snow Elven race would ever learn of their existence.

At least, that was how it appeared. In all honesty, despite how sincere my offer sounded, I wasn’t giving the Crown Prince a way out. I was buying time. Every word, every passing second, allowed my preparations to advance.

While everyone’s attention remained fixed on me, my real plan to abduct the Half-Bloods continued quietly in the background. If everything went according to plan, I would rescue them without turning myself into the public enemy of the Dark Realm in the process.

“If push comes to shove, I’d rather destroy the fruits of my labor than let you have them,” the Snow Elven Crown Prince’s clone declared, his voice filled with manic determination.

The meaning behind his words was unmistakable. If he couldn’t keep the Half-Bloods. He would rather kill them than watch them leave with me.

Around him, the allied Ruler-class beings remained silent, their attention fixed on the exchange. They listened carefully, trying to piece together what it was I truly wanted. Whatever it was, it had to be something extraordinarily valuable.

Valuable enough that the notoriously proud Snow Elven Crown Prince had chosen to summon every ally he could instead of surrendering it. That alone was enough to pique their curiosity.